Paper, Cream & Chrome

I have finished designing my April 2013 jewellery range, here is a sneaky pictorial peek!

So, these are being added to my Etsy store as I type (multi-tasking, a joy of motherhood). If you are interested, check'em out, and share with your mates :)

Ever onwards!

Woo hoo! 

Today saw me taking a train ride one stop away to Sileby to The Green Place, to have a chat about having some of my work in their shop. I went with my good friend Elizabeth Lenore, who makes some funky upcycled record bags, cassette lights and other upcycley goodness. She has a lot more experience of this malarkey, so held my hand(no, not literally, that would be a smidgen weird), but it turned out not as scary as I had made it up to being in my head. Of course!

Had some positive feedback, and they had a lot of my stuff off me, on a Sale or Return basis. This feels like a good step into bricks and mortar, from online, but we will see how it goes. 

Go take a look if you're in the area, it is a lovely place.

Teardrop Innertube earrings

I have been having lots of fun with upcycling bicycle innertube recently. We are a cycling household, and so far I haven't needed to source any from elsewhere, but that may all change soon. These are my most recent, a teardrop shape. They are available from my Etsy store HERE.

making handkerchiefs

Over on the Facebook page I have made a step-by-step tutorial on sewing handkerchiefs from old sheets. Take a look!

Hot water bottle covers

Seem to be on a theme here, don't I? 

Hot water bottle covers where something I tried a couple of years ago, when going through my daughters baby jumpers. some where a little worse for wear, or too loved, to leave our household. I found some knitted ones, with stretchy enough necks for me to slide the water bottle through it, then I traced a hot water bottle onto the (inside out) jumper, and just sewed around that line. Bingo! 

I have made them from brushed cotton night shirts,

zip up cardies, and larger than baby clothes too. 

                                                                                                                                                                    some get the sleeves sewn in, so your hot water bottle can give you a hug:)

pink pillowcases

Just a quicky, about another pillowcase project.

These pillowcases where a commission for a young girls first full-sized bed. The fabric came from 2 super-king sheets off the bed she used to sleep in as a baby, that got torn. A fitted single sheet was also made, but that is a different story altogether! 

There was plenty of fabric to use for this one, so no buttons where needed for the back. 

The sheets where faded in places, and had been machine dyed at some point, so where splotchy, and I tried to cut the best bits, but you can see the graduation on the red pillowcase. Again, the sentimental value of the project means these “imperfections” just add character, and they where well received!

The set went for £30.  

sew what?

As well as all this knitting and beading, I do a fair amount of sewing. Well, some of my acquaintances would call it an unfair amount of sewing, but I'm happy either way! Well, due to an injury I have been less able to knit so far this autumn, and my creativity has been more aimed at my cooking and sewing, “sew” here is a recent project!

When I moved into my current house, the previous owners left us most of their crud. There where 10 or so bin bags in the back garden, and I couldn't just put them out as trash, I had to check for treasures, recyclables, and charity shoppable items. I got it down to a pretty low refuse count in the end, and reclaimed some bed linen, bedding, curtains and blankets. After a lot of laundering and airing (they where smokers, and I have sensitive smelling abilities as one of my super-powers), sorting, blah blah blah, I got to a single brushed cotton sheet with a tear. After a few years on the toddlers bed, tucked in various ways round, it then became redundant. But I did need some pillow cases...

you can get 3 oxford style buttoned pillow cases out of a single flat sheet.

Some will be a bit thin in places, but try to place these bits on the back of the pillow case.

So, I cut my sheet sideways into thirds. I lost 1 third due to the tear:( Inside out, layed it down next to another pillowcase for size guidance, and folded it so that the opening is on the top, with the larger side on the very top.

Pinned this all together, and sewed down the sides. The sheets edging will provided me with instant finishing for the flaps!

Turned this the right way out, and pressed. Measured how much wider my case was than the pillow that is going in it(this may well be a standard size?). Divided this by 2. checked the ends too, as they where a bit different. Using a rule on my machine, I then stitched a border around my pillowcase this wide.

I then popped a pillow in at this point to see whether I was happy with the closure. I wasn't. The pillow inside was bulging out a bit, so I sewed 3 buttons on to the top flaps border, then marked button holes on the lower flap, so they would button to the inside of the case and not be uncomfy if(when) the pillow flips in the night.

Sorted.

I find the children appreciate these upcycled projects I do, as they recognise the new pillow as being their old sheet that was useless, and love it even more!