Booya!

Feeling well and truly motivated. 

I have missed this feeling...the NEED to sew.

I have been helping out a fellow, local crafter with some embroidery and it has re-invigorated me! To see a picture of a little elf I have made check out my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/littlehomemadeproduct

I have received my latest issue of Sew Magazine (issue 54!) which contains a little bear pattern. I am thinking that I will make that for the littlest Little with an outfit (maybe 2 or 3 depending on how they turn out!). This will go along with the Rapunzel doll for the biggest Little and the 2 horses.

Am currently wishing that I didn't have to go to work - I just want to sew all the time :) And just in time for Christmas.

Do you have periods of time where you loose the need to sew? I am loving having my mojo back :) I may even buy myself an overlocker as a treat!!

Plans....

Ok, definitely going to be making dolls for the girls for Christmas. Rapunzel style for the older girl (hopefully I have enough left over from the Rapunzel dress I made for her birthday - check out the previous post).

I am going to use felt for the face, arms and feet (as Rapunzel is barefooted - at least in "Tangled"). I chose felt as it came in the colour I am happy with (and the fabric I really wanted was £12.50 a metre...I couldn't justify that for a doll!). I have chosen a pale purple fabric for the 'vest' and 'tights' - although I may go for something stripey!

For the Littlest Little I am going to grab something ditzy and floral from the fabric stash - she has no preference for what type of doll she has! I am quite looking forward to having a bit of a play with my creativeness - what should the face look like? Should I do rosy felt cheeks? Oh the possibilities...

Have finally finished the big Roman Blind - pictures to follow. Unfortunately the small one was a smidge (literally 1cm) too wide...so I had to unpick all my hard work and re-hem :( BOO! I am hoping that they both fit now.... I have seen the curtains and I think they look great in-situ.

Halloween is drawing near...we don't celebrate it as such - but I wonder if any of you lot have great Halloween ideas? Do you make your own outfits?

Isn't it amazing?

Since the last post I have purchased a new sewing cupboard (bargain at £10!) - I have painted it a lovely pastel shade of yellow. I think that it used to be an old computer desk/cupboard, but it is perfect for my sewing stash.

Sorry about the rubbish lighting - it was night time

It is organised, I promise!

And what a difference it has made. I can lay my hand on any piece of fabric I own really easily (even found some that I had forgotten about!).

I can store my "to do" projects and access them as and when I decide to sew them.

It has certainly helped my motivation, it just makes the whole sewing experience soooo much easier.

I have sewn my first curtain - not for me. A MASSIVE patio door single curtain (I can see why curtains come in pairs - what a mission sewing that much fabric all in one go!). I have also sewn one small blind, of the roman variety and am now cutting and pinning (how much hemming?!) a larger version. I am really happy with the results - so much so that I want to sew all new curtains for every window in my own house!

Once again Christmas seems to be looming.

I have left it a bit late to do that mission of homemade gifts that I did last year. I am limiting myself to smaller gifts this year.


Requests from my children are a unicorn (see previous posts)

and a Rapunzel doll. I have done a bit of a Google search and think that I will use this tutorial and pattern. But instead of felt hair I will probably do long woollen locks so that they can be plaited and put into pony tails.

I was also considering making jam (my husband has found a surplus of plums in a garden of a house that he is working at) and giving them away...and perhaps some stewed apples.

What are you sewing for Christmas? Do you have a long list or do you limit your homemade goodies to close friends and family?

Anyone seen it?

So it has been a while...

Various reasons for this - I went on holiday to see my Dad (in Spain). I had quite a bit of sewing to do before we went - dresses for the girls, a top for me. I didn't really leave myself enough time to finish them and found it a bit stressful!

(cute huh? Matching dress and skirt!)

We had a great holiday, on the way to the airport my handbag got stolen. As we were on the way to the airport my handbag had EVERYTHING in it - passports, money, phone, sweets, prescription glasses, Tesco clubcard...everything!

Hubby had to catch the flight (he kept his own passport in a different bags) and the girls and I had to stay. Nightmare.

Thankfully Flybe (our airline) swopped the flight to another day at no extra charge. Unfortunately the form for my travel insurance (Debenhams) is complicated and I have yet to hear...

After 3 weeks of holiday (issues getting temporary travel documents, no flights everyday) I am finding it hard to get back into the swing of everyday life.

It has been 20 days now and I only just feel like I am getting into some sort of normality! Slow to adjust or what? I have some sewing to do (orders for various people), but, since I have been back I have done no sewing. I seem have lost my mojo.

Part of this reluctance is the fact that my fabric stash is a mess, I did sort it, but it sits in a big bag in the kitchen. This results in my having to turf out the bag every time I want fabric...which just messes up the pile again.

I have been looking at various storage options - I am hoping that getting organised will help me get back into the swing of sewing. Alternatively I probably just need to get on and do some - I know how much I love it.

What do you do to re-inspire yourself? Do you ever find yourself in a slump?

Pink Strawberry Dress

It is complete! My second attempt of the party dress from issue 41 of Sew Magazine (did I tell you that my orange strawberry dress was featured in August's issue of the magazine?? I am just a teeny bit proud :)).
 
If you remember, I had issues with the pattern and had an awful lot of adjustments to make with the orange strawberry dress. Well - as I suspected - it was my inaccurate cutting that was the problem and NOT Sew's lovely pattern.
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I made this one with sleeves (puffed, very tricky) and I decided to leave out the zip (not sure I do them right anyway) and included a button closure (think it needs more practice!)

 

 I used my "new sewing machine" to make a decorative stitch along the edge of the button closure bit. A tiny detail that you only notice when you look really closely - but I like it.

 

 I included the fake placket of buttons - very similar to the orange strawberry dress (it looks wonky in this picture...but I am sure it is not in real life!)

 

I love the combination of this fabric and this pattern. A "proper" little girl's dress. Like a princess!

 

With appropriate Princess dancing! Enjoy the summer weather - wherever you are :)

 

Time wasting

Do you find yourself spending hours online? (please say it isn't just me!) To "help" you here is a list of my favourite sewing blogs - they are super inspiring. These people are so amazing - and many of them off great free tutorials.

I will list them in no particular order;

MADE - written by an amazing woman can Dana, super talented. I love this site - lots of wonderful pictures, bright colours, and well written. Prudent baby - has plenty of free and handy tutorials (I particularly like the baby swaddle blanket). Craftiness is not optional - a lovely mix of sewing, food and tutorials. Sew like my Mom - an wonderful blog, LOADS of tutorial (mainly for little girls...but she has just had a boy so I assume there will be some boy ones in the future!), I don't know how she fits so much in with 4 children under 4! No Big Dill - another big family, not much sewing...but lots of inspiration for the home, family, ideas generally!

Ok, there are more, but I think that is enough! I shall do a Part 2 at some point perhaps.

What do you enjoy looking at on the web? (keep it clean people). I am always looking for some new sewing blog inspiration! I would really like a UK one as most are US and I can't get the same fabrics very easily!

On sewing news - I have sewn together the strawberry dress for my eldest girl (I did make a mistake cutting out the pattern for my 1st one - as mentioned in an earlier post!), it looks super cute. Just got to make some bias binding and I shall post some pictures.

Tea vicar?

I have noticed that I tend to sew children's clothes...

I think this is because they are on a smaller scale than adult clothes and tend to have fewer technical elements (i.e. darts),

fewer fitting issues (i.e. hips and busts!)

 

that I can finish them quicker (although this is not always the case - as mentioned with the strawberry dress below...but then I did cut out the pattern wrong!)

A finished project is always more satisfying than one that drags out for weeks (and requires repeated ironing!).

But I want something. I have sewn a couple for dresses for myself, early on in my sewing career. I do wear those dresses...but I love dresses...and it is sunny this week and I want more! (and I am also sewing a Simplicity pattern (4070) - but this is a very scary and complicated pattern and I am procrastinating and making several excuses not to continue sewing this dress - perhaps it warrants another blog post!)

The Daily Mail - it would appear - have teamed up with the Great British Sewing Bee and are offering (in exchange for some coupons and postage) some patterns. One pattern includes a tea dress as shown on Molly Makes (it is the brown and white spotty dress).

It has inspired me, it looks quite simple and I have read (apologies as I don't know which blog I was reading!) that it can be sewn in a day.

I thought I may use this fabric

As I felt it had a bit of a vintage feel whilst still having a bit of colour. What do you think? It is quite expensive per metre...but I think it will make a really original looking dress.