A week of making

Last March, inspired by E & B from Make, Do & Spend, I challenged myself to have a week of making.  Ever since then, I've wanted to repeat the challenge and, after a long time of being a bit lazy with my craft, this week (one of the busiest in the school year, so go figure...) I decided to try again.  Here's how it went...

Saturday
Made - Sewing kit
It was my friend Abby's 30th yesterday, but the measuring tape I needed to finish her gift only arrived today.  Never mind, I'm sure she'll be just as happy with a late present: this homemade sewing kit in a jar, plus some fab VW camper van fabric and a voucher for use of my sewing machine and/or my skills to help her make something nice for her van.

Sunday
Made - Pincushion
Inspired by the pincushion I made last week for Abby, I set about sewing another one to include in a PostCircle parcel.

Monday
Made - Necklace
There's a great bead & jewellry shop just opened in The Lanes area of Leicester, from which I bought a length of thin leather thread and some pretty turquoise stone beads. Three minutes of threading and knotting later, and I had myself a new necklace.  Definitely the quickest and easiest make of the week!

Tuesday
Made: Sketches for a zine.
I'm currently toying with the idea of writing a zine about abortion, so a few weeks ago I began jotting down some notes. Considering I'm not an artist AT ALL, I'm pretty pleased with how my sketches for the first page turned out.

Wednesday
Made: A vegan Thai curry for tea
I had a late meeting at work, so after an 11 hour day I wasn't really in the mood for making anything except food!  'Chicken' strips and spring onions were sauteed in a little sunflower oil and Thai curry paste, before adding coconut milk and vegetable stock, and finally the veg. Served with noodles, it was quick to make and delicious.

Thursday
Made: Cushion cover
Back in March I was lucky enough to take part in a screenprinting workshop that I'd won in a giveaway of Em's.  One of the things I made was a fabric panel, which I've been wanting to make into a cushion cover for a while.  I finally got around to buying some teal fabric to match the turquoise and teal inks in the screenprinted design, and in the end this cushion cover took me less than half an hour to make.  It feels extra-special to have something that I've not just sewn, but designed and made the fabric too.

Friday
Made: Plans for our week away
Tomorrow we go to the Brecon Beacons for a week with my mum, her partner, my brother and his girlfriend.  Visiting this neck of the woods during the Hay Literary Festival is a bit of a family tradition, and I can't wait to introduce The Boy to the wonder that is Hay-On-Wye and the beautiful surrounding countryside.  So, after a crazy day at school (Year 6 Book Character Day, which involved me walking round dressed as Wally - as in Where's Wally? - all day), I've rushed home to make lists and start packing.