Sewing News

Mostly I blog about my more random makes and doings, but currently on a work front I have been making lots of things for those ubiquitous christmas craft fairs, and also the Creative Connections CRAFTfest. Anything left might trickle into the Etsy and Folksy shop. Where are enough hours? Oh yes, they are spent doing mummy things instead.....

No moans, this year I have been very busy with orders too, so far, a Good Thing!

Christmas Stockings

Fun Things in the pipeline

Angel Faces x

Only 166 days to go until Christmas!

I sit here in lightweight skirt and blouse, shoes off, slight tan, posting this about Christmas craft and expecting *ducks* some blogland approbrium.

However, I find that there's no time too early to start thinking about Christmas, so I started planning my Christmas decorations this year NOW. Mainly because there is a hope that I might stock some local shops this year and they will want something worked out a long time before December!

Currently I am working on a lovely bevy of Angels, which I am making from a pattern by Gingermelon. That links to her blog which is full of great stuff, but if you want to go and get the Angel pattern yourself, it's on her Etsy. Such a great pattern for using up bits of felt....

Can't resist adding embellishments

Experimenting with expressions

Lots of different colours!

Last year I made lots of felt decorations from my own patterns. My favourites, which I shall be doing again with some improvements (to the face!) were the gingerbread men 

and these buttony trees.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Christmas is coming!

I hate to break it to you, but as the ads on TV have already started I am sure you already know! I have been hard at work creating Christmassy things for people. I will be doing one craft fair in December, so I do need to make sure that I've enough stock, but mostly I am doing orders that come in. Quite a few this year, so that's great. Most of them are local people who are now aware that I make 'stuff'. It just shows that despite the wonders of the internet, global reach etc it is really local advertising and 'getting yourself out there' that really is what brings in regular money.

Here's some lovely Christmas bunting that I have been asked to make. What you can't see is that it is strung on a cute red and white candy striped bias tape. Loving my striped bias tape at the mo! I am also just about to finish a really LONG bunting project for triplets, which I am very excited about and can hardly wait to get it photographed, and then sent off to the lucky tiny tiny baby people. 

Next up: Christmas Sacks. I was just going to make 3 (two ordered and one for the online shop) and then husband says 'Why do you never make things for your own children?' - cue violins - so now I have to make 6. Why do I listen?!

 

Cute and Quick Personalised Decorations

If you are constantly enchanted with your children's drawings, have a scanner (or maybe use a photo, or a drawing they did on a computer programme), some freezer paper and a printer that isn't too temperamental, then you can whip up some glorious decorations. I'm sure my daughter's teacher will treasure this one we made for her for ever (she is apparently dressed as a queen although I never got to the bottom of why..). I did a picture tutorial today. Enjoy!

NB: Printing onto freezer paper - if you have never done this before there is an excellent step-by-step on the Crafterhours blog which I recommend you look at. Once you have tried it you will love it! I hope. I accept no responsibility for printers not loving it (sorry! but that's how it is!!)

Scan, Iron, Print

Cut

Sew - see note below!

Stuff and GiFT!

Folksy Friday - Penguinos

I have not done a Folksy Friday for quite a while, but there are so many CUTE things that keep catching my eye and I thought that I would share some. After all, 'tis the season to be spending money (as I believe the saying goes). This week is black and white and sweet all over! But sure, 'tis no Humbug.

Phil the Penguin from Pink Sherbert

Tags from Charlotte Macey Textiles

Cushion from MinXtures

Christmas Penguin from Kirsty Elson

Sundae Card by Lucy Webber Creations

Christmas is coming!

I have been hard at work making plenty in anticipation of a Christmas rush (here's hoping!). The last craft fair I did was not all that busy but I have my fingers crossed for the rest of the month. In the meantime, for virtual shoppers, I have created some new Christmas decorations which I am quite chuffed with, as well as a few old favourites.

On Etsy

On Etsy 

On Folksy

On Folksy

Dinosaurs A Go Go

This week has been a very busy one fulfilling actual commissions for actual dinosaurs people actually want. 3! All in one week! That was my Christmas rush then! Still I was very pleased to do it and also managed to do a few felt Christmas decorations around the edges aswell. This weekend I can rest a little and finish all those knitting projects I told you about in a smugly manner.

As he has already gone to his new home I can introduce you to the following fat spotted chap. The others are still under secret guard:

And if you are thinking about Christmas you can skip on over to my Folksy shop and peruse my wares!

Loving the Dump!

No, I am not referring to my house this time. Went down to the dump and found the glorious 'dump shop' where they sell on all the bits of furniture and what-not that is halfway sound. I may have found my next obsession. Managed to disgust my husband by rummaging for ages in a large vat of stained and ripped textile items ('Anything 50p') but my tenacity paid off and I found a large hand embroidered tablecloth. It is ripped and cut in several places but as soon as I saw the embroidery my sad little mind was thinking 'Christmas'. I already have a range of Swiss inspired decorations in mind, mainly due to the fact that I was given some adorable swiss ribbon recently. The little black and red hearts here will look very sweet on hanging heart tree decorations, methinks. But I will probably wait a few months to do this. Panic not, I'm pretty sure that it is still too early for Christmas making. Or is it?

This post is part of Magpie Mondays over at Me and My Shadow - click on the bird!

Happy Holidays

Too busy enjoying my holiday to blog - or figure out why I can't format the pictures in a pretty way. But anyway here is a snap shot of our week. Stay Merry xx

Eat your heart out Annie Liebovitz

Big Rudolf

Little Rudolf

Actually White Christmas

Her First Christmas

Last minute Christmas

OK OK I have relatives arriving in under 3 hours, the house is still a bit of a mess and I am blogging? Priorities?!
But before I get off the internet for a festive cooking related break, i needed to share with you our latest make. If you want to make delightful last minute sweets that involves no cooking, hardly any ingrediants and are so simple a child of 5 can do them, then look no further than:

'Crusty' pear was created using rather air-dried marzipan!
(Using new marzipan is advisable)

Marzipan Fruit


You need:
Some marzipan (left over from icing the cake?)
Food colourings - I always have red, yellow and blue at my disposal, because then you can make green and purple etc.
Cotton buds (or clean small paint brushes, or clean small sponges)
Cloves
Mini-cases such as Petits Fours cases

To make:
Sit child done in front of the marzipan, which you should probably cut into cubes roughly the right size to fit into the case.
Shape marzipan into pleasingly fruit-shaped pieces. Round for apples, oranges, oval for plums, pear-shaped, log bananas. Go wild!
Add cloves as stalks.

Put some drops of food colouring into white small containers such as ramekins or saucers.
Using the brushes or buds, lightly brush the food colouring over the fruits, You can 'paint' different colours on different bits, be as artistic as you like.
NB: Food colouring does not wash off skin easily, so encourage your children NOT to cover themselves in it. Or they will have blue streaks on their face over Christmas. 


Put the masterpieces into cute little cases. Leave to dry for an hour or so then put them in an air-tight box ready for serving over Christmas.

 My little girl who is not yet 5 made these completely all by herself with very little intervention, which just shows me not to hover so much - her creations when I am not there are usually BETTER than when I am directing. Such a 'helicopter mom'. Step Back! Step Back!

Enjoy your Christmas and have a lovely holiday                      Dxxx

Wrestling with holly and other festive pursuits

Now that it is officially After The Birthdays for 2010, I can think about Christmas properly. Which, obviously, means sitting at home eating a mince pie whilst having tetchy phone conversations with a wind-chilled Mr Dolly about trunk circumference as related to our metal christmas tree stand. In a house where you become entangled in sewing equipment with almost every step, why can't I EVER find a tape measure when I need one?

I spent most of Saturday lashing branches of holly, ivy and cyprus to a curtain pole, which looks nice, and trying to make a wreath, which is a disaster. I had intentions of creating many pine cone balls. But now I have one, it is hard to consider beginning another. Also, my hands hurt from all the foliage.

Facebook Result - We have a winner!

On my Facebook fan page I have been having a drive to get over 100 'likers', with the promise of a Christmas Decoration prize to one randomly selected person at the end. So, once I got to 100 I did the above random number generator, coming up with 73 as you see. So, congratulations Hannelore C!

I will also be sending a surprise prize to liker number 100, which was Jane Burkinshaw.

Love you allxxxx

Make It! Christmas Pine Cone Ball Tutorial

If you noted my surfeit of pinecones earlier in the year you will know that I was looking for things to do with them, of a Christmassy nature. I saw some big balls of pinecones being sold in the shops this year, as Christmas decorations (not for the tree though, too heavy!) and I thought that I would have a go at making one. Here is a tutorial (be gentle with me) in case anyone else would like to try it out.

First you need a load of pinecones! Seriously, pick up a good basketfull. 30? I can't quite work out how many I actually used. NB: but if you use a small size oasis ball you will need only small/medium pinecones. Try to get a few smaller ones which are useful for finishing but you shoud aim not to have too varied a size selection.

Oasis Ball
Pinecones
Tools: Snub-nosed Pliers (useful not essential) Secateurs and scissors
Ribbon, enough to go around the ball you are using with plenty left to make a loop
Florists wire
Pins

1)Tie the ribbon around the ball, knot it making sure the loose ends are roughly even. Then pin the ribbon in place around the ball with dressmaking pins, use around 4-6.

 2) Cut the florists wire into lengths - you will need the first few wires to be long enough to go around the pinecone and all the way through the ball. Wrap the wire around the wider end of the pinecone pulling it so that it slides between the bracts, then twist the ends of the wire. If you do this with pliers it is easier to get a nice secure finish.

3) Insert the wire into the ball - start by adding cones around the centre. The first cones with long wire should be put into the underside, and the long end bent over to secure it. After the first 8 or so with bent over wires you should be safe to use slightly shorter wire which just goes through most of the ball. Beware of making them too short though or they will just fall out again! Keep putting them either side of the ribbon until you have created a double line of cones all around the ball.

4) Now add cones into the central section of either side. It is better to be methodical and keep adding in circles until you just have space for a central one. It may be best at this stage to choose all remaining pinecones and  'try' them by popping them into the space without wires first, because you want a nice snug fit. Jiggle them a little as you put them in, to lock them together and avoid big ugly gaps.

5) Ta Da!! Tie up the end of the ribbon and hang the beast up. These might be pretty all glittered up too.