A Christmas Affair

OK this is really unusual for me to post so often, I'm sure this will stop again soon (or I will force myself to blog every other day for the next 2 weeks)

I realised I needed something Christmasy to wear to work this week. Loving the hair band that I made I whipped some christmas fabrics out and some matching buttons.

Exactly the same process as the previous one, I played around with fabrics that I have. I have never liked the fabric with the girl on before, but being almost fussy cut so that there is only one she looks gorgeous, I think it really tones the hair band down from the crazy christmas look.

Proof that I am wearing it. I love the green button on the "vintage" style fabric its a heart shape, perfect for this time of year.

If you look closely I also have a bell on there, at the top of the green suffolk puff. I brought these last year and didn't really know what I was going to do with it. I love it on there, thankfully though it doesnt actually ring too much unless I shake my head hard.

Hope you like todays creations.

Will be back tomorrow to show you todays dying attempts, not sure if its a sucess or failure yet, its slightly patchy!

First Ever custom order!

I'm am sooo pleased about this. I have been putting it off for weeks and weeks.

A student at school came to me asking if I could help her with a christmas present for her little brother. She gave me strict instructions that it must be a green bib with a giraffe on it and be fastened with Velcro.

Boy do I feel I have delivered!!!

Thinking back to previous things I have made I feel that applique is something that I've never afraid of! this is a really complex shape that I wasn't sure I would be happy with.

I've surprised myself by choosing this brown fabric for the giraffe, it was something I had in my stash but I've no idea why I had it. When I saw it I immediately thought GIRAFFE!!!!!!

I totally love this and hope that the girl who brought it does as well. What do you think?? How much would you be willing to buy/sell this at?

This Week

Wow I dont know what happened this week but the sewing bug has really taken hold!!

I took my students to the Clotheshow in Birmingham on Tuesday, theres a brand new area there where you can try making different things.



I loved this in about 3 hours I made:

• A knitted Brooch (having never sucessfully knitted before)
• A phone case
• A sewn brooch
• And did quite a large amount of shopping

I managed to build up my fabric stash, mainly with Japanese fabrics. I've never seen such an abundance of these in one place in person. Had to have. Thank god I ran out of money is all I can say!!!

It was a real special occasion taking my students on their and my first school trip. They love it when I make my own clothes so I whipped this little number up especially for the day (Have worn it twice more already since Tuesday)The pockets and the ties on the dress are all removable. A nice simple denim dress that I can easily customise for different occasions!

Original 1960's pattern that I was kindly given by a little old lady who was having a clear out!Another purchase at the Clotheshow was a kit all made up from The eternal Maker they also have a blog which is really worth reading.

The only clear photo I could find of the head band

(while being made)

I loved this kit and again all my students commented on it (and slightly embarrasingly 3 Technology teachers that saw it decided to touch it) little awkward moments!!!

I love this and think I might use the pattern again to make a few more.

Few other activities gone on this week but I'm sure most of you are in the same situation that they are all christmas creations!

All for now!

Baby quilts

Ok I have been working on some treats last week. I only had 2 recipients in mind when I was making these how ever I got carried away and made a third because I had the fabric in my stash.

I think photo's will say everything I need.Girl'sBoy'sSpecial quilt for a little lady who is ill in hospital

They were all backed with the same fabric (IKEA)

Backing

The pink one was for a little lady called Daisy so its quilted with a Daisy instead of being signed.

My Brothers Birthday....

Ok this sounds a similar post to the previous one...

I fell in love with this fabric at the Knitting and Stitching show back in October, I've not seen this fabric since then (until today on someone's blog).

I wanted to go really simple for him, didn't want to make it look too girly if you know what I mean.
It was going to be single until he decided that he wanted to live with his girlfriend, figured it should be double bed sized.

As this was also partically for his graduation I always really wanted to applique a cartoon doctor on the back (this is what he has just graduated for...) However, I didn't think his girlfriend would be very impressed with this.

Sorry the photographs weren't much better, they were taken at 8am the morning that I was giving him them, yes as usual I was sewing the binding on the night before...

My Boss'es birthday

OK this possibly sounds a little bit late. My boss Sally's birthday was in March (I think) I made her a small collection of things for her newly furnished sewing room she had just finished before her birthday (and yes I am very Jealous!!!)

This was the small collection of bits, including a scrap fabric bin (only for the table top, please remember any quilter has a massive amount of scrap fabrics)

The Purple thing you can see is a shop brought letter S (for Sally or Sewing) to put up on the wall in her sewing room.

Two very cute "elf" houses, in red and white, very clean looking. And they look amazing on her black fire place!!!Here is an up close of the fabrics used for the scrap basket, she loves cats!!!

I also made her a tissue holder for her handbag from the fabrics left over from the basic, would you believe I must see it every week she carries it everywhere!! (for some reason I can't get Blogger to put these pictures on)

All these patterns have been taken from the sewing calendar 2010, I love so many things in there, had to spent about 48 hours trying to decide what I wanted to make.

Later I will show you another birthday present that I made. This time my brothers and my Dad's...

Finishes so far this year...

OK I can't believe that we are already into May!!!(well tomorrow we are away)

Was discussing with one of my students the other that that I should probably write down somewhere everything that I have finished this year...

In no particular order (as much as I can remember now)

• Linda's 50th Table runner
• Nan's birthday present
• Draw string bag(from the sewing class)
• Cushion cover (from the sewing class)
• Dad's birthday quilt
• Mum's mothers day present
• 4 table mats (for charity)
• 2 wall hangings (identical - one for me one for charity)
• 3 swap blocks

WIP List!

Ok this one is likely to be just as long....

• Mothers day gift for a friend
• Red and white quilt
• hexagon quilt (started over 7 years ago)
• Brothers graduation present(and birthday prsesent)
• Blouse

I will be back in the very near future to give some more information about the finished projects and hopefully to show you some more things that I will have got off the WIP's list at some point.

I can't believe how much I have made this month! Its been a mamoth sewing month and I believe my hands had enough of sewing bindings on for charity on Sunday (11 hours straight hand sewing, only stopping for the loo and food)

All the best everyone

Long time no post... (Mothers Day gifts)

OK guys I know that it has been absolutely ages since my last post. I need to start getting a bit more up to speed with blogging.

Since my last post the UK has had Mothers Day racking my brains to come up with something a little different I thought about a table runner (they have a octagonal dining table and its been bugging me for years that they have a mat in the middle of the table that is Oval, it never did go at all)

This is what I came up with, fastest table runner I think I have ever made, as soon as I saw the fabric I knew this was the fabric that mum needed.

Not sure if you can see the stitch I used for applique-ing the Dresden plate blocks onto the top, but I found it on a machine at my local quilt shop that I attend. Its tiny little M's Thought this was perfect considering its a mothers day present (and yes I did fall in love with a machine that night)

Quilting it was a real challenge for me, I have never done free hand embroidery like this before, I wanted to make this a little different from a table runner that I gave my gran for her birthday (you might get an opportunity to see that another night) so I highly quilted the middle circle leaving the edges raw, I love the texture and feeling that this has given!

Vermicelli quilting was needed for the rest of the quilt, and I even managed to quilt the word MUM into it somewhere...

Later I will blog about my Dad's birthday present but for now, I thought I wouldn't give anyone a heart attack by showing them EVERYTHING I have been working on since I last blogged.

What do you think about the runner? Anyone else love the fabrics as much as I do??

Linda's 50th

Ok, I'm sorry its taken me soo long to get back on my blog again. I know I have been very quiet for over 2 months! Begining of December I had an operation and since then I haven't been as good as I have been expecting, Although I have been doing quite a bit of sewing as and when I can.

Here is one of my newest completed projects for Linda, who I work withs 50th birthday. I totally forgot to take finished photographs of the table runner before giving it to her. But these were the photographs from her birthday meal (taking in our staff room at work hence the dish washer etc behind her)

On the back of the table runner I managed to get "Happy 50th Birthday Linda, Love Louise printed" I think this is what she is admiring in the first photograph.

The quilt was made with dresden plate blocks (made totally circular and appliqued onto a backing fabric)

It was the first time I EVER attempted to do free hand quilting and I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out, I soon realised that the only way to get the quilting to go right was to sew faster than slower.

Another birthday coming up on Wednesday, have finished the presents for this one last night, will put the photographs for this up soon, and will have a load more updates for you soon.

Sorry if anyone missed me too much.

XX