More finishing things off

I did a post a few weeks ago about some languishing UFOs which I'd finally finished.  Well I've finished some more.

This bead embroidered pendent was made in October 2015, you can see the original post here.

When I was putting pendents on chains the other week, I tried this one on a chain, but it wasn't right.  it needed something different.  I thought I'd try a beaded rope so I got out some suitable seed beads and my copy of Seed Bead Stitching by Beth Stone.

The photo above shows the samples I made.  On the left is a spiral which just didn't look right, I can't remember what the middle one is, and the one on the right is a peyote tube.  I really like the peyote tube but it was too big for this pendent.  Instead I chose a tri-stitch from Bead Play everyday, also by Beth Stone.

I didn't take a close up of the beaded chain but it is quite delicate.  I've worn this a few times recently.

I can't find the origins of this project.  It was cross stitched a long time ago, at least 4 years I think.  All it needed was stuffing and the turning gap sewing up.  I'd neglected it so long as I'd cut the linen too close to the seam and it was fraying.

I put lavender in it and sewed it up as best I could.  It now lives in my knicker drawer so I don't suppose the messy seam matters.

Finally I have this rather strange bunny to show you.  Again, I can't find a post about him, but I think I made him before my nephew was born and he's 4 now.

I made the pattern up myself, I have no idea where I got the idea for such a weird bunny from!  The pink bits on the ears are appliqued and I embroidered a face, but I used a pale pink so it's barely visible.

All I had to do on this fella was stuff him, sew up the turning gap and sew on his tail.  There were three different pompoms with him so I selected the one below.

I wasn't sure what to do with him, I was just pleased to get him out of the UFO basket (or rather drawer, though I do have UFO baskets, and bags and piles...) so he lives with my Jellycat bunnies in the bedroom.

I've got to keep on top of this finishing off, I must have scores of UFOs... 

Does this count as vintage blackwork?

I embroidered them a year ago, so surely that counts?  I did the blackwork portion of these sachets/ornaments back in November last year! You can read my posts about them here and here,  For those that don't know, blackwork is an embroidery technique done on even count fabric, such as Aida (as I've done here), or evenweave that you'd use for cross stitch.  It's made up of a series of backstitches which form patterns.  Traditionally it should be double sided.  Mine isn't and is a right mess on the back!

At some point over the past year, I sewed them up on the machine and all that remained to be done was the stuffing and closing the gap.  It took me about an hour to do all 10!  Why do I put these things off?

They are stuffed with lavender and backed in bits of old clothes, though the purple one above is quilting cotton as I couldn't find any old clothes suitable.  As you can see, they're pretty badly sewn up, very strange shapes, so I was obviously in a rush that day!

I hadn't shown you the one above in the original posts.  I finished embroidering it just after I wrote those posts and this picture has been sitting in a draft post ever since!  I did this one for my mum as it is Mackintosh-esque.  You can find the free pattern at Imaginesque

See what a strange shape this one is!  3 rounded corners, one pointy corner!

The Christmas ornaments are stuffed with a bit of fibrefill and shakily sewn up as before.  I'll put some on my tree and see if my mum wants to pretend she likes them so I can give a couple to her!

Backing these ones we have flannel pjs, quilting cotton, old top, old shirt of Mr CA, flannel pjs.  I have so many old clothes to be used up and this is the only thing I've done with them in about 3 years!

smelly drawers take two

Or should that be "even smellier drawers?"  I'm not sure how well that little pun translates anyway.  My British readers would realise what I meant - over here drawers is another word for a lady's lower undergarment...  did you get that?

I wrote about my smelly drawers the other day and showed you the lavender sachets I'd made from hankies.  I still had 6 hankies left, so I got sewing.  I really wanted to do a ruffle edging, the internet wasn't working (and still isn't!  Driving me MAD), so I turned to my massive stack of craft books had instructions for a ruffle edging!

So I wung it.  I think I've sewn ruffles before, but I can't for the life of me remember when or what for.  I made a tube and turned it, then sewed a long stitch on one end before pulling on the top thread to ruffle the fabric.  It is at this point that I made a discovery.

I've seen a lot of Bloggers raving about Aurifil thread.  I'd always used Guttermans, but bought some Aurifil white to try it out.  It snaps a LOT easier than Guttermans.  Believe me as I had trouble ruffling these babies up.  Hmmm, back to Guttermans for me.

I did one in each colour, then finished them off with some lavender and some very wobbly top stitching!

Pretty!  The backs match the ruffles.  The blue is an Amy Butler print, I have no idea what the yellow is and the pink is from a line called Hushabye.  I recently heard a rumour that this was a Tula Pink fabric?  I suppose I could google it... hang on ... yes, it is!  How strange, I like this line, I bought a load of FQs for a quid each ages ago, but I don't like Tula Pink's other lines.  I know people rave over them but they really are not my cup of tea.

At this point I was 9 hankies down - 3 quilt blocks (1 failure), 3 using trims in different ways, 3 with ruffles... I wanted to try something new, a different technique... I couldn't think of anything!

Log cabin it is!  In the very same fabrics!

So I now have 11 lovely lavender sachets scenting my drawers.  Shame I've run out of hankies as I could do with some more and some to hang in my wardrobe.

I love how they're all different sizes and some are different orientations!!

WIP #48 - done!

The world's worst photos

My apologies.  I have two terrible photos for you today.  I am only including them for posterity!

One of my colleagues asked to borrow my red brick stitch necklace for the work Christmas party and asked if I had earrings to go with it.  Now, I think I've mentioned my aversion to earrings before.  Despite once sporting quite a few holes in my ears, I also had one in my belly button and 2 in my nose.  No more!  They make me feel sick.  But... she offered to pay so I decided to make some.

I only remember to take a photo in my car on the way to work the day I had to give them to her.  So I took a photo on the passenger seat of Norbert, in the rain on a cold, dark, dull morning.

Pretty bad picture, but the earrings are actually pretty cool.  I made two rings and hung them individually with chain from the ear wires so they dangle below each other.  She's now asked me to make her a matching necklace.

The other terrible photo is more chicken scratch lavender hearts.  The day after the craft fair my best friend asked if she could have them for her Nana's Christmas present, I said yes, then someone ordered them from my Folksy shop.  I said I'd whip some more up, and whip them up I did.  Once you've done the pattern a couple of times, these are so easy to make.  I finished them on Wednesday night and needed to give them to her the next day.  I put them in a box and had to take the photo inside, on a rainy, dull, dark evening.  Oh the joys of living in England.

If you'd like to see better photos of hearts just like these, try over here.  The photos are better, but not great as it was still me who took them!

I'll be back soon to show you the Christmas cards for my close family (if I get them finished!).  I forgot to take photos of the Christmas cards I sent to family and friends!

more more more

Don't you just hate it at this time a year when all the TV channels are just showing repeats?  Well that's what you're getting from me today!
 
 

Last week I showed you the chicken scratch lavender hearts I'd made?  The ones I showed you before were all embroidered with white thread.  This one was embroidered with a size 5 perle cotton in a variegated array of pinks.  I'm not sure it works as well as the white.

 

I also showed you some crochet snowflakes I'd made.  Well I made some more.  These have all been stiffed with modge podge after an initial blocking with half a can of starch!

 

The top snowflake is a free pattern from the wonderful Snowcatcher who has tons of free snowflake patterns on her blog.

I've just tried and completely failed to identify the other three patterns, clearly they don't look as they should, but if it's free snowflake patterns you're looking for, try my Pinterest board.  Good luck!

And last, but not least, I made more felt Christmas puddings.  These were certainly popular, I think I sold four! 

itchy hen

Good morning!  I spent some time at the weekend uploading photos and sorting them into posts, ready to write as I go along.  By a strange coincidence, I had these photos uploaded to publish today.  Why a strange coincidence?  You'll see...

This project is a LANT (learn a new technique) * as I haven't tried this particular form of embroidery before.  This, for the uninitiated, is chicken scratch.  It's basically the art of embroidering on gingham to produce a lovely effect.  Well I think it's lovely!

The pattern was in a recent issue of Craftseller and looked so lovely, I wanted to try it.  I found some gingham in my stash but it was very thick so I decided to back it with Stitch 'n' Tear.  Well, would you believe it, someone has broken into my house and stolen my Stitch 'n' Tear!  I assume someone has broken in as I can't see Mr CA using it...  I used interfacing instead.  It worked fine.  Except for the fact that when I was backing the first one, I had the interfacing upside down.  My ironing board is pretty damn sticky anyway so I thought nothing of it.  Mr CA, fed up with the huge ironing pile that I haven't touched in months, and probably due to the fact that when he mentioned it I went ballistic about the fact that just because I'm a woman I don't have to do the ironing, has been ironing a work shirt each day.  Oooops. 

I used Perle Cotton size 5.  This technique is quick and easy and I loved it.  I see more of this in my future. 

Stuffed with lavender, a button and hanging ribbon added and they're ready to go.  I used white thread for three of them, then tried the purple one again with purple size 8 perle cotton as I didn't have the 5 in that colour.  I also did one in a variegated pink size 5 which seemed so much thicker than the white, despite them being the same manufacturer.  I don't seem to have taken a photo of that...

I took them to the craft fair where they didn't sell at all.  Clearly I was outrageous with my £4 price tag (£30 for a fake fur, made-in-China scarf on the stall next to me - selling like hotcakes.  £4 lavender sachet, no chance!) as no-one bought one. 

 

Arriving at work the next day, my best mate messaged me and asked if I still had any of these hearts left and ordered one of each colour as a present for her Gran.  A few hours later someone bought the same 3 hearts on Folksy!  I haven't sold anything online in months so I was delighted!  I will, of course, stitch up some more for my friend.... I'm looking forward to it already!

 

* if you want to know more about my challenge to try all crafts, see my crafts list page.  Anyone can link up a new craft/technique they've tried at any time.  To join in go here.

Little felt things

I'm back!  Do you want to hear about the nightmare that was yesterday?  I'd developed an abscess on the gap where I'd had a tooth removed.  Overnight it swelled up rather large and part of it turned black.  It bloody hurt.  I tried to get an emergency appointment at my dentists, and, get this... they don't do emergency appointments.  That's right, you need to schedule your toothache in advance...  I ended up at the emergency dentists at the walk in centre where I waited 2 hours and ended up bawling my eyes out in the corridor when both my cards were rejected.  I'm talking bawling, snot everywhere, uncontrollable sobs. 

I rang my mum to get her card number - no answer, my dad - no answer, my husband - no answer.  Finally my brother picked up and I used his card, rejected.  It must be the machine because there was money in all three accounts I tried, but by this time I was desperate.  To put this into context, this was an NHS dentist.  The work-shy don't pay, but the rest of us do - £17.50.  I was being kept from stopping my agony by £17.50.  Finally they agreed to see me but made me promise to go back in with the money, they were convinced I'd run away!

The dentist lanced the abscess and gave me anti-biotics, the relief!  I had to go into work after, I don't think I was the most productive member of staff yesterday!

I have today and tomorrow off work as a final push towards the craft fair.  I have been making progress.

This little matroyshka dolly (sorry, can't find the pattern anywhere) started life as a Christmas tree ornament.  I felt she was too big though so she became a lavendar sachet.

 

While I had the felt out I whipped up this little fella from a free pattern at BHG.There are tons of free patterns on that website... wonder if the Matroyshka came from there too.

 

These little puddings were inspired by about 2,000,000 pins on Pinterest, but I just winged it as they were so simple to make.  I ran out of brown and white felt though!

I also winged this little robin... spot the problem with him?  Poor fella.

 

A Dotty Kind of Swap

Evening!  Well, have I got some exciting things to show you today?  On Friday night my mum came round with a parcel for me (I have to get everything delivered there as not being in during the week provokes the post office into losing my stuff...).  It was from the lovely Dotty, a bloggy friend of mine.  We'd decided to have a private shop after I admired her glass work pendents on her blog.

Well, did I win in this swap!  The parcel was incredible and even Mr CA was interested which is not usual for him and craft-related stuff!

First up was this cute little pouch...

Inside?  Two beautiful fused glass pendants made by Dotty's fair hand.  I'm wearing the blue one now!

Then came this little bunny rabbit.  How cute!  He's sitting on the shelf above me.

And last, but definitely not least...  this octopus! 

How cool is he?  I did consider divorcing Mr CA and marrying him, but Mr CA wants to divorce me and marry him himself!!

Dotty, you're a star!  Oh, and she has a shop, all sold out at the minute, but keep your eye out and you too could be the proud owner of a funky octopus.

So want to see what I sent her?  It looks crap in comparison.

A patchwork lavender-filled heart.

Made with the scraps from this puffy pouch, tutorial by Ayumi at Pink Penguin.

Hmmm, not quite as good as Ayumi's, but it looks loads better when it's full.  Promise.  Not that I thought to take a photo to prove it!

That's the back, see how I've pulled the inner bits out so you can see them?  Doesn't make it look great though!

And lined with stripes.  I also sent her a RAW bracelet.  This isn't the one I made on the jewellery course, I got my seed beads out as soon as I got home to make one for Dotty.

Here's a close up:

I also sent her one of the owls and some crocheted bunting.  And this card.  It's supposed to be a quilt on a washing line.  Not too successful, I'm afraid.  Sorry Dotty!

I really must stop doing swaps as I always seem to get the better end of the deal, and whilst that's great for me, I feel sorry for the poor partners I rope in!!