FeltLikeStitchin

Hooked!

2011-11-01T20:36:00.000Z

I've been going through a major crochet phase lately - it must be a reaction to autumn and dark nights!

I made this sweet little pumpkin hat for Alfie's first Halloween.

These wristwarmers are made from Peruvian Alpaca wool - I've got a bit carried away making loads of these for Christmas pressies! They're ever so simple to make, I may even do a tutorial if anyone's interested?

And these are just for me! They were going to be a Christmas pressie but I fell in love with the colours and decided to keep them. The whole set was made from just one ball of wool, so I didn't have to keep changing colours or do anything complicated. I wear the wristwarmers to work most mornings - they cheer me up and I get loads of comments about them!

By the way, don't forget to watch Kirstie's Handmade Britain tomorrow night - it's the episode at the Great Yorkshire Show which I blogged about in the summer. You might even see me lurking in the background - I'm the one wearing a nasty cheap fleece jacket that I had to pay £20 for because I was turning blue with cold!

Grand News!

2011-10-14T20:58:00.000+01:00

Sorry it's been a while since my last post - I've been ever so busy sewing and crocheting in the build up to Christmas (I know it's still ages away but the orders are coming in already!) But I've actually got the best possible reason for my absence - I became a Grandma 2 weeks ago! I feel incredibly ancient typing those words but it's OK, it's my stepdaughter who's given birth to a gorgeous baby boy, so I can experience all the joys of grannyhood while still pretending I'm only 27 :-)

I'd love to share a photo here but I've had a good long think and unfortunately I have reasons for not putting pics of my family on the internet - you'll just have to take my word for it that he's the most beautiful baby in the world!

Instead I'll show you this photo of the cross stitch afghan I made to welcome baby Alfie into the world. It's a rubbish pic because although I finished stitching it in plenty of time I forgot all about taking a photo so I had to take it in a rush before we wrapped it up to take to the hospital.

I'll also show you this second batch of baby hats which are now on their way to China. Of course I've made a few of these for Alfie too:) Within 30 minutes of him being born a midwife was making sure he had a hat on which made me realise how important these little hats are for the orphans in China.

I'll be back soon to show off some of my latest stitching projects - funnily enough quite a few of them are baby-related!

Happy Hats

2011-08-24T20:07:00.000+01:00

I recently came across the Little Flower Project blog while surfing the web, and reading about all the Chinese orphans they help moved me to tears. They care for lots of babies and older children, specialising in those with complex medical needs and disabilities who cannot find help elsewhere. I can't find the right words to describe the lives of these children, but if you read the blog you can find out more - it's not all sad, there are plenty of tales of hope and joy too.

I wanted to do something to brighten up the lives of the children, so I contacted Little Flower and asked if they would like some handmade hats. They said 'Yes Please' so I started sewing!

These hats are so simple to make. I used a pattern from an old issue of Sew Hip magazine and managed to whip up a dozen in no time. I'm aiming to send 12 each month - the first batch are in the mail and I'm busy stitching some more. I'm only sending small packages because the Chinese Customs are very strict and if the parcel's worth too much they'll charge the charity a fortune to receive it.
Believe it or not I'm making the hats from upcycled T shirts! They're a great source of soft stretchy fabric and they're turning into some very cute little hats.

This is where you can help - I'm on the scrounge for unwanted T shirts and vests now I've finished cutting up all the spare ones I could find in our house! If any of you can donate one just let me know and I'll pass on my address. Also if you want to make a hat I can add it to one of my parcels - it can be sewn, knitted, crocheted, any style or size. I've made some tiny premature baby hats as well as larger baby sizes and I'm planning on making some fleece ones for the older kids soon. Serena at the orphanage has told me they'll be happy to receive any hats I can send, and if I ever reach a point where they have more than they can use they'll pass them on to other local orphanages. If any of you can help spread the word about this that would be great too - thanks:)

Strawberry Tea Total

2011-07-29T20:47:00.001+01:00

Our Strawberry Tea in aid of Breast Cancer Care was the most amazing success! Once people started to arrive they never stopped, it was wonderful to receive so much support from the local community.

You can see some of the handmade items we had on the gift stall. The ladies in our local Sheltered Housing complexes really got into the spirit of things and produced all sorts of hand knitted strawberries. I made some strawberry themed coasters, tea bag wallets and head bands to go with the tea cosy and felt strawberries that I'd already made, and some other local ladies were kind enough to donate their handmade gifts too.

A lovely lady called Liz who runs a business called Vintage China Hire, based in Rothwell, very kindly approached us and offered to lend us some of her beautiful crockery to make our tea extra special - don't the tables look gorgeous with their mis-matched tea sets?

The biggest queues of the day were at the cake stall - it was absolutely manic! Everyone received a cupcake along with their cup of tea when they arrived and they all wanted to buy some to take home too. I made three dozen cupcakes just to do my bit but all the best ones were made by a couple of my colleagues and one of our residents who's the queen of cupcakes. They looked stunning and tasted just as good!

On this last pic you can just see a bit of the bunting I made to brighten up the room. It's made from magazine pages stapled onto lengths of string - cheap but surprisingly effective.

We were chuffed to bits when we got round to counting the money we made on the day - £484.50 donated to Breast Cancer Care!!! That's way more than we hoped for. I'm so grateful to everyone who helped us with this event in every way - a lot of people put a lot of work into the day but it was definitely worth it:)

Kirstie Allsop and the Great Yorkshire Show

2011-07-18T19:31:00.000+01:00

We had a fabulous day out at the Great Yorkshire Show last Tuesday. The weather wasn't so great - we actually had to buy coats halfway through the day because we were so freezing - but it stayed dry and we had a fun time looking at all the animals and crafts.

I didn't find out until it was too late to enter, but there was a needlecraft contest at the show. Kirstie Allsop was entering a piece anonymously to see how she compares with the needlewomen of Yorkshire and Channel 4 were filming it for her next crafty programme.

I managed to see part of the filming and grab a quick pic of Kirstie being interviewed - her cushion won first prize!

Here's a closer pic of the cushion - it's very sweet and rustic. There were some amazing entries but I couldn't get any decent photos because the tent was so packed. It looked as though they were interviewing the other winners too, so I'm looking forward to seeing it on TV some time soon.

Of course, the real stars of any agricultural show are the animals! My favourite cows are Highland Cattle and this little chap was gorgeous.

These two little pigs looked so snug snoozing in the hay.

And these two goats couldn't stop gazing into each others eyes!

This is the cutest sheep ever, even though it can't see where it's going.

Even the vegetables were looking their best for the show - this display must have taken ages to set up.

Thanks for the strawberry suggestions by the way - our Strawberry Tea's next Tuesday and I'm really looking forward to it:)

Happy Days and Strawberries

2011-07-10T19:36:00.001+01:00

Yet again, it's been a long, long time since my last post. I've got a good excuse this time - I've been off on my hols! We had a wonderful week in Majorca in the beautiful resort of Cala D'Or. Lots of lounging about on the beach with a bit of exploring in between, all washed down with a nice cold beer.

Then when we got back, we popped over to Waddington Air Show last Sunday. It was a scorching hot day so we got to top up our tans a bit more. Mr Felt took this amazing pic of the Red Arrows, who were awesome as always.

On a completely different subject, you may remember I mentioned an upcoming charity project. At a Sheltered Housing complex where I work we're holding a Strawberry Tea to raise money for Breast Cancer Care.

The staff and residents are baking cakes, and some of our ladies are busy knitting strawberries to sell on the gift stall. I've made this batch of felt strawberries and I've just finished a tea cosy made from strawberry fabric. I'm now looking for more ideas of strawberry or tea themed things to make - the party's in 2 weeks so I need simple inexpensive ideas. I could also do with a few suggestions about decorating the room to make this a party to remember!
If any of you are in West Yorkshire and free on 26 July you're very welcome to come along to our party - just give me a shout and I'll let you know all the details:) You can read more about the charity here and maybe even get inspired to hold your own Strawberry Tea.

Stre-e-e-e-e-e-etch

2011-06-14T08:11:00.000+01:00

I'm still here, just in case anyone missed me:) I've just been changing my internet provider for the first time in 12 years - who would have guessed it would be so complicated! I've been busy transferring all my favourite sites, changing my email address on all my websites, I even got left completely without internet access for 2 whole days - NIGHTMARE!!!

Anyway, I'm back in action now, ready to share some of my new creations. I've been going through a bit of a phase with jersey fabrics again - basically once I get a ballpoint needle in my machine I get carried away and start stitching every scrap of stretchy fabric I can find.

I used Burda Style pattern number 7373 to make this summer dress. Being tall I don't often wear maxi dresses. When I buy them in shops they're normally a little short, plus I always feel a bit like a little kid at a birthday party. I don't know if any of you were kids in the 1970s and used to have a 'party dress' - it was the only time I ever wore a floor length dress and I tend to associate it with Pass the Parcel and jelly and ice cream!
So of course this looks nothing like my old party dress - hopefully I won't feel too daft wearing it when the sun shines. It was simple to make, the neck and arm holes are gathered and have tape stitched along the inside to keep them in place.

When I was trying the dress on ready to hem it I realised it would look really cool if I shortened it to make a long vest/short dress instead. I nearly chickened out of the whole maxi dress idea at that point, but then realised I had enough fabric left over to make a shorter version too. This looks great with leggings or cropped jeans, plus it's also long enough to wear over a swimming cossie at the beach.

Those of you who read Sew Hip magazine might recognise this last top. The pattern was in Issue 27 and as soon as I saw it I wanted to give it a try. This finished top took a lot of stitching - the first attempt actually came right down to my knees! I don't know what went wrong, whether it was my fault of the pattern, but I had to cut a massive chunk out of it and stitch the waist band back on. Then the body looked way too gathered with the shorter length - there seemed to be miles of fabric involved. I could have left it like that but it was bugging me too much, so I ended up unpicking and reconstructing the whole garment. I'm happy with it now:) I'm thinking it might make a nice short sleeved or sleeveless top for the summer too - the neck and waist band are simple to make so it would be fairly straightforward to create different variations. Watch this space......
I've got more projects to show you very soon, plus I'll be picking your brains for ideas for a charity fundraiser, so get your thinking caps on :-)

Special Delivery

2011-05-18T20:14:00.000+01:00

My prize parcel has arrived from Abakhan - remember the £40 voucher I won with my letter to Sew magazine? It was a good excuse to treat myself so I decided to spend it on a random assortment of useful bits and pieces that I didn't really need, but that will brighten up my sewing life!

The fabric you can see was bought as an assorted bundle of canvas pieces. Each piece is 1.5 metres long but you don't know what prints you're going to get so it's a total surprise. There's a rather classy butterfly print, a fun kids' animal print and a snazzy black and white stripe. It's heavy duty canvas so it will be perfect for making bags.

I also chose some interfacing (not so exciting but always useful), a selection of zips which come in random packs (handy for making zipper pouches), a pattern, a big reel of gorgeous ribbon and a jar of orange and yellow buttons. I have to admit the buttons are fascinating me at the moment - I keep shaking the jar to re-arrange them but I can't quite bring myself to tip them out into my button tin. They look so cheerful in their little jar, it seems a shame to split them up!

I ordered a bias binder maker too which will be delivered later. I've never used one before but I'm sure it's going to transform my life:)

Pillowcase dresses

2011-05-09T19:23:00.000+01:00

I know a lot of my bloggy friends are joining in with the pillowcase dress project over at Sew Scrumptious. I've been admiring the gorgeous little dresses you've all been making and you've inspired me to make a couple of my own to send in. They're made from actual pillow cases that I found in a charity shop - both fabrics looked so pretty so I'm hoping they'll make their recipients very happy.

There's still time to make a dress for this appeal if you've got a spare hour on your hands. The deadline is the end of May, when all the dresses will be packaged up and sent to the US from where they'll be distributed to little girls around the world who don't have a pretty dress to wear. You can read more about the global project over at Dress a Girl Around the World.

Photo Shoot

2011-04-20T19:28:00.001+01:00

I've recently finished stitching some fun pieces which are going to be the mascots for the 2012 Lancashire Science Fair!

My lovely client (who also happens to be a reality TV star!) commissioned me to make a set of 5 large dolls based upon the characters she's designed.

I had great fun making them - they're twice the size of my usual dolls so I felt as though I was making cushions! I used up a ridiculous amount of stuffing and had to buy a massive bag to mail them in.

The lucky dolls were sent on a professional photo shoot and these gorgeous pics are some of the results.

Once my client received her dolls she loved them so much she asked for a set of matching finger puppets - here are 3 of them on the photo shoot.

Finally, just when I thought I'd finished stitching she ordered a very sweet interactive CD cover in which she's going to present her digital report. It turned out incredibly cute - some of the pieces are fixed with velcro so they're interchangeable. As you can probably tell, this pic was taken by me, not the professional photographer!

Apparently each character will have its own blog and there's going to be a children's book to accompany the finger puppets. It was definitely one of my most exciting projects so far - it's also made me realised how different my life might be if I could afford to hire a photographer for my dolls! Maybe one day.....

Target Reached!

2011-04-07T20:22:00.000+01:00

Remember how I set out to raise £50 for the Japan Disaster Appeal by selling these Kokeshi Keyrings?

Well, yesterday I donated the cash I managed to raise - a grand total of £150!!! Thank you so much to everyone who was generous enough to purchase a keyring - 30 Kokeshi keyrings were sold both online and in person.

You can view the total on the Global Giving website here - I created a Fundraiser page so it could be viewed by the public.

I'm removing the keyrings from my online shops because I no longer have any in stock but if anyone makes a direct donation to the Fundraiser page of at least £5 and would like to receive a keyring please feel free to email me with your address and I'll make you one specially - I'm quite happy to keep stitching as long as people still want them!

So again, a massive Thank You to everyone who got involved, I never believed we could raise such a magnificent amount of money to help the people of Japan.

Another gorgeous day!

2011-03-24T20:57:00.000Z

Isn't it wonderful, this feeling that Spring's finally arrived? I've been lucky enough to have this week off work - all the sewing and cleaning I was planning on doing has been pushed aside by my need to get out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

For the last two days I've actually sat out in the back garden reading a book, it's been so lovely. Daisy dog's been enjoying it too. I've had time to take her on a couple of longer walks than usual, and despite her advancing years she's had a real spring in her step.

Here are some of the highlights of today's walk:

Through the rhubarb fields - if I remember I'll take another pic in a few weeks when the hideous looking 'alien' flowers start to emerge.

We found a field with spotty pigs in - last time I came down here it was a stable with horses. I had to peer through the trees to take my pics.

There were a few piglets but they were a bit shy - I managed to snap one of them just peeping out.

This is where I stop to give Daisy a rest before heading home - the welcoming committee looked a little intimidating!

Daisy dog was oblivious to it all - she was more interested in scoffing grass.

Grabbed another pic of my favourite pig on the way back - I love the way he's wallowing in the mud.

Normally I have to wait for Daisy now she's getting old, but today she was the one waiting for me!

I wish I could have taken pics of all the birds and butterflies but they move too fast. It's so noisy up the lane at the moment, so much twittering!

Here's hoping tomorrow's another good one - Daisy and I fancy another long walk through the rhubarb fields!

Nearly famous....again

2011-03-23T19:58:00.000Z

Remember how excited I got when Sew Hip magazine printed a picture of the Passport Wallet I stitched last year? I enjoyed it so much I sent a couple of pics to Sew magazine of clothes I made from their patterns. Not only did they print them, they made me the Star Letter (woohoo!) so I'll be receiving a £40 voucher to spend at Abakhan.

Regular readers will recognise the pics from my blog - the jacket I made for myself and the cute dress I made for my niece's birthday. When I showed Mr Felt the page he threatened to write to the mag and tell them it took me 6 months to take up his trousers! He really doesn't understand the intricacies of using a blind hemming foot lol:)

By the way, a big thank you to everyone who's bought a Kokeshi Keyring for Japan so far - as it stands at the moment I've raised £110! They're still available for sale at £5 each - shipping is free to the UK and £1 worldwide. I'm going to leave them up a little while longer to see if I can make it to £150......

Help for Japan

2011-03-15T20:57:00.000Z

I'm sure none of you need me to remind you of the tragic events in Japan - the pictures on the news are absolutely heartbreaking and it's impossible to comprehend the scale of the disaster.

I wanted to do something to help in some small way so I've created these felt Kokeshi Keyrings which are for sale in my Etsy and Folksy shops. 100% of the £5 purchase price will be donated to GlobalGiving UK. My aim is to raise at least £50 (but secretly I'm ready to stitch a whole load more if I can reach £100!)

If you don't want a keyring (who could possibly resist lol!) but you have some spare cash which you'd like to donate you'll find the GlobalGiving button at the side of this blog. I chose them because they accept Paypal but there are of course lots of other wonderful charities who will accept donations for this cause. Please feel free to spread the word about the Kokeshi Keyrings - I've already made 12 and I'm determined to sell them all:)

More Doodle Stitching!

2011-02-12T20:36:00.000Z

I've finished the final 2 embroideries from the Doodle Stitch Along and finally got round to taking some pics. This tree stump house turned out looking rather sweet - my favourite part is the colours of the butterflies and flower.
And to complete the set here's a trio of toadstools. Now I need to decide what to do with the finished pieces. In the Flickr group people are making them up into a quilt, which is tempting but I've never made a quilt before and I'm scared I might enjoy it too much and end up with yet another stitching addiction! Cushions are another option but I'm not really sure ..... any suggestions will be gratefully received:)

Doodle Stitch Along 2

2011-02-01T20:02:00.003Z

I've finally got round to uploading a photo of my second Doodle Stitch embroidery. I've actually finished the third and just started on the final, fourth picture - pics to come very soon....

Doodle Stitch Along

2011-01-24T19:54:00.000Z

As if I didn't have enough stitching to keep me busy, I couldn't resist joining in with the Doodle Stitch Along - Aimee's embroidery designs are just so delightfully sweet!

I started a bit late - this is the first picture but the stitch along is on week 3 already - but I'm catching up nicely. I've finished the second one but not uploaded any pics yet and I'm halfway through the third. They really don't take long to stitch and once you get started it's kind of addictive. You can make them as simple or complex as you like and use any combination of colours you fancy.

The designs are all available to download here and you'll find helpful embroidery tips on Aimee's blog if you're new to this kind of stitching. Lots of stitchers have added pics of their work to the Flickr pool if you need a bit more inspiration - go on, you know you really want to join in too!

New Ventures

2011-01-18T20:38:00.000Z

A very happy (though slightly belated!) New Year to everyone out there in blogland! If you're anything like me you probably started 2011 full of good intentions but are currently struggling to keep up with any of them.

I've decided that my best way to get motivated is to finally achieve some of last year's good intentions - better late than never!

For a while now I've had a bit of a handbag making frenzy but I keep putting off trying to sell them. From now on my sadly neglected Folksy shop will house my handbags and any other machine stitched items I end up making, while I'll keep on listing my hand stitched felt stuff in my Etsy shop as normal. I love my hand stitching but the whole handbag thing gives me a good excuse to buy lots of gorgeous fabrics:)

On New Year's Day I had a look back at some of my aims for 2010 and found one that I really wanted to achieve - so I finally got round to it on 1 January 2011! I'm sure most of my crafty bloggy friends have heard of Kiva loans. Ever since I found out about them I've been meaning to do one. On New Year's Day I read the profile of a lady in Peru called Ana. She stitches angels and plush dolls and she needs the loan to buy new materials and also she wants to set up craft classes for the children in her village. It was a lovely feeling knowing I've helped a tiny bit towards her achieving her goals.

If you're not familiar with Kiva you can find out more here.

Waiting for the Big Thaw....

2010-12-09T20:36:00.000Z

Like so much of the UK, we've spent almost 2 weeks covered in snow. It's ever so pretty, but a bit of a shock to the system after 2 weeks in Egypt - we've gone from 35 degrees to -15!

These pics were taken last week when we had some serious snow - if you stare hard at this 2nd photo you can see it coming down. Funnily enough I was the only person mad enough to be walking the dog in this weather.

Daisy dog's getting on a bit now and she's been like an old lady lately, but since this snow started she's been positively puppified. It's lovely to see her frolicking along the lane with snow stuck to her ears!

According to the forecast the snow and ice should finally start to melt over the next couple of days, although it will be back again next week. I'm kind of looking forward to having a few days without it - it will be nice to see the green grass and to not have to wear my wellies even if it's just for a few days.

Sorry for the lack of stitching updates - I've been inundated with Christmas orders in my shop. My latest very unglamourous project is to make a curtain to keep the draughts away from the front door - owning a sewing machine ain't all about making pretty frilly stuff unfortunately!

All the way from Australia

2010-12-03T21:44:00.000Z

I've been ever so lucky to receive two delightful packages from lovely bloggers all the way over in Australia!

I'm taking part in a Secret Santa swap for the first time - I'm still busy getting my parcel together to send but in the meantime the postman brought me this lovely batch of goodies from Tracey over at KnickyKnacks.

She managed to put together a wonderful collection - can you see the retro sewing machine poster to put up in my sewing room, plus a hessian heart, a bookmark and a terribly cute wooden emu to hang on my Christmas Tree! I bet you're wondering what's in the little drawstring bag....I opened it up to find two gorgeous crocheted doilies.

And if you're a fabric addict like me you'll be wanting a closer look at what Tracey sent - she was worried about satisfying my love of bright colours but I'm sure you'll agree she did a fantastic job with this material - along with some pretty buttons, ribbons and lace to add to my stash.

So I'd like to say a massive Thank You to Tracey - I love everything you sent me and I can tell you put a lot of thought into it - thank you so much:)

And I have another Thank You for Laura over at Create for Life. She sent me some lovely pieces of Australiana as a consolation prize for not winning her giveaway - isn't that sweet of her!

She sent two gorgeous bookmarks and a fridge magnet - I've got to say the area where she lives looks absolutely beautiful. I've had a thing for koala bears ever since I was a little girl so I'm loving that picture - thanks Laura:)

Receiving such lovely gifts all the way from Australia has helped to take my mind of this freezing cold winter weather we're having over here - I'll be sharing some snowy pics with you very soon.....

All grown up?!!

2010-11-26T19:30:00.000Z

Well, here I am back from the most incredible holiday in sunny Egypt. We had a wonderful time, with lots of snorkelling in the Red Sea and a trip to Cairo to see the Pyramids and Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum.

Looking back at the pics I can't actually believe I've really been to the Pyramids - it was an amazing experience. I've never seen so many tourists from so many countries in one place at the same time - I managed to get one or two photos without the crowds getting in the way.

We weren't allowed to take photos in the museum but I'll never forget the sights we saw. The mummies were quite freaky - I didn't expect them to have hair and teeth and fingernails after 5000 years. There are some pics on Google but I won't share any on here because it feels slightly disrespectful. We saw all Tutan Khamun's treasures too, including this famous mask.

As some of my lovely readers will have spotted, I turned 40 while I was away! Ever since, I've been sitting here waiting to feel all grown up at last - it didn't happen at 21, or 30 so I was thinking 40 must be the point at which a girl finally starts to feel like an adult. With all the unpacking, laundry, cleaning, going to work and stitching Christmas orders I've been doing this week I thought it was kicking in, as I felt the stress levels rising and the responsibility weighing on my shoulders. Then I found myself kicking my way through a stray pile of autumn leaves as I walked to work, relishing the crunching sounds. And when the snowflakes started to float down to earth I realised I was sticking out my tongue trying to catch one! So that's it, 40's just another number and there's no law saying I have to grow up just yet.....

Back in a bit....

2010-11-04T21:11:00.002Z

I'm just popping off on my hols again - the pic should give you a clue where we're going!

I'm turning 40 in less than a week and I'm going to do it in style:) I'll be back before you know it, full of new stitching ideas.....

Giveaway Winner!

2010-10-29T21:05:00.000+01:00

Well, it's just turned 9 o'clock on Friday night - time to announce the winner of my cuddly fleece scarf!

I've used a random number generator - I had 8 comments so I've used numbers 1-8 and taken it in the order the comments were left on my blog.

I've tried to work out how to put a pic of the results here on my blog but it's just not happening, so I'll just have to tell you the number and the lucky winner....

True Random Number Generator Min:1 Max:8 Result: 3 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

So, I'm very happy to announce the winner is.....

Jenevieve said...
It's a lovely pretty scarf, my niece would love it to keep her warm in winter! Thanks for the chance to win! :) x

Well done Jenevieve - I hope your niece will love her new scarf!

Thank you too to the other lovely readers who took the time to enter - I've got to know most of you through your blogs and you all made me smile with your comments:)

More Christmas Pressies

2010-10-28T19:24:00.001+01:00

Can you believe this, every Christmas gift I'm giving my 2 little nieces this year will be homemade! A high proportion of other gifts will be made by me too (even my 2 teenage nephews will get a couple of handmade bits when I've made them!) but I'm pleased with myself that I've managed to do so well with the little girls. A lot of it is thanks to all the wonderful tutorials available on the web, and today I've got the results of a couple more free tutorials to show you.

This is for my littlest niece - I used the Bunny Bowling Tutorial designed by thelongthread and available on the Etsy Storque. Instead of plain fabrics I used an assortment of bright prints, and I used buttons for eyes.

These were fun and simple to make. I made a fabric ball to knock the skittles down, then made a fabric basket to keep the whole set together. Hopefully the whole family will have fun with these bunnies!

My older niece will be 5 just before Christmas, so I thought she might like her very own art set. This is one of the first tutorials I ever bookmarked, over at one of my favourite blogs, From An Igloo.

I love the layout inside the bag - there's room for 12 felt tip pens, an A4 size colouring book and even a long pocket to stash some stickers

or other goodies!

I'm planning on stitching a personalised label before I wrap this up, to make it extra special:)

So that's a few more presents crossed off my stitch list! I haven't got much time for making more at the moment because I'm having a rush of lovely customers ordering Christmas ornaments, but I'm still on target to make most of my gifts. If anyone out there has any good ideas for teenage boy gifts to stitch please feel free to share them - at the moment I'm leaning towards wallets and scarfs. The good thing about making a wallet is I can add a giftcard so they can treat themselves to something they actually want!

By the way, you've only got one more day to enter my cuddly scarf giveaway - I'd love to see a few more entries:)

Gardening Gifts

2010-10-24T20:57:00.000+01:00

It will be my Mother-in-Law's birthday while we're away on our hols, so we popped over to see her today with her pressie. She hasn't opened it yet but I'm hoping she'll be impressed!

She's a keen gardener so I created this special gardening gift set for her.

I made this apron with 4 pockets for her to carry her bits and bobs around the garden. It's hard to see the pockets because the stitching doesn't show up on the pic but they're nice deep pockets big enough to hold a trowel.

I just had to try it on lol! The straps are long enough to tie right round to the front.

And I also made a matching kneeler with straps. The fabric I used was actually a couple of curtains I found in the remnant bin in my local fabric shop! They're just the right weight for this sort of project.

The back's made from wipe-clean vinyl - I know pink polka dots don't really match the colour scheme but it was all I had!

So there it is - a very simple apron and kneeler. I packaged them up together as you saw in the first pic with the apron tied round the kneeler and added a pair of gardening gloves and some bulbs and popped it all in a gift bag - let's just hope she likes it!

I wondered if I should have made a tutorial for this project - if you'd like to see one feel free to let me know:)

All ready for autumn

2010-10-22T21:19:00.000+01:00

I'm sure all my fellow Brits have noticed that it's well and truly autumn now! The temperature's dropping rapidly and the nights are drawing in. I like this time of year with the beautiful colours of the leaves and berries and the cosy evenings staying snug at home doing my stitching.

The best thing about autumn this year is that it's finally getting cold enough to wear this gorgeous new jacket I made:)

Many months ago I bought Issue 8 of Sew magazine because I fell in love with the jacket on the front cover. At the time I'd never sewn anything on a machine but I was determined that one day I'd make one for myself. And at last I managed it, and it fits and I'll actually dare to wear it in public - result!

It feels a little strange with the short sleeves but I've noticed that loads of winter coats have them at the moment so I guess I'll be trendy for a change! Please excuse the rubbish pic taken in the mirror - I feel like a teenager posing on Facebook lol! The shawl collar is ever so warm and I love the cropped swing style of the jacket.

And, as if my new coat wasn't enough of a treat I received a wonderful new bag in the mail today - I won it in a blogtoberfest giveaway over at Create for Life. The vibrant colours are perfect for autumn and it's so well stitched - thank you so much to Lara over in Australia:) She's got another giveaway on her blog at the moment so why not check it out!

At last I've got round to taking pics of some more of my Christmas stitching so watch out for sneak previews very soon....

Giveaway extended!

2010-10-22T11:56:00.003+01:00

If you haven't entered my scarf giveaway yet you still have time - I've extended the closing date to next Friday evening (mainly because I haven't had many entries yet lol!) Please feel free to spread the word among your friends:)

I've got loads of completed stitching projects to show you so very soon, when I can find time to take some pics.....

10 years ago......

2010-10-19T20:28:00.003+01:00

We were on a beach in beautiful Barbados! It was a perfect day, with a steel drum player and the most gorgeous sunset I've ever seen. I wish we were there right now enjoying the sunshine, but luckily we're getting ready for another holiday of a lifetime in a couple of weeks so I shouldn't really complain:)

By the way, don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a lovely cuddly scarf - if it gets much colder I might have to make one for myself!

Woohoo! It's time for a Giveaway!!!

2010-10-17T19:17:00.004+01:00

Remember the cuddly fleece scarf tutorial? Well, I made one for each of my nieces but didn't take any pics as I was making them, so I had to make another for the tutorial. So that means I've got one going spare - time for a giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive this cosy fleece scarf. It's made from various shades of pink and cream fleece and it's 36" long including the fringe so it will be ideal for a little girl. The winner will receive it in plenty of time for Christmas in case you're in need of an extra stocking filler!

To enter this giveaway simply leave me a comment below. You can write anything you like but feel free to say something nice to make me smile:) You can have an extra entry if you blog about this giveaway - please leave a separate comment if you do that.

This giveaway will end at 9pm (UK time) on Friday 29 October when I'll draw the winner at random. Please make sure I can contact you via your blog or website, or leave me your email address in case you're the lucky winner. The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. Good luck:)

Cuddly Scarf Tutorial

2010-10-10T20:23:00.000+01:00

Here's my early Christmas present to my lovely readers - a tutorial for a cuddly fleece scarf just like the ones I made for my nieces.

It's very quick and easy to stitch and handy for using up any odd bits of fleece you have lying around. I'll tell you the dimensions I used to make a scarf for a 2-5 year old, but you can make this scarf any length or width you like, even adult size!

I've never tried writing a sewing machine tutorial before so I hope it all makes sense. If there's anything that's not clear just give me a shout!

What you'll need: assorted fleece pieces - 1 long piece for the back of the scarf and various square scraps. I used cream for the back and an assortment of pink floral, pale pink and cream for the stripes.

Use a 3/8" seam allowance throughout.

Prepare your pieces: I wanted my scarf to be 35" long (including the fringe) and 5" wide, so I cut a 40" x 6" strip from my back colour. Whatever size you want just add 5" to the length and 1" to the width. Now you need to cut a selection of pieces for the stripey side of your scarf - each piece needs to be 6" high, the same as the back. You can make big wide stripes like I did or try narrower ones. I made mine all random sizes because I liked the look but you can always measure yours if you prefer a more orderly look! You need to cut enough pieces so that when you lay them on the back you're left with about 2.5" at each end.

Lay the pieces on top of the back and arrange them in the order you think looks best. I made sure the end pieces on mine were different from the back colour because I wanted a contrast with the fringe.

Starting at one end, pin the first 2 pieces right sides together and stitch them -use 3/8" seam allowance.

Carry on pinning and stitching all the pieces together until you've completed the whole length of stripes.

Press the seams open to make the finished scarf a little less bulky. Take care not to have your iron on a hot setting or it will damage the fleece.

Place the stripey front piece on top of the back piece, right sides together. You'll find that the back piece is a few inches longer than the front. Make sure the front piece is central so you have the same amount of excess at each end. Now lift the front piece and fold the back piece so that the excess at each end is hidden under the front piece - this will be tucked inside the scarf when you stitch the pieces together.

Pin each of those folded sections into a point as shown below - this will stop it from getting caught in the stitching.

Now pin the 2 pieces together - you can see from the pic that the pointed bits you just pinned are now hidden inside the 2 pieces.

Time to stitch it all together! Stitch around the scarf leaving a 3-4" gap for turning.

Turn your scarf through to the right side through the gap and press with a cool iron. Don't forget there are pins inside where you made the pointy bits - you don't want to get blood on your pretty new scarf! You'll find the end pieces of the scarf are slightly curled and don't lie flat - don't worry, it will look perfect once you knot your tassles!

Before you do anything else just quickly stitch the gap closed. If you don't do it now you might get carried away in the excitement of the tassels and forget all about it.

Now for the fun part! At each end cut the excess piece of fleece in half down the centre, as shown on the pic below.

It's up to you how many tassles you want and depends on the width of your scarf. I decided on 6, so I cut each half into 3 strips. I didn't bother measuring anything, just kind of guessed, but you can be as accurate as you like.

Nearly finished now - time for the final step. Simply tie a knot at the top of each strip. Pull your knot up as high as you can so it fits snug against the end of the scarf.

Carry on and knot all your strips. Sometimes they stretch a little when you're knotting them so if any tassles look slightly longer than their neighbours just trim them all to the same length.

And there you have it - the cutest little winter scarf - perfect as a Christmas pressie, and so simple to stitch you can make them for the whole family!

I'd love to see pics if you make one of these scarves so please feel free to share them with me. Happy stitching:)

Winter Snuggles

2010-10-07T20:28:00.000+01:00

I've been busy with some more Christmas stitching, after being inspired by a gorgeous fleece hat tutorial at From an Igloo.

So as well as a nice new coat each my 2 little nieces are also getting cosy hats and scarves!

The hat tutorial was easy to follow and I'm really happy with how they turned out. I made one with pink lining and one with cream - don't want the girls squabbling over which is which! Because I had some fleece left over I invented the scarf design to go with the new hats.

I'm impressed with how the scarves look so I'm planning a tutorial for them very soon - plus a giveaway too so stay tuned....

What a Hoot!

2010-09-27T19:53:00.000+01:00

Another completed gift - this gorgeous little dress is going to be for my niece's 5th birthday in December. As soon as I saw the pattern in Issue 14 of Sew magazine I knew it would be perfect for her.

It took me a while to choose the fabric but I finally decided on these funky owls from Robert Kaufman - you know how I like bright colours!

I made some buttons from the lining fabric to finish it off. I think my favourite bit is those sweet little gathered pockets - perfect for collecting all sorts of little girly treats.

I keep meaning to show you all the bag I designed and made for the family wedding last week (which went very well by the way, we all had a lovely time and the sun shone for us!) I wanted a wristlet because all I needed to carry was a purse and my keys, so this turned out just the right size. It looked a bit plain so I created a flower from some leftover fabric from my dress - I was all coordinated for a change!

If you like the fabric I used to make the bag just wait until I show you the jacket I've made from the rest of it.....

Another little coat!

2010-09-19T20:03:00.008+01:00

Another Christmas pressie stitched up and ready to wrap!

Here's the jacket for my littlest niece, the one who just had her 2nd birthday. I used another DearMyKids pattern but this time instead of using chunky cord like I did for her big sister's coat I used a very fine babycord. It's lovely and soft and I just love the floral pattern.

I kept the lining plain for this one because I felt that it would be a bit over the top if it was patterned on both sides.

I've got lots more Christmas stitching to show you very soon, plus a few more bits I've made for my own ever expanding wardrobe....

My sort of dress!

2010-09-06T20:56:00.001+01:00

Remember how bad I felt about the polka dot dress I made for a wedding? I just couldn't help myself - I had to make another!

I found some fabric with a wonderful drape - unlike the spotty fabric which just sort of sat there, even after a couple of washes it was so stiff. I used a pattern from Issue 13 of Sew magazine, but I adapted the skirt part. I didn't want a full length maxi dress, plus I fancied a wide central pleat with smaller side pleats.

This picture doesn't really show quite how well this new dress suits me, or the gorgeous vibrant colours. Unlike my previous attempt I feel completely relaxed in this one - all floaty and feminine! Now all we need is a nice sunny day for the wedding....

New techniques

2010-08-29T19:16:00.000+01:00

I've just finished making my first ever coat - my very first attempt at inserting sleeves!

I bought the pattern from Dear My Kids on Etsy - I had trouble choosing which one to try as there are lots of great kid's patterns. This is going to be a Christmas present for my elder niece who will be 5 in December. I'll make a smaller version for her little sister in different fabric now I've got the hang of it!

I used chunky bright pink corduroy with a sweet patterned lining. I never realised before how much fluff you get when stitching with cord - my whole sewing room is covered with pink dust!

The parts I'm most proud of are the sleeves and the yoke. I actually cheered and did a little dance when I pulled the sleeves through to the right side and they were perfectly stitched to the lining!

A few months ago before I learnt to use the sewing machine I saw a gorgeous jacket in Sew magazine that I really wanted to stitch 'one day'. I guess it's time to buy some new fabric and add it to my (extremely long) 'to sew' list!

Dolly Donations

2010-08-24T20:08:00.005+01:00

I finally got round to stitching a batch of dolls for the latest Dolly Drive over at Dolly Donations.

These cuties will be sent to an orphanage in Haiti and given to children who have no other toys. The pictures from the last Dolly Drive brought a tear to my eyes - it was so moving to see the joy on the children's faces as they played with their new dolls. It's lovely to know that something so simple that we all take for granted can bring so much pleasure to a child in Haiti - I'll definitely be making some more for the next Dolly Drive.

Changed my mind....

2010-08-20T19:11:00.004+01:00

Remember the big challenge I set myself - the polka dot dress I was making to wear to a wedding? Well, it's all finished but I can't stand the sight of it!

I fell in love with the pattern, but now it's stitched I don't think I like it. The style isn't really me, and I don't know why I chose that pretty aqua green because it's not a colour I've ever worn before.

I thought at first that the dress was just too plain, being all in the same fabric, so I added some pink buttons to liven it up. If I do wear it I'll add a pink cardi, because I really feel too drab all in the one colour.

Here's a dreadful pic of me wearing it - I'd love some honest opinions! Don't feel that you need to be polite or encouraging because I really don't think I'll be wearing this to the wedding, it just doesn't feel right.

The experience of actually stitching the dress was useful as I learnt some new techniques and it was satisfying that it turned out looking like a dress at the end of the process! I've got a feeling I'll be cutting it up and using the fabric for other projects. And who knows, I might end up making a completely different new dress some time in the next 4 weeks!

My Etsy Wishlist

2010-08-18T20:12:00.007+01:00

Have any of you seen this amazing giveaway over at Craft Gossip? You can win your Etsy Wishlist up to a value of $100 - even better, it's open to everyone, worldwide, which is a real bonus for us Brits! The contest closes on 1 September so there's still time to get your entries in.

I've had a hard time choosing what I'd like to win - there's so many wonderful items on Etsy. I finally narrowed it down to these 4 items - some would make great gifts and one or two I might keep all for myself:)

This gorgeous Toadstool Back Pack from TheSewingLoft would be the most perfect gift for one of my little nieces - I've totally fallen in love with it.

Isn't this just the sweetest piece of cake you've ever seen? It looks like a best seller from SeaofCreations - I've been fancying one of these for a long time, maybe for myself or maybe I'll be kind and give it as a Christmas pressie....maybe!

I had a trouble choosing this next one - BlueToad has such a beautiful range of journals I couldn't decide which was my favourite! In the end I went for this pretty purple one - I might have to buy this for myself if I don't win:)

Finally, I've had my eye on this quirky picture by pinkytoast for a long time - it would be perfect in my sewing room!

Sorry for the lack of pics but it didn't feel right using the sellers' photos without permission - you'll have to click the links to see what I like - I promise you'll be impressed!

Let me know if any of you have entered the contest - I'd love to see what you all choose:)

Butch and the Froglets!

2010-08-15T20:47:00.009+01:00

We're having lots of fun stocking up our new aquarium - I just wanted to introduce you to some of my favourite residents!

Butch is a Bulldog Plec - he basically wriggles round the tank sucking up all the algae. He has the most enormous mouth, with enough strength in it to support his own weight. He kind of reminds me of a sock monkey when he's suckered onto the glass.

We also added 2 mini underwater frogs - here's one of them doing a kung-fu pose!

And, in case you think I've been lazy, I've got loads of new sewing projects to share once I get round to taking some pics, so stay tuned....

Pretty little dress

2010-07-30T20:46:00.000+01:00

My youngest niece will be 2 years old next month - time really flies! When I saw the pattern for this dress in Issue 12 of Sew magazine I decided to have a go at making it for her.

The top part of the dress was lined but I adapted it slightly to make a reversible dress. I embellished both sides with ribbon and ric rac so now she has 2 super cute little dresses. The pillowcase style means that it can be worn over a T shirt or even a jumper in the winter, and I'm hoping that as she grows she'll be able to wear it as a top with leggings too.

You know how carried away I get once I start sewing - I made a little reversible headband and some button bobbles so she can be totally coordinated. I can't wait to see her in her new outfit!

On a separate note, one of my recent projects can be seen in Sew Hip this month! The Travel Wallet I wrote about a few weeks ago has made an appearance on the letters page. This blog gets a mention too - fame at last lol:)

Fishies

2010-07-26T20:34:00.006+01:00

We gained a few extra members in our household - we have a new fish tank!

Although you can't really tell from this pic, we do actually have a few fish in it, I think they're just a bit camera shy.

The fish seem to like their little hiding places, but it makes them hard to spot sometimes - if you have sharp eyes you can spy a pearl gourami lurking in the archway and a little zebra danio to the left.

We had fun accessorising the tank - here's our incredibly stylish ship wreck - every aquarium should have one!

Where does the time go?

2010-07-25T19:04:00.002+01:00

I can't believe I'm getting so behind with my blogging! I'm so busy sewing, working, doing an occasional spot of housework, walking the dog, shopping - nothing exciting, just everyday life - and before you know it another week's gone by without a single blog post.

I never seem to get round to taking photos of the my new sewing projects - I have a few cool things to show you just as soon as I get round to getting the camera out! I promise I'll sort it out this week and finally share my latest creations:)

Polka Dots!

2010-07-16T19:22:00.004+01:00

Here's my first big stitching challenge!Mr Felt's niece is getting married in September and I absolutely hate shopping for the right dress. I can never find anything I like at a price I'm prepared to pay - after all I can't wear the same dress to the next wedding because everyone's already seen it! Now I've got the hang of my sewing machine I'm going to have a go at making my own. I like the flirty 50's style of this pattern - I really fancied making it in the bright pink with black polka dots like the model but decided to tone it down a little and go for a pretty aqua green instead.

I'm well on my way with the stitching so watch out for the results very soon.....

I'm back!

2010-07-09T19:34:00.005+01:00

My hols are over and I'm back to stitching and blogging. We went to Menorca for the first time but we're definitely planning on going again - it's a gorgeous island! Everything is so pretty and the pace of life is wonderfully laid back, just what we needed to re-charge our batteries.

The buildings and architecture were very traditional. This windmill is massive - we could see it from the bus on the way into Ciutadella.

The coastline is wonderful, lots of rocky coves and some beautiful sandy beaches. When I finally win the lottery I think I'll invest in a villa by the sea and a motor boat!

Here's the local Police patrol! He very politely stopped moving and smiled for the camera - I bet he gets sick of tourists!

Now I'm home I've started stitching my next project - details coming very soon......

More new creations

2010-06-23T18:45:00.006+01:00

Wow, I didn't realise it had been so long since my last post - sorry about that! I'm still busy stitching as usual but sometimes life gets in the way and time passes faster than you realise. I'm off on my holidays very soon so I've just been finishing off a few bits for the journey.

The pattern for this Passport Wallet was in Sew Hip Issue 17. I made it in my usual bright colours so I'm guessing it will be my job to look after the passports - somehow I can't see my hubby carrying this!

Then I made a couple of funky fabric tags so hopefully we'll be able to spot our cases at the airport. The red one's for hubby's case, lol, I'm more suited to the orange flowery one!

I finished the zipper pouch to match my new handbag too - I'm not completely satisfied with it because I was going to add interfacing but I totally forgot, I think I was too busy worrying about adding the zip!

I've made a few more clothes too - a couple of vests, some shorts and a little skirt but I haven't got any pics yet. And now I'm trying to re-upholster a blanket box for my mother-in-law - it's all good fun!

Another new bag!

2010-06-09T13:37:00.000+01:00

I've made myself another new handbag ready for the summer. I found the tutorial at artsy-crafty babe. I fell in love with the shape so I treated myself to some pretty floral fabric and gave it a go!

It's the first time I've tried lining a bag but the instructions were great so I found it really easy once I got the hang of it. There's even a pocket inside - I stitched a line up the centre to make two smaller pockets rather than one big one.

I've already started using my new bag, it's fairly small but handy for popping to the shops. I've got enough fabric left to make a matching coin purse, so that's now on my to-do list!

Wisteria, Peony and Daisy

2010-06-03T20:05:00.007+01:00

The garden's looking gorgeous at the moment - now we're getting a bit of sunshine it's bringing all the flowers out. I took these pics of the corner our back garden where the wisteria's blooming at the same time as the tree peony. They just look so pretty together, especially when the sun's shining.

My little Daisy dog came out to see what I was doing when I took the pics!
This picture might not look remarkable but it's a real contrast to the way she looked last June when she had to have emergency surgery.

Poor little thing was so sorry for herself - it's wonderful to see her looking so healthy again.

I'm still busy sewing so stay tuned for some pics of my latest creations....

More clothes for my holiday....

2010-05-30T20:49:00.006+01:00

I've been busy stitching even more clothes for my summer holiday - at this rate I'm going to need a bigger suitcase!

I bought the pattern for this skirt and vest back when I was first learning how to use a machine. When I opened it I decided stretchy fabrics were too fiddly to work with so I had no plans to actually stitch the garments until I discovered this gorgeous pink floral fabric. Then I just couldn't resist and had to stitch myself something fun.

The skirt was simple, the vest a little awkward around the straps but I managed to get the hang of it. When it came to stitching the hem I felt it was a bit boring so I did my first ever lettuce edge. All I did was stretch the fabric as hard as I could while using a zigzag stitch around the raw edge. Because I liked the look of that so much I decided to add some lettuce edged frills to the neckline just to complete the look!

I really like the way it turned out - I wish I'd done a lettuce edge on the skirt too. I can't decide whether to wear the skirt and vest together or separately - I guess I can do both!

Charity Shop Results!

2010-05-26T20:10:00.008+01:00

Remember the Charity Shop Challenge I set myself a couple of weeks ago? Well here are the results! You'll have to excuse the pictures but hopefully they'll give you an idea of how the finished clothes look on me.

First I had a play around with the big shapeless pink skirt - I kept it simple as it was my first attempt at re-purposing. I pulled it up to fit around my chest and pinned one of the side seams, then did a little cutting and stitching. I left the zip at the other side which now sits under one arm so I can get it on and off easily. I used the excess fabric to make some straps and ended up with a very comfy little dress. It will be so cool and fresh to wear on my hols because of the loose swing fit, close fitting clothes can get a bit warm in the sun.

I decided to be a little more adventurous with the white sequinned skirt. It was just crying out to be made into a floaty top but I didn't want to mess about with zips or buttons so I incorporated my new favourite technique - shirring!

I calculated the length I wanted my top to be, keeping the ruffle at the bottom of the skirt, then cut rectangular pieces from the front and back of the skirt, including the lining. I saved the leftover pieces as I'd be using them later.

I created a few rows of shirring on the back piece which actually worked a lot better than I was hoping, so I was happy with that!

For the front I decided to gather the rectangular piece and stitch it to a focal panel featuring the best bit of the embroidered sequinned fabric. Originally the panel was going to be curved but I was finding it too difficult to create so it ended up being a more simple rectangle. I gathered the main front piece then sandwiched it in between the focal panel and a lining piece, adding 2 straps to my sandwich and hoping for the best! The straps were actually the waist tie from the skirt which had crystal beads on the ends so I was able to use that in my finished piece.

I was going to make it into a halter top but the rectangle top piece didn't sit flat when I fastened it (it would probably have worked if I'd persevered with my curved plan) so I opted for normal shoulder straps instead.

So here's the finished top! As I said, the pics a bit rubbish - I was trying to show the flowy shape which isn't so easy when you're standing still. I had the lining tucked up too but couldn't be bothered to try re-taking the pic! it does actually look very glamourous in real life - a lot posher than I was expecting lol!

I had fun doing this and I'll definitely be trying a few more experiments very soon......

Beautiful Blog Award

2010-05-25T08:49:00.005+01:00

Thank you so much to Rachel at Sew Ambitious for presenting me with my very first blog award! Sew Ambitious is one of my favourite blogs because Rachel shares some of the most beautiful tutorials and creative ideas for children - I love to see her latest work.

So now I need to share 10 interesting facts about myself. Hmmm...... this should be fun, I don't want to bore you all!

1: Although it seems like I spend all my time stitching I do actually have a day job! I visit lots of lovely pensioners in my neighbourhood to make sure they're OK every day.

2: One day I'm going to have a book published - I don't know what it will be about but it's going to happen one of these days!

3: I have a sweet little Cavalier King Charles spaniel called Daisy May. She's an old lady now but she still loves to go for a walk up the lane.

4: I live in the 'World Famous' Rhubarb Triangle!

5: I used to have a Jack Russell called Scamp who loved to climb trees then jump out. He once got stuck down a rabbit hole and I had to pull him out by his tail.

6: My first car was a 1958 Morris Minor called Big Bertha.

7: I married my husband in beautiful Barbados - it will our 10th anniversary in October.

8: When I was a kid I got run over by a bicycle while playing Pooh Sticks in the park - I think the lad on the bike was hurt more than me!

9: I've been vegetarian for 25 years since I was a teenager.

10: I've been lucky enough to have my sewing featured in a number of UK magazines including the Sunday Times mag.

I'd like to pass this award on to these lovely blogs:

1: Dolly Donations

2: Discerning ChiChi

3: Tales of Snowdrop Cottage

4: When I get the Time

5: Dosie Rosie

6: Vintage from the Village

7: Twelve Crafts Till Christmas

8: A Cuppa Tea With Me

9: Dotty Delightful

10: From an Igloo

Thanks again to Rachel for the award - I hope you all find time to check out these blogs, you might find some new favourites!

I'm Counting my Blessings

2010-05-19T20:04:00.002+01:00

I've never participated in a stitch-along before but there's a first time for everything! One of my lovely followers is planning on joining in with Counting my Blessings so I thought I'd give it a go too.

I decided to stitch 40 squares and complete this project in time for my birthday in the autumn (no prizes for guessing how old I'll be!) I wanted to stitch the grid before I start filling the squares but I didn't want to commit to just one colour so I used this lovely variegated thread which has lots of bright shades.

Each square is going to be embroidered and embellished to represent something which I feel to be a blessing. I've always been inspired by the wonderful world around me and the beauty of nature is guaranteed to raise my spirits so a lot of my squares will probably be influenced by this. I've already planned some of my squares but I'll be designing most of them as I go along depending on what's making me happy at any given time, so who knows what I'll end up stitching!

I'm not going to stitch the squares in any particular order - I'll start with the top left corner and finish in the bottom right corner but in between that I'll just stitch whichever square takes my fancy. I'm aiming to have this completed by November and I'll add photos of each square as they're finished.

If you read my blog regularly you'll probably be wondering how I find time for so many different stitching projects. There's a simple answer - just ignore the housework!

I've been busy again...

2010-05-12T20:41:00.009+01:00

I've got more of my new stitching creations to share! Remember I mentioned I was making a couple of little skirts and tops for my nieces? Well, they're all finished. The photos aren't great and all the clothes look much better with my nieces actually wearing them but you should be able to get an idea of how they look.

I used some of the fabric left over from my new dress to create this cute ruffled skirt using a tutorial from grandrevivaldesign. The instructions were easy to follow and I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

I wanted to make something different for my other niece so I made this skirt from a tutorial I found at Chica and Jo. They included a special calculator so you can custom make the skirt in any size from babies to adults.

I had a metre of sweet spotty fabric so I decided to use it to make these fun tops - I designed them myself! They look really cute on the girls, I think little ones look lovely in matching outfits. Because I didn't have the kids in front of me while I was making the tops I stitched long tying straps so they could be adjusted to the right size.

I've got a spare metre of lilac gingham so I'm thinking of making another pair of these tops - I might even include a tutorial in case any of you want to make your own:)

Oh, and in between all that I had 50 iron-on patches to make for a lovely customer in the US, so I had to tear myself away from the sewing machine for a while!

Checking into Fabric Rehab

2010-05-10T19:25:00.007+01:00

I just had to share my gorgeous new fabric - I'm totally in love with this busy, colourful scene! My photo doesn't do justice to the brightness of the colours.

I was just browsing at Fabric Rehab, not planning on spending any money, but when I saw this with all the sweet little houses and gardens I just had to buy some. It's like a secret mini world on a piece of fabric. It's available in different colours but this was my favourite. I haven't decided what to make with it yet, I'm thinking maybe a bag or wallet. This mushroom fabric I bought at the same time coordinates perfectly so it would be great for the lining.

I ordered the fabric late on Thursday evening and it arrived on Saturday, can't get much faster than that! Also, in this month's Sew Hip and Sew magazines you can find a code to get a free mini fabric bundle with any purchase from Fabric Rehab - here's a pic of what I received.

They have so many beautiful printed fabrics I'm sure I'll be back for more very soon - I desperately need Fabric Rehab!

Charity Shop Challenge

2010-05-07T19:49:00.006+01:00

Now I'm starting to get the hang of my sewing machine I decided to set myself a new challenge - well 2 actually! I found 2 gorgeous skirts in the local charity shop, both of them are about 5 sizes too big for me but I loved the fabric so I'm going to have a go at a bit of recycling and re-purposing.

This was my first find. I was planning on taking it to pieces but when I got it home I found that the pretty embroidered waistband fits round my chest with room to spare, and the length is perfect for a sweet little summer dress. There's a side zip so I don't even need to worry about elastic or anything. All I'm going to do is take in the other side seam so it fits snug but not tight then use the excess fabric to make straps. It will make a lovely little A line dress - hopefully!

Here's the other skirt - very floaty with sequins. I could make this into a dress too but I'd prefer a long top to wear with leggings or cropped jeans on my holidays, plus there's a small hole near the ruffle on one seam so I need to account for that. I'm going to take it to pieces and create a floaty top, maybe keeping the ruffle but I haven't quite decided yet. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any good ideas!

I'll post pics of the finished items and the techniques I use very soon.....

Shirring and Ruffles

2010-05-01T10:52:00.007+01:00

I'm still having fun with my sewing machine adventures! I loved the look of the smock dress in issue 7 of Sew Hip magazine so I decided to have a go at stitching one ready for summer. It's designed by Heather Ross and a free tutorial for a similar dress can be found here on her website.

I decided not to bother adding the pockets, not because I'm lazy lol but because I wouldn't ever use pockets on a sundress. I also adjusted the lengths of some of the pieces and made the ruffle shorter.

After a little bit of trial and error here's the finished dress - very pink and girly!

I enjoyed the shirring and ruffle making so I created a simple top using the same techniques as the dress. I went for pretty lilacs this time - this looks great with cropped jeans or trousers, plus I've found it's just long enough to wear as a cover-up over my swimming costume, so I'm going to get plenty of use out of this on my holidays.

I'm now working on a couple of little ruffled skirts for my nieces plus a pair of shirred tops similar to the one I for myself - by the time I've finished I'll be sick of the sight of shirring and ruffles!

I made a bag!

2010-04-20T20:20:00.006+01:00

I'm so proud of my very first attempt to make myself a bag:)

A few weeks ago I treated myself to Cath Kidston's new book, 'Sew', which includes lots of fun stitching projects and also the pre-cut pieces of fabric to make this bag, along with clear instructions.

I've never tried to do button holes on a sewing machine before so I'm pleased with how they turned out. I'm also amazed at how professional the finished bag looks - I know it ain't perfect but nobody's asked me if I made it myself so that must be a good sign!

The fabric is so pretty and summery - I'm sure I'm going to get plenty of use out of my brand new bag.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T20:18:00.010+01:00

After all my sewing machine woes I decided to take the plunge and treat myself to a new one. With Easter coming up and my family visiting this weekend I had the perfect excuse to find some new projects to stitch on my new machine. I was too impatient to start designing something myself so I decided to try test-drive a few online tutorials for a change.

My nephews are teenagers so it was normal Easter Eggs for them but I decided to do something different for their 2 little sisters. I googled around for some fun but simple Easter projects to stitch and here's what I ended up with.

As soon as I saw these sweet felt baskets from Maya Made I knew they were just what I was looking for. Although I spend my days hand stitching felt I'd never tried machine stitching it before but I love the way these turned out.

These super cute little stuffed bunnies from My Little Mochi were perfect for Easter so I made one for each basket - they're fun to make so I made a quick one for myself too.

As an extra treat I made a couple of reversible fabric headbands from a tutorial on The Long Thread - if you're looking for a new stitching project they have loads of great links to all sorts of tutorials. I made some fabric covered button bobbles to match the headbands too.

All these goodies went into the felt baskets along with some foil covered chocolate eggs and a little Easter chick - much more fun than a traditional shop bought egg!

Sew Frustrating

2010-03-24T19:46:00.005Z

I'm the first person to admit I'm a total sewing machine novice, so when my sewing machine started playing up I thought it was just me being a bit hopeless. It worked just fine when I made my dollies to send to Haiti, then I made a draught excluder and it was still working OK. Five minutes later I tried to use it and it had blown a fuse, which was slightly weird but I replaced it and thought it was all sorted.

From that moment on it wouldn't do anything right. One minute it wouldn't stitch at all, just made a long line of thread, then without me even adjusting anything it would start stitching too tight and getting tangled up. Then if it did stitch it would miss every third stitch.

I changed the needle, oiled the machine, cleared out all the fluff from the bobbin area, but it still wouldn't work properly. I trawled my way through this whole thread on Craftster which was incredibly informative but still didn't solve my problems. I seemed to have every single problem mentioned on Craftster but all at the same time!

To add to my problems it started making the most horrendous noise and vibrating so hard that the needle would drop out! And every so often the needle would move to one side and get jammed. If I tried to change stitch it would just go all over the place.

I was trying to make a simple strappy vest-style dress, just to practise using the machine. I stitched the side seams 3 times but they still had missed stitches and it was looking terrible. I've always thought of myself as a patient person but I was just about ready to chuck the stupid machine out of the window!

As a last resort I ordered one of those cheap mini sewing machines just to see if it was me or the machine that was faulty - I know I'm new to all this but I couldn't believe using a sewing machine should be so complicated.

The cheap little £12.99 machine arrived and I found I could stitch perfectly! I played around for 5 minutes then re-stitched the side seams on my dress and they were flawless, so I carried on and got the whole dress stitched in half an hour.

It's definitely a cheap flimsy machine and I won't be able to use it for all the super ambitious projects I have planned but it's restored my faith in sewing machines! It's terribly slow, only does straight stitches in one size, has a wobbly foot, has no seam guides and doesn't do reverse stitches but it works just fine. Instead of giving up on the idea of learning to make my own clothes I'm now inspired to save up and buy a decent quality machine so I can finally get good at it!

Donkeys by the Dozen

2010-03-22T20:43:00.003Z

Just when I thought I'd finished stitching patches for a bit I got an order for 44 assorted donkeys. I got them all designed and stitched and sent off to the US, then the customer liked them so much she ordered another batch. I've had fun stitching them but I'm starting to dream about donkeys now - good job they're such cute creatures!

So many patches!

2010-03-04T19:26:00.007Z

Isn't it funny how sometimes you find your business going in directions you never expected? When I started FeltLikeStitchin it was all about the DiDi Dolls, but I'm finding more and more of my customers are ordering applique patches instead. They seem to be growing incredibly popular and I'm stitching one custom order after another these days. I love the way all my customers have their own ideas about what to do with my patches, and they keep me on my toes with some great new designs and colour schemes.

A whole batch of these sweet little Babushkas are going to embellish hair clips in Australia.

I love these pretty pink cupcakes! They're going to decorate a little girl's blanket and curtains.

And, believe it or not, these happy Matryoshkas are now attached to a pair of Russian woollen boots! My customers are amazingly creative and I'm so glad they choose me to bring their ideas to life.

Plush Winter Olympics!

2010-02-23T19:21:00.004Z

I can never resist a stitching challenge, so my eyes lit up when I saw this blog post about the Schmancy Plush Olympic Challenge. I put my name down and was picked for the Bobsleigh category.

I've got to be totally honest and say it's never before occurred to me to make a felt bobsleigh, but why ever not? I was determined to make something slightly quirky and out of the ordinary so I invented the Penguin Power Bobsleigh Team!

I had great fun with the whole design process - at one point in the early stages it looked like some sort of strange alien shoe - but it all came together in the end, thank goodness. I think my poor little penguins look totally terrified, just like I would if I was hurtling down a snowy tunnel at 70 miles per hour!

Fingers crossed that the judges like it -I'd love to win a prestigious Plush Medal, preferably gold of course:)

99 Years Ago Today....

2010-02-22T20:36:00.004Z

My Grandma was born! She passed away shortly before her 90th birthday but if she was still living she'd be 99 today.

A strange thing happened today. Since before Christmas I've been searching all around our house for some old photos of me and my sister when we were kids. I looked in all the places they could have been but there was no sign of them. Then today, on my Grandma's birthday, they turned up - they'd slipped down behind a book case in the spare room. There were some lovely pictures of Grandma in her younger days, plus various pieces of embroidery and art that I'd given to her over the years.

I must have been about 11 or 12 when I drew this bunny for Grandma's birthday but she kept it standing on the dresser in her hallway for the rest of her life.

I'm sure I inherited my craftiness from my Grandma. She had a wonderful room in her bungalow called 'The Glory Hole'. It was dominated by an enormous table where the sewing machine was permanently set up. My sister and I used to love to rummage through all the old junk hidden in there. My favourite thing was when she would ask me to roll newspapers to light her coal fire. She kept dozens of old copies of the Sunday Post and I used to read all the 'Oor Wullie' and 'The Broons' cartoons while I was making them.

Every time I learnt a new craft technique my Grandma would receive a sample for her birthday or Christmas - she was probably totally sick of them all but she proudly displayed everything I ever made. I know she'd be so proud that I have my own online shop and spend my days stitching - she'd be tickled pink that my name's out there in the big wide world via the internet!

I bought a bunch of daffodils for the mantlepiece today, as I do every year on Grandma's birthday - no matter how many years go by she's always in my thoughts and I'm so glad she played a part in making me the woman I am today. Thanks Grandma:)

I finished my dolls!

2010-02-18T20:01:00.003Z

At last I finished stitching these 3 dolls to send to Haiti. Royal Mail appear to have lost the fabric I ordered but luckily I was able to get to the sewing shop earlier in the week so I got what I needed.

I think I mentioned before how useless I am on a sewing machine - I'm much happier with a needle and thread in my hand - so I'm actually proud of myself for completing these on the machine! It was a challenge but I think they turned out pretty well.

I decided to embellish them with some fabric covered buttons I made. The girls have them in their hair and the boy doll has 2 umbrella buttons on his shirt.

There's still time for you to make a doll or 2 to send! Find out all the details at Dolly Donations. I think they're up to 102 dolls so far, which is incredible. It would be great to reach the target of 181 dolls - 1 for every child in the orphanage. Even if you're not able to make a doll yourself you can help by spreading the word - tell all your friends, family, colleagues, get on Twitter or Facebook or blog about it yourself - it all helps!

Dolly Donations

2010-02-13T20:47:00.003Z

Here's your chance to send a precious gift to an orphan in earthquake ravaged Haiti. Dolly Donations is collecting 181 handmade rag dolls to send to an orphanage in Haiti - if you can sew why not have a go at making one (or more...) There's a free pattern available on the blog plus how-to videos and suggestions for embellishing your doll, so even if you're a doll making novice you'll find it easy.

I've started making 3 dolls to send. The arms and legs are stitched and stuffed, the bodies are cut out and I'm just waiting for some plain fabric to arrive for the faces - all my cotton fabric is patterned! I'm absolutely useless on a sewing machine but this project is giving me an opportunity to get some much needed practise at stitching straight lines - I'll be an expert by the time I'm done!

All the dolls need to be in the US by 31st March ready to ship to the orphanage, so you'd better get stitching! I'll post a picture of my dolls as soon as they're stitched - fingers crossed the fabric will arrive on Monday so I can get on with them.

Welcome to Wonderland

2010-02-03T20:49:00.002Z

Ever since I was a child I've always loved Alice in Wonderland, so I couldn't think of a better theme for my first set of fairytale DiDi Dolls.

I had great fun designing these and I love the way they turned out. Alice is almost unbearably sweet with her beaded and sequinned pinny, a heart button and a little ribbon in her hair. The Cheshire Cat has the biggest smile I could fit on his face! I think the White Rabbit looks very important with his watch and his dapper waistcoat, and I have to admit I totally indulged myself with the Mad Hatter - you certainly wouldn't miss him on a dark night!

Now all I need to do is decide which fairytale to choose next...

Hearts for Haiti

2010-01-17T20:28:00.004Z

Nobody can fail to be moved by the terrible earthquake in Haiti on 12 January. As I'm sure you've heard on the news the people of Haiti are in desperate need of aid and many organisations are collecting donations for the cause.

Crafters on etsy have come together to create a shop where every single item is being sold to raise money for Doctors Without Borders who are helping with the aid mission. Hundreds of etsy sellers have donated items from their shops so you're sure to find something to tempt you.

For more information about the shop, including details on how to donate items for sale take a look at this press release.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T19:29:00.001Z

A very Happy New Year to all my blog readers:)

I've not had much time for updates recently as I've been busy stitching Christmas orders but watch out for some exciting new stitching projects for 2010!

Birthday Cross Stitch

2009-12-07T19:29:00.004Z

When my first niece was born 4 years ago I designed and stitched an afghan blanket especially for her - it was so exciting having a new baby in the family 8 years after the last one. Every year I give her something cross stitched on her birthday and this year I decided to use one of the pictures from her afghan.

This funky ostrich was my favourite design and the colours are so bright and girly! I stitched the cross stitch onto some purple felt, embellished it with ric-rac and spotty buttons and made it into a sweet little bag - perfect for all of a 4 year old girl's precious bits and bobs.

Stitching for Christmas

2009-11-23T11:01:00.002Z

One of my nephews has been browsing in my Etsy shop and had a special request for his Christmas present - a felt case for his mobile phone. He's really in to cycling and is hoping for a brand new BMX from Santa so I came up with this funky design in bright boyish colours.

The biker was incredibly fiddly to cut out and stitch but I love the silhouette effect. I might have to make one of these for myself - maybe not with a BMX on it though!

FeltLikeButtons!

2009-11-15T20:31:00.003Z

I've taken the plunge and opened a brand new etsy shop!

I adore cute printed fabrics so now I've found the perfect excuse to buy all my favourites - I need them to make buttons!

I'll be building up my stock gradually over the next few weeks so keep checking back to see what's new at FeltLikeButtons.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

2009-11-11T20:56:00.005Z

I treated myself to the latest issue of Cross Stitcher magazine because I couldn't resist the free kit on the cover!

This reindeer is so cute and quirky and I love his red button nose. I took a break from my felt and stitched him straightaway, then got my felt back out again to make the kit up into a little stuffed cushion all ready to hang up at Christmas.

Felty Friday Feature!

2009-11-06T21:36:00.002Z

I'm so proud to be the first Felty Friday featured artist on this wonderful blog by ShesSoCrafty!

http://shessocraftygoods.blogspot.com/

It's a fascinating blog and well worth a read - I can't wait to see which other felt artists will be featured.

Christmas Craft Tutorial

2009-11-04T13:07:00.011Z

This is my first ever attempt at creating a tutorial, so please forgive me if it's not perfect - I'm sure I'll get better with practice!

I'm going to show you how to create the simple Christmas craft kit I made for my 4 year old niece. My sister wanted to help her make some unique Christmas tree ornaments so I put together this little kit to make a tree and a stocking.

The kit includes punched shapes which are ready to stitch around with a plastic needle. The Christmas Tree will be lightly stuffed with Polyfill while the Stocking will be left open at the top. Once they're stitched the fun starts! The mini shapes will be stuck on with PVA glue and then blinged up with glitter glue for some proper festive sparkle!

What you'll need:

To create the kit: felt, thread, ribbon, scissors, rotary punch

To complete the kit: embroidery thread, plastic needle, PVA glue, glitter glue, Polyfill

First you need to prepare the templates - just cut simple shapes out of paper. I made both shapes about 7" tall but you can make them any size you like. To make a neat tree shape I used the Autoshapes feature in Microsoft Word to draw a triangle in the size I wanted, then rounded off the corners when I cut it out.

Now place the templates onto some felt and cut out 2 of each shape. Pin the matching pieces together because the next step involves punching holes around the shape and you'll need to punch through both layers at once.

I used a rotary punch on the smallest hole setting. I made the holes about 1/2" apart - before you start punching you might find it helps to draw tiny dots where you want your holes to help keep them evenly spaced. Punch holes all the way around the tree but don't make any holes along the top of the stocking.

I stitched some ribbon hangers to the top of one piece of each shape so they'll be ready to hang on the tree.

So now the main part of the kit is complete. The next step is to cut out some fun shapes to stick on the tree and stocking.

Again, I used Microsoft Word to create some simple fun shapes in different sizes, then drew round them onto various coloured felt and cut them out. I included some letters as well so my niece can put her name on the stocking!

Now it's all ready for Amy to start being creative! I'll post some pictures of the finished ornaments when they're ready to hang on the tree.

An Amigurumi Adventure

2009-10-22T12:23:00.003+01:00

It's well over 20 years since I last did any crochet but I had a new urge to take up the hook! I love amigurumi creatures, so after a bit of practise I decided to have a go at designing my own - meet Pippa the Penguin!

I created a simple crocheted cylinder shape and embellished it with felt, plus I added some little crochet wings. I know it's not the most complicated amigurumi ever seen but I was quite proud of her until I asked my husband if he thinks it looks like a penguin. His verdict - it looks like a duck with its head bashed in!

Threads of Inspiration

2009-10-09T12:42:00.007+01:00

I hit a dead end while stitching Coral, my latest DiDi Doll. I wanted her to be beautiful with a mystical fantasy air about her but I couldn't decide how to embellish her bikini and tail. I tried all sorts of beads and various stitch combinations on her bikini but nothing seemed to look quite right so eventually I gave up for the night!

In the morning I had a rummage through my (very big, very full!) thread basket and somewhere near the bottom I found the most gorgeous space dyed perle threads. I remember seeing them in Samuel Taylors in Leeds years ago and falling in love with them, but so far I've never found an excuse to use them. The colours were absolutely perfect for Coral, so I kept the stitching simple and let the colours speak for themselves.

As you can see, I still found a way to add a touch of beading!

Love Quilts Cross Stitchers Needed

2009-10-06T13:46:00.004+01:00

If you're a cross stitcher with some spare time on your hands have you ever thought about stitching a square for Love Quilts? The site is dedicated to producing beautiful cross stitched quilts for children with serious illnesses.

Kylie, Baylie, Samantha and Caleb are currently looking for people to volunteer to make squares for their quilts - you can find out all about them here.

A few years ago I set myself a target to stitch a square every month for a year for Love Quilts children around the world - it was one of the most heart warming stitching projects I ever embarked on. The hardest part was deciding which children to stitch for, they're all so deserving. The picture above one of the squares I stitched for Love Quilts for a little girl called Kaila who chose a Teddy Bear theme for her quilt.

Christmas is coming...

2009-10-04T20:28:00.002+01:00

I've been busy stitching Santas all weekend. These sparkly little fellows are selling out already so I'm getting stocked up ready for Christmas - my living room's looking like a glittery production line at the moment!

Dallas Cowboy Boots

2009-10-04T20:02:00.004+01:00

A batch of these cowboy boot applique patches are crossing the Atlantic all the way from Yorkshire to Dallas! They're a special order for one of my regular customers, a boutique owner in Texas who usese them to embellish children's clothes.

Look what the postman just brought

2009-10-01T13:45:00.009+01:00

I don't get much time for cross stitch these days but when I saw this new book by one of my favourite designers, Joan Elliott, I just had to order it.
It's full of the most beautiful magical designs - witches, wizards, dragons and unicorns with lots of shimmering metallic threads and beads.
I've only had a quick flick through it so far but I can't wait to have a proper browse and decide what to stitch first!

Well, I finally got round to it!

2009-10-01T12:57:00.000+01:00

It's only taken me 2 years, but I've finally got my act together and taken the blogging plunge! I decided it's time to share a little bit of my creative process and maybe inspire a few new stitchers.
I'll be showing you all my latest stitching projects plus some of my favourite sewing websites from around the world.
Right now I've got to get back to my needle and thread to finish stitching a batch of cowboy boots - then take a pic to add to my brand new blog!