Absolutely Fabulous

Firstly thank you so much for all the well wishes for my brother Will.  He had an emergency operation to his back on Tuesday and there has obviously been some nerve damage.  He faces months of rehabilitation but the doctors are confident he will walk again.  As one of his friends said, "Those energy balls work so keep them coming!"

It`s our beautiful boy`s 4th birthday tomorrow but we are doing most of the celebrating today - the luxury of being young enough to not really know what day it is! I ummed and ahhhed about a birthday party but decided on starting that next year.  Today, he`ll have 4 cousins and various uncles and aunties over fr cake later and he`ll love it. We`ve moved on slightly from dinosaurs to marine life.

Anyway, I mentioned a few weeks ago that I wanted to get back to my first sewing love, dressmaking.  I`ve ordered some books on pattern cutting and getting a good fit, a pattern and some fabric. These bundles of loveliness are all waiting for me at my mum`s in England. Yesterday I signed up for this course over at Craftsy - the Couture Dress with Susan Khalje. I have looked at this course before but waited until it was offered at special price.  Yesterday I got an email saying it was $39.99 as opposed to the regular price of $79.99. Woo hoo.

Once you have signed up, you can watch the course videos as much as you like, there are full written instructions and the price includes a Vogue dress pattern, which will be sent to you.

I have only had the chance to have a quick look at the first lesson but I like what I`ve seen.  It`s all done in real time so you really get to see Susan at work.  I like her too.  She has a nice soothing voice. She`s full of tips - for instance, did you know the width of the metal end of a tape measure should be 5/8ths of an inch - useful when marking your stitch line. I like the way how you can make notes below the video as you watch it.  As soon as you type, the video pauses until you`re ready to resume watching.  I shall let you know how I get on.  I don`t have that much use for couture dresses if the truth be told but I think I shall learn so much from this course that will be useful for dressmaking in general.

I quite fancy whipping something up for Jennifer`s Summer Sewing Contest, which looks like it`s going to be a whole lot of fun.  She has a fab lineup of bloggers taking part in the hop!

If you are a beginner dressmaker or are interested in taking it up, you might want to check out this great post by Sara of Sew Sweetness as part of Sarah`s excellent {Sew} Get Started series.

 Lastly, a few weeks ago I received an enticing email from Moo saying that they had a sale on and so duly inveigled, I ordered some mini cards and had them delivered to my mum`s.  There has been a slight delay in showing you these as my mum mislaid her new camera. Anyway, she found it.  Where?  In her sewing scraps.  Go figure.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

44 Facts About Me Me Me

 I`m not normally so wordy.  Especially on a Sunday. Indulge me or speed read...it`s up to you.

I share my birthday with  Leo Tolstoy Shania Twain.

Green is my favourite color.

I can read and write Arabic script...very slowly.

I'm not so hot at speaking Arabic but I can speak French (ish).

Musical instrument of choice as a child was the violin.

My mother wanted to name me Roxana.
I love the beach on a winter`s day.
When I was 19 I was robbed on The Spanish Steps in Rome.

I went to school in Stratford Upon Avon  - Shakespeare`s birth place.

I have been both a lawyer and a teacher.
Living in Morocco I miss book stores, fabric shops, cheese, weather and my family.

In 1984 I named my pet kitten 'George'.
I am the same age as Nicole Kidman - I ask myself, `Who`s wearing better?` 
If money was no object I would own a house overlooking over the sea.

As a teenager I saw David Bowie, Madonna and The Police in concert.
My beautiful boy was worth the wait.

I swim but I don't like putting my head under water.
I would love to go back to university and make better use of my time there.

My husband and I married in London on a cold but cloudless sunny February day.

Pet peeve - moodiness and inconsistency in 'friends'.

In a chemistry lesson, I once set fire to a boy`s jumper by keeping my bunsen burner on the white flame. It wasn`t intentional.

My eyes are green.
On this day in 1994, Charles and Diana divorced.
My mother has been a huge influence in my life.

I often think I would be happy as a vegetarian.

My middle names are Jane and Louise.

'sociable' is teacher speak for 'chatty'

I was always the youngest in my class at school and amongst my friends - that's not the case now.

I met my best friend when I was 13 and we are still best friends.

My husband and I had known each other for a very short time when we decided to get married.

My music tastes are eclectic.
I try to believe in half full not half empty. It`s not always easy.

I'm still trying to get my husband to remember that I like white roses - not red.

Favourite takeout is a curry.
I like the idea of holistic medicine.

I love pearls.
Teaching gave more satisfaction than practicing law.

As a young child my teachers described me as 'sociable'.

This year we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.

Looking after my son is a joy.  Most of the time.
 I don`t really `do` St. Valentines Day.
I`m currently reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.
First holiday abroad was camping in the South of France.
I never dreamed in a million years I would live in Africa.

But sometimes I`m very glad I do. Wishing those on the eastern seaboard of the US as uneventful as possible days ahead.