homegirl

more houses

2012-01-24T18:29:00.003Z

i have completed 30 little houses and sat today and cut the fabric for the borders. i chose a red spot and a blue fabric and as you can see i have decided to mix them up rather than keeping them all the same. i am really pleased with the fabric choice, the colours work well together and i am already thinking about what else i can use them for. i have decided to use these first 30 houses and make a completed quilt, i will still make a house everyday but i think that throughout the year i will make a few smaller quilts rather than one large one.i am really keen to put the first one together to see how it looks, i hope to have something to show by next week. i may not have it quilted though as i am considering pieceing quilt tops first then doing the quilting when the weather gets better, so i can sit outside and finish them. i think this might work better for me so that i am not spending the spring/summer indoors at the machine but i will still have sewing to do.

happy new year

2012-01-05T14:08:00.004Z

hi, i have decided to take part in the building a house quilt by completing one block a day for 366 days! as you can see i have made a great start, 6 houses in 5 days, i am not sure how long i will keep this up. the house are fine to sew although a little wonky, but it took me 2 days of cutting fabric for about 2 weeks worth of houses. i did manage to get rid of a lot of scrap though so ill keep going for a while. if you are interested information on the project can be found at http://buildinghousesfromscraps.blogspot.com/
good luck.

dress a girl

2011-05-03T18:30:00.003+01:00

hi, the last few months i have been busy making dresses for the dress a girl project, http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/
it is a very worthwhile organisation and if you can sew then you should at least make a few, and if you cant then what a great project for beginners, pillowcase dresses are easy. give it a go.
even though it is an american website, they benefit the world.

I have been trying to get them noticed here in britain and managed to convince SEW HIP magazine to run a story which they have published this month ( April edition, check it out) so thank you to them for bringing this great story to all the british sewers where "every girl around the world will own at least one dress".

If anyone wants to help but can only manage a few you can send them to me and i will post them to america with my lot to save postage, also if anyone has any pillowcases that they could donate to me to make the dresses then i would be very grateful.

Dress a girl

2011-01-12T21:20:00.001Z

Happy New Year,
just a short post to tell everyone about a great cause called dress a girl.
find them here: www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com
they need volunteers to sew simple pillowcase dresses to supply to girls all over the world.
please help

snowman pincushion

2010-12-12T13:28:00.002Z

FINISHED

snowman pincushion part 3

2010-12-12T13:22:00.002Z

with right sides together sew the front and the back pieces together leaving a gap for turning.

clip corners, turn and stuff. sew up gap.

snowman pincushion part 2

2010-12-12T13:13:00.004Z

2. take the 2 longer pieces and sew to the top and bottom. iron.
Trim.

1. Take the fabric strips for the front and sew the 2 short pieces to the sides of the snowman. Iron flat.

snowman pincushion part 1

2010-12-12T12:52:00.004Z

i had wanted to make a pincushion to add some Christmas cheer to my sewing table so i drew this little snowman. He was so enjoyable to stitch that not only did i make my pincushion i made hanging scented Xmas tree decorations to give with my Xmas cards. he is everywhere.

if you want to make your own, you will need:

linen or calico 8 x 8 inch

fabric strips for front 2 x 6 inch (2 of these)

2 x 8 inch (2 of these)

fabric for back 7 x 7 inch

stuffing

embroidery thread

Print the above pattern onto an A4 sheet, it should come out the right size.

Trace the pattern onto the linen( or calico), I just used a light box and a pencil but taping it to a window works just as well.

Embroider the design using 3 strands of floss, Snowman white (back stitch), Arms brown (back stitch), Nose orange (satin stitch), Eyes and mouth black (satin stitch), Star yellow (back stitch).

The scarf is done in 6 strands to make it look chunkier, it is a 2 colour stripe.

when finished iron and trim to a 5 x 5 inch square.

Angry birds christmas

2010-12-08T10:04:00.002Z

it has been very snowy here the last 2 weeks, schools are closed, traffic stuck, so we are not going anywhere. it does however mean more crafting time for me.

as i am a huge angry birds fan i decided to make some Christmas ornaments for the tree, i have so far made these 4 and have drew up patterns for the remaining characters. they are quite big ornaments but i think they look great. i hope to complete the rest over the weekend as i am not going out (minus 15) way too cold.

finished cushion

2010-12-08T10:02:00.002Z

here is the finished greg made into a cushion. dosent he look great?

wimpy kid 2

2010-11-21T13:52:00.002Z

here is the pattern in block colour instead of symbols if you prefer

wimpy kid

2010-11-21T13:45:00.003Z

my son just loves the diary of a wimpy kid books and even though i havent read them myself the film was very funny. "Touch the cheese" is funny at any age.

i have done this xstitch which i intend to stitch today for him, its done all in full xstitch and in one colour, black, so it shouldnt take long. i will post the finished item when done not sure what i am making it into yet.

hope you enjoy

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T12:52:00.004Z

A bit late but i have had trouble accessing my account for the last few weeks. Everything seems to be working now so hopefully i will be back on track. Maybe for next year?

Jelly rolls are great

2010-09-29T18:21:00.004+01:00

I love Moda. Precuts make everything really quick to make. I used the jelly roll to make a book pillow from a Sew Liberated pattern and made a matching quilt from a jelly roll and a charm pack.

The quilt is made of 4 jelly strips, then 2 rows of 8 charm squares, then 4 jelly roll strips, the upight panel is 6 half strips, then 3 rows of 4 charm squares and then another 6 half strips.Then sew both panels together. it is very simple and very quick to make, you even use the jelly roll as binding strips, no cutting. I used fleece as the backing fabric as i hand quilted it (cant get the hang of machine quilting) it hides lots of mistakes as you cannot see the stitching because of the pile. Yah.

is it christmas?

2010-09-29T17:50:00.003+01:00

a trip to the garden centre yesterday for some bulbs (yes i am running a bit late) left me wondering if i had been sleeping a lot longer and missed a few months. All that was missing was Santa Claus. The place was so over decorated with lights, decorations, gifts, the lot, that my children just stood there looking confused. They knew Halloween hadn't been, or that my son Ben didn't yet have his birthday (November) so what was going on? i think September is a bit early.

I have already been making gifts,this takes time, but i do not need to be thinking about Christmas dinner.

I recently bought this great book,(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fa-Felt-Handmade-Holiday-Decorations/dp/1600596150) see pic, with lots of great felt projects to make for your tree. I love making things that can be done by hand in front of the TV, and this is ideal. My only complaint is that the patterns aren't full size and it has taken ages to photocopy them then cut out sections and then recopy them to size. i had paper everywhere, i can never get the hang of where to place the image to be copied so i can enlarge it without missing anything out. It is very time consuming, full size patterns would have been so much better. The projects are really nice though and i cant wait to get started, some patterns are a bit fiddly looking and i will have to draw these myself as they are far too small to transfer to felt but in all a book i highly recommend.

cushions or footstools?

2010-09-08T17:27:00.003+01:00

These are great cushions for children to sit on, i have been making them for everyone and all from just 1 metre of fabric. This allows you to buy something really nice that you may not be sure of what to use it for. I also find they make nice footstools although my daughter is forever telling me to get off hers. I am going to make one that is a little bit taller just for my feet.

so head on over to http://3punkmom.blogspot.com/2010/05/tutorial-land-of-nod-inspired-floor.html

for instructions on how to make it. piping also makes things look more professional.

i am back

2010-08-31T19:04:00.002+01:00

oh its been a while but now that summer is nearly over and the kids are back at school i hope to get more time for blogging and crafting. my aim will be to post an item at least once a week (i think i have said this before) but i do hope to keep to this promise, its also good for myself to keep a record of what i do or i just forget. Thank you to pamela kirk of kirkskorner, http://kirkskornerathome.blogspot.com for being my one and only follower and showing me that i am not just talking to myself. Also for her baby bib pattern, its just what i was looking for as a baby gift, i couldnt find a pattern i liked but i really like the long flap on this one, i plan to make it tomorrow so i will post some pictures in the next few days.
over the last few months i have been on a sewing frenzy making a baby quilt, a quilt for my sisters christmas which i will have to take pictures of as i made it from a jelly roll and a charm pack and i cant believe how quick it was to put together, i also discovered that if you use fleece fabric as your backing fabric it hides a lot of mistakes. i even impressed myself to how proffessional this one looked. i also made a quilt from heather bailey fabric from a pattern in sew hip magazine, it is very bright, and i also made slippers but they turned out to be too small for my big feet. oh well just something else i can give as a gift. my husband says i would have been cheaper buying a pair of slippers but wheres the fun in that! i also dont even like slippers i am always in my bare feet, even outside, it was a cute pattern though. i have also been making reading pillows from a sew liberated pattern, again i love the pattern but i am not sure if people will use it, they are getting them as christmas presents anyway, maybe even everyone i know as i just love this pattern. i have also made a few hopscotch mats and i have also been making the kids floor cushion from living with punks blog http://3punkmom.blogspot.com , they look really good made up although it took me ages trying to find a circle large enough. well thats enough for now, will be back soon with some pictures and hopefully some crafts to do.

English paper piecing

2010-04-11T18:31:00.003+01:00

English paper piecing, how addictive.

I have been cutting and sewing hexagons non stop, it is so easy and so pretty, i have been using up all my scraps to make them in different sizes. I had so many i thought i better do something with them so i made these place mats with some large ones and coasters with some really quite tiny ones. The place mats are 15inches by 10 inches as i used a moda layer cake square and half a square sewn together. At least with precuts you know it is going to be pretty straight. The coasters are 5inch square, a layer cake square cut into 4, how handy instant coasters, well nearly.

i have also been making the patchwork pieced hexagon bag from cath kidston's sew book, the hexagons where larger and i needed 60 of them, this was a bit less enjoyable trying to sew them all together but its done, yeah. I don't think i will be making a full quilt but i will happily be decorating everything with the funny pieced flower.

Happy Easter?

2010-03-31T16:21:00.002+01:00

Its the beginning of the Easter holidays but what is this to wake up to. A few days after British summer time began we have SNOW. no rolling eggs this year, no daffodils in bloom, no lambs, no bunnies, and definitely no sunshine. A cold Easter is not what i wanted, the garden is in desperate need of some TLC , the grass really needs cut and i am way behind in sowing seeds.

It is just too cold but the plus point is all the extra time indoors to craft.

Hopscotch

2010-03-18T20:38:00.002Z

Hi, today i made this excellent hopscotch for my kids. I used a basic tutorial which can be found at http://sewhappytocraft.blogspot.com/2010/03/hopscotch-tutorial.html

i had been looking for a pattern for a few weeks and came across many but this was this quickest and easiest way to do it. I don't know how i didn't think of it myself.

The kids love it.

The only thing i did differently from the tutorial was that i treated it like i was making a quilt and added wadding, backing and binding and just stitched in the stitched lines. I used the machine to quilt as it was narrow but i still found it hard to get everything under and rolled out the way for stitching. hand quilting may take longer but it is so much easier. if anyone has any tips on machine quilting i would love to know, i just don't know how to do it without getting in a mess.I have bought many a book and looked at a lot of web pages on quilting but there is not a lot of instructions on the actual process of doing the "quilting", no info on where to start or what patterns to use or how to do them. You always get lots of detail on piecing the patchwork top together but then all it says after that is layer batting and backing and then quilt.

is it so big a secret that you can only be born with the knowledge?

buttercup bag

2010-02-26T10:44:00.003Z

I made this cute bag from a pattern i found at made by Rae,

http://madebyrae.blogspot.com/2009/02/free-buttercup-bag-sewing-pattern.html

it was really enjoyable to make and the pattern pieces fitted exactly which is actually a very rare find, this needed no adjustment at all. I made it from a fat quarter of Amy butler fabric and used a contrasting print for the lining. It is a bit smaller than i thought but ideal for when you do not need to carry a lot.

penguin cross stitch

2010-02-09T21:47:00.003Z

As i have said before my daughter loves penguins. Here is a new penguin cross stitch taken from the Bang on the door animal range of images, i thought it was so cute i just had to convert it for stitching. I am also loving the new windows 7 snipping tool it makes uploading images so much easier and quicker as before it took ages to convert the cross stitch file to a file that can be uploaded to blogger but now i just have choose the snipping tool and drag a box around the image. How great is that?

valentine

2010-02-03T14:19:00.001Z

here is a picture of what the back looks like.

valentine

2010-02-03T14:03:00.003Z

picture 4

picture 3

picture 2

picture 1

1. Cut out all pieces. (picture 1)

2. Iron interfacing to large heart back.

Cut 2 slits on large heart back as shown on pattern for pin. (picture2)

3. Thread beads onto floss , i have used a small jump ring to hold the beads at the bottom, and sew onto back heart piece. (picture 3)

4. Blanket stitch around large hearts (both together) and the 2 small hearts, front and back together.

5. Attach the 2 small hearts to the large heart and add the pin to the back through the two small slits. (picture 4)

valentine

2010-02-03T13:42:00.002Z

I have been making these felt heart brooches for my children to wear over the valentine season.

tutorial to follow.

2010-02-01T20:28:00.002Z

Here are the pictures of the child's crayon bags I've been talking about. The tutorial was on Moda bakeshop a few weeks ago and i cant stop making them. AS you can see i have been adding stitching panels to them to make them a bit more personal but they are very useful bags indeed, i have also done a few non patchwork ones and they are just as nice, i will take pictures of these tomorrow. http://www.modabakeshop.com/2010/01/childs-activity-bag.html#more

more cross stitch

2010-01-31T22:19:00.003Z

This is a cute pram cross stitch pattern. Stitch the outline then add your own choice of colour for either boy or girl. would look good on a card or cushion. I haven't even started my own version but will post a picture when finished.

ben 10

2010-01-31T22:10:00.003Z

here is a simple black and white cross stitch outline of the BEN10 logo. There may be some grey tones in here but just stitch in black, much easier and will work better. I am creating some stitching projects to put on Easter gift bags, this would look good on coloured Aida or done with soluble canvas onto patterned fabric but do what you will. I will be putting it onto one of the crayon bags I've been making, i cant seem to make enough, they are very popular.

sewing caddy

2010-01-20T22:04:00.002Z

This is a little scissor keeper i made using instructions i came across on

http://http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/bags-pillows/sewing-caddy_1.html.

It was so cute and didn't take long to make, i had to have one. The loop fits nicely over the lamp of my portable craft table so doesn't get lost. I have also been continuing my quest to stitch everything that is in the Quilt a gift book, i just love it.http://http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quilt-Gift-Heartfelt-Projects-Heirloom/dp/0715332821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264025534&sr=8-1

There is something to make for everyone.

I have also been busy sewing the children's activity bag which was posted on Modabakeshop. I have started making them as Easter gifts for all the children i know. I haven't got round to taking pictures yet but i have changed the front panel to include a personalised stitching, i will try and post photos tomorrow. the original tutorial can be found at http://http://www.modabakeshop.com/2010/01/childs-activity-bag.html#more

In all a busy sewing month but with it being so cold outside my needle pricked fingers are very painful, lots of hand cream needed on my very cut fingers.

We have a Pet

2010-01-03T13:17:00.002Z

This is Biscuit our new dog we got for Christmas. Its very well behaved, doesn't need feeding, doesn't need walking and can be switched off when you have had enough of it. My ideal pet! It does sit up, lie down, gives a paw, begs, eats it bone and snores. It just sits in the corner and makes noise when it wants attention, it really is quite funny.

Happy New Year

2010-01-03T12:36:00.002Z

Happy New year, as you can see it has been very snowy over the last two weeks. Schools closed early for Christmas, we couldn't get the car out of the drive and we nearly couldn't get to the shops to buy Christmas dinner. It was the most snow we have had in years, so lots of sledging and making snowmen but not much else. Christmas was good, lots of presents and lots of crafting. I got a new book, Quilt a gift by Barri sue Gaudet , i highly recommend it, i have completed five projects already. School returns on Tuesday and cara starts nursery for the first time on thursday, so we have a very busy week, hopefully she will like it there and we will have no dramas, she tends to only do what she wants!

Deck the halls

2009-12-08T10:45:00.003Z

These are some of my recent Christmas projects, i have been busy sewing away. The tree is up, the presents are bought so i am very organised. I have invited my family and myself over to my sisters for Christmas dinner as i cannot be bothered with the mess on Christmas day. The kids toys are usually just everywhere so going elsewhere means i do not have to tidy for people coming over. School doesn't finish to the 22ND so they wont be waiting to long until Christmas especially with all the visiting we have to do beforehand.There is many school activities and parties still to attend though. In all i intend not to be caught up in the rush of Christmas and basically hibernate and do some crafting for the next few weeks.

2009-11-30T12:53:00.003Z

Here is the finished wedding cross stitch, as yet i haven't ordered a frame for it but will soon. I have been very busy making christmassy things and i will take some photos to show later. Hopefully i will have time to create some tutorials too, or at least some patterns. I found some really cute lollipop decorations to make at

http://www.bhg.com/ at the fun to make holiday crafts section, very cute. Picture is shown above.

love

2009-11-23T15:40:00.004Z

I had to do a stitching gift for a cousins wedding but didn't really have time with all the Christmas gifts i have to make. I therefore came up with this cross stitch based on a saying I've seen on a ring, i freehand wrote it on the cross stitch programme and really it shouldn't take more than a day to do.I will post the finished design when done, as yet i haven't even thought of which colours i will use.

Other than that weathers getting colder, nights are getting darker. OK for crafters (any excuse not to leave the house) but miserable for everyone else. Ben is coming home from school in the dark so isn't getting out to play, i quite like having everyone in together without the door constantly opening and closing. Yes winter is pleasant for now!

christmas moose?

2009-11-16T12:46:00.004Z

Here is some pictures of my finished Christmas design. The outline was stitched using chain stitch and filled in with satin and some back stitch, all 2 strands of DMC cotton. I just made it up as i went along, colours used were dmc numbers 666 (red), 3813 (blue/grey), 973 (yellow), 3348 (green), 310 (black), s5200 (satin white). Satin white as that was all the white i had left!

Hope someone out there likes it enough to have a go at stitching it, it really is very easy. I am hoping to go out and find some snowflake buttons or sequins to sew on the background but as yet have not been able to get to the store, i will post a revised picture when i do.

Christmas is coming

2009-11-11T17:31:00.003Z

I bought this christmas decoration and thought the image would make a great stitching project. Here is the stitchery pattern i have drawn up and i will publish the finished item when i am done. Thought it made a rather cute image.

Happy Birthday Ben

2009-11-11T17:21:00.002Z

Ben is 8 Today, this was him still half asleep this morning. We woke him up to open his presents. We took him to the arcade today and had lunch at Frankie and Bennys, i am now having a little rest before the rest of the family start visiting tonight. It was a good day though, lots of new toys, battle strikers are a big hit but sore on the fingers if you happen to touch them while spinning!

Bonfire night

2009-11-08T14:39:00.004Z

SPOOKY

Trick or Treat

2009-10-31T19:43:00.002Z

Happy Halloween

It was a nice night for trick or treating, not too cold. Ben was a Ghost buster and Cara was a witch
They went to a few doors but a lot of people were hiding in the dark this year and there was very few decorated houses. They did end up with lots of chocolate (of which they have started eating),and only some apples and nuts,(i am sure these will still be uneaten in a few weeks time). A fun night for the kids and another holiday finished, Christmas season next.

scarefest

2009-10-21T22:58:00.003+01:00

We are all off to Alton towers theme park for a few days to start the Halloween celebrations. http://www.altontowers.com/

We went last year and it was just a different experience to go on the rides in the dark. The park is nicely decorated and the rides are all changed to include a Halloween theme. My son Ben who is 7 liked the ghost train which was adapted to include real people, he was also a bit scared. He also liked all the light sabres and glow products which were for sale to light up the park at night, in all a very enjoyable day. I hope this year is just as good and at least dry, wet weather is forecast for Thursday and Saturday but Friday looks fine. I also hope to find some craft stores as i would like so new fabric, MO DA looks really good at the moment and i really like their peppermint swirl pincushion, i hope to make it this weekend.

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/09/peppermint-swirl-pincushion.html

hello kitty

2009-10-14T19:44:00.003+01:00

Here is a Hello Kitty cross stitch pattern i drew up.I have started stitching it and it works well. It is easier if you stitch all of the black first (this is symbol c) then when that is finished it is just like colouring in but with thread.

The pattern is is 66 stitches wide by 80 stitches high which works out about 12 cm by 15 cm on 14 count fabric, so a fabric piece of about 17 cm by 20 cm should do.

It uses few colours:
c black
0 yellow
7 light pink
@ dark pink
B darker pink
blank squares are white for head, hands and feet.

Sew

2009-10-11T18:57:00.004+01:00

I have been a bit distracted this week with the arrival of the new Cath Kidston book, its really good. I have already made two bags and the double oven glove, even though i only got it Tuesday afternoon and it took me a day to go out and choose fabric. It was also my birthday Thursday, i got the new PSP GO so i took time to play this too. In all its been a very busy week for things to do which aren't really the things i should be doing on a working week day. The garden is also needing attending to, the leaves are everywhere and the perennials are dying down, Autumn is happening fast! My son Ben is off school on holiday this week coming so i hope he will help to get the garden looking tidy in time for Halloween and fireworks night on November 5Th. I am nearly ready to start the Halloween decorations this week so that should be fun, hope it doesn't rain all week. I also plan to stitch the peg bag and the kids duffel bag from the book and decide what the kids want as Halloween costumes, its turning into a very busy season. Before i know it i will be taken down the Halloween stuff and starting on the Christmas things. No its way to early!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-04T16:29:00.004+01:00

More Halloween pictures, i think i may have quite a few by the end of the week. I am suddenly full of Halloween ideas!

I forgot to mention the pictures are made of plain black cotton and scraps of felt i had lying around. Remember small projects like this are great for practising your embroidery stitches, you can really do anything you want.

Embellish with beads, buttons and sequins.

BOO tutorial

2009-10-04T15:48:00.007+01:00

Ive been starting the Halloween decorations this weekend with an easy stitched picture, haven't been able to find a black flexi-frame yet so i may just stitch it into a mini quilt hanging with some patchwork round it. you can just print out some letters or draw your own, instructions are as follows:

1. first sew letters and pumpkin shapes onto black cotton using a
straight stitch.

2. stitch pumpkin features.

3. satin stitch letters.

4. stitch background with a star stitch.

i stitched this project using a 5inch embroidery hoop and drew it on A4 paper to size, so if you can print this out you pretty much have an exact pattern.

pingu bag

2009-10-01T17:28:00.002+01:00

here is the finished pingu made into a bag.

pingu

2009-10-01T16:45:00.002+01:00

my daughter really loves penguins, she has quite the collection. Her favourite was looking a little worn lately due to its constant cuddling so i re stuffed when she was sleeping and it looked back to normal. however when she awoke she kept saying "penguins broke" (she new something just wasn't right) so i had to take some stuffing out and put it in the wash to get it nice and worn again. Anyway i tried to find a cross stitch pattern for a penguin but couldn't find anything suitable so i just drew one by myself. Here is the pattern for any penguin lovers out there, some symbols are missing but you get the idea. colours are as shown, black,white,grey,yellow,orange and red. i will post the finished piece later.

Halloween Potholder

2009-09-26T19:35:00.016+01:00

picture A picture B picture C

its nearly October so time to prepare for Halloween, yeah. I love the American style Halloween of over the top decorated houses and way too much candy, sadly i will be home this year where you get funny looks if you decorate before the 31st! so so boring. I usually start decorating two weeks before and just keep adding everyday and everyday i will pick my son up from school and someone will say "you're starting a bit early". i am sure it will be the same this year. I also prefer the "Trick or Treat" attitude of I've knocked on your door so give me the sweets. We in Scotland have the saying of "the sky is blue, the grass is green, may i have my Halloween", you are then expected to perform some song, dance or joke at the front door of the lacking in entertainment adult. how mad does that sound? if you get some sweets it is a bonus but the tradition is an apple and some monkey nuts! not sure why they are called "monkey nuts" but they are peanuts in their shell.

the potholder is easy and relaxing to do. i made it while catching up on the weeks TV. i first drew a pumpkin shape on a piece of calico. it is the best fabric ever as you can do anything with it and its cheap. you then just trace around the image with a chain stitch, this gives it some depth. i used wool for the outline as i liked the colour, but floss is fine.

next cut some wadding and some backing fabric and layer together. picture A.

you can then quilt through all layers using a basic running stitch. picture B. it doesn't have to be neat and you can use as many or as few colours as you like.i used floss for the straight stitching. its good to experiment with textures and threads.

next take some backing fabric in a Halloween print (i used a patterned felt as Halloween hasn't come to the stores here yet) make sure you cut it a good few inches larger to allow for seams. felt doesn't fray so i just folded it over onto the front and pinned in place. picture C. then you can simply stitch in place. i hand stitched mine as i was still watching TV at the time but you can machine if you like. remember to add a loop for hanging, i used bias binding but ribbon works just as well.

i think the finished result will look good on my Halloween party table.

tina turtle

2009-09-24T12:51:00.004+01:00

cara loves her tina turle cushion which was made using an Alan Dart pattern. it is very large and was quite a handful to get through the sewing machine but it worked out really well. the pattern can be found at

http://www.abakhan.co.uk/acatalog/News_Story_14.html

teach pattern

2009-09-23T22:30:00.001+01:00

after much playing about with files and web pages here is the cross stitch pattern for teach.

one for teachers

2009-09-23T20:21:00.003+01:00

this was a gift i made for my sons teacher. very easy to cross stitch and put together, i thought it was quite amusing, hope she liked it. i will put the pattern on my blog when i work out how. our summer holidays in Scotland is July and august, these can obviously be changed to suit. i used the DMC cross stitch pattern maker to produce the pattern and just really free handed it. hope someone out there likes it. it is just a simple rectangle stitched and stuffed and the ribbons added with buttons to keep it easy.

DAY 1

2009-09-17T18:59:00.000+01:00

Hello, after a few months of reading other peoples blogs i have decided to have my own. not sure how it will turn out but hopefully will be full of interesting crafts. i myself love to find new things to make and i only found out about this blog site as i have an addiction to http://blog.craftzine.com/ not a day goes by that i dont look at it. i dont want to miss something really good. i am also hopeing this blog will encourage me to finish projects more often than making lists of things to do. dont know if that is possible?

i didnt want my first entry to be pictureless so heres a photo of the jewelery mannequins i am making for gifts . the pattern is from the new Tilda homestyle book. ill need to work on how to photograph things better but oh well i will learn.