Tulips!

To brighten up our living room I thought I would create some lovely tulip flowers from the tutorial by Melissa at Mama Miss which can be found here.

It was the simplest project but looks lovely and really brightens up the room, they make me smile every time I look at them and will last a lot longer than real tulips!!

It is simply a jam jar, piece of ribbon, lovely paper from the latest Craftseller magazine and some paper straws from a past Crafty Creatives box!

Lots of spotty, stripy and checked crafty love xx

 

My first skirt!!

Today I am in a super happy mood as I have just finished my first skirt!!

It is such a wonderful feeling when you finish crafting and know you've accomplished something. I love the fact that I have made something which I can wear which is completely unique, for quite a low price and which no one has suffered in terrible conditions to make.

On Saturday I popped in to the Salvation Army charity shop and excitedly came across a whole box of patterns for £1 each! I bought 3 patterns (2 skirts and a children's toy) and cannot wait to go back to see if they have more (the rest of the box was either very retro clothing or plus sizes). I love knowing that someone else has lovingly created their clothes using the same pattern and it even included slips of paper with several girls names and measurements so I know it was used well.

The pattern is Simplicity 8313...and is from 1969!

 

And after buying the pattern I speedily walked to the Market to buy some material and chose this lovely teal spotty fabric...

 

And the finished result is...

 

 

 

 

Firstly apologies for the mirror shots, I don't have a camera with a timer yet!

As you can see the zip doesn't quick lay flat and has a little buckle (not sure what the correct terminology is!). And the overlying tab is a little off...but its a lot better than I thought it would be and it fits!! I'm hoping to wear it tomorrow for work and cannot wait to make another one. I think adding belt loops would be a great addition...

Not bad for one evening and mornings work and a total spend of £6 for the fabric, a 60p zip and £1 pattern!

:) oh what a brilliant bank holiday weekend xx

 

Father's Day cards!

I don't usually celebrate Fathers Day but the latest Craftseller Magazine came with some lovely papers and designs.

Last night I really wanted a quick craft so I thought I'd make some for mine and my boyfriends father (win some extra brownie points!). I wasn't too creative as I thought the paper designs stood out for themselves. I did use some foam pads which I received in a CraftyCreative box a while ago which makes them look simple but effective.

Fingers crossed they like them!

Tote bag!

Last night I was very happy to make the most beautiful reversible tote bag ever (well probably not but it feels like it at the moment!).

I bought the lovely floral fabric in Manchester and as its quite chunky I thought it would be perfect for a bag. The spotty fabric was left over from recovering my headboard!

The tutorial was really simple to follow from the blog 'Skip to my Lou' and can be found here: How to make a tote bag

And the bag I made can be seen here:

Excuse the creases!!

How beautiful is the fabric?!

And how cute are these spots!!

It only took me a couple of hours to measure and cut the fabric and put it all together. It looks really neat and could definitely be shop bought...

I have lots of ideas for developing this pattern and adding lots of pockets and diddly bits. It would make a great beach bag!

Now what should I do next...? Xx

 

Aprons!

So my next sewing project was to make my Nana an apron...

She has been asking for one since I first bought my sewing machine before Christmas and made my Auntie an apron for a Christmas present. I've been hesitant to make her one as I know she'll proudly show her friends what her Granddaughter has made her and they're a picky bunch! They did used to make mosh of their own clothes and lived through the Make Do and Mend so they are professionals really!

My Auntie asked for a green apron to match her kitchen and I simply copied the size of shop-bought apron I had. The photo is very instagrammed so apologies, I have no other photos!

It isn't ironed so the edges are rolling in and the sizing was a bit too big (although that was the shop aprons fault and mine for only trying it on after making my copy as it is a huge!).

I had only a couple of hours yesterday so I didn't have chance to make a snazzy one (although after looking at many on Pinterest I cannot wait to try and make a ruffly 50's one!).

It's more fitted than the last one but I wish I had lined the pocket as you can see the spots through. I could have also tried to put a binding around the seams as you can see the spots creeping through again...oh well that's a tip I must remember for next time!

I have a few hours spare this morning so I'm trying to decide what my next project will be...I always find it hard to settle on my next project as when I look for inspiration I find too many ideas!

I'll keep you posted :) xx

 

My first post...

Okay so my first step in the blogging world and it's quite a scary one! Hopefully by blogging my crafting adventures I will be able to see how far I can develop my skills over time and share my experiences with others. I only recently started reading craft blogs and am now addicted! It is great to see what other people are making, share little tips and be a part of the craft community.

 

So May seems to be a busy Birthday month and for once I have remembered them with enough time to make them something lovingly homemade (I hope).

 

And the first step for any birthday is...a Birthday card!

 

I bought some blank cards and decided to combine my love of stamping with my new found love of sewing...and ta dah! Here are the results:

I am really happy with them and it was a great way to use up scrap bits of material.

It was quite tricky as both the stamping and sewing was very delicate and if you make one mistake then the whole thing is ruined. I only made one little error with a stamp which made me kick myself (see above on Flemski's cake card) but at least it shows that it truly is home-made and one of a kind!

 

So that's the cards done...I'll let you know how I get on with the presents!