Thursday, 8 June 2017

Quiet Book for Elliot


This is a quiet book or activity book for my Grandson.
I used dinosaur fabric for the cover, used alphabet beads to spell his name, put on a handle for easy carrying and a strap with button for closure. The strap also has a few bells for noise.

Book rings keep the pages together.
I got most of the ideas from looking at Pinterest, [I was a bit brain dead when I started] and I did my version of what I saw but I also made up a few pages from scratch as ideas started coming once I started the project.
Barn with opening doors and belt buckle without the prong.
The owl was printed on my inkjet printer using transfer paper.
Inside are pockets which contain two small finger puppets.

I threaded various kinds of beads on cord which can be pulled about.
There are pipe cleaners inside of the man so that his arms and legs bend. He has a stumpwork head. I used a couple of my art buttons and put a small collage in the square pendant.
The frog has a little zip and when opened....
he has a long tongue with fly, yum yum.
I took a photo of Elliot's engine, added a few extras like the background and used transfer printing paper again. It was cut into four to make a mini jigsaw. Velcro is used to keep the pieces in place.
Keys - match with the black shape on the background. I've attached all the keys with thread so they don't get lost but I think it will probably end in a knotty mess.

Weaving
Put the cat together

Fish, beads and sparkly bits all under a plastic fish bowl

Another one printed with transfer paper, and the wheels really do go round.
Dog with lead, a name can be added to the key ring around his neck.
An octopus with tendrils to touch and feel
Dungarees to unfasten
A mixed fruit tree, the fruits attached with different sized press studs

Counting with wooden beads on leather rope [may be a mistake because it stretches]
Giraffe with buttons and bows. This was one of my early favorites on Pinterest
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/568649890437588723/

Shoe with lace. There were lots of variations of this on Pinterest
Lift up the flaps to see....

Colour matching - socks in the dryer with opening door. 
The socks attach on the line with hooks and eyes.

A page of different textures to touch and feel

It is the first quiet book I've made but I enjoyed it. Some of the things in it are a bit old for my Grandson [he'll be 18 months soon] but he'll grow into it.
I think if I made another I would make it a little bigger, some things didn't work because they were too big for the pages. I started with fabric 6" x 6" for the pages but I put on a strip at the sides for the eyelets [it was making it too cramped with the stuff on the page and eyelets together]
Time will tell whether it does keep him quiet!









Tuesday, 6 June 2017

Blue Log Cabin Block

I thought it would be interesting to use the same fabric but going in different directions on one side of the block and all different fabrics on the other side. The patterned fabrics are scraps from various years, the striped is a recycled shirt.

Friday, 2 June 2017

Thursday, 1 June 2017

White Patchwork

This block is done in two white vintage fabrics.
The flowers are gray with outlines in something that melts with an hot iron!

Wednesday, 31 May 2017

Patchwork Applique

I started doing a few patchwork blocks earlier this year. My plan was to make a quilting/patchwork book of samples but I've changed my mind. I may just make a quilt of them even though they don't all match. Or something else that I've not thought of yet.

Monday, 29 May 2017

Yellow Coin Purse

I made this purse from fabric that I'd made for the City and Guilds course, so it is quite old. The purse itself is not brilliantly made, the fabric was quite thick and hard to manoeuver and to be honest I didn't measure it out properly.
To make a fabric like this start with a piece of  background fabric, I used calico [UK], then apply small bits of fabric, ribbon, thread etc [don't leave any background showing thru]. Then top with chiffon or some other sheer fabric. To get the fabrics to stick use 'bondaweb' or 'wonder under' either side of the bits, ie on top of the calico and under the chiffon.


Sunday, 28 May 2017

Watch the Birdie

I painted the parrot above but the bird below was taken from a greetings card. The vintage image was from a cookery book, I gave it a bit of colour with paint.


Wednesday, 24 May 2017

Looking Back 2 - City & Guilds Embroidery - Quilting

More City and Guilds samples, this time mainly patchwork and quilting


Log cabin


Somerset star

Shadow quilting

Hexagons

Sewing Machine Smocking

Suffolk puffs




Monday, 22 May 2017

Looking Back - C&G Embroidery

I'm still trying to have a good sort out and I came across another folder containing samples from my City and Guilds Embroidery course. Recycle somehow or bin?

One of the first things we had to do was collect white threads in different textures and thicknesses [I've still got some of these threads!] Above is a sampler of Cretan stitch

This one is chain stitch

And this one is straight stitch



The three samples on canvas are Florentine embroidery

Holbein Stitch

Greetings card with hand painted fabric and embroidery

Cutwork

Detached filling stitches
I've also got quilting samples which I'll show some other time.