How I Miss My Camera

My Other Half has gone away on a business trip to Hong Kong and China and has borrowed my camera to take some photos.  I didn't realise how much I would miss it.  First I had a customer who wanted me to make them a bespoke cushion, then after I made it I realised I couldn't get a nice photo to show her, ended up taking one on my phone but it wasn't anywhere near the quality that I would have liked.  Still, she still wants the cushion so job done.

Also I made a bag for YD for Christmas.  I wanted to get her one that was large enough to carry folder and text books in to college and also be strong and not have the handles falling off a week later like the ones we have been buying her.  I had some nice chenille kind of fabric in a dusky blue which I got from Dunelm Mill in one of their remnant bags.  I had a look at some of the bags on Accessorize to give me some ideas then made up my own pattern with some bits of newspaper and some sticky tape.  I will post a pic when I get the said camera back again.

The other thing I have been doing is making a table runner.  Another customer has asked me to make one in greens so I have been piecing together some small scraps of fabric to make larger panels for it.  I am hoping to get that finished off tomorrow.  Luckily the customer is a friend of Other Half's so said she doesn't need to see it first.

I need to think up some new ideas for my shop using up the small bits and pieces so I might have a long session up there tomorrow and see what I can come up with.

Three new bags added to shop

I have added three new bags to my Folksy shop this morning.  It seems like I have been making these for ages as I was doing 8 bags all together and I was waiting for things like the metal bits and the straps to come.  I have finished these three completely and have another 5 which just need the linings sewn in tonight.  There are two more of the multicoloured ones which are exactly the same and two more of the brown ones but these will have white straps on them instead of brown.

First Attempt At Bunting

After seeing everyone's great makes with bunting recently I decided I would have a go at making some for YD for her bedroom for Christmas.

I found some fabric I could use for the backs of the pennants but couldn't find enough big bits for the fronts so decided to sew some small bits together and make patchwork ones.  I cut some letters out of black cotton which I had drawn freehand and appliqued them on to the fronts of the pennants before assembling using white thread and a small zigzag stitch.  I was a bit nervous about doing them as I thought they would screw up while sewing but they were fine.

I bought some white bias binding in my local shop, it was 60p for a 2.5 metre length which was long enough for what I wanted.

Here is a photo of said bunting, its not a very good photo as I had to hang it over my crafting desk with all the bits behind it.

Tote bag

My Ex Mother-in-law has been asking me for ages to make her a bag to keep in her front room down the side of her chair so she can put her bits and pieces in and have it handy.  I bought this fabric in Dunelm Mill the other day, it was packed up in one of their remnant bags along with some other fabric.  There was about 2 metres of this one.  I cut out another bag first but thought it was too long for her so I am going to do that one for my shop. For this one I used two rectangles of fabric for the outside 16" x 14".  It is lined with some pale green polyester sheeting.  I made a large patch pocket inside but when I tried the bag out the pocket was gaping so I stitched a line of stitching up the middle so it made two smaller pockets.

£2 Top

I made this top this afternoon.  I used a top my sister gave me as a pattern.  It has elastic fitted underneath the bust to draw it in.  The fabric was what I bought for £1 a metre the other week and I used less than 2 metres.  There isn't enough left to make another top but the bits might come in handy for something.

Knitted Slippers

I had some of the Aran wool left over from the cardigan so thought I would have a go at making a pair of slippers with it.  I had a look on the web and found some patterns but when I tried knitting them they were coming up way too small.  Not sure if it was because of the thickness of the wool or the needles were wrong size so I decided to make up my own pattern as I went along instead.

Here are a picture of the finished slippers.  They fit me and I take a 6.5 size shoe.  My YD is a 7 and I am sure they will fit her as well.

Here is the pattern I adapted  in case anyone wants to make a pair and also so I can come back to it if I decide to make some more.  There is a link to the original pattern at the bottom of this post.

I used Aran weight wool and size 8 needles (4mm).

Cast on 41 sts.

Row 1 K13, P1, K13, P1, K13
Row 2 K

Continue the above two rows until the piece measures about 6.5 inches (if you want them smaller then make this a bit less or if you want them bigger then do a few more rows).  Finish at the end of a Row 1.

Next Row P1, *K1, P1, repeat from * to end
Next Row K1, *P1, K1 repeat from * to end

Continue in rib for another 11 rows.

Dec. Row  Rib 8 *Slp1, K1, PSSO, K1, K2tog, rib 5, repeat from * twice more then rib to end.
Next Row  Rib 8, *P3, rib5,  repeat from * twice more then rib to end.
Next Row  Rib7, *K2tog, K1, Slp1, K1, PSSO, Rib 3 sts,  repeat from * twice more then rib to end.
Break off yarn and thread it onto a thick sewing needle.  Thread the sewing needle through all the stitches taking them off the knitting needle as you go along, then curl it round and go through them all again and pull it tight. Fasten off, (when putting the thread through the second time you might not get it exactly through the stitches, this won't matter as its just to give it a bit of extra strength).  Leave the end of yarn on for sewing up.

Knit other slipper the same.  To sew up fold in half right sides together (the bit with the two lines of V stitches is the front) and sew the two sides together across the ribbing and a bit further up the slipper.  Then sew the back heel seam and darn in the ends of the thread.

I made the knitted flowers to go on top.  This is the pattern for them.

Cast on 20 sts and K 1 row.
*Next Row, K4, turn and just use these 4 sts.
Next row Inc 1st each end of next row (6sts)
K 5 rows on these 6 sts.
Next Row Dec 1st each end of next row.
Next Row K
Next Row Dec 1st each end of next row.
K last 2sts tog and tie off the last stitch.

Rejoin wool in between the bottom of this petal and the next stitch and repeat from *

Do this until you have 5 petals and you have used all the stitches up.

Darn in all the loose ends except for one that you have from the cast on edge (you can always just join in a new thread if its not long enough).  Thread the yarn onto a thick needle and sew a running stitch through the cast on edge of the flower and then pull the thread tight so it goes round into a flower.  You will find that the petal want to over lap each other.  Place the flower on the slipper front where you want it to go and attach it sewing the petal so the look nice, I over lapped mine all one way round.  When you are happy with it then fasten off the thread.  Sew a button onto the centre of the flower.

This is where I got the original slipper pattern from that I adapted http://bevscountrycottage.com/maggieslippers.html