Scandi Table Runner

Posted on 27 October, 2013 by patchworkfairy

Well the hour went back today which is the ‘good’ way for me as it means I get up earlier without even trying! Consequently I managed to watch both Create and Craft Quilting programmes live! I love the Sunday morning shows but I can never take advantage of the offers on screen as it’s usually Monday when I watch, which is, of course, a good thing for my bank balance! However it’s still good to watch the demonstrations and learn techniques! This morning I loved the rectangular scandi table runner and circular scandi table centre. Both patterns were for sale but the patterns aren’t difficult and I decided to have a go by looking at the pictures on the website!

red and white cotton xmas type scandi fabric

mmm love new fabric!

Luckily I had some new scandi fabric from Abakhan which I have been trying to decide what to make with. I love having new fabrics and dreaming of all the potential designs I could make and I seem to spend far too long at this stage instead of getting on with actually creating! This is lovely fabric too – quite thick and easy to use in patchwork as it sort of stays still while you piece it – unlike my favourite Liberty Tana Lawn which is beautiful but flimsy.

But today wahoo – I made a decision! Here is my attempt at a Scandi table runner for Xmas! It’s not finished – the binding is only sewn at the front edge at the moment.

Table Runner in Red, Cream and Green Scandi Fabrics

Xmas Table Runner

So one more thing nearly ready for the xmas fair! I seem to have settled into a nice evening crochet habit recently, but tonight it’s over to Handmade Monday instead, for my evening stroll round all the lovely blogs over there! Oh and thank you to everyone for the comments last week to help me in my quest for orderly yarn keeping! I am still working on it!

Crochet Granny Squares and an Owl!

Posted on 20 October, 2013 by patchworkfairy

Boo it’s raining again!

This is what arrived last week! My lovely new wool – beautiful colours – as I started to use them I thought how will I ever remember which shade is which if want to reorder any of them? How will I know my Wisteria from my lavender? So for now this is my solution –

New balls of Stylecraft Special Double Knit

My new Stylecraft Wool

A little bit of each yarn is tied to the label as I use each colour. Ok for now but not great so I’d love to know what you all do? I haven’t done much so far as I have spent a long time reading blogs for patterns and ideas – I think I’m going to make lots of granny squares and then decide what to do with them as these are something I know how to make very well!

I did however have a go at an owl pattern – it still needs the eyes yet – the pattern is from Bunny Mummy – another blog find after my visit to Yarndale!

Owl shape crochet and a small pink blue and purple granny square

First attempt at an owl shape!

It wasn’t hard to follow the tutorial and I think they look very cute in her picture! I really want to design my own items but for now I am enjoying other people’s as a change from my patchwork! One other thing I would really like help with is — how do you keep your wool from tangling when using lots of colours? I’ve tried in the past to keep it all in a basket but it ends up one big mess. Currently I’ve got each colour in a plastic bag but this is bulky and spoils my enjoyment of the crochet somehow. So over to talented peeps at Handmade Harbour to see if what everyone has been up to and maybe pick up some hints!!

Colourful Crochet!

Posted on 16 October, 2013 by patchworkfairy

Well I’ve really got the crochet bug again now! Although years ago I used to make pram blankets in colourful crochet, in recent times I have mainly concentrated on using chunky, random yarn to make big throws, as I enjoy the change of colour but the lazy way! However, since my visit to Yarndale and discovering Lucy’s blog of tutorials, I have again become fascinated by the idea of mixing up different bright colours. So this is what arrived this morning!

I just love the sound of the postie dropping parcels of fabrics or wool in the porch!

And this is what it contained!

My new Stylecraft Wool

These are Stylecraft Special double knit premium acrylic. I have prefered to use 100% wool in the past but as these seemed to be endorsed by quite a few people in the crochet and knitting world I thought I would try them. They are from Wool Warehouse and I must say they shipped them very quickly as I only ordered them on Monday! My young self would have been incredulous at the idea that I would one day sit in my living room choosing and paying for lovely wool instead of getting the bus into town and carrying it home!

I am now actually looking forward to cold and even rainy days when it’s just sensible to snuggle up with some colourful crochet!

Road trip to Dundee and Vintage Fabric Finds!

Posted on 13 October, 2013 by patchworkfairy

Just home from a road trip to Dundee!

Having read about the antique and collectables place in Abernyte on Highland Monkeys’ blogpost last week I persuaded everyone on the road trip (mum, sister, aunties) to visit there on Friday morning as Penelope had kindly sent me the address! It was wonderful finding the vintage fabric corner – I nearly upended myself trying to reach over a table to get to the bottom shelves! I had hold of some old French linen and a French cotton tablecloth for ages but eventually put them back and bought some vintage linen embroidered napkins which were in better condition.

The tablecloth I nearly bought was red print scenes of French countryside and was so soft I was very tempted, but it was quite badly soiled and worn thin in places and I wondered if it would yield enough good cloth to actually make anything in the end. However, now I am back home so annoyed I didn’t get it !! Typical!

I did get a lovely surprise though as just before we left, my Aunty Audrey who lives in Dundee, gave me a bag of her own vintage table fabrics – some had been given to her as a wedding present over 50 years ago and one set had been a wedding gift to her old employer so they must be around 100 years old! There were also some vintage beads she brought back from South Africa! The fabrics will need cleaning but they are beautiful and I can’t wait to start my ‘vintage patchworkfairy’ line!

Vintage Lace Napkins

Now over to Handmade Harbour for this week’s linky party!

Crocheting Again!

Posted on 6 October, 2013 by patchworkfairy

I have rekindled my love of crochet! My Aunty Pol taught me as a child and many hooky projects have graced our home through the years. As a new stay at home young mum I cut up and hemmed old sheets to make cot and pram sheets, crocheting all the blankets in bright woolly colours and knitting little cardis! Even before the children arrived I made my own maternity clothes and breastfeeding nighties.

All that crochet, sewing and knitting in those days as well as looking after the family – makes me think I had far more energy then than it actually felt like at the time! Of course, in the early 80’s we just didn’t have the range of low price shops which there are today and there was no online shopping so many of us had to make our own things. I made clothes and toys for the children and curtains for our house, I enjoyed it all so it never seemed a chore. I remember one Christmas the boys longing for the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Hero Turtle’ figures were very scarce and so I made both the boys a furry version which they loved and carried around for a long time!

my son with his home made teenage hero ninja turtle!

Anyway after visiting Yarndale, buying the Hooplayarn and reading various blog accounts of the day I have begun crocheting again. Amazingly I had never heard of Lucy and Attic 24 before – her blog is a wonderful find as it has lots of tutorials in very easy to follow style. I now have a set of red bowls from the Hooplayarn and some granny squares destined to become a big throw! Only trouble is – these days I need a rest even after just sitting down crocheting!

Talking of rests – what better than a stroll round the Handmade Monday blogs over at Handmade Harbour!

Anyway I love reading your comments – if my site won’t let you please do let me know on facebook as it was a bit iffy last week. Thank you!

Yarndale!

Posted on 29 September, 2013 by patchworkfairy

We went to Yarndale! Actually we nearly didn’t! Having arrived at the entrance around 1pm we were waved away by police blocking the road! I was horrified and stuttered – ‘but we’ve come to yarndale…’ – this only evoked a shrug and the words ‘it’s full’ !!!! We had driven for 2 hours, been stuck in traffic jams and really wanted a coffee by now, and as I continued to stare at the policewoman in a daze of disbelief, she added we should ‘try again’ in half an hour or park in the town.

Well not being from around there we weren’t quite sure which way to go! OH drove off down a road with me nearly in tears – how could it be full? It was advertised as parking for 1000 cars so I hadn’t thought there would be any problem. But alas no woolly welcome waited for us and so off we went, parked in a layby, looked at the map and decided to head back towards Skipton. The sat nav lady took us past the entrance again and now there was no block! It was only 20 mins later but we were allowed in! There was no queue inside and we found somewhere to park fairly easily so I am still mystified as to why we were kept out beforehand!

So all ended well – we had a half hour wait for the café but the food was good and plenty of room to sit down and eat. Feeling much better I set off to explore the woolly wonders ahead while OH retreated to the car to ‘read’ (sleep), leaving me in peace to wander, sniffing the woolly aroma and stroking the woolly goodies everywhere!

Red Crochet Bowl from Hooplayarn

The place was heaving with serious Yarn addicts and in some cases their bored OHs but I managed to see all I wanted to see and chat to some stallholders as well! I bought quite a bit of woolly rovings for my felting, some ‘not quite fat quarters’ for my quilting, which at £1.95 were very good value, and a big cone of Hooplayarn from The Chunky Hooker! I am now hooked on hooking with Hooplayarn! It’s really easy and very gratifying as it grows very fast. Here is my half finished first attempt at a crochet bowl! I chose the red so that I could make some xmas items for my stall at the 02! Surprisingly (to me) they said the most popular colour was cerise pink!

It would have been lovely to have met up with craft bloggers at the event but I didn’t know anyone else who was going and didn’t have time to linger in the knit and natter area. Maybe next time..? Now though I am going to meet up with some lovely bloggers in the online world of Handmade Harbour! See you there?

Website Shop Page and Round the World Quilt Making!

Posted on 22 September, 2013 by patchworkfairy

Well what a week! My site has been ‘down for maintenance’ since last Sunday whilst I uploaded my products to my website shop page and sorted out the legal text you have to have about Distance Selling Regulations! It’s not that onerous a task but it sort of takes over and it does become tiring and long drawn out as I can’t spend too long on the laptop without too much pain. Anyway it’s now up and running thanks to Jon at Brill Skills!

Whilst uploading images and text for the shop I have also been making things for my stock. I really miss making things if I leave it too long! I have been wanting to do a ‘trip around the world’ quilt for ages after seeing pictures of them on pinterest. So here is my first attempt – it’s not sewn up completely, this is just the 4 panels which form the ’round the world quilt’ pattern. It’s a very easy quilt top to do as long as you are very careful when sewing the strips together! unpicking half a block is no fun at all – how do I know that? 😉

coloured squares in round pattern making a quilt top

Trip Around the World Quilt Top

And here are 4 panels with applique in the lovely red gingham and pink and cream roses fabric left over from my Abakhan project. Fabric was courtesy of Will Abakhan and hopefully you will soon see some of my project work on the Abakhan website!

4 blocks with different patterns

So that’s about it – I did also start on a doorstop using a pattern from a craft magazine but that isn’t quite finished either! Maybe I should just actually complete one thing before starting the next? But where’s the fun in that eh? 🙂

Hope you are all enjoying the amazing mini summer! I’m afraid I’m a killjoy here – I have had enough of it and want to get my leggings, boots and winter dresses out! Anyway I’m off over to Handmade Harbour as usual now – see you over there?

Sewing for the xmas market!

Posted on 8 September, 2013 by patchworkfairy

No more lolling in reflection this week! I am on a countdown to the Handmade Christmas at the 02 and have to increase my stock dramatically! So I’ve tried to get up early and get some morning sewing in before I get too tired. Trouble is I want to try out all my ideas but designing and making prototypes is very time consuming although very interesting!

So here’s what I managed:

Owl pouch

I though this would be a nice little pouch for a child’s reading book or for a kindle?

small fox bag

This one is a small shoulder bag -it has orange spot fabric inside!

And these are healing hearts! – Each is stuffed with soft filling and includes essential oils so they smell lovely. I am going to attach some of the red string I think, but I am not sure. The idea is that they would be a nice gift instead of, or as well as a card for an unwell person. They are all Reiki blessed as well as I am a Reiki Master. What do you think? Are there too many stuffed hearts on the market all ready?

Now over to Handmade Monday for the usual weekly read and see what everyone else is making!

Reflective perspectives

Posted on 1 September, 2013 by patchworkfairy

It’s that time of year again which makes me feel reflective. The smell of overblown summer flowers coupled with the keen edge of autumn always brings on a mixture of sadness and anticipation as I realise that summer is over (or, as has been the case in recent years, never going to happen!), and that prickling sense of excitement that accompanies the ‘new pencils’ feeling at the start of the new term. Not that I am actually starting a new term anymore and the ‘children’ are all way past that too but the feelings I get around this time of year have never left me. Funnily enough after never having those sorts of feelings my OH is now working at a school, a completely different way of earning a living and is embroiled in the terminology that goes with school life! Today having just returned from our last few days away he is sorting out his ‘school bag’, his snacks and his ‘uniform’, all ready for tomorrow.

However for me, now with my arthritis, chronic pain condition in the cervical spine, dodgy knee, fibromyalgia, pernicious anaemia and hashimoto’s thyroiditis there is not even the ‘back to work’ feeling which used to happen after our annual holiday and every Sunday night of the year as well! But at the moment I don’t miss those particular feelings and I am enjoying doing my sewing, knitting, crochet and felting and planning for a future when I can increase my production, sell things more regularly and perhaps make a real living out of these arts. Also I know that at 9 o’clock tomorrow I may still be in bed or I could be in a sunny craft room dreaming and designing with a coffee and a bagel, or I could be sitting in the garden with a cup of tea, so despite all the things which have happened in the last two years, today, and every forthcoming Sunday night I will feel quite lucky! So I leave you with a picture of me yesterday in sunny Shropshire and go over to Handmade Monday to see what other folks have been doing! Cheers!

Drinking coffee in Coalport!

Lazy week with a bit of dry felting!

Posted on 25 August, 2013 by patchworkfairy

Had a very lazy week crafting wise so not much to show! Last week I just couldn’t get my comments to work on lots of blogs so I am really seemed to have ignored blogs who had visited mine. Hopefully this week blogger will have sorted out the error?So this week I tried out two projects I bought at craft fairs and haven’t even opened till now! (this is not an isolated incident I am ashamed to say!) Things look sooo interesting and exciting I want to try them all!!

felted flowers attempt

I tried my dry felting kit and managed to make some felted flowers which will be good for embellishing bags or quilts, when I have perfected them a bit more that is!! However at this rate I will never have enough stock for our stand at the Handmade xmas at 02 fair!! Has anyone else managed to get going on xmas stock yet? checking over at Handmade Monday!!