Making Xmas Gifts!

Posted on 30 November, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Gosh it’s been a while! I have been busy making things which has left me no time to write up my blog!

I am trying to complete an overdue birthday present and anniversary present from the summer when I had terrible sciatica! This was going well until last week when the sciatica came back 🙁 Now I am struggling again, and also now making a ‘secret santa’ gift for the facebook group I am in – I organise this every year and around 12 – 20 people from all over the world join in. It’s great fun to make or buy the gift for your person and wonderful when your own surprise drops through the letterbox! As soon as all these things have been given to the recipients I will be able to post pictures on here!

I managed to get to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate last week! I won the tickets on facebook from Abakhan! My lovely friend Kate drove us both there and we had a good time stroking all the fabric, patting the wool and admiring the finished items on display. Definitely worth a visit – much less crowded than Yarndale and just as good in terms of the stalls! I booked us a parking space on a drive in a residential area only 10 minutes from the venue – brilliant concept called ‘Just Park’ – local people can offer their drive or land for online bookable parking! Once you pay online you immediately get directions and a printable ticket to put on the dashboard! We parked for £6.50 for 10 hours and the friendly owner came out and gave us directions to the show! Much less stressful than going to car parks in strange towns and hoping there are still spaces!

I bought some hand dyed mohair which I have no idea what to do with yet! Some Japanese fabric squares and recycled sari fabric will be used for xmas gift making!

lovely little ball of mohair!

That’s all for now – and here is a picture I took today in Chester just as it was going dark – that lovely inbetween stage from day to night which seems quite magical at this time of year!

Chester skyline at Twighlight!

Now over to catch up with Handmade Monday!

Acorn Cottage Cushion

Posted on 3 November, 2014 by patchworkfairy

I had an interesting day on Thursday as I attended a sewing class in Chester at Liberty Bell – this is a fabulous shop set in the Rows in Chester and full to the brim with colour coordinated fabric bales, fat quarters, ribbons and buttons and other little lovelies! Sue, the owner also sells her designs in kit format so you can take home a ready made pack and create a replica of some of the gifts she sells, such as cushions, dolls, mini quilts and pin cushions.

My day course was to make the Acorn Cottage Cushion! After cutting out all the pieces we had the option to machine sew or hand sew. The one on display was hand sewn with blanket stitch and looked so good that I opted for the same. Hence I haven’t finished it yet but as soon as the hand sewing is complete and the little extra stars and moon embellisments are in place I just see up the sides of the leaf fabric and its a cushion cover with an envelope style back.

Blanket stitch !

Hand sewing is really a good stress buster and a very different experience from the drrrrrrrrrrrrr speeding along with my electric Janome! Both are useful and fabulous but only hand sewing can be done feet up on the sofa watching The Walking Dead!

If you live near enough, or visit Chester take a look at Liberty Bell on Bridge Street Rows – you will definitely find some Xmas presents and very likely add to your own stash!

Over to Handmade Monday now!

Blanket Making and Fingerless Gloves

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Well as it has turned out I am not doing the Liverpool fair I thought I’d b etter get my items on my Folksy shop! Gosh it’s a lot of work! First trying to set up a bright space for taking the pics, editing them. then writing all the product details up, measuring the items etc! I’ve only managed to add a couple of new one so far! It’s not doing my ~~tennis~~ crochet elbow any good either 🙁 I couldn’t mange to write a post last week ‘cos my arm is so sore, but on the bright side, my sciatica has finally gone 🙂

I did manage to make myself another pair of fingerless gloves/arm warmers!

pink, purple, teal and green crocheted fingerless gloves

Fingerless Gloves / Arm Warmers

I am hoping my arm improves soon though as I was so taken with the warm autumnal colours in the Attic 24 Cosy Blanket I ordered the pack! It arrived in a couple of days in a lovely organza bag and I can’t wait to start it. As yet I am not sure whether to make the actual Cosy Blanket which Lucy is doing as a CAL from next week, or whether to finally make the ‘As we go stripey blanket’ by Not Your Average Crochet which lots of people were making a few months ago?

Wool Warehouse delivery in Organza bag!

Woolly Goodness!

Hopefully by next week I will have made a start one way or the other! Now over to Handmade Monday!

Review of Crafty What Nots!

Posted on 12 October, 2014 by patchworkfairy

A couple of week’s ago I had a very exciting delivery in the post!

Crafty What Nots Box arrives!

I love getting parcels and this one contained completely unknown items which made it all the more exciting! It was lovely opening it up and seeing a hint of the contents through the opaque white tissue paper!

inside all wrapped up!

This is ‘Floral Pavillion’ sample of a Crafty What Nots box of craft goodies from www.jennysis.com!

Here are the contents!

beautifully packaged craft items

Opened out!

craft bits and bobs

There were floral cut outs, buttons, coloured twine, sticky pads, some butterfly embellishments, two little magnets, two coloured chalky ink pads, a flower stencil, not to mentions some very nice paper and card stock!!

floral and vintage themed papers and cardstock

The selection contained paper and card of different thicknesses and finish – I especially like the textured vintage florals!

All this had been sent to me by Jenny for me to review as part of her new business venture Crafty What Nots!

Included were some white ready folded card to make into greetings cards or anything else which you might dream up!

pristine white card stock, prettily packaged

Within the box Jenny sends some detailed instructions on how to make your own sweet little cardboard handbag!

detailed instructions

and also some suggestions for other projects!

project ideas using the contents from the box

I haven’t used all the craft items yet but I did try out the chalky ink pads as the Peony and Blue colours really appealed to me. I used these and some of the floral shaped embellishments to make two cards! Jenny supplies little sticky foam pads so making the cards was easy!

first attempt at cards

I thought the plant card would just need a ‘happy birthday’ stamp at the side to finish it off but I haven’t got one of my own so will sort through the Craftseller free papers and I am sure I will find something!

I also made myself a little floral storage box!

I have to say I really had fun making these things and I still have a lot of the content to continue creating pretty things. The contents inside the delivery box were presented beautifully and all of the items were useful as well as attractive. Even the ribbons and twine used to tie the items together could be used in a project.

Jenny sends out these boxes on request and the one I received, contains around £20 of retail price craft items but would only cost you £12.50 plus £2.50 p&p.

There are discounts available if you order more than one at a time, and each has different themes. – see Jenny’s website for more information!

I think these boxes would make a very exciting gift to send to a crafty friend or family member. Imagine being off sick, laid up in bed and receiving one of these instead of flowers!! There are all sorts of occasions when these boxes would be fun to receive – including treating yourself!!

Well I hope you enjoyed the peak into the box! I’m now going to link up with Handmade Monday and see what else is going on in the crafty world! x

Outlander Style Arm Warmers/Fingerless Gloves!

Posted on 28 September, 2014 by patchworkfairy

So, firstly let me apologise if you haven’t heard of Outlander! Fans of Outlander will enjoy looking at/talking about anything remotely Outlander related, but for the rest of you, well – what you are about to see are just crochet arm warmers. But, these are not just any arm warmers though, these are Outlander Style Arm Warmers / Fingerless Gloves!!

Outlander is the title of a series of books by Diana Gabaldon, of which the first UK edition was called Crosstitch, while in the US it was called Outlander. However the use of that name has now widened to encompass the whole 9 book series and the recent US made TV series. There are worldwide Outlander fans – the books have been going for over 20 years – they are big long stories and each is a satisfyingly very good read. I never re-read any books, yet I am currently re-reading the whole Outlander series and enjoying it as much as the first time.

I won’t describe the story except to say it starts in 1940s Scotland and moves into 1743 Scotland. It is a story of an amazing relationship and is packed with Scottish and US history. It is not a ‘romance’ novel nor a ‘science fiction novel’ although it includes love, passion and time travel! So if you feel like a good read for the autumn and winter you could actually have it downloaded from Amazon onto your Kindle or E reader app in seconds! If you do try it I’d love to hear how you found it. One thing I would say is, don’t join the FB groups or any of the other Outlander groups until you’ve read at least the first book or you’re bound to read spoilers.

And now for the actual handmade crafty bit of the post! In the mini-series which started 8 week’s ago in US some of the female characters in 1743 Scottish Highlands have been seen wearing arm warmers and cowls to keep out the Scottish chill – hence the book fans are making/buying these with gusto! Here are mine – made from appropriately named Highland Tweed yarn!

Outlander-style arm warmers!

Mine are based on the pattern from Hopeful Honey although I have altered her pattern somewhat, to make my own version.

using fingerless gloves holding red flowers

fingerless gloves – hold things easily whilst keeping warm!

I love wearing these type of gloves as they make it so easy to pick things up when you’re busy, whilst still keeping warm. I can’t wait for it to get a teeny bit more autumnal so I can wear my new outlander style arm warmer/fingerless gloves!

Now I’m off to Handmade harbour and later I’ll be starting to crochet my chocolate brown Claire-style cowl in highlander chunky yarn!!

Japanese Flower Scarf

Posted on 21 September, 2014 by patchworkfairy

It all started when I wanted to make something special for my mum’s 85th birthday but couldn’t do much in the sewing room! Searching on the internet for ‘pretty’ things to make I became obsessed with the pictures of Japanese flower motifs in crochet. However, try as I might I could not find any instructions on how to make the delicate circular motifs I could view in blogs galore and as finished scarves! It seems I am a bit late to the party as these were all the thing back in 2011 and some originate from a motif contained in a book which is in Japanese and which I noticed some people had purchased back then, only to be very disappointed not being able to translate it! Asking around on facebook I was directed to some blogs with tutorials for variations on a flower motif but none really seemed just right. I knew I wanted to make a Japanese Flower Scarf, and it had to match the one I had designed in my head!

After a long time researching online when I could have actually crocheted a complete plain scarf to stretch over the Mersey, I found a diagram on this blog which for the first time in my life I could follow!! Using the Mohair wool I bought recently from Abakhan –

I started to make the circular motifs and this was the result –

motif with a touch of pink

Motif in three autumn colours

Soon (well not that soon) I had these –

Six crochet motifs in Japanese flower style

All the motifs!

These are made in single strand mohair and are very delicate. They are really pretty, but too fragile to be a scarf so I decided to make a sort of mesh upon which I could place them. I made up a rectangle shape in a lacy chain stitch using three colours together for strength –

lacy chain stitch mesh

I then started to sew on the motifs along the length of the scarf –

I made variations of the mohair colours and placed them so that no too adjacent centres or outsides were the same colour

flower motifs on the scarf

Here it is completely finished!

Finished Japanese Flower Scarf

Sadly I forgot to get one of mum wearing it as we were out in a restaurant and the moment just didn’t arise! Hopefully I will take one soon and amend the blog! It’s a lovely scarf to make – if you don’t mind the colour changes you can make all sorts of variations or if you prefer single coloured ones in different colours. Anyway, I am sure I will amend the design slightly as I repeat it, as I’d quite like one myself and they will make beautifully unique gifts for Chr…..s (arrgh!) or for any occasion!

Wonder what’s going on at Handmade Monday?

Artist Trading Card Swap -“Getting Away From it All”

Posted on 14 September, 2014 by patchworkfairy

It is that time again! Time for the latest Artist Trading Card (ATC) swap organised again by Ali from VeryBerry Handmade! The theme was “Getting Away From it All”.

This is my second swap and I really enjoy participating in these swaps. It’s not only the pleasure of receiving a card but also the fun of making one! There is always a theme and the cards must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches and predominantly textile. As long as you abide by those specifications you can interpret the theme any way you like!

When I signed up for the swap I wasn’t suffering from this awful sciatica and so it’s proved just a little bit more difficult to complete this time as I have been unable to sit at my sewing machine or stand at my designing/cutting table to start the process.

Finally, on the last day of the posting week I finished my creation and managed to sit at the machine long enough to use the embroidery function to sew the details on the reverse of the card. – This saved me a lot of hand sewing or having to obtain a permanent marker to write on fabric!

It actually took me ages to decide how to represent the theme and a few false starts as well! Then suddenly the idea came to me as I was taking one of my ‘standing in my sewing room looking out of the window moments’ (which I do frequently as I can’t do anything else in there!) – Glastonbury!

I have spent many happy days in Glastonbury and at one time used to go 3 or 4 times a year with friends for a mini break. Sadly we are all in varying states of ill health or commitments elsewhere and the trips have not been possible recently. How I miss those times sitting on the Tor with good friends, united in the sacred peace of the place, the meditations we did, the walks around the area, the trip at twilight to feel and see the beauty of the landscape in the fading light, and the joy of a cup of shared mead in the darkness that quickly surrounded us. In those visits I really did feel I was getting away from it all and the return to the mundane life and work a few days later felt very strange.

So here is my ATC!

My ATC – NightFall in Avalon

Reverse of ATC

I loved making this! I used some fabric paint to create the stars as the area around Glastonbury is remarkable for the way the stars are visible – much as they always were when I was young and there was less light pollution around. If you’ve ever seen this when out in the countryside away from street lamps you’ll appreciate what I mean.

Anyway that was my ATC – now sent off to it’s new home in Scotland! We all send a card to one person – but receive one from a different person – and it’s a secret swap until the cards are sent! so next week I’ll show you the ATC I have been sent!

As usual I am linking up with Handmade Monday for a pleasant read about others’ crafty weeks!

Another Road Trip Scarf

Posted on 7 September, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Hello!

Did I mention Road Trip Scarves are addictive? I made my first Road Trip Scarf a couple of week’s ago and displayed it in this blog post. Now I have just finished my second Road Trip Scarf (RTS) in a different yarn. The first one was in Bernat Mosaic Ambrosia and is quite a thick yarn. The second RTS is a lighter weight lovely red variegated yarn by King Cole.

Second Road Trip Scarf

This second one is for sale stock – for the Christmas markets, hopefully. I still haven’t heard either way about Liverpool!

My next makes are going to be some fingerless mittens and a cowl in chunky highland tweed yarn but I also have some beautifully soft, bouncy and strokeable mohair. I adore the look and feel of it but can’t decide what to make with it. It’s very thin and so I think I’ll need to use two strands together. I bought this during my visit to the new Abakhan shop at Flint last week. I only had a short visit because of my ongoing back pain but I can’t wait to go back!

Any suggestions?

5 balls of mohair

Of course I could always make another RTS!! The Road Trip Scarf is by Zooty Owl and the pattern is free on her blog here – I recommend trying it as it’s a very easy pattern if you can crochet and the end result is very satisfying.

So now it’s almost time for Sunday dinner (yum) and that means it’s also time for Handmade Monday linky party 🙂

Crochet Bag Becomes Crochet Cushion!

Posted on 31 August, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Gosh a summer’s day here in Wirral – we’ve had autumn weather all week so this warm and dry day is very welcome! Hope your day is as pleasant!

Remember this?

this is the bag base with all the colours to use

Well this was going to be my oceanic coloured crochet bag but things didn’t go to plan! I followed the attic 24 pattern completely but I used cotton whereas Lucy used a chunky merino and I think that maybe the problem as mine turned out huge!

It was when the bag area was this big that I started to think it just wouldn’t work as a bag !!

cotton bag keeps expanding

I decided I couldn’t face unpicking so it’s now become a rather comfy cushion for the couch!! Luckily my made -up pattern turned out ok!

crochet cushion for the couch

first side – originally bag base!

Oh well I have a nice cushion – just have to find some chunkier wool for that bag!! Now there’s a project to keep me happy!!

What projects are you doing? Let’s pop over to Handmade Monday and find out!

Simple Wavy Crochet Edging for a Blanket and finished my Road Trip Scarf!

Posted on 20 August, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Wow – I finished some WiPs! – my Ripple Blanket and my Road Trip Scarf!

My blanket is a Ripple Blanket – pattern is from Attic 24 Neat Ripple but I decided I wanted a simple wavy crochet edging on mine! First I used this tutorial to do a round of different sized stitches to make the 4 edges straight. (raspberry row) then I added 2 rows of double crochet all round.(purple and grey rows)

edging the ripple blanket

You could add as many straight rows as you like but I kept mine just to the two after the ‘straightening out’ row. For the wavy effect I couldn’t find anything anywhere that was simple – I didn’t want pom poms or holes or shells or drop posts or anything other than a simple wave!

So I decided to make my own simple wavy crochet edging as in the picture below! (see here for the pattern)

multi coloured blanket with patchwork fairy edging

simple wavy crochet edging

This week has been pretty similar to last week health wise and craft wise as I still have a very painful back and so still can’t get into my craft room to work! I can still crochet though, so after finishing my lovely Road Trip Scarf last week I immediately started another one in fiery red as I am really hoping I am selected for the xmas fair in Liverpool and so need some stock to sell! They have 100 more applicants than places though so some of us are going to be disappointed!

I did manage to finish my ‘Road Trip Scarf’ and add on the embellishments which make it look really pretty I think!

Finished Road Trip Scarf

Friday this week I was awake from half 4 and so I made a little bag for keeping my mobile ‘phone and glasses in as I can’t carry a big handbag at the moment – any kind of weight causes terrible pain – I can’t even the kettle unless there is only a tiny amount of liquid in it!

Here is one I made a while ago and the one I made on Friday!

crochet-small-bag

I do have a thing about bags – I love making them and owning them so I find it difficult to make them for selling! these were just practice ones with a made up pattern though so won’t be going anywhere! 🙂

Anyhoo, it’s time to meet up with Handmade Monday again! See you there?