Christmas Gifts...

SOOOOOOOO...now Christmas is over, and I am now in the USA I can now share some of the photos of the things I made this Christmas as gifts...
I wanted something a bit more exciting then just a make-up bag to make as little extra's for my mum, granny, and 2 sisters, so I (rather stupidly perhaps) decided to make them aprons...So using a rather out-dated looking pattern from McCall's I set to work.

I wanted to make the top right hand apron, fairly simple and straight forward!!!

Now...I have never, done any pattern making, never been taught how, never been shown, it was never even mentioned at school...so except for the skirt I make in the summer, which to be honest, I barely needed the pattern for, I was rather daunted when I started reading this one. Once I had overcome the language barrier (words like nap, etc...using this Sewing Pattern Dictionary) I got to work...it really was straight forward...just follow the steps...and here is the finished article, all the way out in Portland Oregon, with my lovely sister Lizzie...

The only thing I changed was that the waste band was a bit wide, so I sewed it over so that it lay a bit flatter when worn. I loved making the pocket...they are really cute and look very impressive for relatively little sewing...I defiantly will be using gathers again!!! they are really easy and look really impressive if I do say so myself!!! here's another front on shot for the full effect...

Also for Christmas my Dad suggested I made my Step-Mum a make-up bag for her handbag...well, that seemed a little too easy and a bit of a small gift, so I decided that I would make her a big make-up bag for every day use and a smaller one for her handbag to match...I quilted a piece of lovely Heather Bailey fabric, using ALL my recently found free motion machine quilting techniques...

 Once my quilting was done, I followed this tutorial I have used before to create this type of bag, which holds it's shape and creates a good amount of space..perfect for make-up or pencil cases, when you want to be able to see in...

 The inside is just a random fabric I had in my stash, I thought the colours went quite well...

I attatched a ribbon to the end to make it easier to do up, and also to hang up if needed...

I've also made these cards ...

Using a bit of thread, Lots of Japanesse Making Tape and some hot glue and glitter...They were incredibly time consuming, and I wont be making them again, any time soon, but they went down a treat!!!

I knitted this scarf for a friend, this is it pre-finishing - he chose the colours and the wool, and think he did a good job, a dark grey, a purple with black running through it and a dark moss....lovely

And these stocking...I made 4 for my god children, all with their names embroidered on the top, 2 for some friends, and 1 for my friends little girl Esther...All received with lots of ooohhs and aaahhhs!!!

On my fire place before giving to the god-kids

On the god-kids fireplace, ready for Santa!!!

And I think that ends the Christmas crafts, oh except for chocolate truffles which were a big hit again... defiantly going to become a Christmas tradition. This year I made, chocolate orange ones, rolled in cocoa, then plain dark chocolate ones rolled in either chopped nuts, chocolate flakes or chocolate crispy balls!!! YUMMY!!! the only ingredients for the truffles are plain chocolate, cream and butter!!! about  million calories a bite, but it's Christmas so who cares!!!
And 1 more thing, I did make a new decoration for my sister and brother - in - laws tree, and did post it well ahead of Christmas,but it has yet to flippen arrive here in Portland, so much so I have beaten it out here....grrrr...on well they can have it for next year!!!
Happy New Year!!!

My Housemate the Craft-aphobe!!!

One of my housemate's is something of a Craft-aphobe, whilst she is brilliant at just about everything else, cooking, cleaning, sporting things, being generally lovely, etc etc etc yet, she really does not get the crafty thing, she really doesn't understand me and my other housemate who sew, crochet, knit, quilt etc...
So, when she announced that she wanted to make her Mum a Christmas present...I jumped on the chance...and she did great...she made her this brilliant jewellery roll...
Really simple....just quilted 2 pieces of fabric, using the darning foot and then between us finished it off...

We made a little roll stuffed with wadding for rings...

A felt flap to push studs through

A big pocket for larger jewellery...

Really hoping her mum likes it...I really hope she appreciates the effort Hannah put in..she did a great job, especially with the free hand quilting!!!

other bits and bobs!!!

so I made myself a laptop case for my new Mac Book Pro..it is ohhh soo beautiful, so thought it needed something beautiful to protect it...what do you think?

I used fabric from the same collection for the inside so it went together really well...the quilting too ages...but looks great!!!

Inside pouch for the cleaning cloth that comes with the Mac Book Pro!!!

Tiny Little pocket for the power cable cover!!! (obsessive? yes, too much? NO!!!)

And in other projects...I have started the Christmas cards...they need finishing actually, but will have to wait...I have more pressing orders!!!

This was made using brown paper cards, strings of cotton and small pieces of Japanese masking tape folded over and cut into Bunting shapes...the cotton was then glued in place with a hot glue gun and then covered in glitter!!!

Let me know what you are planning to make for the festive season!!! I love it all...

To Busy to Blog...

Hello...
Again I have been remiss in my blogging again...I have been uber busy...here are some of my latest creations...
Stockings for my god-kids...

Made from strips of christmassy fabric cut to different widths, then pieced at different angles, then felt for the heel, and felt for the top, and then felt for the back...the ribbon for the loop is from my Granny, she bought it when she was on holiday in Switzerland, over 20 years ago, (she was going to make me and my twin sister some Christmas dresses but never did and whilst raiding her scrap box we found it...so now it is mine, it is very beautiful) I'm going to send up some little bits and pieces to go into each of their stockings.

I used the darning foot on my machine and attempted to embroider their names, I think they came out quite well...

Laptop Cover for my Mummy...
it's my Mum's Birthday this weekend and she wanted us to buy her a laptop cover...well...that seemed rather silly seeing as they are a ludicrous price, and well...I can make one...so I russelled one up...used a lovely print, not sure who buy and then quilted it, on my machine, then using the measurements my mum TEXT me...I made a pocket on the front and then sewed it all up...

Then came the very scary moment of sending it to her, without knowing if it would fit...miraculously (or you could say, due to my immense skill...but probably more likely a miracle) IT FITTED!!! YAYYYY!!!
Mum loves it and feels very trendy!!! I ended up using some strong elastic cord, in a loop from the top flap, and then sewing a button onto the front pocket for it to loop over. All in all I think my favourite thing I have made...beautiful yet functional!!!
(sorry for the lousy photos, I dropped my camera on the floor just before I finished these projects, so now relying on my iPhone until I get some money this week to buy a new one)

Busy Busy, not crafting much...

but I have been busy,

little sister got married... some photos to follow,

summer is over,

although the Autumn here is beautiful!!!

This is a block I have made either for one baby quilt, or the start of a bigger quilt...

The tables at the wedding, beautiful apple green was the theme, with apples on the tables with paper leaves as place settings!!!



I made the table centres, vase £2.50 from asda, candle under a £1, 1 stem of Gyp about a £1 and then the hired mirror!!! total bargain!!!



And this is Essie on her quilt...she is exceedingly, extraordinarily, astonishingly, amazingly gorgeous!!!

Blossom Quilt!!!

Blossom Quilt!!!

Another little bundle of joy will be with us soon, so I have made a little pressie for her. Her Mummy and Daddy are very good friends of mine, and it is the baby shower tomorrow. It's going to be a rather classy affair - a gazebo, blankets, cushions, bunting, cakes, food, flowers pressies and a Mummy to be!!! should be lovely!!!
Anyway this is the quilt I have made, 28' square, made from 1/2 squares, with white one side and beautiful prints on the other, creating a diamond quilt, inspired by this quilt from Pikku-Kettu Knits and Quilts.

Quilt top, before quilting

The quilt top was pretty easy to assemble, work out how many squares you want, then, half it and cut that many patterned squares and the same number of white, cut them in half, along the diagonal, then sew them together with a 1/4' seam. Lay them all out to give you the desired pattern, then I just sewed them together line by line, then pieced all the lines together and then ta-da a quilt-top.

Backing of Michel Miller Fabric with a yellow binding

Choosing the backing, as always is a total pain in the butt!!! But...I think between myself, my housemate and the quilt shop owner, we came up with this one and I am really happy with it. Whilst this is a blanket for a little baby girl, I didn't want it to be ALL pinks!!! hopefully this backing helps it not to be!!!

All wrapped up and ready for the Baby Shower!!!

Hopefully it will be well received, I'll try and get some pictures of the baby with it once she is here with us!!!

Eaaaaaakkkkk,,,,been away and very busy!!!

But, still crafting!!!
I went camping in Norfolk with some lovely friends from church and with some great kids...as  little pressie at the end of a long week, I made the eldest girl Tali a little quilted bag...I made it the same way I made the crafting bag for my friend Lucy last month, but I just made it smaller, used cotton binding as the straps and closed it with a button on either side and a piece of cotton ribbon to hook from front to back.

Tali's Bag

And I thought you might like a shot of my tent in the sun. It didn't shine all week, but I did manage to get this shot of my new Eurohike tent, with bunting from my kitchen and picnic blanket from Joules.

Lovely Sunny goodness!!! 

Will post again soon...going to start a quilt for a very good friends baby that is almost here!!! better crack on!!!