Mother & Daughter Craft Along

One of the best bits about my venture into Made and Making is helping others. Whether it is making curtains to help someone finish a room or teaching someone a new skill that they take away and develop it has to be one of the best bits. And certainly makes up for all the hard work and late nights.

Saturday saw Elaine and I host our first Mother and Daughter day and it was a real pleasure. 

A long day with set up starting at 9am we were having a sneaky cuppa when the first mothers and daughters started arriving at 10:30.

There was a whole table of fabrics to choose from for the bunting plus my big scrap baskets to find other little treasures too. I had decided to stick with a key theme of the red, green and blue. A true Made and Making pallette and perfect for boys and girls alike. After all, you never know who the bunting will be for!

Elaine had some lovely pieces on the china decoration table to inspire. During the day they would be making their own washing line tea plate but how charming if you could do the cup and saucer too.

So 10:30 and the doors opened and we were off! Lots of activity with a variety of generations. Some were making their own strings of bunting and some were making big ones together.

For a while the hall went quite quiet, well apart from the music, as choices had to be made and triangles cut.

And then the bunting began to appear as if by magic.....

.......and it grew and grew!

With Elaine there was much fun as washing lines were designed.

Then it was all change as the tables swapped.

After a lovely lunch of bread and soup (the simple things really are the best) it was time to bring everyone together around a rather large and odd shaped table for the final project... some corsages. A new craft for everyone there was plenty of time to play and experiment.

It was great seeing how different they all looked despite everyone starting off with the same materials. That's one of the other great bits about what I do. Seeing other people create.

And by 3:30 there were lots of smiley relaxed faces.

As we allowed ourselves a well earned cuppa before the big clear up and pack away at the end there was a chance to reflect on the day and those that we had met. It was a lovely group of people that came. Three generations in one room and some very very well behaved children that created some fabulous work. Thank you everyone.

xx

Proud moments

My Mr B has been at it again!

After last years little challenge of cycling Lands End to John O'Groats he set himself a mild challenge of completing the Brighton Half Marathon. 

So yesterday morning we were all up a rather unusual hour for a Sunday, 7am! Our house normally rises a little closer to about 8:30am so it was a shock to the system, especially as it was the start of half term. No complaining though, there was cheering to to be done.

Mr B set off on the train at 8am to join all the other runners for the 9am start. Niamhy and I drove in to Hove to find the best views and a nice breakfast whilst we waited. It was a glorious morning, sunny with a slight chill in the air and as Niamh and I strode along and chatted it didn't feel that there was a better place to be. I did suggest that perhaps we should do it again without the prompt of a half marathon but it appears that I was alone in this thought.

We headed down to the cafe on Hove Lawns arriving just as they were setting up but soon found ourselves settled at a table with a cuppa and a hearty breakfast. It was amazing just how quickly the cafe filled up and breakfast calls kept coming. Time then for a second cuppa and a little bit of hooky before were heard the sirens announcing that the lead man was approaching and off we dashed.

It really was quite inspiring and humbling to see so many people completing this challenge. All ages were out and some were clearly finding it tougher than others. When I found my arms and wrists aching from all the clapping as they went by it felt foolish to take a break when all these men and women were facing their challenge.

Our eyes were peeled for Mr B and we look we did. We had our chant all ready and Niamhy was ready to run along the road. Very proud of her dad she was.

Only, here's the bit that we're not so proud of..... we managed to miss him! And not once, but twice! You see they ran one way along the seafront and then turned around and headed back the other way. How foolish I felt! We know from his timings that we were in the right spot at the right time so I'm blaming that fact that after saying goodbye to us in 'head to toe' black Mr B took it upon himself to add a red jersey to his outfit. And anyway, he managed to miss spotting us when we had hardly anyone in front of us blocking his view!!!!!

Maybe you need practice at these things?

Maybe next year.

xx

Blink and it's gone!

I'm sure that this year is passing at an even faster rate than normal. 

I can't seem to keep up with myself. Old age? Busy? I'm certainly not sitting idle on the sofa.

So Strictly was great. We were high up in the rafters, and rather annoyed to see lots of empty seats lower down that were "sold out", but it had a lot of the magic. Only missing Tess, Bruce, Darcy and a little of the Saturday night tension. Most of all though it was just a great family day out. A late breakfast followed by a meal afterwards meant we all got to spend some quality time together. I am sure that it is the same for a lot of families but getting quality time together is not easy. 

Mind, with the awful weather this last weekend we did take the chance to hibernate last Sunday and whilst Mr B and I did some work around the kitchen table the girls were there or close by too. It was what I call 'comfortable company'. Everyone was happy doing their 'thing' and then we came together for a late lunch/early dinner and spent the early evening playing board games. Some families like games.... some families don't. We do. One of the best bits about Christmas and Summer holidays is the new game that appears. We've got some great friends that enjoy them too and over recent years have been introduced to some real crackers. Perhaps an idea for a post all of it's own.

Rather scarily talks have recently started about the Hassocks Artists Open Houses for 2013 which will be taking place on the weekend on the 8/9th June 2013. Unfortunately I may only be able to open for the Sunday due to prior commitments but I'm going to see if I can get cover for the Saturday. I am also rather excited to be involved in one of the Brighton Open Houses which open every weekend in May. I'll post most details shortly but it's been a great spur for getting me tuned into some creative sewing and projects to keep me busy in the evenings so that I can try to forget about work.

Tomorrow is Valentines and I've been reminded of my 14 hearts in 14 days challenge that I set myself last year. You can read about it here. Gosh I think I would fall over if I tried to repeat that now. But it was fun and one of the projects, the crochet heart garland,  I am going to be teaching tomorrow at Hobbycraft in Crawley. One year ago I would never have seen that coming! 

And Finally...... as I sat teaching my after school group today I noticed this little couple on the side and I will leave you with their charming image. I'm not quite sure what they are saying to each other but feel free to have your own thoughts... he has got some rather droopy roses!

xx

Guess where we're going this weekend!

It's friday and I am really looking forward to the weekend. 

We are all going to be together and we're having a fab family day out on Sunday. Bet you can't guess what we are off to see!!!!!

Will try to take some photos!

xx

Top Tips.....

So, in my first edition of Top Tips I am going to talk about zips. Before, and during, workshops questions often come up and "what type of zip should I buy" has come up more than once.

What type of zips are there?

Coil Zips - These are the most common sort and in any good haberdashery you can expect to see a whole stand devoted to them. They come in a variety of lengths and colours and the zip pull runs over coils which attached to lengths of tape on each side. If you look closed you will see that these are not individual teeth. 

Can't find a zip short enough? Well as long as the coil is plastic there is no reason why you can't measure the length that you want and then stitch over the coil with your machine at your mark. You just need to ensure that the zip pull is below the mark which means you shouldn't be sewing over the coil where it is joined together.

Invisible Zips - Similar to coil zips but they have the coil on the underside of the tape. Put another way.  the tape sits over the top of the coil making it much more discrete and you tend to find that they have a more delicate zip pull. They are perfect for dress and skirt making.

Metallic Zips - Generally used in heavy duty garments and jeans these have shaped teeth rather than the coil formation mentioned above. Due to the metal teeth you can not sew over the ends of them with the machine in the same way that you can the coil ones.

Open-ended zips - These are the those zips that allow you to zip up from the top and bottom and are often found in jackets, coats and gillets. They are very useful as they can allow you to unzip from the bottom giving the ease needed to sit when wearing a bulky item. They can be metal or coil.

Closed-ended zips - As the name suggests these are closed at both ends and are most commonly used in bags and luggage.

Continous Zips/ Upholstery Zips - Upholstery zips tends to come in neutral shades and are that bit longer than zips that you might find in the normal haberdashery section. They need to be so as they may be needed to a variety of larger scale projects. Upholstery zipping comes in different sizes (referring to the size of the coil) and can also come on a continuous roll. Continuous rolls can now be sourced in a range of colours.

 This allows you to create exactly the right size for bespoke projects. You should normally find the zipping being sold alongside zip pulls which then need to be fed on to the continuos zipping.

Top Tips number one all done.

Helpful?

Hopefully.

xx

Simple things

When we were tucked up at home over the weekend I took it upon myself to get Niamhy in the mood for tidying her room. Long overdue since Christmas there was a need to fit a few more things in, strip a few things out and tidy what was already there. As always, it was a marathon event and I lost several hours of my life to the cause. However, I'm reaping the rewards now when I stroll in. 

Meet Emily Button, kindly gifted this year by Father Christmas. She's just adorable with her ric rac hair and she came with another set of clothes too. If you've not her about her you should visit her website... so charming.  The little patchwork quilt I made a few years back using the same fabrics that had I used for a blanket for Niamhy. I think she must have been about 1 at the time.

This little lady doesn't have  a name believe it or not. The doll, the bed and all the quilts together with a little felt pea were a gift to Niamhy for her birthday one year. I found the iron bed on ebay, the doll in a local shop and made all the rest. Since Christmas though she now has more furniture and a rather enormous tea set!

So I'm hoping that I can keep Niamhy focused on the cause of a tidy room and enjoy these two scenes for a little while longer as they are both making me smile lots.

xx

Getting back into the swing......

Since I last posted I got so busy with the run up to Christmas and trying to fulfil as many orders as possible (not just to hit promises but to try and give people a nice surprise too) lot's of things fell by the wayside. I admire the bloggers who seem to be able to keep up with their posts despite the ongoing time pressures of work and family. How do they do it? Are they just more organised? Do they have magical longer days with more hours? Perhaps I should ask one or two!

So a quick whistle stop tour of the last month.

Christmas was fab, as it always should be, though we were all a little under the weather at one point or another. Not enough to spoil it though. The only thing it did wreck was eating all the lovely chocolate and cheese as I couldn't taste anything but I seem to be making up for that now.

The handmade christmas cards were fab again this year and will be treasured for years to come. Niamh and I got clever with washi tape......

.... whilst Cait made a beautiful one with more of a rustic feel. It was really charming and she had even crafted a door on the big house that opened up. (You can just about make it out if you look very closely). 

There was plenty of crafting that went on including the design of some new kits for Made by Me @ Home. I made up a number of these flower hanging decorations which look lovely strung along some ribbon like bunting.

Cait and I also visited the Fluff-a-Torium belonging to Gillian Gladrag in Dorking. If you like wool and felt you really should go, it's a very inspiring environment. Just look at the front of the shop.

And then there is all this inside.......

I had been wanting to pick up a few extra bits for the needle felting workshop I have in February.  I also  indulged in some lovely felt from the roll and came back and made some snuggly bunting. Each flag has a different design on it. There was however a running theme of spots! I must try and find a better way to photograph my bunting. I never seem to really master it and laying it out like this does not necessarily do it justice.

Oh and then there were a few of these that I started making which are now for sale at Miss Mabels. 

The school holidays ended with an insett day which was fantastic as it was my birthday. How kind of the schools to plan this for me! I had made Mr B book the day off work so we all hopped on the train (after a very lazy lay in) and went to Brighton for the day. We did ice skating at the Pavillion rink before wandering around a little. We ran a few errands and peeked at some bargains in the sales. The day was finished off with a lovely tapas dinner at a new little restaurant that we had discovered in Sydney Street called Solera D Tapas. Would happily recommend it if you like a little tapas.

Since then it's been head down with curtains and kits. A couple of evenings have seen my kitchen table looking like this and if it's not been the heart kits it's been the felt flower ones. I have to say though that there is something wonderfully therapeutic about putting the kits together on this scale. 

And of course there has been the snow. So no post today could be complete without  a snowman now would it!

xx