Crafty Mermaid

I'm in Spain at a workshop at the moment and am awake since 4am this morning (damn jetlag and heat) but I've a host of old photos I want to document so here they are!  Since I've started looking at houses in earnest, the appeal of home magazines has grown and grown.  I just love bright colourful interiors.  Living etc has been a real find.  Mostly clean and modern/retro with some great design pieces.  Now just to save up for that house... :)

I ordered these two books from amazon recently and can't wait to use them.  Although its probably going to be quite some time and maybe even next year!  I'm off on a six month work trip in a week and a bit and won't have access to a sewing machine and there's curtains and a dress to finish before I go.  Both of which don't have much hope of getting done unfortunately.  I've really enjoyed looking at the books so far.  My sewing instructor thought how to make sewing patterns was great.    I can't remember where I saw this recommended but it definitely was a good source!

Cushion all sewn up, stuffed and finished with buttons.  Its currently installed in my office at work.

Remember this wool ? Well I've finished off all the gray but its nowhere near finished.  I've put it aside for the moment to finish off some of my stash (and started the other cushion cover).  At least I've figured out the tension for the version 2 and its a lot softer even using the acrylic yarns not this soft, soft merino.  Ah well, lesson learnt!

My mother was a little horrified that I was making a union jack - but BM needed a new cushion and I had scraps to make this.  The 'white' (read white with blue stripes and flowers) was an old shirt with some stains elsewhere.  The 'blue' was from a sheet ala the Salvation Army op shop.  The 'red' is a yard of fabric I bought ages ago in Spotlight.  I even had the zipper already (from the Salvation Army too). Measuring out the pieces and testing if a white 'white' would look ok.  The cushion underneath was BM's old one for the TV room and was getting very ragged around the edges.  I really like how this turned out. Unfortunately I messed up on the sizing and had to make a new cushion inset for it too as I ended up smaller on one dimension than the old one to get all the sections to line up.  Of course in the end the cushion didn't end up in the TV room at all.  We moved the current cushions from the living room in there and this is now in th...

Material world and simple gifts to stitch from my local library. The simple gifts book was far more inspiring - lots of nice little projects (including an apron pattern! ).  Only the last picture below is from material world. Frayed lavender linen sachets Sewn scarf Terry cloth bunny An apron! Pictures in hoops for the walls

Some totes from a bag of scraps from Spotlight. I'd love to be able to open those things and just take out the bits I want to buy.  But this other stuff comes with it as well.  I hope to use it all up at some stage and in the meantime I have a few more bags for shopping, the library, etc.

Some left over yarn for my ripple picnic blanket !  I'm really keen to use up all my old yarn before I get some more (I haven't been so great on that - but view it as aspirational!!) I followed Lucy at Attic 24 's pattern and really like how this worked out.  Just need to sew in the ends, make a cushion for it and attached some buttons.

I made this recently for a friend's new house - its stuffed with some lavender so should make some drawer smell wonderful :)

Oh what's this going to be??

Not much to look at - but I'm so happy I changed the ironing board cover.  Of course our ironing board is smaller than average and it took a few alterations but now is no longer stained and unhappy looking!

I bought this great packaging from Spotlight recently - I'm not really sure for what.  But it would make great bags to sell jewellery (if I ever bother making any again!)

Many thanks to Red Gingham for organising the apron swap. It was great to see all the creativity out there on the same item.  So to recap ( as requested by Red Gingham - so we can all see each other's). A fantastic peg apron from Off the Peg - who received the following apron from me! Follow the links for her pictures of my apron and hers! Plus my posts on my apron and her wonderful peg apron . Thanks again Red Gingham !

As part of my first swap , I received a wonderfully bright and spectacularly well made peg apron from Off the Peg .  I was pretty much blown away with the amount of work I know must have gone into the making of my apron.  First off - the fantastic card above :)   Then the wonderful apron itself. All wrapped up in a fabric bag with a doily addition. I finally got a clear winter's day and managed to get my laundry done and photograph the apron at the same time! Its lined and interfaced and has the cutest fabric buttons - and a key ring in the same fabric and embroidered to match! The fabric is this bright orange paisley pattern, beautifully accented with a white and cream fabric as the lining and straps.  It all feels so retro, modern and fresh at the same time! What a wonderful first swap!  It was a great experience and I can't wait to sign up for my next - thanks to Red Gingham for the invitation!

I finished my apron for the apron swap .  Thankfully - May was a much busier month than I was expecting (and I had quite low expectations!). I was really lucky to be paired with the amazingly talented Off the Peg .  Which had the dual effect of making me VERY excited about receiving some thing from this very creative lady and nervous that I wouldn't produce something to her high standards!  I still seem to suffer from the - if I made it, its not as good as something you would buy so then I have to add extras to it! I used a vintage sheet  and added a pink and white doily to the corner. I really enjoyed making this - but then as per usual started to think that it was too basic to swap. So I added a few extra items to the parcel. Thankfully as it turned out - as  Off the Peg 's apron was stunning (I even waited to send mine before I opened the parcel - that was a serious feat of patience!) And before my mother says it - I did iron the apron before p...