Monday 31 January 2011

Monthly Make

It took me a while to get going but I'm really happy to be following Annie's Monthly Make group.  I have made some fabric coasters as my current ones, made a while ago, are beginning to look a little worse for wear.  I love making them, they are quick and easy and are a great use for scraps.

This is my favourite one.  The middle is a teeny tiny cross-stitch which was part of a serviette given to me by my lovely mother-in-law, Simone.  I think it was stitched by one of her aunts.  The serviette was so badly stained and unusable but I really wanted to rescue the gorgeous stitching.  The blue floral fabric came from a skip in North London and the stripes are an old, stained, Habitat dishcloth.

 Antique French toile de jouy, a Japanese motif fabric and an old pillowcase.


 

Have a great creative week. :)


Wednesday 19 January 2011

Emerging from the depths of winter (even if it is still with us)

I saw this gorgeous high hopes wrap for a chilly day chez dottie angel, fell in love with it and had to have a go.  Alas, my crochet not being quite up to scratch, I found myself getting totally overwhelmed by endless rows, strips of varying lengths, and tangled fingers and hook trying to join one strip to another.  So, still harbouring a strong desire to crochet a scarf for me, I ended up with this:


I love those treble blobs which I learnt when doing my granny squares last summer (still doing them) from Lucy at Attic 24.  I added more bits on to the ends to make a fringe so that I wouldn't have to tidy away the dangly ends.

However, I still lingered after that high hopes wrap for a chilly day and would not allow myself to be deterred by endless rows of double crochet.  Off I went to the yarn shop for more scrumptious wool and my determined, vastly improved, dexterous fingers finally produced my wrap:


Ha, lace doily and all!! After much perseverance and really trying hard, my high hopes wrap for a chilly day was made and it has been keeping me snug and warm since.

With no sign of my crochet addiction abating, I started on a new blanket, not that I knew what this was going to turn out to be a blanket, as I purchased the wool on impulse on a grey day when colour was most needed. Et voilĂ , inspired by Lucy's granny stripe blanket.


I was a little unsure about the colours, which are much brighter than what they appear to be, but they are growing on me.  Little J likes them so it shall be his blanket.


However, this addiction to crochet must be tempered, even if ever so slightly, to allow space for other pressing matters.

I wouldn't quite call it sewing but I loved making this rag wreath which was done in a jiffy.  A great idea from Bunny Mummy


These are some of my own makes:
Antique fabrics, some new ones, embroidery and bits of anything I can get my hands on really.


and a new pencil holder for my Princess.  Just a clean tin, photocopied fabric and some glue.

Some sewing soon, especially as I have signed up to the Felt Fairy's A Monthly Make 2011.
Back soon. xxx