Handmade Monday - Fabric box

Good morning! My contribution to Handmade Monday today is not going to win any prizes for the most ooooh, ahhhh fabric, although as you know I think hessian is pretty wonderful. Also, for this particular little project I wanted a neutral setting as I wanted my wool to do the singing - does that make sense?

After carting my teetering piles of Granny squares around on Friday in order to take a picture to show the progress of my blanket, dropping them twice, cursing countless times, (you must understand that they are all held in a certain colour sequence for ease of reference for me, I am quite fastidious about this!) I decided I must take matters into hand and make them a proper little home......

.......thus making it easier to transport them and provide a cosy home for squares and balls of wool (or yarn? When did we start calling wool yarn?), which can sit at my feet while I work.

I'm  afraid there's no tutorial today, as time has run away with me, but I can tell you, I measured carefully the size of the box I wanted, (length, width, height), prepared a paper pattern and cut out 4 pieces, one of each of.....

........hessian, lining, interfacing and interlining. Then I sewed them all up at the corners. But it was too floppy for my liking so I added French seams at each corner which seemed to do the trick and provided the soft rigidness that I was after.

Now I really must schedule in some Christmas time this week. I have been diligently trying to ignore it in favour of other sewing projects but it's no use, there are lists to be prepared, cards to make, outings to arrange and a Christmas Cake to bake.

OH came home with this last week, "I bought you this" he declared. So I'll be giving it a go, apologies to all you brilliant bakers out there who may view this as a little bit of a cop out, but I'll try anything once.

And I also read with interest  this post from Craft Blog UK referring to the 'About Me' section of your web page, and decided yes, mine was as dull as dish water, so I've had a bit of a revamp.

And now you know what I'm going to say don't you.......? Well it is the best way to start your week, by paying a visit to Wendy and the wonderful crafters that make up Handmade Monday. This week Wendy has solved a mystery!

Crochet Hearts, a birthday gift set and a crochet catch up.

When I started my little crochet adventure back in April, never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would be making a birthday present for a friend that involved crochet. OK what I've done is very simple but I think very effective and should encourage all you novice crocheters (like me) out there to have a go.

Ooooooh what are these......?

My very good friend is celebrating her 'girlie' birthday this week. She is a lover of all things 'hearty' and has an excellent eye for detail, creating lots of interesting little corners in her house. Anyway the 'hearty' thing was my starting point.


So where do you go when as a crochet novice you need a bit of handholding and advice? Off to lovely Lucy of course, where there was a lovely teeny tiny heart tutorial which was just perfect for my needs.

The hearts were so straightforward to make and I had purchased a white box frame for them to nestle into.

But then of course I had to make the card and think of a suitable wrapping. Here's what I came up with.

A tote'ish bag made from good old reliable wallpaper lining to house the frame, using hearts as my theme and working with the same colours as the crochet hearts.  Shall we have a closer look......?

A carefully placed sentiment and hearts randomly stamped onto a strip of white card which were then cut into squares and mounted onto card. I wanted a faded heart look, so I stamped some of the ink off before stamping onto the white card.



This might give you a better idea....



The ribbon was simply tied around the handle and the handles were made from red card and attached with eyelets.

Although this was for a birthday, what a great Christmas present it would make wouldn't it?

And talking of all things crochet, just in case you were wondering...............

........my crochet blanket is coming along nicely. I left off it for a few weeks as sewing projects took over but I'm determined to get it finished in time for Christmas. I'm aiming for a 10 squares by 12 rows blanket and I'm on row 10 now, I should make it shouldn't I?

Enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by x

Handmade Monday - White Linen Transformation - The Finale (Part 3)

Good morning everyone happy Handmade Monday and a warm welcome to some new friends. I have been to visit your lovely blogs already, which was no mean feat this weekend let me tell you, when I lost the ability to 'comment', all sorted now thankfully. There are some great ideas out there at the moment.

Today I have the final episode in a series entitled 'White Linen Transformation' (or a before and after shot of a chair.)  If you're interested look here for Part one and Part two. My very good and very lovely friend is slowly turning her sitting room into an inviting oasis of cosiness (not that it wasn't in the first place mind) and as a finishing touch she asked if I would make a slip cover for a much beloved chair of hers.

So I took a big, no make that massive, no humongous GULP and said "I'd love to." It was a little challenging as I've never done one before and was a little out of my comfort zone. I read up a little, thought about it alot, and finally produced my first ever slip cover.

Lets have a closer look....

The cover is trimmed with piping........

........and I lined the skirt as I thought it needed a little more weight around the bottom (my curtain making skills helped me here).

I finished the back with a side velcro fastening for ease when slipping the cover on and off.

I'll zoom in a bit for a better look....

I learned new terminology like 'tuck in allowance' which basically helps the cover to sit tight and not move around when the chair is in use and discovered new equipment  like 'T-pins', which I didn't have but would consider buying if I needed to make more slipcovers, as my poor little dressmaking pins couldn't really cope.

Now remember this from last week........my little tease........?

Here's a few more......



I felt the chair looked a little barren and as I had some fabric left over, I made a little cushion to go with it. A piped cushion embellished with crocheted flowers and those gorgeous vintage market buttons.

It just helped to finish it off.

I did get a great deal of pleasure from using my existing skills and applying them to something different and learning new things at the same time and it looks just right in it's new home.  Just in case you're interested this book helped alot.


Courtesy of Amazon

Incidentally, as I started this project my eldest came in from school and said "Hey, that's really good!" but rather than feeling a warm glow of self satisfaction and pride in my work, his comment made me a tad deflated, as at the time I hadn't actually done anything to the chair, just stood it on my table for ease of working, without a piece of white linen in sight! I rest assured that he must have a keen eye for a good piece of furniture.

But I feel I must do something Christmassy now. I'm seeing lots of gorgeousness on all of your blogs and think I have a lot of catching up to do, but not of course before popping over to Wendy at 1st Unique gifts who has a brilliantly personalised gift to show us this week, I wonder what the other ladies have done?

Keep forgetting to say thank you to Sam at Sconchtextiles  for featuring me in her Folksy Friday a couple of weeks ago. Thank you Sam, make sure you visit her blog soon.

Happy Sewing!!!

Fun with My Big Shot - Sizzlit die

Now there's a catchy title if ever there was one! Welcome to  another post, all about cards today! A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be given a set of new dies for my Big Shot by my lovely friend. They basically consist of upper and lower case letters (courier font) with numbers  0-9 and a few little added extras, like a button (squeal!) a heart and an @ sign to name but a few. Boy did I have fun! I can only show them to you now as everyones birthdays have passed. Take a look......



For my amazing mum!




Roses stamped in red ink, cut out and laid onto a beautiful striped grosgrain ribbon




 

A card for my lovely niece







and a card for a 'best mate' who's mad about his PC

 



I've mentioned before that the Big Shot dies cut through a number of materials, however it's important to point out, before you all rush out to buy this sizzlit die, that this particular (smaller die) type seemed only able to cope with felt, I did try out on other scraps of fabric but was unsuccessful.  I love making cards and am so looking forward to getting my supplies in for Christmas, sorry I mentioned the dreaded word, but that is genuinely one of the great things I love about the build-up to the big day.

After reading yesterday's post my mum was careful to point out.....

"I hope you realise I used to have the Crystal comic every week and of course the annual at Christmas, I can even remember when it first came out, I was one of the first Crystal fans!"

So that particular find really struck a chord with her - how lovely. And that her dad, my Grandad, "was partial to a small loaf of Procea bread which was very light in texture". I knew there was some reason I was drawn to that tin! 

Now a little tease.......

A vintage fair button and a crocheted flower. Come back in a few days and I'll show you what I've been up to.

Handmade Monday - Crochet Wallet

A very good afternoon to you all, hope you're all enjoying yourselves. I'm a little late posting for Handmade Monday this week but I am very excited. I popped over there before writing this post and WOW!!! Wendy has featured my cushion on her blog, I was thrilled to bits when I saw it and she's so right about blogging, it lets you in all sorts of doors and allows you to support businesses you otherwise might not have found out about - although I'm not really sure I can call myself one of those yet.

So thank you Wendy, it was a lovely surprise. Wendy herself paints beautiful wooden plaques and I especially like her VW ones, in fact I might even have to buy an actual VW just to have an excuse to buy one. Why not pop over and peruse her website and have a look at the talented ladies she is showcasing this week as part of Handmade Monday or better still take part yourself.

Anyway I'm being a bit wordy today, so time for a picture.

My entry to Handmade monday this week is like a few of my makes, born out of necessity. Regular followers will know that I have recently learnt how to crochet - I think I may have mentioned it once or twice. Well I'm taking a project away on holiday with me and I was in need of a suitable something in which to transport all of those little bits that keep getting lost at the bottom of by bag, hence 'My Hooky Book' was born (apologies to Russell Brand).

It's quite obvious to see I have adapted my needlecase design to suit my needs. Adding inside pockets to hold hooks and snips and a little pouch for a paper pattern or scribbled notes (in my case). I've also added a little inlay to hold tapestry needles and safety pins for that all important finishing off or stitch holder. Unfortunately what you are witnessing is the full extent of my crochet collection, a hook and a needle - shame.

The flap at the top was a last minute thought, as I soon discovered I needed something to stop my implements from falling out. At one point I was going to stitch crocheted flowers on to the cover, which I still might do if I decide to make more, but for the purposes of this one, the jury decided it was not essential.

I don't mind crochet rolls but I'm more of a wallet kind of a gal and feel there's nothing more satisfying than the 'snap' of a press stud when you want something to hold firm. As you can see I still need to add those bits.

So now I can happily 'crochet on the go' and know that all I need to remember when leaving the house is wallet and wool.

The Summer holidays are going too fast!

Granny Square Gorgeousness

Morning all. A bit of an update post today. For those of you who were wondering, my love of crochet continues unabounded and I just wanted to share a work in progress picture of my Granny Square Blanket.

At the moment, squishy piles of colourful squares which I hope to transform into a warm winter snuggly. It's coming along and I would definitely say I've got the hang of crocheting a Granny Square. My biggest step of course will be joining them altogether, something I have never done before but am relishing the prospect at 'having a go'. I've already seen several other crochet projects that I'd like to get my teeth into but I'm being very good and staying focussed on my blanket for the time being.

What have you been up to?

Let the Great Granny Blanket Project begin....... & a little tease

Good morning, end of the week already, can you believe it?  Well as the title suggests yesterday I went in search of wool. As I needed some crafty bits I ended up in Hobby Craft which is not the best place to purchase your yarn, choice was a bit limited and it was a little pricey, but I came away with a colour scheme that I think will make up into a nice Winter blanket. It's totally for me of course as I'm usually the one turning the thermostat to max. I figure if I start it now it might be finished in time for the Winter months!

And here's a teasing little snippet of stitchery I've been working on.

It's not finished yet, more of that next week.

I'm off to Tewkesbury this weekend to see a 'battle' (it's a husband thing). I am of course hoping that I will find one or two 'shops for mum' while I'm there so until next week my friends have a great weekend and thanks as always for your support.

Handmade Monday - Flower Brooches

Good morning to you all and hello to my new blog friends, nearly up to 50 I can't believe it! I ought to mark the occasion in some way, leave that one with me.

I make no apologies for my entry today. I am officially in love with crocheting and have been honing my skills using the Crochet Flowers and Leaves tutorial from Attic 24. I'm calling these my Opal Fruit Brooches for obvious reasons (or Starburst brooches to those of you that aren't as ancient as myself).

Unfortunately the holes on the brooch pins were too small for my bodkin needle to fit through so that's one little job left to do.

I did think about combining all three to make a corsage but the flowers were a little too large for my small frame and I would have looked like I had a bush growing out of my shoulder, so I kept them as three separate brooches which can be combined as and when the occasion dictates.

The wool actually came with this months issue of 'Lets Get Crafting' which caught my eye for some strange reason. 



Pic from http://www.letsgetcrafting.com/

I need to start investigating the best brands of wool to buy. I must admit though, my fingers are getting a little itchy for more free motion embroidery and that's what I intend to try and fit in over the next few days.

Thank you for coming to visit today. I love getting my daily blog fix and reading your lovely comments but before I go I must share this interesting fact with you.

My lovely friend H. is a total techie and has downloaded an app to her phone which allows her to listen to the latest posts of all the blogs she has subscribed to for work purposes.  She is also a follower of this blog and was relating a story to me of driving to work one day listening to mundane blog listings from the world of technology when up piped my blog post going on about how it was my son's birthday, chocolate cake, blah, blah, blah. She said it really made her smile to have a little bit of me suddenly there with her in the car. So if you're listening H. I'm dedicating this post to you.

So you see ladies you just never know who is tuning in to your blog and more importantly how they are doing it.

Right that's definitely it now,  I'm off to see what the Handmade Monday girls have got to offer me this week.