A couple of small projects

I have a lovely bag which I received as a Christmas present a few years ago. It was bought from Accessorize and I love it, it has lots of pockets to put things in and it is a good design. I use this bag in the winter as it is made of wool. As I have used it so much the pink piping on the handles had started to fray over Christmas leaving the piping exposed.

Frayed piping on handles.

I wanted to carry on using the bag and there was nothing wrong apart from it now looking a bit tatty, so I bought some bias binding to replace the pink with.

I took the handles apart, removed the pink fabric from the piping cord, stitched the new navy blue bias binding over the piping cord and then put the handles back together and reattached to the bag. This took quite a while but I am very pleased with the results as the bag looks so much smarter, it still feels strong and should keep me going for another few years.

I also made this little bag for a friend of mine as a birthday present. I love this fabric as it is so bright and fun. I lined it with pale pink felt and put on a bright pink zip.

Cupcakes small zip bag.

Summer bag - Tile Florish

Hello,

This is a bag I finished for myself about Eastertime. I have been test driving it since and am very happy with it.

Pixie bag

Close up of inside lining and magnetic fastener

The fabric is from Joel Dewberry's lovely collection, and the fabric is Tile Flourish in green. I saw this in John Lewis a while ago when thinking of the bag and knew that was the right fabric. Something fresh and bright for Spring Summer, while being a pattern which can go with anything.

The other fabric is a gorgeous pale blue which I bought at the same time, it also has a nice weight to it, not too thin and flimsy.

I used a pattern I bought on Etsy which can be found here. It is the Pixie handbag. A very nice pattern, easy to follow and I love how having the darts in it gives the bag so much shape.

The pattern was reversible, but I have only put interfacing on one side, and am quite happy with having it this way round. Also I added a magnetic clasp to the bag. You can see that inside for the lining we have the pale blue for the bottom half, and the tile flourish for the top band.

I stitched it with a pale blue thread to blend in with the fabric.

I focused on making sure my top stitching was as straight as possible and have been working on ensuring that I reverse stitch at the end of a line and keep threads tidy.

I bought the fabric from eclectic maker a website I will definitely use again. Beautiful fabrics, reasonable p&p and quick delivery which was beautifully wrapped.

New skills and materials used

No new skills, but improving my technique on topstitching, ironing and darts.

Joel Dewberry - Tile Flourish green

Pale blue cotton

Interfacing

Gutterman polyester thread

1 magnetic bag fastener

Shopping list

 http://www.eclecticmaker.co.uk/

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/94730453/reversible-pixie-handbag-purse-email-pdf

Quilt project: Vintage Laura Ashley

Now that my quilt is finished I have another one lined up to make already! Recently my grandma has been sorting out some of her things and she has tried all sorts of crafts over the years. She has found a quilt which she started to make years ago and has asked me to finish it for her. It was bought as a kit for a single bed in Laura Ashley in London in the late 1970’s, and I think it cost £10 at the time, I even have the two bobbins of cotton bought at the time. As you can see it has some way to go. I have already cut up a lot of card to make the hexagons and put some of the patches on. I need to finish up all of the patches and then stitch them to the main quilt. I think it is going to look very pretty when it is done.

Quilt as I received it

Quilt and hexagon pieces

UPDATE: I have now put all of the fabric onto hexagons. Last week I laid everything out on the floor to work out what order to stitch the rest of the pieces. It took a few attempts to work out what was the best orientation for the part already made and once I had established this I was short alot of hexagons. I seem to have lots of the white pattern and not enough of the pink. 

First orientation - not enough hexagons

Second orientation - better, but not enough of certain patterns and still missing some

plan for the layout at one end, ignore the colours I was working on the number required.

So I had a think and decided to buy some more fabric in order to replace the missing pieces. I wanted a fabric which was mainly pink as that would work best with my plan.

I couldn’t really find anything and was considering a gingham or a dotty print, but didn’t think my grandma would like them very much. Other patterns seemed too ‘floral’  or ‘rosebuddy’ and did not fit in with the existing patterns. I didn’t want to use a plain fabric because I thought it would look wrong introducing a plain so late in the design.

In the end I came across a vintage piece by chance on esty. I saw it and thought ‘this is perfect’ the correct shade and pattern and is actually very similar to one of the patterns already in the quilt. It is from a seller in America so I can’t wait for it to arrive. I hope the size works out ok as I need to get 60 hexagons from it.

See post part two for the finished item.

Winter project completed - first quilt

This winter I have been working as a conservator on a project which has just finished

Due to working away for a good few months with no internet access and limited phone signal I decided that I would make my first quilt to give me something to do in the evenings.

I have always loved patchwork and admiring quilts, but never got round to making one, so here was the perfect excuse. I went to a lovely craft shop near my parent’s house and took ages to choose my fabric. In the end I selected a kit which the shop had made up. It was for a basic square and rectangle quilt and could be the size of a cot quilt or a lap quilt when completed. I chose a beautiful charm pack of 50 5 x 5 inch squares, and then 2 extra fat quarters and couldn’t wait to get started on it.

I really enjoyed doing the patchwork, but when it came to sewing up the blocks I realised how important it is to make sure all of your seam allowances are the same as some of mine are a bit ‘off’ so some squares are a bit small.

I then added some embellishments, by stitching on some crochet ribbon and some old ribbon my grandma gave me. 

Crochet ribbon along the bottom, blue ribbon on blue panel.

I also stitched the cute cherry pattern of one piece in satin stitch and stem stitch, which gives it a nice effect. I quilted some squares as well.

Stitched detail on cherry panel.

I added the boarder which is burgundy and blends in well with the colour theme and this was from a slightly heavier cotton and this will make it a bit more robust.

For the wadding I used Hobbs Heirloom 100% cotton and I like the fact that this seems a bit heavier, I enjoyed working with this wadding. I then quilted the whole quilt and then added the navy blue boarder. I struggled a bit with the mitred corners to make them look tidy.

Boarder and binding

I have finished it tonight and I am very pleased with it, it is also extremely warm, much warmer than I thought it would be. I am regretting having made such a small quilt, but am pleased with my first attempt.

I sewed the whole quilt by hand, as I was working away. I enjoyed doing the patchwork by hand, but I think that quilting by machine makes the effect much more defined and also neater. In future I will do quilting on the machine.

I have not prewashed the fabric, having only remembered it halfway through making it, so I carried on and did not prewash the boarder or binding either.

I really like the colour theme as I wanted my first quilt to have an old fashioned look to it. It measures 129 x 100 cm or 51 by 39 inches.

Finished quilt

Finished quilt

New skills and materials used

·         Patchwork

·         Quilting

·         Satin stitch and stem stitch

·         Constructing the quilt sandwich and stitching it together.

Shopping list

·         Charm pack http://www.patchworkdogandbasket.co.uk/

·         2 metres burgundy cotton, Cloth store, Crawley

·         ½ metre blue cotton, Cloth Store, Crawley

·         Crochet ribbon, fabricland, Salisbury http://www.fabricland.co.uk/salisbury.htm

·         Wadding, www.hobbycraft.co.uk

My sewing machine is no longer naked!

My sewing machine lives on my desk next to my laptop and it is quite happy there. However I am fed up that every time I start sewing I have to dust it off, it just seems to attract dust. 

Dusty sewing machine :(

 This could be a hint that I need to clean more, however I decided I would make a cover for it instead. I found this lovely linen on fabricrehab.co.uk and decided to give it a go.

 

Firstly I made a practise cover from calico which I drew on and could unpick and move the seams without worrying about waste. This worked out well as I only had my sewing machine as a guide for the size. Essentually I started with two large rectangles and two thinner ones and adjusted the seams until it was a good fit.

calico with pins.

Then I cut the pattern fabric based on the calico cover with a seam allowance.

I had some issues with the cutting as I didn't quite have enough fabric, I had not ordered enough. Therefore one of the panels (typical that it is the front one!) is 3 sections stiched together. The square pattern on the fabric was useful for this and made the joins hander to see.

Front panel with sections

Next  I sewed up the four side seams, ironed and sewed the hem at the bottom.

Top section before sewing

Now for the top. Originally I was going to sew on a fifth panel as the top piece, however once I had cut the fabric I had cut it tall enough so that I could fold over the two sides and sew in the middle to complete it. This does mean that my sewing is rather visible, but I kept it as even as possible so it should look ok.

Finished cover

Cut away area for plug

My happy and tidy looking desk hurrah

I'm pleased with this and my desk looks alont neater now. Hopefully my sewing machine is pleased it will no longer get covered with dust!

New skills and materials used

• Cutting fabric for a pattern. Need to take my time doing this and not rush it. The first attempt was the wrong way round. 
• It is important to think hard before ordering fabric and double check measurements.

Shopping list

• Linen www.fabricrehab.co.uk
• Thread Gutermann green and orange

Kindle Cases

I got a kindle for Christmas and it is one of my favourite presents for a long time! For those who don’t know about it, it is basically an mp3 player for books. So it has a mini screen and you can download, store and read books on it. It is great because the screen on it is black and and white and designed for text, so is nothing like a computer screen. I love being able to carry it on the train and not get weighed down by all my books! So my beautiful kindle required a beautiful case to keep it nice and shiny. I wasn’t going to pay £50 for the official one, plus it makes it really heavy, so I made my own.

Case 1

I realised that all I wanted from a case, was something small and slim to protect it from dust and scratches whilst it is in my bag. I wanted to keep the weight and size down, and have it easy to open and close.

So I decided that I would quilt the cover, for padding. I wanted something to make it slightly rigid as well, therefore I inserted two pieces of cardboard inside. I had a top open with a button clasp so I can get it out and put it away quickly. I chose this dark fabric so it wouldn’t get as dirty.

Layers: lining cardboard, wadding, outer fabric.

Case and kindle

I like my case and it does exactly what I need it to. Because of the way I made it with the quilting and the cardboard it was all hand sewn.

Part 2

Then my sister got a kindle for her birthday, and I offered to make her a case for hers as well. Now you may remember the owl bag? That was for the same sister, so she is a pretty funky girl. The fun bit was choosing the fabric and I found this design and knew it was perfect. It is ‘A wonderful reproduction print from an original 1950's design by Jacqueline Groag held by the V&A collection.’ (fabricrehab, 2011)

Blue felt for the lining as it is soft and will protect the screen, and a matching blue zip.

Mid Century Books Fabric

As she would be travelling to college every day I knew she would use it a lot. So I altered my case slightly and came up with this.

Due to my recent zip experience, I wanted to put a zip in her case, and this would be more protective.

Her case is quilted with square quilting to mimic the pattern of the fabric. This was sewn by hand. Next I went to sew the lining and zip onto it, and my sewing machine went a bit mad, as I realised it does not like wadding!

Therefore a small redesign was in order. I cut a piece of fabric and ironed on interfacing then tacked this to the quilted section. The interfacing also helped to give structure to the case. Therefore it was now ok to use the sewing machine and I sewed on the zip and the felt lining.

Once that was done I sewed up the case and pulled it right side out, neatened up the seams and was finished.

My zip endings were similar to the make up case, and not perfect, but the zip functions fine and the kindle fits in and out nicely.

Completed case

Kindle with cases

Kindle with case 2

I really love this fabric, it is colourful, modern and perfect as the kindle is for reading books.

The zip ensures the case is completely closed and protective, and the quilting gives it soft padding.
My sister was also pleased judging by the text message I received once she got the parcel 'I LOVE IT!!! YOU'RE SO AMAZING!! XXXXXX'

New skills and materials used

• Quilting

Shopping list

• Outer fabric, case 1: Small star design. Boyds, Lincoln

• Outer fabric, case 2: Mid Century Books Multi, www.fabricrehab.co.uk

• Lining and zip: Boyds, Lincoln

Mini make up case

This make is significant for me as it is my first attempt at a zip (please see post in a few days time about this)

My housemate was moving back to Germany last week and I wanted to give her a little gift. I saw that her make up bag was looking a bit worn out and then I came across this stunning tutorial on flossie teacakes website and I just had to make it! The final product looked lovely and her photographs were excellent with clear descriptions at all points. Please see her blog post www.flossieteacakes.blogspot.com/2009/05/lined-zippered-pouch-make-up-bag.html, for more information.

Pattern fabric. Lining. Sew on interfacing. Zip.

So this is the fabric all prepped, pinned and ready to sew on the zip. This was the first time I had used sew on interfacing and I liked it. I found it was soft and easy to work with, and gave a bit more support than the fabric alone.

 

Zip sewn on, hurrah!

Next I sewed up the lining and outer to create the case shape, pulled the bag right side out and ironed flat.

Finished case!

Detail of top of case

Inside case with small label

The finished case is 8 x 6 inches. Now it does not look completely like how it should, especially the zip. The ends are more rounded and not very neat as the ends of the zip just disappear inside the bag. One reason for this is that when I was sewing the zip ends they stuck out outside the edges of the fabric therefore of course they ended up getting tucked inside.

I think the reason for this may be due to the length of my zip. The tutorial said the zip should be 8 inches, and I took this to be the section of zip that closes, maybe it refers to the whole zip piece of fabric. Also when I was attaching the zip ends I made sure that they did not cover the closeable part of the zip and had them on the ends only, perhaps they are meant to cover the zip more. I will have to look into this.

However I am still very pleased. I managed to sew my first zip, it was not as complicated as I thought it would be, and my housemate loved it. I really like this fabric and the bag is a useful size, I think I will make myself one too!

New skills and materials used

· Sewing a zip

· Sew in interfacing

Shopping list

· Outer fabric: Joannfabric, USA.

· Lining: Boyds, Lincoln.

· Label: Callyco, Lincoln. http://www.callyco.com/