Nini Makes

Nearly there

Short scarf

We had a lovely early Christmas with the UK family on Sunday so I can show a few of the items I've finished so far. The short winter scarf was cut from a thrifted cashmere sweater and I lined it with a vintage silk scarf. It's probably the gift I most want to repeat to make one for myself.

I'm working all out now to finish a couple things for Gracie and the American family because we're off to California at the end of this week. I'm sure most of you are busy with last minute preparations too.

Finished Purl Bee booties

These booties were simple and fun and both children want grown-up versions of them, think I'll have to find some very big felted jumpers for that job. The pattern is here.

Gifting

It's been really great diving into my boxes and tins of stash I have tucked away all over the house to make gifts. This year I've already sculpted clay, needle felted, made jewelry, sewn, embroidered, lino printed and baked. Feels good to use only the resources I have on hand. I've so far only had to buy one zipper (for a gift not shown) and I've made 17 gifts. That means I've been either very resourceful or I'm a HUGE hoarder of stash. I prefer to believe the resourceful one ;)

The Black Apple dolls above are from Emily Martin's pattern and far quicker than patterns I've drafted myself so I recommend them if you need some quick gifts for little people. The pattern is here. The pencil case above and doll on the left are made from my favourite vintage tea towel, they were for two sisters.

I have had to buy some gifts though because I find teenage boys challenging to make things for and there are seven of them on my list! 

I hope your own lists are being nicely checked off and you're either finishing all you've planned or throwing your hands up with a smile and drinking mulled wine instead.

Happy days to you,

Jx

Gifting

For teachers

Gracie made a flower and bird ornament for her teacher. A repurposed embroidered tray cloth became a small gift bag with chocolates that the birdie snuggled into. Tristan's teacher is also his math teacher so he got a math themed bookmark.I'd like to tell you T made it himself, but he simply approved it. 

Purl Bee booties 

So today winter break starts and happily the sun is back out and the fierce winds have died down, though I hear 70,000 homes are still without power up north. I'm now sitting here soaking in the warmth and savouring my last few hours of me time for the next month. I loved this simple baby bootie pattern from Molly's Sketchbook at Purl Bee. Lucky we have a brand new baby cousin that I can whip a pair up for so these are being finished.  

Also, I'm really loving these tinies from Lisa, these wonderful paintings by Claire Desjardins found via Erin and also the new Bookhou ceramics (though I think they're all gone already). And these fun marshmallow reindeer lollies look so simple they'll be added to our vacation activites. (found via Pinterest).

Now I'm off to make some dough for dinner, it's going to be Friday night pizzas for us.

Happy weekend to you,

Jx

Give us a hand

Mummy's hand, photo by Gracie

Gracie was working on a drawing and she wanted a hand model. I wasn't good at keeping my hand still enough so she photographed it instead. The clutter in the background is what my desk looks like when more than one project at a time is happening, which admittedly is often. I thought about Photoshopping it all out but I like real life better – though I often wish I could Photoshop it all out in real life and save the time of clearing up all my junk.

Gracie's hand, photo by Mummy

And speaking of projects, Gracie will soon be posting her first tutorial on her blog. The other day she spotted something at a shop that she really, really wanted and I said "No because I can show you how to make your own with supplies we already have and I promise you will like even more than the one in the shop." She wasn't convinced. I can't steal her thunder so I won't give it away but she's extra excited about her results and can't wait to share how to make them (although chances are you may have made them yourself already!) A tiny little thing, but it really ignited her enthusiasm to make instead of buy which of course made me smile really big inside :)

A quick something for me

On Wednesday I spent a fun hour with six girls and their ideas for making things with old clothes; I'd hoped at least one boy would be in our textiles group but maybe some will join in time. One of the items I shared with them was this protective sleeve I whipped up for my phone. I've been wanting to make one for the longest time, I'm not crazy about the cases in the shops. This denim sleeve made from old jeans took me no time to make and even though it's very simple it's just what I wanted. It's been a long while since I made something for me so then I got right into another project just for me that I'll show soon. Two in one week, I'm getting spoiled ;)

Apple thief

One last photo before I say goodnight. Hurricane Katia didn't effect us as much as the north of the country but it sure brought down a lot of apples. Too bad poor Pippi just found out she can't have the plums and apples any more, too hard on her tummy says the vet.

Have a great week,

Jx

 

Pretty tangles and groups and things

Reverse of hand and machine stitching

I've had quite a long and unexpected Internet break, apparently down to a bad circuit board at the exchange - whatever that means. It reminds me of the image above, lots of lines going here, there and everywhere behind the scenes that normally get where they need to go without us ever needing to know about it, until they don't work.

Funny groupings

So while I've been away I've caught up a little with things I've been happily ignoring, like dusting and stinging nettles, though the latter are getting harder to ignore because they're painful. I've been noticing that when I dust I move things around into new groups, usually without making any conscious decisions about it. Sometimes just odd objects and other times colour groupings, it's fascinating to me that our brains need pattern.

Dyeing with hot drinks

And I also tackled some dyeing that I've been meaning to get to for a long while; this stack of vintage linen soaked in a fine blend of coffee and tea, I like the shade I get by mixing them. Tea tends to give a pinker shade than coffee and I find by combining them I get just what I want, a shade closer to natural linen. I'm planning on new dolls with this batch.

Late baby cards

This style tends to be my stock design for babies. The gifts to go with them might arrive before they each start school ;)

Tissue box cafe

And over our long weekend T & G got out the Brio train set. T received his first wooden track when he was about 18 months old and still enjoys it at nearly 13! And he doesn't even feel too cool to admit he still likes it (now that's cool). They both still like me to play along which I'm happy to do, especially if they serve tea, both of them make a mean cup. To be sure tea would be served I quickly made a café with an empty tissue box. Half a tissue box makes a handy arched doorway don't you think? 

Other things:

I'm loving this site which is probably not new to many of you but as you know, I don't get out much. I found it via very clever Erin.

And also loving the RAC, they never let me down or make me wait too long. When they arrive the drivers are the nicest people you could hope to meet, like the one who changed my tire (tyre) on Easter Sunday and said the tea I brewed him was perfect. Or the nice man who told me to wait in a cafe instead of my car when my battery died the winter before last (it was -3 outside). Of course I have no affiliation with the RAC but I feel a little more secure knowing their card is in my wallet.
BTW, I can change a tire but I can't get the lug nuts off even when I stand on the crow bar.

Winners!

Lastly, congratulations to my gorgeous niece Lauren (on the far left) who underwent shoulder surgery last year not wanting her softball career to end; her high school team just made the playoffs (again).

And also a big congratulations to smart, hard working and lovely Diane who just took over from the equally smart, hard working and lovely Natalie as Editor-in-Chief at CRAFT. CRAFT couldn't be in more capable hands.

Happy weekend to you!

Jx

P.S. Hope to play catch up with all of you soon.

The "sail" goes on

 
Boat races

An update on the Crafting For Courage sale - thanks again for the support. The doll, scarf and stack of linens have sold but I may still be adding items to the shop until Monday, depends on time.

Today though it's off to school to make boats with little people while parents help out around the school with things like painting, planting and clearing. Another community event, this time a little closer to home.

There are still items left to buy in the sale and several makers are trying to add more throughout the weekend, so if you can please go and have a look, visit the Etsy shops and browse around. It's a great opportunity to buy beautiful, handmade things and help the children of Japan at the same time.

The image above is from a Green Parent article I wrote last year; it's taken with some of our favourite sailors (hope to see you sailors soon!!!).

Happy weekend,

Jx

Springtime and sunny linens

Thank you to all the makers who have pulled together in such a short time to make and sell their art for the Crafting For Courage sale. Today was the first day and it's already going so well but it wouldn't be going well if there weren't a huge number of generous buyers out there supporting the efforts of the makers so thank you to you too!

The Gracie Doll and the scarf have both sold, thank you to the kind purchasers! I put together a collection of linens from my stock to add to the sale. Bits of old linen, lace and embroidery are my favourite supplies, I love working with textiles that have history. Tomorrow I'll add this pile of goodies to the shop for the sale. It includes a long piece of the same antique linen I made the scarf from (un-dyed). A stash of vintage linens is great to have on hand for whipping up quick gifts like these, and these.

If your favourite maker has run out of stock for the sale don't give up, many are working on replenishing, I know at least one very busy bunny maker who is stitching her fingers to the bone for the cause. Also, more makers are in the process of being added.

Just thought I'd sign off with some happy daffs that smile and wave at me when the wind blows.

Remember, the sale will be on until Monday :)

Thank you again for the generous support.

Jx

 

 

Safety, stitching and wishes

Embroidered cotton tape

First tulips of the year :)

Gracie drawing safely

A new corner for an old cupboard

Grown up tea set

I haven't been around these parts for a while now but it's all been good. I've managed to complete some belated birthday presents and finish rearranging my workspace. I'm still in the process of sorting out the vintage textiles but that tends to lead to inspiration of one sort or another so I count that as doubly productive. It makes me smile to see that online friends have been making the same things at the same time, it's almost like we're in the same room :)

Happy birthday today to Dianne! Sorry I can't be with you but I'm sharing the sunny tulips with you that Tristan gave me.

Gracie was home one day this week, she had a sore throat... no a tummy ache... no a headache. Really, she was tired and I wasn't up to challenging her; honestly, spending a day together is a treat anyway. She recently got a new safety helmet for skating and decided to wear it on her "sick" day while working on her blog. 

Tristan is going through a Nirvana stage so we're finding ourselves racing around the house to Smells Like Teen Spirit as we get out the door each morning (thanks for that Uncle Pete). He also just finished a crazy two weeks of performing music for a play. It's been worth it, the play was fantastic and we're so proud of his performance. Recently I was discussing life soundtracks with Pat. It occurs to me that I can trace Tristan's development with music like a height chart, one day I'll right them all down.

The last photo is a tea set I made for my sister-in-law. I made a whole bunch of these for a craft fair about four years ago and haven't felt like making any since, but after receiving my bookhou cozy in the post it reminded me of how useful they really are. I think of this linen toile as quite grown up and my sister-in-law has a grown up house; no sticky door handles or muddy footprints or wet towels tossed on the bathroom floor.

Tomorrow, a giveaway - finally :)

And what are you listening to in your house?

Finding things

Quirky & wonderful too

Today was a very good day. It felt like summer again and when I walked puppy this morning early there was no need for even a sweater. As hubby offered to do the school run, I decided to take advantage of my unscheduled and unexpected extra hour. I headed straight for the coast and went to a big boot fair I recently learned about, it's every Wednesday, very unusual day for boot fairs here in the UK. I'd read good things about it and I wasn't disappointed.

I knew my bargain karma was with me when I got a parking spot directly across from the entrance, a perfect location for loading booty. It was great, the old type of boot fair, no antique dealers and market stalls, just lots of other peoples cast offs and old stuff to root around.

Early edition of UK Monopoly

Tristan has recently become crazy into Monopoly. I found this very early UK version for a pound. It was missing the actual board, but all the game pieces and wooden hotels and houses and old style printing was too fun to pass up. There are a few items in the top photo from the game. The £500 note, a wooden house and hotel, a real estate card and of course, the boot.

Type drawers, the objects on top change regularly

I also found a big button tin and a vintage sewing basket full of goodies, always exciting finds. The other objects in the top photo were contents of those two purchases (except the pen and nibs). I probably won't keep the basket because I have too many of them and no remaining space. If postage isn't a killer I'd happily send it to an interested blog reader, though I think far away places might be cost prohibitive.

The tiny photo is a 1940's image of a woman. I'm imagining the wrinkles in it were made by being tucked into a pocket of a WWII serviceman; it was in the sewing basket. There were also two sets of type drawers like the two in the photo above but they had no handles. Although I love mine, I still haven't taken the time to refinish them and of course space is an issue so I left them behind. They couldn't have been a better bargain than the two in this photo though, remember?

Dawn shadows

There were a few finds to add to the messy, right side of my fabric cupboard. It's the side where I keep most of my vintage fabrics, linens, and clothes for repurposing; they've been put into a lot of projects lately. I promise the other side is tidy ;)

Next time I will try and photograph the scene at the boot fair. I'd planned to this morning but I was overwhelmed by that, WOW! where do I start feeling. The best part of the morning was going home, knowing I spent so little and anticipating unpacking all my goodies, reliving the excitement of the hunt.

I hope you had a really, very good day too. 

Jx

 

Repurposing and mopping up

Today we quickly whipped up three easy items from one leg of an old pair of Gracie's jeans.

It started when I used the old jeans to make a coaster. I simply sewed two denim discs together then stitched on a vintage doily. I liked the way the denim went with the natural colour of the linen thread the doily was crocheted with.

Secondly, noticing the left-over long, sturdy seam that was scrap, I trimmed the seam close on both edges. Then sewed (with my machine) a buttonhole on one end and an orange, glass button on the other to make an ankle bracelet for Gracie. No need to even take this one off at bath time :)

And lastly, a new bone for Pippi. Denim is a great, sturdy fabric for dog toys. I made a simple bone shape with chalk on the remaining scrap, double-stitched around the shape and turned it. Then the kids stuffed it tightly with fabric scraps. After ladder-stitching up the opening she enjoyed a little chew time. This will be her craft room toy, no dragging it into the garden to hide it from us.

Denim will always be one of my favourite fabrics to sew with, it's uses are endless. Which reminds me, I love this denim necklace and this little denim number too.

Lichen liken the weather

And yay! The sun peeped through this afternoon. We've had very little let up from the rain until today. It rained so hard two nights ago that the chimney above our stove had water pouring down it puddling under the oven, splashing over the stove into our dinner which was cooking away and also into a pool on the kitchen floor (it ended up being a perfect opportunity to give that grimy area a good clean).

Thistles showered

Having a week of heavy rain makes me feel even more sadness for people in Pakistan who are living in the floods and rain with no homes. I know the British people have been big supporters of the relief efforts, I hope it continues.

On another note, a couple of Gracie's favourite summer reads have been The tail of Emily Windsnap by, Liz Kessler and Kensuke's Kingdom by, Michael Morpurgo. She also whizzed through one of the Wimpy Kid books and howled all the way. Tristan isn't a lover of reading, never has been, but he does enjoy Chris Ryan books, lots of action.

Back to school soon. Hopefully the sun will keep on shining and we'll have a chance to hit the beach a few more times before going back.

Happy weekend to you!

Twig flower pots for giving, or keeping: a tutorial

Twig flower pot

I like to give plants to friends or family instead of cut flowers. Plastic pots aren't pretty so I usually wrap them in something like hessian (burlap) and tie them with nice string. I recently tried repurposing laundry detergent containers and dressed them up with twigs - I liked the results. 

They're very easy to make, here's how:

Supplies: Small saw (optional), hessian, a straight sided container, twigs or small branches that are fairly straight, jute twine, glue gun or string

Gather a pile of twigs and cut them down to roughly the same length; you'll want them a little taller than your container. You could forgo the saw and break them if you like.

Take a long piece of twine (about a metre and a half) and at the middle of your piece of twine begin tying the sticks together. Tie near one end of the twigs, single knots should be fine.

Continue tying your remaining twigs until you have long row of them, then gently wrap them around your container to check the length; the twigs should meet but not overlap. In the image above you can see there's no need to remove smaller twigs, I left a few on. 

After checking the length, tie the twigs again at the other end.



Cover a straight sided container with a strip of hessian (burlap). I folded under the bottom edge and tucked in the top edge. I secured it with a glue gun but you could stitch it or tie it on with string. No need to be perfect, it's getting covered anyway. I just pop the plastic pot inside this one but if you plant your flower in this container be sure to poke drain holes in the bottom. 



Now just wrap the twigs around and tie it on.

Told you it was easy!

These are also great to use as vases, if they're too light pop a couple of large stones inside to help weigh them down. When I bring flowers to school to decorate the entrance these are perfect because I can just leave them behind.

This is also a nice project for children who are old enough to tie a simple knot - you may want to help out with the saw though ;) 

Note: The sculpture in the top image is by Dutch artist Toos Bressers, previously seen here.

 

Don't forget to enter the NM blog birthday giveaway, ends June 18.