Felt Flowers and my Wonder Gadget

Its been a cold weekend, we finally got the snow that the rest of the country has had with minus temperatures alongside it. It was lovely to look out through the window on Saturday (from my warm place inside) at the blizzard blowing by, everything was so white and pretty, a winter wonderland... even though we're halfway through March!

I thought I'd make some flowers to try and bring some Spring into the house and use up some of my felt bits and pieces.

Not sure yet what I'm going to do with them, maybe put them on hair grips or sew brooch pins onto them, perhaps make some more and sew them onto some embroidery.

I've been using these sewing needles, as you can see from the packet, I've had them a few years.

They're still lovely to use, but have tiny eyes. I'm sure as my eyes grow older, these needle eyes get teenier and tinier. This is my super duper wonder gadget that helps to thread the smallest of needles... I love it!

It's called a table top needle threader and is one of my favourite ever gadgets. The needle is placed by the 1, pointing upwards and your thread rests in the little groove.

The white lever (number 2) is pushed down and the needle is threaded as easily as that! Number 3 is a small blade to cut the thread with.

My sewing machine has a built in needle threader, but I really struggle with it, I wish it was easy to use as my table top one.

I have a few felties cut out and ready to sew. I think my favourite at the moment is the little camper van. It makes a cute car air freshener when hung on a piece of twined filled with lavender.

Keep warm

Take care
xxx

Over 25 Years in the Making!

Hasn't it turned really cold, time to start wearing bed socks on a night time, blanket over my knees in an evening, bit surprised by the snow during the week! We're planning to put the tree up next weekend and Imogen has started  opening her advent calendar (Imogen has a chocolate one and we bought Izzy a lego one). I think I've finished my Christmas present shopping and I just need to get some more paper and do the wrapping up. The television is full of Christmas adverts and Imogen has been doing Christmas parties at work.... there's no escaping it, Christmas is just around the corner...

I finished Izzy's bunting, I quite enjoyed sitting and hand stitching her name on it. Just needs to be wrapped up now.

I've sewn pompom ribbon down the sides of the first and last pieces, but it's hard to see from the photo.

I've also started sewing together some decorations I've die cut from felt, this one's from some sparkly red felt I had.

I should explain the reason for the title of this post. I started making my son (who is now 29) this little latch hook dinosaur rug when he was only a toddler. I don't know what happened, he was probably too old for it when I picked it up after leaving it for a while. Anyway, it's been aired out and finished off and as Adam is perhaps a bit too old for it now, I shall give to to my grandson, Adam's son instead so it may have taken over 25 years to finish off, but will at least be going to a good home now!

Are you getting in the Christmas spirit or has it crept up on you too (doesn't seem that long since last Christmas)?


Take care
xxx

Scottie Dogs Christmas Prep

Here we are again, I seem to be just managing a post a week at the moment. It's so lovely to see I have a new follower too, hello.

I've been trying to have a bit of a tidy up and declutter this week in preparation for the Christmas decorations going up next month. I found some things that are no longer used, needed or wanted, so put them on eBay. I'm not sure if they'll sell or not, they have a week and will be donated to a local charity shop if they don't go. I do try to be ruthless, but I'm an old sentimentalist at heart so I'm not very good at it. I decided it was time to say goodbye to one of my craft totes/bags, it's just a small one that I often have sitting next to me on the sofa with some ongoing project or another in it (as well as my other paraphernalia such as notebooks, pens, crochet hooks, tissues and my phone). I added it to the charity pile when Andy commented 'oh, are you getting rid of that', so that made me wonder if he thought I shouldn't, oh no, will I regret it once it's gone. I was very good and let it go... am I the only one who has trouble letting things go, forming attachments to 'things'?

I found this blanket in one of my cupboards. it had an awful lot of ends that needed sewing in. It seemed a shame to leave it languishing in there, taking up precious storage space. Out it came and I spent a hour or 2 sewing and weaving in all the ends.

I'm glad I spent the time doing it, I'm really pleased with it now and know a little girl who will enjoy wrapping herself up in it on chilly afternoons.

I've also been making some other preparations for Christmas. I need to make some pretty bunting with blue in it, also for a special little girl. I found some fabric in my stash with pretty blue flowers and little paisley patterns.

It's all cut out and waiting to be stitched up.

I've made this sweet little scottie dog for Christmas too. I cut 2 dogs out in felt and stitched them together with a blanket stitch. Gently stuffed them and also put in a small muslin bag that I stitched and filled with lavender. This little chappie smells quite divine and is just the thing to hang in a wardrobe or on a hook somewhere.

I think I shall make some more in different colours.

Thank you for popping by and please stop and say hello.

Take care
xxx

Small Craft Room Makeover

I have the small box room in our house as my craft room. Unfortunately it has also been used as a place for items that have had no home of their own or are in transition from one room to another. I do give it a good sort through now and again, but space is so tight as it's only just over 5' by 7', I did a post about it last year here.

I decided the time had come to give it a proper makeover, I've seen other tiny rooms on pinterest made over and looking quite gorgeous as well as functional. I'm so thrilled with it that I have to show it off to you... I have a very wonderful husband who put everything together for me.

This is where my chair is, I have a desk in front of me and at the side too.

This is the desk at the side

Pegboard is so useful and if I had the wall space I'd have more pegboard!

The shelf we bought has hooks underneath, making the most of every piece of storage.

These little cubby holes are full of ink pads.

My little Ikea trolley is so useful and great for attaching my magnetic tins to.

These Ikea drawers are fab for storing all my bits and pieces in and make great supports for the desks instead of legs. The trio of baskets are just the thing for storing ribbons, it means I can see them easily too.

I used to have my cutting dies stored in a dvd tower, but I've streamlined them and arranged them on a shelf. On the shelf below I have jars with flowers and buttons, the one above has things that I don't need as often, such as scrapbooks.

I tried to be really ruthless when I was sorting through everything and put quite a few stamps and cutting dies on eBay and gave others to charity. Checked through supplies that i've had for a long while and threw away items that were no longer of any use or past their best. I'm not always good at throwing things out or moving them on, but I was ruthless (much to Andy's delight).

I still have some bits and pieces to do, I need a blind for the window as it's south facing and I don't want my lovely bits and pieces to fade in the sun. I have to say though, I'm very thrilled with how everything looks and how accessible it all seems to be (I have a lovely chair with wheels on it so it's easy to turn from one desk to another).

Now I just need to find the time to create lots of things and make sure no one uses it to store anything other than my crafting supplies...

 Take care
xxx

Sizzix Teddy Bears

I've been trying to blog more often, but haven't been here for a week, where does the time go! It's been a busy week starting with a wonderful Mother's Day last Sunday. My son and his girlfriend came to visit in the afternoon with cards and gifts and we all sat down to a 'buffet type' tea. This Sunday we celebrated my boy's 29th birthday. His birthday was on the Saturday, but he spent the day fishing with friends then in the evening went out, so had a second celebration with us the next day.

We've had some nicer weather this past week so have been out in the garden quite a bit. Lots of tidying up and sorted out our poor, neglected greenhouse, but I'll save that for another day.

Also a spot of sewing. I used my Sizzix machine to die cut some teddies, then it was just a case of sewing them together on the machine. This is the larger teddy, I made him using scraps and a little bit of felt for his eyes.

Then some small ones, I really like this brushed cotton tartan fabric it's so soft. The muzzles, nose and eyes are cut from felt and I hand stitched them in place using blanket stitch. I haven't done it before, but really want to learn different stitches, so it was good to be able to try it out.

I was quite pleased with the contrast of the embroidery cotton against the felt (I used red thread on the green felt)

I think they're quite cute and quite quick to make too, the longest part being the hand stitching.

I've already had some claimed, Imogen chose a small one to carry in her bag.

These 2 are my favourites, I think the softness of the fabric makes them so snuggly.

What's everyone else been up to? I have some time to myself now while Andy puts together some new garden furniture so shall spend it catching up with blogs.

Take care
xxx

How to Turn Small Things Inside Out... and some Bunnies

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my last post, Imogen is much better and can't wait to get back to school tomorrow. It was interesting to read the comments about the book too, I think I probably didn't do it justice, please don't let my review put you off dipping into it, it really wasn't written in a disturbing way, more about relationships.

I've been dipping back into a bit of sewing this week. After finishing off a couple of cushions, I wanted to try something else, though not too taxing! I've sewn a couple of little bunnies

They weren't too bad to make for a beginner, I think the hardest part was probably turning the tiny ears,arms and legs the correct way round after sewing them... until I found a mind boggling easy way to do it!

I started by sewing around the ears, arms and legs.

Then to turn them the right way for stuffing I used a hollow tube and a stick. This may be old hat to an experienced seamstress, but to me was nothing short of amazing in it's simplicity.

For anyone who hasn't seen this easy method, novices like myself, firstly you make tiny snips around the bends and corners to reduce the bulk when it's turned around.

Then you place the hollow tube inside the piece that you want to turn inside out

push it right to the end.

Then, with a stick narrower than the tube, push the top back into the tube.

All the way until it pops back out the other end... the right way around.

 Then just gently push against the seams to regain the shape. So simple, but I'm so glad I know about it. The first part I turned the correct way was an ear and I did it with my fingertips, very fiddly!

Stuffing the small parts also seemed to take a while, getting the teeny bits of stuffing through and along the tiny limbs. I stitched the ears in as I stitched around the body, then the legs

the arms were sewn on afterwards when I stitched the back the bunny closed. I need to find a piece of blue ribbon for the second bunny to tie a bow around it's neck.

 2 little bunny friends, I really enjoyed making them and they didn't take too long, giving me a little more confidence to try something new.

While I was sat at my sewing machine, I was under observation! Gary was asleep in his bed, but Alfie and Honey were more curious wanting to know what was so important it was stopping me from playing with them. Don't they look cute!

 Take care
xxx