Thrifty Angel

New skirt and bag (with other things rummaged out of existing wardrobe)
with the £10 worth of red wool I impulse bought in Nottingham

I don't know what it is - maybe a combination of shorter evenings and the start of a cold, but I've recently been lacking motivation to do much in the evenings, beyond flopping on the sofa.

A few nights ago, I was reading something where the writer talked about having a thrifty angel on their shoulder - who'd say in their ear as they saw something they fancied buying, "you could make that for less!".

Hmm, I thought - me, too! Part prompted by this, and also flicking through the latest Boden catalogue that had dropped through the door that day, I remembered the skirt I'd intended to make myself out of the gorgeous red wool I'd bought in Nottingham, and decided to get started on it.

I'd bought the fabric just because I loved it - the colour, quality and thickness of the wool was just lovely. And, at £20 a metre, I only bought half, thinking I'd just make a small bag or something. That is, until I showed it to my best friend that night, who was adamant I should make myself a skirt from it.

Anyhow, it might seem a strange thing to do, but, as I was already feeling a bit low on energy (first cold of the year and all that) I told myself I'd just see how far I could get in an hour, rather than trying to finish it in one go as I'd normally do.

Work in progress after an hour... and off to bed

You might recognise the finished skirt - as I've used the same pattern again. My thinking being I have loved wearing the linen version I made for the summer, and so stick to what you know you like. And I love it. And besides, with only half a metre to work with, the skirt was always going to be a mini.

Anyhow, I'm glad Dana inspired me to get up off the sofa the other night and make myself something - as for just a couple of evenings of effort and £10 worth of material, I now have a new skirt ready for the cold weather. Oh, and a small bag out of the scraps, too. Just. In fact, a new outfit, as, being classic red, it was easy to find stuff to go with it.

Hip, hip, hurray for thrifty angels!

Last night's double rainbow over Bedford.
(The one on the right looks like it is being beamed out of the Cardington hanger
- famous for being where Batman was filmed, amongst other things)