Friday 31 May 2013

Bunting and Embarrassing Shorts

A bit of hooky in the sunshine. Making bunting for Lucy over at Attic24.

I have been enjoying the sunshine and having fun doing some outside hooky.
If you haven't already heard, Lucy over at attic24 is looking for bunting producers and I can thoroughly recommend having a go. It's a great way to use up some leftover yarn.

A Basket full of leftover yarn

Her tutorial is very straight forward to follow.
My favourite bit is the blocking as I have never done this before and it's a bit magic.

Here is the curly flag before..

Bunting before blocking

after blocking...

Bunting after blocking

She gives you all the information on how to do it.

I have also done a couple of quick projects.

The first made my children laugh.... alot!

I often cut off a pair of worn out jeans to make shorts for gardening in the summer and this year started with these..

This years gardening shorts-before

 and after a bit of binding ended up with these.

Gardening shorts-after. This made my children laugh.. alot!

I thought they were rather nice but oh no, I have been soundly corrected on that one!

I don't care though because no one else will see them anyway and what the heck.
Or maybe I should wear them up to school when they need picking up?!!

The second project was more acceptable (apparently) and is a pencil/phone/general tat case for my rucsac for work.

New pencil/phone/general tat collection bag to go in my rucsac for work
 
Have a good weekend.

Zip and lining detail

Tuesday 28 May 2013

A Day of Surfing

I have the week off for half term and as is the way have come down with lurgi, so I spent an entire day yesterday on the sofa under a blanket.
Having finished my book, I decided that I could do a bit of surfing...on the internet.
I was there for hours.
 
I spent ages looking back over Lucy's archives over at Attic24, enjoying all the lovely crochet.
 
I liked the look of her chocolate buns and made some of my own this morning as we had some small visitors for lunch.
 
Chocolate buns

I have made her cards before blogged here, and I just loved the colours she used in the recent one.
The original instructions are by Martha Stewart and the link is on Larissa's post.
 
I decided to have a go this morning.
 
Flowers before assembly

I didn't find it too easy (to say the least!)
and had a couple of attempts before getting the 'sticking the bunch of flowers together' bit right.
I think my brain is still a bit addled.
 
But finally it came together well..
 
Closed card tied with ribbon and resting on the thyme and helianthemum

Ta dah..
 
Hand made card

It is a very satisfying thing when it works.
 

Swirly Blue Skirt


Another skirt
This wasn't supposed to be a skirt.
 
I bought this lovely fabric from The Village Habberdashery.
 
It arrived the next day (so speedy, how do they do that!) and I really like it but it wasn't what I expected.
I looked at the fabric on the website and in my mind the pattern was alot smaller and I had intended to make a shirt.

Going back to the website now I realise that hovering over the fabric brings up a much better view of the actual print size, duh!! What a pillock.
 
view of the circles from above.
 
Anyway I love the skirt so no worries.

I have finally perfected the pattern to fit me (New Look 6053) by making a size too big and trimming off the top a bit.
 
The fabric comes in other colours too and I really want to have a go at a dress....

Saturday 25 May 2013

Bluebells, Blue sky and a Blue top

Apple blossom and blue sky

The apple blossom is beautiful at the moment especially when the backdrop is blue sky.

I have been refashioning a top given to me.
The shirt was about a size 16 and too big but the fabric is so pretty I wanted to try and reuse it.
I took it appart completely (using scissors not a seam ripper) but left the buttoned front.
I used pattern 7b from the book Simple Modern Sewing, and managed to amend the neck and keep the original buttoned front as part of the new shirt (if that makes sense!). 

Shirt refashioned from a size 16ish top using adapted pattern 7b from Simple Modern Sewing

This is the result.
Sorry about the picture quality but the mirror was obviously a bit dusty
(dusting is not my strong point!!)
but I think you get the gist.
 
Shirt refashioned from a size 16ish top using adapted pattern 7b from Simple Modern Sewing 

And here is a clearer picture with no me.
 
fabric used for shirt
 
And a close up of the lovely fabric. A really fine soft cotton. 
 
Bluebell and bug

And finally the prettiest blue of all at this time of year..
bluebells

Bluebells

carpeting the floor of the wood.

 

Friday 17 May 2013

Tulips and a Pink Present!

Tulips

I love tulips.
These are my Mum's but I watered them for her and sneaked a picture or two.
 
Tulips

The colours are fantastic, one of my favourite combinations of pink and orange. 

Tulips

I have been making a pink present for one of my neices this week too and taking the photos noticed that the orange/pink combination has snuck in there too.
Funny how that happens.

A pink lunchbox with some simple decoration..


Personalised Pink Luchbox

A cushion for her room..

Pink Cushion

And a skirt blogged here and a pair of pink leggings to go with it.

Skirt and Pink Leggings
 
I am struggling to quilt my Cartwheel quilt today so wish me luck.
(I have already had the seam ripper out!)

Sunday 5 May 2013

A Mat for the Mahjong

Table runner
 
I have been working on another table runner.
 It's a satisfying project, not too small and not too big.
The finished size is 42 x 70cm.

 
Table runner
 
We are looking after a very old set of mahjong that belonged to my grandparents and the lovely wooden box was scratching the table so I decided to make it a mat to sit on.
 
Table runner

Here it is resting on a pile of builder's plastic netting in the garden where I think it looks quite at home! 
 
Cushion
 
Also finished this cushion which I think may form part of a pink present.
 
Cushion

Happy weekend.