Wednesday 23 October 2013

Busy, busy, busy!

How-de-doo peeps!

Gosh, it's amazing how all the little things creep up on you and you end up a week later wondering where the time has gone! I have managed to make my two their Halloween costumes, been to a school disco, started on my Hedgehog costume, playgroup, an ice cream farm visit......Blimey!

I took some pics while doing the girls costumes so I will get them on here soon. Very easy to do, inspired by some I'd seen on Pinterest. I liked the idea of them not being scary and the shop ones all looked a bit too gory for a 4 and 2 year old to be wearing. Also, I really liked the idea of making theirs myself.

Well, need to sign off and go and put some clothes away. Just wanted to pop by and say hello!

Feel free to follow me on Pinterest, http://www.pinterest.com/camperknitter/boards/

XxXx

Wednesday 16 October 2013

My First Tutorial!! *Blush*

Wow! Bit of a big moment this!

I've been making Christmas Stockings as presents for our immediate family and I suddenly thought it would be great to show off how I did it. I never do things the easy way if there's a harder path so I kinda had to wing it a bit. I was really lucky enough to get hold of 10 squares of material at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival. There is a lady who runs a stall there and she sells old sari and scarf materials and she was selling these squares off at 5 for a fiver. So I had two! At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with them but they were so beautiful and different.

Once I had hit on the idea for Stockings I started trawling Pinterest. Wow. There are a lot of fancy and not so fancy stockings out there! I had a rough idea of what I wanted and this is how I did it!

Ok, so when I got the material it had that gold border along 3 sides. I carefully unpicked and trimmed the excess off and saved it in my stash/notions box. As you can see, this one is a lovely sequinned piece. Then I made a template for the stocking shape. I had to do this for each Stocking individually as they were all different sizes (d'oh!). So when you have you shape place it on the wrong side of your fabric like this:
 Excuse Pumpkins' hand in there! For some of the other Stockings I had to have a seperate toe template and cut it out of the bit in the middle at the bottom, if you see what I mean. So, now you use this template to also cut out your batting to pad the Stocking out. When you've got all three things cut out and pinned together it should look like this:
 Pumpkin is determined to 'help'! Ok, so from the bottom, Stocking material wrong side up, batting, then lining right side up.
 Here you can just about see where I've had to cut a seperate toe and have joined them together. I will just stitch this together as a seam. Once you've done that, fold it in half right side to right side, with the lining uppermost, and stitch together! I just used a three point zig-zag stitch to give it lots of strength.
 Here's one with an extra toe. I quite like the rustic joining on this one.
Here's one that I 'disguised' with some edging from another square. I pinned these in place under the batting before stitching all the way round to keep them secure.

When I've finished all the Stockings I'll show you.

Wow! Hope that's ok for you to follow and makes sense!? Ask questions if it isn't.

XxXx

Sunday 13 October 2013

Poorly again......And a craft update!

Hello All!!

It's a bit worrying that nearly half my posts are when Pumpkin is poorly! She is not generally a sickly child, but I am loving listening to Mozart lullabies whilst I type! She has a horrid rattly cough so into bed with Mummy it is. The really irritating thing is she was getting better at sleeping in her bed before this too.Oh well.

I have cut out all the stockings!! Hurrah! Just need to cut out the batting for 2 and then stitch the last 4 together.I must remember to take some pics to show you as I do the last ones. I have also, randomly, starting making a tunic for Beanie. I have purchased a book with some fantastic kids clothes in, complete with paper patterns. Now this is an area I have not yet delved into, so I picked up a cheap 70's style kids tunic pattern at a charity shop to try out first. The pattern pieces were already cut out so I hope it will fit her! If not, it'll be there when she's big enough.

I am also going to have a bash at some Halloween costumes this year. I shall be a hedgehog, the girls will be birds and Hubby wants to be the Staypuft Marshmallow Man. Should make for an interesting family photo!

Night
XxXx

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Bedtime ramblings......and a new skill!!!!

Hey all.

I really should be asleep by now. Am trying a new health kick and should be trying to get a decent nights' kip. Oh well. I've started my 30 day Shred again and I'm kicking in FLYlady too, so by the time November comes around me and my house should kick some butt!

I am not a naturally tidy person. I am a lazy, sloth-like creature, but bizarrely since Beanie started school I've really been attacking the house and all its little messes. Things like cleaning the windows and window frames or tidying Pumpkins dresser. It's really odd, but lovely to see my home emerge underneath it all.

I have also been quite crafty today! I have finished stitching 2 of the stockings, so that makes 3 stitched, 1 pinned, and 4 to start. I really want these done by the end of the month so I'm not fretting about family pressies.

I also had a bash at reverse applique and it blinking well worked!!! OK, so the pattern is a little bit wonky, but you can definitely tell it's Mickey Mouses head!!! Pumpkin spent the whole time I was stitching it trying to get her hands on it so it passed her test! Can't wait to try it on something else. I love the idea of a t-shirt for Mr, all 'ripped' with the VW logo underneath........

Just need to find the material!

Night all.
XxXx