Robin Cushion

An applique cushion?! We haven't seen one of those for at least a couple of weeks!

Oh well, here's another one.

This one is for my Gran for Christmas.

 

 

Light Up Quote Picture

For my Dad's birthday this year I went for a bit of painting, I don't do a lot of painting so it was something a bit different for me, I chose a Harry Potter theme for my fellow Potter fan.

 

I started by printing the lettering in my chosen font and size from the computer, a Potter font that I downloaded, stuck the paper to the back of the canvas, and held it over a light to trace it.

 

I stuck to black and white paint for this one, so I painted black around all the letters.

  

 

This took a long time! Then to paint the letters in white.

 

 

Then I worked out where I wanted the lights, poked holes in the canvas with a knitting needle, and secured the lights and battery pack in place.

 

And here it is finished.

 

 

 

Granny Square Baby Blanket

The granny square blanket is finished!

My aim for this summer holiday was to learn to crochet, and I think I achieved that. I've started with simple granny squares.

 

 

Here is my first one, so then I just needed another 29 more....

I decided to just make a small buggy blanket for Baby Moulers, as it was my first attempt.

After they were all made I crocheted them all together.

 

 

Then added a nice edge.

 

 

And then came my least favourite bit, sewing in all the row ends... there were hundreds! Next time I think I will do them as I go along... but it's all finished!!

 

 

I'm pretty pleased with it for a first attempt :-) hope Baby Moulers likes it!

I've already started on one for myself, but I think that will probably have to be put aside until all my Christmas presents are made.

 

 

 

 

More peg bags

After a busy first week back at work I needed a bit of crafting therapy, especially after some rather lovely Christmas fabric arrived on my doormat on Saturday morning, which will hopefully become a Christmas Stocking for Baby Moulers (Baby Moulers is fast becoming my best excuse for crafting).

Anyway today called for peg bags, a bigger one for my Mum, seeing as hers was the first one I made and it was a bit small, so the small one shall become the campervan peg bag, and the big one can stay at home. I made it in the same fabrics as the first so that it matches her apron.

I also made one for myself, I've made quite a few peg bags but my own pegs were still in a carrier bag. I used this super lush foxy fabric that Chels and Brad got me for my Birthday, as it was my favourite fabric so I wanted to make something for myself with it.

 

Then I remembered that I hadn't put up pictures of the peg bags that I made for my Nan and Chelsea, although I made them back in April I couldn't put up a picture as Chelsea's was for her Birthday in August. They're both mad cat ladies, so theirs are made from cat fabric that I found at the knitting and stitching show in Laaaaandun.

 

 

I think that's probably quite enough peg bags for now.

 

Campervan Cushion Covers

My last make of the summer holidays - boo!

When I went down to Cornwall to visit Chels and Brad, Brad was busy with his campervan conversion - and it was looking amazing! The bed was fitted and they had foam for the seat/bed cushions, but no covers for them - which is where I can be useful :-)

So here is the back of the van....

 

 

We went to Dunelm Mill to experience some of their unique style of customer "service".... it wasn't like that in Truro Fabrics! But it was cheaper. Brad and Chels chose three coordinating patterned fabrics for the four cushions in a green theme and I went home laden with fabric to start my project.

Brad had given me all the measurements, but measuring and sticking to measurements has never been my strong point - this was going to be a challenge...

 

 

But it was a good lesson in accuracy, so I cut all my pieces to the exact right size, taped up my sewing machine to keep the exact right seam allowance and off I went.

On the first cushion I used machine embroidery to add a little motif to personalise it a bit.

 

 

And here is number 1 finished:

 

 On one end I made an overlapping opening to get the foam in and out.

 

 And off it went in the post to Cornwall.... fingers crossed it fits....

 

 

It does!! Hooray! And it'll fit properly when the extra memory foam is in there too. What a relief. Now to get the next three done so that I can send them off with my Mum who will be visiting Chels and Brad next week.

 

 

Even managed the funny shaped one!

 

 

And here are the final three, ready to go, and with an hour to spare before my Mum leaves. Time for a cup of tea then.

 

 

So now just to keep my fingers crossed that these ones all fit as well as the first. More photos to follow when they reach their new home! 

 

I really enjoyed making them, if you're as much of a space cadet as I am, there's not many things more satisfying than sewing a perfect box corner.

 

4 cushion covers in exchange for free food and lodgings for 10 days in Cornwall? Pretty good deal. Thanks for having me :-)

 

 

Balloon Mobile

The next make for my eagerly awaited nephew - a hot air balloon mobile.

I looked for templates on the internet, far easier than drawing my own - my art skills leave rather a lot to be desired.

Then cut all the pieces from felt, stitch them together and stuff them. Simples.

I can't claim that the woodwork was anything to do with me, I did a bit of sanding and gluing but thankfully Jimmy is pretty handy and made the frame for me from some dowel and a cube of wood. My job was to make sure that the holes he drilled for the dowel to go in were straight. Apparently I didn't do a very good job. But once the screws were in and the pieces were all hung I think it sits pretty straight. I'm not sure that the Baby will notice even if it doesn't....

 

A Wedding Cushion

This weekend I went to a friend's wedding, so I wanted to make a wedding present that was a bit more personal than something from their gift list.

I decided on a cushion, 'cause I've had quite a lot of practice at those!

I went for a bit of machine embroidery and applique, with a lace edge.

Their married surname will be True, so I went for this:

 

With the date of their wedding embroidered on the back

 

 

 

Little house door stop no.3 / 56

Another little house door stop, this one was requested by Jim as a house warming present for some friends of his.

I was pretty pleased that he felt one of my handmade presents would be better than a shop bought one, although a little more than 24 hours notice to make it would have been nice...

This is the third house door stop, and this one even required a loft conversion. Anyway I started with this picture from Google maps...

 

And the next day I had a door stop that looked like this...

 

 

Not a bad likeness, even if I do say so myself.

 

Block Patchwork Quilt

It's half term again! Hurrah! Time for crafting, and I had some very important crafting to get on with.

There will be a rather important arrival before Christmas, and therefore lots to make.

So, I started with a quilt. I've never done any quilting before. I bought a book to show me how.

Had a quick flick through. Completely disregarded the information and did it my own way. No one actually reads instructions anyway...

The difficult bit was to choose the theme and fabric, I don't know the sex of the Baby yet, so it had to be something gender neutral, (and although it meant taking out a small bank loan) I wanted  to use a Michael Miller fabric, essentially because they're pretty lush. I may have had to order some Christmas fabric at the same time...

So after much deliberation I chose this Circus fabric, and then some coordinating grey chevron fabric and yellow fat quarters.

 

Then I had to do some planning... uh oh... but I managed it quite successfully, and worked out how big to make each block and the order to put the different fabrics in. Some proof that I didn't just go ahead with scissors!

I choose to make it 40x48" in the end, from 8" squares, apparently when quilting you only have a 1/4" seam allowance, which was helpful because I had only just enough of the chevron fabric to make enough blocks for my plan!

 

Next to start joining the blocks together into lines

 

Then join up all the lines to complete the front, pressing all the seams as you go

 

Then layer it up, this was quite tricky to get everything to stay flat. Initially I bought thick wading, but this was a total disaster, too thick to go through the machine and just messy. I thought it would be nice to be thickly padded so it could double up as a floor play mat, but it just wasn't happening. Another visit back to the fabric shop to buy "Quilters Dream" which just looks like thick felt, and very expensive - but you get what you pay for, and it looks much better made up.

Next was to do the actual quilting, I don't have a walking foot on my machine but at this thickness my regular foot worked ok. You then just follow all the join lines on the front of the quilt.

 

I cut some corners by not using bias binding, the thought of making 5m of bias binding was not a thought I liked, so I just cut my backing fabric 2.5" bigger all round, and folded it over to make the edging.

 

Ta dah!

The finished quilt:

 

 

 

Decoupage hanger

After the success of decoupage furniture I thought I'd have a go at a hanger for my Nanny's Birthday.

A bit more tricky cause of the shape, and gluing onto varnished wood, but it still turned out well, in a rose fabric with a matching pink paper rose.

I think in future I'd sand the hanger first, I might have a go at some more for Christmas presents this year.

 

 

Knitted Christmas Stockings

The fact that it's the middle of May doesn't make a difference, I am still making Christmas stuff...

I've been having a go at a bit of knitting lately, and have made a few things including Christmas stockings. They appear to go from one extreme to the other....

 

 

I've made a few tiny ones as Christmas tree decorations, in plain red and sparkly white wool

 

 

And then this rather enormous one, my first attempt at circular knitting. I'm pretty pleased with it.

Only another 6 and a half months until they can be displayed....

 

 

 

Lace Edge Applique Cushion

Oh look! Another applique cushion! These seem to feature fairly frequently on my blog...

Anyway this one is actually for me, I don't usually keep stuff I make.

This one is made with a large applique rabbit, using bondaweb and free motion embroidery for the main body, in a Liberty print fabric none the less! Then the fur tail was added with zigzag stitch applique.

After the success of the bobbles on the butterfly cushion I thought I would experiment with adding other things into the edges, and went for some lace in this one, it took several attempts to make sure it was caught in the seam the whole way along, but I think it's quite effective.

I used an embroidery stitch in a darker colour on the hem of the envelope on the back this time as well.