It's official- summer is over!

Oh yes- the rain has definately set in, the skies are  bleak and the garden is beginning to look like a war zone. Only one thing for it really- get creative and take my mind off it!! 

I fancied a change from bags and wallets, and having not done much knitting this year I decided it was time to pull the needles out again... well, we all need gloves, especially now the temps are dropping faster than a lead balloon.

So here are my latest creations... these are adult size, one pair with mitten flaps, one pair without. As I finished my second pair my son asked for a pair so I had to downsize the pattern... as soon as I can get a pic of them I'll post it- he's run off to school with them already! 

I've added a pattern in the how-to-patterns section. Have a go- it's a great way of using up all your oddments of DK wool, you could get some really funky gloves going on!!

Here they are at last- a pic of my son's gloves...

Don't they look funky!! Honestly, they're really easy- give them a go! xx

Rucksack heaven!!

Oh, I finished it today, so it's had a bit of a road-test and performed brilliantly!! It's so comfy and fun... I might just put a bit of velcro in the inside pockets though, just to stop stuff falling out if I threw the bag around- well- it will happen at some point!

Here it is finished...

I've really enjoyed making this but I'm not sure if I would be able to justify charging £70/80 for it, even though it's taken 3 whole days to make because of the work involved... we shall see, I might list one on Etsy as a "special order" and see how it goes...

The tutorial is completed over in the how-to's textiles section. Have a go... post me a pic... any questions just email me- I'll go through it with you if you're stuck! 

Rucksack in progress...

Well, today's been fairly productive... I almost got it finished- only the straps, eyelets and hoops to add. Here's how it looks so far...

I'm just typing up the tutorial so far, that will be added to the how-to's textiles page very soon, and tomorrow I'll have my bag completely finished.

As you'll see by the tutorial I tend to make things up as I go along- you really don't need a pattern if you understand the construction rules. If you want to follow the tutorial I began with 1m of 45cm fabric and quilted 60 5" squares for the main piece. I cut the bag the whole length of the piece at 16 1/2" deep. That should give you a gauge for the other pieces. The straps are the whole length and 4 1/2" wide. Pockets, flap and all the loops can be whatever size you like depending on how much fabric you have left to play with. 

Although I've reiterated this in the tutorial here is a basic list of pieces you will need from 2 1m pieces;

2x 36 x 16 1/2" main body

2x  14 x 5" base

2x 36 x 4 1/2" straps

2x 5 x 9" pockets or to size

2x 6 x 2" strap loops

2x 5 x 5" strap reinforcements

2x 4 x 2 1/2" loops

These should easily fit into 2 m of fabric- the straps, loops and reinforcements can be from one piece or both, whatever you decide.

Check back tomorrow for the completed bag...

More bags in the making....

This week I have been alternating cleaning the mess from the builders with sewing a couple of projects. I can't clean it all in one go- that plaster dust gets everywhere and it doesn't matter how often you wash down, it still reappears the next day.

I have made another rucksack, which has turned out so utterly sweet, but I can't post a pic yet because it is a pressy for someone who will see it if I post- so I'll post the pic in a week or so once I know it's arrived safely. All I will say is that it is beautifully cream, with LOTS of pockets and a piece of my collaged textile as the flap... 

In the meantime- for those colour junkies like me I've also been prepping for my new bag... I wanted funky, colourful, textile this time- my felted satchel has served me well for a few years now, but it's time for a change!

I love batik so I have quilted squares together, with the edges to the right side, then sewn ribbon down the seams to strengthen them...

My wrong side...

The right side before the ribbons...

I love the frayed edges, it's such a shame to hide them so I'm making a feature of them. I've backed this with a pre-quilted fabric also donated from my mum's super-stash. I haven't decided on the exact pattern yet, but I think I'll make another rucksack... I shall be photoing and writing it up as I go so there will be a tutorial in the how-to's textiles section in a while. Tommorrow I'll cut out and prep all the pockets, etc. so keep popping back to see how it develops...

PYRAMIDS IN MY STUDIO...

Continuing on from mum's pressies, I got out some denim that I'd had kicking around and set about creating a few pincushions for Etsy. I wanted something original but useful, so I tried a cube, but felt it was too ordinary and bulky, and the pockets just didn't seem right... so I played with some other shapes and finally settled on a pyramid.

The pyramid gives me a chance to add a pocket using my collaged textiles which match the needlecases on one side, a ribbon on another to keep scissors, and a 3rd side for pins, needles etc. I get to decorate each side in a different way, but still keeping in style and colour. Each has a loop for carrying- you know how you always end up carrying too much at once when setting up for a project! I finish with one of my cute multi-coloured crocheted flowers.

Here's a few completed, they are so sweet I'm going to have to make one for myself, probably in the purple textile I collaged at the weekend while hiding from my kitchen ceiling! (Long messy story...)

Yellow, I keep set colours of textile in stock, but take orders for special combos

Each side in detail- ribbon strap, pin-side and textile pocket

 I shall be making more with the denim- I usually use coloured hessian, but I like the contrast! I feel some sewing sets coming on for Christmas- perfect gifts for crafty friends and relatives. I'm also going to start taking orders for personalised colours and detailing, adding an embroidered name to the ribbon, so if you're stuck for ideas then shoot over to Etsy and email me with your requirements...