Hanging Tea Towels

There's nothing quite like a quick fun project to sew so when I came across this idea  I just had to give it a go

Embellished with applique, buttons, rick rack and decorative stitches I think they  make great stocking fillers for christmas

Pattern and idea came from
Homemade-hand-towel.html

Painting and Stamping

Previously I painted the white cotton fabric squares using a foam brush but found soaking the squares in watered down paint much quicker and effective. The fabric, in the photo below, was soaked, dried, ironed then repeated, this intensified the colour. Once I had achieved the desired effect I dug out some small rubber stamps, left over from my paper crafting days, and began to play.

I used a foam sponge, dabbed the paint on the stamp and randomly printed the design all over the fabric square. The other technique I tried was using a dried up ink pad. I squirted a little of the black paint on the surface and gently manipulated the paint until it had soak in. Once I had a good random pattern stamped I began to colour the design in.

Method Used a general sized ice-cream tub One good squirt of the blue paint Approx 2 inches of cold water and mixed well Tore 5x 12" squares of white cotton fabric Layered together in the tub and soaked for about 20 mins Dried, ironed and repeated for a deeper a deeper colour

Decanted the left over paint mixture into a chinese take away tub for use later. Really enjoyed this little experiment and have a multitude of ideas on what to try in the upcoming weeks.

Giraffe Baby Quilt

Our friends have just be delivered of a beautiful baby girl so what better time to make a cute baby quilt.

Looking round the web for inspiration I chanced upon a beautiful design offered free on the Craftsy site Giraffe is now almost completed and all pieces cut to size ready for sewing


Pattern download

Hoping to get this finished by tomorrow as other projects are waiting in the UFO box to be completed

Fabric Painting- First attempt

This is my first venture into fabric painting and I must say I'm rather excited. The photo below shows my first attempt at creating a simple coordinated set of fabrics that eventually maybe turned into a patchwork cushion..or something... else who knows I started with a couple of pieces of plain white cotton fabric and after washing I just painted it with a yellow/gold pearlescent paint.

Once dried the first piece I added stripes and the second some simple flowers. The colours are quite vibrant so it will be interesting to see how they look after a visit to my washing machine I am now soaking a few scraps of the white cotton fabric in a tub of the blue paint mixed with water. Once dried I want to paint over the top to see how that looks I will update later with the results

My Sewing Journey

I have tried many crafts over the years but my one love has always been sewing. The inspiration behind that love comes from my dad and the fond memories I hold dear of him sewing frantically away on my nan's old singer sewing machine. Although many of the clothes he made for my sister and I were wonderful I do have one lasting memory of the lime green tapestry dungarees he made from some curtains he found at a jumble sale..needs must and all that but I think if he ever had a sewing fashion fail that was certainly it lol

It wasn't until many years later that I decided to try my hand at making clothes for my little daughter. She had started school and the summer uniform was a pretty little pink gingham dress. There was a lovely fabric stall in our local market that I had admired but never stopped at but that all changed when I saw the beautiful pink gingham fabric bellowing in the summer breeze.

Armed with a few yards I arrived excitedly at my dads to ask him to loan me his sewing machine. My nan's old singer had long gone but been replaced and that replacement was sitting in the loft gathering dust. Within minutes it was on my dad's dining table being oiled and serviced then lovingly cradled on my lap for the journey home along with various needles, threads, measuring tapes, chalk and pins

Come Monday morning, my darling little daughter skipped to school in her new dress, matching headband and ankle socks, neatly trimmed with pink gingham and lace as her very proud mum looked on. Needless to say my daughter had an endless supply of pretty dresses and a new one for every birthday party she attended until the dreaded day I realised that the days of pretty print, bows, lace and ribbons were no longer fashionable and had been replaced with tee-shirts, shorts and leggings Childrens clothes became incredibly cheap to buy and with 3 lively children to look after time was in short supply. Shop bought clothes took over and my sewing machine was neglected unless a fancy dress costume was required It was a few years later that my sewing came back into force when an old trailer tent we acquired was in need of a revamp. Curtains cushions, seat pads and beds were sewed with joy and once again my pride soured when we were finally ready for our first ever family camping holiday So as you can see I have sewn on and off over the years, mainly were needs must, but now retired, with children that have flown the nest sewing is once again in my life as my hobby With this blog I hope to share my ever evolving sewing journey and include all those that have and continue to inspire along the way Sue x