Happy Handmade Christmas (stockings)

A very happy Christmas to all my blog readers!  As yesterday was the first day of my holiday, Pete and I had a lovely relaxing day at home, generally putting our feet up before the Christmas rush.  I took the opportunity to do a bit of sewing, which was really nice.

For the first year, we've decided to do Christmas stockings for each other - I thought it would be nice to get this little tradition into play before baby comes along next year!  I've seen a few stockings about, but as my mantra often is these days, why buy it when I can make it myself!?

This free stocking template from Love Sewing magazine came in very handy.  It was intended for a Scandinavian paper piecing stocking, but I definitely didn't have time for that malarky today, and it was a great template for my needs as well.

I used A4 pieces of felt for the body of the stocking.  Obviously, I wanted the stockings to be bigger than one A4 piece of felt (assuming that my hubby has been out buying me lots of pressies!), so each stocking piece was made of 2 pieces of felt, which I attached with some lovely red spotty bias binding which I had lying about.  I thought the green, red and white was a lovely festive combination.

To differentiate between them, it seemed like the best idea was to put our initials on the stockings - I managed a slightly wonky R and P done in white, just to complete the effect!

Looking forward to waking up to these full on Christmas morning - I suppose I'd better get my wrapping finished or 'P' might be a bit disappointed...!

Happy Christmas, and every blessing for the New Year!

Christmas tree decoration

Less than a week until Christmas!  I love this time of year - it's so fun getting the house decorated, and I love the Christmas sights and smells!  I did manage a little bit of Christmas craft when I was sorting through some of my ribbons and bits and pieces in the sewing room.

This was such a simple little craft to do, and results in a lovely little handmade decoration for your tree.  Last year, someone got me these cute little metal Christmas trees.  I have lots of ribbons about - some of them which I've bought, and some have come from presents and wrapping on gifts.

All I did was wrap the Christmas tree in a length of festive ribbon.  When I was finished, I secured the base of the tree with a little stitch, and that kept it all together.  I also added a loop of thread to the top of the decoration, and it was ready for hanging on our tree!

Here's our tree, looking festive!  We're off to Wales to stay with the Townsend contingent on Christmas Eve - can't wait!

Tartan snood

I've really not been a very conscientious blogger - or sewer - recently - many apologies.  Real life has somewhat got in the way!  For those of you who aren't on Facebook with me, we have had some very happy news - we're expecting a baby :)!  Baby T is due at the end of May 2015.  We're really excited - and I'm finally beginning to feel like a 'real person' again - not feeling sick every time I look at food, which is nice, and also getting a bit more energy back, now that I'm into the second trimester.

With Baby T on the way, this means we're starting to think about the sewing room - which will become baby's bedroom.  At the moment it's cluttered with sewing stuff (and other mess!), so I've been trying to sort through some of my fabric / sewing things, and have discovered various lovely fabrics which I had completely forgotten about.

One of those was this gorgeous tartan - which I bought way back in May, in Bude.  I absolutely loved the colours - bright colours are my absolute favourite.  I had the notion that I wanted to make a snood out of it, but never quite got round to it - especially as it then came into the summer, and scarves were the last thing we needed this year!

Still, when I dug it out today, I thought I would seize the opportunity to make myself a snood at last - particularly as I've not really sewn anything in ages, and this was a really easy little project.  I did a quick Google search, and found this handy tutorial.  As usual, I didn't quite follow the instructions - my material wasn't 66 inches long - a mere 57 inches - and it certainly wasn't stretchy, but it made up just as I wanted it, which is the important thing.

I took advantage of the bright (but chilly) afternoon, and got the husband out to take a few photos for me...!  You can wear this snood loosely round your neck, if you're somewhere fairly warm and are just wearing a scarf as an accessory - something which I do quite often!  On the other hand, there's enough fabric there to wrap round once, which will be perfect for me when I'm walking to work and need something to keep me cosy.

I've a suspicion I'll be wearing this a lot - time to dig out all my bright colours in time for the winter!

Crochet beaded bracelets

This year at the Knitting and Stitching Show we decided we would only do one class, giving us a bit more time to browse the stands!  We picked an hour long class, taken by Kath Orsman, which was to crochet a beaded bracelet from wire.

Kath had already done the 'boring bit' for us - feeding all the tiny beads onto the wire in preparation for the class.  The technique was really simple - crochet the wire as you would normal wool, and ensure that you caught a little bead every other stitch.  You needed to crochet a piece of wire double the width of your wrist, and then another piece half that length.  Then you folded the double length piece, and plaited the three pieces together.

We were also provided with the fastener for the bracelet, and the little bits and pieces which allow you to attach them professionally, such as the crimp beads.  I think the finished product looks fantastic, and I've worn it a couple of times already!

A really inspirational and fun class, with lovely results.  It really was a highlight of our day at the show, and I'm hoping to make some more bracelets from the pattern that Kath gave us.

The Knitting and Stitching Show 2014

Another year, another trip to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace!

This year, Naomi had the bright idea that we could make a weekend of it, and go down to London on Friday night. The three of us ladies got our husbands involved, and we all ended up heading down to London on Friday night. Liz and Mark stayed in the centre of London, while Naomi, Vincent, Pete and I ended up staying further out, in the Crowne Plaza at Ealing. Our hotel was lovely, and it certainly made for a more restful experience this year, rather than the crazy early start which we had last year - never ideal for a Saturday morning!

We started our Saturday with a trip to the Hummingbird Bakery in Soho. A s'more cupcake seemed the perfect beginning to the weekend in my opinion! The cafe hasn't got much seating space, but it was a good place to meet Liz and indulge in some cupcake goodness before us ladies headed off to Alexandra Palace.

The show was apparently sold out, and it was packed when we arrived around 12:30 or so. We enjoyed the familiarity this year - having been last year, a lot of the stands were similar, and we knew more what we liked and what we wanted.  I bought a ridiculous amount of wool, but at least I actually had my magazine that I was basing my purchases from with me, so I knew I was buying the right amounts of wool and the right brands! I'm going to crochet a cushion cover, and I've another jumper I want to make after I finish the current one!

I also bought a bit of fabric, a new sewing box, and a book on learning to knit - I'll see when I actually get round to that, as there's a lot of other things on my plate right now...!

Here are Naomi and I, laden with purchases...(mostly mine, including the huge bag Naomi is carrying...!). Sadly, I didn't get a photo of Liz - she bought lots of wool, and is planning to knit like crazy before her baby arrives on the 31st of December!

We just did one class last year, to give us a bit more time to browse. We learned how to crochet with wire and beads, and made lovely beaded bracelets - I'll get a post on that uploaded soon.

At the end of a great day, we had a relaxing evening and dinner. Naomi and I, plus husbands, took the chance on Sunday, after church in the morning, to go to the Tower of London. I was able to get the four of us in free with work, so it was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Another sucessful trip to the Knitting and Stitching Show - already looking forward to 2015!

Ripple Shawl from Inside Crochet

While I was ill over the summer, I did a lot of crocheting - it was something to keep me occupied while I was stationary a lot of the time!  The main project that kept me busy was the Ripple Shawl from Issue 53 of Inside Crochet.  This was a very time consuming project - the hook was small and the yarn was very narrow, but it crocheted up beautifully.

I loved the yarn the magazine suggested for this shawl, but when I went to buy it, Wool Warehouse was out of the 'poems' shade, so I purchased the 'lagoon' shade instead.  I thought that would probably work better with my winter wardrobe as well.

As you can see, the Ripple shawl gets it's name from the lovely ripple effect that the pattern produces.    It's such an unusual pattern, and actually once you have got used to the pattern, and ensured that you have counted correctly on the first couple of rows, it's not particularly difficult either.

The only other change that I made, apart from the shade of yarn (and this was out of laziness, rather than anything else) was when I came to start crocheting, I couldn't find my 3.5mm hook.  So I used a 3mm hook instead.  This did mean my shawl probably came up a bit tighter than it was meant to - it might have been better to use a 4mm hook, rather than the 3mm, but by the time I decided that I was a bit too far into the process, and decided just to keep going!

I absolutely love the stitch patterns, particularly every few rows where there are the treble stitches, which produce this lovely effect below when held up to the light...

I'm so pleased with this shawl - which I'm using more as a scarf, I suppose - and I foresee it getting plenty of use now the colder weather has finally arrived!

Fabric shopping in Belfast

I've never really done any fabric shopping in Belfast - I've only taken up sewing since I've lived in Bristol, so there's not really been the opportunity to check out the local fabric shops.  However, as we were home for two weeks this summer, I did get the chance to have a nosey in a few of the local shops.

I went to Paragon Fabrics in Donegall Pass to pick up some bias binding and thread - and I may have got a little bit tempted and bought some pink jersey while I was there too!  Apparently this shop has been there for years, but I honestly had never seen it before - unbelievable!  It was an absolute treasure trove - I'll definitely be back - and apparently there is also one on the Creagh Road in East Belfast too.

I went into the centre of Belfast for coffee with a friend a few days later, and while I was waiting for the bus home, I took the opportunity to nip into The Spinning Wheel.  This was a shop I did know was here, but again, had never been in - I always thought it was just a curtain shop, but it turns out they have loads of fabrics, as well as yarns, and lots of notions etc.  An exciting discovery - even though I had to dash off to catch my bus instead of being able to explore properly!

Hopefully I'll get another chance to go fabric shopping when I'm next home!

Vintage bunting

I have seriously neglected my blog over the summer...sorry to my faithful readers who have held out for me!  We've been away and I've had a few other things on my plate which meant I didn't do any blogging for a while.  However, although I've not blogged, I've not been completely idle!

While I was at home in N. Ireland I did get some crafting done, and I've got a couple of blog posts lined up to share the fun!

First up - a bit of sewing.  Although we took our car I wasn't quite organised enough to take my sewing machine across.  I'd promised to make bunting for my friend Maria's hen night, so I borrowed the sewing machine which my Gran and Auntie share.  It was quite complicated to thread - presumably because back in the day everyone knew how to thread sewing machines - but once it was all threaded up, it was great to use.  I do still love my own Brother one though...!

Some bunting in progress...

You might recognise the blue fabric - it's the fabric from the first circle skirt I made.  I bought the same fabric in green from Fabricland, and thought they made a cute contrast.  I love bunting, and this has inspired me to make more, more, more!

And here's the lovely hen with her bridesmaids!  Congratulations Maria!

Kirsten Kimono Tee - summer stripes

A few months ago I made my first t-shirt from the Kirsten Kimono Tee pattern.  The pattern was so easy, I fancied having another go.  I picked this fabric up in Fashion Fabrics in Bath - there was only 80cm left, but that was plenty for this cute t-shirt.

There's nothing like stripes for a pattern matching challenge, but I can verify that the matching was significantly easier on this t-shirt compared to the chevron skirt - a combination of not trying to get them at right angles and also the stripes being much broader.  Horizontal stripes are reputed for making people look wider, but I decided I really didn't care - I like the fabric too much!

Last time I made this I had a few problems - first was the fact that my machine kept skipping stitches, which I then had to tidy up by hand on any bits which were visible.  Happily, this was fixed by my new jersey machine needles - definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Secondly, last time round, I just couldn't get the neckline right.  It ended up quite loose at the back and very stretched at the front.  This time was significantly more even, and I also did a 'stitch in the ditch' rather than the zig zag stitch over the binding, which I liked a lot better - although I did have to do some hand stitching to catch a bit of the binding which didn't get caught by the stitches.  The tension might have been a little more than I wanted, as the fabric is ever so slightly tight in places, but overall, I'm much happier with this attempt at the neckline.

My second t-shirt, and I'm really pleased with it.  Hopefully it'll get plenty of wear this summer if the good weather stays around...!

Fabric shopping in Bath

I had the chance to go into Bath for a bit of a trip round the shops recently. For me, trips to the shops almost always involves some fabric shopping too, and this time was no exception. I had my first trip into the beautiful Country Threads, on Pierrepont Place.  

Fabric shops tend to fall into two categories...either absolute chaos (maybe organised chaos, maybe not...!), or absolutely beautifully laid out. Each is good, in my opinion - I love a hunt for some buried treasure, after all! Country Threads is in the beautifully organised and set out category. It's such an appealing shop, and the staff were lovely and friendly too. I could spend a long time in there!

Country Threads is primarily for patchwork, and so as well as the fabrics in the back, they have a lot of fat quarters, and other small sizes of fabrics.  While I was there, I picked up these two lovely pieces...

I got a metre of this...

I'm thinking this would be perfect for cushions for our living room, which could do with a bit of a refresher!

I also picked up a half metre of this gorgeous 'french sewing' fabric. Again, it's quite a hard wearing fabric, so more appropriate for furnishings rather than clothes. I'm not exactly sure what I'll use it for yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something!

While we were hitting the shops, we also nipped into the new Anthropologie shop. I absolutely loved Anthro when I was out in America last summer - but it is expensive, and I'm inclined to wonder if they maybe just changed the dollar signs on their prices into pounds for coming over here, because it seemed even more expensive here in Bath! All three of us tried on these two gorgeous skirts, but they were £53 each - in the sale - and I just couldn't justify it at all!! However, I'm sure I could make something similar, so watch this space for an attempt at another maxi skirt...!

Please note that the dress hanging beside the skirts looked hideous on all of us!

As I'm on the topic of fabric shopping in Bath, a month or two ago Pete and I were there, and I popped into Fashion Fabrics on Green Street.  This is more of an 'organised chaos' shop, but also packed full to the brim of hidden treasure!  While I was there, I picked up some t-shirting, and this very cute owl print, which will hopefully be made into something fun soon!

Thanks for browsing the shops with me...!

Love Sewing magazine

Another magazine subscription...!  Hurray!  Lest you start to think that I obsessively subscribe to magazines, this is my first ever sewing magazine, the others have all been crochet.

Love Sewing was brand new in May, and was promoted for sewists just about everywhere I looked - there was even a plug for it on on the Elm Street Life blog all the way from the USA!  I was happy to jump on the bandwagon and subscribe from issue 2 for the bargain price of £6 for the first quarter - I did also hit my nearest ASDA and bought issue 1 as well.

I'm loving the magazine so far.  There are things for the home (fantastic little storage baskets in issue one, cushions in issue two), free gifts (fabric in issue one, a pattern and tape measure in issue two), clothing (dresses, skirts, blouses), little fun projects (like the gorgeous notebook cover in issue two) and even interviews with some of the fab people from the sewing bee!  There really is something for everyone.

Looking forward to my first make - either the storage basket or the 'lottie' blouse - watch this space!