My Hebridean working holiday - part 2

My two weeks on Tanera were marked by unremitting rain. The weather was so bad that the tourist boats (on which the cafe relies) were cancelled on all but two days due to stormy seas or unwelcome downpours. As I was meant to be working in the cafe in exchange for my holiday house - this left me with something of a dilemma. How was I to repay my hosts for my accommodation? I baked the cafe's faourites in anticipation of visitors, but there are only so many batches of brownie or flapjack that a girl can fit in the freezer. Fortunately I'd brought my sewing machine with me thinking that any loneliness would be chased away by my Brother. I was therefore able to exchange baking for sewing and willingly stitched for my supper instead. I made a little curtain for the butler sink in the loo block out of an old duvet cover (check it out if you ever visit!) and lots of cushion covers for the holiday cottages that are scattered around the island.

I started to feel like I was on some sort of sewing retreat and in my spare time I got to work on the two dresses I'd planned to make during my stay. They were both run up using the same pattern. I'd really intended to make one from an original 50's pattern that I'd bought at a fab second-hand bookshop in Stroud -  but the fit and style just didn't work, so I quickly abandoned that idea. Here are the completed dresses captured in a rare moment of sunshine!

And here I am wearing one of them back home in London - at one of my regular haunts! I think I look much more at home in this outfit than in the anorak and wellies at the start of this blog entry!

Today's fleamarket find

Oops! There goes the wheel!

My Hebridean working holiday - in bite-sized chunks!

Bloggers who don't blog are a very annoying breed. Many apologies for having become one of those. Hands up - I've been pretty useless of late. So what happened on my shoestring holiday? 

I know I should have updated you sooner. 

Well,  I've discovered, much to my surprise, that I've become a city girl. I really had no idea that I was one. I'd always thought of myself as very much at home in the back of beyond. But you know what? Nine years in London have spoiled me. After only five days I found myself begging for the latest edition of Vogue to be ferried back to the island! I realised that I've come to love the constant variety, the distraction, the plethora of people, the ever-changing fashions, the pleasure of birdsong in the middle of town, and the comparative warmth of the climate down South!

For two weeks this rather soggy windswept path was my daily commute. I was immediately surprised by how unfit I was. A 20 minute walk left me breathless. I'd always thought my forays into Deptford and back kept me in reasonable shape. How wrong I was! Here, the handful of hardy residents happily slung luggage for a family of four onto their backs and hiked merrily up the hill or shouldered with a shrug a sack of logs for the fire! I immediately realised I was out of my comfort zone!

More to follow...

Sunday Times Style Mag

Fresh back from the Hebrides and what do I see? Sunday Times Style Mag - featuring - me?! Chic on a Shoestring - out on May 26th. Bienvenue!

Shoestring holidays

I'll not be posting for a while as I'm going beyond the reach of technology to run a post-office/coffee shop on the Island of Tanera off the West Coast of Scotland. My holiday cottage is offered in exchange for mornings making tea and cakes and selling stamps. Really hoping it's fun and relaxing. I'm thinking of it as a bit of a sewing retreat. I've got my trusty Brother packed in the boot, as well as enough fabric for two dresses - one of them a vintage '50s pattern. I'm slightly concerned I'll run out of thread and be unable to finish them as there's hardly likely to be a haberdasher on the island! Also packed are my wellies, lots of food, (no shop on the island either) a large box of wine, a new cookery book called The Skinny French Kitchen - which looks fantastic and is bursting with some great ideas (as well as envy-inducing pics of Paris) -  and some La Duree macaroons for friends who are also on the island after doing a foraging course. Well - come on - if you've been eating foraged greens for the weekend - you are in DESPERATE need of a little luxury! I hope these delicate treats haven't melted during the 12 hour drive!  I'll tell you all about my adventures on my return. Be good! xx

First book signing

I did my first book signing in Stroud at the weekend for Chic on a Shoestring. It's not actually launched till May 26th - so this was a preview. Had lots of fun chatting to everyone passing by the Stroud Bookshop where I was poised with my pen at a little table.  The signing was taking place as part of the Stroud Textile Festival which attracts some 15,000 people to the town every year. Great atmosphere. Note to self: must invest in something other than an old biro!

Amelie style tips

It's not often I blog about other peoples' blogs - but this really caught my eye. It's all about how to create your own Amelie style in clothes and interiors. I found it really inspiring, and it reminded me just how much I love the film.  Just click here to find out more about the style ideas and the blog. I'd love to know what films have inspired your style!