Open Garden Hospice in the Weald Craft Stall

Recently we opened our garden for the Hospice in the Weald open garden scheme, along with four others. People paid £5 and got a sticker enabling them to walk around all five, which were in walking distance of each other.

We each had stalls that had different things on them in order to raise money - one garden had tea and cake, another had whole cakes for sale, and ours had a craft stall. Therefore, I had to make lots of products to sell! It was a really rainy day to start with, which looked worrying, and we had to do an emergency evacuation of products into the shed:

I made some lavender hearts, which were heart shaped pieces of fabric, sewn together, stuffed with lavender, with a button on the front and twine around the button in order to hang it up.

Also, I used old jars to make a variety of products. I put together some jars of sweets, I mixed some thyme and lavender bath salts into some others, and with the last ones left I decorated them with buttons around the top in order to turn them into tealight holders or vases:

I did this by threading buttons onto thin wire, and making a handle out of some thicker wire and some pliers. The gravel in the bottom and the tealights we already had, and they add a nice touch.

Finally, my sister painted some beautiful cards, and my mum and I made some wool covered bottles. They would be ideal vases or general decorations, and they are incredibly unique:

On the day, it only rained for an hour and a half or so, so after an hour of drying time for the outside table (which was soaking wet) we could move the stock that was left outside. This increased sales because people could see what was available, and it made it look very bright and appealing!

Inside:

Outside:

A big thank you to anyone who came along - in total we raised nearly £2,500 across the five gardens, £100 from my stall alone! This is a brilliant achievement which will hopefully be very beneficial to the Hospice.

Azerbaijani Dress

My lovely friend Ella decided to host a Eurovision party this weekend.

We were each given a country and we had to come dressed as if we were from that country and bring food from the country.

The country that I got was Azerbaijan, and they wear a rather traditional princess-like dress. A friend of mine had given me an old dress of hers last year, and although it would not do up when I tried it on I thought that I should be able to do something with it.

As the pictures show below, it doesn't do up on my mannequin which is the same size as me. This was problematic because I had to consider what to do: whether to unpick some seams and try to let it out or whether to add a panel?

I decided to unpick the zip completely because it was starting to come away from the seams anyway and I thought that I could add something to the back that meant that a different zip was needed or a different technique. However, I decided to leave the small section of zip that was in the skirt in place because there was more fabric involved that complicates the situation.

On the back I decided that eyelets would be a good way to fasten it. They are fiddly, as I know from the cushions I made, but they would provide and attractive and efficient method of making it fit me.

To begin with, I drew crosses from the top every 5cm to mark the places where I would put the eyelets: 

Then, I used the tool that is supplied with the set and a hammer to punch holes into the fabric. This proved difficult because the flimsy plastic gadget that comes with it snapped early on and I had to use multiple pieces of wood to hold it together.

Once I had made all of the holes, I punched the metal hoops through. They were also difficult to do because the cracked plastic thing was not helpful, and the metal warped a couple of times when the surface was slightly uneven.

However, when they were finally finished, they looked very effective with the ribbon in and it now fitted so that I could wear it.

One of the main features of Azerbaijani dress is the headpiece, which often features a crown-like piece and a veil. I found an old belt in our dressing up box that I thought would be appropriate to act as a headpiece, and some white organza left over from another project for a veil.

I cut the organza into a half-doughnut shape; the smaller curve had a diameter of the length of head band that I wanted it sewn on to, and the larger curve was made as big as possible. Then, because I do not have an overlocker, I zigzag stitched around the outer edge of the fabric, pulling it tight as I did so, in order to create the slightly frilly effect.

Then, I pinned the smaller semi circle curve of it onto the belt (after placing the belt on my head and finding the point where it comes level with my ears), pinning the edge of the fabric to the flat underside edge of the belt. I stitched the fabric on by hand in a small running stitch, ensuring that the edges stayed together to let the curve affect the fall of the fabric.

Then my Azerbaijani costume was complete! I wore my prom shoes with it because they are a silvery purple colour that complimented it well.

My Auntie and Uncle's Cushions Are Finished!

Finally I have completed the construction of the cushions that I promised my Auntie and Uncle back in the summer...

Cushion 1:

Cushion 2:

Jazz-up Your Boring Shirts

Mum gave me an old shirt of hers that she didn't like, and it was really dull and I would never have worn it. So I decided to upcycle it into something that I was more likely to choose from my wardrobe. First of all, I took it up, literally by cutting along the bottom then doing a rolled hem. Easy peasy.

Then I added some leatherette on the collar to make it more defined and more interesting.

Then I cut a pocket off of an old pair of shorts, and, after unpicking the original pocket, I sewed it on. Then I added a line of studs from the shorts, just 'cos I felt like it.

That is all I did for this shirt, but I had a lot of ideas that I was thinking of doing, so there will be some more in the near future...

I Finally Got A Mannequin!

Look what arrived in the post today!

I FINALLY have a a mannequin. Which is a great relief. I am so used to having to hang my projects in my wardrobe, and on the back of my door!

This is the shirt that I made a while ago:
(Original blog post is here.)

1900s Sewing Machine

Today I went to visit my Nana, and Dad had mentioned a few days ago that she had an old sewing machine hanging around so I was dying to have a look.

After the usual cup of tea and a Kit-Kat, I asked her about it, then went to get it from the corner of her bedroom cupboard. It was remarkably heavy, and I could barely lift it, but I managed to haul it to the kitchen table. It still has its original wooden case.

She said that it had been her grandmother's, and that she thinks that it is from the 1900s. It hasn't been touched for years, as she certainly hasn't sewn in a while. However, the wheel still turns by using the handle and it has a fairly smooth motion.

It has a very attractive design, and while it is not as efficient as modern machines, it definitely looks nicer. The gold patterns make it look like a decorative item as well as a piece of machinery.

Silver by Mail Has Such Cute Jewellery!

I was looking at a Silver by Mail catalogue this morning and I found THE CUTEST earrings and necklace combination. They are the 'Belle Button' pieces, the Pendant and the Earrings, and I would really love to get them because they are so super cute.

The earrings:

The necklace:

Website: www.silver.uk.com

What's In My Sewing Box?

I have two sewing boxes, one that is big (38cm x 28cm) and one that is small (23cm x 16cm). The smaller one has two compartments; the 'belly' of the box and a transparent shelf above.

The Big One

This box has:
- threads (not including a large black because it is in the sewing machine)
- buttons
- beads
- large scissors
- buckles etc
- elastic and other components if I have them

The Small One

The top tray:

The tray has:
- poppers
- hook and eyes
- small scissors
- bows and other decorations
- ring pulls from cans
- safety pins
- threads plait
- seam ripper/quick unpick
- needles
- thimble

The bottom:

This section has:
- zips
- piping cord
- ribbon
- tailor's chalk
- tape measure
- pins (white box)

All of my machine things, like spare bobbins, needles, and machine feet, are kept either inside or next to the sewing machine, rather than in one of the boxes. I have very limited space and so have the bare minimum inside the boxes.

Really Cute Black Handbag

I used:
- leatherette fabric
- lining fabric; I used black cotton sheeting
- old zip cut off of some clothes
- thread and the usual stuff
- cardboard

Method:
This was actually surprisingly difficult to make. The leatherette was slippery and tricky to work with, and I did not have the right machine foot. Ideally I would use a synthetic foot to sew this kind of fabric, but I do not own one and they are fairly expensive. Therefore I had to make do, and although it is not perfect, for my first attempt at anything like this I am fairly happy.

The bag consists of two sides, two ends, and a base, with handles at the top. The lining is the same as the bag, without the handles, but is inside out so that the wrong side is sewn onto the wrong side of the leatherette. I attached the handles/straps by cutting small slits in the leatherette and threading the handle through, then sewing in place by machine. Then I sewed again 1cm up to secure it. This fabric is fairly old, having bought it 5 years ago for a project, so is beginning to age as it was not very expensive. Therefore in places where the leatherette has torn I superglued some red satin on the inside behind the holes so that if you can see through then it would look deliberate.

I also superglued some cardboard to the base of the bag, on the inside, to give it shape and make it more stable.

The zip was put in like a normal zip, then the lining was slip stitched to the zip. I had to be really careful that the lining was not sewn too close to the zip because then it would catch and would be a real pain every time I used it.

All in all, while the bag does not look particularly complicated it was harder than I thought it would be, and there are definitely things that I would change if I were to do it again.

Bling Up Your Gadget Case

Before:

After: 

This is one of the easiest and most satisfying projects that I have ever done, especially if you already have all of the resources that you need.

You will need:
- Clear or plain case to fit your phone/ipod/etc; mine is just a transparent silicone one from Amazon that I decided to change because it was getting discoloured
- Assorted beads/gems/rhinestones/sequins
- Some sort of super glue
- Tweezers
- Newspaper
(optional...) - Rubber Gloves

How:
1. Lay the newspaper onto a table, and if you wish to put the gloves on. I wore one on my right hand, and used the tweezers with my left.
2. Blob some glue in an area of the case, then use either your fingers or the tweezers to pick up a decoration and stick it down.
3. Basically, repeat until the case is filled. Simple as that! Leave to dry, I recommend overnight due to the glue fumes, then you're good to go.

TIP - If it looks a bit warped at the end (like mine), don't panic - if it is a silicone case then it will fit anyway.

Men's Work Shirt = Women's Strappy Top

Before: (with the sleeves cut off)

After:

I used:
- Blue swallow edging
- Shirt
- Thread
- Machine

How?:
1. I first of all cut off the sleeves, as shown in the first picture, because I had planned to make a short sleeved top instead.
2. Then I cut the collar off to see what it looked like.

3. At this point I changed my mind and decided to cut underneath where the sleeve holes end.

4. Then I put it on inside out and pinned straight down the side seams to make it fit. Then I took it off and sewed down that line using a straight stitch.

5. Then I cut off the excess fabric and zigzag stitched the raw edges.
6. I bound the top using the blue tape - I ironed it in half first, then went around the top pinning into place. I then sewed with a straight stitch, but as it began to come apart in places I went over it in a zigzag stitch. At this stage I made the two layers of fabric where the buttons are separate, but as this was difficult, I...
7. ... sewed down the front next to the buttons to permanently close the front together.

8. Then I made the straps (0.5cm wide). I did this by measuring a 2cm width bit of fabric (left over from the sleeves or from the top of the back) of the desired length, then ironing a crease in the centre (1/2 along) (1cm from the edge), and at 1/4 along (0.5cm from edge), and at 3/4 along (1.5cm from edge). I sewed the edges into the centre, folding on the 1/4 line and the 3/4 line. Then to finish I folded on the centre line and sewed straight down to make the strap. Then I repeated this whole process for the other strap.
9. I sewed them in by putting the garment on and pinning the straps on so that they looked right, basically! In the end they were 10.5cm from the centre at the front (either side of the buttons), and 4cm inside the darts at the back.