It's a Creative World

HOW'S ABOUT A LITTLE HAND STITCHING ON LAYOUTS

Good Morning, good afternoon, good evening (deplete any that aren't applicable).  Virginia here, I hope I find you well and looking for a bit of inspiration.  As an avid scrapbooker I thought I'd talk about embellishments, I'm not good with one hit wonders I like things with a little more longevity, so discovering the pokey tool, purchasing a giant foam pin board and dragging out those bags of embroidery thread meant I could add detail and dimension to a layout with minimal supplies!  What could be easier! 

I do most of my stitching by simply punching holes without a template, but I have also been known to use a stitching template, it really is fun.  And at the end of a long day when you are feeling uber tired, but still want to do a bit of crafting, with enough holes in the paper I can sit and stitch to my hearts content whilst sat on the sofa with the rest of the family.  

For example you can add little crosses onto layouts 

like this

Or use a template to create circles and semi circles, running a thread through the circle after its done 

Up close you can see the running stitch to create the circle, then run the contrasting thread through to create this effect. 

then you can use stitching templates to create the effect with red on the left, and then create the dotted white line by eye, all good fun and really effective. 

Up close

So next time you are struggling to 'finish' a layout off why not give hand stitching a little try!

What to do with a fabric collage

or two?

It's Eleanor, back with some stamping, stitching, snipping stuff.

Some weeks ago I made a couple of 8 inch square (ish) pieces, just freestyle, but they didn't really set me on fire, so I put them away until I felt inspired to finish them off.

That day came, I added a few more scraps, buttons and stitches, joined them together, added a border of tea-dyed broderie anglaise trim, and stitched the whole thing to some artists' canvas. 

I added a couple of flaps inside, made plenty of pages from kraft card (Staples own brand manila files in a previous life) and toning cardstock, stitched lace or ribbon on each page, bound the lot with the Bind it all and slipped the front and back pages into the cover flaps.

All done.

x

House Warming Gift

I made use of my Citrasolv and my laser printer to make this house warming present for some lovely friends. The words are from a Jewish New Home blessing. I edged the cotton with a scrap of a lovely soft tweedy fabric and it is backed with an upholstery cream cotton fabric. 

I've been fighting with my sewing machine now for some time. I've had it for 25 years and whenever I make something it inevitably takes me much longer than it should due to all the stopping and starting and fiddling with settings.

My darling husband has just bought me a new machine which will arrive next week. So there may be some more sewing projects from me in the future. 

Watch this space.

Doda xxx

 

 

It's Denim again, an easy ipad cover.

I just love recycyling denim and this pair of jeans is special. They came from my cousin who just loved them till they got holes, you know, that kind of pair!

When she passed them over to be recycled I knew I needed to find something to make out of them that she could use everyday. Inspiration came from her in the shape of a recycled denim ipad case. It wa a complicated one and wouldn't have shown of f the lovely embroidery on these so I went for a simple sleeve cover.

I tried sliding the ipad inside the leg aad it fitted so I simply cut the leg off. You might want to lay the ipad on top as well to check where any embriodery would fit.  I turned the leg inside out and sewed staight across the cut edge to make a square bag.

I decided to use some fleece (to pad, I had no wadding) and a cotton lining and simply cut the same size as the jeans leg and then sewed round two edges to make a square bag. They all fitted inside the jean bag and I carefully folded the fleece and lining over the edge of the jeans and pinned round. For the toggle loop I used a piece of a seam. This is hard to sew through so I often cut them off but do keep them as they are so useful. I pinned these in place to sew at the same time as fixing the bags together with two rows of stiching near the edge of the ling.

I looked for a button but the toggle looked so much better, I was worried that the loop was too big and cured this by zigzaging the off cut seam together (you can just see the black stitching in the middle above). The finial toucches were to sew the toggle on and a couple of stab stictches through the seam at the bottom to hold all the layers in place.

The finished product! It is not quite square due to the taper of the leg but I'm happy with it and and so easy with just 6 rows of stitching. The fleece has made it nice and padded and will protect the ipad well.

I did try to take a picture with the iPad in it and then remembered that was how I was taking my photso! Opps!

Have a go and see what you can create.

Happy sewing

Bev

 

 

An ace project

My son requested a set of cushions for his birthday present this year. He wanted Aces in the four suites. He also specified that he wanted black not white as the background. 

I must admit, I did fight a bit with my sewing machine... 

Sewing around the A was the hardest part. 

I used iron on fusible facing to adhere the shapes before sewing. It helps hold it all in place nicely.


The back closes with a couple of buttons. I made these with the aid of a sharpie pen to draw the symbols and some of those metal buttons that you can cover yourself. 

His birthday is on Sunday. I just hope he likes them!!!

 

I can see clearly now

Honestly, a whole new world has been revealed to me since I got my glasses.

Eleanor here, and I have made myself a couple of soft specs cases to replace the big clunky, 'trap your fingers with its vicious closing mechanism' affair that NHS glasses come in.

I chose a cotton print, a piece of toning felt, also white felt and Bondaweb.

I couldn't decide between these 2 prints, so used both and made 2. The darker one was easy to cut symmetrically, not that it matters really. 

I measured my specs and cut 2 rectangles of white felt to the maximum length and width. I then cut my cotton print allowing an extra half inch all round for seam allowance. Using bondaweb, I attached the felt to the wrong side of the print:

I used machine sewing to accent the cotton print:

and also some hand embroidery, just adding little highlights:

Simple stitches - chain, and French knots among others:

More machining on the second fabric:

Right sides together, I stitched around 3 sides along the edge of the felt, long side, short side, long side; trimmed corners, folded in open edge, now set aside.

I cut a liner from toning felt, (same size as white felt, but in one whole piece folded), stitched around. Leave it wrong way out.

Turn your outer right way out, and slip the liner down inside; neaten open end, here I folded down a cuff and slipstitched it to outer on the outside:

whilst here I trimmed the felt liner to remain inside, and slipstitched it to the outer inside the open edge.

Simple soft cases, unlike anyone else's! 

See you soon.

x

Folky chicken

Hello, Eleanor here, wishing our readers Easter Sunday Blessings, and, with the return of the Creative World Team over the last few days, hoping that new beginnings in all of our lives bring joy and happiness.

In my travels around the web, I came across Red Brolly, where Bronwyn in Australia has some lovely creative ideas, (and if you're enjoying our Easter Special here on IACW, you'll love Bronwyn's Easter ideas, do pop down and see her) and I've used her pattern for a funky chicken to sit on lovely fresh eggs. 

I chose coordinating cotton prints, with a double layer of felt for the comb, beak and wattle, lightly padded wings and a couple of toning small buttons for each eye.

Isn't she a Chic Chick?

Here's her friend Choc:

Thank you for your pattern Bronwyn, we'll be looking out for more! x

Do pop back later today to meet our third and final new member here at IACW, then we'll be back again next weekend with regular posts from the girls, we've missed each other's inspiration, and are full of enthusiasm and new ideas to share with you all.

Cluck cluck.

x

 

Reuse, recycle - Denim aprons

It's wonderful to be back! It seemed appropriate to do a post about new life on Easter Sunday.

We have so many pairs of jeans that have been either grown out of or are worn (normally the knees!) that I wanted to find a way to use them. I started by googling denim and had a good look at the images, Pinterest was also a great source of inspiration and allowed me to "pin" the designs I liked. I'm obviously not the only one who's loves this fabric and wanted to get a bit more out of it, there were thousands of ideas and I settled on aprons.

This was my first attempt, it used one leg of my husbands jeans (the one without the hole!), split it up one seam and I bound it (pretty badly) with a bit of gingham I had hanging around the place. For decoration I added some lace and I made a quick rosette style flower. The strap for the neck is the button edging off an old maternity dress and the waist ties literally the ties from the same dress. I learnt something there though - the buttons get caught in your hair.. Opps! Also I needed to adjust the length of the strap. It's also not very wide so that need to be changed for adults.

 

Design 2  After a little more research I saw that you could split the legs of the jeans and sew them into one panel. It really is very easy, split the crotch and overlap oneside over the other and sew it together, a bit like the denim skirts that were popular a few years ago.  I decided to use the back of the jeans to utilse the pockets already there. I drew round a favourite cooking apron to make a newspaper pattern for the top bib shape. I then cut 2 squares from the front of a leg sewed them together to make a larger square for the bib top. Jeans with nice logos can be used and make an additional feature. This time the waist strap was just blue spotty cotton and I liked the idea of using the belt loops, already in place - wonderful. The neck strap,  I changed from the last design and used a seam cut both sides and velcro allow it to be altered. I like apron straps to be tied in the front so I made them long, tying in the front is just so much easier.

 

This one again uses the back but in a different colour denim looks fantastic. Again I changed the neck strap and found a d-ring was perfect. I went with green spots for my Mother-outlaw and tried a different kind of ruffle across the top. The beauty is you can add as many additional accessories as you want - buttons, bows, ribbons or lace or just plain.

 

My children were then after aprons for their crafting and cooking. My son loves inking and less splashes on clothes sounded good but I didn't want his to look so skirt like. What's nice is as with everyting home made you can start a project and tweak it for the person you are making it for. We cut the jeans into pieces and realised that 2 legs wide would wrap it round his waist a bit more. We split the legas and sewed them all together. We used the front of the jeans for the bib. Grey webbing for the straps gave  it a more masculine feel. It is now great for ink, woodwork and gardening, super!

 

 For girls you can go mad and my daughters is just a little sweet and cutesy but she choose the strap fabric - cupcakes, buttons, heart ribbon and loves it!

Do have a go, you really only need an old pair of jeans, sewing machine and some imagination!

Hapy Easter to you all

Bev

CYCLIN' SUNDAY skirt to bag

Hello, Eleanor here.

I can't resist patterned corduroy, whether straight off the bolt, or made up, so whenever I see a little girl's skirt at a car boot sale or charity shop, I snap it up (while wishing I was 40 years younger).

Here's my first before re-fashioning:

It had too much fullness, so I made tucks at the base, which, whilst reducing the width, kept a good capacity. The handle is a length of leather from an old belt, punched with a hole through which to attach buttons.

The skirt was lined, so I just had a few seams to stitch, closing up the bottom hems, a couple of buttons to sew on and it was done!

I had another skirt tucked away, a little more challenging:

but I love the pattern and the embroidery at the waist so much that I thought it was worth tackling.

I needed to take out the elastication, and construct a strap. I removed the bottom couple of inches, including the orange lace strip, and found some acid green broderie anglaise. I chose some matching buttons, and attached the strap

and magnetic closure before stitching the bottom edge (curving the corners), and adding a simple lining.

I love it:

I popped into a local charity shop recently and found this, for £1.25!

Watch this space.

Bye for now.

 

 

 

Saturday Sewing - It's in the Bag

"I love to go a wandering..."

Hello, Eleanor here with a Saturday special - a knapsack.

I found some great instructions which were just what I needed for some IKEA fabric I was hoarding:

Sew a Simple Backpack

and it really was a simple matter of measure, cut, sew, and add a pair of long white shoelaces (in a mixed pack from the poundshop).

So straightforward that I made another from a pretty babycord fabric:

And here's a kitty who doesn't want to be left behind:

"Val-de-ri, Val-de-ra..."