Midweek Mini-Tute - Mini Bunting

I don't know about you but I love little things, and I recently was looking at my scrap bag, alright I admit it, I was looking at just one of my scrap bags that I could see and realised that not even Poppy Treffry could use all of this in a month of Sundays.  

So I sat looking at my sad living room and decided that what my shelves needed was some down and dirty mini-bunting to cheer them up.

You will need:

A bag of scraps, at least 2.5"in length... although 5" will be better

Rotary cutter, pinking wheel, cutting mat and ruler or pinking shears

Cotton

Pins

5/8" Bias binding - 54" long or bunting tape

Iron and ironing board

Tape Measure

We are going to cut triangles which are 2" across the base and 2.5" to the apex... but to make it even easier, take a piece of fabric which is 5" in length and fold it in half so it is now 2.5" long and press it.

Starting on your cutting mat with one end your ruler at zero, place the other end at a diagonal to 1", using the pinking blade cut across and then cut on the opposite diagonal down to the 2" mark, repeat the 2" triangles.  We are making a yard of bunting, with 9" ties, we will be using 18 flags with 5/8" between them, so you need to decide whether you want multicoloured, or tastefully matched... Obviously I have gone with the tasteful version... Ahem *raises eyebrow*

Now here is where we get down and dirty :)  As we have used a pinking wheel we are going to sew on the outside because the pinked edge means it will not fray, sew up the sides (with the reverse sides facing each other) but not the base using just 1/4" seam allowance, you might find it easier to keep the edge of your foot by the edge of your fabric as a guide.

Take your bias binding or tape and fold it in half, and press it firmly.  Now tuck your mini flag in the fold of the bias binding and pin it into place, measure along 5/8" and pin in the next flag (the end of most tape measures is actually 5/8" so you could use that at a guide), continue to do this until you have used up your flags.

Then sew the tape together either using a straight stitch or using a contrasting thread with an embroidery stitch.

And there you have it... mid-week mini-bunting... I think I might even make some for Easter to complement my Easter Tree.


And I am afraid I am cheating a little this week, but I had rather a busy weekend, so this is also my submission for Handmade Monday (hangs head in shame)... but I promise to do better next week... honest!

Hearts and Flowers - inspired by Poppy Treffry

Here you go, here is my piece of free hand embroidery which I have called Hearts and Flowers.  You might remember that originally I thought I might put them in a vase but I thought they looked better as a tied bunch, besides which it gave me a chance to try some of the other stitches on my machine.

And here are a couple of other views:

I am not sure whether I should frame it or make it the cover of a gardening diary, I am wavering towards the latter.


I have to say it was great fun to just let rip... I know I need to practice more but for my first attempt I am pretty pleased.

Housework - Phooey, I'm too busy playing!

Firstly I have to welcome some new followers, Ola to the lovely ladies from Brazil who found me through Minha Casa Meu Mundo, Goeiendag/Bonjour to Roziemie from Belgium and finally G'day to Carmel who is a friend of my sister from Oz - and Carmel, I know Annette has told you that she taught me everything that I know, but this is wrong, she could never make the mess that I make when I am working!


Do you ever have one of those weeks where you just don't know where to turn cos you want to do everything?


Well, here are a pair of pure Alpaca handwarmers which I designed, Sharon at Roses and Rue had received a sample ball of just 100m, so after we had finished stroking it, I got to take it home and knit it up, hence designing a pair of handwarmers with a little heart motif and a picot edging tied with a narrow black velvet ribbon.  Let me know if you would like me to publish the pattern on the blog?

Sharon has also asked me to do some classes at the shop, so I am going to do a flower workshop - as you will know I can manage Kanzashi flowers, so I thought I should also master some other sorts of flowers which can be made into fridge magnets, so I have been playing with some handsewn flowers, including yoyos - yep I even have a yoyo maker - and I have been deconstructing a felt flower that a friend has which I think may join the fray (no pun intended as it will be in felt!).  I feel a set of mega flower-making tutorial coming up.  Do you think we could make five different flowers in two hours... I bet we could!

Then I popped into the shop on Saturday and Sharon was on a mission, she was going to master freestyle machine embroidery, so armed with the Poppy Treffry's book she was off.  I had to run back home to find some  embroidery hoops and then I got started too.  We really went for it, down went the running dogs (the little teeth you find on the plate under the foot) and then with no regard for our own safety off came the foot.  It was really liberating - the only way I can explain it is to say you move the fabric and not the needle... but it is such fun playing and so different from classic applique where you do not see any raw edges.

Please note the classic machinist - ironing board on in the background,
coffee by her right hand and book open in front of her.

And this was her very first time, sans dogs and sans feet,
I love the smoke coming out of the chimney

I am still working on my piece which is called hearts and flowers, it is a freehand picture of a bunch of flowers and hearts in a vase, I promise to post it up during the week so you can see what you think.

Now as tomorrow is Monday, go take a look at Handmade Monday on Wendy's 1st Unique to see what everyone has been up to... she is also the Queen of Camper Vans as you will find out when you read it :)


Finally can I take this opportunity to thank you all for reading my blog, this weekend, I went through the 10,000 hits mark, it still amazes me that so many of your read my meanderings in so many places.  Thank you everyone :) 


And because it made me smile when I went past yesterday, this is the school allotment for North Street Primary School, which is just around the corner from where I live - I love the huge scarecrows, they are super!

... BTW, you should have seen me with my camera thrust through the fence taking my snaps but the sight was too lovely to miss.

The vintage & craft show - Leigh-on-sea

Yesterday my sister did her first craft show with me at the Community centre - she made some amazing tea cosies and her bunny egg cosies proved very popular - I wonder if that had anything to do with the free Easter egg that came with them?  Am delighted that I sold some of the Rufty Tufty Boys Beanie hats, especially as one was to a lady who had told her mum that she did not up until then want her to knit for the baby, I have a feeling her mum is going to really busy knitting up new clothes!

Just set up the stall and waiting for a coffee!

Some of Annette's work - am loving the doll with the stripey stockings

Lots of friends stopped by, but even better Monica from http://www.craftsforum.co.uk/ stopped by, it was super to put a name to virtual friend!

It was a really busy fair, with  loads of really great stalls... my fave was a lady upstairs who had the most fabulous cards which she decorated with free hand machine embroidery - am kicking myself for not buying some!  In fact, they really reminded me of the work of Poppy Treffry, whose book I had bought on Friday, a really delicious book, filled with great ideas.