Spoilt Little Girly...

Just finished this door sign for my daughter, she is getting spoilt today, but not sure she likes the fact that so far all the things I have made this last few days for her are door signs!!!!  Think I will have to try and cheer her up by making a nice teddy.  Its supposed to be raining lots over the next few days so I will have lots of indoor time to design one for her.

Felty Creations...

Finished today, this is to hang on the door of my daughters new playroom when we move in 5 weeks... The "S" letter looks a bit funny and wonky, so I might have to redo that one as it will annoy me every time I look at it.  The letters and stitching seemed to get better as I got to the end of the project. It was so fun to do. I love hand stitching... Strangely I have been sewing by hand for a few years now and this is the first time I  have used blanket stitch.. Lots more to learn from all those lovely people out there who post tutorials.

 I have a tutorial on how to make the padded letters too that I will put up after lunch. Just in case someone has never had a go at padded felty letters and wants to give it a go.

If you have not guessed already, I am totally in love with felt now.... Why has it taken me so long to discover...

X X

Lorna's Birthday Present no'2

I have been busy beavering away the last day or so after receiving my lovely felt from "The Felt Fairy",  making lots of presents for my little girl and my niece who will be 1 next months.

 I have made her the mobile below with her name letters hanging on it.. I am not to sure its finished though, I don't look at it and think "yes I am really happy with that"... so may need to do a bit more on it, not sure what yet, Any ideas very welcome?....

I am working on something for my daughter too today, that I will finish soon and put pics up.

I cant wait to move house and get my crafty room all set up.. I have been looking in Charity shops and car boots recently for shelving units and my husband has said he will make me a nice new crafty desk... I found a really good idea for using old jam jars today too whilst looking for craft room inspiration on the net, so I will defiantly be saving mine from now on...

I would be very interested in hearing other ideas and seeing what other people have done in their craft rooms, I like recycling things and good space saving ideas. 

Patchwork Bookmarks

2 Bookmarks I finished today. 

I got this embellishment from some of my daughters old clothes. 

My felts arrived today too, so working on projects with them too. I am going to have to start selling some bits as I have no room left now.

Also some patches I made today, I have been a busy little bee today.

It takes ages to make each patch as I stitch round the edges too.

Charity shop crafty buys..

I am just back from town, and could not resist buying all these lovely fabrics and yarn in the charity shops. I buy most of my fabric supplies from charity shops as you can find some lovely colours and patterns at very low prices and of course it helps the charity's.  I got 2 big duvet covers, a pillow case and 2 tops all for €10

I got this lovely blue yarn too, it was only €4 for 5 balls. I am into this type of blue at the moment.

This is one of the tops I got, I love the pattern. 

I am going to need a crafty room soon, with all these supplies I keep buying, the back of my sofa looks like a pig sty... (sorry Spotty, didn't mean your pig sty, you are a very tidy clean piggy)

More unfinished projects...

Started just after my daughter was born in 2006, and 4 years on and its still sitting in my cupboard unfinished... I have now removed it from the cupboard and put it on the back of my sofa (where all my current projects live) and I am going to make a conscious effort to finish it.. promise.. 

It was supposed to be for my daughter then she out grew it before it was finished, and when my niece Sophie was born in 2007 it was going to be for her, and now my 3rd little niece Lorna is 10 months old and I think slightly to big to fit into it too... So I need all my friends to have new babies so that it has a home to go to...

Close up of collar work.

The wool is 100% wool and its a gorgeous pink & red colour. I think I got it in Hobby Craft in England when we lived there back in 2006. Very expensive I remember.

Old Friends

We are moving in 5 weeks time down onto the farm yard to be nearer the animals, and today I have been packing and sorting bits out... I came across these 2 below that me and my best mate at the time made age 7... Our very first sewing attempts... So cute, but very badly stitched.

This is Lambo made from old socks.. 1987.. 

This one has never had a name, and his arm seems to be missing. he is made from old shirts I seem to remember.. 1987...

Felty project nearly underway...

Drift wood all ready and collected, just need to clean it and cut to right sizes... Then I can get making when I get my lovely felts in the post...

Finished Handbags

I managed to finish my 2 new handbags last night.  This first one is made using strips of fabric tied together to make a big long piece of fabric and then its knitted into panels.  The panels are then stitched together and other bits including lining are add.  I love my handbags but this way of making them uses a lot of fabric.  The pink panel at the bottom of the bag is one whole large curtains worth of fabric.....!!!

This one below is a patchwork bag with felt padding inside and then a liner of cotton. I buy old handbags in charity shops and re-use the handles and fastenings.  I am sure I have already mentioned I love charity shops, and when my daughter is at school I love to go and spend hours walking around them all.  

I bought some beads in France about 5 years ago, it was actually on my honeymoon... And I had not really found a use for them, I tried making bits of jewelery but did not really enjoy that, so gave up, and I have now put a few on the patchwork handbag and will try to use more in future designs. 

When I sew my patchwork patches I always sew by hand and finger press the edges, then stitch all the way around the patch with embroidery thread first to make it look nicer.  It does take a long time to make the patches but I think the end result looks better than a machine stitched patch. 

Waiting...

This is the felt I ordered yesterday, lovely colors... I cant wait to get making... Ordered from the Felt Fairy, the best site I have found for felt, she has some amazing colours....  http://thefeltfairy.com/

More inspiration.....

I like beautiful things, I like pretty fabrics... Ok I have a really big problem with fabrics, I can not stop collecting bits and pieces of it. To me fabric is like chocolate and cakes are to other woman, I am an addict. Below are some of the things I have around me that have nice patterns or colors.


I love the colours on this picture frame, and I love flowers.




This is an heirloom writing desk from my Aunt, my parents inherited it and gave it to me about 10 years ago, so I sanded it all back and waxed it. It was a dark brown colour and didn't go with anything else in my house. I love it...

Ummm lots done today....

Finally finished today, yeah..., this is for my little Nieces first birthday next month. Took a few weeks to do in the evenings and lots of messing about with different colour fabrics and bits but its done... Well I still have to find a rustic old looking drift wood type frame to put it in, but I still have a month to do it.

Finished the one below for my daughter Olivia last week and yes still need a frame for that too. I plan to make more, custom ones for friends and family, but it takes a while to get the fabrics as I get them all from charity shops and sometimes I go in and come out with nothing as there is nothing on that day that suits what I want to do. I usually just buy any nice bit of fabric I see in the Charity shop, weather its an old shirt, skirt, pillow case or duvet cover. Sometimes you are lucky and get bits of old fabric patches or wool and threads.











The next projects I am working on are getting underway, the felt fabric is ordered and doing research on patterns and colours... I am going to be making Mobiles to hang in kids rooms, made from drift wood and felt. The following pics are not ones I have made unfortunately but I am using the image as inspiration for my designs.







Had fun on the beach today collecting drift wood with my 4 year old daughter, got lots to work with and just need to clean it all up now and treat it with matt varnish.