Embroidered Heart Garland

A heart garland for Molly, made from her baby grows and machine embroidered with her name - winging it's way up North next week.

 

 

Ceramic Painting

A few weeks ago I discovered Fired Art in Ryde, a crafter's haven, where you can chose from a range of ceramic items to spend the day painting, which they then glaze and fire for you.

I've been twice now, here's what I've come home with:

 

A huge mug for Jimmy's Birthday.

(He's not actually a huge fan of Earl Grey - it come's from the Professor Elemental song, check it out!)

if you're tired of tea, you're tired of life!

 

A jug to keep all my pens and brushes in my craft room

 

 

and a plate for my Gran's Birthday next month, hope she likes it!

 

 

 

Penguin Books Bookmark

Happy Birthday Jimmy - have a bookmark. A Penguin bookmark to go with his Penguin Classics.

My most intricate bit of applique to date, thank God for Bondaweb!

 

 

 

Embroidery hoop clock

I made a couple of vinyl record clocks as Christmas presents, then I saw the idea of using embroidery hoops to make clocks. I made this sewing themed one for my craft room.

I used a 6 inch hoop which I picked up for about 10p at a craft group, and stuck some rather lush/expensive sewing pattern fabric that I found in John Lewis over it. I also stuck over some measuring tape ribbon. I bought a clock mechanism from eBay and fitted that into the centre, hung the scissor charm from the bottom and tightened the outside hoop around it. Voila. Simple but quite effective, I'm pleased with it at least!

 

Although even more of an achievement is the fact that my craft room is now tidy! It took me a lot longer to do that than it did to make the clock...

It has a floor again!

 

free motion embroidery cards

Christmas Thank You cards were a little overdue, so I spent last weekend making some.

I used free motion embroidery on card in a bird design.

For this you need a free motion foot for your sewing machine, which essentially allows you to sew in any direction, using the needle like a pen. You put the feed dogs on the machine down, which allows you to manually move the fabric around.

It works ok on card, obviously not as well as on fabric, but I think it makes a more unusual card.

Here they are:

House Door Stop no.2

Or should that be house door stop no. 34...?

So here is my second attempt, with a little more attention to detail than the first. It even has curtains.

This one went winging it's way down to Cornwall to Chels and Brad, to live in the house that it's modelled on.

 

Can you see the likeness?!

 

House Doorstop

Today was my first make of 2014, in an attempt to combat the post Christmas blues.

All my beautiful Christmas decorations are packed away and back in the loft, so I needed something new and pretty in the house.

The door of my craft room constantly swings closed, which is annoying because I like to gradually spread out and take over the landing too.... so I needed a doorstop. I liked the idea of making a little house, and after a mock up which turned out a little on the large side, I managed to make a more sensible sized pattern.

I started by putting the window and door on the front panel with applique, then joined all the pieces together, added the flowers and lace, stuffed with hollowfibre filling and 1kg of split peas at the base to weigh it down.

 

 

 

 

It even has a garden.

 

I think perhaps the shape of the roof could do with a little work, and I need to work out a way of keeping the house a bit squarer when it's stuffed - this one looks a little rounded at the edges... but for a first attempt I'm pretty pleased.