Finished, nearly finished, getting started

I seem to have quite a few projects on the go and very little finished. I have managed to compete my Meringue skirt though and I am really chuffed with the result!

It fits, there are no obvious biggie mistakes and it even looks ok with the blouse tucked in (although I will end up wearing it outside as it covers up more of my sticky out belly rolls LOL)

So how did it go?

I had to alter the pattern to take it in at the hips so ended up cutting out a sizw 18, scaling down at the hips to a size 14 and using the size 14 scallops.

I followed the tutorial on the Colette blog to include a waist band but made mine 1.5" wide instead of 1"

The skirt went together beautifully. The cordroy hangs perfectly and I love the little bit of quilteing facing on the scallops (I think facing with cordroy would have been too bulky.

I used my mums vintage pair of cutting shears to finish off the seams

I didnt have any problems with the zip using the tutorial in the book, and wonder why everyone in net land looks at zip setting with trepidation.

Things I didnt like or went a bit astray:-

I still think the waistband is too narrow and next time would make it much wider, maybe as much as 2.5".

I dont like it sitting just below my waistline and would try to find some way of altering it to sit on my natural waistband if I could

Why did the book recommend to buy so much material? Even with the longer length, the biggest size, the extra waistband and about 6 " of the edges of my fabric unusable because the embroidery didnt go to the selves, I still have enough fabric to make another skirt up. Whats that all about?

I've lost a few pound since I made my muslin so it could maybe manage being taken in a tiny bit more, in fact in this photo I have actually pinned the waistband tighter so that it sits a bit higher and is more snug.


Overall?

I'm still not sold on the scallop detail, I think they are a tad young for me, but I would certainly make the skirt again without the scallops. I wouldn't mind it in a different length either. More importantly I learnt alot from the first project and from joining in the sew-along (I love all the different versions).

I still have my Project Life to update although to be totally honest not a great deal has been going on to record in the later parts of January.

Last week it was Ollie's 30th birthday so we were all booked in for a family meal to celebrate at the local Beefeater. I was a bit sceptical about the venue as we have been there many times over the years and have yet to have a decent meal or time there.


In one of the early times we went, Kelly was only about 6 or 7, she went out to play in the outdoor playground while we finished off and paid for the meal, but within minutes she was back in again having stubbed her toe on a sticking out paving slab. I took her to the ladies to administer mummy type first aid, stuck her foot up on the sink, started to take off her sock and then realised it was going to be too bad an injury for me to deal with (being a squeimish person who doesnt DO blood). I left her in the loo and went to get someone with a stronger constitution to help with the admolishment to Kelly that she wasnt to move. I then promptly fainted in the middle of the dinning room!!!

Of course no one knew who I was, what was wrong or that Kelly was still in the powder room. Martin was outside supervising Laura on the swings . The staff dialed for an ambulance. I came to enough to mutter Kelly, ladies, get help, and then went out like a light again. Someone did look in the toilets but the sink was behind the door and they didnt see poor Kez awaiting for her mummy to return.

Thankfully Martin returned as someone from the golf course finally recognised me and went to tell him, the ambulance turned up just after I had recovered enough to go hide in the car, and the paramedics ended up dressing Kelly's toe (which was fine, she just lost a toe nail).

Anyway since then every meal we have had there has been wrought with poor food and/or rude staff/rotten service but Ollie thought that since the Beefeater by them in Croydon was ok, this woud be too.

Unfortunately he was wrong!

The tone of the evening was set when mearly seconds after I took off my coat and Martin went to the bar, a guy (presumably the duty manager) came up and in a very rude tone told Kelly that we needed to be seated on time since they had booked our table out again at half 8 (we were booked for half 6). As it was 6.25 and only 4 members of our 12 strong party had arrived so far, we were not impressed, less so when Ollie said we would sit as soon as the others turned up and he replied that he was just letting us know as our table needed to be emptied for the next group - like it was our fault he had booked the table out again!! On our own I am sure we would have walked out at that point but with no way of letting Ol's sister know where we had gone, we stayed (and I think we were too flabbergasted to move)

Having told us to get a shift on before we had even started we decided to sit down before Loke. aura and Wayne arrived. So when they did, we all had our drinks already. Now I am probably one of the few awkward people who CAN tell the difference between Pepsi and Coke, and I dont like Pepsi. Ordinarily if the pub doesnt do Coke I have a fanta or a sprite, but the Beefeater, although doing Pepsi on tap, do also sell bottled Coke, so I had one which I made last all the meal. When they arrived, Laura and Wayne asked for a coke (generic term not Coke Cola) and were not offered Pepsi but simply given bottled Coke. Martin who was driving also asked for coke after his one beer and he too was given a bottle with no other suggestions made to him. Laura and Wayne had another round, same thing! At the bill we were in for a big shock, it seems they were charging £2.30 per bottle of 33ml Coke!!!!!!!!! Again we were gobsmacked and it added a total of nearly £10 to Laura and Wayne's final bill, simply for 2 coke drinks each.

Sevice was slow, and the food was poor. My steak was so tough I actually made my gums hurt chewing it, Laura's steak wasnt tough but she had asked for medium and it was overcooked for even well done, and poor Sebastian's pizza would have done a great job making chipboard covers for one of my albums!!!!

BUT the company was great and totally made up for the short comings in the meal and service. There was lots of chatting and plenty of laughing and we did have a good time, so thanks kids and I hope Ollie had a great birthday week.



Aside from that, we have been suffering a bit from winter blues. Mum and Dad have both had really bad colds, with mum ending up on antibiotics, Finley is still suffering from his teeth which still have not put in an appearance. Martin's new car is being delayed as it is having to come from Belgium, there are none in the country atm. I have signed up (hopefully, references were a bit problematic) to a new agency.

I have plenty to look forward to next week though, Friday we are off to the annual pantomime trip at Whitstable Playhouse, and Saturday I am going to the Hobbycraft and Stitches show at Bluewater.