Yep, it's a knitted cactus! Isn't it the cutest cactus you've ever seen? At least I know I won't be able to kill it off. And it's taken pride of place on my desk because I know I'll smile every time I look at it :-)
Sunday 27 November 2011
The cutest cactus ever!
I might have crafty fingers but they're most definitely not green. I have been known to kill even the most hardy of plants out there. So imagine my delight today when I found this little thing at a Christmas craft fair!
Yep, it's a knitted cactus! Isn't it the cutest cactus you've ever seen? At least I know I won't be able to kill it off. And it's taken pride of place on my desk because I know I'll smile every time I look at it :-)
Yep, it's a knitted cactus! Isn't it the cutest cactus you've ever seen? At least I know I won't be able to kill it off. And it's taken pride of place on my desk because I know I'll smile every time I look at it :-)
Pretty cushions part I
Amid all the Christmas prep, I have also been making some cushions for the sleeper sofa in my hobby room. I'd hoped I could have showed you the whole set in one go but time has run out and my priority has shifted to more Christmas making rather than finishing my cushions. So here's a first look at the couple of cushions I have managed to finish.
When I visited the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally, I completely fell in love with the Sevenberry fabrics. I decided to order some and make a patchwork Union Jack out of them. As I'm pretty new to patchwork, I've completely misjudged how much fabric I'd need and I bought far too much! So I decided to carry on and make a whole set of matching, yet different cushions.
The Union Jack was quite a challenge as I had to draw the pattern on my own. Who knew there were so many pieces in a Union Jack? To get me started, I printed one on paper, measured each part and upscaled the measurements to fit a 30 x 50cm cushion. Then I drew it on a piece of pattern paper and chopped it up (sshhh, apparently this is treason!) so I could stick it on another piece of pattern paper and add the seam allowance for each part.
And then I chopped it up again (now I'll be sent to the gallows for sure!) so I could cut the fabrics.
The stitching of so many parts at so many different angles presented its own challenges but I got there in the end. The seams don't meet perfectly in one or two places but overall, I think I've done rather well!
The next cushion was inspired by the cover of a book called Stitch with Love. Luckily I had Cath Kidston's sewing book to help me sew an appliqué the simple way. And this is the result of my labour of love:
You'll have to wait until the new year now to see my other two cushion creations!
When I visited the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally, I completely fell in love with the Sevenberry fabrics. I decided to order some and make a patchwork Union Jack out of them. As I'm pretty new to patchwork, I've completely misjudged how much fabric I'd need and I bought far too much! So I decided to carry on and make a whole set of matching, yet different cushions.
The Union Jack was quite a challenge as I had to draw the pattern on my own. Who knew there were so many pieces in a Union Jack? To get me started, I printed one on paper, measured each part and upscaled the measurements to fit a 30 x 50cm cushion. Then I drew it on a piece of pattern paper and chopped it up (sshhh, apparently this is treason!) so I could stick it on another piece of pattern paper and add the seam allowance for each part.
And then I chopped it up again (now I'll be sent to the gallows for sure!) so I could cut the fabrics.
The stitching of so many parts at so many different angles presented its own challenges but I got there in the end. The seams don't meet perfectly in one or two places but overall, I think I've done rather well!
The next cushion was inspired by the cover of a book called Stitch with Love. Luckily I had Cath Kidston's sewing book to help me sew an appliqué the simple way. And this is the result of my labour of love:
You'll have to wait until the new year now to see my other two cushion creations!
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Christmas madness is upon us!
I love Christmas, I really do! I can't wait to put the tree and the decorations up, nothing would cheer me up more on these cold dark days.
But at this time of the year, being crafty is both a blessing and a curse. Yes, I love that I can make Christmas presents rather than settle for the shop bought stuff. But now that people have gotten used to getting handmade presents, I crumble a little under the weight of their expectations.
Like each year, I start the making process at the end of the summer. And like each year, I reach the end of November and have to admit defeat, I have yet again given myself too much to do and something's gotta give.
Things are particularly stressful this year because I've arranged for a small selection of my cocktail rings to be on sale in the Sugarlesque boutique in Kingly court from 1 December (there's a hint in there!) so I need to make sure I have the stock ready. And in a moment of temporary insanity, I've agreed to (wo)man a stall at the Redfest Christmas fair in Bristol on 18 December. It's a great opportunity for me to meet local people but it's a small community project and the products I will be selling will have to be at a much lower price point than my rings. That means having to create a whole new stock between now and then! What was I thinking?
This is not to say that I haven't accomplished quite a bit already. I've managed to finish all my Christmas baking last weekend, the puddings have been steamed for 8 hours and I have plenty of mincemeat waiting to be turned into pies.
I have six nephews and Santa is bringing them all a pair of felted slippers to keep their little footsies warm. I've almost finished knitting them, next I'll have to stitch them together, throw them in the washing machine to felt and then stretch on the lasts and leave to dry.
Oh, and I've managed to knit this lovely chunky snood in Patons Fab Big and learnt a new stitch in the process!
But with December now looming, I have to resign myself to the fact that that's probably as much as I'll manage this year and I'd better start hitting the shops to find the presents I still miss...
But at this time of the year, being crafty is both a blessing and a curse. Yes, I love that I can make Christmas presents rather than settle for the shop bought stuff. But now that people have gotten used to getting handmade presents, I crumble a little under the weight of their expectations.
Like each year, I start the making process at the end of the summer. And like each year, I reach the end of November and have to admit defeat, I have yet again given myself too much to do and something's gotta give.
Things are particularly stressful this year because I've arranged for a small selection of my cocktail rings to be on sale in the Sugarlesque boutique in Kingly court from 1 December (there's a hint in there!) so I need to make sure I have the stock ready. And in a moment of temporary insanity, I've agreed to (wo)man a stall at the Redfest Christmas fair in Bristol on 18 December. It's a great opportunity for me to meet local people but it's a small community project and the products I will be selling will have to be at a much lower price point than my rings. That means having to create a whole new stock between now and then! What was I thinking?
This is not to say that I haven't accomplished quite a bit already. I've managed to finish all my Christmas baking last weekend, the puddings have been steamed for 8 hours and I have plenty of mincemeat waiting to be turned into pies.
I have six nephews and Santa is bringing them all a pair of felted slippers to keep their little footsies warm. I've almost finished knitting them, next I'll have to stitch them together, throw them in the washing machine to felt and then stretch on the lasts and leave to dry.
 |
| Miss Marple finds the pile of slippers very comfy indeed! |
Oh, and I've managed to knit this lovely chunky snood in Patons Fab Big and learnt a new stitch in the process!
But with December now looming, I have to resign myself to the fact that that's probably as much as I'll manage this year and I'd better start hitting the shops to find the presents I still miss...
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