Bow Bag

On Saturday, myself and 5 friends went on a workshop to make a 'Bow Bag'. We got to chose our own fabric, although 4 of us, including me, ended up with identical bags. I've definitely been bitten by the sewing bug - I can't wait to start on my next project!

Finally finished.......

182 rows and 4 rounds of border later, my first crocheted blanket is finished! I followed Lucy's (from Attic 24) colour combination and love the way they all work together. It kept me nice and warm whilst crocheting too :)

Meet Daryl the Dachshund...

My latest class was making a Dachshund pincushion, very similar to the one seen on the Sewing Bee. I had to move out of my, newly found, comfort zone of sewing in straight lines and tackle curves! It was tricky to match up all the various pieces and I found out that tweed is not the easiest of fabric to work with, but I love the finished result :) I named him Daryl, after my favourite character in The Walking Dead - we only started watching it three weeks ago, so have had a mammoth catch up session of seasons 1 - 5!

My Proudest (Crafty) Achievement So Far...

As you know, I'm just learning to use a sewing machine, so when I saw a 'beginner's patchwork bag' workshop, I thought it would be perfect for me to gain some experience. I must admit, when I saw the picture of the bag we were going to make in 6 hours, I did start to worry, but reassured myself that the class was for beginners. Of course, what I didn't twig until I got there, was that it was a class for beginners to patchwork, rather than beginner sewers and that the other 3 ladies on the workshop had years of sewing experience - oops! I worked almost non stop for 7 hours (we were able to stay until we had all finished) and apart from the frequent "can you please help me?" I didn't utter a word, because I didn't have time! Anyway, with the endless help and patience of Sue, the tutor, I went home with a finished, fully lined bag, which I am immensely proud of!

And with the leftovers........

I made a basket :)

More Hoooked Zpagetti

Another Hoooked Zpagetti bag, this could be addictive!

Hoooked Zpagetti Bag

I'm now on row 116 of my blanket - only 64 to go, but felt like a break from the same project, so I decided to have a go at one of the Hoooked Zpagetti bag kits. They are made using recycled T shirt yarn, so although very quick to do, as you use a 12mm crochet hook, it is hard work pulling each stitch through.

Folded Book

I have wanted to have a go at book folding for a while, so I bought a pattern and book from my friend Lesley and gave it a go. It took about 4 hours to do, but I think the result is well worth the effort. Lesley sells some fab personalised gifts on her Facebook page:       https://www.facebook.com/happilyhomemadeforyou?ref=bookmarks

Bina the bear and Harley the Hare

I couldn't resist this crochet pattern from lalylala.com, but I thought it might be a bit complicated for a newbie. I'm always up for a challenge though, so gave it a go and was really pleased with the results.

I also had a go at making a 'moon gazing' needle felted hare. It was hard to get a decent photo of him, but I think you can get the gist.

My next project is a crocheted blanket. I'm on row 50 of 180, so it might be a while before you see a photo!

New Hobby Part 3

The next thing I fancied trying was needle felting and wet felting. The needle felting is done by repeatedly stabbing Merino wool tops with a barbed needle until it becomes firm. The shaping is done as you are stabbing it with the needle. It is not a very sociable hobby though - as soon as you take your eye off what you are doing, you stab yourself!

The wet felting is a much more time consuming hobby. You have to layer row after row of Merino wool, add scraps of yarn and fabric and then soak it with soap and water. You rub all the soap into it and then have to roll the piece in between bamboo mats for several hours until it felts together. I am pretty pleased with the end result though.

New Hobby Part 2

I have always had the urge to learn to knit, but whenever I try, I end up losing more stitches than I have left on my needles! So I decided to have a go at crochet, which I found far easier, as there is only one stitch on your hook to worry about! I watched endless You Tube videos and finally had a go at a project. Lucy, over on Attic24 blog, makes some gorgeous bags, cushions and blankets, which in conjunction with the Wool Warehouse are available to buy as kits. You buy the wool packs from the Wool Warehouse and Lucy provides the pattern on her blog. I bought a pack, which gave you enough wool to make a bag, which I use to store my wool and also a cushion. Her instructions are really easy to follow and I am very pleased with my first attempt at crochet!

I have now bought the blanket pack, so watch this space....

New Hobby Part 1

So, after 20 years of owning a sewing machine I decided it was about time I learnt how to use it! I signed up for a 3 hour 'get to know your sewing machine' course at 'The Make and Do Studio', where I learnt how to thread it and more importantly, what to do when things go wrong! We ended the course by making a simple envelope cushion, which ignited the sewing bug.

So, the following week I did a 'beginners quilt making course' at the same studio. It is only cot size and uses a simple strip design, but even so, I am very pleased with myself, considering I was a total sewing machine novice the week before! We even made our own bias binding, which although time consuming, was worth the effort! Probably should have ironed it before taking the photo though lol!

Happy Birthday

A clean and simple birthday card, made using PTI die and stamps and SU cardstock.

Sweet Treat

I have used Studio Calico's 'Office Hours' kit for this LO. The dotted circle was done using a stencil and a Promarker and the stars were coloured using the same pen (they've come out a bit dark in the photo though).

Caught in the rain

There is no obvious order in which I'm scrapping my photos - this one is from 2007! I'm just picking photos that go with the papers. The papers are from one of my least favourite Studio Calico kits and now that I have used them on two layouts, I feel I can chuck them without too much guilt!

Just Chillin'

Lauren chillin' on a bench at Epcot. Papers are from a Studio Calico kit. stamps are Scraptastic and Kaisercraft and alphabet is 'Pebbles'. At least there is an upside to all this miserable rain - I'm actually getting some scrapping done :)
(apologies for wonky picture)

Hide and Seek

This photo is 18 years old - I might get around to scrapping the new stuff eventually! I have used Studio Calico papers, Prima stitched circles stamps and the old trusty stencilling and splattering!

Catch Up!

I've finally got around to photographing some of my recent LOs for blogging. (I know I've not been a very good blogger recently!) I have also finished the Masterboard project, which was featured on Paper Artsy's blog. I have copied the original Masterboard, but the intention is to then cut it into pieces and use it on LOs and cards - watch this space! The original was created by Jo Firth Young and she (and I lol), has used her JOFY range of stamps. I have coloured them with Prismacolor pencils.