A Playmat Quilt

I've had this in my 'To Finish' pile for almost a year now and it started life as a single bed quilt for someone else's birthday.  But that birthday came and went and another present was needed as this quilt took much longer than I anticipated! 

L is rolling around and is outgrowing the room she has available under her baby gym. With our wooden flooring I wanted to give her something softer to roll onto. I also wanted to make something that she can use in the garden when (if!) the weather gets nicer. The finished quilt measures 1.2m by 1.2m so she has a bit more room! I actually had 16 finished panels and was going to make a 4x4 panel quilt but decided that this was going to be too big so it became a 3x3 panel instead. I've used another panel to make a matching cushion which has been useful in protecting L's head as she learns to keep her balance. (I've still for 5 panels left so if you fancy a cushion let me know!)

I still don't own a walking foot so had to quilt by hand. I purchased a large embroidery hoop and found quilting around each star really quite relaxing. It did take a while so I decided to machine stitch the binding on - I was getting desperate to finish!

But I'm thrilled with how this looks even if it has taken forever to complete. I'm now planning a King size quilt - although it could be many years before I get to complete it!

A Skirt

It is difficult to see from the photograph but the pattern is actually paperclips!

After watching the final of the Great British Sewing Bee I've been all inspired to make some clothes again. I ordered some fabric from The Fat Quarter Shop in America and thought that it would take weeks to arrive but after 9 days it arrived! They had a special deal on delivery which meant that the fabric was cheaper per metre than if I'd brought it from a shop in the UK. I was very impressed with the service and would use them again. 

I've had the skirt pattern for a while but being pregnant meant that I'd not actually got around to making it. The sizes of paper patterns are different to sizes in the shops and you can often be different sizes depending on whether you take a bust, hip or waist measurement. Obviously with the skirt I wanted it to fit on the waist so I used my waist measurement.

Because it was an easy pattern it only took me a day to make. (Without taking care of L I probably could have made it much quicker though). However once I made it I had to do a few alterations. The skirt was huge around my waist and needed taking in by over an inch each side. I cheated with this and just resewed the seams rather than undoing everything. I really should have done the alterations before I sewed all the major seams but you learn something from every mistake!

I'm pleased with the skirt overall and I will use the pattern again but with some adjustments. I'm going on another fabric hunt and I will update when I've made this again!

A Patchwork Cushion

I've finished L's quilt top and because it originally started out as a larger project for someone else I've got some panels left over. I also had a cushion pad that needed a cover so I decided to use one of the panels to make a cushion cover. L isn't sitting yet so I thought a matching cushion for her quilt will be useful. (Mind you by the time I've finished the quilt she'll probably be leaving home!) 

I didn't have a pattern for this (or a zip!) so I made a cushion with an envelope opening based on the measurements of the cushion that I had. Because it was all straight lines it was very easy to sew and, even with having to make some adjustments to ensure it fit the cushion pad, it took me less than an hour to make. This doesn't include the time it took to make the patchwork pattern though but if I want to make some plain cushion covers in the future its good to know it won't take me long! I've also got some ideas for presents so this was a good practise! 

(Please excuse the creases on the cushion - it was used before I got a chance to take pictures!)

I really do plan to get the quilt finished soon. I did start to machine quilt but I haven't got a walking foot for my machine and after a brief attempt I have decided to hand quilt it. My plan for the quilting will also look nicer with longer stitches. Watch this space!

A Taggy Blanket

I got some fantastic fabric from Plush Addict this week to make a taggy blanket for my daughter. My order arrived less than 24 hours after payment and so I was able to get straight to work! I can only do my sewing in the evening when my children are supposed to be sleeping so it often takes me a while to get things finished but I was able to finish this in less than a couple of hours. It was really easy to make and my daughter loves it! If anyone is interested I've got a couple more to make for friends so I could write a 'How To..' post -  just leave a comment below!

How To Make... A Fabric Memory Game.

I have been trying to encourage my two year old to speak a little bit more and was looking online for some ideas for games that we could play together. I've got a few ideas on my Pinterest page but they involved materials that I didn't have to hand. My Grandma has gradually been giving me all of her leftover fabric so I really wanted to use some of this. So when I found this I knew it was perfect! I altered the instruction a little to fit with what I had and here's how I did it:

1. Choose 10 different fabrics to be matched and one colour for the boarder and backing of the pieces. I went for blue for my boarder and backing. You will also need some fusible interfacing. (There are 20 fabrics in the picture below but I decided that it was going to take forever so decided to have just 10 matching pairs!)

2. Cut out 40 blue squares 3x3 inches and 20 squares 2.5 x 2.5 inches from the coloured fabrics (you need 2 each from the 10 different fabrics). From the interfacing you will need 40 squares 3x3 inches and 20 squares 2.5 x 2.5 inches.

3. From 20 of the blue squares cut a central square measuring 2x2 inches.

4. Iron the fusible interfacing to the coloured fabrics and the blue squares using the appropriate size squares of interfacing. 

5. Pin the coloured fabrics to the blue boarders. Sew together. (I did this by hand but it probably would have been a lot quicker to do it by hand!)

6. Iron the fusible interfacing to the back of the coloured fabric/ boarder squares and then iron together with the solid blue squares.

7. Use pinking scissors to trim each of the edges. (I probably should have sewn the two squares together but there seemed to be enough interfacing to hold it together!)

My plan is to use this initially as a matching game but there are lots of ways that it could be developed and adapted: 

1.  Play it as a memory game
2.  Play snap
3. Use it to help with colour recognition
4. Make a similar game but with numbers / alphabet 
5. Alphabet could also be made up for capital and lowercase letters

I might have to make the alphabet ones from card otherwise there's a lot of cutting and sewing involved! 

Do you use anything similar with your children?

How To ...Make Cake Bunting

It was my Nan's 80th birthday earlier this week and I was given the task of making her birthday cake. I decided on a simple cake (a Victoria sponge) but with some over the top decorating. I used butter icing all over the top and sides of the cake and was going to use hundreds and thousands on the top in the shape of '80'. However hundreds and thousands get everywhere so I quickly abandoned that idea! I decided instead to cover the top completely in hundreds and thousands and make some bunting for the top of the cake. 

1. Cut out 15 mini flags. 

2. Make some bias binding 1 cm wide when folded. You will need three equal lengths.

3. Pin the flags to the binding and sew into place. 

4. Write HAPPY BIRTH  DAY onto the flags.

5. Tie the binding to some wooden kebab sticks and insert into the cake. 

This was a little bit rushed so I'm not completely happy with how this turned out but my Nan liked it so that's the main thing!

Baby Bandana Bibs

I ordered some fabric at the weekend from Plush Addicts to make some bandana bibs for my teething, and therefore extremely drooly, daughter. Today I had some time and made four of them! I'm really pleased with how they've turned out and with a bit more practice I'll be able to make them look really professional! (The blue star pattern is for my friends son who is having the same teething issues as L!)

What do you think?

How to... make a coffee pot cozy.

After making the 9 patch quilt block last week I decided to use it for something practical and make a coffee pot cozy.

1. Sew two 9 patch quilt blocks together.

2. Layer the two 9 patch quilt blocks with wadding and backing. I used the same blue material as I used in the 9 patch block. Pin together.

3. Quilt the layers together. I decided on a diagonal criss-cross pattern in blue cotton so I could see how accurate I was (not very! I need to get a special tool to help me with this. I’ve seen in in my local sewing shop so will add this to the list of crafty things I need to purchase!). Then Trim to make the edges neat and easier to stitch the binding on.

4. Sew on the binding.

 5. Sew on a button...

6. ...and a fabric loop …

7. All finished!

All ready to keep my coffee warm.

How to... make a basic 9 patch quilt block

After making a basic quilt recently I realised how much I have to learn about quilt making. I decided to do a bit of internet research and see where I should start. So armed with my fabric stash I'm going to practice some different quilt blocks before I attempt my next quilt. This week I've made a basic 9 patch quilt block and this is how I did it: 

1. Cut fabric into equal width strips. You will need 3 strips in each colour. (I was aiming for 5 cm squares in my finished block so cut 6 cm width strips to allow for a seam allowance of 1/2 a cm).

2. Rearrange the strips as shown in the photo below.

3. Sew the strips together and press the seams flat. (I need to practise my seam allowances as I've actually ended up with a 4 cm width strip!)

4. Next cut the sewn strips.

5. Rearrange the strips again as shown below and sew together to form the 9 patch quilt block. Easy! 

My plan is to sew two of these blocks together and make a coffee pot warmer so watch this space!

A Teapot Cozy

This is a birthday present for someone who loves her tea! I also wanted to have a go at quilting something a little bit smaller before I quilt my son's quilt together later in the week. I've already worked out they I need to have plenty of pins in place to prevent bunching of the fabric on one of the layers so I'm glad I've had a go at this first.

I used Messy Jesse's Blog to make the cozy. Mine is a little bit wonky! The fabrics were cut exactly the same so I think they got wonky when i sewed them together. I need a little bit more practice sewing curved lines! 

Hopefully the recipient won't notice the mistakes!

My Top 5 Online Fabric Shops

Often when I'm searching for fabric online I find fantastic designs but then I realise that they are based in the USA or Australia. With the exchange rates the fabric seems to be cheap but when you add on the shipping costs it works out to be really expensive. So I thought I'd share some of my favourite fabric sites with you - all UK based!

1. Emma's Fabric Studio: Love this site! Lots of modern fabrics with a very large choice.

2. Fabric Rehab: An excellent range of fabrics, including Japanese designs. They also have a shop in Dedham, Essex.

3. M is for Make: A smaller selection of fabrics but they also sell a range of sewing patterns.

4.  The Cotton Patch: A huge range of fabrics, quilting equipment, and haberdashery.

5. Patch: Selling everything to meet your quilting needs!

Update:

6. Plush Addict: Super quick delivery and their minky fabric is so so soft!

Have you got any sites that you'd add to this list?

Preparing The Fabric For My Quilt

After some research on the internet and reading a few other blogs I followed these steps to prepare the fabric for my first ever quilt! (I'm sure there are some technical terms that I should be using so apologies to those who know them!)

Step 1. Wash the fabric. If this is not done first you risk your finished project shrinking or the colours running together. I wasn't prepared for the amount of fraying that would occur during the the wash though. 

Step 2: Iron the fabric - This is important to ensure that the fabric can be measured out properly. 

Step 3. Square up the fabric - I cut the edges of each fat quarter to ensure that when I cut out the blocks they would all be squares rather than slanted squares!

Step 4. Cut out each of the blocks. Because this is my first quilt I decided to keep things simple by cutting by largish squares to stitch together. (This quilt was my inspiration.) To have 15cm square blocks, my 10 fat quarters gave me 60 squares (with fabric left over to make a cushion cover!). The quilt is for my son's toddler bed so this should (in theory anyway) be enough to cover the bed with some overhang. I will need 3 more blocks so have cut these from white fabric I had in my stash.

Next step is to sew them altogether!

To remember for my next quilt (and there will be one as I'm finding quilting to be quite addictive!):

1. Cut a little corner off of each section of fabric before washing. This will not stop the fraying completely but should prevent most of it. 

2. Plan the quilt a little more carefully before purchasing the fabric

A Hand Stitched Patchwork Ball

After making a duvet cover for my son I though that it was only fair that I made something for my daughter! I attended an afternoon patchwork class last year and made a pincushion with the traditional paper technique. I found the technique really relaxing and, because it was all done by hand, I didn't need to get the sewing machine out. Attendance on the course meant that I received a free copy of Cath Kidston's "Patch" which is filled with patchwork projects using different types of patchwork,  so I chose the patchwork ball so I could use the paper technique again. (So this isn't strictly a New Thing as I have completed something with the same technique but I've never made a ball before!) 

The cutting out of the pieces of fabric and the paper templates took a while - I really need to invest in a rotary cutter to make this process quicker - but the sewing together of the pieces didn't take that long. I completed this project in three evenings. 

If  I made this again I would want to think more carefully about the positioning of the different fabrics. I used six different fabrics to make the two halves of the ball that I then sewed together but having made both of these the same, the finished ball has the same fabric together in two different places. (You can see this in the photo with the dark pink fabric). This might not bother some people but it just looks odd to me.

I am fairly happy with it but my daughter is only 10 weeks old so it will be a little while before she plays with it!

A Duvet Set For a Cot Bed

My almost 2 year old son moved into his toddler bed this week and I have been looking for a duvet cover for a toddler cot bed for a while. However the only ones I could find were other character duvets (Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine) and he isn't really interested in any specific character, or were really expensive. So I decided that I would make my own!

I brought two plain white flat sheets for a single bed and measured them out to ensure that they would fit the dimensions of the toddler bed duvet. The ends of the sheets had a 5cm hem so I kept this on one end to make the fastening for the duvet. I then sewed three straight lines with a normal straight stitch to bind the two sheets together.

My next task was to make the fastening for the bottom of the duvet. I considered making ties but I also wanted to use the existing hem and these would not have looked very neat. So I decided to make buttonholes and use some of the buttons from my button jar.

I've never made buttonholes before but once I'd figured out how to use the specific foot on my sewing machine it was actually really easy! I had wanted to make the ties because I thought they would be easier but I'm glad that I pushed myself to do something new (which is actually the whole point of this blog) because I am really pleased with how the duvet has turned out.

The cover fits the duvet really well so I am planning on making another cover in the same way. Now I am confident I might even buy some more expensive and exciting fabric!