Tuesday 29 January 2008

Website and Purses

Well.... due to prolonged ill health which is now sorted out, then Christmas, New Year, going back to work etc it sort of went on the back burner. I have been busy making things and looking for supplies to put on it and other services to offer, such as a making up service. So I have not given up on it at all.
Below are a couple of zipped purses that will be going on the website as well as others which I have yet to take pictures of:
This has been made from a crazy patchwork bag that I made and then changed my mind about it.
This zipped purse has been made from a good quality oil cloth apron. Both are fully lined and have a front pocket, fabric loop, split ring and canibarier clasp on it. (I think that is how you spell it.) Others have been made using many fabrics, one of my favourites is a zipped purse made from Kath Kidston fabric.
You may remember that this purse was made to go with my November entry on the U-handbag Amy Butler Bag competition. I have not entered since and I really must make up the next one. I have the pattern, just need the time.
I based all of these purses on a tutorial on U-handbag blog. The link is in the margin and it is really good, as is the whole blog and webshop.
I hope to have more photos of knitting and a felted bag that I think is in need of embellishment which I actually knitted and felted myself without damaging the bag or wrecking my washing machine!

Sunday 27 January 2008

A lovely surprise from Nan...

I switched on my computer today to find that I have been awarded this on Nannybirds blog.
I have copied and pasted this logo from Nan's blog, Nannybird. Nan is a very friendly blogger from the USA and invited me to take part in her recycling challenge a few weeks ago. Her link is in the side bar. She makes lovely bags by weaving crisp packets, plastic bags etc to create an item which is useful, creative and lovely to look at.
I am very grateful for this compliment and it is great to now that others like what I make, (which is not as much as I would like due to not enough time, but we all have that problem I suppose.) and that what they find here is of interest. Thank you.

I am going to pass this Kindness Award on to PICCIOLO who was one of the first people to comment on my blog when I started and has kept coming back ever since. We roughly started at the same time and it has been good to see how things have progressed. PICCIOLO has always left very encouraging comments and her work is lovely.
CARDS CARDS CARDS:

Yes, I have finished all of the Valentine Cards that I am going to make this year. Tried out some brads which I have seen before but not used. Plenty of felt, glitter card, beads, ribbon, sequin waste and stuffing were used. I tried to think of the chaps too by creating some cards for them as well. Here is a sample.


A lovely sunny day meant that I was able to take some half decent photos.


Thought I would try some blue. I now it is not traditional but I have also seen gold and black Valentine cards so blue did not seem so daft after all.


I have made a few more felt heart hangers with ribbon loops and lavender inside.

My next project will be to make some cards for The Embroiderers Guild Exhibition that is taking place in March. Due to work commitments I will not be exhibiting but some cards will enable me to still help out in a way. Of course the next knitted square will also need to be started, especially seeing as another 4 issues turned up yesterday!

Hope the weekend has been as sunny (if rather cold) as here, if not I hope it was at least relaxing.

Bye for now.

Thursday 24 January 2008

Cards Cards Cards


As promised I am posting a photo of the card that I made for my sister's birthday this week.
I am really pleased with this design as it is a new idea and I was able to use my new Mini Stitch machine which I got for Christmas. The ruler is 6 inches long.

It is very noisy, clanky and tiny but it does stop me from ruining my lovely big machine when sewing glitter card, velum, card and other card making bits. it can also be battery operated only which means I can use it anywhere.

I have just come home from a late session at work, so again photography has had to be left but I thought that you might like to see some other cards that I have made over the past few months and I will post Valentine cards at the weekend.
This card was sold on ebay a few weeks ago to a delighted customer.

Wedding card with bead and flower detail.
This card has been created from an embroidery that I made as part of an Embroiderers Guild Christmas project. Before I handed in the final piece of work I scanned it and saved it on disk. I can now print it out and use it for any Christmas item.
The embroidery, along with loads of others, were stitched together into a lovely wall hanging.

It is friday tomorrow ( hurray) and a square knitting sessions is on the cards also I think that I will try and finish my Valentine items. I have an Embroiderers' Guild Commitee meeting saturday morning and then, due to working extra hard this week, hopefully a family weekend after that.
Best wishes.

Tuesday 22 January 2008

Valentine Update and book.


This photo is not a good as I would have liked it. By the time I get home the light has gone but I think that you can get the general idea. I have also made some cards but I will take them to work and try and photograph them during my lunch break. I also have some more felt bits to sew together, these are just the finished ones. I am also going to do some with machine embroidery on using shiney threads so I will post a pic when they are done.
Many thanks to everyone who left such nice comments on the last two posts. The knitted bag response has made me decide to show you something else that I have been working on for some time.



Last January I started buying "The Art of Knitting" because I can't really knit very well. I have had a go many times but my stitch skills are limited and as a Textiles teacher everyone seems to think that I should be able to. My Mum did her best and as a left hander I think I do not do too badly. So every week ( I subcribe so every month) an issue x4 plus wool etc arrives and a new stitch is tackled to make a square. There was a 5 month delay with printing probs but the mags have started arriving again. Eventually they will be sewn together to make s shaker style blanket. I now have a backlog of squares to knit since term started again I have fallen behind as other work has had to take priority, but as a way of keeping going I will post squares and an update every now and then.

This arrived in the post and it is such a lovely little book. It is by Lark books and I bought it on Amazom.com. ISBN -13:978-1-60059-144-0 there is also another on the back of the book, -10: 1-60059-144-2.
You now that I like to take part in the pincushion challenge but needed some inspiration. I also run a pincushion project with my students every Autumn, so they will also find it interesting.
There are pages and pages of designs and ideas, here are just a couple.

These are very cute.

Lovely use of felt and embroidery.

Made from potholders!
There are also some templates at the back of the book stating what size to enlarge them to.
A delightful little book and many of the ideas will be on my to do list.
Have a good evening I am off to have my tea and then to sort out a badly behaved over-locking machine!
Bye for now.

Sunday 20 January 2008

Fabric delivery, Cutting and missing buttons!


This arrived in the post yesterday morning. Kath Kidston fabric which I ordered online and it is scrummy!! I have several ideas for it but for now I am just going to look at it!

WIP:
I have been getting ready to make some Valentine cards to take to work. I made some last year and they went down very well. I am also going to include some token presents such as keyrings and smelly dangling items in felt, beads, ribbon and sequins and fabric covers plus notebook.

All ready for stitching or going on cards. While I had all the stuff out I made my sister a card for her birthday but I will post a photo on wednesday in case she should accidently see it here, but I am quite pleased with it.


Did you spot the mistake? No? well my eagle-eyed daughter did. Look back at the last post about my knitted bag kit and the front view picture.
Yes, I managed to leave a green button off when embellishing the front even though I counted them out. After I had posted and logged out of my laptop Sophie spotted it. I have since added the button. Typical! What a silly billy and I found the offending button sitting on my sewing table!
WIP up-date tomorrow as I am off to stitch and stick.

Enjoy what is left of the weekend!

Monday 14 January 2008

Bags Bags Bags!!!

Posted by Picasa

Knitted Bag: Finished!


You may remember in a December post that I got this knitting kit for my birthday from my hubby. Well I am not the world's best knitter, particularly jumpers, they take far too long and I find the patterns confusing after a while.
However, this type of thing I can handle so..

Front View.


Back View.


Gingham Lining.


Close up of front detail.
I did add the embellishments, they were not part of the kit. I just used the wool to make a flower using a Prym Flower maker, crocheted a length using the pink wool and sticthed it on randomly, then used crochet to make the disk shaped flowers and added SEI buttons to the centres. I then added a lining otherwise the bag would stretch too easily. I always make the length of the lining about 2 or 3cm shorter than the outside of the bag so that when it is the right way round it does not touch the base of the outer fabric. That way the contents are supported by the lining and handles, therefore less stretching of the knitting.
Originally I was not sure of the colour combination but now that it is finished I like it alot. This is not my entry into the bag swap challenge as it was a present and I can not bare to part with it yet. The kit also gives instructions for two other styles which I could try next!

I have nearly finished my bag swap entry and I will post it nearer/after the swap just in case any of the other contestants should stumble on my blog and it would spoil the surprise.

Thursday 10 January 2008

Beaded Ammulet/ knitting Up-date

I made a beaded ammulet about 5 years ago whilst spending time in hospital with pregnacy complications, which were eventually sorted out.

It has been added to the following blogsite Gallery. Unfortunately I missed the challenge that was being organised at the time, as I have only recently discovered this blog.

I was given the kit as a Christmas present and started it at about lunch time and completed it at midnight the same day! Yes, I should really have been asleep but by this time I was getting very bored and I did have my feet up.
The link to the site is here:
http://iwannanewbag.blogspot.com/
and there is also a direct link to the site in the side margin but not to the section in the Gallery but it can be easily found.
There are regular challenges on this blog based on a variety themes with loads of other topics in the side margins to browse. Well worth a regular look.

I have also decided to take part in a bag swap with a blogger in the USA and I have nearly finished my entry so more about that nearer the time as I want to keep it a surprise but again you can find out about other swaps at the blog here:
http://creativeswaps.blogspot.com/
The bag swap sign up is now full but other swaps are being organised and started all the time.
Take a look and maybe join in.
Knitting up-date:

I forgot to say just before Christmas that The Childrens Society had recieved by knitted squares for the giant stocking and my donation.
I have signed up to hopefully hear a bit earlier about knitting to help raise money for next year as I would like to my students involved but as you can understand as much time as possible is needed.

Sunday 6 January 2008

New Year, New Media, New Pic


Sophie moved up from Play Dough to Plasticine today and look what she made! With a bit of help from Daddy.
Work tomorrow, so must follow one of my resolutions to get an early night.
OOpps, nearly forgot, I decided to update my comment image with this...

I liked making this for Sophie, what do you think?

Saturday 5 January 2008

Happy New Year 2008/ Resolutions/ Clothes Show Pics

Better late than never but here is my first post of the New Year. We had a lovely Christmas and Sophie was delighted with all of her presents, many of which are making and doing presents so we are sorted for future rainny weekends.

We went to see friends in Norfolk for New Year andI want to thank them for allowing us to invade their home for 4/5 days. it was quite mild and only started to get cold as we were leaving.
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS?
Well I usually forget what they are by the end of January so for the first time I am going to log them here on my blog.
1). Actually finish my website which came to a grinding halt due to 7 week cold/asthma.
2). Add another tutorial to my blog.
3). Make Valentine Cards to sell at work, did well last year.
4). Follow up phone number of a lady who may be able to help me do my first solo craft fair.
5). Make more sewing time (with Sophie as well).
6). And of course, loss some weight, get more sleep etc, etc,
I think that is enough..

I have nearly finished the knitted bag kit that my hubby bought for my birthday but I want to put a lining in it to stop it from stretching than I will post a picture.
For now I want to post some of the Clothes Show photos that my colleague Fiona took when twit here left her camera on the coach because she was too worried about students, tickets etc.


The white speck on the stage is Peaches Geldof. Honestly, it really is.

The start of the catwalk show.

The computer graphics making up the backdrop were amazing.

It was not just a catwalk show there was music and dancing as well.
There are more photos but too many to put here so I will try to make a link via flickr perhaps. Look on ther website for videos of previous years and next year's details.
http://www.clothesshowlive.co.uk/
It was fantastic and the students have already asked about going next year..
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...