How well do you see colour?

Yesterday, in fact nearly all weekend it rained.  It was one of those weekends that never really got going dark and cold.  So over the weekend I sewed, and I catalogued my patterns online with Evernote.  I can take no credit for this idea as I got it from lululouise's blog.  It will enable me to see what I have if I spot a piece of fabric on my travels and hopefully match it up.  Of course I have only catalogued the illustrations so it will be guess work on the amount of fabric I require.  Has anyone else done this or am I being too organised!  

Now how good are you at colour matching?  My friend says that I have a good eye for colour.  Very useful when dressmaking, matching fabrics, threads etc or general clothes shopping.  My friend however has no colour sense at all. She often asks me "does this go with this".  When sewing I find this very beneficial.  I can go into town without a piece of fabric and bring back the right colour reel of cotton. Now, while surfing the net the other day I came across a  colour test what fun I thought.  So I gave it a go. My score was 8 not bad. Give it a go but beware, it can send you loopy.  Let me know how you get on.

  

My Garment a Month Challenge

 I have joined Sarah Liz's sewalong making one item a month.  Yes I think I should be able to manage that one. However I must make thermal curtains, so while I decide on curtain fabric choice I think I will start my challenge.  
I am still needing to de stash, get these fabrics used up and have a fresh start with different fabrics but I feel like a mouse on a wheel when it comes to de-stashing.  As soon as I sew some of it up I will find a piece of fabric on my travels. 
So  for my October Make a Garment a Month challenge I will be making Butterick 5890.    
I know I have just made this top, but I have just enough of some Rose and Hubble purple/white polka dot fabric left over from a dress I made for my daughter to make this top.  It will go nicely with the 2 skirts I have just made, increasing my mini wardrobe. The style option is dependant on how far the fabric goes.
So what else for October, I really need to finish my coat that must have been sitting in the wardrobe for about 3 years now, all the hard work is done, so why I havent finished it I just dont know. The socks I am knitting for my husband, I  am on the home straight with them now which I am so pleased about, I feel like Ive been knitting them for an eternity.  

So thats it for October.  What are you all sewing/knitting this month? 

Getting organised

It all started when I came across this bag on Yoshimi's blog.  I like bucket bags but I do so hate the way everything collects up at the bottom of the bag.  Yoshimi had cleverly made dividers in hers which was a brilliant idea.  While sorting out and putting away summer clothing I came across an old pair of jeans, so I thought I would recycle them and make  Yoshimi's hatoto bag.  I have to say I like it, just the right  size for me, the straps are not too long and dont fall off my tiny shoulders, I think I would put a fastener on next time.

what is even better is that it 
lays flat for storage.

I like bags, but I havent the space to store lots of different bags to coordinate with my wardrobe, also I am lazy and cannot be bothered to take everything out and of one bag into the other, resulting in me usually using one or two bags through the seasons. 

Which brings me onto my next idea....

What if I made a variety of these bags, some in linens, ultrasuede, cottons for the summer & leatherette and waterproof fabrics for the winter. Of course I could customise them so they are not all the same.  They could all store flat for easy storage (very important for me)  and I make a removable liner that fits inside
Why?
Because (a) I just have to lift all the contents out in one go  and
(b) It makes storing my other bags easier as they wont be as bulky.
So I set about creating one.

It is a quilted inner with outer pockets.  You can even turn
it inside out as well, and have the pockets on the inside if you wish

it has a removable base with polystyrene inside for protection

It hold everything I needs

I am really pleased with it.  What do you think