Two nominations for a Liebster!

Well, who could have possibly guessed? Within a period of seven days I was nominated by two people for a Liebster award – I feel very flattered! Thank you to Anne McClure from SewAnne, and also from I Made It! who both nominated me.I hadn’t heard of this award before so I will give you the details I copied from Annes blog so you can see.

What is a Liebster Award?  This award is given to bloggers by other bloggers.

The purpose of the Liebster Blog Award is to recognise and promote newer and smaller blogs with less than 200 followers. There are a few conditions that are attached:

Thank the person who gave you the award, linking back to that person’s blog
Copy and paste the Liebster award to your own profile
Answer the 5 questions your nominator asked
Pick 5 blogs you feel deserve to be noticed (they have to have under 200 followers)
Ask them 5 questions
Let your nominees know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog

(The rules looked a little different on the I Made It! blog (eleven questions and blog nominees). I am going with the rules from Annes blog but will answer all the questions I have been asked).

Questions from Anne

1.      Why and when did you start sewing?

I can’t even remember starting sewing – I just always seem to have done it. My mum says that a good way of occupying me as a child was to give me an old shirt and the button tin and leave me to cover the shirt in buttons. Dad cut them all off after I had gone to bed and the whole process started again the next time I was bored. I continued sewing to dress my dolls, and eventually had to learn to follow a pattern to get a change of dress – my mother really didn’t want to move on!
2.      Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging after taking over a fabric business from a friend. I had been sewing for clients for many years, and had got out of the habit of making things for myself. I thought the blog would be a good way of showing the fabrics I was selling (though not any more having found I didn’t really have the time to dedicate to the fabric business), and also to encourage me to sew for myself again.
3.      What is the garment you have made that has made you feel most satisfied?

Always the last one. I still love sewing (although the mojo comes and goes) and I try to make every garment better than the last. I can’t think of any particular one from the past that stands out above all others.
4.      What has been your biggest disaster?

How many can I have? Just one? Oh dear. Despite the City & Guilds Fashion course I did I still find it disgracefully easy to foul up – thankfully it is rarely a clients garment that has been the problem and when it has been I have not yet had an occasion where I couldn’t sort it out.

However, just look back at the Pattern Magic ‘Two Peas’ top to see a recent example! Yup, experience is no guarantee of doing it right 🙂
5.      What would be your outfit for attending a university graduation ceremony, as a guest?

Difficult. My own daughter fled overseas rather than attend her own graduation ceremony so I have no experience here. It would probably be a jacket/trousers combination – though not a ‘suit’. No hats, and flat shoes would be a must as I can fall over flat Henrys and would not wish to embarrass whoever had invited me!

I hope Anne is satisfied with those answers – some of those questions were quite hard to answer!

Now the next ones.

Questions from I Made It! (Sorry I couldn’t find your name)

1. What is your favourite snack?

What are you offering? I have been accused of being willing to eat anything that will stay still on a plate – but snacks would probably be savoury. I do have a fondness for Sour Cream Pretzels so that would be high on the list.

2. What is your favourite movie?

True Lies. I know it is trashy but who wouldn’t love that police horse? And Arnie. Dreadful actor but frankly who cares. Second would be Casablanca – I would leave The Management for Humphrey if he asked.(The Management knows and is comfortable with this since Mr Bogart is deceased).

3. Do you have pets?

Sadly not any more. I have had one rescue dog (who looked like Sprocket from Fraggle Rock), multiple cats of whom most have been rescued Siamese (and you thought ordinary rescues came with baggage – try a Siamese, they bring trunks!), and two equines. My riding horse was a lovely Irish bred neddy who was just kind and wonderful. But thick as a brick.(Sorry Will). The pony we could never sell was a Section A Welsh Pony. Called Button and was bright as a … We did sell him once – we bought him back after he reduced the new owners to rubble within weeks. Sadly, after a long and happy life they are no more and like all my animals I miss them all. Maybe I will get a new animal sometime soon.

4. How long have you been blogging?

Since February 2011.

5.  What is your favourite project that you are most proud of?

I probably answered this as best I could in  number 3 of the questions above.

6.  What is your least favourite project and why?

Again, I think I learn from almost all of my projects so even if it doesn’t go ‘to plan’ it is still worthwhile. Even the ‘Two Peas’!

7.  Do you have any formal training in your craft?

Yes. I have a City and Guilds Fashion qualification (Parts I & II). Finished decades ago, and has given me a really good grounding in pattern cutting and sewing. I went into the course thinking I could sew – I left thinking I couldn’t. I still feel I am learning.

8.  Do you have your own craft room?

I sew for clients so a dedicated space is essential.

9.  How do you get your ideas?

Books, magazines, films, and other bloggers! Rarely do they just come out of ‘the air’.

10. Does your partner support you in your ideas?

Mainly. Though I think he would like to live in a house where finding a pin was a rarity, and loose threads weren’t a permanent feature of the decor!

11.  Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I would love to say on a beach with a cocktail but the likelihood is that I will still be here sewing, knitting, and generally getting deep into the domestic ‘dark arts’, although by then the damage to my cutting hand through years of use may mean that I only make things for myself. That would actually be quite nice.

Having answered the questions I get to choose another five bloggers to offer this award to, and get to ask them five questions of my own.

My bloggers aren’t all sewers so my questions reflect that. And they are:

1. Where would you most like to be today.
2. And with whom (alive or dead – it’s an imaginary day!)
3. What would you be doing (keep it clean – this isn’t that sort of blog!)
4. What was the last book you read – and did you like it
5. What skill would you most like to have.

And the bloggers are:

Ruth at The Crazy Runner Girl – who runs better than me, and likes cats and cake.

Evie at Pendle Stitches knits, sews, and has possible the cutest kids on the planet.

Julia at Foam of Days knits, sews, and scuba dives (are we the only two sewing scuba divers?)

Elizabeth at the Fabulous Dr E’s blog is another knitter and sewer – but she is a recent convert to knitting machines. Go see!

Bev at SDBev is my ‘go to’ blog for information and links for coverstitching. She experiments much more than me so will always beat me to the solution.

Well, I could have nominated so many more people so I am sorry if you are not nominated as this was a very difficult choice. I hope everyone I have nominated is under the 200 follower limit – sorry if I have got that wrong.

I promise my next post will have some sewing in it!

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