‘Dog’s Trousers’!

Actually I haven’t made any ‘Dog’s Trousers ‘! it’s just that I felt like shouting out ‘Dog’s Trousers’!! when I found that the dog’s bed was ripped ( I wonder how?!!) and bits of memory foam were all over the kitchen 🙁  Dog’s Trousers!!  is a phrase I learned from Radio Merseyside when Billy Butler once had a ‘phone in for people to tell the strange things their parents’ had uttered in an attempt not to swear.  Unfortunately ‘Dog’s Trousers’ has stuck in my mind and sort of comes out unbidden in times of stress.

Anyway the mess in the kitchen made me decide to make the dog a new bed!  So first I made a calico sack with one side open and into this I scooped all the memory foam – this was not a pleasant experience as the dog spends a lot of tme in bed these days – then I sewed up the gap and put the newly covered bed in the washing machine.  Next I made a nice brushed cotton cover with an envelope ‘pillowcase’ type of opening and this has gone on an old pillow as a temporary bed while the memory foam dries out.

And here she is looking like butter wouldn’t melt…. or beds wouldn’t shred….!
Jess in her new bed!
Jess on her new bed cushion!
Now over to Handmade Monday for some reading!

Sewing Caddy and Visit to London

Well this week has been a catching up and making useful things time as I have been on a little trip which took most of my energy!  I went to London overnight with my daughter and two grandchildren to see my son-in-law -to -be  getting an award from work as he has been ‘down there’ on a training course for 8 weeks.  Here we are on our sightseeing day!

Granny and Max outside Buckingham Palace

Granny and Max outside Buckingham Palace

Although I had a lovely time the only energy I had left for sewing was enough to make a very small thing – a caddy to hang from under my sewing machine to keep  my scissors and seam ripper always to hand!.  I had been promising myself a sewing caddy for ages as they don’t take very long to make really.  I used a fat quarter which had cats and kittens neatly depicted in little squares just the right size for pockets!

 

After heming the cat fabric I sewed it  on to a plain calico background and then sewed straight lines to make separate pockets. On the top I sewed some little loops of bias binding for my tweezers etc and to the right I made a little pocket, stuffed it with left over fabric strips and used it as a pin cushion!
Sewing Machine with new Sewing Caddy
Sewing Machine with new Sewing Caddy

So that was my week, what about everyone else over at Handmade Monday? Why not take a peek at what they have been up to!!

xxAlixx

Dangers of Craft Lamps – I nearly had a fire!

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Here’s the mini bunting I made from the scraps I was given last week!!

It hangs below my Angel in the front room – seems appropriate given what happened last week because – Oh my goodness –  I nearly had a fire!

The morning sun fills my craft room and makes it a very nice place to work. Last Thursday however it nearly caused a tragedy! Bright sunlight was streaming into the room and onto my lovely magnifier lamp which I use for close work and threading my overlocker.   Unfortunately the magnifier top  was burning my calendar!

I had woken earlier than usual and strangely for me had jumped straight up.   My husband was just leaving for work and as he left mentioned he thought there was a strange burning smell.  I had been doing pyrography  the night before and just thought it was a lingering smell from that.   However, as he left  I went into the craft room and noticed how strong the burning smell now was!     I couldn’t believe it when I saw that my calendar had a hole in it with the edges brown and the first whisps of smoke starting!   What a shock!  My eyes travelled from the smouldering calendar to the large magnifier lamp and the sunlight puring onto it!!   I quickly moved the lamp away from the window and covered the hole in my calendar with a metal tin, fortunately the smouldering died out!

It’s not very often these days that I am up before DH goes out and often it is an hour later when I arise.  In that time the fire could have taken hold and I could have lost all my fabric at the very least,  at worst the whole house could have gone up while we slept!!   I can’t help but think my Guardian Angel woke me up that morning and helped me get straight out of bed! (Thanks Dadxxx)

So if you have one of these lamps make sure it is not near a window or that you cover the glass magnifer top at all times – you never know when the sun will come out.  Hope none of the lovely crafters at the Handmade Monday linky party have had anything so scary happen?  but if you too have any danger warnings please let us all know!!

Creative Craft Show in Manchester

Creative  Craft Show in Manchester! Oh what can I say except it was FAB FAB FAB!  It was a crafter’s dream day out.  Good friend, craft stalls and good coffee!  About half the show was card making and scrapbooking which I like but am trying to stay from away from due to need to do some housework occasionally…         We drooled over some lovely fabric (not literally!) and chatted to some really  nice stall holders about their craft.  I now badly want to learn how to use the Lucet!   I will even hold a workshop day in my house if I can get 9 others to join me and pay a max of £25 to cover the tutor and associated costs!!  If you’d like to come please let me know!!

One lady who we particularly talked with was Lesa from Natural Leigh who seemed very empathic to my friend’s recent troubles and put her hand on her arm in unspoken support.   I sensed the healing touch even standing next to her,  my friend was quite moved.  Before we moved on this lovely lady cut two pieces of her newest charcoal design in the lovely French chambray she sells and gave them to my friend  to make herself something!  She then cut two more and handed them to me saying that I ‘must have gone through it with her’!  We walked away a few minutes later with our fabric scraps and some sweet smelling hemp rope as well!  We felt quite moved and blessed.

So at home this weekend I wanted to make something special from my fabric pieces.  As I turned it round and round in my hand an idea took shape!

French chambray fabric pieces

French chambray fabric pieces

Can you see what I have started to cut it into?

 

It’s so lovely and soft to the touch I very much want to order some and make something for myself! I am going to treat myself to the rose pink fat quarters I think!

I am also going to see when the next Creative Craft Show is taking place and plan another road trip, but for now I am going on an online trip round the fab craft blogs at Handmade Monday.

Bye for now!

Threads and Spools and Happy Overlocking!

Almost a year ago I bought an Overlocker after trying one out at a friend’s house.   Since then I have been collecting jumpers from charity shops, friends and relatives which I can cut up and upcycle into something new.

Arm wearers from upcycled jumper cuffs!

Arm wearers from upcycled jumper cuffs!

It’s great fun using an overlocker as:

1 it sews extremely fast (scary at first)

2 it neatly finishes the seam on ordinary garments whilst sewing the seam

3 the seams can be sewn so that they show on the right side of a woolly garment as a style feature.

These arm warmers were one of my first makes overlocking.

I have had great fun cutting up and creating new items from my jumper stash and so I was heartbroken when my lovely machine stopped working.  However, to cut a long story short, it turned out to be the old cheapo threads I had used when the original cones ran out.   I was advised that Coats Moon thread is one of the best for overlockers (and great for standard sewing machines) and so I was delighted to find a  whole range of them at Calico Laine in Neston!  They sell the small ones for 99p – £1.30 or the same colours on a cone for £3.49.  If you can’t get to the shop you can order by from the website http://www.calicolaine.co.uk

Moon Thread with matching spools

Moon Thread with matching spools

These threads are lovely and do work well in both my machines. A good tip I have found is, as soon as I open  new coloured threads I make  bobbin spools one too, and store them together in little plastic boxes. This ensures that if I want to use any threads on my ordinary Janome sewing machine  I alway have matching needle and spool threads ready to go.  Little things like this make me happy!    So get a bargain box of 20 spools for £4.99 and you’re all set up!