This door hanger was made back in November but I forgot to put it up, it was for a friend's baby. I was pleased with it generally but feel that perhaps it should have been stuffed rather than flat (though I added some interfacing between the fabric to make it stiffer). I also tried out twisting the handle but this didn't work out as I had planned - not sure how they stay twisted without being sewn together, but I had run out of time to change it!
At Christmas I made a decopatch butterfly for my goddaughter Holly. It is such a fun craft as it's so quick and simple to do, children could even do this without any trouble - brilliant! All you need is decopatch paper (thin and baking paper like consistency, some watered down pva glue a brush and a suitable blank object (I've since decorated a plain wooden photo frame with this too). You put the glue onto the object and stick down a small piece of paper (cut or ripped) then glue on top. Continue like this until the whole 1st layer is finished - it dries within minutes! Then you can either leave it or do a second layer.
I made a cake for Tim's birthday, cheekily it had to be a non-chocolate one as I had given it up for lent and didn't want to miss out on having a piece myself! So lemon drizzle it was with a lemony cream cheese topping and jelly babies!!
My friend had a baby girl called Willow in January and I decided to make her a bib. As daddy's a farmer and they live on a farm I decided on a farm theme on side of the bib:
and a girly theme on the other:
I was pleased with the final result generally though the binding I made was no cut on the bias and I really realised with this project how important it was to do this (even though it uses up a lot of fabric). As the bib is so curvy, where the binding isn't stretchy it just bobbles up a little bit. Nevermind, I learnt my lesson! I also learnt that new born babies are tiny and this bib is going to be one to grow into - maybe she'll fit it in a year or so!! As it is 100% cotton - fabric, thread and wadding it will be easily washable in the normal wash which I'm sure will please mummy a lot!
I made some Mother's Day cards - one for my mum, and the others were for my military wife friends (bestie and sis-in-law) both of whom's husbands were away and both of whom had Mother's Day for the first time, so thought they'd appreciate a card and a thought on that special day.
It's just cut out pieces of fabric sewn on with the sewing machine - this is how I do the majority of my cards nowadays, it's so quick and easy and I love the effect it gives. Next time I'll do a close-up of the stitches so you can see for yourself!
My friend Bex also had her birthday the other day so we went to an AMAZING fabric shop in Chichester called Eternal Maker - it's incredible, a crafter's dream! I gave her a birthday budget and she bought a lovely dress pattern to make a dress for her baby and some buttons! I decided to make some bunting for baby Holly's Christening coming up in a couple of weeks as I had done the same for Hugo last year.
It also gave me a chance to improve my use of the zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine which, after having it a year, I have finally bought the instruction manual again as it was lost on the day of purchase (who know's how). Suddenly I have discovered so much more - much of which would have been useful to know before now!!
I also have 2 other quilt projects on the go - don't ask, I get bored easily! And a tea cosy which has been a nightmare, but I will post and explain more another time when I finally get it done!
Finally I was so fed up of my other quilting projects being so slow (one is a sampler so testing my cutting and pieces skills to the limit) that I decided to sort of cheat and use a layer cake pack to make an instant (couple of days) quilt as the piecing is so quick and simple. This quilt will be for us, not a present but to keep and snuggle under on the sofa, can't wait!! I have finished the top so just need to sandwich, baste, quilt it and bind it now. Here's the top:
It's Moda Cabbages and Roses Northcote range.
