Garlands and Home Decorations

OOo it's good to be back!
Since my last craft fair on Bank holiday Monday i have taken some time out from the blogging scene just to take a break from things before they became mundane and not so enjoyable.
Today felt like a good time to return with my new project.
I had an invite to a Christening today and because money is a little tight at the moment and because it's a special occasion i decide to make the young lady in question something rather personal.
I knew i wanted her name on it and it HAD to include fabric flowers!
So i drew some letter templates, transfered them to fabric, stitched and then filled them with polyester toy stuffing.
When each letter was complete i made 6 fabric flowers. I then cut, baked and attached fimo clay flowers to the center instead of my usual buttons. I think they work really well.
Letters and flowers were then strung together to make this rather fab hanging garland.

Looks great hanging on a bedroom door!

I was so pleased with how my present turned out that i have listed it on Folksy as a "made to order" item and then decided to make more home decorations.

Really pleased with how they have turned out.

And if you would like to purchase these or any other personalised garland please pop along to my Folksy shop CottonsAndDreams.

Thank you so much for popping by, i wont leave it so long next time.

And if you would like to see how other crafters have spent their week pop along to the 21st Handmade Monday blog hop organised by Wendy of 1stUniqueGifts

Until next time

xxx

How To Make A Bow

You may remember a few weeks back i posted a photo of this bag made from William Morris fabric and said that i felt it wouldnt look right with my usual Kanzashi flower and wondered if a bow would suit it better.
Well i havent made bows before so this was a new one on me and finally this week i got round to making one. I folded a strip of fabric in half and marked out 2 parallel lines 13ins long and 1.75ins wide finishing the ends off to a point and sewed around them leaving an opening at the centre for reversing. After stitching i trimmed around to leave a small seam allowance.

Turn right side out and press.

Fold and stitch 2 tucks at the centre of the strip and 2 tucks 3ins in from either end.

Fold the strip into a bow shape and stitch into place.

Add a small strip of fabric accross the centre made in the same way as the bow to create the bow knot. You can make this any width you prefer, mine is an inch wide. Secure with a few stitches at the back.

Decorate with a button or brooch.

My lovely brass button was acquired from a lovely 50 year button stash that i have just been given by a family member.

Attach to the bag with small hidden stitches and VOILA here it is and definately suits the bag i think!

And if you dont fancy making this yourself you can find the bag for sale in my Folksy shop CottonsAndDreams.

Many thanks for popping by and if you would like to see what other clever crafty folks have been up to this week follow the link to 1stuniquegifts and have a read of everyones blog for Handmade Monday.

Until next time.

xxx

Handmade Monday Week 11 - The Kanzashi Fabric Flower

The Kanzashi Fabric Flower are the decorative hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. Today, they are most often worn by brides and Geisha participating in tea ceremonies.For Geisha, the style and manner in which Kanzashi is worn indicates status. Apprentice Geisha wear more elaborate Kanzashi than older Geisha do, and they progress through several hairstyles where the Kanzashi ornaments must be worn in a fixed pattern. These flowers have become quite a large part of my products just recently (as you have probably noticed!). I think they make each item just that extra bit special. Very easy to make so i thought i would record each stage in todays post. Start with cut out circles of fabric. For my large flowers i tend to have 12 petals in the flower but that is entirely your choice. Take your first circle and fold in half.

Fold in half again

And again.

Next fold down one flap

And the same on the other flap

Thread your needle and pass through all sections of your fabric at the base of the petal

. Do the same with each circle and add to your thread. When they are all threaded take your 2 cotton ends and pull all the petals together and tie a knot.

Sew a button into the center. I usually put glue on the button base also to keep in place securely.

And glue a circle of fabric on the reverse to hide all the raw edges.

And there you have it. A perfect embellishment for your new bag!

This is the next bag in my collection and can be found for sale on Folksy.

As you know i also make them with a brooch back sewn on the reverse. Inspired by Carolee Crafts black and white fabric last week i went out and purchased some for myself. Looks great as a brooch.

And on Folksy this week i was asked if i could put a flower on a hair clip or barrette as i have found out that they are called.

Of course i could!!

You can find more of my flowers for sale in my Folksy shop CottonsAndDreams.

Find out what other crafters have been up to this week by visiting 1stuniquegifts blog and clicking on the links.

Until next time.

xxx

Handmade Monday Week 6

Welcome once again to Handmade Monday organised by Wendy of 1stUniqueGifts.
This seems to be turning into a very popular weekly blog, which is great. Last week there were 25 participants, all with lovely stories to tell of their week of craft. It's lovely to read about what everyone else is up to.
So for me it was a chance to finish my bags and as i reported in an earlier post this week i am very proud of what i have achieved.
And here is the finished result!
Pretty in Pink.

Glorious green.

And accessories to match!!

Mobile phone cases and pen cases.

Looking forward to hearing your comments on the bags as next weekend is my first craft fair of the year and these bags will be making an appearance.

Also making an appearance will be fabric flower brooches.

And just to finish off, a photo of my red heart wreath that i listed on folksy yesterday as part of The March Hares challenge, listing an item a day.

No sales so far but still hoping. If you are interested in my wreath or any other products you can find me on Folksy under CottonsAndDreams.

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you want to see more of Handmade Monday bloggers, pop over to Wendys Blog.

Until Next Time.

xxx

Handmade Monday Week 4

This week i have been to heaven!

Heaven to me comes in the form of my favourite fabric shop The Bramble Patch in Weedon.

If you ever want any of the fabric you see on my blog The Bramble Patch has an online shop containing all the material they sell.

So i had a £20 loyalty voucher to spend this week so i really treated myself to this lovely bundle of fabric.

Only thing is my head is now swarming with ideas of projects to do and i am now forcing myself to do one job at a time and complete all half finished projects before starting something new. So i put together the teddies from last week, plus i made a couple more so i have a collection now! I love them and they will be listed in my folksy shop over the next couple of days.

Next project i finished were the kids pin cushions that have sat on my work bench for a couple of weeks. My idea is to make a childs sewing bag and include a sewing kit, pincushion, needle case and possibly a small button bag. Watch this space for the finished article!

All sewing completed and now to try and get marketing again.
My new folksy shop CottonsAndDreams is looking a little sparce so i am attempting to add items on intermitant days this week as this keeps me near the front page with the hope that sales start coming in.

Today i have listed my old faithfuls the tooth fairy cushions. Big sellers at my fairs and such a brilliant idea. Wish i'd have had one when the boys were small instead of rummaging around under the pillow looking for that all illusive tooth!!!!

And that's all folks!!

Handmade Monday is organised by Wendy at 1stUniqueGifts ,and organised very well i might add!!

Please make time to pop along to her blog and check out all the other crafters joining in with this weekly item.

Until Next Time.

xxx

Handmade Monday

Welcome to my first Handmade Monday which is a new, regular feature that has been set up and organised by the lovely Wendy of 1stUniqueGifts http://www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk/blog/
If you are a regular of my blog you may remember i purchased a lovely campervan plaque from Wendy during the summer and i am a massive admirer of the work she does.
So the idea is that each participant makes something new each week and shows it off on a monday on their blog. They can also show things that maybe they are working on or even lovely photos of how messy their craft area is!!!!!
Everyone will have a link in their post back to Wendy so you can pop by and see what she is up to and while you visit her blog you may want to check out the links she has to all the other participants.
Hopefully that was all understood!!
So for my makes this week i'm incredibly proud to show off my first ever bag. My sister bought me the kit from my favourite fabric shop The Bramble Patch for christmas .
I started it a week ago and did bits here and there. Finally, after rushing out for more cotton, i sewed the last piece in place yesterday morning.

I made a mistake sewing up the pelmet so i made one of my favourite fabric flowers with a gorgeous metal heart button to cover the mistake up and was really pleased with the result.

And to finish off and accessorise this lovely practical phone case in matching material.

I love the bag so much that i will be attempting more very soon to maybe add to my new folksy shop CottonsAndDreams.

Looking forward to doing this all again next Monday.

Until then

xx