October 19th 2015 - purse

I have a small purse that is pocket size and great.  But I wanted another couple and was struggling to find them online at a sensible price.

So I took out the material box and some old clothes that were going to charity shops with zips in and set about making a new purse.

I have never stitched in zips to  things before, so the first of the purses I cheated and used the material that was already around the zip in the trousers and cut and stitched to the size I was after.  I over stitched the end of the zip and then coated it in superglue so that it should hold. (green in pic).

For the 2nd purse I half cheated as had a pocket that had been cut from an old pair of jeans, it still had the outer part of the jeans as well as the denim lining so all I had to do was attach the zip.  It took 2 attempts to get it in right but it worked.

Now you may be wondering why I would want multiple purses if I already have a good/nice one. Well as i'm off to London in a couple of weeks I don't want to keep all my money in 1 purse together incase it gets stolen.  At least if I have a couple of purses I can split my money and where they are on my person = less likely to loose all of it.

September 20th 2015 - from cute n fluffy to nasty

September 20th 2015 - from cute n fluffy to nasty

If you have been following my blog you will be aware of the monster feet I picked up in a chairty shop the other week and how my youngest son wanted an outfit to go with them for halloween.  I made a post about winning a cute and fluffy dog outfit that I planned to alter.

This was the cute and fluffy dog:

NOT very halloween or scary monster is it?  No, that's what me and lil man thought BUT it was brown and grey which are 2 of the colours in the monster feet, the 3rd is a dark blue which is why I started making spikes the other day to sew on it down the back.  This is what it looks like:

 It's a start on making it not so nice and cute.  The next step was to shave round the eyes so they were not so fluffy and would be easier to sew on.  Lil man said he wanted big red eyes, so out came the greaseproof paper (had no tracing paper), so I could get the shape of the eyes.  I then cut out my template and drew round it on red felt.  The hardest part was getting the eyeball in the right place.  But I didn't give up and I stitched the red felt eyes onto.  Whilst I was doing the eyes lil man asked if he could have some fangs from its mouth, so I did them from felt at the same time.  Here is the now not so cute looking dog. 

BUT it does still have a dog look about it, because of its long floppy ears, these seemed to be our biggest problem. 

I said I could try and stuff them with pillow stuffing in the hope that they would stand up slightly, so that is what I did.  BUT it didn't make it any less dog looking.  (And 1 not happy lil man as it still looks like a dog!)

SO the big question was what to do next to get rid of the last cut dog look.  My eldest said to cut the ears into a point (errrr thanks couldn't you have suggested that before I cut, stuffed and sticthed them???)   So I took my fabric scissors and just through the ears much to lil mans shocked face!  I then started to make some points for them from spare blue material and they looked like a reindeer (this was getting worse not better and I didnt take a pic of reindeer). 

I then cut the multiple points into singles and stitched them at the end of the now cut ears, inally they looked more monster than dog. (YAY!!!)

All that is left to do is to add the spike onto both shoulders and then take a pic of him complete, will do that and add later.

September 17th 2015 - Dinosaur Spikes

September 17th 2015 - Dinosaur spikes

Last week lil man picked up aa pair of monster feet in a charity shop.  He said he wanted to wear them for school halloween day at end of term.  When I asked with what he said a monster outfit!  YEA OK, you dont have one!!!

So after a hunt of the net I found a "dog onesie" in grey and brown that matched the grey and brown in the monster feet, and hoped I won it.  Well I did.  Once I knew I had won it I asked lil man how he wanted to make it more "monstery" and he said he wanted dinosaur spikes from top of his head down his back. 

I had this pin in a board from ages ago as I liked the jumper with it on.  BUT I didn't think that making each spike individually was the best idea so I started thinking.  I took a pair of dark blue trackie bottoms out of charity shop bag

I turned them inside out as it was more fluffy, then I decided that the fluffy side needed to be the finished outside bit as the "dog onesie" is fluffy, so I turned them back the right way.  Using 1 of the leg seams as the base for the spikes I started to cut through both layers of trousers to get spike shapes, which I then pinned together.

I have since stitched the points, I tried with my machine but as its only small it wouldn't go through the thick tracksuit bottoms so I have had to do it by hand.  I am in the process of starting the second set of spikes and I think I may need do more from the other leg.

August 9th 2015 - Camp Blanket

August 9th 2015 - Camp Blanket

For many years I have had a camp blanket, it was pale blue and a really old blanket and quite rough.  I helped my Dad make it when I was a brownie (i'm now in my 30's).  I remember "helping" to sew the blanket stitch around the sleeves and neckline.  I'm sure my Dad went and re-did most of it!!!

Well it was used a lot when I was involved with guides and the odd beaver cubs camp that I helped with.  But after leaving guiding and scouting and sticking with St John Ambulance it has been quite redundant as most of camps are in buildings not tents.

I got my blanket out the other day as I needed to sew some badges on to it before my SJA day camp at the weekend.  I was really saddened to find that it had marks on it (no idea what they were but seemed like oil) and some of the badges that had been loose in it were no longer recognisable as badges but disintegrated bits of material. :(   so I sat and unpicked all the badges (going right back to when I was a rainbow) and have been and bought a new purple fluffy blanket.

I spent yesterday stitching the sides together and cutting/stitching a neck hole. I now have the mammoth task of sewing my badges onto a new blanket before the weekend and plan to take it with me for round the campfire. I am waiting on badges in the post as I was able to work out which ones had been damaged.

April 27th 2015 - Golden Pants Trophy

April 27th 2015 - Golden Pants Trophy

To go in my story sack for family learning I decided I would make and add a Golden Pants Trophy like the one the Pirates are hunting are hunting for.

I picked up a pack of trophies in £1 shop, this is one of them:

I painted the bottom part and the stem with gold glitter nail varnish - I think it had about 5 coats in the end to get a nice thick gold colour.

I then hunted the net for a pattern to make underpants and found this one:
 

As you can see I cut it in half to use as I would have had problems fixing an "all in 1" pair round the trophy because of the stem etc.

I had some gold sparkly/sequin material in the cupboard which I thought would be great and look really like a gold trophy:

I drew round the pants template and cut out 2 pairs of the pants.  I also added a piece of material across the top of the 2 pairs of pants but this didn't work so I had to remove it.  I stitched the pants together leaving the crutch area open so that I could get it onto the trophy.  I added some goldish ribbon to the pants to make the "Y-front" markings.

I stuffed the middle of the trophy with pillow stuffing and wrapped some all around the handles and the outside of the trophy.  I then very carefully (and hard) got the pants onto the trophy where I added more stuffing to them to make sure the whole of the pants were stuffed and the right shape.

I finally sewed the bottom of the pants together and the finished Golden Pants Trophy looks like this:

I'm really pleased with how it turned out and so are the boys who the story sack will be for.

April 25th 2015 - Making a felt book

April 25th 2015 - Making a felt book

For the front of my story sack I want a small fabric book, I thought felt would be the best bet.  So I started to look for a simple design that I could use.  I couldn't find one.  Then I came across this Needle holder book and it was just what I was looking for.

So I set about making it, mine will have 10 pages in total which I plan to add "reading/book" quotes to each page.  My initial idea was to stitch them on the felt, then I realised that the sewing would go through and I couldn't use the reverse side of the page.  I tried fabric pens and fabric paint but they looked really big on the felt and not very nice.  My last idea and what I am going with was stitching the quotes onto another piece of material and fixing that to the book pages.  Whether I fix with glue or sewing i'm not quite sure.

I am going to write the quotes in pencil on the extra piece of material and then stitch over them, so that they stand out.

The middle of the book where I have sewed them together

1 of the purple and green pages inside

The book folded

April 2nd 2015 - Bit of everything today

April 2nd 2015 - Bit of everything today

Today has been one of those days!  It started off with a trip to docs as 1.I needed medication review and 2. My sore throat and asthma problems of just over a week ago have returned - im now on antibiotics, which doc said I should have had with the steroids a week ago.

From here me and lil man hit the shoe shop in the hope of getting him new school shoes, Bran**** had 2 pairs in sons size, 1 of which he couldn't get the velcro to do up and the other pair the stitching was ripping on it, so we left them.  I was going to go down to shoe zone but was feeling dizzy so we bused home.

Then this afternoon I got the sewing machine out (not used one since school and then I got kicked out on week 2!)  My eldest son has recently been doing textiles at school so said he would be able to help me.  Well he took 1 look at my little machine and asked what it was - nothing like the big ones they use at school!  Oh well its me on me own then.  As I have less than 2 weeks to get middle sons clown top made!

So I had to work out which way the pins went in the material, good job I checked as I had them pinned the wrong way, I had them how I would sew by hand.  I then had a play on a piece of material and seemed to go ok, so I put sons Clown tops (2 tops cut in half) under the foot and set off.

 Well I managed to sew the front and back together without too many problems, it got stuck trying to go through the collars and the bottom hems as they quite thick, and in a few places I ended up with some gaps where it didnt seem to pick up the thread:

I have gone over the gaps by hand, as have no idea why it has done it or the best way to sort it with the machine.  Had I noticed when stitching I could have gone back over it, but it wasn't until the end I noticed it.  But overall it has worked, I have managed to sew the 2 tops together, not sure if it will be strong enough and withstand daily wear but it will do for the clown party.

February 27th 2015 - Making a viking tunic

February 27th 2015 - Making a viking tunic

Following on from yesterdays post about making a viking shield (which is almost complete, just needs the front bit glueing onto it with hot glue).  I have set about making the viking tunic.  I got the idea from this pin which came from Where's my Glow blog.

As I said yesterday I bought a toilet and bath mat set for £3.99 to use as the base to make his tunic/ wasitcoat.  They are a great idea as they are brown and fluffy like fur.

I started by marking a line down the middle of the toilet mat on the back.  From the toilet mat I stitched the small top bit to one corner of the bath mat (I turned it the other way to the photo).  I then made my son hold it all whilst I worked out where the arm hole needed to be to, marked it on the inside with pen and took it off him.  I sewed up the side to where I had marked and tried it on him again.  It fitted ok.  I went to start the other side only to realise that the top is narrower than the bottom, so I had to cut on my line to make it into 2 pieces and then stitched the other small top piece to the bath mat - it was just over half way so I had to cut it.  I then stitched the side and left the arm hole.  This side was much harder to sew as it didnt have the nice bound edge, so I stitched it twice to make sure it holds.

This is what it looks like:

We are slowly getting there as a viking!

February 10th 2015 - Shortening curtains

February 10th 2015 - Shortening curtains

Today's pin inspiration comes from here.  A pin on how to shorten curtains, most of the pin is about cutting and stitching, but it does say at the end about just folding and stitching the hem.

The nice dyed curtains of a few days ago are starting their transformation - well one is.  One of them is going as a door curtain (when I get as far as adding the old curtain to it - was going to use a towel but already have the door curtain just wrong colour.) and the other one is going on the landing window, but obviously being a door curtain it needs shortening.

But instead of cutting and re-heming and then adding a lining to it I decided to simply fold it in half (still abit long for window but not much) and stitch the sides and the top together.  This is easier said than done!  The material is very thick cotton and I have bent 1 needle and a handful of pins already, so I am now using a leather needle and still strugling.  My thumb is very red from pushing the needle through and I don't have a thimble.

I will get them done and hung up, but I need to go and buy anotehr curtain pole as only got 1 and have 2 curtains to hang. lol.  I cant even use the existing one that is up as that is for the curtains with the little hooks on the back, and it will need to be fitted in the toilet with the existing curtain.