The Monday Make

Do you know, for a couple of days after a show, I never want to see a sewing machine or a pair of needles ever again but then my fingers start to twitch and I need to get cracking again.  I had planned to do a tutorial on Cathedral Windows and have even got as far as cutting out and folding the fabric but then I went to the woolshop Bodkins of Thundersley.  


Well, I was well and truly scuppered and ended up buying a few balls of Can Can to create a handbag... which is progressing slowly but steadily as I work out a pattern for it.  However I also came across another new wool from Katia - Triana.  Now this yarn is almost like a mesh when you open it out and you literally knit into the holes a bit like just using the thread between pompoms on PomPom wool.  It was an extremely quick knit and I finished it in a couple of hours on Saturday night.  I admit to being a bit sniffy about the yarn when I saw it in the shop but I think I may be going back for more...


So here is my piece for Wendy's  Handmade Monday but there is a problem... if you are the one from the UK Craftsforum whose Easter bunny I am... please look away from the screen now... cos this little Summer scarf is going into the post for you this afternoon.

I promise to have the Cathedral Windows tutorial completed later this week... just the hand sewing to complete, so we might just make it.

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.

Rufty Tufty Boys Beanie Hat

I have found lots of hats for little girls but hats for little boys are few and far between, so using the classic beanie design which uses multiples of eight stitches and knits in the round, I came up with a little number in cotton, which is both soft, structured and textured.  They are such a quick knit I have made four for my first Spring Craft Show on Saturday, fingers crossed that they sell well!

And I have also submitted this to Wendy's Handmade Monday blog http://www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk/blog/

Pattern for the Rufty Tufty Beanie Hat

1 ball of Gedifra Fiorista Cotton
1 set of size 4 Double Pointed Needles (DPN)

Cast on 64 stitches as follows, 21 on the first needle, 22 on the second needle and 21 on the third needle - 64 stitches. Remember to make sure when you join the circle that your stitches are not twisted.

Knit 13 rows.

Purl1 row

Knit 2 rows

Purl 3 rows

Knit 3 rows

Purl 2 rows

Knit 2 rows

Purl 1 rows

Knit 6 rows

Commence decreasing as follows:

Row 1: Knit 6, Knit 2 tog  (8 times) to the end of the row (56 st)
Row 2: Knit 5, Knit 2 tog (8 times) to the end of the row (48 st)
Row 3: Knit 4, Knit 2 tog (8 times) to the end of the row (40 st)
Row 4: Knit 3, Knit 2 tog (8 times) to the end of the row (32 st)
Row 5: Knit 2, Knit 2 tog (8 times) to the end of the row (24 st)
Row 6: Knit 1, Knit 2 tog (8 times) to the end of the row (16 st)
Row 7: Knit 2 tog (8 times) to the end of the row (8 st)
Row 8: Knit 2, Knit 2 tog twice (6 st)

To make the tail

Place all the stitches on one of the DPN, Knit one row, slide the stitches to the other end of the needle, bring the wool tightly around the back and knit another row, continue until your tail is the length that you need.  You may notice that there looks to be a big gap when you do the first couple of rows - don't worry - this will even out as you continue to knit up your tail.

I tend to knit it up and tie the knot in and see what length looks good against the beanie.

Using a sewing up needle thread the wool through the stitches twice to gather up the end and pull tightly.  Slip the needle inside your tail and sew in your loose end securely.

This hat should fit a 0 - 6 month old.  For larger sizes just add 8 stitches to your casting on but always reduce to 6 stitches for your tail.

I have also made the hat in Sirdar Summer Stripes, which gives a less structured finish.
























And below are the selection which I have made over the last fortnight to take to the show on Saturday.

The Deborah Tote Bag - And how to make it

I made some tote bags for the last show that I did, but my friend Deborah suggested some changes that she would like to see in the next bag and not only that she gave me an early Christmas present - labels so that I can try and spot them out on The Broadway.


Am also featuring this on Wendy's Handmade Monday Blog


Preparation is everything when you are making anything, if you get everything together before you start, it makes your life so much easier, so you will need to gather up the following:

• Fabric for outer and lining
• Webbing (1.5" wide)
• Cutting equipment, shears, scissors, mat etc
• Sewing machine
• Cotton
• Iron and ironing board (your new best friend for any sewing project)

  

Your fabric - both outer and lining - heavy cotton 

works really well



Your cutting kit, including rotary cutters, mat, ruler, 
pinking shears and small scissors



Remove the selvedge and cut the bag to size, for a 
medium bag,  you need a outer and lining measuring 
14"(width)  x 28" (length) and for a larger bag 
16" x 32"



Fold the fabric in half (should measure 14" for the small 
and 16" for the large, with the printed sides together, 
seam both sides with a seam allowance of 5/8"



Press open the seams of your fabric so that it will lay flat,
now remember in school when they told you that knowing
about angles will come in useful - today is that day!

You need to create a right angle (the corner of a square
and get the seam to bisect it at 45' (which should be slap
bang in the middle, just like this picture).  Fold the top of 
the seam down to make a little triangle.



Measuring 5/8" sew across the seam as above.  Do this for
both sides.



Now trim off the triangle with your pinking shears - you
have now made the base of your bag, so that it will sit
properly.



Now repeat these steps with your lining fabric to exactly 

the same dimensions



Cut out a piece of fabric which matches your bag to
make an internal patch pocket, it can be the same fabric
or a contrasting pattern, you will need a piece 8" x  6".

Fold over the top of the fabric 5/8" and seam it.
Now place the pocket with your seam at the top,
4" below the top of your lining and equidistant from the
sides of your bag.  



Stitch around the left, bottom and right hand side 
of the pocket.  Then top stitch another seam 

3" from either of the side seams to make a pocket for

your phone.




Now fold together the lining - making sure that the 
pocket is on the inside.  Sew a 3/4" seam - I know this 
is a bigger seam than the outside fabric but it means 
your lining will fit snugly.




Seam the sides and go to the top of the maths class and 
do the triangle work again - Thank you Miss O'Reardon 
who taught me the joy of angles, so useful in piecing 
patchwork...



I then stitch a label on mine over the side seam
























Your bag is now ready to go!

So there you go, a tote bag, a maths lesson and you are
now ready to shop!

Last Five Taken

Last week a legend in jazz world died, you might not know his name but you will certainly know his work - he was Joe Morello - the man responsible for the driving beat of the drums in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for the drumming on the one jazz record that everyone knows after a couple of bars, the amazing Take Five.

I went to see the Dave Brubeck when he toured the UK about five years ago.  Onto the stage of the Cliffs Pavilion shuffled several very old men, including Dave, frankly I thought that they had no chance of making it to their instruments let alone the intermission and to be honest I thought it was mean not letting the drummer use a zimmer but then Dave counted them into Caravan and in front of my eyes they rejuvenated and were leaping around like spring chickens.  It was one of the best jazz evenings I have ever been to.

Now the problem with YouTube is that your eye will always wander... and that happened to me when I was looking for the Joe Morello clip and I came across the Gene Krupa Quartet... watch it and watch very closely when Gene starts to play the Double Bass... amazing virtuousity.

So I would like to say a big thank you to all those jazz men and women who keep me going as I whizz down a seam on my sewing machine.

RIP Joe and thanks for a cool classic.

Craftfail.com

I have just found the most wonderful site:

http://craftfail.com

It restores your faith in mankind, there are some real Bobby Dazzler Dreadful mistakes on there.  I cried when I read the Amish Bread tale... artisan bakers throughout the world eat your hearts out!

http://craftfail.com/?p=1418

So go on fess up what is your personal disaster?

Kitchen Table Talents Awards

I used to be a real magazine junkie but I have now got it down to just one or two per month but one of my absolute faves is Country Living Magazine.

Now obviously this is a lifestyle magazine and one to which I so totally aspire, if only I had the time,  money and the expertise to undertake the jam-making, crafting, decorating, enjoying nature, defeating my garden but as there are only 24 hours in a day I have to admit defeat and live it vicariously through the pages of this magazine.  Although one day I might have a beehive and not the one on top of my head!


However this month they have a fab competition Kitchen Table Talents Awards - six separate categories which might win you a prize to change your life and set up a new business doing or making the things that you love.   It costs £5 to enter and the monies are going to Country Living's Charity of the Year, The Princes Countryside Trust.  More details are to be found here:


http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/Kitchen-Table-Talent-Awards/v1

Now the category I like the look of is the crafts category - I will need to find three items, take pics, explain how they are made and then write a 500 word description of what your do, how you started and your future dreams.  I am now trying to find original designs, decide what I should enter and what my dreams are.


So which category would you enter and what would be your three original makes?