Tying up the bows...

Sometimes I really, really love my job. Especially when I get to sew at work.

I was recently asked to run a make do and mend workshop with a group of sixth form students at my school. They would have an hour with me and I would teach them what a sewing kit was, how to thread a needle, how to sew a button and how to make a simple material bow....

The pattern came from a Mollie Makes special - DIY Fashion...however, I did change it slightly as in the tutorial it said that the ribbon should be glued... I made it all by sewing the ribbon at the back...

I found some really nice Union Jack fabric to make the bows with and asked the students to use back stitch and slip stitch to complete their designs...

The seminar was highly successful... Even though one of my students did try and knot the thread at BOTH ends...

I have been making a lot of bows now to go in my Etsy shop as I think they would make wonder shoe clips, hair accessories or clip on bow ties! Check them out!

Taggie anyone?

My daughter is now nine months old and is now heavily into exploring the world around her. As a mother I hope to give her things that she can enjoy in her play time.

I came across this tutorial on how to make a Taggie which has different ribbons for a baby to explore. It also crackles - and my daughter LOVES things that crackle!

The project is easy to follow, simple to do and cheap to make...

It is the perfect project for using up small squares of fabric too (something I have in large quantities!)

The project did not take long at all to complete either which made it a good project to do of an evening when I just wanted to sew but not spend too long on it.

The website is: How to make a crinkle Taggie from cucicucicoo

My daughter simply loves it! She finds it fun to bury her face in it and laugh very loudly - oh how I wish how her brain works!

A head of royalty..

I am still neck deep in school production. But, as I keep reminding myself, I love doing this stuff and I am getting to do lots and lots of crafty type stuff as part of my job and there is simply nothing better than that.

One of the many eras which takes place in this play is 1485 and is a scene which takes place between Elizabeth of York and Cecily which requires Elizabeth to have some regal head wear.

It also needs to look pretty on a stage and match the massive white dress that she already has. And had to be easy to put on and remove. And not take loads of time up.

So I came up with a very simple design.

I measured the actresses head and then used a strip of ribbon to use as the main head band. I then crisscrossed the other strips of ribbon across the head (twiggy was in use again!) and pinned them in place.

Once I was satisfied I sewed the ribbon down until it was sturdy enough to hold its shape without the head.

I added the gems for a bit of sparkle under the theatre lights...

The headdress looks amazing on the actress.

Gartered!

In the run up to my wedding I realised that I didn't have a garter to wear.

By pure chance there was a simple pattern for one in the magazine 'Simply Homemade' that month and all you needed was a couple of lengths of ribbon, a length of elastic and some pretty embellishments.

The most tricky bit of this project for me was getting the elastic the right length sat needed to sit comfortably on my thigh but also not itch or be too tight - especially if I was planning to wear it on my wedding day!

Once the elastic was measured I set about sewing the thinner ribbon on the main ribbon and sewing the embellishments on.

The two lengths of ribbon were then sewn together and the elastic was then threaded through the ribbons and the elastic was attached together.

The lace was added as an extra.

The finished product was used on my wedding day - a little personal touch of mine - something that was a part of me that I had made myself!