paper pieced bunny

Before I begin, I'm still making my way through the GYB list, so please don't be offended if you've visited me and I haven't visited you back yet... it will happen eventually!  Also, if you've got word verification, please, please, please consider turning it off.  Oh, and if you reply to comments in your own comments, don't bother replying to mine.  I have enough on trying to read all the posts of the blogs I follow, let alone revisiting each post two or three times to see if the blogger has replied.  I'm sorry if you think that's rude, but I just don't have time.  OK, that's all, on with the post. 

When Kristy at Quiet Play put out a call for pattern testers with the mention of a bunny pattern, I practically bit her arm off.  Well OK, I didn't as she lives in Oz, but I would have done had she been in the vicinity.  She very graciously let me test the bunny, and didn't even try to foist an emu on me (not that I would have minded, it's a lovely emu).  

Before I began, I had to set up my sewing space.  I walk from my machine to the ironing board, the back to the other side of my machine to trim.  I was burning too many calories and even stuffing my face with chocolate as I sewed wasn't going to help.  So I pulled the ironing board over.

Simple.  Why have I never thought of that before?!?  For your viewing pleasure, he's a view of my creative chaos from the other side.

Kristy's patterns are top notch, there were no problems at all with the pattern.  A little bit of user error, but only what you've come to expect from me.  What's a paper piecing session without upside down, back to front or inside out pieces?

Hello little bunny!  This one isn't any of my rabbits.  I think the shape would be best suited to Ellis, but I thought it would be boring in white, so I used the Sketch I used on my appliquéd Colin.

The background is from one of my Stash bundles from The Village Haberdashery.  I was saving them, but then gave myself a stern talking to.  I can't keep buying fabric and then saving it for nothing in particular!

In the spirit of not creating more WIPs (360 is enough for any girl), I made it into something straight away.

I added borders, a back, a zip and some lining and called it a project bag.  It's about 12" square and doesn't have a boxed bottom (because I forgot), but it will be suitable for embroidery projects.

I couldn't find a big enough piece of fabric for the lining, so I went with two pieces of fabric sewn together.  I thought the sewing print was quite apt.

This pattern, along with a whole lot more, is available in Kristy's Craftsy shop.  I highly recommend her patterns.

The Super Simple Slouchy Sling Bag

First of all, thanks for all the comments on my Grow Your Blog post, I will be getting round to see you all eventually!  Thanks too to the new followers.  A lot of you are no-reply bloggers, so I couldn't respond to your comments.  For those of you on Blogger, you can fix this so people can reply to your emails - go HERE to see how to do it.  Don't know if you're a no reply blogger?  Leave a comment on your own blog, go into your emails and try to reply to that comment.  If the address it's sending the comment to is no-reply@blogger.com, no-one can email you back!

I also found that a lot of the blogs I visited, especially the newer ones, had word verification on.  Please consider turning it off.  It can be really hard to get those blurred characters correct and a lot of people just won't bother.  If you need help, leave me a comment (with your email address if you're also no-reply!) and I'll help you.

Anyway, on with  the post!  Mrs. H asked her bag testers to test a new bag for her.  She calls it the Sling Bag, but I prefer her original title of the Super Simple Slouchy Sling Bag which she abandoned as she can't say it (probably that Welsh accent of hers*).  

And here is my version.  I made the outer using this lovely red patterned fabric, I have absolutely no idea where it came from.  It's thinner than quilting cotton and so I interfaced it and added the fusible fleece.  The lining is a green solid that I think I bought at Ironbridge.

There were issues making this bag.  None of them relating to the pattern I hasten to add - all relating to the fact I seemed to have left my brain cell at work that week (my colleagues will deny that).  I cut out the interfacing and when attempting to fuse it, realised it was sew-in interfacing.  Sew-in interfacing?  What's the point in that then?  And WHY did I buy it?? So I basted it, and it turned out a dog's dinner.  So I threw it at the wall, got some fusible interfacing and tried to make it fit.  Not helped by the fact I cut the two pieces the same, rather than mirror image.  Ah well, it's partially interfaced!

I also had no magnetic snap, so it's just open at the top.  That's alright though as the strap is short enough that it fits under my arm so no-one would be able to get their hand in there - not without great risk to their personal health.

I started off with 2 half metre cuts, so I didn't have enough of either to make the strap.  I pieced it in the middle and I like it.  The pattern comes with options to make an adjustable strap or a static one like this.  I can't do the fancy-pants method of making a strap and my D rings weren't the recommended size so I used my own method and did some maths.  Perfect for the handle, not so perfect for the tabs which I forgot to scale!

I added a double slip pocket, smaller than Mrs. H's as I was making use of the little scraps I had left.

I also made the zip pocket, again using whatever size of fabric I had.  I love Mrs. H's method for this, it's a much better way than the way I was doing it.

Not sure about that pink zip.  It matches one of the flowers on the print so seemed a good idea at the time!  Anyway, the pattern is now released and IT'S FREE!  

You can get the pattern HERE.
Go and see Samantha here to read all about the bag.  She also published the testers' bags which gives you loads of ideas on how to personalise it.  Thanks Samantha for letting me test your bag, you're my favourite Welsh blogger*!

Something I noticed when blog hopping for the GYB event, I realised I've stopped putting any personal little anecdotes in my posts.  I was never one to talk about my personal life, but I did tell you about my disasters in life.  I suppose I stopped doing that because the depression meant there was nothing good in my life and I couldn't even laugh at myself (usually a rich source of humour), but now I'm (finally) starting to get better, I must make an effort to share.  One notable story you missed out on was how I badly sprained my ankle just before Christmas as I was attempting to do the moon walk outside my office and I fell over a brick and landed in a hedge... you missed out there girls!

*Disclaimer:  I know she's not Welsh but it really, really annoys her when I insist that she is.

Accordian bag - pattern testing

Morning ladies, I hope you're all well and, if you're in the UK, enjoying the wind! 

A while ago I signed up to be a pattern tester for Sara at Sew Sweetness  She's a very talented sewer and the dresses she makes make me want to make dresses!  Maybe one day.  She put a call out for bag pattern testers and was innundated with responses.  She regularly sends round an email with a bag picture and supplies list and if we want to test it we reply, she then selects some testers and I was lucky enough to be the tester of her Accordian Bag which has gone on sale today. This link will take you to the blog post about the bag and you can see what all the other testers made (and me of course, but you'll already have seen mine, unless you decide to go over there right now and abandon my post.  I wouldn't blame you, I know I tend to drivel on, and my photos are rubbish).

Here she is, just hanging out in my garden!  The flap is made of multiple pieces of fabric sewn together and pleated.  I went for a rainbow effect, not sticking to one line, but choosing fabrics from my scrap bin that I love.

Creating the pleats was fiddly, but well worth it.  One of the other testers used invisible thread for the two rows of topstitching that hold the pleats in place, I wish I'd thought of that.  As it was, I had a hard time choosing which colour thread to use, so just went with white.

As you can see, I took these photos back in January when we had snow.  The shell is just a polka dot print I bought from Fabric Land, no particular designer.  It has a long thin handle which makes it a good length, and the top is closed with a magnetic catch.

As the multiple colours on the flap gave me free reign over the lining colour, I went with this green stripe.  I have no idea where it's from, who made it or who designed it, I just found it in my stash!  The inside pocket is the same Kate Spain fabric used on the flap. 

The flap has what Sara called piping, I think I'd call it a flange.  It confused me no end as I couldn't find any instructions for the piping cord.  It took me a while to figure out there is no piping cord, it's flat piping. 

And that's pretty much all I've got to say on the matter!  I haven't decided whether I'll gift this bag or keep it, it's a bit small for me, I did try to get the kitchen sink in it but it didn't fit.  Not with my massive sack of medication anyway!

twisted beanie

I was recently asked to pattern test a new crochet hat pattern by the lovely Hanni at HanniCraft.  You can find her Etsy shop here.  I'm not sure if the pattern is up for sale yet, but it should be soon.  (Edited to add - you can buy the pattern on Ravelry).   Oh, it's called The Twisted Beanie. I was asked to do the testing just before my holiday, so I went to buy some yarn so I could whip one up sitting by the beach (yeah, in my dreams, I do live in England!).  The pattern called for Worsted Yarn which isn't available in this country, having checked the internet, most people said to substitute it with DK.  Hobbycraft had a sale on and I bought some Sidar Soft Spun for less than £2.  Wow, this yarn is gorgeous.  So soft, just lovely.  It was black with a sliver of silver running through.  Halfway through the pattern, I realised it was too small.  As in FAR too small.  It might even be too small for Jacob!  I didn't want it to get longer, so I abruptly finished halfway down the twisted pattern. 

So sweet!  I know the photos aren't amazing, it was very hard to shoot as the yarn is glossy and light reactive, I'm pretty pleased with these "floating photos" though. 

I tried to get a close up of the colour as in the top photo it looks more silver than it actually is, the above photo is more accurate.  I emailed Hanni about the size issue and she said her other testers had used Aran weight, so back to Hobbycraft for me!  The selection of Aran was rubbish, a handful of variegated yarns basically.  I didn't want to use variegated for this project as I feel the texture would be lost in the mix of colour.  I finally found Patons Wool Blend Aran.  The wool is 63% which was a concern as this beanie is for me and I find wool very itchy, but it's not, so that's good! 

 

Here's the finished item, proudly modelled by the small globe that sits on my windowsill! 

 

I LOVE the pattern and if I can find some black aran, I'll crochet up another.  As far as my pattern testing job went, I didn't have to correct the pattern at all, it was very well written.

 

Playing God

I was lucky enough to win a giveaway recently.  It was an unusual giveaway in that Caroline was looking for a pattern tester for her Solar System felting kit. Caroline creates the most wonderful wet felted and needle felted kits and sells them in her Etsy shop.  The deal was that I had to give the kit a go and provide her with some feedback on her instructions.  I've wanted to give wet felting a go for a while so I jumped at the chance and was thrilled when I won.

I was excited when the kit arrived.  The roving was in paper bags divided up by planet and everything came in this hessian bag.  I loved the way it was packed - no plastic to throw away (the bubble wrap is part of the kit) and I got this fab bag which I plan on decorating - perhaps needle felting?

Some action shots!  This is planet Earth pre-felting.  Look at my carefully crafted continents and poles!

And here she is!  The poles slipped a bit whilst felting (Caroline does remind us that felting is an art, not a science) but I've decided that it represents the Earth in 100 years when the north pole has melted.  Is it the north pole that's melting or the south pole? I wouldn't know, I spent ages debating with a friend whether the Milky Way is a galaxy, a universe or a solar system and what the difference was!

This is what the roving looks like.  It's the top bit of the sheep's fleece and it's very soft and luxurious.  The fleece has tiny little barbs that stick together when agitated, this is the basic premise of felting.

Here we have Venus, Earth, Mercury, Pluto and Mars.  They are tiny!  The model is actually to scale, you'll see how small our planet actually is in my final shot.

Here I was getting ready to felt Neptune. Caroline provided me with paper balls to wrap the roving around.

See how small the other planets are in comparison?  And Neptune isn't even the biggest.  Actually, I don't think that one is Neptune.  I can't find the sheet with the names on, it's not Venus, Earth, Mars, Pluto, Mercury, Jupiter or Saturn.  It's the other one...

Here's the roving for Jupiter all fanned out.

And here's Jupiter with her tights on!

Ta da!  My completed solar system!  I really enjoyed making this and would love to do some more welt felting.  I have some roving left over from the kit and I think I'll try making felt beads with it. The only downside?  It's not so good for a girl with chronic eczema on her hands to spend 4 hours with her hands in soapy water!  

The kit was fantastic, the instructions were really well written and I even enjoyed reading the information about each planet - clearly it hasn't all stuck as I've forgotten the name of one of them!  If you want to give felting a go, I'd really recommend one of Caroline's kits - Go to Snag Breac's shop.

Oh, are you wondering what the Solar System is sitting on?  It's the newest addition to the dining room.  Dad brought an old bookshelf over and it quickly became my place for crafting goodies:

In here are my crochet, knitting, embroidery and beading books, along with my beading and jewellery making supplies, now at home in the dining room.  Think that's all my craft storage?  No, no, no!  This lives in the living room next to my place on the sofa:

One of the drawers holds felt sheets, another holds random bits and pieces, the other three are full of yarn (not all of my yarn!), on top is a basket with embroidery threads, random patterns, my light box and embroidery hoops and frames and various bits and pieces.  To the left is my sewing box and my knitting/crochet bag.

Think that's all? I've actually got a very large craft room upstairs too! Crafting is taking over my life and my house...

my pattern testing adventure!

Last week I responded to a call out for crochet pattern testers by Heather at Me Making Do.  She chose me to be one of her testers and I received a pdf pattern of a headband which came with a removable flower and removable bow so the pieces are interchangeable.  The pattern is now available in her etsy shop at a special discount price.  

I thought you might be interested to see the results of my work.  The first time I made the headband, I really, really struggled.  Each stitch was painful and hard.  When I'd done, it was a mess so I thought I'd try again.  That's when I realised I'd been trying to crochet my first attempt upside down!!  No wonder it didn't work!!  This time it went perfectly and flew off my hook, this is a really quick project. 

Here's a shot of the individual pieces.  I chose to do it all in shades of purple, but it would look great in so many different colours.  You could change the flower or bow to match your child's outfit.

And here it is with the bow in place and the flower waiting to be slid on.

And finally a shot with the flower attached.

This is a really quick make and suitable for beginner crocheters like me.  I really enjoyed my testing experience.  Heather has just launched a new crochet blog where she'll be offering some free patterns, hop over and see it.