How is it December...? New Name Banner Designs

Wow - I just checked my blog after what I thought had been a few weeks, and my last post had been in September!! Apologies - I don't know where the time has gone! I have certainly been very busy!!

I've spent a lot of time making lots of new, exciting name banners, in lots of new designs!

Here are some photos....

Holiday Fabric

At one time, I would have bought a ridiculous amount of souvenirs when on holiday, but having lived in one of the smallest houses around for the last 4 years, I've got more into the mindset of thinking that I just don't have room for anything.

So instead, I try to buy fabric, as then I know it will be used, and also it's a chance to get a different selection of fabrics that I wouldn't find at home.

So this year, I was very excited to find many many fabric shops in San Jose, while we were waiting to fly home from Costa Rica, and especially to find one that sold remnants of fabric by weight!!!

Luckily, when I went on holiday, I took lots of supplies out for my friend who I was meeting, who had been away from the UK for a long time, which meant I had plenty of room in my rucksack to bring back lots of lovely fabric. Oh and rum. My boyfriend would never have forgiven me if I'd come home without rum!

So I went a little wild, thinking I'd treat myself, and got a lot of fabric, and even more amazingly, it only came to $7!!!

Here is my beautiful selection....

I've only made 2 cushions so far but I am too excited - I just LOVE these fabrics!!

Custom Dress for my Mum's 60th

I wanted to get something special for my Mum's 60th, but it was almost too much pressure, and I didn't know what I should get her! So in the end I promised to make her a dress, in any fabric, any style, perfectly fitted to her.

Straight away, my Mum knew exactly what she wanted - a dress in the same shape as a Boden favourite she has, but in the fabric that I had used to make myself a dress, which I wore to my Grandma's 80th last year.

So first things first, I went back to the shop that I bought the fabric from last year, and they had sold out!! Never to re-stock again! Argh!! Luckily they realised that they had packaged up the end of the roll, so I happily bought the 3m pack, even though I only really needed 1.5m - I was just so relieved to still be able to get the fabric!

Making the pattern was fairly easy, I just laid the dress down that Mum wanted me to copy, and made a pattern using baking parchment. I then made a toile, out of rough fabric, so that I could fit it to Mum and make any adjustments before moving onto the real fabric. 

I rarely line dresses that I make for myself, as I usually buy fairly bright fabric which is not see through, and also because it's a lot quicker not too (terribly lazy - I know) but Mum would never dream of wearing a dress without lining, so I made sure I worked out how to add a lining too. 

The chosen fabric is just beautiful - it's a lightweight cotton lawn, with a delicate flower print, and is just perfect for summer. 

And here is the finished dress - worn in Portugal where my parents are currently on holiday! Doesn't she look beautiful! And the fabric looks great with a tan! I am so proud!

Penguins!

I love being asked to make custom mobiles and name banners - particularly when it involves an animal that I particularly love!

So I was especially excited to be asked to make a penguin felt name banner, for a lovely customer in Australia.

Here is a photo:

How cute are these!?!? I love them!

So here is a photo of the finished name banner, now safely in a nursery down under. 

Then, I was at a market last week, and was asked if I could make a penguin name banner, and as soon as I showed them a photo of the one above, they were so excited, and ordered one straight away!

Then I thought, these penguins are too cute just to be for name banners, and so I added some fish, and an iceberg and the sun, and turned it into a mobile!

A New Dress

I'm at that time of year that is wedding season. And the problem is that when multiple friends from the same friendship groups get married in one year, you feel you can't wear the same outfit repeatedly, as people will notice.

I do have a few lovely dresses that I've had for years and only worn to 1 wedding previously, but I'm sure you'll empathise with the feeling of 'I have nothing to wear'.

So last Friday, less than 24 hours before one of my oldest friends weddings, I decided that I had nothing suitable to wear so decided to make myself a new dress.

I did make myself finish a dress for my Mum which I had promised to finish first, and I already had some fabric which had been reduced to £2 a metre in one of my local fabric shops.

I made a backless dress, as I don't have one, liked the look of them, and it was very hot! Sadly I didn't get any photos of the back, but here are a few of the front...

I wore it with my fabulous Marni for H&M necklace (everyone else calls it 'ridiculous') and my bright blue wedge sandals. I love this dress! This is one that will definitely be worn again!

Knitted Solar System!

I still think back fondly to the day when I told my boyfriend I was going to quit my full time job and get a part time one, so I could take up sewing part time too. He looked at me with quite a lot of shock and said 'Well what exactly are you going to do?'. My answer was 'Knit the solar system'.

And so I did! My first one was a bit of an experiment, but incredibly fun. I got very scientific and researched the size and colour of each planet, so that I could knit them proportionally to each other! I did think about adding in the moons for the planets which have them, but thought that was probably taking it a bit far!!

So anyway, a couple of years on, I have now successfully knitted and sold quite a few solar systems - all slightly different, and so all unique!

Here are some photos of my latest one, available on my Etsy and Folksy shops found through my website: www.fairlyamy.co.uk

A Floral Gazebo

Towards the end of last year, I was asked to cover a gazebo in floral fabric, which I thought sounded very fun! The only downside was where to do it. Normally I do any larger work in our garden (much to the amusement of our neighbours) as our garden is larger than our house!

However as this is England, it was raining so that was no good! Luckily I have friend who live nearby, who have a very large house! So I went there, and put up the gazebo, and when I started to hang the fabric on it, their cats thought it was the most amazing play tent ever!!!

Here are some photos....

 

Scandi Cool - Mountains & Bears New Mobile Design

It's been a while since I've come up with a new mobile design....well a few weeks anyway since the llamas and I was asked to make another fabulous idea for a mobile...a very cool mountains, trees and bears mobile!

Here are some photos!

It's Time For Some Bunting

It's that time of year, when the sun has actually come out for longer than a few minutes, and it is actually warm! This is the time of the year when we live in our garden, and as we are hemmed in on 3 sides by houses, I always put up some bunting to make the area seem more festive, more colourful, and more party-like.

As I was putting up the bunting at the weekend, it reminded me that I really needed to make some more bunting for my upcoming markets (The Duck Pond Market at Pinner this Saturday 14th May, and the Duck Pond Market in Ruislip this Sunday 15th May).

So I have been busy sewing. Here are some photos.....

Happy 30th to me!

Thankfully, I don't look or act my age, so everyone seems quite surprised when I said that I was going to be 30!

I love birthdays, I just love the excitement, and celebrations, and especially the cake. Even if it's not my birthday, I still get so excited for all the celebrations and fun!

So I was very excited when I had the day off for my 30th, and so did one of my best friends, and so we had a lot of fun!

It started with my boyfriend baking me a cake!!! This is one of his first cakes as he is not a fan of most sorts of cooking, and so I was so impressed!!

We started very classy, by going to yoga at our local gym, and then went to the amazing Oxygen trampolining land, that has recently opened in Acton! http://oxygenfreejumping.co.uk/

It was AMAZING!!!! As we went first thing in the morning, on a weekday, it was almost empty so we had the whole run of the place and it was just incredible!! We bounced and bounced and bounced and jumped into the pits until we were completely worn out!!

Then we cycled home, got showered and dressed up and went for afternoon tea! That was fabulous, we went to the Marriott Hotel right on the river in London and so had a fabulous view of Big Ben and the river. 

The we decided to walk off our prosecco, and inadvertently ended up walking 10 miles!! All the way back along the river, until we got back to Hammersmith in time for dinner!!

All in all a fabulous day!! I am so happy!!

Animal Felt Name Banners

I love the challenge of being asked to make new things, and so have said with my felt name banners, that I can make them with any animal, not just the ones I currently use in my mobiles.

So I was very excited to be asked to make 7 name banners, all with different animals. Here are some photos....