Not just chocolate...

Easter is quite a big deal in my family. Other than Christmas it is the only time of the year that all the family get together for a big meal and catch up. Most of my family are based five hours away from me with one of my cousins having to travel just as far to get to see her family too...

At Easter when I was a kid chocolate was always exchanged and everybody, young to old, got an Easter egg. However, as the years have passed, and our waistlines have expanded we have become more aware that chocolate from all members of the family seems far too much so we usually find a little gift instead.

This year I wanted to make a little something for everyone...

My husband bought me a cross stitch kit from Hobbycraft as I had expressed an interest in trying out the art of cross stitch that he had excelled in. However, the kit lay dormant for sometime as it seemed very daunting.

After completing the duck and chick cross stitches (as covered in previous posts) I had a bit more confidence to work at the design for each person.

I decided to give personalised keyrings - all with a letter corresponding to their name.

I had ten to do.

I bought the acrylic keyrings from amazon (link below)...

When you unfold a huge piece of aida it feels so daunting... So I folded it into quarters making it smaller and easier to work with.

Following the pattern in the kit I started doing the letters... Some were harder than others... 's' was particularly difficult for me...

My other problem was that I needed to do something to hide the back of the keyring which was thin to fit with the aida... So I had at look in my box of crafts (an aladdins cave of craft odds and ends) and found some scraps of decoupage paper and thought this would work wonderfully.

These were trimmed down and fitted nicely into the keyrings... The aida had to be trimmed carefully as it was quite difficult to get it flat in the keyrings...

And here they are....



I am pleased with the results... And a few less calories than chocolate!

Quilting the family tree - part 1

One of my other New Years resolutions was to finish my craft list... A list I made of all the projects I wish to do... I capped it on 31st December 2014 and it totals 49 projects... I am not allowed to add anymore to it until I have finished everything else... So many of these things will end up here I hope!

Project 1 - Bird Family Tree Panel ... A work in progress...

One of my local sewing shops in a place called The Viking Loom in York which has friendly and knowledgeable staff and the most amazing range of quilting materials and fat quarters... I could spend most of my monthly wage in there...

They also have a few kits that they have put together for those people who just need a bit of inspiration...

And this is where my latest project comes in...

As with previous posts I am a bit daughter-centric at the moment so when I saw the family tree panel in the Viking Loom I simply had to do it.

The main panel is printed with easy to follow instructions and it was accompanied by a backing fabric and something to frame the main picture which was helpful.

I did buy another panel of the birds as we have a lot of extended family - you'll see what a feat it was in the end!

The first, and probably the most timely job was the embroidery  of the names. I did try and write on the fabric but it bled too much so I went for the more time consuming option...

This option is still going... This is another work-in- progress... I hope to complete it in a couple of days... Unless I get distracted!
For those of you that don't live in York look at the Viking Loom website which is one of my favourite links to the right...

The quilt is finished... The big reveal!

So... It has finally been done...

And what a journey it has been...

Once all the panels were finished I stitched them all together to make the complete front of the quilt.

I then cleared my living room to make enough space to lay down the backing, wadding and front panel on the floor.

And then the grand pinning project began...

Once pinned it was on through the sewing machine...

The weather has been extremely hot in Yorkshire which, I have found, is not conducive to sewing quilts in a windowless room shared with a smelly tortoise... Endurance didn't cover it! There must be an easier way too to get a quilt through a machine like mine... Though I am surprised how well it coped. There is nothing worse than stuffing a half made quilt through a machine when most of it starts on your lap, you are pricked to death by pins and the weather is 30o outside!

Since I last wrote I have recieved the walking foot for my sewing machine. And what a god send it has been. As readers of my blog will know that when I did my last quilt I broke a stack load of needles while using a regular foot and it was a complete nightmare. My life has now been transformed with this foot. I haven't puckered the fabric once and it worked like a dream... The link for the one I bought is below!

I then carefully pinned the re-ironed bias binding to the outside edge (while trimming the excess fabric along the way!)

That was then sewn... I don't know about anyone else but I love this part as you know you are on the home stretch... And it seems to go a lot quicker than the quilting bit... But it is not as hot either!

And then it was a quick trim or two and TA-dah! The quilt was finished. I am pleased that it is finally done as it was a long time in the conception and the actual practice but all a labour of love. I will be travelling down to my parents at the weekend to give it to them and can't wait to see their faces when they see it...

Ladies and gentlemen... The anniversary quilt!

Bunnies and chicks...

The last week has been turmoil.

Not only did we have the onslaught of family and a naming ceremony to survive but we all came down with the lurgy meaning it wasn't possible for me to post on my blog... This upset me greatly but I am now back with many posts to follow.

Easter has always been a family occasion in my house and for the first time simply ages me and my husband will not be travelling down to Herefordshire where my folks live as I need to be back to work quite soon after the Easter holidays...

Instead my father is travelling up to Yorkshire to spend time with me, my husband and his granddaughter along with his girlfriend and their two dogs so I am the host for the Easter feast...

I am not one to do things by halves so I have made sure that there is an Easter theme to our dinner and have made everyone a place card...

The cards themselves came from hobbycraft (although I think any chick card might do!) along with goggley eyes, some Easter paper from my stash and some red for the beak... And then just writing the names of each if the guests across them.

My husband made some little origami bunnies too... They were from www.origami-fun.com...

I think they are very cute and will make a nice addition to the Easter table...

I am rubbish at origami - I certainly feel there is an art to it... My husband has been paper folding since I met him as it keeps his hands busy when not making something or doing a cross stitch or two!

Happy Easter!

The perfect present for a 6 month old...

When my husband was looking for his next cross stitching project he saw this kit and just knew that he wanted to sew it for our daughter who has just turned six months old.

My husband dedicates a lot of time to reading our daughter books of every kind but she especially loves the Mr Men books. So when he spied a height chart with mr men he simply had to give it a go.

The hardest part was trying to find the right place to start as finding middle of such a long project was not easy... But once he started on one the rest fell into place.

He has probably taken about a month to complete the project by completing a bit every night...

When he finished the pattern he also wanted to dedicate it to our daughter... Her nickname is 'little face' hence why it says 'for face'. My husband was particularly pleased with this as he didn't follow a pattern and did it freehand.

The piece is now waiting to be stretched and framed and hopefully will be enjoyed for years to come...

Taking it down a size...

After the success of making normal size bunting I had some very nice material come with a magazine and immediately thought of my sister (who needed cheering up) and made her some bunting.

There was rather a lot of fabric scraps left over from the bunting and it seemed a pity to throw it away. So I decided to make some mini bunting.

I did what I usually do for the big stuff and just scaled everything down and used bias binding yet again to bind all the triangles in a line. The triangles themselves were quite a fiddle and I had to be carful not to trap my fingers in the machine or burn my fingers while pressing!

This bunting is still in the box I put it in - where projects that have no special place go until I find a use for them. I think I may need to make a small bunting just to prove it can be done ... Do dolls houses need bunting?

The model farm...

I love giving handmade gifts. It gives me a warm glow. It also means that I can give something that is unique.

 When my parents hit their 7th wedding anniversary I wanted to make a little something for them. The 7th anniversary is wool. I saw a fimo pack with some farm animals to make. A sheep would be a great gift!

 I hadn't tried fimo since I was a young kid and I used to love it... And I still do!

As there were two animals to make in the pack - a sheep and a pig - my husband decided to make the pig. The results were great.

My parent's loved the sheep. These packs are great crafts to do with kids and I can't wait for my little one to be old enough to discover the wonders of fimo!

An obsession with history and chickens...

Creativity doesn't stop with me in my house. My husband is also an amazing crafter and a very talented cross stitcher.

During a spell of unemployment (due to us moving up north because of my job) my husband started to get cabin fever in a big way so needed a project to concentrate his mind. My grandfather was a whizz at cross stitching so I suggested to my husband that maybe he should try it.

After being a little reticent he completed a starter pack in minutes and progressing through every small project given to him he needed a huge challenge.

One of our local haberdashers is a place called The Viking Loom in York. It sells crafting bits and pieces for every hobby but also has an amazing array of cross stitch projects. One that they displayed in their window was that of the Kings and Queens of England (designed by Bothy Threads) and we knew this was what my husband should tackle next.

Over the following months we planned our wedding, prepared for a gruelling house move and my husband also started a temporary job in a school teaching biology. He also set a target to finish the project before our wedding... And by golly! He did.
It now sits with pride on our bedroom wall and is used as a reminder that perseverance  pays off.

After the success of the Kings and Queens he completed a few small projects and also decorated our newly purchased house (as I do not enjoy painting walls!)

Early last year I found out I was expecting our first child and this prompted a flurry of activity and the completion of many projects before the impending arrival. And my husband started a cross stitch to keep his mind focused of an evening and it meant that he could hide away with it when I had any hormonal strops!

This project was another by Bothy Threads called Hen Fun. I love chickens and my dream is to, one day, have my own chickens that lay eggs that I can then turn into cake. At the moment it is not going to be possible but the dream is still there. So my husband was doing this one for me.

It was so sweet to see him taking absolute pleasure in making each chicken and even naming each one after a member of our household (including the pets!).

It took him just over 2 months to complete as well as him doing a full time university course (a decision that has made him happier than ever).

The finished piece now hangs in our daughters bedroom and one day will hang in my office (when I have one!) I love seeing it. It reflects his love.

His next project is for our daughter ... I will post again when he finishes it!

http://www.vikingloom.co.uk

Family matters...

I live a good 200 miles from my sister and parents but I would like to say that I have a good relationship with them.

The whole 'I enjoy sewing' thing has certainly got its advantages from my family's stand point it means that I will quite willingly adjust and hem various items of clothing.

My sister embraces most fashion trends and had bought a onesie during the January sales. The problem was that it had feet and whenever she wore it (and ignored the constant ribbing from her now fiancé) the feet flopped around like a pair of flippers. So she asked whether I could remove the feet and put in some elastic at the bottom.

This seemed like a straight forward request until I realised that the seam at the bottom of the leg was not straight. A lot of puffing and sighing then ensued as I painstakingly unpicked the legs and the feet.

My sister helpfully sent me her ankle measurement so I could tailor the bottom of the leg properly. I pinned it to the desired length, trimmed any excess fabric and then used a contrasting thread to sew it in place (she had requested this!) leaving a gap to feed the elastic through.

I then fed the elastic through the tube using a safety pin. I have found that a big safety pin is the easiest thing to use as I find this quite a fiddly job and it usually takes me a couple of goes to get it right!

Once the ends meet sew them together and close up the gap.

Easy peasy!

Note: no photos of the onesie ... My sister says she would throttle me ... Sisterly love, eh!