Month: June 2007

miscellaneous, musings

My corner

This is where I usually sit to read, watch TV, do crochet, sew on buttons, or have a cuppa.

In the mornings the sun shines through the lace loungroom curtains and leaves their shadow behind my chair.

The furniture in this corner is all meaningful to me – either because of who gave it to me or where and when it was acquired.  The mirror is from my cousin, the painting bought on honeymoon in Vietnam, the lamp a present from my brother, and the three-legged shaker table that it is on was made by my father.  The lamp is sitting on an embroidered, crochet lace-edged doily made by my mother, and the beautiful quilt is a present for Stella made by a dear friend.  The craft project holder beside the chair was a birthday gift to me from Clare’s godparents.  The chair was bought when I first moved into a flat on my own, and I bought the footstool at Flemington Craft Market.

by thornberry
craft, fabric stash, planned projects, sewing, sewing room

Fabric mail

I love it when a parcel containing fabric (or anything else to do with sewing) arrives!

I am going to cover pinboards/inspiration boards with these Kaffe Fassett fabrics I bought from Ballarat Patchwork.  They’re absolutely gorgeous!  I’m doing a big board for the sewing room from the centre lotus printed fabric, with a pocket in the fabric on the left.  And the fan fabric will cover a pinboard to go above my computer.  Any leftovers (and I hope that there is some) will possibly become bags, or other crafty projects.  Suggestions?

I also received some quick yo-yo makers – time to use up all those scraps and create (there is lots of inspiration for what to do with yo-yos on the myriad of craft blogs)!

by thornberry
craft, crochet

Spiral scarf

I realised that I forgot to show off my crocheted spiral scarf (completed before Stella was born).  It looks much better on than in this photo – I really need to work on my photography skills: I am very envious of lots of the beautifully styled photos that I see on other blogs.

Okay, I need to get a photo of me wearing this so you can really get the proper effect.  It’s in Patons Jet yet again, and I have had multiple compliments on it from complete strangers!  I modified a spiral scarf pattern that I found somewhere on the internet – there are plenty of free patterns around for this type of scarf.  This photo really doesn’t do justice to the colours of the yarn.

by thornberry
children's clothing, kids clothing, sewing

Fairy windcheater

I’ve finished up the last of the fairy printed fleecy fabric and made a windcheater for Miss Clare.

I am really over both pink and fairy, but she can’t seem to get enough of either!  This matches the skirt and cape lining that I posted about earlier. 

It has taken me over a week to make this in 5 minute snatches of time at a go.  At least it is done now – although it would have only taken about half an hour from start to finish if I’d had that time all in one block!  I drafted my own pattern from a windcheater Clare already had (after all, how hard could it be to trace around a simple flat windcheater?)  And thanks to the Knitwit course that I did back in the early 1990’s (stretch sewing classes – they still sell stretch fabric but no longer run the classes) I had notes to remind me of how to do ribbed neck and sleeve bands.  See, if you don’t throw out these sorts of things eventually they will come in handy again! 

by thornberry
baby, chenille, craft, miscellaneous, sewing, tutorials

Baby tag blanket

Woohoo, I’ve made something!  A baby tag blanket for Stella.

I’d seen these on the web in various shops, selling for quite a significant amount of money, and thought that “I can make one of those, surely”.  It was super quick and easy!  This one measures about 33cm by 45 cm (13 x 18 inches), has chenille (from Polka Dot Chenille) on one side and printed flannelette on the other.  I used a variety of ribbons to give as much contrasting colour and texture as was available in my stash.

How to make it?  Cut out two rectangles or squares, pin the folded ribbons (mine vary in length from about 4 to 6 inches unfolded) on the right side of one piece of fabric with the cut edges of the ribbon on the edge of the fabric, then place the other piece of fabric on top, right sides together, sandwiching the ribbon inbetween, and sew around the outside.  Make sure that you leave a big enough opening to turn it!  Once turned, sew up the opening, and you’re done! 

These can be made in whatever size that you like.  This one obviously isn’t big enough to be a real “blanket” to cover a baby; it’s a size that she can cuddle up to and play with the tags (because we’ve all seen how babies tend to play with the tags on toys more than the toy itself).  This one will fold up easily to fit in the nappy bag and to be manageable for a baby.  I think that I might pop this one down my top for a couple of hours to get that “mummy smell” into it and then it may be a handy comforter for Stella.

I think that these will go onto my mental list of good quick presents to make for new babies.

Edited to add:  I later made a sensory tag blanket for a bub who is blind.

by thornberry
bags, craft, refashioning, sewing

Sherbet bag number two

I started this bag before I had Stella – it is finally complete!  And you thought that I wouldn’t be subjecting you to any more of the curtain fabric, didn’t you!  Rest assured, this really is the last of it!

After I’d finished it, I realised that I have made a mistake – I have put in two “female” magnetic snaps, rather than a male and female – well duh!  So what do I do now?  Just leave it (they are still magnetised and sort of stick together a little bit) or unpick the lining seam, remove one of the snaps and put in the correct one, then sew it all back up again?  I think that it is likely to drive me nuts if I don’t fix it, but am quite annoyed with myself because it has taken me forever just to complete it!  I am keeping this bag for myself, so can possibly live with it for a little while . . .

Update: I fixed that magnetic snap the next day – and it only took about five minutes. 

by thornberry
craft, miscellaneous

Does this count as craft . . .

Because all that I have to offer at the moment as “craft” is that I have made three sets of breast pads out of flannellette.  Hmmmm, it doesn’t really count, does it.  If anyone cares, all I did was trace a circle onto four layers of soft flannelette, then overlock around the circle (very easy, because the overlocker cuts as it finishes).  Took about ten minutes, which is all that I seem to have.  They are very comfortable to wear but don’t look particularly elegant under tight-fitting tops – luckily, I’m not wearing many tight tops at the moment!

I didn’t think that you’d want a photo!

by thornberry
craft, refashioning, sewing

Cushion covers

These cushion covers are probably the last items from Freya’s barkcloth curtain fabric.  Okay, they’d photograph much better with inserts – but I didn’t have any!

So the curtains have become a bag, a skirt, a headband, tissue cosies, and three cushion covers.  Not a bad transformation!

by thornberry
craft, embroidery

Baby blanket

My mother embroidered a beautiful cot blanket some years ago that became Miss Clare’s when she was born.  So for Miss Stella she did this delightful cot blanket in candlewicking:

It is on doctor’s flannel, and backed and bound in the most gorgeous cream and beige fabric printed with tiny farm animals.

Thank you Mum!  It is being well used!

by thornberry
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