Tuesday 31 December 2013

Ta Dah 2013

January 2013

Wedding Dress Pillow - made from my Mum's Wedding Dress - for her 70th Birthday


February 2013 

A Dressing Table Cloth


Wedding Dress Hearts - filled with Lavender


Cushion for QQ Annie's Birthday - Small Hexagon Flower Cushion

March 2013

Ben's Quilt

July 2013

Andy and Sarah's Wedding Quilt

Yarndale Crochet Bunting


Dotty Quilt for Baby Emily


September 2013

Pimping of Yarndale Betty Bag

Pegs for Charity


Tissue Holders for Charity

Crochet Blanket for Rumania

Crochet Blanket for Rumania


October 2013

Crochet Blanket for Rumania


November 2013

R2D2 Birthday Beanie Hats

December 2013

QQ Christmas Gifts 2013

QQ Christmas Gifts 2013

Crochet Blanket for Rumania


Yarn Ball Bunting
Baby Edith's Quilt




Ta Dah: Baby Quilt

Little Pink (and yes it is very pink) Quilt for baby Edith - arriving a little early, ten days in fact - all safe and well - but I had not even cut my fabric!!!  God its not as if 9 months is not enough time to get myself together!!

This will be the third quilt I have produced for the Thompson family - with a fourth now being underway for 7th January 2014 - my last project of 2013 - but my first finished project - hopefully- of 2014!

This quilt has been made from a mixture of both hand dyed fabric and commercially brought fabric - the combination in this case has works very well. Pattern taken from Superquick Colourful Quilts.



As this is the third quilt for the same family I have personalised each one - this one using trapunto learnt in a Philippa Naylor class, and machine free motion used in a Ferret class.


The pattern is the same for the three quilts but the quilting is different.  This first one, in the pastel pink - as requested - was produced back in April 2009 - my skill level good but not as experimental as I am now. So simple quilting.


The second, produced in Juy 2010, just over a year later - much more experimental with my quilting techniques - trapunto, twin needles and free motion. This was produced just after my class with Philippa Naylor. (Love the way you can see my washing in the background on this one!)


The quilting on this one was most some of the best I have done (well I think)...


So this one needed to be a little different again.... Free motion on the pink to try and mirror the circles on the black fabric - I used two layers of wadding on the pink squares and then the a third layer covering the whole quilt - so three layers altogether. I love the raised look of these squares but it has left the middle section a little stiff - not sure if this works well on a baby quilt.



Some lines and stars - using multicoloured variegated thread - works really well - not a great picture but look as good on the back as the front!




Ta Dah........




Finial finished item of 2013!

Saturday 28 December 2013

Ta Dah: Yarn Ball Bunting

Back in September you may remember my trip to Yarndale - during my weekend away I enjoyed a visual experience like never before - bunting, yarn bombing to the local park, bunting, Yarn Ball Bunting, and just a little bit more bunting.  

I have to say, when I saw the Yarn Ball Bunting outside the show - I just fell in love - I have been collected my supplies ever since!!! 


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And today, I found my very last item! Children's Pit Balls..... now these are readily available from any good toy shop BUT generally sold in bags of 500 - D would have killed me if I came home with 500 balls - and really my tree is not that big!  Today the local charity shop had a part bag for £1 - I will use what I need and return the rest of the bag for them to sell again - everyone's a winner! 


You will need: Beads, Pit Balls, Yarn and Children's knitting needles.  I found the children's knitting needle a little expensive - yes lovely colours but at over a £1 a pair it wasn't going to happen - I asked in the charity shop, god I love charity shops, and decided to op for knitting hooks - I think they are called sock needles but having never used one I'm not actually sure - but I got 14 needles for £1 - Bonus!!!



Cover your ball with wool - any colour of your choosing - some of mine was odds purchased from the charity shop - some was the wool I purchased at Yarndale - my bargain £1 a ball wool!


Attached your beads to the end of your needle - skip this part if you have purchased proper knitting needles.


Ta Dah.......



Just need to add my loop and attach to a tree.

Ta Dah: Quilting Stiletto

The Quilting Stiletto - is the tool you never knew you needed, but once you have it, you don't know how you quilted without it!!

The Stiletto is used for:
  • Guide fabric through the sewing machine
  • Hold turned edges while ironing
  • Pull up the bobbin thread to the top of the fabric
  • Un-sew stitches
  • 'Scrunch' ribbon against a machine needle when doing silk embroidery.

Finally, a stiletto adds beauty to your quilting environment.......go on make one today!

So .....you will need....

A turkey lacer...... or spike of your choice..... I used the following ....


And a selection of beads.......now beads......Most of mine have come from old necklaces/bracelets - especially the bigger beads - I have collected most from Charity shops - also its good to ask if they have any broken jewellery.  Its also worth taking your spike with you to check the bead threads onto the spike - sometimes the holes are just not big enough.  If you're after a particular colour then you made need to visit a bead shop!!


And off you go... using a little bit of super glue (carefully) place a little glue on the lacer and then thread your beads on in the order you require.



Ta Dah........


Friday 27 December 2013

Ta Dah: Chap Stick Holder



Gather your yarn, a button, needle for sinking your ends, scissors and a cup of tea!

Round 1: Chain 4



sl st into first stitch



Round 2: Chain 1, 6dc into the ring, sl st into the last stitch



Round 3: Chain 1, 2dc into each stitch - should have 12 stitches in total - sl st into last stitch



Round 4: Chain 1, turn the base over, using the back loop of the stitch only, 12dc.  DO NOT sl st on the last stitch this time.  You will be working up in a spiral, rather than rounds now.



Sink end now as you will be unable to sink it once the tube takes shape. Continue to dc into each stitch until you are about a three quarters of the way to the height of your chap stick.









Once you have reached the desired height - you need to grab a button - NOTE: the height  you need to crochet too will be dependant on the size of your button and the size of your chap stick.



Thread your wool into the button loop, as shown




Hook through the top loop of the wool threaded into the button loop, and then the next stitch



Pull your stitch tight, as you continue with your stitches - this will secure the button within the tube



Continue your dc stitches until you reach the top of your tube



Once the top  is reached you no longer need to continue in rounds, you will now need to make a 'lid' so without finishing off - lay the tube flat - with the button central and start doing about six dc - from right to left



ch one , flip the tube over - six from left to right





I completed five row to make my lid but do more or less if you need to.  Again without finishing off you now need to create a loop to hook round the button to secure



Chain six and connect to the last stitch on the opposite side of the lid.  Before finishing off check the loop fits round the button



Connect your keyring loop if you require.....


Ta Dah........