Showing posts with label Craft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Craft. Show all posts

Tuesday, 16 June 2020

Covid 19 Sewing - Scrubs & Masks

As a person with zero medical skills, it was easy to feel a little helpless at the start of this crisis - especially when so many of our friends are medical or work in hospitals.

I quickly realised that I could help using my sewing skills to make masks and scrubs. Initially I raided our airing cupboard, re-purposing my boyfriends old navy duvet cover (that we never use, because mine are all nicer!!), which had a lovely large amount of fabric for my first set!


I was inspired by embroidering friends to add some lovely details to the pockets....



Some great labels to add too!


I also started making masks to order, for friends at first, but then also to sell to the general public! Mine obviously had to be a matching one!!


I also made some in more sensible colours too!


But these two are my ultimate favourite!

More pieces ready to sew...


With some fabulous embroidered pockets, that I was given to attach on!




Thursday, 14 May 2020

Making Rainbows

I've admired all sorts of fibre art on social media for years, without ever having the time to have a go and make something of my own, so lockdown was the perfect time to have a go and make a rainbow. Especially as the rainbow image was being used in all the support NHS campaigns, it seemed double perfect.

Luckily, being a craft hoarder, I had plenty of wool, piping cord, and ribbon to get started, so quickly did.


I made this little one for me, and hung it in the window, which quickly attracted admiration from the neighbours (we live in a block of flats, and this was in the window facing our shared garden). 


I then made these ones, and posted a photo on social media, and quickly started to get some love!

By this point I'd run out of piping cord, but was sure I had some rope somewhere (no idea why?!?) and I quickly found a bag with lots of different thicknesses of rope! Winner! I wrapped and wrapped, and pom pom'd and glued, until I'd run out of my initial rope stash. 

Luckily our local independent DIY shop was open, and had some sash cord in 2 thicknesses - perfect for wrapping!

I bought a 10m length and was very happy, but then got so many orders, I'd wrapped the entire 10m in one day! So popped back the next day to but another length. And again wrapped the whole 10m, so popped back a third day to buy another 10m!!

By this point, the lovely shop owner enquired as to what I was doing, and why i needed so much cord!! I assured him I was not some sort of murderer/bondage fan, and showed him some photos of my rainbows!










Since then, I've been steadily making rainbows in all sizes and colour combinations, and making good on one of my lockdown resolutions - to use up my entire wool stash!!

They are very therapeutic to make, and I might sneakily add one to every window in our flat (we have 5 - haha!)

Monday, 4 May 2020

Lockdown Life

I don't think any of us could have expected this would happen  - seeing as it hasn't really happened since the Spanish Flu pandemic. Anyway, the whole world is on lockdown, and I think here in the UK, we have it pretty relaxed. Speaking to friends in other countries, they are actually in lockdown, whereas because we can still go out to the supermarkets, to exercise, it has seemed much less like a lockdown here.

I've been using the opportunity (and extra time now I'm not going out socialising) to make make make! Thankfully I'm a craft hoarder, so have loads of materials to keep me going for weeks yet!! And have found the time has been going so so quickly!!

I've also been using the time to think of 3 things every day, that I'm grateful for. Sometimes it's as trivial as cheese, but I do find that starting the day on such a positive note, really does help with your general outlook.

I've been mainly grateful for all the incredible NHS workers - from the top doctors, to the cleaners, porters and canteen staff - they are all heroes!

I've been incredibly grateful for the postal workers! Our postman turns up every day with a smile on his face, and they have helped me to keep my business going whilst markets are cancelled, and give me some much needed income!!

I'm grateful for all the supermarket staff who are keeping us in tasty meals!! And all the small food businesses who have switched to deliveries to keep themselves in business!

I'm grateful for technology that means we can video call - I feel like I've seen more people that I maybe normally would have!! And when you see someone's face, it's much easier to feel like you've seen them!!

I'm grateful for the sunshine (and the week of rain as all the plants needed it), when you're outside and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, it's definitely good for your happiness levels!!

I'm grateful for friends and neighbours looking out for eachother! We have a lovely community in our block of flats, and I have amazing friends who have done things like found yeast for me!! It's like gold dust!!

I'm grateful that I live in a lovely little flat, and actually like my boyfriend, so we are quite happy spending all this time together, and can live quite happily in such a small space.

I'm grateful for my balcony and hammock, so I can feel like I'm on holiday!

I'm grateful for all my gin birthday presents - keeping us well stocked with essentials!

I'm grateful for the break we are giving to the world. I know it's killing the economy, but it's great for nature!

There are many many more things too, but I think this is enough typing for now, and I must get back to sewing!!

Monday, 7 October 2019

Merry Christmas Banners

I know, I know, it's only October, but if I need to sew all those letters, I need to start now.

Last year I made these banners in Red and Green, and Black and White. Any suggestions for more options....





Tuesday, 1 January 2019

Happy New Year - 2019 - New Ideas....

Wow, Happy New Year 2019!! How did that come around so quickly??

After a very busy end to 2018, I've already cut out pieces for 15 new mobiles, I'm ready to have a good few days of sewing and re-stock my Etsy shop ready for all those 2019 babies.

One of my favourite new designs from last year, that I can't wait to get around to making again, was an Alice in Wonderland mobile. It's so fun to read into the characters, and work out how I'm going to recreate them in felt (and which ones to use). I think this is a mobile that will always change slightly, every time I make one.

Here are some photos.....











Wednesday, 3 January 2018

Happy 2018! Here are some Bears!

Happy 2018! Wow how the time flies....I swear it was only the summer of 2017 last week! Anyway, happy new year! I always love the positive vibes at the start of a new year. Everyone always has such good intentions....so here are mine!


  • To build my business even more - I am lucky that it has been growing slightly every year since I started so I need to build that up and have an even more fantastic year than last year
  • To travel - I already have trips to France skiing, Barbados and a few other places in the pipe line so I think this one will be an easy one to keep up with
  • To gym more - I live across the road so it is easy to go....but equally easy to think I'll just go tomorrow!
  • To de-clutter! I have already done a little bit of spring cleaning and although it felt ruthless, it now feels good to have done it, so I'll keep at it to keep our little flat clutter free!
  • To get on and make my new ideas more quickly! I so often have ideas in my head for months before I get on and make them - and then when they turn out to be a success I think why didn't I make them sooner?!? (See Unicorn mobiles last year - such a success!

So this brings me straight into a new mobile idea. I have been making small bear mobiles for ages, and they are pretty popular. So I had a few spare bears hanging around, and thought - Oooh why don't I make a large bear mobile?

So here it is (photos taken on my fancy new digital camera, after mine died in Nicaragua in 2016!)

What do you think?








Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Knights & Castles - Making Fairytale Props for a Baby Boden Shoot

Earlier this year, I was approached to make lots of heraldic props for a Baby Boden shoot, which I was very excited to do!

I also then assisted with the props on the shoot, which was a Winter shoot in London, just so happening to coincide with our heatwave earlier this year. So aside from a few slightly overheated babies in snow gear, it was a great shoot!

Here are some photos of some of the things I made...


A Cinderella Carriage


Some regal shadow puppets


Play Houses


A velvet sword


Velvet Cinderella horses, mouse and carriage


A shadow theatre


A knight teddy bear


Frog Kings


Making mini crowns


Mini throwns


A clay castle, castle crown and some toy soldiers (I didn't make them!)


Temporary regal wallpaper - goes on like a giant sticker, and just peels off after you're done!


Cinderella pieces in action


Wallpapering dragons


Adding some roses!




Turning books into fairy houses!


A castle canopy


Dragon wallpaper, with a reupholstered velvet headboard


Labelling the laundry


Shadow theatre in action