Octopuses are the new Pineapple.

Craft Camp Time, where the packing is hefty...



Threads are flying, and the laughs ring all day



Views are pretty, and the meals are delicious



So stitch, tribe of crafters, and let's all enjoy our stay.
(with apologies to George Gershwin)



Yes. Another gorgeous weekend at Sewjourn with fabulous friends. It was the Susan-and-J-Name Crarf Camp, starring (from front left going clockwise) Jenny, Susan M, Susan K, Jan, Kate, Jac, Janet and Suse. Kate and I toyed with temporarily changing our names to Suzie-Joan and Janey-Sue for the duration, to fit in with the theme.

I had been feeling stressed and cranky in the week leading up, but as soon as I walked in the studio door and saw all those lovely women smiling in welcome, the anxiety and crankiness melted away. Sometimes you just need to get away, don't you?  And getting away with a great group of women to a great location, is ... well, great.

All the girls seemed to whip up an astonishing array of lovely things.  They're so productive. I am much slower, mostly I think because I need a long time to process sewing instructions: read, think, read again, make sure I've understood it, ask Jenny if I'm not sure, lay it out, pin it, check again, then sew.  And if I get distracted in the middle of that process by all the interesting conversations flying round the table, I have to start the read/think process all over again.  But better safe than sorry is my sewing motto. Yes. I have a Sewing Motto. So I managed just two garments, one of which was made fiddly because it was a kids top pattern that I adapted to fit me.  The pattern was from a Japanese book: all diagrams, no written instructions.  (Then I made a skirt from Ottobre magazine which was all instructions and no diagrams. So confusing for my poor brain!)  This is the top.  The lovely fabric was given to me by a friend. (Justine. Another J-name.) If I make it again I will cut it wider round the neck, but everything else was pretty right.


This is the skirt, my crazy cat-lady fabric. I'm pretty happy with both garments.



When I walked in the studio, a very groovy foot-stool, wrapped up in plastic, caught my eye and I distinctly thought whoa isn't that gorgeous! But I was lugging stuff and greeting people so it didn't really register.  Once I was settled Sue M. said your stool is over there and it was only then that I remembered that I'd bought it from her via facebook months ago.  Sue finds the old stools and does them up with fantastic fabrics and Suse and I both ordered them.

It is even lovelier in real life, and PERFECT for resting my feet while watching telly.



In other random news, my plan to make the mosquitos attack my room-mate and footstool maker Sue M by spraying myself with repellent before bedtime was a complete failure.  She said she heard them whine past but didn't receive a single bite. Meanwhile I got bitten 9 times. So unfair. We also discussed the awesomeness of octopuses, celebrated Suse's birthday on Saturday with cupcakes and champagne, and took home some lovely tea courtesy of first-timer Jac.



I love Craft Camp so much.  Can't wait till June!