Aga Top Pads & New Patchwork

When a friend talked about top pads for her new aga, I had to have a go! All these pieces of chicken fabric in my stash have been crying out for a kitcheny make! These are the first ones to go into the Folksy shop. I love this fabric in soft greens and creams with it's pretty chicken and egg design. I've used the insulbright wadding inside so they are good and heat resistent. And keeping to the recycled theme, the reverse is plain cream recycled cotton and the binding is hand made from recycled fabric.

My husband was moderately impressed with my last quilted fleece and commisioned one for his mother. I have to say I am impressed, he isn't normally known for inspirational gift ideas, but this is definitely one of his better ideas. So I chose some pretty soft greens and lilacs that I think (hope) Mum will love. I've also sourced a lovely soft lilac fleece for the reverse. I tried the colours in several different patterns, but finally settled on this one. Just need some border fabric now!

Purple Rain Tote Bag

I love the colours in this bag - plum with touches of red, mustard and green.

I only had enough fabric to make two, and used up the surplus chintz to put a couple of appliqued leaves on the fronts and backs. I don't know why, but the colours reminded me of a wet autumn - hence the name!

I have loads of this slub silk/polyester fabric, and it makes a lovely bag lining.

Happy New Year! (and finished quilt)

First of all, let me wish everyone who has visited this blog and all my lovely customers, a very happy and proepeous New Year! Thank you for all your encouragement over the last year - I've thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope you have enjoyed the things I've made!

I really put my new sewing machine to the test yesterday! I finally managed to finish my quilt. It is a bit of a cheats quilt - machine pieced and backed with fleece rather than wadding and a backing. But I wanted something soft and cosy as a throw for my newly decorated lounge

I used the bag method to attach the cloth to the fleece, sewed the two pieces right side together then turned them right way out; top stitched the edges, then quilted a large pattern. I'm very pleased with it, it is thick and warm and I love the colours, they are so me!

Mended Machine - New Makes!

Well! I rang the supplier about my machine and lo and behold, it was because I hadn't been threading it properly! How embarrassing!

Anyway, here are some bags I made from my recent mega fabric acquisition. There are some beautiful fabrics in there, the hard part is finding which ones go together! But these three were quite easy to make up! The first one in Antique Rose. The top is a gorgeous floral chintz in late summer/early autumn colours. And it looks just perfect with these fabulous deckchair stripes in cream and plum.

Another pretty floral print, this time teamed with a lovely, thick beige chenille - Briar Rose


Another favourite - I love this Vanessa Arbuthnot print of feathers in raspberry pink. I think it goes perfectly with this lovely, winter white, thick chenille. I couldn't think of a better name than Feathers for it!

These bags were all put onto my Folksy shop in the last couple of days and a very lovely lady bought all three!!! I have enough material left to make another one of each (two more of the Feathers one), so keep your eye on Folksy if you like them.

I have loads more to get on with, but you will probably have to wait until after Christmas to see those!

New Machine - New Makes

My new sewing machine arrived yesterday - a Janome MC4900QC. It feels lovely to use - solid and smooth. I've had a play with some of the features - overlocking and monogramming.

The boys will be delighted - a soft, fleece hat and scarf with their name on and plenty of Thomas the Tank Engine.

Only problem now is that I think I've broken it - it did all this, then decided to start knotting the thread. I can't seem to resolve it, so it's a call to the supplier tomorrow. Aaah! Not a good time for getting things repaired, or for being without my machine!

Cafe Latte Tote Bag

A sumptuous tote bag in gorgeous soft shades of coffee and cream. The outer is a heavily textured and woven floral fabric in pale gold and cream topped with a shimmery pale gold shantung silk.

Lining is a beautifully soft mocha satin. Comfortable, wide straps are just long enough to sit on the shoulder.

Bag is fastened with a button tab and pretty silver coloured filigree button.

15" wide x 14" deep, 5" gusset. 1 internal pocket.

Olive Grove Tote

Lovely rustic tote bag, reminiscent of an italian olive grove. In reds, golds and shades of olive green. The outer is a woven, leafy jacquard in antique gold, with hints of red and olive green, topped by a stripey red and gold chenille.

Lining is soft, olive green satin. Wide comfortable straps will just sit on the shoulder. Fastened with a tab and antique gold patterned button. 1 internal pocket. 15" wide, 13" deep with a 5" gusset.

New Jean Genies

I've been very busy cutting up unloved jeans and turning them into something much more practical!

Jean Genies are made from recycled jeans combined with offcuts of curtain or furnishing fabrics. They have a single, wide, soft strap that is long enough to sit either on your shoulder or across your body.

They have 2 or 3 internal pockets for those fiddly things that always drop to the bottom, such as keys and phones, and plenty of space in the middle for the rest of the junk (sorry, 'useful items') that a girl needs in her bag.

There are also two pockets on the front and rear of the bag for even more bits and pieces. Just don't forget which pocket your keys are in!

Everything is kept under wraps by a large flap fastened down with a vintage button.

Charcoal Rose

Supersoft charcoal denim and vintage cotton chintz.

Lined with the cotton chintz, two internal pockets.

Rock the Kasbah

Dark navy blue denim matched with a vibrant red floral chintz. Lining red chintz. Two internal pockets. Outer pocket on the reverse of the bag is made from a heavily embroidered denim patch.

Chocolate and Chilli - SOLD

More pics of the bags:

www.flickr.com

Harvest Festival

Three totes, all slightly different, made from the Designers Guild Passiflora Collection of fabrics.

There is only one of each so these bags are unique.

Made using co-ordinating fabrics from recycled sample books, each bag comprises a variety of fabrics including prints, jacquard weaves and chenilles.

Winter Sun - in pale, wintery yellows, creams and beiges.

Autumn Leaves - in russet, chocolate and orange

Cruise the Med - in turquoise, lime and lavender.

I've been tagged .....

This is new - hope I do this right! I have been tagged by Lazydaisy Glass whose blog is http://lazydaisyglass.blogspot.com/ and is now added to my blogroll. The rules are as follows:1) Link to your tagger and list all these rules in your blog. 2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. 3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs.4) Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Now for the facts, this is difficult!

1. My sewing machine was a 21st birthday present from my Mum
2. My family used to run a restaurant called 'The Taming of the Stew'
3. I've been on the top 5 roller coasters in Florida (2000): The Incredible Hulk (Islands of Adventure); Duelling Dragons Fire and Ice (Islands of Adventure); Kraken (Sea World); Montu (Busch Gardens) and Gwazi (Busch Gardens)
4. I have 10 chickens in my back garden and run poultry keeping courses in my spare time
5. I was Milnthorpe Ladies Darts Champion in 1987
6. I'd love to move to a smallholding in France
7. I gained a BSc(Hons) in Public Health Nursing in 1998.

I am going to tag the following bloggers (getting hard to find people who have not already been tagged - I should've done this sooner I think!):

1. http://kitschenpink.blogspot.com/
2. http://www.moonziedoos.blogspot.com/
3. http://lomondsoap.blogspot.com/
4. http://8thofthe8thofthe8th.blogspot.com/
5. http://www.christianshens.blogspot.com/
6. http://kooringa.com/
7. http://claretblog.vox.com/

I hope they don't all have to be crafters or blogspot blogs!!

Have fun tagging! :-)