Why is my stitching all WRONG?! (help)

I know some of you are sewing machine whizzes, and I'm very much a novice, so I'm asking for your help. What would make my (normally very well behaved) sewing machine make this mess on the underside of my stitching?

It will do this all of a sudden, and as it's underneath I won't see it until it eventually jams up. Then I take everything out and put it back exactly the same, and it's usually fine again. I can't understand it!

Is it my tension? Wrong bobbin (it's a drop in bobbin by the way)?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

The Liberty Book of Home Sewing

Oh my god - I have just seen this book, and although I've only seen the cover and one photo, it's set my heart a-flutter...

Has anyone seen any other pictures or reviews or do we just have to wait until October?

Sometimes you've got to think small

My month is off to a slow start, I think I'm a little under the weather as my energy levels are zero. It's sort of self-perpetuating though, isn't it, the more you sit about feeling sorry for yourself the less you want to get up and do anything. I'm a bit of an anomaly in that I'm a bit cross that the weather is warm again (yesterday was really sunny! People were back in flip flops!) - I had resigned myself to "summer" being over and was very much in the mood for autumn (my favourite season) to commence.

I bloody love autumn, me!

Here are the things I love about autumn:

• dark, cosy nights
• winter clothes - boots, scarves, woolens, slippers, pyjamas
• fairy lights on dark nights
• red wine and candles
• build up to Christmas

I feel all cosy just thinking about it!

I have, however, tidied up my sewing stuff, sorted out my languishing pile of WiPs, made a list of small crafty projects and borrowed Cath Kidston's Sew from the library. It's a lovely book (although I probably wouldn't buy it for myself) and has given me a fresh wave of inspiration for crafting small things. I think that's the problem when you're feeling busy and stressed, getting started on something big in the evenings, like a dress, seems so daunting that the tv and a glass of wine wins hands down every time. Sometimes you've got to think small. Big isn't always best. *insert other size based cliches here*

So my list of things I want to make in the next month are:

• new cushion covers
• a new needle case
• pin cushion

I also have two metres of this fabric that is begging to be whipped up into....a Rooibos? A Pendrell? I think it would be quite cute as a Rooibos with red buttons and it could maybe even carry off some red ricrac, what do you think? I'm not usually a fan of ricrac, but something about this fabric is screaming RICRAC ME! (just me?)