A very quick post from me today as I've not had a lot of mojo this week so haven't accomplished much. I quite literally have made a few more lavender hearts

and I have "made" a cushion as a gift for someone

I say "made" as it's actually a shop bought, plain (but beautiful colour pink) cushion that I have decorated. It was so sunny outside (hurrah!) it's a little difficult to see the patterns on the material so I took an indoors picture

It was a little tricky to get the ribbon sewn on straight, despite marking a straight line in tailors chalk using a ruler, but any wiggles just add to the homemade effect! I hope the young lady it's intended for likes it - I have to say, it's might just be my favourite "make" so far, probably because it's pink and there's not a lot of that around here!

I shall be catching up with everyone over at Handmade Monday http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/, which never fails to refill the mojo tanks.

Love Natalie

Now you see me.....

Now you don't!

I've been meaning to make a cover for my sewing machine for ages, particularly since I started spreading my crafting wears out and about onto various surfaces in the living room (my stash is spilling out of the linen box I've been using to house everything). Poor number 2 son had lots of homework to do this afternoon so whilst I was sitting helping him along the way (NB why do 9 year olds have to have so much homework?) I decided to get going with the cover. I heard or read a great sewing motto the other day - something along the lines of "Measure Twice, Sew Once" so I measured my machine, again and again. I was roughly working to the guide that I had read at http://chezlarsson.typepad.com/myblog/2008/10/sewing-machine-cover-how-to.html so was confident that I had covered all areas. I added on seam allowances, thought I might do a flashy seam at the bottom so added a bit more on and then cut the first piece of fabric. I've told you before that my straight lines leave something to be desired but they were OK today. But the piece of fabric I had cut was clearly far too small. I had mis-measured everything! Don't ask me how - I think I hadn't taken into account that the cover needed to be a little loose. So I re-measured, adjusted for seam allowances etc, added a cm on each measurement to allow some movement and then - in a moment of inspiration - cut the pieces from some old curtain lining fabric that I had decided to use as a lining (I had initially thought I might make a quilted cover but decided against it). Sense at last! I pinned the piece together and tried the cover for fit and it was perfect. So I used those pieces as a pattern to cut the main fabric from and then pieced everything together and - voila! Dare I say it is a bit too loose now? Not that I mind - at least there is plenty of room for me to pick the machine up using the handle whilst it's still covered. And I love this fabric and can now look at it everyday which is a bonus. A job ticked off the To Do List!

I've also been making a few more hanging hearts for my craft fair stock. I made a few lavender hearts

and I also made a couple of the felt ones

It was a bit windy when I was taking these photos, hence the peculiar way the hearts are hanging. If anyone recognises the pink cupcake material in the centre of the photo of lavender hearts, could you let me know where I could buy more? I bought a yard of it at a craft fair last year and have used it for quite a few projects but I've now run out of it and I'd love some more.

As always, I'll be linking up with Handmade Monday at http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/ so do pop over there and catch up with everyone.

Hope you have a great week,
Love Natalie

 

 



 

 

 



Ta da!!

One pair of socks!

Fabulous photos taken by number one son.

I'm thrilled with them - I really am! They will be so lovely and warm inside my wellies when the time comes. Even my husband is impressed - he tried one on but whipped it off again before I could take a photo of him wearing something pink. I think I might make an ankle pair just for wandering around the house in - I think you can buy some sort of sticky stuff to give grip on the bottom. And I have a pattern for a lovely patterned pair that I feel more confident about now - I can knit with different colour yarns but I needed practise with the heel and instep. I am quite proud of myself! And I'm certainly glad I've finished them just in time for the flip flop weather....

Enjoy the rest of your week.
Love Natalie

What a lovely weekend! And best of all, we've still got a day off to go! Tomorrow I'm going to Nutfield Priory, to The Craft Barn, a craft shop that has recently relocated there (my Mum used to go to it's old shop and says it was brilliant). I did have plans to clean the oven as well but I'm rapidly going off that idea.....

I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone for the lovely comments last week about my quilted boxes, I'm glad everyone liked them. They really were simple to make and yet so pretty and effective, I recommend you all have a go.

There seems to have been an awful lot of sport going on around here of late so I've not done a huge amount of crafting. I managed to finish some carrier bag holders that I had started a little while ago. I had cut everything out to make one for myself and four others for my craft fair stock. One now hangs in my kitchen, dispensing carrier bags when needed. Two have made it into the stock bag:

The other two were snapped up by friends to give as presents!

Don't ask me why the one on the left looks so much bigger than the other one. I think I've said before that I'm rubbish at cutting straight lines but it looks like I measured it totally wrong. Not that it matters, but I was surprised at how there could be such a big difference.

Yesterday, I made number 2 and 3 sons a cushion each as I had been promising to make them for a couple of weeks. I'm all for re-using fabrics (the carrier bag holders are made using old curtain linings) so one cushion is made from some material from an old duvet cover and one is made from an outgrown dressing gown!

The back of the dressing gown wasn't big enough for the whole cover so I cut out the panels for the "back" of the cushion from the front of the dressing gown. It worked out that the pockets were placed perfectly on the cushion and the "back" is now the "front". It means the envelope fold is at the front but Henry doesn't mind. When I went in to make his bed this morning, he had put two of his smaller teddies in the pockets! He is really pleased with it and I think it has worked brilliantly.

I am about to crack open a bag of sweets that Mum brought over for me this afternoon, and catch up with everyone at Handmade Monday http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/ whilst I eat them.

Enjoy Bank Holiday Monday everyone!
Love Natalie