I'm still using up my 2 metres of fabric

I've had my Toyota sewing machine since I got married some 20 or so years ago. It was bought with wedding present money from my grandfather. It is still working fine and I don't desire another - (except for maybe the old hand cranked Singer machine that was my grandmothers!! - My mum looks after that for now)
I have been enjoying using this ticking fabric and am managing to squeeze quite a few projects out of the 2 metres that I bought. 

I thought - what if the sewing machine fancied itself as a Singer - so I embellished with a Citrasolv transfer. I wasn't sure which one I liked best so I have one on either side!

I think it looks rather grand now - well certainly compared to the ripped plastic cover it was wearing last week!

I still have some fabric left...there will be more projects. I am determined to use every last centimetre!

Just how far will 2 metres go?

Hi there! I've just finished making a loose cover for this comfortable chair we use at the computer desk. I had ordered 2 metres of lovely upholstery quality ticking fabric for another project, but when it arrived the colour was darker than I expected so it didn't work for my original intended project. It is a dark indigo stripe, but really looks so dark it is almost black. It is gorgeous weight fabric to work with and I thought it would be perfect for this chair which was starting to look a bit grubby.

The photo does not show all the dirt- just as well! This chair is a Laura Ashley dining chair I bought at auction a few years ago for £1 ! It had a navy blue slipcover on it, but it shrunk badly when I washed it - and I never liked it that much anyway, so we have been using it in it's natural state- perfect for picking up dirty marks!

The ticking fabric frays quite bad so I decided to buy some bias binding and cover all the internal seams. Nothing like making hard work for yourself. I have to say I did a really bad job with the seam covering- not neat at all, but they are covered and they won't fray now, and who is going to see them anyway - oh oh! I just showed you, that was silly!!!

I only had enough in my purse to buy 2 metres of bias binding tape and it was JUST enough. I only had a tiny bit over. Phew!

Doing upholstery is a bit like childbirth! It's a bit of a struggle and sometimes you don't even think you'll get there, but once it is over, you forget all the hassles and pain and are chuffed to bits with your new baby! I'm delighted with mine!

Now I have some fabric left over...I have some plans...

I'm going to cover this seat I bought last week at auction for £2. It had a little woodworm, but I have treated it now. It's a lovely solid made chair.

And if there is enough fabric left after that, I am going to make a cover for my sewing machine. The horrible plastic one that it came with (some 20 years ago) is beginning to fall to bits. It needs something cute to replace it.

Making a towel fancy and showing off my shower room

I have just finished sticking a bit of wallpaper in our shower room. I wish I had photos from 'before' but I never thought to take any. Believe me, it was not pretty. Mismatching ...well everything was mismatching. And the tile effect wallpaper and flowery tiles that were in the shower...and the shower enclosure...and the lighting...yeuch!

As we have our house on the market now - I thought I would dress up some hand towels to put out for viewings - should anyone ever come see our house! The market is so very slow right now and it is the wrong time of year...but I know it only takes one buyer. Anyhoo...here's how to jazz up a plain white boring towel - mine was from Asdas. Choose a towel that has a plain woven strip along one edge...this makes it easier to sew to.

 Find a strip of fabric a little wider than the towel and a little longer than the depth of the woven strip. Using your iron, turn the raw edges over to make the dimensions match the strip on your towel and press neatly. Then all you need to do is pin in place and stitch either using a machine or by hand. I did mine by hand so that the stitching is invisible, and also because at that moment my machine was in for repair! 

So I placed the towel in the afore mentioned shower room and decided that the room is still looking a bit bare, so I took another scrap of fabric and rustled up a quick pelmet. 

There, I think that looks better. I'll play around with accessories a bit now.

I'm happy with that now I think. I am pleased with the wallpaper. I'm not really a big wallpaper fan, but the wall needed more than a bit of paint. It has the look of dragged paintwork in a pale grey. It finishes the room off nicely. 

And seeing as how I am showing you this room I have to mention the loo roll holder. There was hardly any room to place one here so I had a hunt on the internet for one that I liked that was set into the wall. The only ones I could find were in the US and I didn't want to pay large shipping charges, so I got my dad to make me one. He did a fantastic job don't you think? It fits in perfectly and is unobtrusive but still looks stylish. Thanks Dad!

making a throw...

I promised you I would show you how to make a throw from a cheap store bought fleece throw and some toile fabric the same size. The reason for using cheap store bought fleece was I figured that it was not as expensive as fleece fabric per metre - it would probably cost twice as much. The fleece cost me less than £3. The toile I had was a remnant so was not expensive either.  I have made this one a birthday gift for a friend. She doesn't read this blog - I hope!

Before you do anything to your fabric, you can embellish the fleece side- this is optional. I did an applique in felt and embroidered my friend's name. I chose a pheasant because I was looking at one in the forest at the back of my house while I was trying to decide what to do.

Once that's done,  pin the right sides together of your fleece and fabric. My fleece throw had hems- some don't, if they have hems, just keep your line of sewing in a bit so that you can lose the hem when you trim.

I used my newly serviced machine - why did I wait so long, it's running like a dream now! Sew right the way round leaving a gap of about 8 inches so you can turn the fabric. Trim the excess fabric off once you have sewn round it.

Turn the right way around...

...and press carefully.

Now sew twice round leaving about a 2 inch space between each border. I use a bit of masking tape stuck on the sewing plate of my machine to line up the fabric to. I used brown for my top thread and white for my bottom thread.

Don't forget to oversew the gap. 

And that is pretty much it. And if she is in the mood for fleecy and cosy she can use this side.

And if she is in the mood for a spot of toile, she can use the other.
I hope she likes it, and I hope I have inspired you.

Pegged!

I was going to take pictures of this outside today, but every time the sun came out and I thought about it, it clouded over again. Anyhoo, here's my latest bit of sewing. I was fed up with all the pegs falling out the old one, so it was time for a bit of sewing.

I used a lovely Laura Ashley scrap I got from my sister-in-law, and a graphic from the Graphics Fairy - (thanks to Tina over at Rubies Place for giving me that idea.) Of course, then I had to make a Provence lavender sachet to scent the laundry while it waits in the rather large ironing pile :-)

Here it is...

I managed to finish rag dolly in time for my little girls birthday! Phew!

She has a LOT of hair! It can be put in plaits or a pony tail, and she has a couple of changes of clothing - I didn't have time to finish more, but more will come.

And here she is, sitting up in her bed. Oh, and remember this chair back - of which I had two?

With the help of some other scrap timber I had lying around, and a pot of white paint, it became this bed for dolly.

It has a foam mattress - upcyled from something I already had, and I made a pillow and a toile quilt for her. I also learnt how to crochet in the last couple of weeks so that I could make a pretty lacy edge to the pillowcase.

As my little girl had told me that ALL she wanted for her birthday were some paper roses, she was quite delighted with her presents. She did get her paper roses too. I'll show you them soon.

W.I.P. progress

Rag dolly is progressing slowly. I have to work on her when my little girl is still in bed, or busy elsewhere, so progress is not fast. I sew the hair on strand by strand. This means it can stand up to a lot of rigorous play, and can be styled and played with. It worked really well for the dolls I made my older daughter when she was little. It's a bit of an effort, but really worth it. Other than that, my "to do" list is still as long as ever. :-)

W.I.P.

W.I.P. That's the story of my life in many ways. I am certainly a work in progress - being worked on by God - one stitch at a time. But also, I seem to have so many W.I.P.s going on in my life. My "to do" list just seems to get longer and longer instead of shorter, and much of it is self-inflicted. I often find myself volunteering for tasks because no-one else will do them. Then I begin to feel a bit overwhelmed by it all. I am sure this is a common ailment ! I must stop complaining!

So, today I am sharing with you one of my crafting W.I.P.s.

My little girl will be 4 on the 26th of May and I decided it was time I made her a rag doll. Hopefully it will turn out similar to these ones although I realise it doesn't look very exciting at the moment.

(I must just add that many of my delays are also self inflicted - like when I spent about 2 hours trying to find my box of paint brushes to do the face only to find them later on in one of the places I had looked already- by then it was too late in the evening to start painting- as I said - I am a work in progress!)

A Jar for March - Pin Cushion Jar

Would you like to make this sweet little pin cushion jar. It's really easy to do, and would make a thoughtful gift.
You will need:-

• a small jar. Mine is one of those little sample pots from jam that I saved from afternoon tea on a day out.
• a small amount of stuffing/wadding
• a small remnant of plain cotton fabric. You can use tea or coffee to dye it a nice vintage colour.
• some ribbon or trim for the edge
• thread - in this case I used strong thread for gathering and a single strand of red cotton for the bird embroidery.
• some thick card - but not so thick that you can't cut it with scissors. I recycled mine from some packaging.
• a compass - or a saucer roughly twice the size of your jar lid.
• scissors, needle, and a glue gun

You will need two discs of card. One will be a template for your fabric. Make this one about twice the diameter of your jar lid. I did this and then when I cut the fabric out I added a quarter of an inch extra for gathering. The other disc is just fractionally smaller than the lid of your jar. This will be going into the pin cushion.
Cut out your circle of fabric and then transfer your chosen design being sure to place it in the centre. I used my favourite pen that disappears when you spray water onto it. My fabric was thin enough to see through so I could trace the bird from my paper. You can use this simple design or you can make your own .
Using a single strand of red cotton thread, I backstitched the birdy. I like the look of redwork.
Now, using a strong or doubled thread, use running stitch around the edges to gather the circle of fabric. Please do use a strong thread, as there is nothing worse than being in the finishing stages and the thread snapping!
Gather the fabric and stuff as firmly as you can whilst placing the disc of card on top of the stuffing before tightening the thread. Now this is a bit fiddly, and another pair of hands could come in useful here so if you have a friend handy - ask them to help. You can make the cushion without the disc of card, but it gives it a much better shape and a nicer finish, so give it a try.
Tie a secure knot to finish off this part .
Now it is time for the trusty glue gun. Glue the pad to the lid, and then glue on your trim around the edge of the lid to make it all look neat, sweet and complete.
Using this technique, you can make a whole family of jars, big and small. You can use a variety of fabrics, or embroider your own designs. I have a few of my own and I find them very useful as well as pretty. Let me know if you make one!

Ebony and ivory...

Hi there! I thought I'd fill you in on my crazy creative life this week.

On Thursday I am going to a fashion show run by a friend of mine. She is the manageress of a posh clothes shop. Thing is, I am supposed to be playing the piano for the show.

It's in a really lovely setting and it will be a beautiful piano - same as the one in the picture- such a treat to play- but I am busy trying to rack my brains to think of enough tunes that I know and can play to fill two 1 hour slots. I am mostly an ear player so I don't use music much. I hope she isn't too disappointed with me - at least I came cheap (free). My friend also asked me if I would like to have a table with my jewellery on it, and I can't possibly turn down an offer like that, so I have been busy making one or two new pieces and sorting out all that I have and thinking of ways to display it and price it etc.

Also, in keeping with the ebony ivory topic, I have been trying out a bottle of photomagic that a friend gave me about 15 years ago. It still works! This is going to be a cushion. I bought the linen a little while ago and have been wanting to try it out and see how it sews up. Does anyone have any tips for ironing linen? It seems like once you have washed it, it is virtually impossible to get it crease free. Maybe that's just the look of linen? Any opinions ?