Wednesday 4 September 2013

Hour by Hour

Today is my first day all to myself, in our home - ever! Little M is at Pre-school all day and Big Sis is at the school next door. I don't have a school job anymore as I was made redundant, my crochet lessons don't start until next week and the family tutoring work I do doesn't start until the week after.

I am so excited I have had to timetable my day!! I have allocated hour by hour.

8-9 School run
9-10 Crochet/craft preparation for classes
10-11 Home Admin, emails, post, washing blah blah!
11-12 One hour on the sewing machine
12-1 Lunch and blog time
1-2 Allotment digging in the sunshine
2-3 Evening meal cooking, kitchen clean up
3-4 School pick up and snack slave to children
4-5 Homework, play, chat, reading with children
5-6 Dinner time with family
6-7 Bath, stories, bed, small amounts of sibling bickering
7-9 Craft Club tonight here - card making hooray!
10 Half an hour of light knitting and chat to Bloke.

Here is what is on my sewing machine at the moment.

 
I saw the back of this fabric in the Red Cross Shop and I knew immediately that it was cord but the blue seemed a bit brash for me but I thought it would do for the children then...
 
 
I flipped it over to see the gauge of the cord and look. It was 3 pounds and there was 4 metres of it and it had a lovely pattern with black breaking it up a bit. Whohoo, the assistant was slighty taken aback by my excitement about a piece of material but I skipped out of the shop a happy lady.
  
 
I had earmarked a pattern to buy cord for out of the Ottobre magazine mentioned here and was actually on my way that day to buy some from the drapers two shops along the street.

 
Am I too old for a pinafore? I don't know but it looks OK on to me. I have a new approach to sewing which is linked to todays post which is 'hour by hour' I do one hour on a project at the machine, then stop. It has stopped me rushing, making mistakes, swearing at my own sewing machine and generally getting exasperated. I have to say it has really worked and the children understand it too so they will leave me to play for one hour knowing that I will stop and do what they want after that.
 
Can you tell I am missing being a Primary School teacher with an hour by hour timetable? It sort of shows doesn't it! Jo x


14 comments:

  1. Wow, great find - I'm on the lookout for some cord to make a tunic dress too (inspired by one I bought on sale at Sea Salt last week!) - your dress is lovely. Like the idea of a timetable, it would probably make my days so much more productive :-)
    Enjoy your "me time",
    xx

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  2. I am so tempted to try making myself a skirt or simple dress after your sewing posts! My grandma used to sew so many things for me, so I know it's "in the blood" - and pinafores are very chic on a grown-up! Love the fabric! Chrissie x

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    1. Chic you say? well yes, I think I can cope with looking chic. Thanks Chrissie. Have a go, it is great once you get started. I recommend a book called Sew serendipity if you want to get started. Great photo tutorials throughout, easy instructions, adaptable patterns with the pieces provided.XX

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  3. I could probably do with a timetable too, I'm sure I would achieve so much more. I think your pinafore is lovely and you should wear it with pride!
    Marianne x

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  4. I would definitely still wear a pinafore, with a tshirt underneath, tights and boots for the winter! Love how its looking and that fabric was an amazing find!

    I too am finding myself with large chunks of the day to myself for the first time in over three years. Today was the first day and it took me an hour to decide what to do first...so yes, a timetable very much needed here too!

    Look forward to seeing your finished dress,

    Rhi @ The Sewing Boutique x

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  5. That is a real bargain and the dress is a timeless style so I'm sure you look great in it. I have a couple of favourite charity shops that sell material at bargain prices. My local shop was selling large pieces of material for 49p each today. I bought some lovely cotton that will be great for girls' dresses and boys' shorts. I actually prefer sewing and knitting to watching daytime drivel on tv.

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  6. Well done on being so disciplined! I need a timetable for the weekends but the housework always takes over dealing with two teenagers is a never ending tidy up! xx

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  7. I think having an hours slot to sew is a really good idea. I rushed a skirt once (for absolutely no reason) and by the time I'd unpicked one section & re-sewn it, I probably unpicked the whole thing in the end...

    A routine is a very good thing when you could easily slip into bad habits like napping & watching bad day-time TV :P x

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  8. What a fab find and delightful results.
    I can't find material in any of the Charity Shops I visit :0(

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  9. Poor Bloke only gets half an hour! I suppose he'd better be grateful you scheduled him in! LOL. I'm amazed that you managed to schedule so much in. What I want to know is did you manage to stick to the schedule or did you chuck it all in and wallow in the solitude?
    xXx Helen

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  10. I love that fabric...just what i am looking for too...but I am sure I will have to pay far more for it...Great bargain!
    Hour by hr. is an excellent idea...I would need 2 hrs at a time...just because....

    bestest to you dear Jo...keep up the bargain hunting

    Daisy j x

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  11. Gosh you are being so disciplined Jo, and in view of your habit to rush through and finish things I agree with you on the hourly schedule!
    I think that pinafore dresses are always smart and its so easy to ring the changes, and colour schemes, with your choice of shirt/teeshirt/sweater underneath! And of course your lovely fabric colour lends itself to so many possibilities - navy is a good colour!
    Enjoy your days!
    Joy xo

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  12. Reading your timetable was fascinating! You sound like you are very organised and productive. I'm a little less focused, I fear - I need a timetable like yours! x

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  13. I am pleased to see that in not the only one with a timetable, one big difference is that I need at least 2 hrs per activity. I love that cord fabric, which was s great steal I have to say. Yiur sewing posts always inside me and I can't wait to start my next sewing course on the 16th. Enjoy your days and especially your card making evening, it sounds like fun. Xoxo

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