Revisiting the village frock

Do you remember the Sugar City Village Smock? 

It was the starting point for runcibledays, and has been a favourite top through the winter.

Just one problem, though - runciblegirl has learnt how to do the starfish manoeuvre, with all her little limbs pointing in different directions. And this is pattern which really requires a 

co-operative little girl willing to work on wriggling into it.

Whereas the Music Box jumper is enduringly popular...

... because it opens down the back, like this...

... so that even a little star-fish can wear it happily.

Introducing a new-look Village frock...

(spot the missing button placket?)

... with snaps at the back.

Hooray!

Valentine eggs on toast

This is such a good and satisfying valentine breakfast (or post-valentine lunch) that I had to share it.

I can't take credit, though - here's a link to the secret behind the heart-shaped eggs.

Midwinter inspiration

I've been a bit quiet on runcibledays so far this year, but that should be about to change as this week has shaken me out of hibernation with all sorts of sewing inspiration.


First of all: my shiny new overlocker...

all threaded up and ready to sew...

(Hooray! - and thank you to my kind family and friends who made this happen!).

I'm loving the overlocker with all its chunky dials that go clunk, and its whiff of machine oil. So far I've spent more time threading it than actually sewing, but that's fine because it and I are still in our honeymoon period. And, once threaded, it is gloriously efficient. I'm practicing at the moment by turning a tatty old dressing gown into a heap of lovely fluffy washcloths (so quick, so instantly gratifying, and so good for wiping traces of parsnip off a wriggling baby). As soon as the overlocker and I are feeling confident, though, the first real sewing project will be a re-run of the Sugar City Village Frock. It's all cut out and ready to sew. All those gathers seem to be crying out for a bit of overlocker magic to make the dress beautiful on the inside.

Other exciting news from runcibledays: November's bib tutorial appeared on the Totally Tutorials blog.

It looked so fresh and appealing in its new setting, surrounded by other lovely things, that I was about to make another bib on the same pattern - but then I spotted this even newer bib tutorial by Amy Dunn at Lots of Pink Here. Amy's version involves a few pins, but is so tempting with its ric-rac, its fluffy backing and its cleverly co-ordinated fabrics that it may have to be the model for my next few bibs. It looks like a cunning way to use up tiny oddments of material as well, and I have plenty of those!


And finally - I have two new books which arrived in the post this week, including one in Japanese: the Girls Style Book. I've been admiring the Japanese sewing books from afar for some time, and decided to take the plunge. All the patterns look beautiful, and the instructions look quite beautiful too. What can go wrong?


Off to do some sewing now...


(I'm posting this without photos in the spirit of just-getting-on-with-it, but will be back later for an edit and a tidy up...)