Making Stuff

Handmade Thursday; for a birthday pirate

2012-01-26T14:36:00.000-08:00

My not-so-little-anymore boy is 7 on Sunday (and I will be 38 - eek!!) and is having a pirate party.

This is the card I made for him today; some fabric pieces stitched onto card, the number 7 is made from felt.

Linking up with handmade thursday at whitelilygreen.blogspot.com.

New blog header ^^^ Look up there!^^^

2012-01-26T04:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I tried embroidering my signature with the sewing machine.

Just messing about but I like it!

Reverse applique

2012-01-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to try this for ages - reverse applique!

This basically means you cut a hole in your fabric, and put the contrasting fabric behind it.

Simple!

I made this one into (another) card. I think I might save it for Mother's Day.

Pooh's Yummy Cookbook - tried and tested!

2012-01-23T03:41:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited about this post because it's my first review for The Book People who sell loads of books at great prices, for little people, middle-sized people and grown up people too!

So here is the first book they sent us - Pooh's Yummy Cookbook which is aimed at children aged 5 and over. Anthony is 7 next week so I quickly enlisted his help.

The book is nice and colourful with wipe clean pages, some Pooh stories, and 8 recipes. These recipes are all child friendly sweet treats, like cookies, pancakes and brownies. Anthony chose to make the "hunny cake."

The first instruction for this recipe was to separate 3 eggs; Anthony loves cracking eggs and did a pretty good job of this. He also weighed out all of the ingredients on his own but these are all recipes which require parental help and supervision.

Look at that speedy stirring!!

Poppy popped by to help with the mixing too.

The egg whites were whisked until white and fluffy, then folded into the yolks, sugar and honey mixture.

Ready for the oven!

Ta-dah!

We decorated it with icing and sprinkles, because all good cake has icing and sprinkles!

And then we all had a slice! Very yummy it was too, which is the most important thing about a recipe book!!

One of the nicest things about this book is that after each recipe there are pages to fill in. Anthony really liked asking everyone what they thought and writing about making the cake.

I think this feature would definitely encourage children to use these recipes.

There are also other pages to write on; about ideas for snacks, drawing pattern designs on a cake, a list of favourite foods.

Now it is a time for a confession... I actually don't like Winnie the Pooh! I have to say though that this book is rather nice, and would make a lovely present for a child's birthday.

Would you like my bunny template?

2012-01-21T14:14:00.001-08:00

Some lovely comments about my bunny bunting and my bunny card I thought you might like my bunny template :)

Hopefully you can right click on the image and save it to your computer xxx

I call this Bunny Bunting!

2012-01-19T04:31:00.000-08:00

More bunny rabbits!

I know it's not time yet to think about Easter, but these are so cute I had to show you.

Five little bunnies, made from scrap pieces of fabric, slightly padded then backed with felt.

The faces are hand embroidered.

I think they'll look great at Easter, and would also make a lovely decoration for a little girl's room.

Pirate Party bags

2012-01-15T01:19:00.000-08:00

My son, Anthony, has decided he wants a pirate party for his 7th birthday, so I have made a bunch of little drawstring bags for his friends to take home.

I hate those little plastic bags of crap which kids bring home from parties. I spend half my life trying to evict plastic whistles from the house, standing on plastic flippy frogs in bare feet, finding stray marbles down the back of the sofa. Even though we have received numerous novelty erasers over the years nobody can ever find a blasted rubber.

I have also been reading The Moneyless Man which has inspired me to cut down on throwaway goods. I figure at least these little fabric bags might be slightly useful, more so than a little plastic bag.

I shall be filling them with pirate treasure, aka chocolate coins and sweets!

Because the only thing my children are ever really want from a party bag is something edible and not remotely healthy.

Pirates have terrible teeth.

I thought I saw a bunny rabbit...

2012-01-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

This is a little bunny rabbit I've designed with Easter in mind.

He has a floral cotton front, hand embroidered face, felt bow tie and a felt back, slightly padded out with polyester wadding.

I decided to embroider the name of a friend's new baby onto the tummy and attach it to a card; I think it makes a rather cute little memento.

I love you more than...

2012-01-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

Chocolate?

Beer and bacon?

Gin? I'm not sure I could say that ;)

Sewing? oh, no, I definitely couldn't say that!!

These are little A6 cards, hand stamped with any message you like!

What do you love your partner more than??

Love is in the air...

2012-01-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

Getting organised for valentine's day with some machine stitched applique cards.

Hoping to get them listed in the etsy shop soon, meanwhile you can also find them on Shazronnie makes stuff on facebook.

Another bag :)

2012-01-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

I've just listed this in my etsy shop here.

It is similar in construction to the Cath Kidston bag but with slightly different dimensions and shape.

The fabric is a cotton mix, a remnant of curtaining.

I put a lining in this one, which I think finishes it off nicely. The lining is upcycled from an old shirt of mine.

Cath Kidston bag

2011-12-31T01:31:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas my husband bought me a sewing machine, and a copy of Sew! by Cath Kidston. The book came with the fabric to make the bag on the cover.

After a year of procrastinating - I needed more practice, I didn't have the right colour thread, I was busy making something else... I finally did it last night!

It went pretty well, although I skipped the buttonholes on the strap and just stitched it to the bag. I put the buttons on as decoration only.

I am pretty pleased with it, the fabric is nice and spring-like - a little reminder that brighter weather is on its way.

Just one more thing...

2011-12-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

The trouble with making stuff, is that just when you've decided you've made enough stuff, you have an urge to make some more stuff.

So, I made 7 little sweetie bags to be favours on our Christmas table.

I knitted a handbag for Poppy.

I baked a boiled fruit cake.

And I made myself a large gin and tonic!

Happy Christmas everybody!

Pillowcase rescue; the mission continues...

2011-12-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

I loved this lonely pillowcase when I saw it in the charity shop.

I just knew it could have a happy new life as a reusable carrier bag.

It folds up teeny weeny to sleep in the bottom of your handbag.

And I even made it a little pouch to keep it warm and snug ;)

(I am thinking setting up a pillowcase refuge in my sewing box, rehabilitating the prettiest and funkiest so that they can once again lead useful, appreciated lives!!)

Here is my tutorial so you too can rescue a pillowcase.

Radiator dried oranges

2011-12-07T09:58:00.001-08:00

I sliced a couple of oranges the other day, patted them dry with some kitchen roll and lay them over my radiators for 48 hours.

Why haven't I done this before? They came out great, lovely and crisp and orange!

I tied some around bunches of cinnamon sticks...

I hung some on the branches of the tree...

And the rest I scattered into my wooden bowl of pinecones.

Something slightly different...

2011-12-04T09:39:00.001-08:00

I always wear a dress in December (we call it Dressember, you can find out more on facebook.)

So this is a dress inspired piece of applique, and the black fabric is made from one of my old dresses. I think this could be a lovely way of remembering favourite frocks. I'd like to say it was a self portrait but most of the time I'm not that glamorous!

Pillowcase sack; handmade Thursday

2011-12-01T05:07:00.001-08:00

This is really easy way to make a drawstring bag which is ideal for a Christmas sack.

I bought some red pillowcases, turned the top over and stitched it to make a channel for the drawstring - that's it!!

J for James; must do an A and a P next.

The applique was a little more difficult, but only because I had to be very careful not to sew the two sides of the bag together. I've chosen fabrics which are not specifically Christmassy so this bag can be useful all year round.

More handmade Thursdays at White Lily Green.

Machine stitched Christmas card

2011-11-28T02:41:00.001-08:00

Some fabric left over from the advent calendar, glued onto card then embellished with machine sewing.

Handwritten message and mounted onto a square card.

Advent bunting

2011-11-19T07:13:00.001-08:00

I've had this idea in my head for ages - I'm not saying it's all my own idea, I'm sure it's been done before!

I bought a metre of Christmas fabric and made 24 pockets (roughly 5 inches square) and stitched them at regular intervals along a length of bias binding.

The numbers are hand embroidered onto felt - oh, how I hate hand sewing!

And now it's strung around the hallway, ready to be filled with treats!

Fabric upcycling

2011-11-12T01:35:00.001-08:00

Now I love a beautiful fabric shop with lovely rolls of brand new fabric as much as the next woman, but I think I love upcycled fabrics even more. I love the rummaging, the searching, the bargain hunting!

In fact this whole post has been inspired by a recent charity shop fest where I purchased this absolutely fabulous, vintage (St Michael) king size duvet cover. 4 metres of extra wide fabric for £2; I was completely chuffed!

I'm also a big fan of vintage pillowcases; my favourite charity shops sell odd pillowcases for around 50p; not bad for about half a metre of fabric.

School dress; lots of lovely gingham!

And of course there are clothes! I have cut up lots of our old clothes; children's clothes are especially good as they often have smaller prints which look good on small scale projects such as applique. If you are a sentimental person (not me actually!) this can be a way of preserving memories of favourite clothes by re-using the fabrics to make something else. (And another great thing about cutting up clothes is that they usually come with free buttons!!)

Ladies cotton blouses

Little girl clothes

Men's shirts; sensible and lairy!

Have you made anything from upcycled fabric lately?

Still more letters!

2011-11-11T11:58:00.001-08:00

Everyone loves my little name canvasses! (See the first lot here.)

It makes me feel very clever to have so many people ask me to make them something! I've made 16 names on canvas in the past fortnight - with another 7 on order to make next week!

I love making them because everyone is slightly different and if you've read this blog in the past you will know I hate making the same thing twice!!

I've listed them in my etsy shop and you can also contact me via Shazronnie makes stuff on facebook.

Linking up with Mum of all trades weekend blog hop!

More machine stitching on card!

2011-11-08T03:36:00.000-08:00

For a new baby; the letters are made from felt, and the gingham fabric is upcycled from a school dress.

How to make a bag out of a pillowcase

2011-11-06T02:29:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favourite upcycling projects. I'm sure there are lots of tutorials on t'internet about how to make a bag from a pillowcase. I'm not saying this is the best way, but this is the way I do it!

First you need a pillowcase; they are really easy to pick up in charity shops and I love the chintzy floral prints.

Then you need to chop it into pieces.

The bottom piece is the main part of your bag - I measured this to be 18 inches deep.

The two smaller pieces will be the handles; mine are 3 inches deep.

(The top part is leftover; ideal scrap for applique and patchwork projects.)

Take your two handles and turn the ends under and pin.

I top stitch these together, rather than sewing it inside out then struggling to turn them back again.

Here they are all stitched, ready to attach onto the bag part.

Turn the bag part inside out (hopefully you've realised by this point that the beauty of using a pillow case is that it is almost a bag anyway!!) and turn over and iron the top edge down, slipping your handles under in the right place.

Stitch all around near the raw edge. (I cut mine with pinking shears to avoid fraying but you might need to do a double hem here.)

Then turn your bag the right way out and topstitch all around the top, making sure you go over the handles. This will give them extra strength and stop the top of your bag flopping over.

Ta-dah!

(And it folds up all teeny tiny so it's fab for popping in your handbag when out shopping.)

Quick card - handmade Thursday

2011-11-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

For a special friend's wedding anniversary.

This is simply a fabric heart glued onto card, then I ran the sewing machine around it.

Easy, but I think it looks very effective.

More handmade Thursdays at white lily green.

Fabric letters galore!

2011-10-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

It all started with a little name canvas I made for my daughter.

Then a friend from my college days asked for one for her daughter.

That had to be larger, because I can only fit 5 letters on a small canvas!

Then another friend asked if I could do 5 canvasses, each with a letter spelling her daughter's name.

And then I got a request for a boy version, which turned out like this :)

I have 6 more name canvasses on order, which is fabulous! I have been neglecting the housework to sew, sew, sew! I have also set up a facebook page, which is where most of these orders have come from.

If you are so inclined you can like me on facebook here :)

Bunkbed bag

2011-10-23T01:57:00.000-07:00

This is something I've been meaning to make for ages (and a girl needs a break from applique occasionally!!)

It is basically a rectangular bag, divided into two pockets and attached to the bunkbed rails with buttons on straps. This is actually the first time I did buttonholes on my sewing machine. Don't know why I thought it might be difficult...

But anyway, now Poppy has a little bunkbed bag, perfect for a bunny and and a book :)

Bramley Apple Mincemeat

2011-10-21T02:20:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe heavily adapted from one I found on t'internet.

In a large pan melt 20g butter.

Add 850g bramley apples (peeled, cored and sliced - or chopped if you want smaller apple bits.)

Add 400ml water and cook gently for about 20 minutes.

Add 450g sugar, 300g sultanas, 300g mixed fruit, 70g mixed peel, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the juice of a lemon.

Heat gently until sugar dissolves, then boil for about 20 minutes, until mixture is thick. Keep stirring!!

Stir in 2 tablespoons of sherry and pour into sterilised jars. (I got 4 jars worth.)

I like sewing cupcakes more than baking them!!

2011-10-20T03:31:00.000-07:00

The cupcake image is just so sweet and easy to make, and I love it in this red, pink and white colourway. Good enough to eat - except the buttons might stick in your teeth!

It's Handmade Thursday today; why not take a look at some more lovely crafty stuff at www.whitelilygreen.blogspot.com.

tea cup on canvas

2011-10-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

More applique, this time one of my favourite things - a cup of tea :)

More fabric upcycled from my blouse, with some lovely linen cut from a man's shirt.

Very pretty and subtle, which is not generally how my work turns out!

I now have an etsy shop just here which is still rather amateur. It's still a work in progress though - I think I need a selection of interesting pieces of driftwood to photograph my items with!!

A little birdie told me...

2011-10-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

...that I just had to do some sewing.

So I made this little card.

Pirate boat on canvas (can you spot a theme to these recent posts??)

2011-10-13T04:31:00.000-07:00

This is pretty similar to a bag I made for a first birthday.

It is 20 cm square and made from scrap pieces of fabric. I rather like the flowery sea!

I'm going to put it in my etsy shop (when I get one - would like to accumulate a few more first.) I think it would make a great decoration for a little boy's bedroom.

Ooh, look, it's handmade Thursday - go check out some more handmade things!

Cupcake on canvas

2011-10-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Another stitched picture mounted on canvas :)

This one is 20 cm square, and upcycled from scraps of fabric. (That floral print was my blouse!)

I am thinking about opening an etsy shop to sell these. It's a very scary thing though; I like to show off on my blog but I am serious lacking in confidence when it comes to asking people to part with their cash.

Car on canvas

2011-10-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

I am experimenting with this sewn art on canvas idea, so I made this for a little boy called Oscar. His daddy likes ferraris so this is supposed to be a ferrari-esque sports car.

I used felt for the car - mainly because I didn't have any other suitable red fabrics to hand. I'm not sure that I am completely happy with how it has turned out. It is only small - a 7 x 5 inch canvas and I think that made it more difficult - less space for layers and embellishment.

I've sent it to the recipient anyway, so we will see what sort of reception my little artwork gets!

65th birthday card

2011-10-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

For my father-in-law, continuing the current theme of all things stitched there is an appliqued "65" which is stuck to the card with the glue gun.

Then I embellished the card with some ribbons from my cardmaking stash.

Finally finished some knitting..

2011-10-07T03:30:00.000-07:00

... a little top for Poppy.

Of course, she wouldn't put it on for a photo.

(In fact the little madam is very particular about only ever wearing leggings, and a t-shirt at the moment.

Accessorised with legwarmers and a woolly hat.)

You might think it's a rather summery knit for October, but I think it will look cute with a plain long sleeve t-shirt underneath.

(If she ever agrees to put it on.)

The yarn is Sirdar baby bamboo, colourway "Poppy" - which is why I bought it in the first place!

The pattern is a Sirdar pattern, number 1830, which I already made before when Poppy was a baby. I was rather lazy this time around and didn't bother with the lacy pattern on the top part. I think it looks fine without it.

Sewing arty canvas thing - handmade Thursday

2011-09-29T00:11:00.000-07:00

While browsing around a local craft centre with a friend I saw some embroidery / applique art mounted on canvas and selling for £100.

£100!!!!!

Well, mine cost £2.24, plus bits and pieces from my button and scrap stash.

I wanted to make a "family" piece, something which celebrated the five of us.

When I'd sewn all the pieces together I simply used my glue gun to stick it onto the canvas.

And I'm really rather happy with it :)

More handmade thursdays at White Lily Green.

Making it up as you go along.

2011-09-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Today I started crocheting a round thing, which became a corsage.

I love upcycling!

2011-09-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

Making stuff for free is one of my favourite things!

Add my new found passion for patchwork and the upcycling possibilities are endless...

The idea for these trousers came from these patchwork shorts.

I cut out loads of 10cm squares from old t-shirts - ones with stains, holes etc. I just used the good parts!!

Then I used the overlocking stitch on my sewing machine to make 2 pieces of fabric. I drew around a pair of pyjama bottoms to get the pattern.

Why did nobody tell me making trousers was so easy?

Just 2 pieces, 3 seams and a channel for some elastic :)

Poppy loves them; I only asked her to try them on and she won't take them back off!

(And I like them; they remind me of a pair I had when I was a student.)

And the winner is....

2011-09-17T01:44:00.000-07:00

Using a very scientific and complicated method a winner has been selected to win the cushion.

A crocheted bowl is useful after all.

Small child pulled out the winning ticket.

Congratulations Shell! Your new cushion will be posted with haste :)

Blog Post 201; you can win this upcycled cushion!!

2011-09-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be nice to have a giveaway to celebrate 201 entries on my blog.

So this morning I made this cushion...

...which used to be a very large man's shirt.

The great thing about upcycling a shirt is that the button band is a ready made opening for the back of your cushion.

Just needed a little bit of applique made from fabric scraps and buttons.

Would you like to have this very cute cushion all for your very own?

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post before Saturday 17th September.

I will put all of the names into a hat and draw out the winner :)

Happy commenting!

Patchwork bedspread - a big ta-dah for my 200th post!

2011-09-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

It's the biggest thing I've ever made, and I am very pleased with myself.

I bought the fabric on ebay - 4 metres of flowery polycotton at £3.50 a metre. (From this shop if you're interested.)

I cut each metre into 16 pieces and ironed them into lovely 24cm square pieces.

(That took a long time...)

Patchwork would usually be much smaller squares but I was being completely realistic about both my sewing skills and my concentration span.

Highly detailed plan ;)

After much sewing I eventually had a very large square made up of 64 flowery squares.

There is a slight mistake in the pattern, but there are no prizes for finding where it is. (And while we're on the subject of imperfections we aren't mentioning any slightly wonky bits in this project, thank you.)

Wadded with polyester and backed with a king size flat sheet.

And here it is on my bed; it is making me very happy!

And it's also Handmade Thursday; more of that at White Lily Green.

Handmade Thursday - crochet bowl

2011-09-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

The urge to crochet came upon me this morning.

So I dug out half a ball of wool and a hook and started making a hat.

But alas, half a ball only made a very small hat.

It does make a rather fetching bowl though.

(I'm envisaging it holding foil wrapped Christmas sweeties.)

More handmade Thursdays here.

Applique card

2011-08-26T04:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a new family moved in next door.

Perfect excuse to make a little applique card out of that endless supply of fabric scraps.

Another bed cushion...

2011-08-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

... my husband is complaining there's no room for him on the bed!

This is my first proper attempt at patchwork. I'd like to say it was done by hand, but the reality is that I am far too idle to spend a zillion hours handsewing teeny stitches.

I read my sewing machine manual, and lo and behold! A patchwork setting :)

It's still pretty labour intensive though - alot of cutting, ironing, pinning not to mention sewing.

I like that it is made from leftovers though, very frugal! I would love to make a bedspread, but I'm not good at big projects which require ongoing commitment.

(And my husband might demand separate bedrooms if the marital bed gets any more flowery!!)

For Funky, Coco and Licken

2011-08-20T06:09:00.000-07:00

This morning we found that a fox had killed our three chickens.

Now scratching about in Chicken Heaven xxx

Handmade Thursday - a birthday card

2011-08-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I made a card.

Lazy I guess.

But this is for the mother-in-law who is a card maker herself. She actually appreciates a handmade card and the thought which goes into it.

The ladybird is a stamp I got free from a magazine. Not that long ago, I think it was possibly Simply Homemade. I coloured it with my watercolour pencils. Papers came from my stash, and the greeting is handwritten.

More handmade Thursdays at www.whitelilygreen.blogspot.com

Hello Scrapbooking, my old friend

2011-08-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I rummaged through my vast supply of scrapbooking supplies.

(Let's just say I have enough stash to open a small shop.)

Handmade Thursday - 10 minute hair clip

2011-07-14T01:57:00.000-07:00

Do you remember melting your bic pen over a bunsen burner in the science lab?
Then here is an opportunity to use those long forgotten skills!

To make this hair clip you need several circles of polyester fabric and a cigarette lighter (or a bunsen burner if you happen to have one - I'm guessing most people don't.)
You need to carefully melt the edges of the circles by holding them over the flame, this makes them turn up slightly. This is very satisfying.

Then you make a little pile of circles and sew a button through the middle to secure them. I also added a couple of circles of net fabric.

Then use a glue gun to secure a circle of felt and a kirby grip to the back.

Ta-dah!

More handmade Thursdays at www.whitelilygreen.blogspot.com

Little Bootees; now I need a baby to give them to!

2011-07-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

After finishing my sweater I needed a little project so I made these little boots from some leftover yarn.

Aren't they sweet? I think I will give them to a friend who is expecting any day soon.

Pattern available here ; just scroll down the page to find "Oh baby bootee."

Unseasonal knitting

2011-07-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

I've finished my winter jumper! And actually it's not late because I only started it in March.

I bought the yarn (King Cole Dreams chunky) in the sale hoping I'd be able to knit something by the time the cold weather was due to return. Four months is actually pretty speedy for me - I got bored about three quarters in, but I would not let myself start anything new until this was finished!

It's a raglan sweater with side button detail. This is actually the first time I did a raglan style, and I'm very pleased - no nasty picking up!

And one last photo - one of me feeling rather warm wearing a woolly sweater in July!

Mini Cheesecakes

2011-07-08T04:24:00.000-07:00

I made these using my basic cheesecake recipe from this post but I divided the mixture between 12 muffin cases and reduced the cooking time to 20 minutes.

The topping is simply double cream whipped up with half a punnet of raspberries. You could add some icing sugar if you wanted a sweeter topping.

Lemon cupcakes

2011-07-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

I don't usually bake in imperial measures, but this is a variation on a cupcake recipe a friend gave me.

In a large bowl measure out 3oz margarine or butter, 8.5oz plain flour, 10 oz caster sugar, 1 rounded tbsp baking powder and mix until you have something which looks like sand!

In a jug mix 240ml milk, 1 teaspoon lemon extract (or some lemon juice) and 2 large eggs (or 3 small ones!) and pour gradually into the sandy mixture, mixing it in as you go. Mix until the batter is smooth.

The batter will be very runny, so pour it into a jug.

Fill cupcake cases about 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees until springy.

I've decorated mine with lemon buttercream icing, a little lemon jelly sweet and a sprinkle of caster sugar.

I'm so super-duper absolutely smashingly pleased with my new apron!

2011-06-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

It all began when I borrowed this book from the library. I borrow alot of craft books from the library; it's like porn for hopeless craft addicts!!

But I actually decided I really, really wanted an apron like this. It's really a tabard, but tabard is a very uncute, non-sexy sort of word isn't it?

I had this cupcake fabric which I bought from ebay on a whim. What could be cuter than a cupcake apron to colour co-ordinate with my pink kitchen? I had to wait two whole days for some bias binding to arrive by snail mail - because I was too busy / idle to go to the haberdashery.

But - ta-dah! Here it is. I'm so happy, it's my current favourite thing. I really want to bake a cake, but it's nearly time for the school run.

I always wear stilettoes in the kitchen you know... ;)

Applique name bag; handmade Thursday

2011-06-23T04:01:00.000-07:00

As a child I used to love having things with my name on.

This is for a little girl called Ella, a surprise gift to say thank you.

More handmade Thursdays at www.whitelilygreen.blogspot.com.

Handmade Thursday - a summer skirt for me

2011-06-16T02:53:00.000-07:00

I started this skirt about 2 weeks ago, but only finished it this morning because my sewing machine had to be evicted from the dining room while the extension was built. (Lovely extension now finished - see background!!)

The cotton fabric is from Ikea - it's about £6 for 3m in the children's furnishing section.

The skirt is made from 4 A-line panels, and the stripes were really helpful when trying to sew straight.

There is a zip at the back.

There are some pleats at the top, which weren't planned. It would appear I am thinner than I thought!!

Actually I think it was because I discovered my overlocking function, and this meant I didn't need such a generous seam allowance.

Get me, I sound almost technical! Just 6 months ago when I received my machine for Christmas it took me nearly 2 hours to thread the needle!

More handmade Thursdays at White Lily Green.

It's not all great...

2011-06-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today I made a cake. It was flat in the middle and crispy at the edges.
This is my blog for showing off, for pretending I am perfect.

Well nobody's perfect all of the time.

At least it tastes okay!

1st birthday card; handmade Thursday

2011-06-03T01:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know it's Friday, but it's the birthday boy's special day today so I couldn't post a pic of his card yesterday!

Haven't made many cards lately; the 1 is hand cut from patterned paper, and the name is hand stamped.

More handmade Thursdays at White Lily Green.

Ahoy there!

2011-05-27T02:40:00.000-07:00

I made this pirate applique a few weeks ago, but I couldn't blog about it until the birthday boy had opened it! This was very difficult as I am naturally a big show-off!

I do love drawstring bags - useful for practically anything!

The pirate fabric was purchased on ebay, and the green and blue spotty cotton was left over from another birthday project.

The sea and sky came from my scrap box, and the boat hull was cut from an outgrown shirt.

And the teeny fish buttons were a lucky find while rummaging through my box of scrapbooking embellishments.

A perfect present for a special little boy's first birthday :)

Handmade Thursday - Pimped up Button Jar

2011-05-26T03:49:00.000-07:00

My button jar is now a pincushion too!!

This was so simple - just a circle of fabric (about three times the diameter of the jar lid) with a quick running stitch all around the edge. Stuff with wadding, pull stitching tight and tie off.
Then you just glue it onto the lid, I used a hot glue gun.
To finish off I glued two lengths of ribbon around the base of the lid and covered the join with a glued on button.

I have had to tidy my sewing desk to give it pride of place :)

More Handmade Thursdays at http://whitelilygreen.blogspot.com.

Making Art - for the first time in about 20 years!

2011-05-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today I bought a canvas in the 99p store. (Yes, it was 99p.)

I painted in with the pink emulsion which I used for the kitchen.

Unfortunately the pink paint had gone all grainy and stiff, but I was planning a rustic finish so that was okay!

I painted the rest with some old acrylic paints, and hey presto, a lovely piece of artwork for my kitchen!

And it only cost 99p!

Handmade Thursday - Note to self; button sewing is tedious

2011-05-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

I have made myself some bed cushions.

I finished the front one today, having decided it would be nice to embellish it with a nice heart motif.

I'd forgotten how I'm not a big fan of hand sewing - especially not button sewing!

Still, it's done now, and I quite like it.

(Husband not so pleased, pointless, flowery cushions are not a man thing.)

More Handmade Thursdays at White Lily Green (which is a lovely blog I have recently discovered.)

It started with a vest...

2011-05-17T01:29:00.000-07:00

In this case a slightly grey boy's vest which had done that annoying twisty thing on the seams ... but I decided to make it into a dress.

It was too wide for Poppy so I chopped the sides off and some of the length.

My idea was to sew some tiers of pretty fabric onto it. If you are a child of the 70's you will probably remember an item of clothing which had a nylon vest top and a tartan kilty skirt attached to the bottom. This is the same idea - a skirt attached to a vest, supposed to be worn with a t-shirt over the top.

So it doesn't matter what the vest is like - that bit gets covered up.
I think it has worked quite well as an experiment - I have to admit is rather snug for Poppy and only just fits. I should have allowed more width to get it on and off more easily.

Pussycat Applique

2011-05-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

I've made this cat motif for a plain t-shirt of Poppy's.

I quite like the end product but I'm not keen on the faffiness of applique - drawing out the right shapes, choosing the right fabric, embellishing with pretty bits. It's not speedy enough for me - this little cat t-shirt took about an hour.

The main fabric is taken from a much loved outgrown blouse, and I very much like the fact applique is a way to preserve those silly sentimentalities a little bit longer.

I always dreamt of being a designer, darling.

2011-05-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

(Not the greatest photo ever; blame the 6 year old photographer.)

I've made myself another top, from a piece of jersey type fabric my Mum gave me at the weekend.

It is basically two rectangles of fabric (quite a bit bigger than my body to allow for gathers) which I've sewn together into a tube.

Then I made a channel around the top edge and threaded through some fairly wide elastic.

I then added some straps, and hemmed all around the bottom.

It's very comfy and cool, disguising my mummy tummy!!

Actually this would work well as a pattern to make a maternity top, just using wider pieces of fabric and more gathers at the top.

(I would like to stress here I am NOT pregnant!)

Boiled fruit cake; I promise you this is delicious.

2011-04-27T03:33:00.000-07:00

These mini fruit loaf cakes are for our Royal Wedding celebrations, the little round one will probably get eaten before then!

To make them you a need a large heavy based saucepan.

Into the pan empty a can of condensed milk (397g) and 125g butter.

Add 800g dried fruit - I used a mixture of sultanas, raisins, cranberries, chopped apricots, chopped dates, glace cherries - basically all the stuff I had lying around in the cupboard!!

Heat on low until the butter melts into the condensed milk, and then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Leave to cool a little.

In a large mixing bowl put 225g self raising flour, 2 tsp ground spice and 1 tsp ground cinnamon, mix together.

Make a well and put 2 large beaten eggs in, followed by the cooled fruit / milk / butter mixture.

Mix quickly and pour into your tin.

If you are using a deep 7 inch tin it will take about 1 3/4 - 2 hours at 150 degrees.

These small ones took about an hour - until the tops are brown and firm and a skewer comes out clean.

Speedy bunting :)

2011-04-26T04:24:00.000-07:00

I finished making this bunting last night ready for the Royal Wedding fever.

(Although of course I'm planning to keep using it for many parties in years to come.)

It was pretty simple; I cut lots of triangles out of old curtain samples, using the pinking shears to avoid hemming.

Then I put 2 triangles back to back and machine stitched along 2 edges.

Repeat many many times!

Then pin all of the triangles along some cotton tape - fold the tape over to sandwich the unsewn triangle edge in side - and machine stitch all the way along.

A summer top

2011-04-17T02:52:00.000-07:00

I've made this cotton top on my sewing machine, without the aid of a pattern, I think it's come out brilliantly!

I used an existing top as a size guide, but this top is basically made of rectangles - a large one for the back, and 5 panels for the front. It is slightly shaped around the armholes, and it's slightly a-line overall.

I'm not sure about this steppy neckline so I might turn the corners under to make a curvier edge.

The drawstring bag is a wonderful thing.

2011-04-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Quick and simple to make, useful for holding practically anything!

The one on the left is upcycled from some vintage curtains I bought in the charity shop. I might use that to transport my gym stuff.

The right hand one contains felt tips and a drawing pad - another birthday party present. The drawstring is a colourful shoelace.

Sod the housework; I'm sewing!

2011-04-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today I made myself a summer skirt from some cotton I bought at Birmingham Rag Market. I didn't follow a pattern but it's turned out quite well. I might shorten it a bit more; it's hard to tell when you're trying something on with socks and boots instead of little flippy flops!

And the shops are full of patriotism, ready for the Royal Wedding at the end of the month, so I decided to try and make a Union Jack applique.

I used some scrap fabric (some old curtain samples) and cut it with my pinking shears to save too much hemming and wundawebbing.

And I sewed the finished panel onto a bag.

The cream cotton is from a pillowcase I bought in a charity shop, and it's lined with one of my husband's old work shirts, so there's some upcycling for you too!!

Birthday presents for boys - marble bags

2011-03-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Over the Easter holidays we have two birthday party invites, for 6 year old and 8 year old boys.

I've just made these drawstring bags and filled them with a pack of marbles purchased in Poundland, and I think they make a pretty neat gift.

Mother's Day Cards

2011-03-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

This one for my mother-in-law; the image is a free digi-stamp from Bird's Cards.

I printed the image out then hand painted it. Then I drew around the outline in black pen and I'm quite pleased with the end result.

This one is for my mum, just some printed papers, the shapes were cut using my Quickutz Squeeze and the greeting is hand-written.

Mama made Monday - skulls and piranhas

2011-03-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

Just made Anthony this t-shirt by chopping the image off an old adult's t-shirt and machine stitching onto a plain one.

And over the weekend James made himself a pencil case on the sewing machine - with a little bit of Mama help of course!

Home Sweet Home; part 4 - the dining room

2011-03-18T04:51:00.000-07:00

The dining room is home to the dining table. A very important point I think. Too many people eat their dinners in front of the telly, off trays on their laps. We eat around the table every tea-time.

It is also home to lots of books - and we have many more in the children's bedrooms and stored in the loft! I read somewhere that there are households which own more cars than books - surely that cannot be true?

We also keep our antiques in the dining room - some Clarice Cliff pottery, accessorised with some Star Wars lego...

And a Chinese tea set; an identical one recently featured on the Antiques Roadshow. Unfortunately it is practically worthless! They were brought back in their thousands during the war. (Mark's grandfather bought this one while serving in the Navy during the war; his granny hated it, hence the never used perfect condition.)

There are more family photos, old and new.

And this is my favourite spot - my little desk with my net book and my sewing machine. I am multi-skilled and can facebook and sew at the same time.
(How did that desk get so cluttered? I only tidied it the other day.)

Mama made Monday - peasant top

2011-03-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

I've still got loads of this Ikea fabric so this week I made a peasant style top and a little bag for Poppy.

Waiting for summer now so she can wear it with this skirt.

Mama made Monday - Tank top

2011-03-08T00:12:00.000-08:00

I bought a load of Sirdar snuggly bubbly yarn in the early days of my knitting journey, before I realised I hated knitting with bumpy wool.

To be fair this one isn't too bad to knit with and is nice and soft.

I didn't know it was going to be a tank top; I just cast on 100 stitches on a 4mm circular needle and starting knitting. When it got long enough I changed to straight needles, splitting it into 2 lots of 50 stitches.

I decreased by k2tog at each end of every knit row until I had 40 stitches left. I did a few more rows, then cast off. The straps are 10 stitches wide.

I decided to make a crochet edging because I hate picking up and I hate doing rib.

It's just a row of single crochet and a row of double crochet.

The yarn is Sirdar Calico, a cotton yarn leftover from another project. Not quite the same shade of lilac but looks nice nonetheless.

And it fits just right on my little model.

How to make a wet wipes cover

2011-03-05T00:54:00.000-08:00

I've been making these wet wipe covers out of oilcloth, and I thought I'd share with you.

You need a rectangle of oilcloth 26cm by 40cm.

(I think some sturdy canvas type material might work too, normal cotton would be too floppy.)

Turn over the 2 shorter edges to make a hem each end of approximately 1 cm.

The oilcloth won't slip through the machine so you need to pin a layer of tissue paper over where you need to sew.

Sew the hems and rip the tissue off.

Next wrap your rectangle around a full pack of wipes.

There should be an overlap of about 2 cm. Pin each side.

Take the wipes out and pin the sides in place, making the opening central.

(Your cover should be inside out.)

Sew the sides up and tidy the loose threads.

Turn the right way out and it's done!

(Edited to add; if you cut a rectangle 20cm x 16cm, follow the same method and you will make a little pouch the right size for a pack of disposable tissues.)

Mama made Monday; pj bag and an mp-whatsit case

2011-02-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

My son Anthony (aged 6) chose this fabric for his pyjama bag.

It's just a simple drawstring bag, took about 15 minutes to make and he's very pleased with it.

And there was enough fabric left for a case for his mp4 player.

I sandwiched a layer of wadding between 2 rectangles, sewed them together - added some velcro to fasten the flap and folded into a little wallet, topstitching to hold the sides in place.

Here's the lucky recipient.

That's his happy face apparently.

6, going on 16.

Tablecloth Dress

2011-02-24T05:03:00.000-08:00

I bought a square tablecloth in the charity shop. It was 50p.

"Now, what am I actually going to do with that?" I thought to myself.

"I know, I think I'll make it into a dress. Won't worry about a pattern, just cut some bits out, stitch them together, and hey presto..."

Now, I know, it's not the greatest dress in the world, but it's the first dress I ever made!

And it did use to be a tablecloth!!

Another bag, but I'm keeping this one for me!

2011-02-17T06:57:00.000-08:00

This is my bargain bag!

I bought a small (27" x 35") remnant at the curtain shop for 20p, and the buttons were a free gift from my knitting magazine.

For the lining I used about 10pence worth of another remnant of cream cotton.

This is my first attempt at a corsage type flower embellishment. I think it's turned out rather well for some rough circles held together with a button. I put it through the washing machine to get it to fray. The scrap of lace is from my cardmaking stash.

(My bag is based on this tutorial, more or less!!)

Clean plate kid's curry sauce

2011-02-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

My boys think I should make lots of this curry sauce and sell it in Tesco!

This is enough for 2 - 3 smallish children.

Heat a splosh of vegetable oil in pan and fry a large clove of crushed garlic (or a squirt of garlic puree from a tube.)

Add a chopped tomato or two, about 150 ml passatta (or about a quarter tube tomato puree and some water) and a quarter teaspoon curry powder.

Simmer for 10 minutes or so - if it reduces too much add a bit of water.

Stir in two teaspoons of ground almonds and cook for another five minutes.

I usually use this sauce with chicken, but it also is fine for prawns or vegetables.

Hope your children like it as much as mine do!

Stripey bag

2011-02-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

I bought a load of pieces of fabric from the local curtain shop - pages from a sample book.

Of course I didn't know what to do with them at first, but today I cut them into wide strips and sewed them into a large rectangle. I folded this large piece over to make a flap over bag and lined it with some yellow fabric.

The handle is made in a similar way - stitching 3 pieces into a long rectangle.

I'm pretty pleased with how it has turned out, although it took longer than I expected it to. Didn't get any housework done this morning. Shame.

And now it's for sale in my misi shop.

cakey picture

2011-02-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

Applique practice; what better subject than cake?

Healthy - ish cake!

2011-02-01T01:28:00.000-08:00

This is a bran loaf.

Fat-free, egg-free; you could make it vegan if you used soya milk.

In a large bowl stir together:

2 cups dried mixed fruit

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups of All-Bran cereal

2 cups milk

Leave for a few hours or preferably overnight.

Mix in 2 cups of self raising flour.

Bake at 160 degrees for about 1 and a half hours.

I like mine with a bit of home made marmalade.

Knitted Pinafore Dress - Mama made Monday

2011-01-31T03:39:00.000-08:00

This is a stash-busting attempt!

I have a rather large amount of a bobbly yarn called Sirdar Fresco; I was lured in by the pretty pastel colours and soft fluffy bobbliness but it turned out to be a pig to knit with!

But not to be beaten I decided to try knitting it with a strand of plain blue yarn - just a cheapy acrylic dk.

I'm quite pleased with the look of the two together.

And this is the finished pinafore, looks rather triangular in this photo!! The two yarns make the finished knitted garment quite thick - I might try making a sweater using more of the blasted stuff.

Here is my little model; I was worried it wouldn't fit but it is actually rather roomy and will fit for ages!!

Home Sweet Home; part three - the Living Room

2011-01-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

The room with the telly. Everyone's favourite room - except mine!! I would so love to get rid of the telly, but I fear the rest of my family would leave me.

This is where my husband sits, goggle eyed, usually with the laptop on at the same time...
The painting was bought on holiday in Corfu, from a street artist.

I usually sit at the end of the sofa - there's my little table under a pile of cooking magazines and knitting. I made the cushion covers from some remnant fabrics.

I don't really like ornaments, but we bought these wooden dodos on honeymoon in Mauritius so they are quite special.

There are also more family pictures; these are my two boys, when they were small and cute about five years ago!

The living room is also home to a plant. I am very bad with plants, but this one has managed to survive for about 6 months despite my chronic neglect.

Upcycled Shirt Bag

2011-01-26T05:48:00.000-08:00

I've made this bag from a man's shirt I bought in the charity shop.

I folded it to use the button band as the opening for the bag, and the cuff buttonholes make the little tabs which hold the cord at the bottom.

It's lined with the same fleece as the butterfly motif.

Not bad for a prototype :)

Mama made Monday - flouncy skirt

2011-01-24T12:50:00.000-08:00

My first item of clothing :)

A skirt for Poppy; she gets all my prototypes!!

You might recognise the fabric, it's from Ikea and it's already featured on this blog.

Yes, my daughter will now co-ordinate with the kitchen accessories.

I (more or less) followed the instructions on this lovely helpful blog ikat bag. Except my skirt is dual layered for extra flounce. The underskirt is a pink embroidered remnant donated by my mum.

Eeek! Shazronnie's Shop!

2011-01-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

Selling stuff you've made is a bit scary.

What if nobody wants to buy anything?

What if they buy it and think it's rubbish?

Well, I've thrown caution to the wind and opened a little shop on Misi.

It's here; http://www.misi.co.uk/handmade/shazronnie.html if you want to look.

It's rather low on stock (I'm working on that), but I have sold one bag already.

This little child's bag was my first sale, it's in the post and I hope the buyer likes it!

Home Sweet Home; part two - the kitchen.

2011-01-18T04:14:00.000-08:00

Come into my kitchen, where yummy things are made!

I spend loads of time in here (baking cakes, making dinner, swearing when things fall out of the cupboards onto my head) so I decided to paint it my favourite colour - pink!! I can't say my husband was overly keen, but he only really comes in to put the kettle on occasionally.

The very hardworking kettle lives in this corner.

Oh, how I dream of a perfectly co-ordinated kitchen where all the mugs match!

Oh, look!

There's a lovely fresh-baked loaf.

I blogged about my love of baking bread before.

And last, but definitely not least, is the end bit where the washing machine and tumble dryer live. I love all that fifties housewife imagery but I love my modern labour saving appliances more.

One more thing to show you in the kitchen is the sweet shop.

It was made by my father-in-law; it has a real scales, paper bags and lots of yummy sweets.

The children often have a few as a treat after dinner. Sweets aren't banned in our house and the children are very sensible with their sweet shop stash.

The 19p Tea Towel Challenge

2011-01-17T01:34:00.000-08:00

My bestest friend and I visited Ikea, and we both bought one of their 19p Tekla tea towels. We are both sewing machine novices so we thought we could practise by making a very utilitarian item into something lovely.

I edged mine with some other Ikea fabric, and appliqued three heart motifs to match.

And then I made a matching tea cosy!

Home Sweet Home; part one - the hallway.

2011-01-12T03:43:00.000-08:00

I'd like to invite you for a tour of my house; a series of posts which will hopefully encourage me to clean and tidy for you, my virtual guests!
We're going to start in the hallway where this cross-stitch hangs - not made by me, but a wedding present 12 happy years ago.

Come on then, what are you waiting for?

We have this lovely original tiled floor in our hallway. The house was built in 1935, so it's lasted well! It was one of the things we loved about the house from the first time we viewed it.
The pine box is where all the shoes live.

Here's the hatstand corner, and we have two little pegs on the wall too. In theory this is to encourage small people to hang their own coat up.
Look, there's my zebra shopping trolley! Invaluable for picnics and shopping trips with a baby in a sling.

Our hallway has many doors; pretty common for halls in general. Open plan living is not for me, I am far too untidy.
There are lots of family photos in our hallway, and the decor is rather tatty and dated. It's on the To Do list, but under the heading Big Jobs.

And of course the stairs come off the hall. Not every 1930's suburban house has a set of antlers in their hallway.

And right at the end, just before the kitchen we have The Calendar. If it's not on The Calendar I don't know about it and won't remember it. It also incorporates the bulldog clip of miscellaneous bits of paper. (House filing system.)

And there you are, hope you enjoyed your tour. I'd love to look around your house sometime!

Upcycled Applique Bag

2011-01-09T03:43:00.000-08:00

Ta-dah!

The house is a tip and the kids are half naked, but I don't care because I'm rather pleased with this.

It started life as 8 squares of denim cut from an old pair of jeans, a pillowcase and a pelmet. (Buying an odd pelmet with no price label from a charity shop was a bit of a Royston Vasey moment, I'm telling you!)

I wanted to practice some applique, and ending up embellishing it with some old buttons and scraps of ribbon from my cardmaking box.

And I got to practise those tricky curved lines!

T-shirt dress

2011-01-05T01:45:00.000-08:00

It would appear my sewing machine fears were ungrounded as I've managed to make this!

It's an old t-shirt with a length of material (sent by my mum in a bag of leftovers) sewn around to make the skirt.

I got the idea here but I have to admit I didn't follow her instructions exactly.

I think the applique heart was the most difficult part - up until then I had only sewn in a straight line!

Ooh, ooh, ooh, I made a bag! I made a bag!

2011-01-03T01:32:00.000-08:00

Look! It's got handles and a pocket and everything!

It's very difficult to get a decent photograph of your own feet.

2010-12-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

I finally finished knitting my socks.

I started them in February. It would be fair to say I am not good at speedy completion.

Dolly sling; machine sewn by ME!!!

2010-12-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

I made something on my sewing machine!
Okay, it's only a long rectangle cut out of an old dress, slightly wonkily hemmed all around with a couple of d-rings sewn at one end. But I made it! Hoorah!!

(Excuse Poppy's bizarre headgear - she doesn't consider herself properly dressed without 20 hair decorations and a hat.)

Finished in the nick of time...

2010-12-28T05:44:00.000-08:00

... because no one wants a new calendar once January has already started!

It's easy to think you have plenty of time in September, when you recklessly purchase a couple of blank calendars in Lidl.

"That will make a nice Christmas present for the grandparents," you say to yourself. "I can just stick a few photos in, and embellish them a bit."

Then you have to actually find twelve photos. Preferably not all of the same child. Preferably taken at appropriate times during the past year so you can have a summery photo on the June page, and a Christmassy photo in December.
And the kids are sick through most of December and not very photogenic as a result.

And then you have to print them out, and find suitable backing papers for each page.
And then it takes longer than you thought to glue them all in straight. (Or wonky as the mood takes you.)

And you haven't got the right embellishments in your vast box of things, so you decide simple, uncluttered pages would be nice.

But eventually, on 28th December, when the grandparents have all gone home after their Christmas visit, it is actually finished.

Just have to remember to take it to the Post Office tomorrow. And hope Royal Mail can get it there before February!

It's all a bit scary...

2010-12-27T00:29:00.000-08:00

This is my Christmas present from my husband Mark.

A sewing machine - eek!

It seemed like a good idea at the the time, but last night I opened it and I'm a bit confuddled.

There are many mysterious bits.

It took me 90 minutes to thread the needle.

I did manage to stitch a 5 cm wonky line on a scrap of fabric eventually, but I may have to curtail my dreams of producing exquisitely beautiful items and practice on square, flat things for a while.

Pompom scarves

2010-12-16T01:03:00.000-08:00

Let's face it; knitting a scarf is one of the most boring projects going.

Which is exactly why I love this pompom yarn; knits up super fast and super easy!!

The big scarf is for a Christmas present and has been knitted two or three rows at a time in snatched spare moments, and the little scarf is for Poppy's stocking and took about thirty minutes last night.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

2010-12-11T05:33:00.000-08:00

A greeny blue crochet star...

...and a pink one!

A fluffy lavender and white bauble...

...pink with pearls...

...one with pink fluff (oh, how I hate knitting with that yarn!)...

...and one with star beads.