Needle case

A bit more advance sewing tried today - a needle case from a tutorial on the ShabbyChic Cafe by the fab Mitmot. First time quilting and using bias. I'm quite pleased with the results :)

Busy bee

I didn't get enough sleep last night and have been a little under the weather today so I've been a bit grumpy. I decided to get a move on with the housework so I could do some sewing this afternoon.

I wanted to do a cushion cover from a lovely little LA dress my dd wore some time ago now. I just love the print on it and was reluctant to part with it. However when I started playing around with how I wanted it to be it didn't look right so I left it be for a while.


So I set to work on using some of the fabric I got at the weekend to make some drawstring bags. I made the trains and the rose one. My dd made the rainbow one (it was from a sewing kit she got for Xmas - I am v. jealous of the fabric!) and my DS made the car one.



Then I decided to make my grocery bag holder which wasn't too different really. It'll match my curtains nicely!

I know, not hugely exciting or difficult, but I am a beginner sewer so I was pleasantly pleased with the results. One day I'll try some more tricky things!

Stash Building!

(lots of pics!)

Lots of last week was spent finishing up the swap that I signed up to on the SCC so I couldn't really blog it. I of course forgot to take photos of what I made and bought but maybe Mitmot will blog soon :) I really enjoyed doing it :)

I've been trying to do a bit of 'sewing bits' stash building, which makes a change from the stash busting I've been trying to do with my yarn! I've been drooling over some people's finds at car boot sales - old sewing boxes with loads in em. I even tried freecycle, to no avail. Then I managed to win one on ebay, bit more expensive due to postage, but I'll try to remember that my car is so thirsty it would cost that if I even thought about boot sale visiting!!
My daughter needed a box so she's getting this one. It's in really good condition, no idea how old it is though! She's already started filling it :)

Some ribbons (sorry for blurry pic)

Loads of other bits - bias, buttons, thread, needles and fasteners.

A huge amount of the top lace and a smaller amount of the bottom one (plus gratuitous pic of my CK sewing box!!)

I also added some gingham ribbon to my stash from ebay along with some bright buttons (no pics of the buttons, although my dd helped herself to some!)


I visited Felixstowe at the weekend and visited a great fabric shop called the Remnant shop. What a treasure trove! I was very restrained, mostly as it was too hot to be in for too long and I was with a pregnant friend so felt bad about dithering. I upped the fabric stash with

some fabric offcuts for 10p each!Some boyish fabric - hopefully make a drawstring bag with this?

a strip of UJ fabric with 3 full flags on. I'd seen this on ebay and fancied it so for 1.40 a strip I got some :)

and to go with it some UJ buttons - how fab are they?

Also got anothe FQ of some flowery stuff, but forgot to take a pic of that.

And finally I got some CK posy fabric on ebay which I totally adore. I got a small bit a few weeks ago along with some rose paisley and cowboy print. I actually only wanted the paisley but figured I'd buy a few others from the same seller and I fell in love with the posy. It is just gorgeous, it looks so old, but bright at the same time. I just need a project to do it some justice. These are only small pieces too, seems it's discontinued?



Ok so onto some making that's been going on. I promised some pics of the kitchen curtains which I made in LA heath green gingham.

here's a before (we had no curtains, looked very boring!)


And after - what a difference a bit of gingham makes!


I want to make some more crochet flowers as tie backs but haven't managed it yet :)

I attempted my first fabric bucket following a tute on Lace Hearts blog

It doesn't sit quite straight, but not too bad for a first attempt!

A work in progress! An RAF roundel cushion cover (with thanks to father in law who informed me of it's proper name!) Might take me a while to finish this one, but did lots while visiting friends at the weekend as fairly mindless!

And lastly a few more buys, some mugs from Sainsburys that were going very cheap - 49p each

and some vintage ladybird books - 30p each

To add to my growing collection!

Stripy goodness!

First of all thank you so much for your lovely comments on my sons room. I find it really hard to get stuff he'd like as he's getting to that age where you can't brainwash him... My daughter on the other hand can't be brainwashed either, but she loves everything I love at the moment - roses, flowers, pretties! Much easier to think about stuff she'd like but then of course I feel like I need to keep it kinda equal.

Today I've had a really good day. I was working so it was my day off from looking after the kids and I normally love my day out, I get the bus so I can stop off in the big town centre and look round the charity shops. Today was the day of the summer fair in the village a I work at so I decided to go in earlier than normal to look round otherwise it would have finished when I got there. There wasn't much there although I got a lovely Westie dog soft toy for my dog mad daughter for 10p. But I also spied in a room off the main church hall a treasure trove of goodies. On further inspection it seemed like it was a charity shop that was obviously run fairly informally and was open on Sat and Weds mornings. It was great in there, the type of place with no pretentions and loads to look at. I managed to find a candy stripe single sheet which was on my main list of things to find and look for in CS's and some vintage embroidered tray cloths. Just noticed the one I picked up wasn't finished though, maybe a project? I also got a few buttons, but of course I can't find them now at all :( On going to pay the lady spotted some nail varnish on the sheet and said I could have the sheet for free. It might come off and if not I might just applique a heart over it or something.

After that I went to work (I work with my dad at his newsagents) and he asked if I wanted to go to an Open Day at the Asda Warehouse with my mum. So I ended up doing very little work and was chauffered to this open day sale which had loads of old Asda stuff being sold cheap. And I mean cheap! Alongside some cheap cereals and washing up liquid I got 2 enamel tea/coffee caddies, a pale yellow teapot and some stripy storage boxes for the kids rooms. ALso picked up a few kids things for Crimbo. I couldn't get too much more as I had to haul it all home on the bus but the whole day (inc the CS and fete) I didn't spend more than 10.00.

Anyway, a quick pic -


(ugh my pics on here are terrible. Must try and sort out proper camera and stop using the phone!)

I'll try to get some pics of the curtains tomorrow, still haven't had chance to hem them yet.

Curtains and a boys room

Well I've nearly finished the curtains in the kitchen, just need to hem and they're done. It's too dark to take a photo though at the moment. I do love them and really glad I treated myself to the LA fabric.

I will share some pics of my sons room at the moment. I hesitate to say that anything in my nearly 9 year old boys room is chic, most certainly shabby!! But I have been trying to collect some vintage aeroplane bits and bobs for him to add to his room.


This is his bed, it's one of those high sleepers so blummin hard to get a photo of! You can maybe make out the aeroplane bedding that he has. I was so happy to get this from ebay, for the grand total of 2.99 including postage, in actual fact it cost the seller 2.70 to send it and I felt so bad for her that I paid her a couple of quid more. I couldn't really see it well on the listing but took a chance. On getting it it had all the British WW2 planes on it (and named so I could learn!!), not made up drawings (iykwim) but actual drawings of the actual planes. My son loved it!! You can see the pictures a bit better here, although it is a shoddy pic!!!


When we went to an aeroplane museum the other day I saw some of the RAF ensign flags hung up and thought they'd look great in his room and so had a search on ebay for one. Managed to get a huge one (5ft x 3ft) for about 4.50 including p&p.


Some framed prints I've managed to pick up in CS's, need to find a hammer now...


And finally some bunting I made for him and more prints, this time of old cars, his other love. Some of it was from some old bunting we'd been given years ago. I took the less girly ones (they have stars on although not really clear here I don't think) and added some gingham to make a little string for him. (Reminds me, I still need to re do the rest of it for my daughter). I did it before I decided to do a vintage aeroplaned theme type room so I might try and make some other triangles to tie it all in, maybe some UJ's?

union jack

Gosh this was hard work! But I really like how it turned out so I guess it was worth it. My husband really liked these when we were wandering around a shop somewhere, debenhams maybe, so I thought I'd have a go at making one. If I could have chosen fabric from scratch I'd have gone for a more darker blue to give it a more vintage feel to it if you know what I mean. Actually my hubby would still like another for on our bed so maybe I'll keep a look out for some fabric that is just right.


I managed to ride the waves of fate and picked up some of the Laura Ashley heath green fabric today and also found out there was a LA shop within 4 miles of me. Hmm, not sure that is a good idea!! Mind you I didn't buy anything else, all just a bit too expensive for me I'm afraid.

Right, best get on with some more stuff!

Fate?

I did do a bit of ramble the other day about why I like CK and LA fabrics and designs so much especially as they are just way out of my price range really. I didn't end up posting it as I saved it, wandered off to do other bits and bobs and forgot! But anyway...

I decided I wanted to get some sage green gingham or check fabric to make some light curtains to bring a little bit of colour into our kitchen which is, you guessed it, a symphony of beige too ;) I got a nice sample from John Lewis but that was waaay too expensive really. I'm awaiting a sample of the Heath Green gingham from LA as I like the look of that too and it's a bit more reasonable.

But what's this? A 25% off everything event at LA this weekend? Must be fate, and on the weekend of pay day too :OD

I shall endeavour to take some photos of recent crafting going on here, well me finishing another cushion - a Union Jack cushion that my hubby was after. Was tricky and a lot of work but I finished it today.