Nini Makes

Sleep-time teddies from outgrown pajamas

Tristan wouldn't give up his favourite brushed-cotton pajamas that he'd long outgrown but a hole in one knee the size of a football made me finally take the scissors to them. Though the fabric was fairly threadbare I salvaged enough to make him a soft teddy so he could still enjoy it. Gracie wanted one too and has the perfect pair of way-too-small jammies with tiny pink rosebuds I couldn't wait to use, but no, she wanted her brother's fabric, and absolutely no pink. Luckily, I was able to maneuver the pattern enough to squeeze out a second teddy.

To make them I drew a simple one-part teddy pattern, cut it out and stitched features on the pieces to keep them entirely soft. I then stitched around it and left a gap for stuffing. I stuffed the head and limbs with soft filler, made a little pouch of the filler and poured in some lavender, then tucked the pouch into the teddy's tummy. I could bearly get the gap stitched up before they were usurped for a cuddle. T & G love the lavender scent and both are snuggling with their new friends as I type.

They're so simple I thought I should share them. My children always appreciate the things we make from re-purposed materials much more than those from new materials; to them the process of transformation is a little bit magical and it is to me too!

The teddies say thank you Sonia for the nature finds they're modeling with ; )

It's raining, it's pouring

During my absence we've been hit with serious rain and wind but nothing like up north in Cumbria. Our thoughts are with all of those affected by the terrible floods.

As you can see by the dim light in the photo above, it's still raining here and this poor dolly is waiting for me to get off the computer to put on her hair and make her a dress. She's a larger version of Gracie's doll and will be going off to Oz for the Softies for Mirabel project. I hope Royal Mail won't take too long getting her there as I'm cutting it quite close.

I've kind of been Christmas crafting. A package of projects to help other crafters with their last minute  gift list has been keeping me busy. A pattern for dolly is one of the projects in development - didn't realize sewing patterns were so tricky. This little stitch-up below is also planned as part of another project.

The light on my desk has been burning through midnight and on again before the birds wake and I can't wait to show you the results (hope they look good in daylight ; )

Time just disappears like sand through a sieve this time of year doesn't it?
Last night Gracie said:
Mummy I need a cowboy hat, cowboy clothes and cowboy boots for assembly on Wednesday.
Mummy: That's okay assembly isn't until the 25th so we have a week.
Gracie: No Mummy, the 25th is THIS Wednesday (imagine a very exasperated tone in the 8 year old's voice)

Somehow I lost last week.

On the home front, Tris got this cast replaced yesterday with a fetching new blue one, three more weeks - oh my!!! It's just precautionary, he's healed but the doc says he wants it protected a while longer. A cast leads to lots of excuses for children: I can't bathe - my cast, I can't vacuum - my cast, I can't go outside it's too wet - my cast.... Mummy has come up with solutions to all of these things, except vacuuming but that's been swapped with laundry folding.

Soon I hope to get a chance to make these dala ornaments Pam shows. She uses Pendleton wool and needle felts, they'll be great fun to make. Check out the rest of her site for everything Christmas.
Pam's horse reminds me, there's also a new embroidery pattern coming up in my package.

We've cut down on buying things in our family except for the children so my Christmas gift list seems to be largely a wish list for myself. At the top are these new gorgeous cushions by Geninne. I'm really hoping the London Urban Outfitters will start to carry them, her birds are sublime.

Also topping my list is one of Margie's crochet and sea glass neckaces, but I don't think I'll be able to nip off to Paris to buy one. Perhaps I could have a word with Father Christmas.

I hope to be back very soon. Have a great Tuesday!

Autumn activity

Big pumpkins at the local farm shop

Life is still in fast-forward around here but I wanted to post a few images from the last couple of weeks before the season disappears like the leaves from the trees.

More pumpkins and squash

The colours this season have been outstanding. The unseasonal warm weather and light wind and rain have given us a longer look at colour on the trees.

A woodland park nearby

This park has beautiful woods and children make dens with branches all over the place.

Late afternoon sunshine filtering through

A mushroom family

This mushroom image is dedicated to Rane who has been very poorly but is happily now on the mend : )

A hill walk

My Aunt Kathy was one of our recent visitors and we had a lovely time together. My camera wasn't really up to the job but this is an image from a hill walk we took together. I'm enjoying getting out and about and learning my way around, there's a lot to discover right on the doorstep of our new home.

Big brother is swinging the piñata

And of course the most important event in our house this season is Gracie's Halloween birthday.

A great big happy 8th birthday to our little pumpkin!

We had a fun day with a small group from her new school. We were lucky with a beautiful warm day so we were able to have a lot of outdoor activity - a treasure hunt in the garden and of course the piñata, it was great fun.

I hope to be back soon with more projects, unfortunately the Christmas pattern will need to be put off until next year, it's more complicated than last year's pattern so I think I've left it too late for people to complete; but there's more to come very soon. I have managed to stitch up the Mouse House pattern, I really should stitch them before offering them up, but luckily it was a piece of cake to stitch.

Mouse House

I think this one is destined for a child's room or a child's bag as the colours are a bit bright.

Lastly, I want to share a link to Rachel's a pretty new blog nest full of eggs. Rachel is hosting a month of re-purposing jars, click over and see her sweet site.

A deadline this week and various commitments at school means very little online time but I hope to catch up with all of you soon. 

I hope your autumn has been warm and wonderful too!

Time out

Time to take a short break from this little journal.

It's time to step back and hit the focus on my life lens. I have many unfinished projects staring at me, a work deadline looming, visitors arriving from far away and most importantly, two very important little people requiring extra cuddles.

Even Gracie's tiny dolly is crying out for help, she wants her dress finished, some accessories and a roof over her head - at least she's now got hair.

In the interim I'll still be on email and still sending out the embroidery and appliqué patterns.

Thank you for all your lovely comments about the new pattern, and old ones too, they really are appreciated.

I hope you're all enjoying Autumn, I look forward to catching up with you friends when I return :)

Patterns on the go

This new Mouse House pattern on the left was created ages ago when I made this appliquéd piece and I've finally got around to making the PDF. It includes separate pieces for appliqué and you can get it on this new page along with previous patterns by leaving a comment.

I can see it on cushions, bags, onsies and t-shirts; I'm also thinking it would make a good beginner piece for a new stitcher. I plan to include it in a little starter kit I'm making for one of Gracie's friends.

My sketch books with embroidery designs are overflowing, my time management needs to alter so that I can finish more of these things I start.

As it's now the run up to Christmas there have been a lot of people requesting the Tree Family Christmas pattern from last year, you'll find that on the new page too. And I'm very excited about a new Christmas pattern I've been working on, hopefully it will be done in time for Christmas 2009!

I've tried and tried to find more than 24 hours in a day but with no luck, now if anyone has any tips for time management I'd truly love to hear them. Have a lovely weekend.

Making me smile

This tiny little face stitched up as a tester.

I'm making a new pattern and testing it - a birthday gift for Gracie. I love this fabric, it's from a huge piece of unbleached Egyptian cotton I bought a few years ago. It's beautiful for hand stitching but it's slightly course for turning tubes easily. I ordered some tools today that will hopefully help with this task, if not she will be scrapped and I'll try her on another fabric.

Browsing my button stash.

I've been shredding mountains of old papers, very boring work. If I were the organized type there wouldn't be mountains, just piles. The shredder keeps conking out which gives me plenty of time to poke through my buttons. These were the little beauties I brought back from Holland. Normally I know just what I'll use new supplies for, but not these, I'll probably keep them just to look at because they're so cheerful. Hand-carved wooden buttons always make me smile.

My little footballer.

And making me smile the most is my girl. Follow the arrow to see her because I wasn't quick enough with the camera and caught her with her head down. The only girl on either of the teams and it was so much fun to watch her, full of energy and spirit - I can't wait until the next game!

I hope my smiles reach all of you!

:)

Cheater's patchwork, a tutorial

Yet another project that uses up those scraps. These mini patchwork patches have multiple uses and are so easy it feels like a cheater's version of patchwork. They can be used to appliqué on t-shirts, for patching holes, stitching on to paper or cards or used as whole pieces of fabric to cover moleskines, make wallets, etc.

Supplies
Sewing machine * fabric scraps * small iron * fusible webbing * rotary cutter or scissors

How to
Determine the size you want the final piece of patchwork to be, cut out a piece of fabric that size and iron a piece of fusible webbing to it.

Cut out a variety of small squares of fabric, best to use a rotary cutter for accuracy. My squares are very small, about 13 mm or 1/2 an inch; larger squares would be even easier.

Peel the backing paper of the fusible webbing off of your base piece of fabric then begin lining up your squares (right-side-up) on to the side of the fabric that you removed the paper from (the "glue" side.) Line them up horizontally and vertically with no spaces between the squares forming a grid with them.

Next begin pressing your squares with a small hot iron, I used a Clover Mini Iron but a travel iron would work too. I found it easiest to do one line of squares at a time instead of trying to line up the whole grid.

When you have filled the area you want to cover with squares secure them using a zig-zag stitch with your sewing machine stitching along the gutters of the squares of your grid. Experiment with your zig-zag stitch width and length before stitching the patchwork.

Note: It's easiest to not clip the threads at the end of each line, just lift the presser foot and gently move the fabric to your next line.

To finish, trim the edges of your fabric or cut a shape out of it and adhere another piece of fusible webbing to the back of your finished patchwork - thus creating a finished, ready-to-use patch. When you remove the backing paper from your finished patch be sure it is completely cool before gently lifting it off.

I find I can iron these patches on to paper to make cards or iron them on to fabric with equal success. You will need to stitch around the outer edge on to the fabric or paper the patch is adhered to. This is also an easy way to create quick pieces of patchwork for making small sewn items like wallets, just skip the final step and leave off the last piece of fusible webbing.

Note: I use the Bondaweb brand of fusible webbing because in the UK it seems to be easiest to come by. If you've never used fusible webbing before simply follow the manufacturer's instructions for whichever brand you use.

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I hope you give these a try. It's another project that becomes a little addictive, I started going mad with tiny squares when I first tried out this idea.

About the Clover Mini Iron
Of all the various forms of appliqué one of my favourites is using fusible webbing then stitching the edges, it makes a neat job of small pieces appliqué. I bought the mini iron mainly for this purpose. Mine was about £25 which has been a worthwhile investment as I use it a lot. Clover now make a new version (Clover Mini Iron II) which allows for different attachments.
If like me, you wouldn't need any of the attachments the new iron can accommodate there are now bargains to be found on the old models like mine - I've seen it as low as £7 on ebay.

Happy Birthday Baby Rufus

Welcome to very new baby Rufus, born this morning. Rufus may look older than less than a day old but that would be due to the fact that he is a whopping 11.2 pounds (5.1 kilos.) He's so beautiful, definitely worth the wait.

Happy birthday Rufus and congratulations to mummy, daddy and your very excited big brothers.

With lots of love from all of us! xoxo

Secret present revealed.

 

A little something for Rufus to wrap up in and play on. It's baby size but still a whole finished quilt, my first.

It's a departure from the antique linens and fabrics I like but this Moda charm pack spoke to me and said "Buy me because I'm easy to stitch up, you'll have time to finish and I'm full of fun prints." I agreed.

Floss management solution

My fingers have been very busy stitching over the last few weeks. Gifts for teachers, friends and so on - it all seems to happen at once. I really should be getting on with that de-stashing and packing referred to earlier but so far I've been a happy procrastinator and enjoying our first full week off school. I'll start next week... really I will.

Actually procrastinating isn't entirely accurate, in addition to stitching I've managed to hire a moving company, arranged a new dentist and final appointments, organized a service for my car (it's making very scary noises), created a new project for these guys which included a photo-shoot with small children (interesting), nursed a poorly little girl, took my sewing machine to be serviced (first time in 10 years, I love my Husqvarna) and spent several enjoyable hours teaching my children card games. The last item was of course the most important because they laughed like hyenas when I lost - it was so much fun.

That's all I can remember from the last five days, regular mum stuff. Doing a lot of little things, not really feeling like anything's been accomplished until now when I write it down here.

I was very pleased with how the little Rene Cloke inspired home above turned out, it may become an embroidery pattern.

And this crude, tiny applique of our school for our departing, long serving French teacher. It's a small sachet and the school is only 2.5 cm high but I managed all twelve windows and even fit in the attic windows. I thought small would be quick, I was wrong, but Madame Page is well worth it.

My happiest achievement of the last few days has been finding a solution to my huge embroidery floss management problem. The problem being that I'm too impatient to manage it. I've tried the cards but gave up as my stock grew and I tired of transferring them, plus I don't like the creases the cards make in the floss. There's mainly been big glass jars stuffed with skeins, but now I have this.

Not pretty, but meet my new system, shower curtain rings bought on sale for 8 pence a pack. I'd planned on making key rings with one of the classes at school but ended up doing something else instead so these were left waiting for new inspiration. It hit me when I tried to figure out a way to hang my floss in my fabric cupboard. I began separating the skeins by colour then slipped them on the rings and put them all on to one main ring and bingo! So simple and it works like a dream for me - very easy to sort, find the right colour and keep tidy. This is just a third of my floss but I know I'll get it all sorted because this system is quick and easy.

Notice the dry lawn in the background courtesy of our recent heatwave. No worries, the rain is back.

Happy Thursday everyone :)

Stitch a postcard

I like to stitch cards and postcards to make greetings that are a little bit different. It's another way to use up scraps of fabric, lace and buttons. The one above has gone off to my husband's uncle and aunt, our hosts during our recent trip to Holland.

As this is a postcard, I wanted the design to have a postcard feel about it. I also added ribbon when I mounted it so that it could be hung. Then I wrote a message on the reverse like a regular postcard, but this one will go in an envelope to protect it.

Here's a very easy way to mount a small, stitched piece of art and turn it into a postcard or mini wall hanging.

You'll need: a piece of art or wording stitched on to lightweight fabric • heavy card stock or mount board • normal card stock • a craft knife and cutting mat • a length of ribbon • craft glue • double sided tape (not the narrow type in the roll on dispenser) • regular clear tape

1. Stitch an image or a message on to lightweight fabric.
2. Cut out a piece of heavy card stock with a craft knife or utility knife to mount it on (I use the backing from used sketch pads.) The heavy card should be about an inch (3 cm) smaller than the image area of your fabric art.
3. Place the artwork image side down on a table then place the heavy card on top of it making sure it's positioned in the center. Place a piece of double sided tape along two opposite edges of the heavy card stock.
4. Starting in the middle of one edge, pull the artwork over the card so it sticks to the tape, then stick the rest of that edge and repeat on the opposite side.
5. Follow by sticking the remaining two edges in the same way.
6. Neaten up the corners and tape them down flat with normal tape.
7. Add a ribbon by gluing the two ends down at the top. (The ribbon will be sandwiched between the mounted art and the backing.) NOTE: If I've made steps 2 - 7 sound harder than they are, click here for a quickly drawn diagram.
8. Cut a normal piece of card stock out slightly smaller than the mounted artwork. Put craft glue around each edge and place it over the back of the mounted art.
9. Place a book on top to help it dry flat or put clothes pegs around the edges.

Now post it off and make the recipient smile :)

A big thank you for all the kind comments regarding Tristan's trip away, I appreciate all of your sweet sentiments. I'm happy to report that I'm coping, which hasn't even involved red wine consumption, but maybe a little lot of chocolate. Really, I'm completely void of self control at the moment, but I'm considering it medicinal!

P.S.  Back soon with a Father's Day card project I recently made with my class. If you need a card project sooner, take a look at this one from previous years.