January

So it's 2014!!! I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of new years.  The evening itself tends to lean towards people going over the top and I've never been a big new years resolution kind of person.  That said I have learnt the benefits of a bit of self reflection and planning some goals for the future so this year I'm trying to embrace it a bit more.

2013 saw the start of blogging for me and also starting to sell one or two bits and pieces that I make.  It's been fun and I think in terms of my crafting I want 2014 to look much the same.  I have some thoughts - they aren't exactly measurable new years resolutions but more a general direction I would like to see things head in this year.

 I want to make sure I take time out regularly to make something new or try a new technique.  I have learnt that I am not so good at re-producing en mass lots of the same thing (I get bored far too easily and end up distracted).  I ended up doing this for the craft fair and I have much more fun tweaking things each time I make them.  

 I also want to keep blogging and build up a network of people that follow me/I follow to keep sharing new and exciting ideas.  I really do enjoy sitting down to write and share with you all what I'm thinking or getting up to.  Plus to help each other out when we get stuck!

 I also want 2014 to be a year where I think a little less about myself and try to look at what is going on around me - in the city where I live, in my country and in the world.  I still have to figure out exactly what this looks like but I'll be sure to share with you as I get more clear on how it is right for me to do this!  If this had a crafty twist to it as well then I'd be pretty happy!

It would be nice to sell a few bits and pieces as I go along over on etsy or on facebook but I don't want to make this the focus of what I do.  I went shopping before Christmas and got some new to me fabric and it was super exciting to spend money that had been made from selling things I make.  So if I could sell enough products that mean it doesn't cost me anything to sew then that would be awesome.  Anything else would be a bonus!

So there you have it - a little bit scatty but a few thoughts for the year - I'm sure there are many other things like getting the garden going and being healthy but with the current deluge of rain outside all I can think about is curling up indoors so for now I just have sewing on the brain!

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from 2013.

I hope you all had a wonderful new year and are starting to feel settled again after the madness!  Do send me your projects from 2013!  I'd love to see what you got up to.

Jenni

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

Projects!!

So in the last few weeks I have done my first craft fair, fixed my sewing machine and set up my etsy shop in amongst that and a few handmade Christmas gifts I have been super quiet on the blog!  Sorry about that!
  After doing a bunch of projects over and over again to produce enough stock to fill a table I decided I needed to try some new things.  I want to keep trying to improve my sewing skills and techniques so want to constantly try new and exciting things.  I have recently discovered a love for pinterest - there is an amazing wealth of resources on there.  So many inspiring projects and beautiful pictures it is amazing and often they come with great patterns or tutorials.

So on one of my pinning adventures I found this cute little backpack pattern here

I love this pattern mainly because the pieces to cut out are so easy - lots of straight lines.  I have to admit that once I had cut out my pattern I just followed what made sense in my mind so I'm not sure how easy the written instructions are to follow but the pattern is great.



So from this pattern I have made two little back packs and another one is cut out and ready to go.  The fabric I have made mine from I think mean they lean towards being for a child but really it could be made from anything.

So here are my finished products.

I used a white ribbon as the drawstring which works great if you tie it half way (which will be hidden by the fabric) as this gives it a good hold rather than it slipping round and through the top of your bag.

 I hope you like them and I hope you are enjoying the Christmas preparation and not finding it too busy.  

And do come and say hi on pinterest - till next time!

x

A little bit of assistance!

Doing this blogging thing is opening my eyes to a whole world of technology that I had no idea existed!  With the help of the lovely Emma from It's Emma Made I now have a blog button and know how to add in other fantastic blogs that I find in my wanderings around crafty internet world.  I'm going to start gathering a few of my favorite blogs and posting their buttons along the side.  I'm working on the theory that if you enjoy what I write about you might also enjoy the things I read about!  So pop across and get to know some of the blogs I add over the next few weeks and if you want to grab my blog button the script is just below it!

The other achievement of the week also came from a fellow blogger Irene over at sergerpepper
With some advice from Irene and some time invested on my part my sewing machine is back!  To be fair it remains towards the end of its life but it has been given a new lease of life for now at least which buys me the time to start saving and dreaming about the next one I get!

It turned out the main issue was a hugely embarrassing amount of lint build up in the machine.  I unscrewed everything that appeared to be detachable and armed with cottons buds eradicated every last piece of fluff.  Some fiddling around with tension and putting the machine back together and I can feel and hear the difference!  I had been under the impression that I was cleaning my machine regularly but clearly I needed to go to a whole new level to keep the machine in tip top condition.

Well a massive thank you to those who have helped me out this week!  Hopefully I can return the favour in a different context in the future!

I'll post over the weekend a gorgeous backpack that I'm making out of some truly bright fabric that used to be a bed sheet! :)

Bunny doorstops

Now I have finished my craft fair and a few other bits and pieces it leaves me open to concentrate on projects that I have promised to friends for a long time.
 A friend asked me a month or so ago about making my bunny softies in to doorstops.  We agreed some fabric and off I went to forget about it for ages until finally today I found some time to have a play!  Luckily I had half done this one already so no need for my sewing machine!
 So how did I do it?  I took the template that can be found here and cut out the fabric of my choice and a lining fabric.  I then made an oval out of both my lining and my choice fabric.  The oval needs to be the length of the base of the bunny from toe to tale :)

Then I simply placed the choice fabric right sides together and stitched round placing the oval between the toe and the tale.  I left a full line between the toe and the tale open on one side.  I repeated with the lining.

Then I had a bit of a fiddle - first filling the lining with rice, giving up on that and attempting to skip the lining and then going back to my original plan. So I put some rice into my choice fabric right up to the ears to maintain the shape and then slotted the lining inside. I poured in rice until it was pretty full and then I had stitched the lining closed.  I then added some extra rice into the cheeks of the bunny and around the neck to stop it from slouching down when the rice in the lining shifted position.  I lined the base of the bunny with pennies and then folded over the fabric and stitched tightly together.
This is the finished product.

To be honest once I have fiddled around some more I may well end up making my friend a new one as this is by no means perfect but as a first doorstop attempt I am pretty happy with it.  I can see why so many doorstops are one block like shape with an image sewn on rather than a shape as it is pretty tricky to shape it correctly.

In my house rice and a few coins are plenty heavy enough but if you lived in a house that had self closing fire doors I think it may not quite be enough and you would need to use something like sand that had more weight in it.

Have you got any unusual doorstops?  Or ideas for the next one I make?  Let me know :)

x

An ode to my sewing machine

So this week has involved a lot less sewing and a lot more chilling which in a way has been nice - unfortunately my trooper of a sewing machine seems to have given up on me at last.  My parents bought me my sewing machine as a present when I was doing textiles at school.  It's a basic Toyota model and probably should have died years ago.  When I started making my wedding dress I thought for sure it wouldn't keep up but it did and slowly I did more and more projects on it. 12 years, 2 wedding dresses, 2 bridesmaids dresses, 1 prom dress and countless projects later I think it has finally died.  So it is hand stitching for me for a bit until I save up some pennies to get a new one!

I don't have pictures of my prom dress but here is a little ode to my sewing machines happy life over the last 5 years or so!  :)

Before my machine died on me I was sent a collection of odds and ends of fabric that a friend had.  This is what I sent her back!

Truly a lesson never to throw away that bag of scraps of fabric because you never know what could be dreamt up and created.  Two quilted stockings for her beautiful two children, a heart garland and two zipper pouches for those bits and pieces that don't belong anywhere .

I'll be on the look out for hand sewn projects, maybe a bit of knitting and possibly some activist cross stitching in the next few weeks!  Watch this space - as always I'll share all! 

x

SO how did it go???

When I set out to write this blog I spoke about a running, crafting and gardening combined with less time in front of the TV and more positive activity.  Looking back I feel pretty happy with how it has all gone!
 I planted some successful and some unsuccessful veg in the garden - spinach and butternuts failed but had crops of runner beans right up until last week.
 The running went great - I did the race for life and then staggered through the great south run.  Since then I have to confess I have not stepped outside for a run but I have joined a gym and have been going along and enjoying exercising in the less freezing temperatures - combined with a warm pool and working hairdryers makes me very happy.  I do like to be warm!
 The crafting has been wonderful - I have been stitching with quite some dedication and managed to gather a whole table full of stock to take along to the craft fair yesterday.

 Financially the craft fair was not a success for me to be honest - I sold a few pieces but not lots so returned home with nearly all my bits and pieces.  So what has been good?
 - Since sharing more of what I sew I have been in contact with a variety of crafty types and upcyclers from all over the world via various social media sites.  I've learnt from them, marveled at their achievements, shared some of their struggles and loved looking at all their gorgeous crafts.
 - I've made sewing a part of my life in a way that it wasn't before which means I make more things for more friends because they see me sewing things and I love doing this!
 - I met fantastic people at the craft fair
 - Doing the craft fair has given me time to think about and realize what my USP is - upcycling - and to consider how to make this appealing to others.
 - The time I spend in front of my sewing machine is simply wonderful - I sit and think, I sing along to songs, I listen to stories and generally just take time out for me to process and deal with various things going on in my head.

I think in summary it has been wonderful to move through my life in the last few months with a bit more purpose than simply ticking days off of a calendar.  By setting goals and working towards them I have used my time more wisely and done more than I had in the previous months.  By sharing my goals I feel somehow driven to achieve them by my own desire to do well.  By sharing my moments that aren't quite as successful as I would like them to be I feel I am able to hold my head higher - not keep secrets and pretend that everything went exactly as planned but instead embrace the reality of where things are at and get excited about moving forwards with input from others.  These things are all on a very small level - after all the goals I set were really just about spare time - but for me the lessons I have learnt have been so very applicable to every part of my life.

So where next?  I definitely plan to set myself more goals in the future - I think I will begin with some new years resolutions in January (more on that in a future blog).  I definitely plan to keep crafting, exercising and I have to say I have fallen in love with blogging.  It is evolving slowly into a type of crafty journal with anything I experience thrown in - but anyone who knows me will verify it never was going to be a hugely focused blog on one single topic as that just isn't how I operate!

So watch this space for a few bits in my etsy shop and some new adventures coming up!  Thanks for coming along on my journey - its ace having you on board!

Tunic top

Today I had some unexpected free time - glorious right!  I did some cleaning - made a few bits for selling and then decided I really needed to make something fun for me!
 I was given some gorgeous Nigerian fabric by a friend of mine a little while ago and it has been sitting in my fabric stash being sadly neglected.  So I decided to have a pinterest search for some inspiration.  I have a board on there called stitchspiration and seem to pin many things on there but not actually create any of them.  I set to work making this fab tunic top which I have had on there a while back.  The picture on pinterest looked super easy and it really did take me only about an hour to complete.
 Here is the link so do pop across and like, follow or comment on this blog it is fab!

Here is my finished project

What do you think?  I like the shape and the fit is good but there are a few things I would change for me.  I think I will adapt the sleeves on this top as they feel a little big to me - I will probably just create more of a defined sleeve.  The other thing I will do if I make this again is make the bottom flare out a bit more into a bit of a dress style.  Those things really are just personal preference though!  This is definitely a pattern I would recommend - especially if you are new to making clothes it is so simple!

Send me your pictures of how you get on!

New Steps

This morning I have spent some time playing around with photos and opening up my ETSY shop.  I am using this as a trial to be honest - I've heard so many mixed reviews on people's successes and failures linking in with etsy that I decided to give it a shot and try it out myself.
 I've uploaded just 4 products because I am still preparing for the craft fair that is coming up so all my stock is needed to fill the table there.  Once that is done I plan to begin uploading more products regularly and just see how it goes.

I've already realized a few things - I need to learn to improve my photography skills and to do this effectively I need to be very efficient.  I can take reasonable pictures but then I upload them and set about attempting to do a bit of editing (of course armed with google) and see my photos turn into disaster areas.  I've tried something similar before when me and my husband did a batch of screen printing - our biggest challenge by far was the editing of photos to prepare the prints.  But with some time and patience we got much better and we ended up with some pretty cool prints ( well I thought so anyway ).  So a challenge for myself - in between everything else - is to work on photos.  On etsy you can't pick up your products, touch them and imagine them in your home or wardrobe so great photos are everything.
 The efficiency thing I guess is just about realizing that your time needs to be managed really well to craft, dream up ideas, shop for fabrics, edit photos and talk to potential customers - all that while holding a full time job, staying in touch with friends and loving blogging to you guys.  Well whatever happens so far I've been enjoying every second so I figure while I am still having fun I will continue!

Anyway it is a new step in my upcycling adventure so I will keep you posted on how it all goes!

Here is the link if you want to check it out!

ETSY SHOP!!!

Have fun browsing and as always feel free to feedback - I plan to share everything from this journey I'm on - the good, the bad and the massively embarrassing errors - on this blog so feedback to me might reduce some of my red faced moments!  Enjoy and link me up with your shops too so we can help each other out!

Slippers!

As the weather has started to turn colder I realized that my slippers are well and truly worn through.  So I decided to make my own.  They turned into more lined slipper socks than actual slippers with a sole but to be honest I'm pretty happy with them!  I realize more and more that I love turning something that is previously useless into something cute and useful.  I bought a cardigan from a charity shop for £2 some time ago.  I loved it but despite taking care to put it on a woolen cycle at a low temperature I managed to shrink it to the point of looking ridiculous when I attempted to wear it.  The shrinking had made the wool kind of felt like so I decided this was my perfect slipper material.

So this is where I started and where I ended up.

So how can you make your own?  To be honest this really was a simple project - I didn't measure anything and simply used the shape of my foot as a guide - not so helpful if you want to make them as gifts but for this project it was perfect for me.

1. I chose a lining fabric - I used a stretchy t-shirt fabric that I had - and fold over your foot pinning along the bottom.  The fit should be comfy and not too tight so as to make it restrictive.

2. Once you have pinned lining for both feet remove your foot and trim along the line of pins.  Then sew this line with a neat running stitch.

3.  Check that your lining sock fits your foot once it has been sewn and all pins removed. Repeat steps 1 & 2 with your outer layer of fabric ie felt, wool or something that will keep you warm.  Because I was using a cardigan I simply used the sleeves as the top of the slipper sock. I inserted my foot into the sleeve and pinned the shoulder area of the arm round my foot using the pre-formed sleeve edge as a neat top to my slipper.

4. Now you want to turn the outer sock so that the seam is inwards and leave the inner sock so the seam is facing outwards.  Now insert the inner sock into the outer sock.  Fold the top of the inner sock down so that all raw edges are hidden and stitch along this edge.  My socks sat neatly at the top but if yours are too loose you can add a stretch of elastic around the top of your sock to hold them up.

5.  I used wool and simply did some stitches to create a face.  This is an area where I'm sure every one of you can out do me on free hand creative skills but I have to admit I am quite fond of my little faces.  I'm considering adding some ears!

6. Now the next step is where I discovered a new product

According to google this works perfectly to enable you to create non-stick treads - so yesterday I popped off to John Lewis and spent £2.40 on a bottle of this.  It takes a long time to dry and I would recommend allowing a little longer than the specified 24 hours - particularly now that the weather is so cold.  But its pretty effective and has turned my quick slipper sock upcycle into a much more finished and less slippy project.

With some practice I think you could get quite fancy with the designs you used as treads - I played it safe on this occasion and just went for splodges focused on the toes, ball of the foot and heel.

All in all this project has been a fun one and I enjoyed pinning my feet into fabric and stitching to create slippers out of a ruined cardigan.  I'm now trying to decide what to do with the rest of it!

Have fun stitching and please do share your adventures with me!  If you send in some pics I'll do a section featuring all of your designs.

x