I'm still frantically trying to catch up on posting piccies of finished projects and here's a few project bags that I made recently to keep you going. Hopefully I'll have my ISE5 stuff online very soon.
The first bag is made using navy recycled linen and a pretty co-ordinating floral lining. The drawstring is made from Rowan Cotton Glace. I added a small fabric patch to the front of the bag to break up the solid colour without detracing away from the beautiful linen. This bag was sent to Blueadt in exchange for some gorgeous Rowan All Seasons cotton. .JPG)
.JPG)
Next is Katie's project bag. I made this using a scrap of the linen fabric and some of the 'ladybird' fabric that I used to make Ladybird Linz's needle roll. Katie needed something simple that she could stuff full with knitting projects. I lined this in simple calico with a small pocket for notions.
Lastly is this blue bag that I made Anna for her Birthday as part of the Winter Birthday Swap on the Crafty Threads n Yarn forum at the beginning of December. It's unusual fabric in that's a fleece or flannel. The print is a blue toille and I used Simplicity Pattern (tbc). There is an external pocket in the same fabric and the inside is lined with calico fabric. I also enclosed a couple of Fat Quarters and two balls of lovely yarn in her birthday swap package.
More FO's and swap piccies coming soon including my ISE5 scarf and goodies! I've been a busy bee in January. Time to knuckle down for February as we're almost half way through - eek!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sewing: Bags & Totes
Swap: Dishcloth Swap on CTnY
I received my dishcloth a few weeks ago from Franney. And now my pal, Ladybird Linz has received hers.
I forgot to take a photo before I sent it and so I've pinched hers from the Forum. Sorry LBL! It's Yvonne's Double Dishcloth pattern and it's a free pattern available on the dishcloth boutique.
This was my first attempt at the Double Flower Dishcloth which I mucked up. And although my mistake is not obvious to the naked eye (and granted the dishcloth still looks fine) I wasn't happy with it and made another one in the hot pink. I'm glad I re-did it. Honestly, I'm not a perfectionist (much!)
I also enclosed a needle roll for LBL which was actually a prize for a draw I did back in November.
The fabric reminds me of ladybirds which I thought was perfect for this project. I also followed the ladybird/garden theme to the lining where I used a pretty floral print that I purchased off ebay before Christmas!
Inside the needle roll I included a highlighter pen (always useful!) and some wooden card toppers (not pictured).
I used Rowan Cotton Glace in a dark blue/denim colourway for the ties.
Swap: 'One Tiny Thing' on Craftster
I've just finished the 'One Tiny Thing' (OTT17) swap on Craftster. The swap is restricted to sending one item less than 4"x4" and no extras allowed. This was a tough remit to follow as I like to add little bits'n'bobs to my packages. Anyway, I restrained myself.
Firstly, here's the lovely coin purse that Sam sent me and I just love love love it.
Check out the embroidered fairy and her beautiful beaded wings! So simple yet so effective!
The outer is a lovely dark denim and the liner & zipper are a pink/lilac colour. Lovely! Thanks again Sam.
And this is what I sent Sam yesterday (which she received this morning - shock!). Introducing Hammy the Amigurumi Hamster!
Sam has posted some photos of him exploring the garden in his new home. They're on the first page of the OneTinyThing Gallery and they're definitely worth a gander.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Swap: Christmas Decoration on CTNY
Here's the decoration I received from the wonderfully talented Carolinne... my lovely handmade felt snowman.
I absolutely adore his little black felt hat! He's perfect. Thank you Carolinne!! :) xx
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Swap: Christmas Decoration on CTnY
As it's been received I think it's safe to update this post with the who, what, when and why of this photo.
We had a Christmas Decoration swap over on the Crafty Threads n Yarn forum and this was what I made for my swap pal, Jacky. If you scroll down the post a bit you'll see the fairy hanging on Jacky's tree (as well as her two beautiful dogs standing in front!)
It's basically a spare wooden curtain ring, over which I crochet some DB Aran Tweed. The fairy is made as all my fairies except I didn't use floss or flowers for her dress - it's made from a piece of a fleecy scarf that I picked up in the Charity shop.
Her boots are needle felted and she's holding a little wooden heart (button). There was a bit of foot stomping when I sent her off so I've got another one in the works for Little Miss CB!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Sewing: Embroidery Patch Swap (Completed)
I haven't given much thought to how I'll use them though - maybe on a quilt or a bag. Maybe. I'll just admire them for a little bit longer before I decide...
And one final shot of all the patches I sent to my swap pals.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sewing: Embroidery Patch Swap 3B
The design is another original of mine. The shoes were inspired by the 1920's and the swirls were traced from the lid of a now empty box of Thornton's chocolates!
Sewing - Embroidery Patch No 4
This is the 4th (and final) patch for the embroidered patch swap over on craftster. Here's a scan of my original drawing...
And here's the finished piece. I've left out the wings but there's enough space for my pal to add some if she wishes.
It's been a great swap and I'll post some piccies later today of the patches I received.
Hope you're all well - we're still struggling to exorcise the 'lurgy from the house.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Sewing: Embroidery Swap Patch No 3
Embroidered Patch No3
Originally uploaded by craftybernie
Here's my tribute to A Warhol! It's the third patch for the Craftster swap (three down and only one more to go). For more info, check out my Flickr page.
TTFN
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Sewing: Embroidery Swap Patch No2
This is the 2nd patch I've made for the Embroidery Patch Swap on Craftster. After a quick rinse and a nice hot iron, she'll be winging her way to the US on Monday.
I've used mainly stem stitch for the outlines, satin stitch for the eyes and chain stitch for the body and shoes. I thought that the french knots would add a little interest to the bobble on her hat (I didn't want her looking like Santa Claus!)
Patches number 1 and 2 are for the US. I'll be working on patches 3 and 4 next week. They're destined for the UK and will be posted in time for the end of November deadline.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sewing: Embroidery Patch Swap on Craftster
I'm taking part in my second Craftster swap. This one is a swap of embroidered patches sized between 3" sq. and 10" sq. We're split into groups and each member sends one patch to the other members in their group. I've got four to make and this is the first one.
Here's a link to the Gallery if you fancy a gander at the other patches being made: Swap Gallery
Although the image looks quite green in colour, it is actually embroidered onto white fabric (Irish linen or something similar). I hope my pal likes it.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
No-Sew Cushion
.JPG)
Katie and I made this cute little cushion a couple of weeks ago. It's a quick no-sew project which requires very few skills - measuring, cutting, and tying knots. We managed to complete the cushion in one evening.
Katie's eager to learn how to use a sewing machine but I'm not quite ready to let her loose on the eccentric and ever so slightly geriatric Singer 507. Perhaps when I get my new one for Thingmas (wink wink, nudge nudge, 'nuff said!) I can show her then.
The cushion front is a flannel doggy print which I picked up on e-bay from a lady who was de-stashing due to a move. The back of the cushion is made from a panel cut out of one of my old T-shirts. Katie chose a 12" cushion pad for this project. If you didn't have a cushion pad, you could always stuff a store bought plain cushion cover with poly fill and then cover this with the knotted cushion cover.
Here's a link to one example, in case you know someone who fancies a go! Aim for flannel or fleece fabrics - basically anything that won't fray should work. :)
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Holiday Softie Awards 2007 - Mother Christmas
This is my traditional Mother Christmas - made from Calico cloth and Alpaca fleece.
Her dress is made from green felt and her apron is a piece of gingam fabric that I recycled from an old pair of summer trousers.
I have trimmed her apron with white broderie lace and a white satin ribbon. Her dress hem and cuffs are trimmed with Christmas themed gold braid.
Mother Christmas' hair has been needle felted using Alpaca fleece. I also used the Alpaca fleece to create a softer, kinder face. The eyes and mouth are stitched using embroidery thread/floss.
I made her glasses using silver coloured beading wire and my round nosed pliers. They are attached with a small amount of embroidery thread.
To see more entries, visit the Flickr HSA group page. There are 9 different categories and hundreds of amazing softies!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Sewing, knitting & winter craft projects
Little Miss CB is now happily plodding along with stocking stitch and has started to chart basic knit patterns for 6" squares. She's also discovered the joy of knitting with quality wool and not those 50p balls of crappy acrylic yarn that I started her off with. Yarn snob! Hopefully we'll come up with a few squares between us for a blankie or throw. (I'd be glad with a cushion but she's an ambitious child and one doesn't want to quash her enthusiasm!)
Darling daughter has also expressed an interest in learning how to embroider. I can't remember exactly how old I was when I learned, but I was probably a big younger than she is, based on where we were living at the time.
And here's the pick of embroidery transfers that will get us through the dreaded dark months. I scored these off e-bay a few weeks ago and thankfully they've been released from their postal prison. There's a mixed bag of embroidery threads still captive in the postal system and hopefully that will arrive before too long.
.JPG){kind=spacer}
.JPG){kind=spacer}
Most of them appear to be reusable and they are all in perfect condition. The one piece which really intrigues me is the one to the top right. It appears to be a combined embroidery / applique transfer. I'm not sure how to go about it as there's no instructions (the only downside to not having the original magazines that these patterns were featured in). But it will be fun trying to figure it out. An interesting creative puzzle to mull over.
I also had to have this cream square table cloth with the crinoline lady. It was a moment of blind nostalgia and resembled one of the first pieces I ever worked on.
.JPG){kind=spacer}
.JPG){kind=spacer}
Who knows, when we emerge from the darkness in Spring we should have a few nice knit and embroidered pieces to share with the world. Guess that means it's almost time to go into crafting hibernation! lol.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Swap: Pincushion
.JPG)
We've just had a pincushion swap over on the Crafty Threads 'n Yarns forum. Everyone has begun to receive theirs and hopefully my pal should receive hers today or tomorrow.I had so much fun with this swap and made far more pincushions than I care to mention! Lol. I'll post some piccies of the actual pincushion I sent shortly, but in the meantime, check out the teaser photo on the right to whet your appetite.
.JPG)
And check out this little lovelie that I was sent by my swap pal. Isn't it fab! The aida is backed with a pink piece of felt and my pal added a little silky tassle for embellishment.I love receiving handmade gifts from other crafters. Don't you?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Sewing: Hand Embroidered Girly Girl
I know I'm jumping the gun here as I have yet to post about our lovely holiday. But that can wait. This can't.I'm working on a swap at the moment and I've been going dizzy trying to come up with an angle to make the project more interesting. The myriad examples of naive embroidery on the web prompted me to do some stitchery goodness of my own. Granted my Girly Girl is not 'primitive' enough for the style I was after but she serves the purpose.
She's also not an original drawing. I got the image from the pink gift bag which I photocopied and then traced using my tiny light box and a HB pencil.I kept the design simple so that I have enough time to work some more motifs into the scheme, without having to stay up night and day to get the whole thing finished. The fabric is simply white cotton from an old blouse that I recycled (yep, still recycling/ refashioning/ reconstructing - call it what you will!).
That's it for now. Sorry it's rushed but I've got to get back to work (of course when I say work I don't mean WORK Work, I mean crafty stuff!). Lol.
I'm trying to persuade the little ankle biter to go swimming tomorrow with her pals so I can have a few hours to catch up with blogland and emails. In the meantime, it's great to be back. I love Love LOVE my bed. I'll catch up with you all soon and thanks for all the lovely comments and birthday wishes for Katie aka 'the ankle biter', aka 'little miss CB'.
XXX
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Tutorial: How to cover buttons with fabric
Lots of people who do this swear by the buttons with the little shank on the back as they're easier to sew onto projects. I think the kits also use this type of button. I just use whatever I can get my grubby little mits on!First of all, choose your buttons and your fabric. If using random buttons from your button box, make sure the colour/texture isn't going to be visible through the fabric. Equally, when choosing fabric, you need something soft enough to gather and fold around your button and one that doesn't fray too easily. You don't have to use the same fabric as your project - you can always use a co-ordinating one instead.
Instructions:
Draw around your button onto some card, add a few millimeters to the circumference and cut this out.
Place the cardboard disc onto the fabric and cut around. It doesn't have to be perfect as the edges/hem will be tucked in under the button, against the project. If using fabric with a floral print, for example, you might want to pick out a particular bloom or colour. So think about where you place the disc on the fabric before cutting out.
Using strong thread - embroidery floss, quilting thread etc.., anchor the thread to the fabric disc and sew little running stitches around the circumference of the circle, about 3mm in from the edge (kind of like making fabric yo-yo's). Again, it doesn't have to be perfect!!
Place your button in the centre of the fabric disc and gently pull the thread to gather the fabric up around the button. Make sure you don't cover the shank or button holes with the fabric.
Anchor the fabric in place by adding a few random stitches to the gathered fabric at the back of the button. Sew in place on your project, Et Voila!
Sewing: Bags & Pouches from recycled dress & trousers
What can you make with the shirt off your husbands back, a dress and an old pair of pink cargo pants?Handy little pouches and a hobo bag. I kid you not! The fabric used to make these items was recycled from a Laura Ashley dress and a pair of pink trouser type thingies! The red lining in the pouches is from one of Mr CBs shirts (it was never actually on his back, he never wore it at all)!!!
The little pouches are pretty nifty. They are a lovely size for holding small projects or toiletries, makeup, and even a potted plant! I place a small bag of dried lavender from the garden in one and hang it on the desk near the window where I'm working. Ahhhhhhh.....
I also made this hobo bag (top right) using the same floral dress and the pink fabric. I'm very pleased with the lovely 'dusky' shades in these two fabrics. I wish I had more.... :(The bright tote bag (left) is made from a big piece of fabric I recently purchased off e-bay for a couple of quid. It looks like it might have been a duvet cover in a previous life but I'm not 100% sure.
Anyway, it made a nice roomy tote for Little Miss CB to take on her hols to Spain. I added a lime green panel on either side of the bag and lined it with some bright yellow fabric from my stash (yes I do have a fabric stash!)
Sewing: Needle Roll (refashioned/recycled)
This is a needle roll I made for Paula over on the Crafty Threads n'Yarn Forum. She very kindly sent me some lovely things a few weeks ago, including this pretty butterfly print fabric.
The needle roll is for Paula's DPNs, and I think it will hold quite a few pairs! Apologies for the poor photo quality, but yet again, the Digital camera is on holiday in Spain with Mr CB & Little Miss CB. Honestly, that camera spends more time travelling than I do!
The fabrics used include some purple cotton that I recycled from a pair of pyjamas, and the small check is recycled from a NEXT skirt. These items were hardly worn, if at all, so I don't feel too bad about using the fabric to make things for other people.
Next on my sewing list is a 'Namaste' type knitting bag (with one hand tied behind my back, hopping on one leg). Lol! Seriously though, I'm going to incorporate the needle roll storage with a bucket bag. Watch this space! :)
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sewing: Little Pink Pig
What better way to bring a smile to your face than a little pink pig! Piglottie has decided to name her 'Penelope' and I think that you will all agree that she is definitely a 'Penelope' pig. Enjoy!!! x
PS - I've decided I prefer her without the little floral dress. Perhaps pigs aren't meant to wear dresses!
