Little felted notebook covers

Now that everyone will have had their little handmade Christmas gifts, I can blog a few of them, so that you can see what has kept me out of mischief over the last few weeks!

The little book covers are needle felted using my embellishing machine. I worked yarn, threads and dyed silk onto an oblong of felt.

Once I was happy with the picture, I added a few beads to complete each one.

They are simply glued onto the front of a little notepad.

I added a little poem of my own to the inside page just for fun!

Christmas Greetings

The last few weeks have flown by- I expect its been the same for most of you. The cleaning, tidying, shopping etc in the build up to Christmas, seems to take up lots of time. I do a bit of that but most of my last few weeks have been thoroughly enjoyable as I have been busy crafting away and making lots of gorgeous little Christmas gifts for friends and family.
I might blog a few after Christmas but not now as I don't want to spoil the surprise!
Its always hard to know what to buy and post to my friends and this year I decide it was going to be "Twiglet-made" goods. So, at least some of my Yorkshire friends will have received a little parcel with a few of these goodies!!
My photo is just the flowers on my hearth with some of Ms old favourites alongside. The little stained glass Santa candle holder was a gift for Ms first Christmas and from the same folk who made the little wooden Santas. A special Happy Christmas to them if they read this!
Christmas will be different for us this year, as we will be spending some of it with M in her new home. She is cooking Christmas dinner and has done the "big shop" instead of me this year.
So, to all friends and family who read this - All my good wishes for a very happy Christmas and a brilliant New Year!

Three little maids...

Have you ever done something that is so familiar to you that you can put yourself on auto-pilot and "go with the flow"? My daughter has decided that her tree decorations are going to be colour coordinated to match her new lounge. (Very "Ideal Home" and fine - until you get to the stage in life when the tree goes up at the last minute and the box of old faithfuls come out of the attic!!)

So, wanting to help with a few little tree decorations, I went into the sewing room and lifted down the box labelled "Christmas mouse bits". What a little treasure store of felt mouse heads, beads, ribbons, lace, lurex threads etc! I collected all the necessary - scissors, needle, sewing thread - and carried them into the lounge so that I could work and watch the Friday night comedy.

And then this was when nostalgia hit and my brain went into overdrive.....

I must have made hundreds of these little mice over the years. Many weeks, working up to Christmas, have been spent making these tiny creatures, either to go on our tree or to give to friends or to sell at craft fairs. Many, many more have been made for the children in my class each year. Girly ones with satin dresses and lace pinnies and boyish ones dressed in felt on skis made from lolly sticks with "cocktail" ski sticks! Each one being carefully wrapped and labelled to go under the class Christmas tree on the last day of term.

Then I remembered the birthday mice - probably for my daughter's seventh birthday. I made her a tiny, two tier wedding cake with a little bride mouse on top and seven, dainty, pink bridesmaid mice for her little friends to take home after the party.

I haven't made any for years now, but, as I sat down to sew, it was as if I made them yesterday. The needle flew and the scissors snipped and in no time at all I had three, gorgeous, white mice dressed in pink and silver. They stood on my mantlepiece over night, looking very festive, awaiting collection. I am sure they will delight their new owner and probably bring memories flooding back to her too. Now I think I might be tempted to make a few more - anybody want one?

How Roman blinds can lead to fun and laughter!

I made ten blinds for my house and since September I have made ten more for my daughter's home - so I guess, although I don't claim to be an expert, I have had plenty of practice!
Having mentioned this to an old school friend, she remarked that her son and his partner wanted blinds for their lounge. Being the kind hearted soul that I am, I offered to help her to make them.
Last week we went to measure up and yesterday we met up at her house to make them.
I have to say, that although we spent seven years at school together, we have only met infrequently over the years since I moved up to Yorkshire. Moving back to my "homelands" has enabled us to rekindle our friendship. Yesterday was proof that childhood friends are some of the best we ever make.
We arranged to meet in town, so that we could have a quick look round and a coffee, before heading back to start on the gorgeous fabric for the blinds.
The beige linen fabric with cream velour lilies scattered across it was already laid out on the lounge floor, ready for measuring and cutting. We chatted as we deliberated where to start, which lily would look best across the top etc. It was easy to agree and together we measured each blind and then cut them out, as well as the linings to go with them.
The time flew as we reminisced old times, friends and families. We laughed as we worked together, just as we had, as giggling school girls, all those years ago.
With our sewing machines set up on either side of the dining table, we sewed along, managing to get each blind half-finished before tea-time. Mrs Woodroffe, our old needlework teacher, would have been proud of us and indeed her name was mentioned more than once!
I will return next week hoping to find them all done and ready for us to pop over and hang.
It just made me think how good it is to share knowledge and expertise and what fun can be gained in doing so. (Of course having taught infants all my life I knew that already!)

Recycling for fun!

We all have mad moments and make purchases on impulse now and again!







Having checked out a few of the multitude of charity shops in Shrewsbury I came across this well loved, little sweater. I looked at it on the rail and deliberated, then I put it back where I found it and roamed around the shop. The pretty colour and its cheery embroidery seemed to call to me so that, as I walked towards the door, I found myself lifting it from the rail and paying for it.
Having arrived home with my little bargain, I then had to decide what to do with it. I trawled the web and found lots of websites for using recycled sweaters. Suggestions included; bags, purses, hats, leg warmers, brooches and many more.
I followed the instructions on felting sweaters and washed it a couple of times on a hot wash. The result was a tiny, well felted woolly sweater which I cut up into front, back and two sleeves. As I had never sewn with a felted sweater before, I decided to use one of the sleeves first. At least if I ruined that, then all was not lost!!



So, using the embroidered area, I cut out the front and then used the top of the sleeve for the back of a little bag. I used the rib from the neckband for the top of the bag, adding a button and button hole. The strap is a twisted, felted length of wool. I lined it with bright pink cotton fabric.


The result - well make your own mind up - I think its cute!