It has been so cold the last few days. Luckily the toddler spends time playing outside whilst he’s at nursery which means I feel less guilty about not being outside for too long on the days he’s not there! I have a mental list of stuff to do on really cold days which keep us indoors. I’ve seen a great idea for a rainy day jar on Pinterest which I’m going to make in the New Year. Basically you write a different activity on a lollipop stick or piece of paper and pick one every time you need a little…
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I’ve been enjoying spending time sewing felt Christmas decorations. I’ve signed up for a couple of Christmas craft swaps which has meant some happy hours looking through my favourite craft books. Felt Christmas decorations I decided to try something different so made these three felt decorations and framed them in small embroidery hoops. Each hoop is only 3 inches so they are the perfect size for hanging on a tree. Hopefully you can tell they are a candy cane, gum drop sweeties and a gingerbread couple. The pattern was from one of my favourite craft books Fa la la la…
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Over the past few evenings I’ve been busy making 12 festive decorations from Cath Kidston’s latest book – Make Your Own Christmas Decorations. Featuring 12 projects the book includes the patterns as well as the felt, thread, pompoms and cord so all you’ll need is a basic sewing kit and some toy stuffing! There are patterns for a Christmas Robin, Father Christmas, Striped Stocking, Gift-Wrapped Present, Christmas Tree, Frosty Snowman, Winter Reindeer, Holly & Berries, Christmas pudding, Snowy Cottage, Festive Stanley and Christmas Angel. Make your own Christmas decorations! Each project is well laid out and includes a large colour…
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It’s been a while since I participated in Handmade Monday so I thought I would tell you about my latest pin cushion. I used a lovely pattern from Stitch at Home by Mandy Shaw, which is a great book full of inspiring patterns. I love cutwork (we have a great piece of art by Rob Ryan hanging in our bedroom) so it was obvious that I would make the adorable cutwork pin cushion. It’s a lovely little project for using up scraps and I have plenty of pieces of felt and vintage blankets! The pincushion only took an evening to…
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I’m not really sure how old this knitting bag is but I couldn’t resist its wooden handle or vintage fabric. I’m not a big knitter but it’s perfect for holding my latest sewing project. It’s currently holding my purchases from my rather extravagant trip to the Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally. It’s my favourite sewing event of the year and I had the joy of visiting last week without children (thanks hubby!). Anyway, I admit I was excessive but living in London I just find it impossible to go searching for lovely sewing supplies. Faced with 200 sellers…
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It’s that time of the month, the PinAddicts Pinterest Challenge. The idea is to choose something from your Pinterest boards to create and link up each month. Fabric alphabet for little fingers This month I was totally inspired to make this colourful fabric alphabet by Chez Beeper Bebe. I love reading her blog and she has some lovely free tutorials. I thought I would make a version for our fridge which is covered in magnets. I wanted to use a rainbow of colours so chose a range of fabrics from my stash. I then cut out the letters and pinned them…
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I’ve recently bought three lovely new craft books and have ear-marked a couple of projects to get me through the autumn and winter. You may know I love English Paper Piecing and have been carrying around a little hexagon project for a while. One it’s finished I’m going to start on my own version of the Union Jack Quilt which is one of the projects in Tacha Breucher’s hexa go-go. I thought I might make a cot-sized version for Little Sis’ first birthday in November. Her brother received a dinosaur blanket for his first birthday so I would love to…
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Not much to show this week. I am trying to finish some little projects and have brought a bag on them on holiday in the hope there will be some sewing time. At last years’ Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally I bought a fat quarter of a fab print by Echino Ni-Co called Camera in turquoise. It features a vintage 35mm camera in repeat and I thought I might make something for my husband who loves taking photographs. That never happened when I realised a fat quarter wouldn’t be enough to wrap around a lens, let alone his…
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You may remember I wrote about a workshop I attended run by Julie Arkell. She’s an inspiring woman and I really enjoyed the opportunity to listen to her talking about her work and what inspires her. Well I never showed you what I made. First up is a Second World War-style brooch, made from cardboard and tapestry wool, and finished off with embroidered leaves and felt flowers. It was actually surprisingly simple to make, using scraps of fabric and wool on a cardboard base. I’ve been busy collecting old embroidery threads whenever I see them in charity shops so I…
