Wednesday, October 31, 2012

fabric & felt collage brooches...

 I've been playing around a little with some of my fabric scraps, felt and my sewing machine...
and these little collage brooches are the end results. 
 made using layers of felt and fabric,
working the layers and stitching until I'm happy with the design.
 The smallest is approx 5cm in diam
and the largest 6cm
 I hand sewed some brooch backs on
and they are ready to wear :)
 the best things are that they are light to wear
and I get to wear a little bit of 'art' when I go out!
Have a happy day
~ Gillian ♥

Thursday, October 25, 2012

I've been sewing.....

 I was a little frustrated when I went out to buy some modest cotton tops for springtime/summer.  It shouldn't be so hard to find what I was after, should it!
I live in a humid climate and find synthetic fabrics uncomfortable to wear
in my frustration I decided to find myself a pattern and grab some fabric :) 
 This is what I have made since that day a couple of weeks ago.
 They are comfortable, cool and so easy to wear.
 and easy enough to play around with the pattern a little if you want too,
for this one I sewed the facing on the outside - just cause I could!
The pattern is by Simplicity no. 7236
 
so, I'm happy now ;)
and pleased I haven't forgotten how to sew,
I used to make lots of clothes for myself years ago...
I did have a chuckle when my mum said to me,  
'Sewing is a great Summer Sport' lol!
 
hope you are having a happy day
~ Gillian ♥


Friday, October 19, 2012

mini springtime wreath...

 What a fun little project this was!
I joined in on another CAL (crochet along)
at the start of the month...
and then our month got a little busy!
never mind...I still managed a bit of crochet & knitting.
The original pattern is for an Autumn Wreath made from yarn.
But I decided I would make mine from 3ply cotton and because it is springtime in Australia at the moment I went with springtime colours, it will decorate my daughters room of course ;)
By using the 3ply cotton (Milford Soft) & a 2.5mm hook
this little wreath measures approx 10cm (4") in diam.
approx 1/2 the size of the original.
 
It was so much fun to make and you can find the original pattern
Autumn Wreath by Thomasina Cummings 
on Ravelry HERE
and the CAL is running for October at the dc2tog group on Ravelry Here
 
have a sweet day!
~ Gillian ♥


Sunday, October 07, 2012

Corrugated washcloths...

 This was a lovely relaxing pattern to knit, and
the washcloths are very functional and practical.
1 x 70gm ball of Sugar' n Cream cotton made a pair of cloths.
I used a pair 4.5mm (US 7) needles.
 
such a great pattern by Kate Schoren
You can find the pattern on her blog HERE 
and on Ravelry HERE

..................................................................................
The dish the washcloths are in is a sweet vintage treasure a friend found for me at a local market, I love the handles on the side.  It is Stamped on the reverse, Royal Staffordshire Pottery 'Honeyglaze' Made in England and numbered.
This is the design in the base of the dish. 
Hope you are having a lovely weekend,
~ Gillian ♥

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Strawberry Danish Pincushion....

 I joined in on another CAL this week
The original pattern is for a lovely puffy double sided hexagon, the pattern gives you the option of joining them together to make a chair cushion or many other items.
 I worked as per the pattern, which is very well written and easy to follow.
I stuffed firmly as I closed the hexagon.
You can see in the photos the centre is a single layer, this is such a clever pattern!
Using the same thread as the centre
I stitched through the centre of the sides several times, and pulled tight.
making a little ‘star flower’ shaped Strawberry Danish Pincushion.
Next time I will use a smaller hook, as the stitches opened a little when stuffed.
(hook size was my choice not the designers so this was user error ;) lol!)
the yarn is DK weight and the hook was 4.5mm - 3.5 would have been much better for me to choose for this yarn, but I sill love the results :)
 
You can find the pattern by Ravliki (Elena Fedotova)
on Ravelry Here
and there is a CAL on the Ravliki group on Ravelry Here 
It is such a clever pattern and heaps of fun to make :)
 
I hope you are having a great week,
our little home is enjoying school holidays,
birthdays, little day trips and visitors
oh and some birthdays - life is lovely!
~ Gillian ♥