Specs Appeal!

Embroidered Glasses Case 

 

I'm pretty rushed off my feet at the moment with 'family stuff', so sewing and blogging seems to have taken a bit of a back seat but I did find time yesterday to whip up this cute glasses case.  It's part of a handbag set for a friend who's poorly, I shared the matching zipper pouch in my last post and I've also stitched up a little tissue holder although I forgot to take any pictures of that one!

The case is quite large so can also be used for holding statement sunnies

(If we actually get a summer worthy of wearing sunglasses this year!)  

 As ever, it's very much an upcycled project, using faux suede taken from an old sofa, a hair bobble for a closure and a vintage button from the 1950s!  Protection is provided by a layer of pure cotton wadding left over from a previous quilting project.

Happy Sewing!

Faux Suede Make-Up Bag

Upcycled Couch Pouch! 

Whilst at our local car boot sale last summer I came across a chap selling a large amount of soft faux suede which he had removed from his sofa after the frame had apparently given way.  I was most impressed that he had taken the effort to recycle as much of the original materials as possible and absolutely delighted when he said he only wanted £1.00 for the lot!  I shoved it through the washing machine and it came out looking immaculate but it then found its way into a cupboard where I promptly forgot about it, until now....

..And this upcycled couch pouch(!) is the first project I've made with it. The suedette sewed up beautifully, the only downside is the gorgeous napped finish attracts tiny bits of fluff which then need picking off - As a little bit of a neat freak this would have driven me to distraction on a sofa!

I added a matching layered applique flower to the front, which I cut on my Sizzix machine using this Marianne Design flowers die.  The final touch was a vintage blue flower button in the centre of the flower, finishing the pouch off perfectly!

Zipper pouches are always a great project to make as once you've mastered the basic technique, they can be customised in an infinite number of ways.  They also make very useful gifts being suitable for cosmetics, pencil cases, travel pouches etc, etc!   Their look changes completely depending on the decoration added and they can easily be adapted for men, a group I always find it difficult to stitch for!    

Check out more SewforSoul zipper pouches here.

'You're Just My Type' Appliqued Hoop Art

Valentine's Embroidery ~ Sewing World Magazine February 2016

February's Sewing World Magazine is in the shops now and features my appliqued typewriter hoop art

 The design is a tactile mix of beading, machine and hand embroidery  

 Hoop art is bang on trend at the moment, along with upcycled vintage sheeting ~ Sew hipster! 

The project includes two retro typewriters to choose from, one that is totally hand cut and the second which uses a pre-printed motif from the stunning Melody Miller 'Typewriters' fabric.

I just love the kitsch feel of the vintage sheet I employed for the backing but it would look equally effective with a more "modern" choice of fabric!

My finished hoops are going to be gifted to a couple of fantastic women, both of whom really are 'just my type'!

If you fancy reading more about creating your own adorable retro typewriter, then the lovely folk over at Sewing World have made the full magazine article available as downloadable PDF. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Very First Quilt - Finally Blogged!

Rail Fence in Zig-Zag

Regular readers might remember that I started my first full sized quilt back in the summer, a classic rail fence design, stitched from old duvet covers and one of Mr Larkin's work shirts.  I found the whole process of cutting out hundreds of rectangles pretty boring and moaned about it in this post!  Some kind, and very experienced, quilters suggested I should try strip quilting to speed the whole process up - Although by the time I blogged my woes, I had already started my next quilt an upcycled pinwheel shirt quilt which unfortunately wasn't suitable for this method.

I actually got the quilt finished in just a couple of weeks but I find the process of taking decent photos even more trying than cutting out rectangles.  I snapped these shots on a sunny day back in the summer and didn't really want to blog them as they make the quilt colours looks very insipid. However, I've finally acknowledged to myself that I'm not ever likely to retake them!

I've now started my next quilt project a scrappy string quilt but my lovely Bernina 440QE was pulling to the left and has been sent off for a service, so progress has been halted.  It also means that for the first time ever I'm not stitching up any Christmas presents, so I'm not sure what to do instead....

Christmas Crafts - Sewing World Magazine 2015

DIY Quilted Dog Coat Tutorial

The fantastic Christmas issue of Sewing World Magazine is in the shops now and it's full of inspiring seasonal makes including my quilted dog coat tutorial and pattern.  I set out to create a coat that was quintessentially English, with an added festive twist! 

The coat is fully lined for warmth and I stitched mine using an old child's kilt which I picked up for pennies at a local car boot sale!  It's super easy to make and the magazine comes with a full-sized pattern, for a medium sized dog, which can then be resized on a photocopier to suit any size of dog.

The kilt buckles provide a lovely traditional feel, perfect for a posh looking pooch! 

The festive touch comes courtesy of a cute 'Santa Paws' applique! 

I used our neighbour's dog for my model - Thanks Yogi! 

The issue is on sale until 18th December, so there's still plenty of time to get your Christmas stitch on!

Upcycled Shirt Quilt - Finished!

Pinwheel Blocks

 Blogging has taken a bit of a backseat over the last couple of months as family life has a habit of getting in the way!  I've still been stitching though, including a number of 'secret' projects which will be published in various sewing magazines over the next few months.

I've also been working on an upcycled shirt quilt which was inspired by this absolutely stunning quilt made by Debbie over at Serendipity Patch.

As I didn't want to directly copy Debbie's fantastic work, I decided to stitch more obvious traditional pinwheel blocks which suit the quilt perfectly.

I laid all my finished blocks out on the double bed in our guest room so that I could rearrange them into a pleasing 'random' fashion. However, our very naughty cat was obviously jealous of my attention being lavished on something other than her!  At first, this simply translated to her lying on top of the blocks but, having failed to distract me from the task in hand, she then decided to attempt to completely shred the blocks by scratching them vigorously with all four clawed feet!

Some of the blocks ended up with caught threads and runs and had to be swapped for new ones but the quilt is now finished and the perfect size for multiple occupants to snuggle under whilst sat on the sofa in front of a roaring fire! 

British Biscuits Appliqued Cafetiere Cosy

'Sewing World' Magazine October 2015

Regular readers will know that my Patchwork Sprocket Cushion was featured in this month's Sewing World Magazine, however I'm delighted to announce that another of my projects also made an appearance;

This 'Sweet Treats' Appliqued Cafetiere Cosy 

Featuring iconic British biscuits such as Jammy Dodgers and Fox's Party Rings, it's just the thing to add some fun retro chic to any kitchen.  The appliqued biscuits conjure up such memories of childhood teatime treats, I was always partial to a 'Nice' coconut biscuit although I wasn't quite so keen on Pink Wafers!

The magazine includes a full sized pattern and should the teacup not rock your boat, simply change it for the recipient's initial;

The design is also perfect for tea cosies....

...time to get started on stitching all your Christmas gifts!