patterns,patterns,PATTERNS!!!!!

Evening everybody.....
Well have finally bitten the bullet and subscribed to a sewing magazine.....its called "sew!" and its printed by the same company that make lets knit!...and i have to say i am impressed!!!
Every month they include features on sowers that have gone it alone and made their own styled items that they sell and use themselves,,this month included a trouser,top and jacket combo...and although they are beautiful i have to say that i am not ready to make their trousers yet.....the jacket i wasn't over struck on but the "a-line" top i have made twice already.....but unfortunately my DD(darling daughter) has whipped off with them both...i made a black one and a purple one and well that was that to be honest.....she wears them both with a belt or with trousers,And whilst i am happy that she likes wearing them i would have liked to wear them myself just once...but never mind ....due to the magazine i managed to find a address where i could buy clothing patterns from Vogue,Burda and simplicity....i bought Three patterns this month,one was a pair of Vogue three quarter trousers,another was for a empire cut long top,with trousers,jacket,dress and shorts,,,and the other was a gorgeous gathered top that anybody of any size could wear and it would look fantastic!!!
i am using a roll of baking paper a month at the minute...i am using the baking paper as a tracing element instead of having to cut out the pattern from the pattern tissue paper as i am a bit clumsy and know i will just shred it!!!!!
At the minute i have got a teddy bear cut out and ready to be stitched he's been tacked and matched and now all I've got to do is stitch him together and stuff him and he'll be ready to sell or give away...but i am a bit worried as He's black and purple...a real goth bear,,,but i can't resist the chance to experience making toy's on my sewing machine.....
My DD has asked me if she can have my old mini sewing machine...i don't have a problem with that except she wants to do all these embellishments and it will only do straight stitch....so i said she could have a go with mine but i would like to own it a month before she gets her hands on it as the last machine i had that i Lent her she broke within 5 minutes and it cost me a fortune to fix...don't get me wrong it wasn't on purpose bless her she's just a bit heavy handed!!!
So i have been to two fantastic material shops in the last 2 weeks,and i would recommend them to anybody just to experience the randomness of a material shop....and the quickening of the pulse at the thought of finding the unusual,,and strange!!!One is the diss fabric shop...in st Nicolas street...its a nice enough little shop but the owner has a particular liking for american betty boop print which does nothing for me ,although she does have a fantastic range in handmade Chinese embroidered silk...albrights in diss is a lovely crafter's store and cover's every craft in large quantities...but i have to say that the ultimate material store would have to be neil's material store in eye,Suffolk,uk. its a real Aladdin's cave and is worth travelling to look at,i could get lost in their forever and never worry about coming out again....it feels like i have always belonged...and have totally fallen for its charms and materials available!!!
I managed to get a fantastic pair of scissors from banham car boot this weekend...they were £2.50 a pair and they are as sharp as a razor...now if i could only stop my middle son from using them to cut paper..........now all i want to do is get stocked up on cottons and bobbins...i always seem to loose or break a bobbin every time i use my sewing machine....but that's because I'm a bit clumsy i trod on the last one and snapped it!!!still never mind its not the end of the world....but i am practising as much as i can to get this right...i would love to turn this into something i could do as a trade but i need practise!!!!!
will post some piccies when i am done so you all can see what i have been up to!!!
bye for now,
helen.