Last Christmas

I have been a bit too busy this year to make anything special for christmas, so I here are a few things from last year.
Here is how I make a wreath. I begin by intertwining the most bendy but strong wood I can find, in this case Dogwood.

Then I begin to add foliage, such as eucalyptus leaves and pine tree sprigs, by threading their stems through the circle of wood.

I keep adding different greens until it is a decent size.

Red berries were then added to the wreath to give it more colour. You could also add ribbon, bows or little beads and baubles to the wreath to make it more interesting.

Last christmas I had a go at making a christmas stocking, insired by Kirstie Allsopp's Homemade Christmas TV show, and I followed her tutorial. However, as usual, I didn't measure things as accurately as I should have, so I ended up with a rather skinny stocking, which is merely ornamental as its too narrow to fit anything in it, apart from perhaps a chocolate coin or two.

I also had a go at making mince pies.

Finally, here is a pretty photo of some red berries. Merry Christmas!

Shoe makeover

I really liked the shape and feel of these purple suede shoes, but I wasn't very keen on the colour. They were on sale so I decided to snap them up and give them a makeover.

I used Dunelm black fabric paint and began painting my first coat. I didn't want to dye them because I didn't know how the suede would react to dying. You can see a scuff mark on this shoe which I got after wearing them once, so the light purple colour doesn't seem very durable.

This is how they looked after one coat. The purple still showed through so another coat was needed.

Here they are after two coats. I could probably do with giving them one final coat, but for the moment I like the result. Although I still liked the purple colour the black is much more practical and versatile.

The fabric paint worked well on the suede. The purple zip on the inside of the shoe has been left untouched and adds a bit of variety to the shoe.

Unicorn Embroidery

A dear friend of mine bought me 'Making Stuff: An Alternative Craft Book' for my last birthday. Its a very useful book, with not only sewing projects but also knitting, origami, and much other things that I still need to try.

The first project that caught my eye was the unicorn embroidery project. The book gave an example of the unicorn as a motif on jacket, and also a temptlate of the pattern.

Having made a camera case out of felt I thought it could do with being jazzed up a bit, so I embroidered the unicorn on the back of the case. I'm very pleased with the results, and it was simple to do, and I bought a big pack of embroidery thread from a pound shop, so it was cheap to make too!

Portable Hard Drive Cosy

My new portable hard drive needed a cover to protect it from getting damaged in my bag, so I collected some of my favourite flower print fabric, white felt, bead, lace and tape, and set about making a cosy.


This is where I was going to have a glorious tutorial to show you how to make one for yourself, but unfortunately I got too carried away making this at 11pm last night and forgot to take any photos as I went along. So here is a close-up of the fastening instead:

The hard drive fits snugly inside it, and the fastening keeps it from falling out.

I used the same ruffled lace technique that I used on the clutch I made a few weeks ago. I'm considering adding a flower or applique to the bottom corner, but I don't want to make it too fussy.

Grey Ruffle Top

The ruffles on this top were made by folding the fabric, which I had sewn into a long rectangle, into pleats onto the neckline on one side, and sewing it together by hand.

Ruffle Dress Recycling

I was given this dress by a good friend, but when I got it home I realised that it wasn't really my style.


The fabric was so gorgeous and silky I couldn't let it go to waste, so I cut off the ruffles and made it into a top, and brought the sleeves in a bit.



The ruffles are now waiting to be turned into a cushion, bag or skirt...

Clutch

This clutch was made using a flower print fabric with a white plain lining, a magnetic fastening, and a lace trim, for a friend as a birthday gift. Magnetic fastenings are so much easier than zips, which I have yet to master.

Pearl White Brooch

This brooch is very similar to the first one I made, but I used a pearl in the centre instead of a button, and I didn't put felt on the back. I much prefer the one with the button as it gives the brooch a little more colour and depth, but the pearl is more neutral which makes it very versatile.

White Brooch

This is a mini-tutorial for a white brooch, pictured here on a some blue fabric that I shall later use to cover a book.

This brooch is made by cutting out circles of fabric that gradually decrease in size.
The edges of the fabric are then put over the flame of a candle which makes the fabric melt or burn slightly (but be careful not too put it too close to the flame or it will catch on fire). This makes the fabric curl up at the edges giving it more texture and depth.
The pieces of fabric are then sewn together through the middle onto a brooch fastening.
I then added a gold button, but any button or jewel can be used, making it a quick and versatile project, perfect to be given as a birthday gift.

Purple silk skirt

To make this purple skirt I bought some 'shirting' material and gathered it at the top and sewed it onto black elastic. I then sewed up the seam at the back.

It was very easy to make, the only problem with it though is that the silky material creases very easily. I love the shape of it because its so different to the usual bodycon style skirts I normally wear.
Here I am wearing it with a black ruffled top which I also made.