Blue Thursday

Hello there,
I stood in line today for four whole hours today hoping to buy tickets for Garth Brookes planned concerts in Dubliin this coming Summer only to be bitterly dissapponted (sold out!)
and  b..b..b..blue with the cold !!

Never mind ! I made some new friends in the queue (if only for a few hours !)
&  its not just every day you get to start off a (stone-cold-sober) singsong
with a bunch of total strangers on the streets of Cork!!

Lucky I had these little cuties to keep my hands (if not my fingers) toasty warm !

My first time crocheting with bamboo (Sidars Snuggly Baby Bamboo) and it was a really lovely yarn !
I started making up a beautiful wrap (with a pattern I purchased 3 years ago and have yet to use ). As the wrap progresssed I realised that it was going to cost me a small fortune to complete in this particular yarn so I frogged it and came up with a new plan.

I found this pattern online
and modified it somewhat to create my solid blue wrist warmers. I had to modify quite a bit as following the pattern mine were coming out really huge ! I deleted one shell in the round and added a longer wrist section.

I love them , nice and quick to hook up they match my new blue scarf :)
plus theres the added bonus that  I have enough yarn left from two balls to make a spare  :)

Hope your having a good week & do come back soon !

Love
Siubhan x x x

Blanket Blitz

Hello there,
I know I've been very quiet lately as I feel like I have been doing very little craft.

My sewing machine is on the blink (grrr!)  and there just never seems to be enough hours in the day...

Yet (almost) every evening I'm hooking away at some little project or another and when you gather them all together they make quite a nice little collection.

Meet some of the crochet blankets that have been hanging around our house ...

Lornas Wavy Crochet Blanket , currently adorning her VERY messy room

I loved making this blanket and Lorna does love it - its quite big - covering her bed in squidgy snuggly waves. If youve oodles of time on your hands and you'd like to make a similar blanket you'll find the instructions HERE by the wonderful Lucy at Attic 24. Hers is made in beautiful (but expensive) Cashmerino , mine is made from 'cheap as chips' acrylic yarns.

As the daughter has a blanket, so must the son ...
Here's Gavins Blanket.

Gavins Crochet Blanket - lives in his 'not so messy' room !

Not quite so girly I started this blanket as a way of using up two ENORMOUS balls of grey yarn I bought in Aldi ! Another one of Lucy's patterns you'll find it HERE.

At the moment i seem to be addicted to making baby blankets, Heres a nice wiggly one I made 2 summers ago , it currently resides on my office chair for chilly moments ...

My Office Crochet Blanket - brings in a bit of sunshine on grey days

The next one is a cotton blanket I made for 2 friends who are expecting a new arrival in May,
(we don't know if its a boy or a girl yet!) Much like the blanket I made in this post - I followed the Niki Trench pattern and really enjoyed working in cotton.

When I was in the yarn shop I spotted some lovely pink cottons too and just couldn't resist ! I found this wonderfull snuggly stitch created by Tamara at Moogly. Go visit her page !

Leaping Stripes & Blocks - LOVE this stitch !!!

Baby Blankets - Yup ! I AM tempted to make a blue one !

And finally a sneek peek the blanket I'm working on at present ...
It's very incomplete and taking simply AGES but I'll be sure and come back to share it with you when its done !

Ahhhhh !
Looking at all that colourful crochet goodness has cheered me up on this grey winters day  !
Thanks for visiting & come back soon !

Love
Siubhan x x x

Aprons for Amity

Tweeting away the other day I spotted a notice for 'Amity's Spring Fling & Pre-loved Night'.
Whoop Whoop ! Just the thing to get me making some lovely crafty spring - things!

{Source}

For those of you who aren't from Cork, 'Amity' is a most beautiful and fabulous clothes shop located on French Church Street, Cork. It's filled with funky and creative pieces & the most beautiful (& wearable) bridesmaids dresses ever!

{Source}

Amity will be offering 15% off everything (except their bridesmaids dresses) and upstairs will be filled with individual rails of pre loved clothing, accessories and crafts.
There's bound to be heaps of bargains and lots of eye candy for any browsing fashonistas !

I CANT WAIT !!!

I've been looking at my stock and  thought I'd make some fun vintage style aprons for the night (perfect last minute Mothers day gifts!)

Sweet yet sexy - I think these aprons will look great in Amity !

'Who's that good lookin' chic doing the cookin' ? '

Don't want to go the whole hog - this half aprons pretty cute too ! 

All of the aprons will retail at 25 Euros ( a bargain considering how much love is stitched into these cuties!)

I'm planning to bring along some of my CraftLee Bags too ...

And a collection of felt & fabric flower brooches ...

It's going to be a night time shopping extravaganza  and Im sure my main problem will be not spending anything I make in-store!


I have some plans to make some new stuff especially for  'Amity's Spring Fling & Pre-loved Night'. so I'd better stop writing & get making !!

Thank you for visiting & do come back again soon !

Love Siubhan x x x

CraftLee - Fab Fabric iPad Cover

Hello there!

After the success of my Fabric Kindle Cover I was delighted when my friend Gina asked me to make her an iPad cover from some funky fabric. Gina popped around on Tuesday and we had some lovely coffee and scones before we had a good look through my fabric stash to decide on which fabbie fabrics to choose.
I made the cover up this morning and am really delighted with the results! (I hope Gina likes it too!)

Have a look.....

We picked this lovely combo of darkest brown & beautiful cream & green fabric with a lovely stylised flower motif

Theres a pocket to keep your iPad safe when your on the move.

Theres a velco tab to keep the cover closed.

& a coordinating strip down the other edge to help keep the cover clean.

And when your iPad is in its cover you can still access the charging socket ... brilliant!

I wish I had time to make a tutorial but Im just too busy getting ready for Christmas. I WILL have to make one of these beauties for myself soon and I'll be sure and turn it into a tutorial to share :)

& for those of you who are following me on Facebook you'll know that I am working on a lovely bag for a special little lady for Christmas. Here's the progress thus far.....

I'm just waiting on some bag making parts to come from the UK before I can finish this job.

I think its going to be really cute when its done!

Thanks for visiting, hope you have a lovely weekend & do come back soon !

Love
Siubhan x x x

Snowflake Central !

The CraftLee house has turned into 'Snowflake Central' in preparation for the upcoming Christmas Craft Fairs. I've been busy crocheting away these little lovlies......

Busily blocking and starching .....

So that if we don't get any REAL snow this year at least we'll have some snowy crochet goodness to put us in the mood for some mulled wine & cosy nights by the fire!

Hope your having a lovely week ...

And do pop by again soon !

*Update*

If you would like to find out how to make a simple crochet snowflake have a look at my post here

& I'm delighted that this post was featured by the lovely and talented Sarah at Alderberry Hill

love Siubhan x x x

Scrappy Scatter Cushion

I LOVE Cushions !!
and I HATE waste!
So I am just super thrilled with this little scatter cushion
I made today from some leftover bag-making scraps !

Look at the floor of my sewing space below !
It is covered in half cut-out bags - I've been cutting away all weekend.
As I was cutting out the bags the scraps were piling  up and I thought they looked pretty good together.

The scraps were long triangles and I figured there was SOMETHING I could do with them.
So I sewed them all together,
added a few strips of yummy ribbon and taaa daa!!!!
(yes ANOTHER picture !)

I backed the cushion cover in some lovely velvet remnants I had to hand
and made it a super easy envelope style cover.
The cushion is not a 'regular' size. Its 17in x 11in ,
so I de-constructed an existing cushion pad and sewed up an inner cushion to suit from lining material.

.
This was a great little project - I am ridiculously thrilled with the results (can you tell!)
I will do a tutorial soon ... I promise!
First though I'd better turn my attention back to those bags; they won't sew themselves! !!

Thank you for visiting & please do call again!

Love
Siubhan x x x

Fabric Kindle Cover - Fail & Finally .......Pass

A cover for the beloved's Kindle ...
It was request submitted by himself about 6 months ago
and like so many other husbandly requests
- it was duly noted and swiftly forgotten.
Skip forward to this woman frantically thinking
'What? oh! what can I make for my Christmas market stall ?'
Ah! 'Kindle Covers' !!!!
I started last night and due to too much enthusiasm and too little actual measuring
I failed miserably! The Kindle didnt even come close to fitting in its cover !

Erm ! Yes ..the beloved may not have been enamored by that PARTICULAR fabric .. ...
Perhaps I was thinking of my market stall ? and NOT the beloved ?
and maybe this epic fail was the universe was trying to tell me a little something !

So I got up this morning determined to make amends and make a new cover,
picked a fabric hubby actually likes
and got busy with the measuring tape
and in no time at all ...success!!

Ladies and Gentlemen - I give you

- The CraftLee Kindle Cover -

Success! how neat is that ?! It has a little fabric tab with velcro to keep it closed.

There's a pocket inside to keep your Kindle sung when your not reading.

There are cute little fabric tabs to hold the Kindle in place when your reading.

Pretty chuffed with myself & it was a super easy sewing project really if your machine can handle a lot of layers.
I'm off now to polish a spot on the mantelpiece for my 'Wife Of the Year Award' !!!

I have some exciting news tomorrow as I'm co-hosting an event with my new pal Rosie over at Craftbotic so stay tuned!

*Update*
This project has been featured ! by the Lovely Lindsey  at here 'Twirl and Take a Bow Party :)

Thank you for visiting & do come back soon !

Love Siubhan x x x 

Just for Me!

Two little projects just for me!
- one completed and one I might just save until Christmas after my day in the vintage market!
I decided that it was time to make myself a lovely bag to advertise my bag making skills ...should I EVER get around to actually selling bags rather than giving them away!
Heres the bag I made MYSELF following a pattern shared by the very generous at Crystelle boutique.
Just click on the links to download the PDF (her instructions are really detailed and lots of photos to help you too)

Isn't it cute! Its made from some really funky dotty vinyl material I found in Hickeys and some odd scraps from my stash - just the thing for keeping the rain off my valuables in the coming winter!

One of my favorite features of this bag are the really nice ties on either end and the two external pockets.

Its lined with some floral French prints from my stash and 'Whats that IN the bag!' I hear you cry!
Well... that's project number two. I really wanted to go to the Knit & Stitch show in The RDS this weekend but I knew I'd spend too much money on fabric and yarn (and probably 100's of other things I cant even imagine!). we also had visitors for the weekend so I went into my local knitting shop and  treated myself !

Six balls of scrummy yummy (& pretty expensive!) Cashmerino from Debbie Bliss. Its probably the most I've ever spent on yarn for one project in one go. I normally buy yarn in the sales or just the cheaper acrylic yarns. I chose the colours to match another bag I own and love but I think they'll go quite well with my new one too.I'm going to crochet a scarf or a cowl - I'm thinking something wavy like my lovely blanket (which I'm still working on !) I've been busy trawling through Ravelry & the Lion Brand Site for free patterns and inspiration.

Off now to invent a fabric cover for the beloveds kindle. If its a success I'll share a tutorial later in the week !

Thank you for visiting & please do come back soon !

Love Siubhan x x x

Free Flower Brooch Tutorial

Here we go! A step by step guide to making these lovely flower brooches !
they are so cute & versatile and super quick to make !


Lets get crafting!
This is what you'll need :

An old cereal box (or some cardboard of that weight)

some clothes pegs (not essential but handy)

A tin can (full or empty!)

An egg cup

Fabric glue

A fabric marker

some nice buttons 

You'll also need - 

your chosen fabric (or fabrics) about a fat quarters worth.

a scrap of felt

Scissors 

Rotary Cutters OR a craft knife (I found the craft knife easier to work with)

A cutting board

& a brooch pin (forgot to include it in the photograph!)

Step 1 - Draw a circle the size of your eggcup on the cardboard and on the felt scrap

Step 2 - Using your scissors cut them both out

  Step 3 - 

next lay your brooch pin on the remaining felt scrap 

and mark the felt about 1/8 inch inside the hinges. 

Step 4 - 

carefully make 2 little slits in the felt with your craft knife or scissors 

and thread through your brooch pin as shown below

Step 5 - 

glue your felt and pin to the cardboard circle you cut out in step 1

Dont be skimpy with the glue especially around the pin!

 Step 6 - 

turn the piece over and cut out the fabric in a circle around the cardboard.

no need to be too exact but give yourself about !/2 an inch all around.

 Step 7 - 

Still using the scissors snip some V's from your fabric

Step 8 - 

glue around the outside of the circle and fold the little tabs in towards the centre.

 Step 9 - 

When the felt is all glued down set aside to dry. 

This is how I dry mine below  - positioned between two CD cases 

with the eggcup on top to hold the felt in place

Step 10 -

 Whilst the glue is drying on your brooch back start cutting out your fabric. Use the food can as a guide and cut around it with your craft knife or rotary cutters on a cutting mat. If you don't have a sharp knife or rotary cutters you could also draw around the circle and cut out with scissors but be sure to cut inside your lines as they will be very obvious in your finished flower.

 Step 11 - 

you'll need eight circles - they can be all different fabrics or all the same - its up to you!

Next take your felt circle from step 1 and fold it in half and then fold again. mark the tip of the quarter folded circle with your fabric marker - this is the centre of your flower base and helps you line up the petals when you are assembling the brooch.

Step 12 -

take one of your petals - add a sot of glue in the centre then fold in half,

dot of glue - fold in half again , another dot of glue and fold in half again.

Your 'petal' is now one eighth the size of a full fabric circle.

Step 13 -

This is where the clothes pegs come in ! 

Clamp your petals in the clothes pegs and let them dry

While the petals are drying you can empty out your button collection 

and have a look at what buttons you might like to use in the centre!

Step 14 - Assembly - 

When they are completely dry lay your petals down on the felt base. 

Decide how you want to combine your fabrics (if using more than one type)

and  if you want all the folds lying the same way 

or if you want t so what I did here and face every other fold together.

Lay your petals around the outside of the base when you are ready to start glueing 

so you don't forget your earlier decisions !

 Glue the fabrics to the base centred on our centre mark we made earlier. 

When the flower is assembled let it dry
- sew or glue on your button centres and then glue the flower to your base we completed in step 9.

You can pin these flowers on your coat, your bag, your hat or a scarf , you can also leave the pin out & simply glue them onto things too like picture frames or garlands - they make great hair-clips too!
they dont have to be made from patterned fabrics they look great in plain fabrics too !
Here's a plain one I made to attach to a bag earlier (I just used the same fabric as the handles) ...

If you have any questions about any of the steps in the tutorial above then please do leave a comment
and I'll get back to you  a soon as I can !

Thank you for visiting & come back soon !


This post is also linked to

Handmade Harbour 

& 

Elizabeth&Co's - be inspired Features & Links Party 

Siubhan x x x