Preparing for my Wedding

I'm getting married this year and though it's going to be small in comparison to other weddings, there are still some expectations that mean it's not exactly going to be the wedding we want.  However, we still want to have a wedding that represents us as much as possible and we also have a budget we need to try and stick to.  The budget has meant that we've needed to do a lot of the things ourselves to save money.  So, this is the plan.

Guests

With things being the way they are at the moment with Covid we've decided to just have family who are already based in the UK coming to our wedding.  For everyone else, we'll be streaming the ceremony so that they can watch it from the comfort of their own home.  This will hopefully mean less disruption if we have to return to more restrictions.  It also means we are having a smaller wedding more in keeping with what we want and it reduces the travel miles connected to our wedding.  

For our smaller wedding, we wanted to make the wedding invitations ourselves to add a personal touch.  The cross-stitch pattern is a Pictish design that I've had for a while which comes from the area of Scotland we first met in.  The thread I used is from cross-stitch projects I've been doing since meeting my fiance.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time to make invites for everyone so to add a personal touch to the other invites I hand wrote them and made origami hearts to send with them.

Clothing

I'm planning on making as much of my clothing as possible, which includes the skirt, overskirt, petticoat (I was looking for this in charity shops, but unfortunately haven't been able to find anything), off-shoulder top, shawl, matching face mask, and I'm borrowing my Mum's veil.  I will be using some fabrics I've never sewn with before and I'll have to make up some of the patterns, but I have time and I think I'm going to enjoy the challenges these are going to bring.  I'm wanting to use second-hand fabrics whenever I can and have already been able to source some good pre-loved cotton sheets for the main body of the skirt and top.  I'm still looking for some net curtains or table cloth to make the overskirt with, but hopefully, I'll find that soon.  The plan is to write blogs about each garment so look out for those.

For my partner, we've gotten him a suit that's made out of recycled plastic from Moss Bros.  We're still looking for a shirt for him, which will hopefully be a charity shop find, and I'm hoping to make him a tie that matches my skirt and a face mask to go with his suit.  We'll have to see how much time I have first though.

Food

We didn't want anything overly fancy for this as that's not really our style.  So a nice pub lunch at a lovely pub in a beautiful location is the plan.  We've got a table or two booked at the relatively local Hope and Anchor Inn, which has locally sourced food and drinks.

My Mum is wanting to make a traditional wedding cake for us, but we're also ordering brownies from our favourite bakery - Dammn Good Bakes.  The brownies are a really good size and they're connected to a date we had.

Flowers

I was in two minds about whether we should have flowers or not, especially with the negative environmental and poor employment practices connected with the mass flower production we have now.  However, they are a beautiful thing to have at a celebration so we had a search around to see if there were some sustainable options.  We did actually find quite a few companies in the UK that had more sustainable practices, but we were lucky to find a company that was just down the road from us that sources flowers from local suppliers and is woman-owned, called Wildflower Floristry.  (Side note: the flowers photographed aren't hers.  Just flowers I brought because I wanted some in the flat after all the flower research.)  Best of all they use wildflowers (funnily enough), which are my favourite type, and I'm looking forward to having a bouquet that looks like a wildflower meadow.  For that very reason, we haven't asked for any particular colour scheme for them, apart from as much blue as possible.

They also normally offer vase hire for the table settings, but we've decided to do some charity shop hunting to buy vases so that our guests can take them away with them at the end of the meal.  Lucy, the owner, was really lovely and it's definitely been one of the best, and least stressful, parts of the wedding preparations.

Wedding Gifts

This is a pretty standard one.  There isn't really anything that we want, at least that we can fit in our flat and that is affordable for other people to buy for us.  So instead, we're asking people to donate to charity.  We've set up a Go Fund Me page for this very purpose which has the charities we would personally like to support. 

Favours

This is similar to the wedding gifts in that we wanted them to be a way of supporting charities.  So the favours we brought for everyone are badges from RNLI (with one of my favourite pictures) and wildflower seeds from Wildflower Favours to support the Bat Conservation Trust.

Wedding Day Activities

A day that's all about us and is a big party is not really our thing.  We're also having the wedding in the morning, which would make it a very long party and who has the energy for that.  So instead, we're doing things that are much more us.  This includes a walk along the coast before lunch (weather permitting) and a beach clean afterwards.  We got in contact with Surfers Against Sewage to set up our own beach clean for the day and they have very kindly sent us a beach cleaning kit for everyone to use.

So that's hopefully going to be our wedding.  There are still a few things to organise and work through, but that's most of it done.  Even though this is meant to be an enjoyable occasion I've actually found most of this quite stressful, which is unusual for me - possibly because the idea of being the centre of attention all day is quite off-putting to me.   However, now that I mostly just have to worry about making my clothes I feel that things will get a lot more enjoyable.  At least with that, I get to be creative.

Cooking Redwall: Autumn

Cooking my way through the Redwall Cookbook was another thing that fell to the wayside when my 'I can't be arsed' attitude took over at the end of last year.  Even with all the cute stories that went with it.  So I didn't try as many recipes out of it as I had originally planned to.  There was also a lot more sweet and pudding recipes in the autumn season than I thought there was going to be and I'm not as keen on cooking those.  Recipes I did try, however, were:

Mole's Favourite Deeper 'n' Ever Turnip 'n' Tater 'n' Beetroot Pie

This was basically layers of mashed vegetables with cheese on top.  I did exactly as the recipe said, except change the cheese to a vegan alternatives, and though it was alright it wasn't exactly the most exciting meal I've ever made.  As with most cooking, herbs probably would have helped here, but I'm not sure I'm going to make this again regardless.  I'm just not really a fan of mush.  Sorry Mole.

Bellringer's Reward

Which turned out to be jacket potato with roast vegetables and, let's be honest, where can you go wrong with that.  Despite being a simple dish it was pretty tasty and I'll probably make this again.  Or maybe just add jacket potatoes when I'm doing my normal roast veg.

Brockhall Badger Carrot Cakes

This recipe was actually from the summer chapter, but I didn't make it then as I initially thought it was a cake from the title.  This was very similar to making a hash and was a pretty nice dish.  I added some green vegetables on the side to make it a full meal.  I will probably make this again, but I'm going to try and find a way of making it vegan instead.

Despite not making all the recipes in this cookbook I still really enjoyed it.  I got to break out of the rut I had gotten into cooking and finally try some of the recipes that were in my favourite childhood books.  Obviously they weren't exactly full of flavour seeing as they're actually for children, but there are quite a few that I will make again and I'm even thinking of giving some of the sweets a go as well.  Though maybe not all at once as I'd like to carry on fitting into the clothes I own at the moment.

Making my Trousers: 1940's inspired

This is a very long overdue blog that I was actually meant to have written at the end of last year, but I'm finally getting round to it now.  I've wanted a pair of 1940's style women's trousers for a very long time, but could never find a pair that was in the style and fabric I wanted that also fitted my body shape and was in my price range.  That never happened so, in the end, I decided to just make them and found an updated vintage pattern, Simplicity 8447.

I decided that as this pattern also makes overalls I would make the top of the overalls as well, but have it so that it was detachable from the trousers giving me two garments in one.  I'm not going to lie, as this was my first time properly using a sewing pattern I was quite nervous about starting this and kept putting it off.  This wasn't helped by the fact that I knew I was going to have to make some changes to the pattern to get it to fit my body shape and that I'd already read through the pattern and confused myself a little bit. 

As I was intending on wearing these trousers quite a lot (they're basically the only everyday trousers I own) I wanted to get quite a hard-wearing, but relatively thin fabric so I went for a wool suiting fabric in a lovely navy colour.  The amount I planned, and actually do, wear this item meant that I also decided to bind the seems, even though you don't normally have to do much with wool fabrics as they don't tend to fray easily, using bias binding.  This did add quite a bit more work and a little bit more of a cost to my project, but I am glad I did it.  

Of course, I couldn't be all serious about the decisions I was making and the buttons I'm using for this project have smiley faces on them.

Once I had gotten used to the language in the pattern it actually went quite smoothly, though it did still take me a few days to get it completed.  This was mainly because it took me a while to accurately get the modifications to the waistline right.  I had had to start the pattern off with a much larger size so that it fitted around my hips, and then work on the side seams and darts to get it reduced enough to fits my waist comfortably.  Thankfully I didn't have to also add length to the waist of the trousers like I did with the shorts.  I've left the extra material in the darts in case I need to increase the waist size in the future, but for now, it fits perfectly and there's something really nice about having a pair of trousers I don't have to wear a belt with.

Once I had finally worked out how much of a reduction I had to make for the waist it was a lot easier to work on the top section as, again, I had to use a larger pattern to fit the chest and then bring it into the waist.  This time I did make the waistband a little bit larger so that it could fit comfortably over the trouser waistband when the two are joined together.  If I'm being completely honest I still haven't quite gotten round to adding the attachments which would then allow me to wear the two pieces together, but I'll get round to that soon.  With the weather being the way it is at the moment it would probably be a good idea to get that done very soon.

I really like these trousers and I've worn them a lot.  In fact, I've worn them practically every day that I've been off.  Apart from some spot cleans, I've also not had to wash them very often either.  Which is a joy seeing as laundry is a never-ending task I'm very happy to reduce.  The only thing I might possibly change about these is the turn-ups at the bottom of the legs.  They are a little bit thick and I'm not sure how I feel about the size.  I might reduce them a little bit or even get rid of them altogether, but that's still up for debate at the moment and I'll wear these a little longer before I make any final decision.  I've also cut another strip for the waistband but at a larger size, just in case I need to expand these.

Now that this project is complete I'm glad that I pushed through being nervous about starting and just got on with it.  I really like the outcome and it's given me a little bit more confidence to try out other patterns for items of clothing that I want in my wardrobe.   Which is just as well as I do have quite a lot of sewing planned for 2022.

Crafting Goals 2022

Last year actually went pretty well when it came to crafting and I'm pleased with the amount I managed to get done.  It did become my go-to relaxing activity and it probably helps that it's something I can do whilst watching or listening to something else, or even when I was too tired to concentrate on anything else.  I have quite a few plans for this year and, to be honest, I'll be pretty amazed if I manage to get them all done.  But you never know.

Making Invitations

This one's quite an important one as they are invitations for our wedding.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to make invites for everyone as I don't really have the time, but I want to try and make them for all the family at least and then add some personal touches to the other invites.  This one is definitely keeping my nights occupied at the moment.

Making My Wedding Outfit

This is another important one and I have almost everything I need to make it.  In fact, I've had most of the stuff for almost a year now, but nows the time to start putting it all together.  It will consist of a slightly modified fantail skirt, an off-shoulder top, and a shawl that I need to knit.  I have about three months to make all of these items, so no pressure.

The Dottie Cardigan

I've already started this and it was in my last crafting blog.  Once the wedding items have been completed I'll finish work on this, which should mean it's ready in time for late spring and summer. 

The Maggie and the Coddy Jumpers

These two jumpers are also from the Rowan Magazine 69 that the Dottie cardigan is in and are a man and a woman's jumpes that sort of match each other.  I really like the styles of these but I also thought it would be funny to make them and then force my partner to wear his with me.  Be one of those revolting couples.

The Vivien Fair Isle-Style Jumper

This is another pattern from the Knit Vintage book I own.  It's a short sleeve jumper and the style was very popular in the 1940s.   I've been wanting to make this one for a while but have been a bit put off by the fact that it's a colourwork pattern.  However, it's time to bite the bullet and give it a go.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get it done for the summer months.

Replace My Wrap Dress

I've had a wrap dress for many years now and I've worn it quite a lot.  In fact, it's the only dress I actually own.  However, it is now beginning to fall apart and I have to admit that there are parts of it that don't really fit me properly.  So, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make a new one that actually fits my body shape.  I've found a pattern, Butterick B6554, and just need to think about what material I want to make it from.

A Wrap Top

I also want to make a top that's similar to the top of the wrap dress and which is slightly cropped in length to go with all the high wasted trousers, shorts and skirts I have.  This top will also allow me to work out exactly what changes I need to make to the top half of the wrap dress before I start construction on that.  It'll also give me an incentive to make the changes to the dressmakers mannequin I've been meaning to do for the last few months.  I already have the fabric for this so once the wedding outfit is complete I can start working on this.

The Lord of the Rings/ The Hobbit Cross-stitch - Rivendale

Now that I've completed the Shire cross-stitch it's time to move on to the next stop in Bilbo's adventure, Rivendale.  I'm hoping this one should take me the same length as the last one and I'll have it completed by the end of the year.

If I manage to get all of these completed by the end of 2022 my wardrobe will basically be where I'd like it to be.  It'll possibly be a little bit too large still, but I think I'll enjoy having the variety.  Maybe then I'll pull back a little bit on the crafting.  Unless other people start requesting things and, to be fair, I still have quite a long list of things I would like to do.  They're just not all clothes.

Goals for 2022

I don't think I'll be alone in saying that 2021 didn't exactly go to plan.  In fact, if you read my last blog you'll see that my financial goals really didn't go to plan at all.  This was partly because I just got tired in the second half of the year and couldn't motivate myself to carry on with these goals, but I also think that it was partly because they weren't connected to any long term goals, which meant I didn't have much of an incentive to complete them.

So, what are my long term goals:

• Financial fitness - which is basically the same goal I've had for the last few years, but, whilst we've been very lucky in being able to work these last couple of years, this pandemic has made me very aware of how important building some financial security is.  It would also allow us to carry out the other long term goals we have that are much more enjoyable.
• Sail around the world - I've always wanted to do this and it is very possibly a goal that will never happen.  However, I thought it might be worth aiming for something big and at the very least we might be able to sail to some other countries.  With the way travel is at the moment (and even how it had become before Covid 19) this has also now become a much more enticing option.  It would be good if we could sail to New Zealand and back - and yes, technically that would be around the world but not if the return journey was the same as the outwards journey.  I had always had the attitude before that this would basically be an impossible goal, but now I'm thinking I should just give it a go.  If it doesn't work out it doesn't work out, but at least I can say I tried.
• Long-distance walks in the UK - there are so many multiple-day walks in the UK we really want to do and will hopefully be filling our future with. Not only is it something we love doing, but I feel that it's a really good way of getting to know the different areas of the UK.  
• Keep learning new skills - I've put this in firstly because I enjoy learning something new, but also because it's important for brain health to keep it as active as possible.  It can also come in handy if you learn something useful.  What I have in mind for this year isn't exactly helpful, but it should hopefully be fun.

And that brings me to my 2022 goals.

Financial Fitness.

I'm going to attempt this again, but this time I'm going to keep in mind not only the long term financial security but all the other things this will help us achieve.  By the end of 2022 I want to have:

• Gotten rid of my credit card debt (again)
• Fully paid up our sinking funds for Christmas and car repairs.
• Finally put together our four months savings
• Found additional sources of income, at least one
• Paid into my pension on a monthly basis
• Find an alternative, more ethical bank (not strictly a financial fitness thing, but it's connected to my finances and I would like my money to do positive things whenever it can)

This is pretty much the same as last year, but if we get these completed it then gives us room to start saving up for our next long term goal.

Sailing Around the World.

This is very unlikely to be something we're going to be able to accomplish in one year and if I think about all the things we need to do it's actually quite daunting.  But baby steps.  This year will be the very basics:

• Find out about and hopefully start sailing lessons.  It's been a very long time since I've done any sailing and even that was only on a dingy
• Research the type of sailboat we'd want and also look into the possibility of an electric motor
•  The additional incomes would also come into this as well so that we can carry on earning as we travel

Long-distance Walk in the UK.

Theoretically, I would be looking to organise a walk this year.  However, now doesn't quite feel like the right time with things still being as unsettled as they are with Covid and our finances still needing a reboot. So this year will be more about getting information about these walks instead so we can start organising them from next year onwards. This will be quite a simple one this year:

• Build a folder to 'collect' all the walks into
• Research what multiple days walks there are in the UK
• An odd one is to find another sleeping matt.  I'm finding when I camp now my hips hurt in the morning, which is fine for just a two-day walk but not if I'm doing anything long distance.  

Learning New Skills.

Attempting to learn how to skate was a bit of a disaster last year, basically, because I didn't put any time into it.  It was entirely my fault. So this year:

• Learn how to skate
• I'd also like to start learning how to surf

There are a lot of goals I've given myself this year and realistically I won't get them all done by the end of 2022.  On top of this, I'm also getting married and there's all the organising that needs to go into that.  But I wanted to aim high and actually start working towards some long term goals that we have.  Even if I don't complete all of these goals, I'll have at least started in the right direction.