Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts

Friday, 12 June 2015

Stitching gifts

Life seems to be super busy right now!  I have to admit I love it but sometimes you just need to STOP!  I think sewing is the perfect thing for that!
Shut away in whichever corner you choose to sew in and happily crafting and creating.  And then at the end of your YOU time you have a finished product to show for it!  Seriously what could be better.

Recently my projects seem to be going in bits as I just have snippets of time to work on each one.  My trousers are all cut out and ready to go but no actual sewing has happened on them yet.  I've done a little bit of repair on the dog bed (eeek my new puppy is super strong!) not that you would tell it from this cute pic!


And finally I sat down to make someone a little thank you gift - nothing massive but something small.  I used two things that I have made before but adapted them slightly.
For the eye mask I followed the instructions here but just added an extra layer in.  Instead of just using two layers of fabric and a layer of felt I added in some wadding.  I then quilted lines across the mask before continuing with the steps where you add the bias binding.  I have to say it certainly adds a bit more luxury and comfort to the finished product.
 Then I continued to make a slightly larger scale rice warming pack than this one here.  You follow the basic instructions that you find on that post but increase the size of the pack.  Once I had added a third of the rice I stitched it into a little pocket and then repeated.  Then I edged in bias binding which just finished it off neatly and gave a bit of continuity to the gift as it matches the eye mask,
All in all I was pretty happy with the finished look and really enjoyed the time out I got to make it in the midst of a busy week!
 Let me know the projects you have been relaxing with recently too! Just share in the comments and I will pop across and check out what you have been up to!
x

Saturday, 2 May 2015

Birthday Love . . .

I have become another year older and in celebration of that fact so many friends and family have showered me with love.  Some of that love came in the form of gifts and I have to admit that if I didn't know it already I certainly know now that sewing must occupy a fair amount of my conversations.  There was a certain sewing theme around many of the gifts I received so I thought I would do a little show case of the loveliness.  I also gave the blog a little spruce up to mark the occasion - what do you think?
First off are the lovely patterns that I was given this year - so exciting to be able to use these for many years to come!

 I now have such a super array of patterns to choose from I am really not sure where to start.  The sewing bee was absolutely right up there in the best programmes to watch for me and I am just as impressed with the book.  A huge amount of patterns from the very simple to quite complex is crammed into the book - in fact the only thing missing was a pair of woman's trousers.  How very convenient to have also been gifted a lovely pattern for them!  I have the Prima pattern for trousers already but really wanted to make a more fitted pair as well.  This pattern is perfect for just that.

Monday, 12 January 2015

A bit of an update of my recent projects!

As Christmas approaches suddenly blogging from my end becomes very quiet! Everything I was making is a secret and ready to be packaged off and sent away to friends and family. So I thought I would do a little summary of the things I made in the run up to 2015.

I was asked to make some bunting for an advent calendar.  It was a really fun project - and quite simple once I got going.  The triangles were just made from 2 squares of fabric sewn together and then turned inside out before being folded into the bunting flags.

Friday, 20 December 2013

To make or not to make?!?


Everyone has different criteria for what makes a perfect gift and some people are really hard to buy for.  There is a challenge when it comes to handmade gifts – for many people handmade reminds them of those gorgeous little crafts that small children bring home to their parents dripping glue and glitter.  People love to receive those gifts from children but as we grow up we become concerned about anything we make turning out to be an explosion of random craft materials and that it won’t really turn into anything useful.  Handmade is tricky but when it is done right those gifts can be the best.  For me handmade gifts sum up what giving is all about – not just money but something of you has gone into the gift.  So how do you get it right? 
I think the key is not over complicating things – simple gifts can be the most perfect.  A gift I love to receive is pretty things for around my home – things I see every day and remind me of the person who gave them.  So I have decided to share a tutorial on how to make bunting.  This is perfect for any time of year but with some clever fabric choices and colour selection bunting can make a country chic style Christmas home.
You will need
-          Fabric of your choice
-          Bias binding to match your fabric
-          Ruler, pencil and card/paper
-          Pins
-          Needle and thread or sewing machine
-          Iron

1    1.    Measure out a triangle on paper.  This can be done by measuring the base and then marking the half way point all the way up to how high you want your triangle to be.  Then draw the lines.  You can fold in half to ensure it is even

2.       Trace out the triangle onto your fabric as many times as you want.  I made 6 triangles for my bunting so I cut out 12 triangles of fabric.  You can make your bunting as long or as short as you need

3.       Place your triangles with the right sides of the fabric facing each other in pairs.  Sew from the base up to the point and leaving your needle down lift the foot and turn the fabric.  Then sew the line along the other edge of the triangle back to the base.  Leave the base unstitched.

4.       Once you have done this turn the triangles so you have the right side of the fabric facing you.  Push the point out using anything that isn’t too sharp ie the end of a pencil or crochet hook.  At this point it is really important to iron the bunting to ensure it is sitting correctly.

5.       Now you need to work out how wide apart you want the triangles on your binding.  I left a 10cm gap between each flag.  Place the triangles into the binding and fold it over hiding all the raw edges.  Pin in place and sew neatly along the edge of the binding.  I used a zig zag stitch as it looks nice but also ensures you don’t miss any of the bias binding when it is folded.

6.       Now trim your edges and display or wrap up for that perfect gift!

The fabric I have used was gifted to me by a friend and it has previously belonged to her Nan who didn’t have the opportunity to use it.  Hanging this bunting up I think honors her and the special person she was in my friend’s life.
If you have something special that belonged to someone who was important to you why not incorporate it into a gift for someone or for you so that it becomes a part of your home on a daily basis.
I hope you have fun making the bunting – do send me pictures of how you get on!

x