Sunday 11 November 2012

Christmas sewing!

Well after seeing all the Christmas ads on tv, and especially the Coca Cola one (it's like a tradition in our house, being the first one to spot it on the TV lol!), I thought I should sew something Christmassy!
I thought I'd have a go at sewing something a bit different from my usual fare, as there are only so many Kindle, Ipad, and phone cases you can sew before you go mad lol!
I picked the reindeer from the beautiful Scandinavian Needlecraft book. I've never made anything like this, and certainly never done decorative hand stitching - still, I think it turned out ok for a first attempt lol!


Thanks for looking
Lisa
xxx

Friday 2 November 2012

And here it is . . .

Jamie's wardrobe for the Sewing Mamas Ottobre Sewing With a Plan contest!

(I got all the patterns from one issue - 1/2011)



It was awesome fun, and I think my favourite thing of the whole contest were these photo poses I got while trying to get 'proper' shots for the composite picture above - this boy REALLY loves the camera!




Here are some 'detail' shots - there was a LOT of stitching lol!






So wish me luck...we find out on the 8th November who has won!

Thanks for looking
Lisa
xxx


Thursday 25 October 2012

What I've been doing for 6 weeks. . .

I've been taking part in a S.W.A.P. (Sewing With a Plan) competition over on the Sewing Mamas forum! 
Basically you have to sew an 8 piece coordinating seasonal wardrobe in six weeks. As the competition was sponsored by Ottobre , six of the patterns used had to be by Ottobre. You had to sew 3 bottoms, 3 tops, and then any other two garments.
Well, I've just finished (although I can't show you what I've made til 11th November!) and it has been a blast! I've learned so much, discovered a love of Ottobre patterns that I didn't know I had (having never used one before!) and gained a huge satisfaction from completing the competition (which between sickness, stomach flu, and this and that I wasn't sure I would!).
I don't care if I don't win, I did a tonne of sewing I'm proud of, pushed myself to do things I'd never done before (zippers and pockets for a start lol!), and Jamie has a whole new wardrobe he loves.
It's a total win win for me! 

I can't wait til I can show you what I made...and see what everyone else has sewn! 

Good luck to all the Sewing Mamas who have entered, I'm pretty sure knowing you all that you've ROCKED it!


Thanks for looking
Lisa
xxx

Thursday 16 August 2012

Adventures in Quilting Part 2!

I've finally managed to get some more done on the quilt...as in I've finally sewed some of it lol!


It's not as 'square' as I would like, there are a few mistakes here and there.....but it's done, and for a first attempt (and considering I hand cut all the squares with scissors!) I'm pleased with it! I added a pinwheel in the centre, but it's just laid on here as I'm still not sure whether to keep it there or not, or whether to add a few more for interest....I'll make up my mind at some point ha ha!
I've got the binding ready, so that will be the next stage...that and buying the wadding and backing!

So that's it so far....I'll post again when I've done some more!

Thanks for looking
Lisa
xxx

I blame the Olympics....

Well it seems like I haven't been here forever...I really need to do a big catch up post! (I say that a lot, don't I?)
What with the end of term, school holidays, and the Olympics, I don't seem to have had much time for anything lately!
I didn't expect that I would get caught up in the Olympics as much as I did...I seemed to watch everything from Dressage to TaeKwondo and everything in between! It was hard not to though when Britain were doing so well.... 65 medals in total!
29 Gold
17 Silver
19 Bronze
I think that has to be some sort of a record for us!
I have managed to get SOME sewing done, mind you.....so here's a catch up!

A reversible bucket bag for Jamie's teacher gift

and a shopper each for the two Teacher Assistants


A Star Wars T shirt for Jamie...I bought the plain black tee and then added the logo on with a freezer paper stencil and some Dylon fabric paint...it came out really well, but faded really badly after the first wash - I'm guessing I didn't seal it enough with the iron?


On his last day of term at Nursery (big boy goes into Reception class in September - PROPER school *sob*!) they were allowed to dress up as whatever they liked, so my son (being MY son!) decided he wanted to go as 'someone who worked on the Star Wars films, Mummy!' ha ha!
I think we did ok with the costume lol! 




It was my Mum's Birthday at the end of July, and as she'd mentioned she liked the bucket bags, I decided to make her one as her present, along with a matching purse. She loved it, which was great...and the buttons I put on them were some vintage ones from my Nan's sewing stash, so it was nice that I was able to get them on there!
 

Next came this cotton (woven!) raglan tee...it was an idea I had that I wasn't sure was going to work, wovens not being as forgiving as knits...but it turned out ok, and he likes it! The shoulder has poppers on so he can get his head (and all that hair!) through. 


Still with me? Awesome.
Next up came a Kindle case...I'd never made one before but found an awesome Kindle Fire case tutorial from Charm Stitch and used that....my friend Vicky who I made it for was very pleased with it! It's lined with felt to add some protection and cushioning.


Then......yesterday was my Birthday! 21 again ha ha!
My Mum, brother and his girlfriend gave me a joint present this year....imagine my surprise when they gave me a HUGE box that I opened to find.....

Martha the Mannequin!
I've wanted one for ages, and now I've got one I can hopefully start sewing more things for myself!
Wish me luck lol!

Then I got a gift from Russ and Jamie...my very own Kindle Touch! I was over the moon...it's also something I've wanted for ages, and is sooo much better than reading books on my iPhone ha ha! I'm a very lucky lady!
But obviously Kitty Kindle needed a home...so I spent some of my birthday afternoon sewing a case for her lol!



It's so funny when you realise just how much of your sewing 'terminology' a 4 year old picks up...Jamie took one look at my Kindle case and said 'Mummy! You put a pinwheel on it!' lol!
So there you have it....I have done some on my quilt too, but will add that in a separate 'Adventures in Quilting' post.

Thank you very much for looking, especially if you made it this far! lol!
Lisa
xxx

Wednesday 20 June 2012

My adventures in Quilting . . . part 1

I've been thinking of making a quilt for a while now...and I've been looking at loads of styles, materials, techniques etc. I was planning on doing a tshirt quilt, but then totally changed my mind and decided on a cotton one. It's also a bit of a memory quilt - I've upcycled a lot of fabric and I have part of a shirt of my Dad's, a blouse of my Mum's, a shirt of Russ's, one of mine, and one of Jamie's so that worked out really well! With it being Jubilee and Olympic year, I also decided to go for a very patriotic red white and blue theme.
So the other day I sat and cut (by hand, with scissors!) 100 squares, all 6in x 6in. It will eventually be 4ft x 6ft (nothing like a small one to get you started Lisa ha ha!)

So, here they are all laid out to get the pattern right before I start sewing...I was going to do them completely  random, but decided on a diagonal red white and blue stripe (although with the different fabrics, it doesn't really notice at first!)



Part 2 will be coming soon!

Thanks for looking, and wish me luck!
Lisa
xxx

 

Saturday 9 June 2012

OK, ok . . . and another couple!

However this one is for me!
It will be my 'go to' summer bag I think, I'm so pleased with how it turned out!

And yes, it's another Lisa Lam bucket bag...I can't help it, they're addictive!


The floral and green dot fabrics are by Amy Butler...the blue on the reverse is a repurposed duvet cover!
It's so bright and cheerful - I love it!

Secondly, this is a Romance Bag I made as a raffle prize for Clic Sargent Charity Ladies Day  - I hope it helps them make a lot of money!
Front

Back
Thanks for looking!
Lisa
xxx

Another bag . . .

This one I actually made a couple of weeks ago, but as it was a present for my Auntie's birthday I couldn't post it anywhere in case she saw it!
It's another Lisa Lam bucket bag (seriously, I can't get enough of these!) made from repurposed fabric.
By all accounts, she was very pleased with it, and I'm so glad!
Happy Birthday, Auntie! 
    



Thanks for looking
Lisa
xxx

Friday 1 June 2012

Jubilee sewing!

It was Jamie's Jubilee Picnic at Nursery today, and they all had to wear red white and blue...so he asked me to make him a shirt! How could I refuse?
So a couple of days ago, I dug out this quilt cover I'd bought to upcycle, and got cracking on an Easy Linen Shirt from Sewing for Boys!

I asked him to put it on for a photo, so with due deference for the occasion, and with a great deal of respect for Her Majesty's 60 years on the throne, he gave me his pose.....












Gotta love 4 year olds lol!
He did look fab in his class parade though.


Thanks for looking, and have a great Jubilee weekend, whatever you are doing...I'm now off to sew up some patriotic bunting!

Lisa
xxx

Thursday 10 May 2012

A Princely costume for Nursery...



Today was 'Prince/Princess Day' at Jamie's Nursery, so yesterday (I know, last minute lol!) I thought I had probably better sort him out a costume! I went through my fabric stash, and found some red, gold silk/satin look, and purple velvet (result!) and got to work!
First, I made him a very basic rectangles shirt, interfaced the opening at the neck, and added laces...self drafted.
Then, a long red waistcoat with purple trim and gold self covered buttons...again, self drafted.
A short cape, basically 2 circles, one of each colour, with a neck hole cut out of the middle and split from the centre to outer edge, then stitched all round wrong sides together, turned out and stitched round.
A cardboard crown, covered with tinfoil, with sequins and a sparkly gold pipe cleaner, and voila! 
 Prince Jamie, ready to take on the world! 

 Me? I'm a PRINCE??
Ohhhh Yeahhhhhhh!!
So, what do I do now?
Ahhh....'Off with their heads!'

Thanks for looking!
Lisa
xxx

Monday 30 April 2012

Reversible Bucket Bag - The Bag Making Bible

Looking through my fabric stash the other day, I came up with these 3 fabrics that I thought were perfect together. 
So, then I had to decide what to make with them lol!
A while back, I bought The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam, so I thought I'd have a go at something from there...I chose the Reversible Bucket bag.
It's a lovely pattern, and deceptively easy to put together - I can see me making many more!
Here it is....the fabrics are
Outer: Denyse Schmidt - Hope Valley Prairie Rose New Day
Inner(Reverse): An old quilt cover!
Binding: Some random heavier weight fabric!

Hope you like it! 

Thanks for looking!
Lisa
xxx

Friday 30 March 2012

Spring Blog Banner

Decided it was time for something new for Spring...you like? It now fits in with the FaceBook timeline banner I did, too! 

Lisa
xxx

Shwin&Shwin 'Maxwell' Shirt - pattern test

Last week I was lucky enough to be chosen to test the new 'Maxwell' shirt pattern from Shwin&Shwin. I have never sewn a 'proper' shirt before (basically one with a collar lol!) so this would not only be a good test of the pattern, but a challenge for me too!

I was very impressed...the pattern was easy to assemble (it comes in downloadable PDF format) - instructions were very clear, the pictures and diagrams easy to follow, and the shirt is adorable! What more could you ask for?
Here's how ours turned out...I've had lots of compliments on it, and will definitely be making him more before the summer gets here...although this week it feels like it's already arrived ha ha!




Thanks for looking!
Lisa
xxx

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Pin It buttons...

You'll probably have seen the 'Pinterest' button at the top of the blog along with the Facebook, Twitter etc ones...it link s to MY Pinterest in case you'd like to follow me. 

Well I now have at the bottom of EVERY post a 'Pin It' button, so if you see something you'd like to pin to YOUR Pinterest, it's made easy for you! I have no issues with you pinning anything I post, so go for it!

If you'd like to do the same on your blog, I followed the really easy tutorial at www.spiceupyourblog.com as the pin buttons on Pinterest don't work - believe me, I spent about an hour trying - this one took me about 30 seconds lol! 

I hope you like and use them!

Thanks for looking!

Lisa
xxx

My Mother's Day cushion project, and why you should read manuals.

It may seem a little late, but now Mother's Day is over here in the UK I can share this cushion I made for my Mum! 


It has 3 overlapping red hearts on the back, and a blue heart with 'mum' stitched on the front.
She loved it! 

I decided to have a go at this with my Singer
as I've hardly had the chance to try her out since I've had her, poor thing! I couldn't really get her working properly last time, so I decided I was going to sit there until I did. I was sure it was something to do with tensions....she wasn't picking up stitches properly, or if she did they were too loose on top or underneath, sometimes both ha ha!
After a couple of hours of trying, I was about ready to throw in the towel when I decided to try my old friend Google..I found diagrams of how to take the tension wheels apart, how to remove the bobbin holder etc, and was starting to get a little overwhelmed when I came across a little post about the needle. About checking the needle was in the right way round.
It turns out mine wasn't. It should have been in SIDEWAYS!
Boy, did I feel silly...I'm glad Mr. B was the only one here and he doesn't know a thing about sewing ha ha ha!
So I put in a new needle the right way round, and voila! She sews like a dream! I'm so happy! I'd never heard of a sewing machine where the needle went in sideways - it just shows how much of a newbie I still am to this sewing game lol. 

So, if you ever get a machine that won't sew....check the needle, before you start taking it apart to find the problem - it might save you hours! 

Thanks for looking!
Lisa
xxx

Getting an early start...

Well for some reason, (and trust me, this NEVER happens!), I'm making an early start on things for that most dreaded of C-words... CHRI...