Make your own carrier bag holder in under 30min!!!

This project is so quick and easy to make and  it only uses up 1 fat quarter of fabric. If you are anything like me you will have purchased many of these tempting squares of fabric on a total whim with a faint belief that they will get used one day. But in reality they just sit in the fabric pile never quite making it in your selection for the latest project - well here is the project!!!

Step 1 Take 1 fat quarter of fabric and cut off a strip of about 10cam wide. 

Step  2 Using the bigger piece of fabric, match up the 2 longest sides with pattern facing and sew together. Press the seam. 

Step 3 Take the 'off cut' of fabric and make into a handle. I like to sew longest edges together and turn out. But feel free to use what ever method you like!

Step 4 With the main piece of fabric sewn together and still the wrong sides facing out make a seam at the top and bottom of the fabric (choose which end you will sew the handle)- this is where the elastic will go. Make sure you leave a small gap (2cm) to thread the elastic in. I attach the elastic to a safety pin to help push it in. Pull in the elastic to make the fabric ruffle and tie in a knot. Don't worry about sewing the gap up - just tie the ends off well. 

Step 4 Sew in the handle. Turn the whole thing and out and there you go you have a handy carrier bag holder in (hopefully) under 30min. 

You should have also saved yourself about £10 https://www.cathkidston.co.uk/p-16564-cath-kidston-chelsea-roses-carrier-bag-store.aspx

Handmade birthday bunting

I have just made some personalised bunting for the daughter of a friend of mine. It proved to be the perfect 'nap time' craft taking under 40 minutes to make! I cut out 16 triangles. Then paired them up and stitched triangles together (right sides in) Then all you need to do is turn them out, press them and see them between some binding. The letters were formed using ribbon.

Handmade Draught Excluder

During Martha's nap today i made a draught excluder. I used up lots of fabric off-cuts including denim from old jeans and some corduroy trouser fabric. I used heavy weight fabrics to create a warm and cosy looking draught excluder. To make it more interesting i appliqued letters and hearts onto the fabric and may also sew on some buttons (but still undecided on that!).  

up-cycled skirt

Using an old denim dress I have made a new skirt for Martha. I simply cut the dress in half and hemmed the top. Then I realised I had no elastic to gather in the waistband and being impatient and really wanting to finish the skirt quickly i started thinking of what i could use instead. Realising I had just thrown away a pair of Tom's boxers I cut the elastic off them and stitched it around the skirt. I left on the fabric covering  and it adds a nice detail to the waist band of the skirt.

Christmas boxes

My Christmas boxes........

Some instructions on how to make them:

http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-box.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/paper-box/

Christmas cards- batch 1

Today I made my first batch of Christmas cards for sale at 'Mia Bella casa' a lovely home wares and gift shop in the west Sussex village of ferring. I used some 'easy of India' merry Christmas ribbon and scraps of fabrics and buttons.

Sock Creatures - How to make a sock rabbit

Step 1: WHAT YOU NEED

Choose a sock - I like to use ones with coloured heels (this becomes the face)

You will also need: thread, buttons and stuffing

Step 2 CUTTING 

Snip off the top section of the sock and divided into two (these are the arms) 

Snip about 3cm from the toes of the sock up towards the heel (these become the legs) 

Step 3 SEWING

Turn inside out and sew the parts up (leave a gap somewhere to turn out)

The arms will still be separate at this point

Step 4 STUFFING  THE SOCK 

You can use a pillow stuffing, toy stuffing, cotton wool - whatever you have! 

Step 5 FINISHING TOUCHES

Then attach the stuffed arms to the body. 

Then sew the face or use buttons.

Gift idea: mulled wine spice kit mix and recipe

A Mulled Wine Kit makes a lovely Christmas gift (especially if you also include  bottle of wine!)

This is how i made mine:

Step 1: Make the spice mix - I included 2 Cardamom pods, 12 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise  and 1 nutmeg. If you live in Cambridge the 'Daily Bread Co-op' sell a great selection of spices.  

Step 2: I made a basic bag out of Hessian to put 3 portions of the spice mix in (bag made by using 2 rectangles of Hessian stitched together and turned out) 

Step 3: I then made a gift label and included my recipe on the back 

My recipe "Put 1 portion of the spice mix in a saucepan with 1/2pint of water, 1 bottle of red wine and 2 tsps of granulated sugar and heat to simmering point. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Keep it at simmering point for at least 20 minutes – but do not boil or all the alcohol will evaporate."

Step 4: Using raffia and a wooden peg i attached the bag and label to a bottle of red wine.  

Mulled Wine spice kit

Lampshade - Decorated with a selection of vintage buttons (work in progress)

Inspired by an article in a recent edition of Mollie Makes magazine i have been covering an old lamp frame with quite literally hundreds of buttons! Keep checking back for the finished lampshade!!

Handmade Cards - birthdays and weddings

A selection of  the cards i have been making recently for Birthdays and weddings. Buttons seem to be the theme of the moment! 

Gift Tags: Buttons & Luggage Labels

I have been making pretty button card gift tags. They can be used as as a functional gift tag and have space on the back to write a personal message. I also think they make a really sweet little present and are so light that they won't cost much to pop in the post to a friend! I love mother of pearl buttons and they can be used in so many different craft projects. The buttons are hand sewn onto card and are then mounted on to decorative papers and fixed on to a traditional brown luggage tag. Christmas tags coming soon!

up cycled desk

Upcycling is so much fun and can produce such satisfying results! This bureau style desk was originally my mothers when she was a child. However over the years layers of thick gloss paint had been applied to it and it had really seen better days. A few years ago my parents even tried selling it for a mere £5 at a car boot but nobody was interested. So the (self appointed) challenge arose for me to give some new life to it (with the hope it could be used by Martha when she is bigger). The thing i particularly liked about the desk was its small scale and the separate compartments. The compartments will be fun for Martha to hide things away in and arrange special keepsakes. I collected a number of different papers including some old wrapping paper, maps and books to collage directly on to the desks surface. I was really pleased with the Penguin book wrapping paper which I used on the shelves. It has now been transformed into a fun piece of furniture perfect for Martha's room.

Wedding Season

Martha's wedding shoes in action; (well kind of) there was one major flaw, she kept taking them off and playing with them. I must remember next time to make them look really boring!

Handmade Baby Shoes - floral fabric

I have finally got around to making some special shoes for Martha to wear to her Uncle George's wedding in August. I was able to learn from my mistakes in my previous shoe attempts and am really pleased with these ones. I now need to find a way of Martha being less interested in them as she constantly tries to eat them!

Picnic Cutlery Wrap

My latest project is to rejuvenate my old picnic hamper which originally belonged to my Grandparents and which i subsequently rescued from a life of storing fishing equipment in my parents garage. I hope by the end of the summer it will be fully kitted out for use on our family picnics! So my first task was cutlery storage, using a tea towel i have stitched together a wrap for storing my picnic cutlery. There are designated pockets for knives, forks and spoons. I used some 'east of India' ribbon to tie the wrap together. Picnic napkins and a fabric liner for the hamper coming soon.........

Clasp Purse/handbag

Retro Purse 

Clasp Purse with buttons

It was my birthday this week and my lovely mother-in-law gave me a voucher for fabric shop 'Cally-Co' in Cambridge. So the day after my birthday I was straight in there buying some gorgeous fabric including this lovely red floral/spotty design photographed above!

Tonights project has been on my mind for a while as several weeks ago i bought the metal frame for the clasp on ebay but had just been waiting for the right fabric. I found some guidelines on the Internet on how to make a pattern and construct the purse.

(For the Clasp Purse INSTRUCTIONS i used click here)

I found that the instructions were really easy to follow and would definitely recommend them.

I gave the purse my own style by adding some buttons and i think if i make it again i will add applique.

....now i just have to decide do i keep, sell or give away the purse (i think its a keeper!)

Baby Shoes (in all shapes and sizes!)

Baby Shoes on Baby's feet

Handmade baby shoes - different sizes 

Baby shoes - Cath Kidston fabric 

Martha is now 7 months old and I decided to make her a little pair of shoes. However I had problems with the sizing/scale and the first pair I made were very cute but far too small, i tried again and they were still a little bit too small and finally I have just finished my 3rd attempt and they are a little big but will be fine in a few weeks! The shoes are lined with matching fabric and the fabric has a layer of interfacing ironed on to the back to make them more robust. They were a really fun little project and a good way of using small scraps of fabric!

Drink Shop & Do

The other week I visited Drink Shop & Do. It is a Vintage styled quirky craft cafe/shop incredibly near Kings Cross station. Drink Shop & Do has a relaxed vibe and a wonderfully friendly atmosphere which you don't except from its central location. Some tables were reserved for groups but there was plenty of space to just turn up even on a Saturday afternoon. It would be a perfect place for a girly hen party or birthday celebration as the themed decor makes it feel special and unlike other 'high tea' type venues.

Drinks are served in an odd assortment of vintage crockery and there is a gorgeous selection of tempting cakes on offer. Even though a lot of care has gone into the appearance of Drink Shop & Do is not feel too over the top or try-hard. To add to the cafe element of the venture they also focus on making things and they run a fab selection of crafty/vintage inspired workshops like crochet, cup cake making and even a session on 'pin -up' hair and makeup.

Downstairs is a small shop selling a nice mixture of jewellery and crafty gifts however i thought the shop was slightly sparse and could have a little more available. The only downside for me is that to get to the cafe you have to climb about 12 steps which is not easy with a buggy (but i am sure if my friends hadn't helped a friendly waitress would have!)

Mollie Makes

Mollie Makes is a new magazine aimed at people who love "making, thrifting, collecting and crafting". These happen to be my favourite hobbies so this description was certainly enough to convince me to purchase the first issue.

Molllie Makes is an eclectic and aesthetically pleasing feast for the eyes; it perfectly blends vintage inspired crafts with elements of contemporary design culture. This magazine stands out alongside the shelves of other craft magazines currently available in the UK. Up to now the choice of craft magazines has been disappointing to say the least; most are old fashioned, uninspiring and to be frank a total waste of time and money. Some American craft magazines show potential but for a UK audience are always somewhat frustrating because of our differences in suppliers, fashions and terminology.

Mollie Makes brings together beautiful photography, tasteful graphic design with content that inspires, instructs and observes the handmade lifestyle in a relevant and 'down to earth' manner. The way that it mediates between a craft and lifestyle magazine stops it from becoming overtly prescriptive or predictable and stimulates creativity.

In the first edition I particularly liked the 'Happy Garlands' craft and a wonderful feature on how to have success as a seller on the online craft shop Etsy. The idea of showcasing someones 'workspace' on the back page is also a totally inspirational feature.

Overall i found Mollie Makes to be quirky, fun and fresh and it will certainly appeal to the current generation of women (and perhaps some men!) who find the 'make do and mend' culture quite irresistible!

High Chair - Spotty Fabric - Recycled & Recovered

I am a little bit picky about high chairs and was determined to find one for Martha which blended in well with the rest of our lounge and one that I would be happy to have up all the time. This wish at first seemed unlikely as most wooden highchairs are pretty expensive. So I decided to keep an eye out on ebay and gumtree and I did eventually spot a wooden high chair at a bargain price in Cambridge! The high chair is lovely but the removable cover was a bit grim so this afternoon i covered it in some gorgeous fabric from CallyCo (in Cambridge) and it is (in my opinion) transformed! The photo above shows Martha testing out the new chair cover and looking rather pleased! Perhaps the fabric isn't the most practical for the inevitable food spillages it will suffer but it is v.pretty and i can always put it in the washing machine!