Time gone by

Following a bit of twitter chat on handmade hour the other week about our earliest sewing memories it got me thinking about what mine was.  How exactly did I start this random hobby?  As an extrovert who more often than not can't be kept quiet and certainly prefers people to solitude why would sewing be something that would have appealed to a young me?
 The truth is I'm not sure - there is just something very peaceful about it for me.  I enjoy the steadiness of the machine, I love the colours of the fabric, I love unusual things and I love the finished products.  Sitting on my own in a room may not come naturally to me but it has become something I treasure - stitching and snipping away to create something I love.
 The time that I got into sewing clothes was when I was at school - sewing with friends for a textiles GCSE and somehow I came up with the mad idea to make my prom dress.  It was before the time of so many people owning digital cameras so I don't have a picture.  It was a satin purple in a medieval style with flowing sleeves - definitely not the top fashion of the day but I absolutely loved it.  From that point I dabbled on and off with crafting until I made my wedding dress and then continued on from there.
 I had a good think though and realised that actually my earliest sewing memory was making this little chappy with my Mum.

I was given a little sewing pack and set about - probably one set of holidays - sewing him up.  I still think he is pretty good and definitely very cute!  I cannot remember how old I was but it would have been in primary school at some point.  I remember setting all the pieces out on my Mum's bed and her helping me figure out what went where.  Then I remember being very proud of the finished product - I can't remember much of the actual sewing process but it made me smile to think about this little duck.  Definitely a happy sewing memory for me!
What is your first sewing memory?  Can you remember sewing as a child or was it an adult hobby?  Do share your first creations with me!

x

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