Enter Whinnie

Not much sewing or time to blog here recently but managed to finish these little brooches



and have started another set of crochet squares probably heading for a blanket of some sort.



Lack of crafting due to this little thing- Whinnie - who is keeping us all busy.



Tally is doing really well but is a bit tired- me too!!

Inspired by Sue Spargo

I love the colourful work of Sue Spargo and have a beautiful 2016 Calendar which is still on the wall two years later as I can't bear to take it down. 

Looking for some hand stitching to do while watching TV now that I have finished the blanket,

 I have been playing with some circles of blanket and old jumpers...

Some of the stitches are fairly straight forward but I also found a clip here showing a couple of the more complicated ones.
 

 

I have my eye on her book of stitches and am planning to drop some hints around my birthday!!

Can't seem to find it anywhere in the UK so it will need to come a long way.

I think this may end up as a needle case as she uses various different needles which she explains in the videos and I will need somewhere to keep them all safely out of harms way. This is particularly important as we are getting a new family member this week in the form of a small chocolate puppy-
 a friend for Tally (we hope!!).

 

xx

Finally Finished

 

I have been working slowly on this ripple blanket for some months now. It was started back in
June 2017 as a way to use up various left overs, but adding in two shades of grey- grey and graphite.
All the yarns are double knit special by Stylecraft. 

 

For the pattern I used the brilliant "Ripple Blanket Know-how" by Lucy from Attic 24 found here.
Thank you Lucy.
 

 

It has been one of those projects that has just slowly evolved as time allowed and

in between other makes. Perfect, especially over the winter, to pick up while watching a bit of TV or waiting in the car while doing taxi duty. You know the sort of thing.  

 

Finally last week, I decided it was big enough and finished it off with a couple of rows of border.

 

 

The sun came out yesterday to give me the chance of a photo or two and it is now in full use as our eldest is back from University for the Easter break, full of cold and in need of some TLC.

What better way to recuperate than under a crochet blanket on the sofa at home!!
xx

New Coat..

 

So I finally got some pictures to show you my first attempt at making a coat.

The pattern is a Burda style 6987 and the fabric was a navy wool mix I think,

bought in the sale at Exeter Fabric Centre.
 

 

I wanted a loose fitting Duffle that I can sling over big jumpers and this is great. Made up in a size 14 (I am usually a 12) just to make sure it was roomy enough. Just two buttons or toggles and no button holes on this pattern. Fairly straight forward to cut out but I found it quite tricky to follow the instructions in places especially around the hood when sewing it up. Despite this I would definitely make it again when it wears out.
 

 

Big hood with enough space for a wooly hat underneath for the weather we have been having recently.

The lining covers up a multitude of seams and neatens it all off. I decided to use a polyester lining material in the sleeves, but a patterned poly cotton to line the main body of the coat. This means I can get my arms in and out more easily but still have the pretty lining.

 

 

The coat can be worn open in a V to the waist fastening or buttoned up like this to keep out the cold.

I think I have worn it nearly every day since it was finished two weeks ago so that says it all really.

xx

Cold Winds

Re-covering an old cushion and still doing some crochet..

 

 

playing with colour..
 

 

 

 

and waiting for some time to take proper pictures of the new coat..
 

 

Burda 6987.

Luckily it has a big hood to keep out the Siberian weather that we are getting here at the moment!

 

 

Still here..

 

...just busy with life and sewing!

I am working on a coat which is a first for me so hopefully I will have something to share soon.

xx

Star MJ

 

This quilt started life as a soft linen shirt given to me for recycling.

The shirt belonged to a friend of a friend who had sadly passed away, but the person who gave it to me shares my love of making things and recycling and so I pondered on what best to do with it.  

 

 

I love linen.

The softness when it has been washed may times,

the crisp lines after pressing and the way it moves and crinkles.
 

 

It is combined here with some Tilda fabrics used to make eight point stars.  

 

Hand quilted with simple squares and bound with some red linen bias.
Finished size is 33 by 44 inches.
 

 

 

 

 

Burgandy Skirt

 

Finished this one last week.

It's a simple A line skirt made from some thick burgundy linen

which was in the remnant bucket in the lovely Stone Fabrics.

It was a close shave getting the pattern out of the odd shaped remnants

and I had a seam centre front and back to make it fit.

Since the Hadley Top I am a fan of top stitched seams and used them here to finish the centre seams.

 

This isn't really a great picture of the skirt as it doesn't do justice to the colour somehow

but you get the gist.

 

And just take a peep at the facing which I edged with some spare liberty bias

left over from another project. I love it when a little piece of leftovers

 is a perfect match for what you need.

 

Also just had to share these beautiful Scabious flowers 

which I got from a local roadside stall this afternoon and couldn't resist.

Hadley Top number one..

 

I have been admiring all the Hadley Tops on Pinterest and Instagram since it came out and took the leap last week, printing out the pages of pattern. The instant access of digital patterns is great and I even quite like the job of cutting and sticking all the A4 sheets together a bit like a jigsaw
- sad I know! 

 

The pattern is the latest from Grainline Studio. It comes with great instructions and
there are even tutorials over on her blog if you need extra help.  

 

One of my favourite things about this pattern is the dipped hemline at the back
which gives it a lovely shape.

This fabric is a soft, indigo dyed cotton and I used a fine linen for the facings to give it extra shape.  

 

 

Sorry about the indoor photos but the weather is awful here today and I couldn't wait to share it.

Hadley Top number 2 is already cut out from some linen I had in my stash...

 

Have any of you tried any Hadley's?

Eclectic Blue

 

Just finished and now hoping to get it in the post ASAP.
As I said the cushion is for my niece and the colour was based on a quillow made for her by my Mum. I cheekily asked for the leftovers and set to work adding in scraps of linen from my stash. Linen is a favourite for making clothes and there are always bits left over from cutting out patterns so I have quite a collection and luckily much of it is blue!

After piecing together the front, I quilted it onto a piece of cotton wadding.
There was no great plan so it was very much make it up as you go along...  

 

As the nights are drawing in, the machine quilting was mainly done in artificial light 

 

but I managed to find some daylight hours to add in some hand quilting..

 

Can't believe the cheek of this little fellow who decided to take a look! 

 

The blue shirt used for the reverse of the cushion actually came from my brother..her Dad.. 

  So all in all it was a bit of an eclectic mix,
with a big dash of love and good luck wishes in there too.
xx

 

Did I mention lavender..

 

Three lavender bags smelling wonderful with the first of this years lavender. The smell has been filling my little roof space but they are packaged up now, ready as a gift for a friend.
 

 

 

 

And here they are resting on my other work in progress..
 

 

the start of a cushion cover for a niece who is off to Uni this week. I am a bit behind really so I have given her the cushion pad to take with her and the cover will be following in the post!
 I don't know about you but making a present like this is my way of thinking about her as she sets off on a new venture.

 

 

And finally this tiny lavender bag/key ring.

You may remember me making a bunch of these last year and they have been more useful than I had anticipated so there will be a few more this year too.

 

 

Happy sewing xx

Summer harvests

 

 We have been away camping and I have done very little sewing over the last few weeks but did take my crochet blanket with us for a bit of relaxing crochet. It has been dragged about a bit and I keep finding bits of grass and undergrowth caught in the stitches but they are easily pulled out.    

 

I am enjoying the bright summer colours mixed with the more gentle greys and this lovely ripple pattern is an old favourite. Lucy from Attic 24 has a really good pattern on her blog here.  

 

The apples are starting to drop now and I have been picking them up ready to take to the apple man for pressing. Every year he says that it is getting too much for him  and I just keep hoping that he will still be there next year. It is such a brilliant way to use the apples as there are only so many apple crumbles you can eat! The juice is pasteurised and keeps for ages- makes good Christmas gifts too.  

 

 

I don't mind picking up the fallen apples and am always helped by Tally who likes to chew on a few as we go along.

 

The other harvesting going on around here is lavender. A really good crop and so there should be plenty for making lavender bags once it is dried.  

 

 

Hope you are having a good summer too.

xx