Mr D's new boxers

just a trial pair

 In my last post I talked about making our own underwear. Well one thing I have learned these last few years of sewing is the importance of prototypes...so the pair above are the prototype / trial pair. I made them out of old cotton sheeting so as not to waste expensive fabric. They were a success but when we discussed the sizing Mr D thought maybe they could do with being an inch or so bigger seeing as I wasn't going to be making them out of stretch fabric. He thought he might need some ease when he sat down.

My fabric choices below were all 100% cotton so they needed to be washed before I did any sewing to allow for shrinkage.With it being the Queen's Jubilee year I thought the London prints were very topical! I bought the bluebird print just because we like birds and it looked nice and fresh and cool!

love these fabrics :)

ta-da! I actually made some for real.

And here we have the first pair finished apart from the buttonhole. It is years since I've done a buttonhole and I have a new ( well second hand but new to me ) sewing machine, so I think I need to practice buttonholes this weekend before I do them on the finished boxers.

I have a small amount of fabric left which I could use to make a pair of knickers for myself but I will probably make a headband or something like that instead as I like the fabric so much I think it's a shame to have it hidden from view :-)

So there you go, men's boxers are certainly a do-able project...As long as my man thinks they are comfortable I don't think I will be buying underwear for him again, all homemade from now on...I hope he has a sense of pride in his unique undies when he gets undressed in the changing rooms at karate :-)

Trying new things in the sewing room...

At the moment I am trying something new....I'm dabbling in making our own underwear. It's something I never really thought I could do in the past, like there was some kind of mystery to it. I've found this is the complete opposite and it's really quite easy if you just go for it. Sorry I don't have time to put any pictures up at the moment but I will do very soon as this is my current project.

So far I have used the boxer shorts tutorial from the Weekend Designer blog to make a trial pair of underwear for Mr D...it worked very well I am pleased to report...and today I created my own pattern for a pair of ladies hipster knickers...I made a practice pair and again they have worked well, it's all very exciting. As well as being a less expensive alternative to shop bought underwear, it'll be nice to have 'original' undies that nobody else has :)

I hope all is okay you readers :)

Catch you again soon, hopefully with some photos!

Tea for Three...

'Tea for Three'

I've been doing lots of baking just lately, probably too much if you asked my waistline! Mr D has been in bed poorly for a week, he's not been eating a lot which always worries me, so today when he asked for comfort food I knew exactly what I'd be giving him. I've been meaning to try my Mum's old Cherry Cake recipe out for ages so this seemed like the perfect time!

 It takes a whole tub of glace cherries...you have to wash and dry them first which always seems such a waste of that lovely syrup... but 'hey ho' it stops them from sinking to the bottom of the cake so I do as the recipe tells me! This cake uses the 'rubbing-in' method, then you add your cherries and sugar...

 I just love the rich red of the cherries...when I was a little girl. I used to take a half cherry out of Mum's mixing bowl and set the flat side against my finger and pretend it was a big red ruby lol.

                         When the dry ingrdients are done you add egg, milk and vanilla esssence...

Fresh out of the tin!

                           
                         Look at those lovely cherries, happily they did not all sink to the bottom :)

 The cake is especially nice if you eat it fresh from the oven, when the cake has cooled just a little but the cherries are still hot ( careful they are not so hot you burn your mouth though! ) and you really must have it with a cup of tea for the experience to be just perfect!!!! :)

 It brought back memories eating this today... you know something, I don't think I have tasted this since I've been an adult...there was one slight difference between Mum's and mine...Mum ALWAYS used to burn the outside for some reason. I remember her cutting the sides off...I guess her oven always cooked on the hot side...well Mum, I dedicate this one to you and all the happy childhood memories that came to mind as I smelled it cooking and then sat and ate it afterward.

Happy girl

Well I think I owe this blog a happy post. Reading my post about Sharp End makes me cry but I am not going to remove it just because it is hard to read...he deserves the world to know how much he was loved and is missed. We have collected his ashes so he is back home with us where he would have wished to be.

I have happy news now :)

We now have a beautiful brown dobie in our life...meet Happy Girl !

Happy Girl visiting Granny!

We needed her as much as she needed us. The poor girl had been in rescue kennels nearly a year. Absolute torture for the Dobermann breed who are affectionately known as 'Velcro' dogs because of their need to be by your side every waking minute. She has a medical condition which means she has to be on tablets and have regular blood tests all her life. It seems people just couldn't see past that, but we know a sweet dog when we see one and it was love at first sight...it already feels as if she has been here forever. Her past is sad and I don't think I should discuss it on here, but I will say I am convinced she already knows all she will experience is love and care now she is with us. Don't you think she is an absolute beauty?

We've been to lots of places together already :)

Happy girl and Mr D in the woods

 

The first week or so she was terrified of getting in the car, but now she knows it means going to fun places and whistles with excitement as we are getting her coat on :)

She is my 'Happy Girl' and she has made me a very happy girl too :)

I hope you are all happy wherever you are.

Doxie x

My heart is broken

Sharp End left this world yesterday. I am absolutely heartbroken. He had been my loyal friend and protector for many years and I loved him to bits.He had his family around him when he died and the last words he heard were " I love you!"

I am beside myself with grief and at the moment don't feel I will ever get over it, but my head knows that I will in time. He was a true member of the family and I am finding it especially hard as he was by my side pretty much all day every day. All my daily chores seem so painful as he used to be involved in everything from sorting the laundry to peeling the vegetables.

RIP dear Sharp End, you will remain in my heart forever. xxx

Number 5

The other day we brought another budgie into our home...yes budgie number 5. Her elderly owner had passed away and she was up for rehoming. We have room and lots of love so here she is even though she wasn't planned!

This is Bonny in her old cage

She is called Bonny and a real sweetie. She's 3 years old. At present she is in a separate cage in different room to the others while she has 30 days quarantine just in case there are any health issues that come to light. Birds hide illness very well, but when they are under stress such as moving to a new home for example, that is when any problems will come to light. Hopefully all will be okay but it is not worth taking the chance and risking the health of my existing birds.


Bon has not had much to eat yet, but that is normal with new home jitters. She is quite fat under all her feathers so I am not too worried at this stage. She's very active. I have put her in a large cage and she is having great fun flying about, climbing and exploring.

On the same day we got her, by coincidence a friend phoned us about another budgie that needed a home so we have agreed to have that one as well. I don't know yet whether it is a girl or boy, all I know is that it will be yellow. Hopefully it will be here this week...so by next weekend I could be the owner of 6 budgies!

pizza potatoes

We just got a bigger halogen oven...I've had one for a while but I found it too small for family meals. I'm really enjoying using this new one. The other night I did pizza potatoes...it's a way I try to get DH to eat more cheese lol. I'm try to make him acquire the taste so he will eat more 'basic'food...he has very 'select' taste buds lol.

You just bake the potatoes in their jackets and then scoop the flesh out and mash it with some cheese ( and or onion ) and seasoning. Put the mixture back into the jacket shells, top with the kind of thing you like on pizza, top with more cheese and rebake for a while. It's real comfort food for these dark and dreary Winter days. If you were feeling wildly health conscious you could have a salad on the side I guess...I personally would like baked beans with them but I always forget until halfway through eating them and then it's too late lol.