Short Fat Wendy

It has been wet in the Bath recently. Wetter than one would expect, even for a Bath, in June. Due to the inclemency, bf and I have been unable to indulge in our new evening activity of running into the garden, extracting our bikes from the reluctant shed and cycling off to drink cider somewhere leafy. We have watched all of the West Wing DVDs that we own and as such, are now forced to Make our Own Entertainment.

About ten weeks ago, I was seized with an urge to make a fabric bird. I am not sure where this urge came from. I suspect it may have been subliminally implanted as a result of a sewing box that I got for Xmas from bf. The sewing box sits in the corner of the living room (it is frankly too huge to fit in any cupboard) so I see it every day. I think that this seeing it every day germinated some sort of very dormant and very slight creativity.

(Just to go off on a tangent, I am not sure why bf gave me, a person whose previous ‘sewing box’ was a small tin containing two reels of cotton, one black and one white, plus numerous hotel sewing kits, a sewing box big enough to hold two large cats. I am not sure why he gave to me for Christmas but in hindsight I should have recognised this as a Sign. He also gave me slippers and a frilly apron, and two weeks later we were engaged).

To be fair to him, it is quite a brilliant sewing box. I think I have a picture of it. If I do, it will be here:

I didn't have a picture, but Google did.

Anyhow, back from the tangent. The fabric bird-making urge. I googled around a bit and came up with this fantastic Wendy the Bird pattern from the fantastic Lollychops: For those of you who are interested, I decided to make the ‘short wide Wendy’ version.

I had lots of fabric samples left over from when I was panicking about having to buy a sofa/curtains a while back (happily this was averted by renting a house from a man who seemingly upped and left in the middle of the night, leaving practically ALL of his possessions here for us to use..). I found the samples. I opened my massive sewing box. I took out my tiny sewing tin and opened that. I got out my black thread, and pinned the Wendy shapes to the fabric (the massive sewing box pleasingly came ‘complete’ with two massive pins). I tacked it on with giant stitches.

She had me at hello.

Next, I cut around the pattern to make Wendy-shaped bits of fabric. Then I hand-stitched the bits together (using backstitch, remembered from school) apart from a bit by her tail, turned her inside out thru the hole in her tail, and hey presto! floppy wendy!

Next, I ran upstairs and looked for an old cushion that I could decimate in the name of Wendy. I found the one that used to sit on the chair that bf sat on for years to do his revision. He has done all his exams now, so no more revision cushion required! It was also in a pretty bad state to be honest. All tattered and worn. So I chopped it open and pulled out the stuffing, and Wendy sprang to life!

At this stage Wendy was plump but could not see. I had a look in my Granny’s old button tin and found a couple of buttons from an old Topshop top. Really I should’ve looked a bit harder as Wendy’s eyes are slightly crazed. But here she is! Short Fat Wendy (as she is affectionately known)!

Flushed with success, I thought I’d make a Wendy for my Mum. Also made out of curtain samples. This one is called Mandy. Her eyes are more normal:

I can't help thinking Mandy looks rather gormless.

Then, we had an inaugural visit from my friend Steph (her of the my-friend-Steph-who-loves-men-in-historical-costumes fame). Steph spotted Wendy and I gave her a pattern. Steph took the pattern home. Steph’s domestic god boyfriend spotted the pattern. Steph’s socks got sacrificed. I am delighted to introduce Matilda!

Matilda is flying the flag for the rainbow birds.

Matilda is as you can see rather more evolved than either Wendy or Mandy. Wendy and Mandy are flightless due to my lack of patience in attaching wings. Matilda however has the world at her feathertips.

I do hope this has inspired you to have a go at a bird next time it rains. A fabric one I mean. May I suggest teatowels and old pillowcases, if you are not the sort to have bits of fabric lying about the house. It is very satisfying indeed. And if you do make a bird, send me a pic and I will add it to my Hall of Fame (bgarrr!)!

See you soon chaps J

Gratuitous shot of Bath, from a non-rainy bike ride out to the west last week!

Perils of the library

So I used to write this blog whilst on the train. However, I recently discovered a library full of joyous books RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO WHERE I WORK. This means that I am now absorbed in my favourite trashy fiction for the entire journey. The entire should-be-one-hour-but-is-in-reality-1.5h-though-we-don't-admit-it so-you-can't-bring-yourself-to-accept-it journey, thank you First 'Great' Western. I have recently taken to affectionately calling the train company 'First Late Western', and something a little shorter when I'm really angry with them. Anyhow. Gives me more time for reading so that is nice!

The train that I get from the little station where I work is a little tiny train which goes into the main station where I change to get back to Bath. There are some eccentric characters there, and some very smart gentlemen as well. Here is a picture of my train neighbour yesterday; I am sure I don't need to tell you which category he falls into.

I hope you have some good plans for the weekend. We are going cycling with my parents and some of bf's family. A bit like Enid Blyton, possibly. There is a large range of ages and fitness amongst both the people and the bikes so it should be good fun! I will tell you about it after the weekend.

Finally, look, here is a really beautiful plant that I gave to my mum and dad the other day. I had never seen anything like it. Little golden pouches which glowed and swayed in the sunlight and had dustings of red on them. Ahh.

See you soon!