Category Archives: crafts

April 23, 2013

And Sew to Bed

How are you all enjoying The Great British Sewing Bee? I have to say I’m still hooked and so disappointed it’s only 4 episodes. Watching it has definitely spurred me on with my creativity and over the last few weeks I’ve finished off re-sizing a duvet cover for the toddler and made lots of progress with my grandmothers flower garden quilt and another doll quilt for Little Sis.

I love hand sewing but watching TGBSB has really encouraged me to improve my machine sewing skills too. Last week I had my first machine sewing lesson which was a brilliant investment. I learnt so much and look forward to spending more time with my Janome!

I’d love to try dress making and was fortunate to be sent a brilliant new craft book And Sew to Bed by Caro Cutts and Alison Beadnell. The theme of the book is bedwear and accessories which I think is an exciting new niche for the sewing book market.

As you would expect from Cico Books it is beautifully illustrated and each of the 30 projects has clear written instructions along with illustrations and photographs. The projects are great because there’s a mixture of items for adults and children which are suited to warm and colder seasons. The bedwear includes classic and kaftan pajama sets, upcycled jersey pajamas, Peter Pan pajama set for girls and boy’s fleece dressing gown. The Accessories section range from a headband and hot water bottle cover to utility bag and covered coat hanger. 18 full-size patterns (covering adult sizes small, medium and large, child sizes 3-8) and templates are included. As well as the projects there’s a handy section at the back of the book which covers equipment, terminology, cutting instructions and size charts.

This is a great book for beginners and the more experienced sewer, covering a range of projects, materials and techniques making for a very stylish bedroom!

And Sew to Bed by Caro Cutts and Alison Beadnell is published by CICO Books at £14.99 and is available from all good bookshops or call 01256 302699.

Folk art needlecraft giveaway

Last month I reviewed folk art needlework, a really beautiful craft book, packed full of 35 projects inspired by traditional motifs from across the globe. There are lots of lovely projects in this book (all added to my to-do list!) and I’ve actually begun a hand-tied quilt. I love this way of finishing off a quilt and think it looks great as the fabric can really stand out. Of course, it doesn’t involve much embroidery but there are plenty of other projects which do.

I love vintage embroidery and can’t wait to make a start on some embroidery projects of my own and learn more about different stitches. This seems to be a great book for beginners like myself as well as inspiration for more advanced sewers.

Do you fancy trying some of the projects for yourself and learning more about embroidery from around the world?

Giveaway

I have been given one copy of folk art needlecraft to giveaway. If you would like to win simply answer this very easy question:

leave me a comment below and tell me how many projects are in the book

for an extra entry tell others about the giveaway using the Retweet button below or tweet this message: I want to #win with @gingerbread_mum and be inspired by embroidery from around the world

Don’t have twitter? Follow the gingerbread house page on Google + or Bloglovin’ - just leave me a comment and let me know.

Small print:

There is one prize consisting of one copy of folk art needlecraft. The giveaway ends April 28th at 8pm. The winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified by email or their twitter handle. The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available. UK only.

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

111 Comments

Filed under book review, competition, crafts

Tagged as book review, competition, crafts

April 17, 2013

How to make a Toy Story garden container

I must admit that whilst I’m happy with a needle and thread in my hand I’m definitely a failed gardener. Every year I try and grow something other than weeds and usually fail. When I saw the Tots100 Centre Parcs challenge I knew I should give it a go.

For the toddler’s introduction to gardening I thought we would try growing sunflowers. I thought this would be a brilliant way to encourage my little city boy and hoped that even I ouldn’t kill sunflowers! We went to our local garden centre and bought a packet of seeds as well as a pot to start them off in. When we got home we carefully put some soil into the pot and added a handful of seeds. I offered up a silent prayer that some of them would grow. The toddler wasn’t too impressed as he had to get his hands dirty!

I really want to encourage his gardening skills so thought I would personalise a small galvanised bucket for him so he could put his plant pot in it. I looked through my fabric stash and found some fun Toy Story fabric. He’s a huge fan and recently got Buzz Lightyear for his birthday.

I cut two largish patches featuring Buzz and Woody from the fabric, then cut the remaining fabric into small strips. I covered the whole pot with a thin layer of PVA glue and added the strips of fabric, adding Buzz and Woody in a central position on either side and ensuring there weren’t any gaps in the fabric.

I left the pot to dry overnight before giving it a spray of varnish just to make sure the edges of the fabric didn’t fray. It certainly made someone very happy.