Simple felty foods #2

Last week I shared with you some pictures of the felt food toys I had been making for my little girl for Christmas.  Since then I've been going free-style and making the patterns up for the food as I go along.  It seemed a little daunting to begin with, but once I'd figured out how to make the basic shapes in 3D I was flying along.  Here's my progress so far...

 

 

The sausages were made with rectangles of pink felt rolled into tubes and simply whip-stitched along the length to hold in place.  The tube was then stuffed and both ends were drawn in, the strings were knotted off and then taken back through the sausage with a needle.  This helps hide loose ends and I also think it makes stuffed toys stronger and less likely to come apart.  The penne pasta was made in a similar way, instead of stuffing the ends were cut at angles and left open.

 

 The mushrooms were a bit harder to master.  Probably not helped by the fact they're not entirely made of felt, but I just couldn't resist using up this scrap of fabric.  It just shouted "mushrooms" at me!  The stalks were pretty simple (sewn inside out and then turned right way around and stuffed.)  The tops are made from two circles of fabric.  The top fabric had a diameter of approx 2cm more than the bottom, which I then drew in and turned under a small seam allowance as I sewed the two together.  The mushroom gills are embroidered on with a simple back stitch.

 I just love these little prawns!  They were a lot simpler to make than they look... I am thinking of doing a mini tutorial for them though, as they may need a few photos to help with the explaination.

 

 
These tea bags aren't the most realistic looking, but I really wanted to add a little colour and fun.  I really have a thing for sequins, use them wherever and whenever I can!  Thinking of doing a mini tutorial for these too as I'd really like to share with you how I have sewn the strings in safetly and securely... Nothing worse than a toy that is a choking hazard, or one that falls appart on Christmas morning!

Are you making Christmas gifts this year?  Leave me a link in the comments below, I'd love to see what you've been making too.

Next on the agenda for me... a roast chicken I think, eep!

Simple felty foods

Earlier in the year I posted about the felt sandwich toy I made for my daughter's second Birthday.  It proved to not only be a hit with my daughter, but has become one of my most viewed blog posts, so I thought I would share with you my plans for some more felty food toys I'm making my little one for Christmas.

 

I had this idea to make lots of bits and pieces for a kind of shop/market for my little girl.  So far I have been warming up by stitching some simple felt foods mainly from existing patterns which I've saved from old craft magazines.

 

 

Techniques so far have included sewing 3D cylinders, circles which are drawn in and stuffed (similar to making a Suffolk puffs,) and also tubes and cone shapes, both with drawn in ends.

 

 

OK so these strawberries aren't entirely felt, but they were so simple to make!

 

 

The carrots were made using the same kind of technique as the strawberries.

 

 

I particularly like this simplified version of a jammy dodger, from an old Mollie makes magazine.

 

 I do love sewing with felt, it's both easy and satisfying.  None of that stressing over fraying seams and lots of quick and easy whipstitching!  I've already made some felty sausages and bacon since taking these photos and have plenty more foodie makes planned, which I hope to share with you over the next few weeks.

 

Are you planning a handmade Christmas this year?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden embroidery

Today I am finishing off a garden themed embroidery that I have been working on for a little while now.  She is to sit in a little rectangular frame I jazzed up (or jazzed down, as it was turquoise with a picture of FOUR TROUTS, (yes as in the fish,) and is now trusty old cream!)  Hopefully she will help to brighten the walls of my living room on this grey day...

 

I am missing all the sunshine already.  Standing on one leg, stretched out with tinfoil in my hands, trying desperately to reflect some light into these photos... Oh the glamour!

 

 

P.S. Don't tell anyone, but I've been watering my plants all summer with water from washing up bowls, not a posh watering can!  Happy Sunday all x 

 

Hot make for the cold months!

Hello!  I have been absent from my blog for a while now, lots of making going on, but a lack of blogging.  As the time passes, it's been harder and harder to get back into the swing of things! 

 

I thought I would come back with an easy sewing project ready for the cooler weather, that you could also make as a Christmas gift.  *Gasp!* It may be a little premature, but it is already on my mind, and if you are making gifts this year, you need to be planning ahead!

 

Before I show you my make, here's a little catch up...

 

 

During late summer/ early autumn I have: 

1. Finished my double quilt. I'm not entirely happy with it, but it is such a load off my mind.    That is ALL of the FOUR jumbo unfinished blanket projects I started the year with, done and dusted (I must be mad!) 
2. Sewn a mish mash patch work curtain for my back door, readying the house for the cold weather.
3. Preserved what can only be described as THE bumper crop of plums.  Jam, chutney, pies, sauce and bags and bags of frozen plums to see us through the year.
4. Been doing more jam making with blackberries and lots of lovely chutneys from the crops in our garden.
5. Sewn a few smaller projects.
6. Had my car in the garage three times, argh!
7. Sorted wood, kindling, coal, chimney sweep in prep for fire lighting.
8. Enjoyed a mini beak to Cromer in Norfolk and a mini break to Sheffield.
9. Been drowning in free apples.
10. Painted our bathroom (only two rooms to go whoop!)
11. Crocheting a blanket for my little girl's bed.

There's probably more, but that's just off the top of my head.  Here's my little sewing project...



 

Winter Warmer How-To

Mini hot water bottle cover

 

This cute little hot water bottle cover was so simple to make! 
And best of all, if you're making it for yourself or as gift,
you can customise it as much as you like!

 

 

You will need:

 

A small hot water bottle

Cereal box for template

A pen to mark card and a fabric pen

Two large pieces of felt in hot pink and light pink

Sewing needle

Scissors

Pins

Sewing thread in hot pink and brown (to match felt and another to match your patch)

Embroidery thread in blue

Sew on/ iron on embroidered patch

 

How to:

 

1.  Draw around your hot water bottle onto the cardboard, leaving a 1.25cm border.  Leave a wider space around the neck of the hot water bottle, as in the photo below. 

 

 

2. Use the cardboard template you made to create two templates for the back of the hot water bottle cover.  (See photo below as a guide to where to place envelope opening.)  Remember to leave approx 1cm overlap for the two back pieces.

 

 

3.  Draw around templates onto both colours of felt and cut out pieces.

 

4.  Pin and sew together light and hot pink pieces using backstitch or running stitch and hot pink thread, leaving 0.25cm seam allowance around the pieces.

 

5. Sew on embroidered patch. I used brown cotton so the stitches were invisible.

 

6.  Draw on words with fabric pen.  I used couching embroidery for the lettering.  (Basically couching is attaching one thicker thread by using lots of little stitches and a smaller thread.)  I used three strands of blue embroidery thread and couched over it with the same hot pink thread I used to backstich the pattern pieces together. 

 

If you're not sure about couching, a simple back stitch or a split stitch would certainly do the job.

 

7.  Blanket stitch the two edges which will form the envelope opening.

 

8.  Pin all the pieces together, making sure that the right sides are facing out and blanket stitch around the whole cover.

 

 

9.  Fold back envelope opening and insert hot water bottle.

 

 

 

 Taah-Daah!

 

The colours really do sing sing.  The pink and blue make your eyes go a little crazy don't you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Love is all you need...

Hello, apologies its been such a long time since my last post.  The reason behind this is my daughter and her naps... or lack or them.  The terrible twos have hit and now I am no longer getting my window of crafting time.  I swear there are not enough hours in the day! 

 

I finally got to do some sewing at the weekend and was feeling inspired by a "HOME" picture I had seen ages ago by Dottie Angel, with a doily for the O in HOME (sorry I can't seem to find the original photo anywhere, but it was very similar to this image.) So I donned a floaty skirt to get me in the vintage sewing zone and set to work...

 

 

I have had this old picture frame (which I saved from the dustbin/freebie) knocking around for ages, and all the fabrics were either thrifted or from my scraps box.  The letters were all machine sewn on and I hand stitched the doily on around all the twirly whirly hoops with contrasting pink thread.  (It took a very long time!)

 

 

I also hand sewed this little hanging heart, to sit alongside the picture frame.

 

 

I even gave cross stitch a go for the first time in about twenty years.  It really was quite therapeutic! 

 

 

Slowly our little housie is becoming more and more homely... 

 

 

Happy little housie, happy little me :o)

 

 

 

User Upper Of Wooly Bits - Crochet Scarf Tutorial

This little project was originally inspired by A SCARF OF MANY SCRAPS, over on Tales of Ted and Agnes blog.  I read this blog post nodding my head and thinking, yurp I do have far too many odds and ends of wool laying around.  In fact I have a whole drawer full of bits and pieces that could do with using up.  What doesn't help is the fact that the first crochet project I ever undertook was a small afghan which used lots of different colours in small amounts.

(in hindsight this would have been a good project to use some of these little bits up... but you can't tell that to a woman on a crochet mission!)

 

With each each project I finish since then, I seem to just be adding more and more to my odds and ends drawer!

 

I've tried to add my own spin on this project.   I wanted to learn a new crochet stitch, so have made it almost lace looking.  Being a bit of a colour freak, I couldn't resist making this in brights.  My two coats that I've made this to go with are purple and electric blue, so, well, that says it all really!  Also part way through crocheting this scarf I decided to incorporate some embroidery into this project too... I mean, why not? I do have a habit of over complicating things I make.  Sometimes it can be a bit of a ball ache, but usually I'm happy with the results!

 

 

The stitch I've used is Basic Filet Crochet.  It looks complicated and fiddly, but if you look really closely it is made up of lots of chain stitches and double crochet, which are just placed in a repeating pattern.  So in reality it is actually really simple!

 

The pattern is worked in multiples of 12, plus 1.  I have done the scarf 4 x this in width, as I don't like a scarf that is too thin.  Seemingly a little pointless when you have the cold wind whipping around your neck!

 

 

The pattern goes as follows:

 

1. Ch12, plus 1, turn work.

 

2. Ch3 (to count as first dc), dc in 4th ch from hook, *3 dc, ch 2 (skip 2 stitches), dc in next ch, ch 2 (skip 2 stitches), dc in next ch, ch 2 (skip 2 stitches), dc. Repeat from * til end of row, turn work.

 

3. Ch 5 (skip 2 ch space), dc into top of dc, 2 dc into ch space, dc into top of dc, *ch 2 (skip ch space), dc into the top of dc, ch 2 (skip 2 dc), dc into top of dc, ch 2 (skip ch space), dc into top of dc, 2 dc into chain space, dc into top of dc, repeat from * to last 2 squares, ch 2 (skip ch space), dc into top of dc, ch 2 (skip 2 dc), dc into top of dc, turn work.

 

4. Ch 3, dc into top of dc, *2 dc into ch space, dc into top of dc, ch 2 (skip ch space), dc into top of dc, ch 2 (skip 2 dc), dc into top of dc, ch 2, (skip ch space), dc into top of dc, repeat from *, ending with a dc in 3rd ch of ch space at end of row, turn work.

 

5. Continue steps 3, 4, 3, 4...

 

6. When I got towards the end of the scarf, I decided I wanted to add embroidery detail.  To do this I simply filled in the little "windows" (ch spaces) in three places, to leave space for three patches to be sewn on.  This is mainly so that the scarf appears neat on the reverse side and also to keep the embroidery laying fairly flat.

 



The scarf I made is 188 rows in length.  Long enough to double over and fold back through itself.  The block patches I have added are on rows 165, 168 and 178.  You could also make this scarf narrower and shorter for a much quicker project.

 

 

As we are coming to the end of winter, (hey its nearly summer and still snowing here!) I wanted to give the scarf a little longevity of wearing, so gave it a spring time vibe.  I've added embroidery of two blue birds with a heart, a sunshine peaking through clouds and the words "one fine day." I created the patches using two layers of cotton fabric.  The designs were drawn on in water soluble pen and embroidered using only satin stitch and basic back stitch.  I then ladder stitched the patches into place, tidied up all my loose ends, washed away the water soluble pen and voila!

 

 

I wore her into town today and she was lovely and warm!



Doily designs

I've been struck with inspiration over the weekend.  Although not much actual sewing has gone on, I've been working on lots of ideas, laying out fabrics, deciding on colours, playing around with composition, etc.  Quite often the actual design process can be more difficult than the sewing and putting together of pieces!

 

I have been gathering quite a nice little collection of doilies of late.  Although I fear someone else is now buying up all the lace pieces, as there were none in my favourite charity shop on Friday.  Not even any of the odd ones I had discarded the previous week, thinking I shouldn't really buy so many in one go, oh dear!  Oh well, I'm sure if I bumped into this other doily enthusiast, we would probably get on rather well.  Spread the doily love!

 

 

Here's a little glimpse of what I've been working on:

 

 

I'm hoping to add a lovely large tear drop chandelier piece to this one, as I think it will work well with the shimmery voile and metallic threads.

 

 

Feeling inspired by all the wonderful sunny weather we had this week, I almost forgot myself as its now snowing.  I can't wait to get out in the garden and get planting!

 

 

A wee pink number.

 

 

Last but not least, my current favourite, as I love all the bright colours.  I am also rather fond of this little beige doily.

Roses, turquoises and pinks

So far, so good. I am already about 180 (ish) squares into my next crochet project.  This is to be a large afghan to cover a double bed (400 squares approx.)  The colour scheme is light, dusky and dark rosy pink, turquoise, pale blue, green, off white and light purple.  I am also, although at a snails pace, working on a hand embroidered double quilt in simialr colours.

 

I have tried to work with yarn I've been given, and shape it into a project which works, rather than outright buying a whole bunch of new colours.  Not only does my purse feel the benifit, it encourages me to work with colours I might not necessarily choose.  It will look slightly different once it is laid out in its entirety, as there will be a more even spread of colours throughout.  So although I think I may need to buy a few odd extra balls once I'm further along, I'm not panicking just yet!

These are the other yarns I've not used yet (along with various repeats of all the other colours.)

Now, you may be wondering how I've had such a quick turn around between this afghan and the last...  Well, I can tell you that I'm not that super speedy at the old crochet malarky.  I was already part started on this project.  The two blankets started as one. (one large afghan for my double bed.)  Then I was given more yarn, had a change around of colour schemes in various rooms as they were slightly confused.  I ummed and ahhed a lot, and after much deliberation decided to split it into two projects.  The first, a large sofa throw (which I finished a couple of weeks ago,) and the second, a double bedspread.  This also explains why I am using the same pattern again.  I wouldn't normally (although I do really like the block effect of the colours in this pattern,) I would normally move onto pastures new and mix things up, so as not to get bored.  But I am technically recycling the left over squares, to finally complete the bedspread that I originally set out to make.  I do like to make things complicated for myself!

 

 

Now this is the quilt I am working on.  Some of the squares still have the water soluble pen in the background from where I've drawn the design on before embroidering.  I am waiting to wash it all out on completetion though, as I worry it may come appart where its tacked in place if I fiddle with it too much.

 

 

Hello, its a little birdy!

 

 

All the squares are different, from flowers to birds, words to tea cups, I've tried to keep the pictures as varried as possible.  I can tell you, that is hard with so many squares to fill!

 

 

Some lovely Tilda fabrics, and a small bird house :o)

 

 

Boing!

 

 

Not all of my squares line up perfectly, but as mum says "its the homemade look." And I hope that my pukka embroidery skills make up for that.  I never have been very fond of measuring and straight lines anyway!

An afternoon of sewing

Today I have been busy as a bee, sewing myself into a cross-eyed stupor all of the afternoon. 

 

 

I have made two tiny owl brooches, which I am hoping to add to my new Folksy shop in the next few days. (Need to work out the packing and logistics of the shop before I start selling.)

 

 

The brooches are all made by hand, with lots of teeny tiny embroidery stitches including back stitch, satin stitch and blanket stitch in DMC embroidery silks.

 

 

 

I also spent a pretty few hours on this little squirrel, who is made with a combination of machine and hand embroidery, including back stitch, French knots, satin stitch and a complicated one called battlement filling stitch.  I was going to make the squirrel into a little brooch too, but I quite liked the peachy orange colour against the rose print cream fabric.  I might keep him in the hoop yet and add a little more to the picture. I was thinking...

 

 

 I may applique the speech bubble and hand embroider the text with couching stitch.  Still in the thought process at the moment.  I don't know if its a bit inappropriate now I have a child, but she can't read yet, so I figure I can get away with it!