Hungry Caterpillar Bunting

We are going through an unusually cold spell here in the UK, we are all wrapped up inside fondly remembering the weather this time last year which was warm, sunny and spring-like!  Shortly after Orren was born I enjoyed a picnic in the park and a BBQ in the garden, so you will understand that we are all feeling a little down and out at the moment and desperately wishing spring to come.  Last week I planted some beetroot and spring onions in seed trays, but I just don't see them making an appearance unless the weather improves. 
I am trying to pass the time by seeing friends and family.  Last week I visited my best friend who had a baby four weeks ago, he is totally gorgeous and tiny, holding a tiny baby just reminded me how much Orren has grown, he seems giant compared to my friend's baby!  Did it make me broody?  Well maybe a little, I did start thinking crazy things like "I am sure it's easier with two", and "Orren could entertain the baby". 
I made a couple of presents for him including a couple of my neckerchief bibs and some personalised bunting.  I used Hungry Caterpillar fabric from Hobbycraft and come matching plain, coloured cotton.  It has 12 flags in total with four in the Hungry Caterpillar fabric, four yellow, two green and two red.

I hope my friend likes it, and her little boy when he is old enough to know. I thought the colours were quite jolly and would fit in with a few different colour schemes. 

Last weekend we visited my mum and dad in Wales, normally we enjoy a walk on the beach, but not this time, at 1 degree you'll forgive us for staying indoors and then heading to the carvery for a filling lunch. I also visited a friend from my University days who has a 6 month old whom I hadn't seen yet; it is so nice all my friends are having babies, feels like we are all moving into the next phase of life.  Are you in the UK? How are you coping with the unseasonably cold weather?

Neckerchief/Bandanna bib tutorial

Have you seen there sweet bibs you can get now that look like neckerchiefs?!  I think they are really cute and much more fun that an ordinary bib, it makes the bib part of the baby's outfit rather than just covering it up for the sake of dribble protection.
I was on the verge of buying some when I suddenly remembered that I can sew, and have half a brain #9the other half went out with the placenta!) and therefore could make some myself.
What's more I though I could share it with you so you can have a go at making one for your baby if you have one, or as a gift for a friend with a new addition.
It is dead easy to make one of these bibs, as I am sure you know by now I don't really do measuring, so haven't included any, all lengths are by rack of eye! (Or by what I figure will fit round a baby's neck.)

For this tutorial you need two types of fabric, I used a flannelette type cotton which I figured would be fairly absorbent, then a patterned jersey type fabric for the front.

Begin buy making a paper template for the shape you want, I loosely wrapped mine around my baby's neck to get an idea of the size and included enough room for hemming.

Pin the template to the fabric then cut around it.  

Next pin the flannelette to the jersey and cut around it as before so you have two triangles of the same shape and size.

Keeping the fabric pinned together sew the two pieces together using a straight stitch.  Leave about 1 cm for hemming.  

Make sure you leave a small gap of about 3cm to turn your bib the right way round.  I left one of my corners open.  

Next trim off the excess from the edges so they are nice and neat:

Then turn the bib the right way round through the small hole you left at one end:

It should look like this now:

Now to finish off tuck in the un-hemmed edges on your open corner like this:

Then simply sew a straight line over this edge (you could do a chain stitch by hand if you so felt inclined, I am a bit lazy though and want to get it done quickly, so it was just a straight stitch for me.)

Now you need to add some velcro.  Cut a piece about 3 cm long and pin one piece to either side of your bib:

Sew them with a straight stitch and you are done!

Hope you are all having a great week, I am writing this tutorial in my garden because we finally have some sun in the UK!

Meet my up-cycled quilt!

Hi everyone,

I have missed you!  Haven't posted as much as I normally do because I have been a busy bee!  The last week or so I have been making this quilt!

I am really quite proud of myself, never made anything like this before, but I was inspired by this post, though I made mine without a book or pattern or anything, basically made it up as I went along with bits and pieces I had around the house.  It didn't cost me anything to make, and it even has an eco element because I used some of my husbands old shirts in the patchwork, the whole of the back and all the binding!  You can tell I am excited can't you?  

It is quite thickly padded which made binding it a bit difficult, I spent a long time cutting and ironing the strips, and even longer pinning the binding all round the edge of the quilt.

It certainly isn't the best binding in the world, as you can see, but it was a first attempt after all.

I am really pleased with it and proud of myself.  I would definitely been keen to have another go.  I have got loads of squares left because I cut tons a few years ago with the intention of making a huge quilt, but then realised it would look hideous so just chose the blue ones to make this quilt. I could choose another colour way from the selection I have for another quilt. 

Hope you have all been having a lovely week.  I have another keyring to put in the art shop, and some vintage map envelopes for the craft shop which I will put up in the next couple of days.  I have so many things I want to do, including my wreath tutorial which I promised weeks ago!  I am sure I have lots of news to share with you, like my lovely hubby on Valentines day and the fact that I have been poorly, and my recent sales, but they will have to wait for another day.

TTFN

xxx

Spring time wreath

Hello everyone, happy weekend!
I hope you are all cheery and chirpy, I have a bit of a headache but apart from that am glad to have two days to relax from the craziness of being a secondary school art teacher.  I have been working on this springtime wreath that I have just listed on my Etsy Shop, I am really pleased with it, I love the colours, I will be sad if I sell it!  Is that stupid?
I am going to do a tutorial for how to make one of these next week:

New items in Etsy shop

Yippeee for my first day working from home on a Wednesday!! I am so happy to be working from home today, and I have got quite a lot done so far including getting some paintings scanned and saved onto a memory stick ready to be make into prints, digging at the allotment, photographing new items for my shop and listing new items for my shop.  I have gone a bit mad I think and listed LOADS of things, here they are:

"Home" vintage style appliqué bunting:

Fabulous vintage Hornsea vase:

More of the ever popular vintage music sheet bunting:

New Scalloped vintage music sheet bunting:

Plaid and yarn wreath

My beloved solar viewer:

I am so sad to be selling my old slide viewer, but it needs to go to make room for new pretty things, I think someone else somewhere can give it a better home.

I am working on opening a new Etsy shop for my artwork and starting up a new website exclusively for my artwork.  One day off from work is not enough!!

Meet Margo

Yippeeeee!! It's Friday! And yet, a week on from having my wisdom tooth removed , and I am still in pain, taking pain killers every 4 hours and wondering if I am normal?!

However I did notice my sewing machine looking particularly lovely this afternoon and thought I would share some photos of her with you.  I got her a few years ago as a birthday present from my mum and dad and she has served me well, even helping my sister to make my wedding dress!

meet Margo:

Hope you are all having a lovely evening.

TTFN