The Student Life?

I think not. 

This week, I'm going to try an aubergine. Look at this bad boy:

I'm extremely excited! I'm trying to keep up eating healthy with loads of vegetables and stuff but to get there I feel like I need to push the boat out a little bit and try new things. So I'm going to try and turn this aubergine into moussaka. I'll let you know how it goes! 

I haven't done a picture in - there isn't much visible change - but I feel pretty good today and I haven't fallen off the wagon yet. The only issue is the gym. Stupid membership! I want to go, but I know I won't have time this time next week so why buy a membership? Grrr! I've had to resort to bedroom exercises like situps and stuff which really suck and aren't half as effective. I did go on an outdoor campus run though with Becca on Monday! (Traumatic, let me tell you.) 

I haven't made anything this week I'm afraid, even though I've been in the mood. Just got too much to do really! I'm even going to have to take my sewing machine back home when I drive back next weekend, that way it isn't here to tempt me whilst I'm revising! Just SAD times! 

In terms of other things - not much has been going on, its all work geared at the moment! The only big news I have is that its Eurovision on Saturday, as you probably know, and we're going to have a flat gathering for it. Exciting week or what?

These are Sophie's nails - they're not finished yet because she's neatening the edges and stuff, but how cool are they?! Sophie the artist! 

So one last interesting thing. Bez brought back a wooden sword from his history expedition so we employed it in our pre-drinking. This is such a good picture. Kind of looks like Becca is about to behead a very unhappy Cat. 

Anyway, nothing else to report. I haven't got anything interesting to say really, sorry! 

x

Arghhh

Well I'm sorry kids! Totally lost track last week and just missed blogging entirely. Ick :(

So I'm going to summarise what happened -

• Handed my essays in. LIFE RETURNS
• Went to see Woman in Black at the Lowry in Salford
• Had pizza. It was amazing and I have no regrets. Hahah!
• Gym membership has run out so I'm not sure what I'm going to do as I really can't afford it this month :( I'm considering maybe just running outside. I'll let you know how it goes I guess!
• I tidied my bedroom. It was a big moment - even got the hoover out. Room looks weird now.

That's it really! I genuinely spent most of the week staring at my essays and moaning about having to read for them.

Blah! 

Anyway I was thinking last night about body image. So I've drawn me on paint (very unprofessionally). 

(Comparison to the real thing... most recent picture of me, with Becca and Elena)

Haha, poor effort on my part! 

Seeya x

Belated Picture In!

So I've had a really busy week, loads of reading, lectures, seminars, presentation work, and a cheeky night out on Friday last week then again on Wednesday and just in summary, I haven't had time to post on here so I'm doing some catch up work!

I'll start with the picture in. I didn't get a picture Wednesday morning but I have got a picture from Wednesday night before we went out - and its the first time that I think I look like I might actually have lost some weight to be perfectly honest!

What do you think? Is it finally showing? Who knows. There's no change in scales or measuring tape this week, but with 5lbs down last week, what can I expect? It's going okay, but social life definitely makes it hard to keep up. Calories are EVERYWHERE when all you want to do is go out and go for meals and whatnot.


Moving on! Amidst all of this I have taken a few pictures of my week, so they're all here!

 Cheeky shopping trip with Becca and Lizzie - world's best hangover cure, I think!

We were innocently browsing Ann Summers, on said trip, and stumbled over some jelly willies. Couldn't help ourselves to be honest. 

Lizzie and I looking cool! NOTE: Is that a cleavage?! I have boobs out of nowhere, I thought they were shrinking! Apparently not!

 

Another top hangover cure, made my yours truly. Dippy egg and soldiers, woop woop!

The sun actually came out to play in Lancaster so we immediately relocated to outside! Do you see that ugly building in the background? Those are our halls. Not exactly a looker, but hey!

Becca has gone to Roses for the weekend (The Lancaster vs York sports event thing) and snapchatted me this - what a babe! She's on the girls Rugby team and they're winning so far!SO PROUD <3

So yep - that's my week in pictures! I haven't made anything this week, and might not for a few weeks whilst my workload is this high but if I find some time and energy I might make something :) 

Until next week then! xx

Picture-In Ten

Hello everyone, its the best day of the week - picture day!! Yaaay! Here goes, not looking much different to be fair:

Nope, not much visible change this week. However, I have some fabulous news! I started weighing myself last week and between now and then, I kid you not, I've gone down 5lbs! I don't know where they've gone as the measuring tape looks more or less the same but the numbers still lower, so who cares, haha!

I still want to lost another 30lbs though so AGESSSSS to go yet, but its getting better :)

Also - I've been to the gym or swimming 6 times this week, so I'm giving myself a well earned rest day. My legs are aching so much today, I feel crippled, haha!

So anyway, that's that. A good week really, even though the measuring tape is being unfair still.

In other news - I've got this app on my phone now called 'calorie count' which does the same thing as my diary, except its much easier because I obviously always have my phone on me! It has a huge database of food on it so I can record my calories much more accurately, and it gives me a nutritional analysis of my day, tells me off for eating too much or too little or not drinking enough and its just generally a genius idea. Love it!

If you're interested definitely give it a go. Or if you just want to find out how many calories you're actually consuming in a day - you might be surprised at how much - just try logging your food for one day. http://caloriecount.about.com

Its pretty fab!

Moving on, I finished my skirt last night because I was too excited to wait until next week, haha! I did get a few more essentials I needed too. You could call it a 'mini haul'.

I got some chalk - makes it much easier to mark patterns, a longer, stronger tape measure, a wash-away pen for marking fabric, and some hook and eyes. All from http://www.abakhan.co.uk/.

Very useful, all kinds of things on there!

Anyway, I did the waistband, got totally confused by the pattern and just guessed. If it falls apart, its all my fault, haha! Anyway, this is it:

Cutting out the interfacing for the waistband...

About to iron the interfacing on to the waistband fabric...

And the results when I finished. It doesn't look too bad but it is quite messy on the inside. If I do it again, I'll need to do more research on technique.

This is what it looked like as a whole, front and back:

Sorry the back picture is upside down, forgot to turn it!

And this is what it looked like on:

Yaaay! I'm a dress-making genius! Haha!

That's it for today I think, I might have made something else by next week, we'll see :)

Bye byeeeee xx

Patterns!!

Good morning everyone! I've been so looking forward to posting this week, because I've just started investigating the world of dress-making, which is really fun!!! So, I went to the haberdashery intending to just get material and figure it out on my own. However when I got there and started talking to the lovely lady there she pointed me towards some patterns, and I found this!!!

So I immediately decided I wanted to do Skirt A from the options on the front of this pattern here - and the nice lady measured out the material I'd need, got me a zip and the right thread and everything. Yaaaay! 

This last is the patter instructions - it was genuinely like a foreign language so before I could start I spent a few hours researching online the various terms and watching some YouTube videos and the like until all of the instructions started to make sense. Took a long time - so many things I just didn't know! I'd never sewn in a zip before, I wasn't sure how to 'gather', I had no idea what interfacing was - and worst I didn't know half of the instructions on the actual pattern! Dots, triangles, specific cutting instructions, all sorts! Definitely do some research before you start if you're going to have a go, haha! 

Also - a word to those of you with self esteem issues based on weight and whatnot. When dressmaking, the sizes are one up from those on clothes you buy off the rail. I'm usually a size 12. So I depressingly had to cut this to dressmaking size 14. FML. (But it's okay, I don't have to put a label in it, nobody has to know...)

So off I went! Started, obviously, by cutting the pattern pieces out of the paper, like this. 

Once they were all cut out, I had to lay out my fabric reallllllly carefully - you are supposed to pre-shrink the fabric by washing it but given that I'd have had to go down to the Uni laundrette and pay for a whole wash just for this bit of fabric, I didn't do it. I'm sure I'll regret that decision later but hey ho!!

Then, you pin the pattern pieces onto the fabric, and cut them out. Be economic with the fabric because the pattern prescribes the minimum amount you'll need, and if you're not careful, you'll run out. That would be really annoying because you'd then have to go back to the haberdashery and get some more. 

Anyway, I cut out the pieces. 

I didn't photograph some of the steps because they were fairly straightforward - although I did skip adding pockets because I didn't have faith in my ability to be able to do them without getting it wrong. Maybe I'll try pockets next time! 

The hard part really was gathering the top of the skirt. Before its gathered, and after you've sewn the front and two back pieces together its just a really big loop of fabric. You have to gather it to make it the right size. To do that, you have to baste two rows of stitches around the top edge, then by pulling the threads and moving the fabric along, you gather it. This was really frustrating - you have to baste so the threads are loose enough to pull but if they're too loose, the basting pulls out of the other side and then before you know it you've pulled the whole thread out and you're back at the beginning. It took me three attempts and on the final time, in frustration, I gathered it, then secured it with a normal stitch just underneath the basting stitches so it wouldn't pull out. Grr. 

After that it was the zip, and that wasn't actually too hard once you understand it. I'd suggest watching a few YouTube videos if you're unsure, they're really helpful. This, for example: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UENKfCqyn2k

Anyway, this is the skirt half finished. I need to take it up a bit - I think its designed for people with REALLY REALLY long legs. I also need to put on the waistband - for that I need interfacing, which turns out to just be iron-on material you put inside the waistband to strengthen and stiffen the fabric, to help the waistband keep its structure. I also need to put on my hook-and-eye, neaten the hem. Then I'll need to try it on and see if its the right size. If I've made it too small I'll wait until I've lost weight and can fit in it and if its too big, I'll take it in using some darts. (Sewing term - not actual darts.)

So, some top tips I wish I'd had before I dove in!! Get dressmakers chalk/pen that'll wash off - it makes it much easier to mark the pattern instructions onto the material without staining the fabric. Also - iron the fabric before you use it and if you can, preshrink it. And, check the back of the pattern envelope to make sure you've got everything before you start. I belatedly discovered I needed interfacing and hook and eyes after I left the shop. So make sure you check. 

And just one last note - it's sunny in Lancaster, hurray!!

Until tomorrow then!! xx

Picture-In - Week 9

Hello there my lovelies,

So its Wednesday again, and for the first time in a couple of weeks I'm not here to confess sins, I'm here to boast of my good work this past seven days!

I'm back at the gym, I've chucked out the cheese and the chocolate and everything is going well.

In measuring, I've lost an inch on my bust and an inch on my hips. (That, or each week I'm progressively pulling the measuring tape tighter...)

...Look at Audrey Hepburn's face... she looks so unhappy to be close to me... RUDE

In other news I pushed the boat out yesterday and went swimming (went to the gym too, so healthy!).

This is an, uh, 'swim dress'.

The truth is, I have a HUUUUUUGE bum and the only way to go swimming without scarring innocent passers-by forever is to wear something that covers it up a little more. It has a bikini bottom affair to go under the dress thing too. I've never felt more secure in a swimming costume!

Anyhow, I'm off again, maybe we'll see if I can do any better next week! LOTS OF LOVE XXX

The Circle Skirt!

Hello my lovelies,

I'm back at Uni now, and truly back on the bandwagon - you heard it here first. I've got loads of stuff to say today, and a lot of pictures too!

I'll start with the whole 'circle skirt' thing, as that's the name of the post today! So I was surfing around some sewing blogs and the like looking for something to make and came across this video on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DmKzW9et0w

Obviously this was one is tartan, but the technique is all the same. So, suddenly obsessed with the idea of making a skirt I wanted to have a practice on some of the spare material I have - before investing in nice material for a proper one. This is how I made it:

Get maybe 2 meters of material, fold it in half then in half again. Put the corner with no raw edges closest to you - you'll be drawing your lines from that point.

The rule to get the radius here is your waist measurement divided by 6.28, then round to the nearest inch. I did this however and it was too big and ended up sitting on my hips, so I either measured wrong, or I need to deduct a few inches to match my shape.  Once you have your number, anyway, get a piece of string, measure out your number, and from the corner draw your cutting line. Then with a new string measure the length you want the skirt to be and do the same thing again. As it happens mine was too short, but I do have a rather large bum! Most people seem to make them about 17" long like this one, but I think I'd feel safer at maybe 20", so I'll try that next time. I can always take it up if its too long.

Anyway, cut along the lines you've drawn.

Voila!! When you fold it out it should look like this:

So, I tried it on (pulled it on over my head, its stretchy fabric so it went over my shoulders no problem - for the actual skirt I'll probably need to put a zip in, as I don't suppose the fabric I get will be as stretchy as this one!).

Please excuse the belly button exposure - I was wearing a high waisted skirt with this crop top, and just switched skirts for the picture. I was anticipating the skirt sitting much higher up than this - I think I'll consider adding a strip to the top of the  final skirt to make it higher and give it a bit more structure.

So obviously this wasn't a sewing project as I didn't do the hems or any adjustments etc, it was just a quick practice at the measurements and cutting thing. It obviously works, I just need to get the numbers right and the fit right for my body (could be a pain. Gotta hate being a pear).

But, the material I'm considering for the actual skirt is this, because I'm in love with the whole spacey thing at the moment:

http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/339848

But its obviously a little bit expensive, and in the US, so I'll try it on something cheaper first from the haberdashery in town. Anyway, watch this space, could be a really cool skirt here next week!!

Other things...

So moving on, I've got a lot to say about other stuff this week (my little diary blog section!). So, first, I discovered this picture of me on my 7th birthday whilst I was packing for uni!

That's me on the left - with my childhood friends! (I don't know them anymore as I moved away not long after this :( )

I also went shopping with my Mum around some cute little village shops and a few charity shops!

 Charity shop bargain - Peplum top for £4.00!! 

 Cute handsewn backpack I saw - wouldn't know how to make it but I did love looking at it!

 This is an Alice in Wonderland cake, spotted in the village chocolate shop!

 My new watch next to my old trust swatch watch! Ironically, I gave the old watch away and the new one has broken. So now I have no watch at all. 

Cute shop display!

Pretty good little journey around the village really! Another couple of things from home, too:

 Elsa, my baby, looking beautiful. As always. 

My Woody doll, sitting a posh jewellery box!

Sangria - we went for Tapas and it was amazing!!

Just showing off the blonde bits in my hair!! Really loving them, they're here to stay!!

So I think that's it boys and girls! Talk later!!! xx