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Showing posts from 2007

Grr Computers

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My computer isn't playing nicely so no more posting for a while. Fingers crossed the nice people in the computer shop will help me fix it. In the mean while here's a photo of an historic building near work.

Blog giveaway

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My Byrd House is giving away some really lovely prizes if you leave a comment on her post 'Happy Blog Day to Me' .

Toting for Christmas

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I'm really happy with my productive weekend. I've finished Christmas presents for one Aunt and have napkins cut out ready for sewing and a tote bag ready for my other Aunt. Still not sure what to get for my mother and my best friend and haven't thought about my father or brothers or grandmother but I'll get there! I bought this material on special last week. It had this hideous trim but I unpicked it and now I really like it. And this is one of the finished bags. I really like the handles but not so happy with the lining. The pink doesn't really go. Bits of the handles were patched together from leftover scraps. Definitely a favour of mine! Bag number two has brown lining and looks much better but the multicoloured handles would have looked nice! This is the back of the bag. The fabric looks great now doesn't it? :) Here's the close up of the fabric. Finally, here's two pictures of the front and back of a sleeping mask I made for my aunt from Amy Butle

Greeny from Butterick B4516

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I finished sewing this top from Butterick pattern B4516 I really need to learn how to alter patterns so that I don't have loose armholes. I also need to change it so it has a smaller neck. But its a living and learning experience! I do like the colour and its great to wear under cardies and jackets to work!

A beautiful dress

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I saw this in a shop in town - and love the colour and style! Doesn't it hang great?

Art from old tights!

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I have a pair of tights I love but unfortunately on my way to work I got a hole in them. (Damn zips on knee high boots, grrr.) So I took them home and washed them. I hate throwing things out (is there a pattern emerging?). I had two canvases on frames and decided to give art creation a go! So step one. Find tights/pantyhose you like with a nice pattern (preferably preused so you don't go adding to the landfill/general waste). Get a small ish canvas on a frame (it can be bigger than the one in the picture as tights stretch) and assemble a scissors! Next place the canvas into the tights and find a spot that you haven't ripped! Move it around until it looks good. Cut the toe off and the leg leaving about 1 inch/ 5 cm on either side of the canvas. This is roughly what it should look like. Affix each end of your tights to the wrong side of the canvas using a tack. I've used a large thumb tack here so you can see it properly but you can use small thumb tacks or small nail

And another one...

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I figured out what was really wrong with my top and made a sash in remnant satin (yea, for remnant bins) for it. I think it works so much better now! I'm almost finished the skirt that broke my sewing machine :) I just need to hem and attach an eye and hook. I'll post it when its done but I used the left over material and lining to make another tote bag. I figure I'll use less plastic bags if I have alternatives I want to bring with me. I didn't use any interfacing for the handles so they're not as comfy as I would like. Still doing the job though as I've been using it all week. Finally for this installment. I created a care instructions card for my Aunt's scarf, which is now all wrapped up and addressed and just waiting for the appropriate postage! Have a great weekend everyone!

A crafty Sunday

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I bought a lot of remnant material in Spotlight yesterday and there was one pattern I didn't like so I was going to make placemats. But as I was going to a houseparty this evening and I want to spread the use of reusable bags, I made up a tote to carry some cupcakes I was taking with me! Big enough to carry a few books so hopefully some use will be made out of it! I made the base fairly big (below) and lined the bag with the same material. It was thermal lined curtain material. And inside are my cupcakes! I iced them using icing sugar made with lemon juice and topped with rind. And a close up of my cupcakes! I'll try to post a picture of all my remnants but some of them are still drying (of course you have to wash them first).

A cushion, a top, a wash cloth and a few more cards

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My flatmate has a particular fondness for cord. I made this cushion to help her out (and get to grips with my new sewing machine!). I think the buttons work quite well. And two photographs of the top I finished in Monday night's dress making class. I think it looks much much better tucked in and would probably benefit from a large chunk taken off the end but it'll do for now! There was a special on cotton yarn in my local shop and I was on the look out for something that would be suitable for a wash cloth. This is the first time (since primary school) that I used double crochet so while it didn't work out wonderfully - it was a first attempt that will keep my face clean! The next one I'm working on at the moment looks so much better. Finally, a series of thank you cards for people who have helped me out over the last while and a birthday card for my aunt (to go with the green scarf !). A productive day! (And I even got some real work done as well. Why is that the

A few Christmas cards

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The first three cards use a set of stickers that were really cheap in my local craft shop. I think they're quite effective. I really like the first one. It reverses the colours - a really bright landscape (three scraps of handmade and metallic paper) and a white out background. This was the main design for my christmas cards last year. I mocked up the stick tree using lines in photoshop and then photocopied the design onto card. I used tracing paper over it and added jewels and a ribbon. These guys are a set of stickers I was given for my birthday last year (thanks, E). Not a lot of labour involved but again I like the look of them! I may have a problem hoarding scraps. The translucent orange on the second one is a recycled sweet wrapper and the jewels on the last one were on a tshirt at one stage. I think the ribbon came from somewhere else too. Better reuse than recycle I suppose!

My first quilt (in progress)

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I've started a quilt! Yeap and very happy about it too! It will be made of three coloured blocks made from old sheets via a charity shop. I'm quite excited about it and its taking shape faster than I expected. Though it isn't the most exciting thing in the world to cut out the squares so that's what's holding the process up!

A round up of old projects

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I've been clearing out my computer and looking at my old craft photographs. I loved this T shirt and have spent the last year trying to find t shirts I like the fit of that I can play around with. It was cross stitched using waste canvas. This design for the dinosaur is from a great pixel art picture , I just converted each square into a cross stitch. I made up the design for the caveman as the dinosaur was a little too low down! I learnt a valuable lesson about spacing! Not the greatest photograph, but it'll have to do! I haven't been able to make a lot of cards since I arrived in the Southern Hemisphere as I hadn't realised how much I relied on the stuff I've accumulated over the last few years. I also think I over dosed on making cards as I was making wedding invites for friends. But here's a few I'm proud of! I'm a huge fan of recycling nice paper packaging and the last card is from a Monsoon paper bag - I love their colours! A definite pink them