One lady's junk is another lady's treasure!

One of my friends has been having a major clearout ( she is having her entire house decorated in the space of about a week! ). She knocked my door the other day with a bag full of embroidery and sewing patterns, she was almost apologetic... she said she didn't want to clutter up my house but couldn't bring herself to throw them away without offering them to me first! To say I was thrilled is an understatement...it was like having a birthday! The only problem is I want to do almost every project there is in that bag...My to-do list has just got longer! Thank you lovely friend, you have made me very happy! :o)

Doxie

I Love the rain

When life gives you rain, sew!

The weather is terrible here today, strong wind and heavy rain. I don't look at it as a bad thing though, it just means I can do some guilt free crafting! The housework is done so what else is a girl to do? I think I will make a start on some birthday pressies and surprises for various friends.

Bring on the rain, thunder and lightning ( just spare me a power cut as I really would like to use the sewing machine today ).

Doxie in her element, not braving the elements!

Cleaning and oiling the machine.

I did my main machine today. How often do you all clean and oil your sewing machines? The instruction manual says do it frequently...what is frequently?... once a month, every 10 times, every 50 times you use it? I'd be interested to know what others think.

Cheers,

Doxie

what do you do with x stitch cards

My sister has the patience to do lovely X-stitch cards and I alyays keep them. I was wondering what other people do with these after the occassion passes.

Rest assured if you have ever given me one, I have NEVER thrown it away.

Here is an example of what I did with one she made for DS's b'day one year.

sewing gauge V tape measure

I have had a pair of thrifted trousers in the wardrobe for a few months now, waiting to be turned up. I despise taking up trousers. Recently I bought a sewing gauge so am keen to see if this makes it a more pleasureable job.

Please imagine the delights of muzak playing gently in the background whilst I whizz off and do the deed!
back....Williams on the packaging. It is in a red and grey packet with the wording " Sewing Gauge, ideal for marking seam allowance." It has a ref no: CWH8.

10/10 the sewing gauge wins over the tape measure.

Doxie the pleased. :o)

Translating non fabric designs to fabric

I thought you might like a look at one of my recent challenges. Something for Mr Doxie and learn a new process. I wanted to see if I could turn a design from a non-fabric material into an image on fabric...this would also be a lesson to myself in how to use bondaweb. :o)

Whilst looking for something suitable to translate into an applique I found one of Mr Doxie's old key rings ( see below ). He LOVED LOVED LOVED this keyring's little devil. This really fired me up as I usually do more feminine stuff. BTW if anyone knows where we can buy another one of these ( it broke after much use ) please let me know as this was his favourite and the shop has since closed...There was no name on it when I looked, or if it was once there it has worn off...it is made of rubbery type stuff.

If I am making something for just us I like the challenge of recycling so this was a good excuse to dive into the used clothes pile.

Next came the drawing.

The plan was for this little devil to feature on a dinner mat. I thought the devil on the left and then "Dad's Hot Stuff" embroidered next to it would look fun.

Next came the Bondaweb. Amazingly it was the first time I had used this product.

This is where I say always go with your gut feeling and have confidence. I followed the instructions to a T...but it didn't feel right and I pondered on marking it up as a mirror image...but on double checking and checking the Bondaweb instructions again, I saw no mention of this, so I just went ahead...and yes it turned out that I should have done a mirror/reverse image...but luckily it did not make a big difference to the design...although it was a little exasperating when it came to the eyes ( I had to re-cut them ). It is not a bad thing though, it was a learning experience and something I will remember next and every time from now on!! :o)

The mouth worried me a bit. the blue outline was cut as just that, an outline. I thought if I attatched a solid piece under the white cotton I used for the mouth it would be a nightmare trying to embroider the teeth through that many layers of fabric. Thankfully going slow I managed to position it all okay and everything fitted with none of the under fabric showing through between the blue lips and the white material.

Well, I had given myself 2 tasks, make something for Mr Doxie and learn something new. I reckon it turned out pretty well. I not only learnt how to use the Bondaweb but also how to break an image into layers...he is made out of t-shirt material. I am not sure how that will fair with repeated washing when adhered to a dinner mat. I think that I would have to finish the edges in zig zag or button hole stitch to stop fraying, but I don't know if that would spoil the crispness and clean cut look of the image.

The only thing is... Mr Doxie decided that the little devil might be wasted on a dinner mat and suggested to wait a bit and maybe put him on a cushion or something...we shall see.

I will say that I am a real fan of Bondaweb now and have already used it a few times since...infact I feel a slight obsession looming on the horizon. I can't believe I hadn't tried it before... if you haven't, go for it, we've really been missing out. The posibilities are endless. I think it would be great fun applying favourite characters for your children on their bags or t-shirts. One assumes if it is for personal use and no money is being made that it is fine...In my case it was definitely educational! :o) I think I will have the confidence to start working on my own designs now that I have learnt about layering and the order that you would have to apply the layers...it will be fun making up designs with that process in mind. :o) ...On that point I want to make clear just in case it wasn't at the beginning of this post that I am not the artist who created this devil image and do not want to or plan to take any credit for the image itself...this was purely for personal use as an education for myself...

Try something new today.

Doxie :o)

Charity Shop Treasure

Look at what I found in the charity shop the other day!

It is just perfect for one of the little girls I am teaching to sew. She was using an empty icecream tub to keep her current projects in...adequate for the smaller projects but not exactly pretty.



As if that wasn't a good enough find in itself, it was full of embroidery thread. They are not a brand I am familiar with so I won't be using them for main projects, but they will certainly be good enough for practice pieces and experiments and little bits for myself!




Sometimes the sun really does shine on you!!! :o)

Doxie the happy!

First time using Bondaweb

Remember a few post ago, when I set about to do Five Fabulous Friday Makes? Well this is one of the projects from that day. It was the first time I had used Bondaweb, and as a result fell in love with the stuff. Note to loved ones at birthday time you can't go wrong with giving me a packet of this stuff!!!!!

Anyway I digress...

I wanted to do something for Mr Doxie, one just because I did, and two, to show him that there is a point to all this curious crafting stuff that goes on at every given spare minute.

A few years ago Mr Doxie bought a keyring which turned into his favourite. Sadly it broke after much use. Anyway he kept hold of the main part in the hope that he would get around to mending it. I found it in the drawer that Friday and set that as my first challenge of the day.

A few cut up t-shirts later and you can see the result in the photos. It was going to go on a dinner mat, but I feel it may be a bit of a waste so it will probably end up on a mean looking cushion.

Making Open Top Bags Secure

My lovely friend Hagetha gave me this bag last Summer. It is not homemade, it says "EAST additions" on the label inside. I thought I would show you the top as I think it is a great way to make those pretty Summer time bags more secure. I didn't do this to this bag myself, it was bought as you see it in the photos. If you added one of those plastic toggles with an internal spring to the drawstring it would be even better.

I haven't tried converting any of my own bags as yet, but I am thinking that all you would need would be a long rectangle of fabric measuring the same as the circumference of the top of the bag, remembering seam allowances. Make the fabric into a tube by sewing the short ends together Attach one side/edge of the tube to the top of the bag on the inside, and hem the now top part leaving a casing for the drawstrings. thread some co-ordinating drawstrings through with toggles and you're done.

I'm thinking it might make the trip to the beach or wherever a little more pleasant... being able to take your prettier bags with you in the knowledge that it would be a lot harder for someone to take your wallet than with an open tote, or less likely for you to drop your best sunglasses out of it, whilst gaily swirling your bag around your head in a carefree manner ( or whatever it is we are doing when we loose stuff LOL ).

I will add that the way I staged the bag for the photos was just to try and show you how it was probably made in terms of the top, and that the drawstrings are not so obvious when you are carrying it around...they do not look untidy in real life. :o)

:o)

Doxie :o)

Action Man Balaclava

Today I realised one of my failings as a Mother...I was reminded that I never did get around to making a balaclava for DS's action man toy!

So to make up for this unforgiveable misdemeanor I shall offer my thoughts on how to make one for all the other little boys out there that are suffering because their Mother's are too sidetracked or busy to invest a few minutes making action man's head that little bit warmer.

My solution is...

1)Get an old man's glove ( that is a glove that is old, not a glove taken from an old man )

2) chop the end off one of the fingers or the thumb.I reckon 1 1/2 " would do it.

3) Stretch it over action man's bonce, mark out where his face is. Cut out that piece of fabric.

4) Pop it on action man to check he can see out okay. If he is pleased with the result take it off and use buttonhole stitch to neaten the cut edges and stop his lovely new head gear from fraying. Voila, RESULT!

I'd love to know if you tried it and if it worked.

All the best,

Doxie :o)

Buttonhole stitch by hand V machine zigzag

At the moment I am finishing off yet another dinner mat. I am working on the edge of a piece of applique with a lengthy perimeter. I have discovered that doing buttonhole stitch by hand is far superior in it's finish ( looks wise ) than doing a quickie zigzag on the machine. I know that sometimes you just NEED to get the machine out for speed, but IMHO it always seems to give the same 80's look...and if you do wander off the line, Oh all that unpicking!

I am not in a rush to get my dinner mat finished so why not take a few evenings calmly stitching around the edge? I am finding it quite therapeutic, and I am sure it will last just as well when it comes to washing the finished item. Somehow the edge seems more defined, I am really liking the look and somehow feel more in touch with the piece than if it was just run up on the machine in an evening...it feels more like a piece of artwork than a household item in the making.

What is your preference machine or hand?

Happy stitching wherever you are.

Doxie :o)

"Think it, Do it" kinda day.

How often do you think

"Oh wouldn't it be nice to make..."

and then let it go from your mind, or think it'll take too long...Well today I am trying to make it a "Think it, do it!" kind of day.

From my previous post you will have seen that dinner mats are flavour of the month, well today I was looking at the Cherry Blossom wishing it would last all year not just a couple of weeks in the Spring. It is such an optimistic sight, full of promise and cheerfulness. Then it struck me, I can have it all year, I shall put it on a dinner mat!

All it takes is a few sketches and a bit of colouring in and you have a pattern, throw in some bondaweb and you are away! Sometimes I think it really does take longer talking/thinking about something than actually doing it.

Are there any little projects you have been pondering on lately that you could whip up in a morning or two? I'd love to hear about them.

Have a good day where ever you are,

Doxie :o)

Why I love the feminine arts and vintage style :1

My passions are embroidery and sewing. I do dabble in knitting and crochet too.

I have been pondering as to why I like the Vintage style so much ( read as 1940s/50s ) It certainly isn't because I am a dedicated follower of fashion. I have always liked what we used to refer to as old fashioned...for me it is a fluke that my likes are now in fashion, but when the current trend for vintage fades I shall stick with the style, thus returning to being old fashioned and quite quite content.

I think reason number one is that it calls back to a time when things were not mass produced in the manner they are today. Things were scarce anyway and if you wanted it, you made it. Life was simpler in so many ways, and yes I acknowledge harder too but society had their priorities in the right place.

Handmade items about the home brought respect and value. If you had seen Mother/sister/Auntie or whoever stitching for many hours you are going to respect the work that went into that tablecloth and be just that little bit more careful to not slop a cup of tea over it. If you can't just pop out and buy another one willy nilly, the item, rightly so commands more respect and goes up in value.

I guess with the present economic situation ( eek , I was hoping to never have to refer to that in my posts! ) those values will come back...whilst it may be for not very nice reasons, to return to that way of thinking can only be a good thing, for both society and the planet don't you agree?

Doxie

Beautiful dress pillowcases

I thought you might like to see these beautiful dress pillowcases I bought second hand. I haven't washed them yet so I'm sure you'll forgive me for not ironing them for the picture.

I so wish that you could also buy the history that goes with them. I wonder where they were made? They have an oriental feel to them. I like to think that a sailor brought them home for his wife from his overseas travels... Or perhaps somebody enjoyed their travels so much, they just had to find a pattern to stitch that would remind them every day of a culture they had the pleasure to dip their toe into. Either way, they are beautifully worked as you can hopefully see from the closeups.

Doxie.