May 2012: my first quilt: finished!
19 May 2012 1 Comment
in Quilting Tags: quilting, sewing
Hoorah! And here we are, my finished quilt. I sent it off today and can’t wait to find out what my dear friend thinks about his gift. 
Above a last pic of the progress, that’s when I put the border on. I did that in different ways to what one is supposed to. Ha! I’m a rebel.
And here is the finished result before I wrapped the quilt up and parcelled it off to France.
April 2012: slippers to mules
05 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Sewing Tags: mules, shoes, upcycling
Yup, I finished these in April. I got some lovely embroidered slippers from eBay. Brand new and dirt cheap, but they were the tiniest bit too small, thus I chopped them up, put bias binding round the edges, and voilà! I have a pair of mules for summer.
April 2012: Renaissance Nightshirt
01 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Sewing Tags: historical costumes, machine embroidery, nightdress
About 15 years ago I bought the fabric, and about 13 years ago I started making a “Renaissance” shirt. In inverted commas, because it obviously wasn’t going to be authentic, what with the entirely wrong fabric and all. The half-finished shirt with its pretty machine embroidered collar and bits and pieces of cut fabric, then moved from place to place with me in a carrier bag. Often threatened to be thrown away, but always rescued owing to its prettiness of collar ad embroidery. Almost as often looked at and vowed to finish it – and never doing so.
When I re-found the bag with the shirt last week, in a start of a major sort-through and clean-up of my ‘Aladdin’s Loft’, I finally had an idea: why not make a night shirt out of it? I certainly had enough fabric. This is how I found the half-finished garment:
Some jiggery-pokery later, use of cut arm panels to lengthen the shirt into a floor length one, use of an existing strip of embroidery for narrow cuffs/wristbands, leftover pieces of fabric for gathered sleeves, I have a lovely floaty, embroidered “Renaissance” nighshirt.
P.S. For vielen Jahren habe ich dieses bestickte Hemd angefangen und nie fertig gemacht. Es ist von Haus zu Haus gezogen, von Wandschrank zu Box zu Speicher. Jetzt habe ich endlich mal schnell aus dem, was schon da war, und Stoff der in der Tuete dabeilag, ein Nachthemd gemacht. Tadaa!
April 2012: patchwork sofa cover – part 4
23 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Patchwork, Sewing Tags: IKEA fabric, sofa cover
Phew! The front & sides are finished now. Complete with calico lining.
I’ve ordered a roll of cotton bias binding in sunshine yellow, and while I’m not 100% sure yet how I’ll be putting the pieces together, it will involve unconventional seams and bias binding.
April 2012: Hallway Accessories revamp – key board
22 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Crafts, Homeware, Interior Design Tags: hallway, refashioning
My dad made this key board for me three years ago, but no matter how sentimental I am about things my family or friends make for me, it was time to update the look of the hallway accessories.
In line with the memory case, I sanded it down, filled some holes, was forced to prime it for some annoying reasons, then spray painted the key board glossy black. I then found polished tie-backs at B&Q, which I decided to use for hooks. Having had white glass mosaic tiles left over from my PacMan desk of Joy, I added one each into the square of the tie-back. Unfortunately I made a right pig’s ear out of the screws that came with the tie-backs. I should have known they were nasty and cheap and thus completely smoothed out, so I couldn’t screw them in – nor out any more. After a lot of swearing last night (it does help, trust me) and brutal use of a variety of my tools, I had snapped off, cut off, sawn of, pulled out, broken off, or hammered in enough of the pesky things so I could glue on the hooks instead. I then had to cover up the nastiness where the screws should have sit nicely, hence the pearls.
I can tell you that trying to take pics of a glossy black item with polished chrome bits in a narrow hallway with not enough natural light is tricky! Anyway, here it is, accessory number 2.
April 2012: sword and shield for the kids’ Knight costumes
22 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in Costumes Tags: bought, kid costumes, kids, knight costume, knights
Remember the Knight costumes I made for my nephews in December? (and of which I still haven’t got photos with my nephews in it, thanks, ever too busy family, grumble grumble) I found the most fabulous wooden sword and shield in my wee home town this weekend. “Fabulous”, because it means:
- I don’t have to make them myself for once
- I don’t have to paint them myself for once
- I had promised my twin nephs (shall I call them twephs?) at Christmas that I’d be getting sword and shield for them to complete the costume
- I am flying next month to visit them and
- the swords and shields will fit easily into my suitcase.
Hoorah all round, I say. I can now concentrate on finishing the quilt for my dear friend.
P.S. I am such an idiot! I had totally forgotten that I did actually get wooden swords for the twephs and I did send them as part of their Christmas present. Oh well, they’ll have two types of sword, then. Shall I maybe paint the pommels of this one?
April 2012: Kids’ Monster Blanket – part 1
22 Apr 2012 3 Comments
in Crafts, Sewing Tags: blanket, kids, sewing patterns
I got this fabulous pattern as part of the stash this week, and am planning to make two slightly different blankets for my twin nephews.
McCall’s has some great photos of the monster blanket on their website:
I bit the bullet straight away and ordered 1 meter each of these 9 different colours of polar fleece. That was I am going to force myself to actually go and make the blankets, because I’ve already paid for the fabric.
Watch this space!
P.S. Die 9 verschiedenen Flies Stoffe habe ich schon bestellt. ich mache 2 von den Monster decken fuer die Jungs zum Geburtstag.
April 2012: sewing pattern love
20 Apr 2012 6 Comments
in Sewing Tags: ideas, inspiration, sewing patterns
Okay, so this isn’t really a “I did this that or the other” post, but an indulgence. I absolutely love sewing patterns. I have a huge amount of them, collected over many years. I guess I am less about “she who dies with the biggest fabric stash wins” and more a “she who dies with the biggest pattern collection wins”.
Thing is, I can always get fabrics off the internet, and there will always be something I like or want. But sewing patterns? They become out of print all too quickly! Especially costume ones. Remember the Lord of the Rings craze? You could get a large variety of commercial patterns for this, and most of those are out of print now. Or retro ones. Or of course vintage ones. Or accessories. Or … you name it, it is one day not available anymore.
And I love patterns. Love them with a passion, because they give me the feeling of all that could be. All the ideas that I have when looking through them. I might never use a pattern ever in my life, but by golly, I could!
Jaycotts had (actually, they still have) a 50% off all Simplicity and McCalls patterns sale. How could I resist? I stumbled upon the site, meaning to look for something to amke for the garden tea party, and, well, I was lost. Hours later … and this is what arrived today.
1. Oh come on, how could I not? It’s gorgeous Steampunk. I might never make anything out of it, if I don’t have a reason to, but I love the pattern. Don’t forget, I adore patterns for patterns’ sake.
2. Isn’t that the most fabulous blanky for kids ever? The moment I saw it I knew I had to make two (different) ones for my twin nephews’ birthdays. Watch this space.
3. I love floaty jackets/throws for office outfits, because I can use all sorts of funky fabrics and embellishments.
4. See #3, plus I have a sari chiffon that I need to use up for something.
5. One of the wonderful retro patterns. Love it love it love it. I have decided that this is what I’ll make for the garden party, because it’s on the day of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and it’s a fancy 1950s apron, so that fits well. Worn with all black underneath. I just have to find a sickeningly cute fabric for it.
6. I intend to make a TARDIS bag. Why? because I can and because Dr Who is epic. Sure, I didn’t really need a pattern, I mean come on, that’s easy enough to come up with, but when I saw this one and its many varietions (plus it was 50% off…) I figured it would make things even easier and was good value for money.
7. Ignore the 1970s cutesy wuesty look of the pic on the pattern. I’m going to make a stripey night dress, in my usual to-the-floor fashion. I love long nightdresses, so there.
8. The coat? Gorgeous. I plan to use up some of my brocades for it. It’ll be great over black trousers and top.
So, here we go. I am a sewing pattern addict and I am not ashamed. They quite simply make me happy. Strange, but true.
April 2012: Hallway Accessories revamp – memory case
20 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Crafts Tags: decoupage, hallway, refashioning
Almost 3 years ago, after the till-death-doth-us-part (ha!) fiasco, I started immediately to redecorate my home. One of the things that came into my mind was to display some of the super replicas (and artefacts) I had from my years of re-enactment, especially the Anglo-Saxon ones. So the idea of a memory case for the hallway was born. I got the untreated wood shelves from Boxy Lady here in the UK. I have several items of hers (she also trades on eBay) and they are all fabulous and super value for money.
I am not updating the hallway by painting all the remaining doors white, like I did in the living room (well, one day, urgh…) and turning the accessories from Olde Worldy woody browny to sleek glossy black.
First, I spray painted the case black (thanks, Aldi, for your spray-paint specials last year). Then I printed a variety of manuscripts (thanks, Internet for excellent quality images).
After a lot of measuring, using a variety of rulers and triangles and compasses and then happy cutting. I glued my chosen manuscripts with the leftover PVA glue/water thinned solution from the decoupage clock.
The next day, after the paper had dried, all the bubbles and creases were gone. Extra virtual cookies for anyone who can identify all 6 of the manuscripts. 
The case went back onto the wall and I refilled it with my – freshly polished, don’t you just love silver and its tarnishing – replicas and artefacts.
Oh, and here’s the comparison. I much prefer the new version!
April 2012: patchwork sofa cover – part 3
16 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in Patchwork, Sewing Tags: conservatory, IKEA fabric, sofa cover
The “seat” of the sofa is now finished. I lined the patchwork with calico, which I got from a seamstress friend a few years ago and which had been used for skirt patterns. I felt too stingy to buy fabric, though, or use a nice one, so I chopped the skirt toile into pieces and sewed them together to fit. I only really need a lining so that the sofa cover can be easily washed without fraying.
