Vintage Stitching

Hello all,

Well another week has passed and unfortunately I've done absolutely no crafting this week.  It was my son's 18th birthday on Friday so I have been shopping and organising for that and of course tidying the house for visitors coming! Lol!

However, this afternoon,  enthused by this week's vintage sewing theme on The Great British Sewing Bee TV programme,  I decided to take my vintage Singer out of the box and see if I could get it to work. (I purchased it a few months ago at auction).

The machine is actually in "nearly new" condition, with no rusty bits or gunky old fibres clogging the mechanics.  I simply gave it a good oil and dust, threaded it up and off it trundled.  I didn't even have to adjust the tension, it sews perfectly and it can go at a fair speed.  

these are the reverse side/bobbin stitches

I've a busy week next week too but hopefully I'll be able to post something!  I'm trying to maintain a weekly post and joining in with Handmade Monday certainly helps. It's a lovely little community of very friendly crafters but the link up is only open for a couple of days so you'll have to be quick if you want to join in.

Okay that's me for today, thanks so much for visiting.

Wishing you all a good week.

Take care

Suze xx

I hate zips!

Evening all,

To all the sewers out there, can I just ask, does anyone like sewing zips!? I must have read and watched every tutorial out there and I'm still struggling.

Anyway, I wanted to have a go at sewing a boxy zippered pouch. I found a YouTube video by Debbie Shore for one that's made using two fat quarters and it's easily big enough to hold knitting needles and wool, so I thought I'd have a go as she explains things very clearly.

The best tip I learned from her was to use a longer zip than you need (and trim it to size after sewing), that way you can slide the bulky zipper pull out of the way.  However, I still had a problem with the fabric & zip sliding about and I had to partly unpick it about 4 times.

However, I persevered and here is the end result which I am actually quite pleased with ...

I have to admit the knitting is not mine, I borrowed it for "photographic" purposes, lol.  My mother is a great knitter and this is one of many baby hats she's currently knitting for African babies.

Linking to Handmade Monday.

and wishing you all a creative week,

Thanks for popping in

Suze xx

Tote Bags

Evening All!

Hope you have all had a good week.  I've been quite productive in the sewing department these last couple of days.  I've never sewn a bag before and when I saw a kit for one selling online at half price I couldn't resist.

It's just a small tote bag and it turns out they are SO easy to make, however the instructions weren't entirely correct so you would need a bit of  an idea on construction to make it work first time.  You don't need a kit though as there are loads of free tutorials online.

This is the finished bag from the kit ...

I thought it was such a cute bag, perfect for a little girl, that I went and bought some more fabric and I have to say I like this fabric even better ...

They're made with upholstery weight cotton so they're quite sturdy.

I'm linking again to Handmade Monday.

Okay, that's me for today, thanks for taking the time to visit.

Suze xx

Friendship Cushion

Hi all,

Well, that's January out the way, the days are thankfully beginning to get a bit longer although it's still absolutely freezing!

I have some sewing to show you today, It's my big "50" birthday later this year and so a fair few of my friends are also turning 50.

The first one to celebrate is my life long friend, we were neighbours growing up and have had many laughs throughout the years.

I've made her a double sided cushion, one side to go with her decor and the other using photos of ourselves and other close friends.

The photos were printed onto printable cotton.  I then ironed them onto some Steam-a-Seam/Bondaweb, cut them out and stitched them onto some plain cream fabric. I also made up a word cloud image using www.tagxedo.com and also printed that onto cotton.

the photos

front of cushion

back of cushion

I then constructed the cushion front and back and closed with a zipper.

I'd like to link to Handmade Harbour, which is now hosted by the lovely Vicky

and Anything but a Card, who have the theme Friendship.

Okay, that's me for today, thanks so much for popping in.

Happy Crafting!

Suze xx

Cushions and an old Singer!

Hi everyone and welcome to my first post of the year (and my first post in over a month!).  I felt like I needed a bit of a break over the festive season but I've given myself a kick up the bahookie to get me back into blogging and crafting.

As I previously mentioned, I want to concentrate more on building my sewing skills this year, so I've made a start with some zipped cushions.

I've only made cushions once before and that was with an easy envelope fold closure, but I thought I'd challenge myself to inserting a zip for a more professional finish.

The fabric is a linen/cotton mix called Hedgerow and is by Voyage, they're a Scottish firm and make some lovely home decor fabrics.  The backing fabric is 100% linen which I have to say was a bit stretchy! I used 20" feather inserts so they're nice and puffy!

I'd also like to show you my vintage sewing machine which I picked up at a local auction for £24! It came totally complete with instruction booklet, feet, knee lift, needles etc.  I've done a bit of research and it was manufactured around 1939.  My son replaced the old round headed plug for me and it works!  It's a bit stiff though so will need a thorough clean and oil.  Have to say though, I've nowhere to put it, I just bought it 'cause I liked it!

Okay, that's me for today, thanks ever so much for popping in.

Linking to Handmade Monday.

Suze xx

Christmas Gift Card Holder

Hi all,

Time again for another challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers and More, our theme being CHRISTMAS! Nice and easy as I'm sure most folk have been busy doing some sort of Christmas crafting.

This is my final DT post for Crafty Cardmakers as I am stepping down after a most enjoyable 2 years. My decision has come mainly from the fact that I do very little cardmaking now, I'm going through a "sewing" phase and I'm also volunteering at the local family history centre to help transcribe the 1911 census, so it's just a case of the usual "not enough hours in the day"!

I'm not totally disappearing though, I'll still be loitering in blogland visiting you fellow crafters.

Anyways, I have made a selection of Christmas Gift Card Holders.  It's a nice quick simple design which makes two holders from one A4 sheet.

All the fronts were covered with some Christmas DP and most have a simple Merry Christmas sentiment, embossed in silver and mounted onto miri card.  I also used a Tim Holtz santa stamp and a Hero Arts snowman stamp.

To make two holders from one A4 sheet, cut at 11 cm and 22 cm on the long side of the sheet.  This gives you two strips measuring 21 cm x 11 cm.

Score at 8.5 cm and 17 cm.  The second score forms the pocket.

I then just added a circle of white card for writing on.

If you have an envelope board maker, a 6 3/4" square, scored at 3", makes the correct sized envelope.

Our sponsors for this challenge are SIR STAMPALOT

and also DT member Kim has donated a fabulous crafty bundle of goodies.

Well that's it from me for today, I hope you are all further advanced in your Christmas preparations than I am.  I've only just started shopping and also this weekend decided to redecorate my living room.  A nice quick freshen up I thought, but as always it turns about to be a bigger job than expected. Couldn't get the blooming wallpaper off the wall, thankfully it's only on one wall.  I'm also intending making some cushion covers to fit my new colour scheme so I'll definitely be burning the midnight oil between now and the 24th. Lol!

P.S. I've just noticed that google verification has randomly appeared in my comment box.  I do not have verification switched on! I've just tested it and you can still leave a comment without filling in the verification box, so just ignore it!

Okay, thanks for popping in,
Bye for now

Suze xx

Christmas Tag Thingy

Hi all,

I'm a bit latchy with this post, can't seem to get out of the bit at the moment. 

Yesterday saw a new challenge launched over at Crafty Cardmakers and More.  Lin is our hostess and she has chosen the theme DISTRESS IT.

Now I have to say, I'm not really a distressed type of girl, I like clean, simple lines! Lol! However, I do have some Tim Holtz stuff and to me he is the King of Distress!

I cut a circle from corrugated card and tore off some of the top layer (this is a technique favoured by my lovely blogging friend Valerie).  I painted the card with some off white paint from one of the many paint testers I have lying around the house. (I am determined to get my living room freshened up before Christmas!)
The "25" and reindeer are Tim Holtz dies, painted with red stickles and glossy crackle accents respectively.  The star was cut from gold miri, distressed with sandpaper.  I added some more painted card for the snowy hills, topped with stickles and the wire berries and sequin ribbon were from my stash.

our sponsors for this challenge are

Di's Digistamps

and Woodware Craft Collection

Okay, that's me for today.

Thanks a lot for popping in.

PS. I've just noticed that google verification has randomly appeared in my comment box.  I do not have verification switched on and I've just tested it - you can still leave a comment without filling in the verification box, so just ignore it!

Take care
Suze xx