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!

Road Trip Scarf!

Posted on 17 August, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Wow I’ve been having much fun this week chatting in facebook groups where I came across the ‘Road Trip Scarf’ pattern on Zootyowl’s blog Now almost everyone in my facebook crochet group has made one, or is making one! Fortunately that means lots of help with the pattern! I am almost finished – I have to finish the top edge yet and do the flower trimmings but I am pleased with the way it’s looking already.

Road Trip Scarf – not quite finished

I’m having a bit of trouble following the last row of the pattern but other than that it’s been a lovely quick make! I’d recommend it if you enjoy crochet as once you get going it’s easy to do whilst watching TV or chatting! If you wonder why it’s called that just read her blog post about the pattern via the link above!

I also decided my ripple blanket wasn’t looking quite right and so made up a wavy edging to finish it off – I have one and a half sides to go yet!

wavy edging on ripple blanket

Whilst I was browsing all the other road trip scarves I fell in love with some purple King Cole splash yarn which just happened to be on sale!! Well couldn’t pass that up could I?

my latest delivery 🙂

So now I have to make a few more RTSs!!!

I am enjoying all this crochet as I am still incapacitated with back pain although it is slightly better after my GP prescribed some more drugs. I have my MRI date – 3rd September – not looking forward to that as I don’t like confined spaces 🙁 but at least I might then know what the problem is and what can be done to help it.

Finally I had to show you the lovely plant and card which my aunties and uncle sent for me to ‘cheer me up’ – and it did – immensely!

get well plant and card

So that’s my week – crochet, crochet, crochet and the road trip scarf! Now over to see the peeps at Handmade Monday, wonder what’s been going on in your world?

Ripple Blanket Progress

Posted on 10 August, 2014 by patchworkfairy

I’ve not made as much ripple blanket progress as I originally imagined and have decided that after 60 ripply rows that I have had enough! It is now going to be a lap blanket/shawl!

Although I am fed up of rippling I have decided to make a few double crochet edging rounds to finish it off nicely and then leave it at this smaller size. So far I am on my second dc round in lavender, the first being in raspberry.

edging the ripple blanket

I haven’t much crafty stuff to share this week as I have been away camping in Aberdaron and the packing up process has done me a mischief. I am in agony, unable to walk properly with acute lower back pain. I am managing a bit of crochet wherever I can get comfy (not easy) but anything else is out of the question.

After a week of pain and still no improvement it’s so frustrating not to be able to get in my craft room as I have two projects waiting to be finished which are for presents and are now not going to be made on time 🙁

Hopefully I will be able to link up with Handmade Monday and catch up on everyone’s lives as I’ve really missed my blog fix the last couple of weeks, being away without internet access.

Rag Quilt and Crochet Bag

Posted on 7 July, 2014 by patchworkfairy

Well after a lot of thinking I decided my crochet circle would be a bag! However it isn’t really looking like one and is more like a sombrero! I am following an Attic 24 pattern so it should turn out ok but I am wondering if floppy cotton was not the right yarn as the original pattern is in merino. Oh well – perhaps an interfaced fabric lining will be required to give it some form!

bag base and 12 rows on

The other thing I decided to make this week was a quilt for me to take on holiday in a couple of weeks – it’s using up lots of the stash I recently received and as it’s a rag quilt it was fairly easy to make compared with making a quilt top and then quilting it to a base.

I made some quilt ‘sandwiches’ first, then quilted each ‘sandwich’ with a cross of stitching. These were then sewed together in long lines and then the lines joined up – all had a half inch seam allowance for fraying later.

quilt sandwich showing the wadding / batting

diagonal stitching to quilt the ‘sandwiches’

using the walking foot to quilt the edges

After sewing all the quilted squares together I made some long sashing strips in bright purple and made long rectangular ‘sandwiches’ to sew right round each edge. I quilted these separately with long diagonal lines and then finally a line right round the egde of the quilt leaving a half an inch seam allowance for fraying.

The hardest part if snipping all the seams for the fraying but it’s worth is when you take the quilt out of the tumble drier and it’s all soft and lovely! It’ll certainly keep me cosy of the cross channel ferry!

pastel shades of floral fabric rag quilt

finished quilt

I’m rather late for Handmade Monday as I was at a Boyzone concert in beautiful Delamere forest yesterday but that’s another story!

Boyzone in Delamere Forest

Ocean and Coral Crochet in the Garden

Posted on 29 June, 2014 by patchworkfairy

What a lovely day today after torrential rain yesterday! I am sitting in the garden with my new crochet project, writing my blog post and drinking a cup of tea on the swingy seat! I am using cool oceanic and coral crochet colours which is quite restful on the eyes in the glare of the sun! I think I may have mentioned before how much I love sitting in my little hideaway at the bottom of the garden 🙂 There are birds on the grass right by me, eating the cherries from our tree!!! Every year they eat them before we do and I swear they reccy the tree for weeks leading up to them ripening and then sit on the fence squawking out the information to their cronies! On the day most cherries turn purple and yummy, if we are not at home, we will come back to a bare tree!

this is a small selection of the tree!

This is my crochet – I am using a lovely soft cotton and acrylic mix by Cygnet. It is going to be a holiday bag but it’s so soft and comfy while I am making it I feel I should turn it into a summer blanket! We are going on the ferry to France and an oceanic and coral coloured bag seemed just the thing, but then so would a cosy blanket for snoozing under on the journey!

this is the bag base with all the colours to use

Oh well decisions! I will have a think whilst watching Dolly Parton at Glastonbury! Later I’ll be popping over to Handmade Monday for a catch up with the other blogs. Hope everyone is having a lovely Glasto-watching weekend too!