Not following the pattern...

Where has the time gone?  I've got lots of half-finished projects on the go at the moment (story of my life!), so I'm dipping into my "here's one I made earlier" pile...

A few years ago my friend Maud gave me the Cath Kidston book sew!.  We drooled over the pages, and of course I wanted to have a go at making just about every project described on its glossy pages.  Skip forward several years and I don't think I have actually faithfully followed any of the projects (I'm still working up the courage to try to make one of the bags!).  However, for me the real joy of this book has come from the inspiration it provides - and the very handy templates. 

One of the patterns in the book is for a cushion decorated with appliquéd birds.  I already had two cushion pads, which were covered in some curtain fabric found in an offcut bin; it was time for a change.  Their size didn't match the pattern, but I wasn't about to let that stop me.

I had some fabric that I had bought in The Viking Loom in York, not with a particular project in mind but (as I do more often than I should) with the intention that I would find a project to suit it.

I used the bird templates from sew!.  You may recognise the template - I tweaked it slightly to create my own template for my robin christmas tree decorations, which you can see here.

I made the covers using a combination of machine and hand stitching: machine for the basic pieces and hand sewing to appliqué the bird embellishments.  I improved with practice - the appliqué technique on the second cushion is definitely better. The trick is to run the thread inside the folded edge of the fabric and use small stitches, so your sewing is as hidden as possible.

I am sure there are some who would turn their noses up at the use of a manufactured template, but I say why not.  You can still inject your own personality into the final creation.  Just because you may not have the exact materials a pattern calls for doesn't mean you cannot still create something lovely - and what's more, it will be something no-one else has.

Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts show

Yesterday my friend Purple Angela and I spent a couple of hours browsing the stands of the Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts show at the ExCeL centre in London.  Angela's done a write-up of the show here: Angela Mary Designs: Creative Stitches and Hobby Crafts Show.  I understand that this is the first year the show has been held in London.  It is clearly popular and did get very busy when we were there on Saturday; one stall holder we spoke to explained that he was hoping that next year the organisers would make it four days rather than three, which would hopefully have the benefit of making it a little less crowded.  The show wasn't just stalls selling their wares, there were also free talks and exhibitions of work; in particular there were various displays of imaginative quilts and embroidered pictures which caught my eye, including an exhibition of work created as part of a project called Afghanistan Inspiration.  Really inspiring stuff to see what others have created. 

I couldn't resist making a few purchases: some gorgeous vintage patterned fabric, which I am planning to turn into a tablecloth; some fabric paint, so that I can try out my stencil decorated bunting on fabric; and some lovely coloured beads I am hoping to turn into bracelets, which is a small step in a new creative direction for me - I'm quite excited about it.  So watch this space...

The never-ending scarf

I realise I have been rather remiss of late when it comes to adding new posts.  My excuse is that I have moved house.  Lots of potential for future projects, but with all that moving entails it doesn't leave much time to indulge in the craftier pleasures of life.

On cold wintry nights I tend to find myself falling in love again with knitting.  Or perhaps I should say the idea of knitting.  I have idyllic images of being curled up in a warm house with the curtains drawn, a big mug of tea and some cake, and an ever-growing knitted creation spread out over my legs to keep me warm.

The truth is much as I love the idea of knitting, in practice it is not something I have had much success with, mainly because I find I lose patience.  In hindsight, this is probably because I have been overambitious with the projects I choose.  The prime example being my first knitting project: a scarf which took me about a year to complete.

Having not knitted since being a Brownie, a few years ago I was inspired by a friend to try my hand at it again.  My friend Maud had started making a scarf and I was so impressed by this that she kindly (and with much patience) taught me the basics of ribbing and how to knit with more than one colour.

Having started, I found it difficult to finish.  The technique is easy enough once you get the hang of it (and remember to count - there are a couple of stitches towards one end which are purled when they should be knitted!).  But I have to admit that the slow rate of growth (a few rows a night) meant I became disappointed with the progress I was making and that in turn meant that this became an increasingly neglected project.

Having left this scarf languishing unfinished for a couple of months, I came back to it and picked up the knitting needles with renewed determination.  Once I had managed to repeat the pattern a couple of times, and the scarf was just long enough to wrap around my neck, I found that progress seemed to be quicker - it suddenly felt more realistic that I could in fact have a decent scarf at the end of my efforts. 

I love my scarf, and the joy of wearing it more than makes up for the time it took to make; if anything, I get more enjoyment from it because of the time I spent on it.

There are lots of free resources on the internet giving basic instructions on how to learn to knit. learn2knit covers all the basics you'll need to know, including how to hold the needles, picking up dropped stitches and casting off. Fig 42 in the instructions on basic stitches shows the 2x2 ribbing technique, which was the basis of my scarf.

The about.com website also has some good instructions to help you start knitting, including instructions on knitting stripes.  I made my scarf using the weaving technique; rather than cutting the wool at the end of each stripe, the strand in the colour you are not using is carried along the edge of the scarf until you next want to start knitting in that colour.  Twist the two strands of wool (the colour you are knitting in and the colour you are not knitting in) at the end of the row (this will be at the end of every second row as the wool will be carried up one side) to secure the colour you are not using.

Christmas decorations

Christmas is a time of tradition.  Watching the Snowman, making biscuits for the tree, shouting "oh no it isn't" at the panto; we all have our own.  A few years ago I started a new tradition of my own of making felt Christmas tree decorations for family and friends.  It's the perfect Christmas project - planning and making the decorations gets me in a festive mood, I love how pleased everyone seems to be when I give them their decoration and I get to do some sewing.

Over the past few years I've made hearts, robins and stars (very tricky).  This year was the turn of the Christmas pudding, adorned with holly leaves and buttons for berries.  They are simple to make, so I thought I would share.

You will need the following templates:

My pudding template measured 4"x 3" approx, but you can obviously size yours as you wish.

To make the decoration you will also need felt in brown, white and green, ribbon, buttons, stuffing and thread.
 
* Cut out two of the pudding and sauce pieces in the brown and white felt.
* Sew the white felt pieces (for the sauce) to the brown felt pieces.
* Place the two brown pieces together (wrong sides together).  Take a strip of ribbon (I find 8" is a good length for hanging on a tree), form a loop and insert the ends between the two pieces of brown felt.
* Sew around the edges of the brown felt pieces, leaving a small gap at the bottom (for the stuffing).
* Cut out four holly leaves from the green felt.  Position two of these on either side of the ribbon at the top of the pudding.  The ends of the leaves should slightly overlap.  Take your buttons and place over the ends of the leaves on both sides.  By hand, sew through from one button to the other, being sure to sew through the holly leaves and the pudding to secure all the pieces together.  You'll want to go over this a couple of times at leas.
* You're nearly done.  All you need to do is add stuffing and sew up the gap.  And you're done!  One pretty little Christmas pudding to hang on the tree.

These little puddings are not about perfection.  Their charm is that they look handmade.  So never mind any wonky edges.  Making something to give to people you care about brings a pleasure like no other.  And after all, giving is what this season is all about.

Merry Christmas!

Tea for two

Christmas lights are going on, I've started my Christmas shopping and the John Lewis Christmas advert is showing on TV.  Christmas is 42 days away and I'm feeling festive. 

I've started making Christmas decorations (more on that to come) and it got me thinking about Christmas presents I have made in the past.

This cushion is a present I am particularly proud of.  The execution may not be perfect, but it was the perfect present for this friend, who like me shares a love of textiles and tea.

I started by drawing the stencils to fit the size of the cushion.  I tried a few designs for the teapot, but this was the most pleasing.

I won't lie, the appliqué was fiddly, in particular the insides of the handles.  The stitching is not perfect and is not something to be examined too closely!  But I am pleased with the overall effect.  And no-one is more surprised than me that it actually looks like a tea pot!  The saucers were the most difficult to do and are the one thing I would do differently if I were to do a similar design in the future.

All in all, I am quite proud of this cushion.  Yes it was tricky, but I am all the more pleased that the overall effect works.  And there's nothing quite like the satisfaction that comes from putting in the effort to make a perfect gift for someone which you know they are going to love, imperfections and all.

A little note

When I wasn't able to make it to a friend's wedding I decided I wanted to make a card for the couple.  I had been really pleased with my previous attempt at making my own stencils and this seemed a good opportunity to have another go.

I knew that I wanted to keep the overall design of the card simple.  The idea was to create a personal card rather than anything particularly flashy.  The image actually started as a quick doodle of two hearts on a post-it note!  Making my own stencil meant I could personalise the design, which I did by adding the couple's initials.

I made the stencil from paper rather than card (unlike my previous attempts).  On the plus side, this meant that the image was easier to cut out, which was helpful given that it was a bit fiddly.  On the down side, it didn't produce the sharpest image and there are a few little smudges where the paint seeped through in places it should not have.

Perfect it is not, but it is personal.  It was the personal touch that was important to me when I planned this card; that objective having been meant, I really don't think I can complain!

Seeing hexagons

I did say cushions would be a recurring theme on this blog!

This one was made with some gorgeous vintage fabrics given to me as a Christmas present.  Hexagons are  time-consuming, but I think the hours spent on this cushion were worth it.

I have to admit I did cut corners in the process.  You are supposed to cut out paper hexagons (I cut mine from old newspaper, but you can buy paper hexagons to save time if you want) and then tack the fabric patches around these paper templates so that each fabric patch holds its hexagon shape while you sew them together.  However, I found that ironing the fabric patches around the paper templates was sufficient to get them to hold their shape while I then sewed the edges together.  I took a fairly haphazard approach to this cushion, rather than organizing the hexagons in any pattern, which I think this was the right approach for this cushion.


This was also the first time I have put a zip into a cushion cover.  I did feel rather ambitious when it came to reaching for the zipper foot on my sewing machine, but it actually went ok.  The fabric is slightly warped in places along the edge of the zip, but the zip does zip up, so I'm happy!

Life is too short sometimes, and yes, I did take a shortcut; I didn't do everything you are supposed to do when working hexagon patchwork, but I don't think the final result has suffered for it.  So not perfect perhaps, but good enough!