Free Craft

On the run up to Christmas (there I mentioned it!) I was wondering how many of you are searching for free crafts and patterns.  There are certainly many kits and ideas available to buy but isn't that moving away from the traditional idea of a frugal crafter?  I am not saying we shouldn't buy or treat ourselves to these items but ideally it is wonderful to use what we have or make something new from old when we can.

I have had denim and fabrics passed onto me from friends, my mother in law currently has some old handbags she has held onto because she knows I will unpick the zips and hardware from them, I was even given some vinyl floor samples once 'to do something with'.

It used to be the norm to salvage things and make new and then came the fast fashion years and everyone seemed to turn away from homemade.  Things are changing and people are beginning to see the value in reusing and buying items to last, the only downside is that charity shops are not as cheap as they used to be as they have grown in popularity.  This could have a negative effect as people may be turned off from buying a used item when they can get a new one for less, just a thought.

It is wonderful to see all the colourful quilts that fellow  bloggers are making and I think that has to be one of the best uses for scrap fabrics.  The designs are unique and totally eye catching, I have only done a little quilting and patchwork myself but the results always surprise me I feel no matter what your skill level we can all do something.  Many templates are available for free, here are some of my past scrap busting projects.

This is leaf is great for scraps.

My cathedral window is a bit wonky but colourful.

These two cushions are again a great way to use up scraps, the pink one is called pin wheel and takes a bit more work but I like it and have done a couple of those.  I think with any kind of patchwork you can make something bold and different, and better than anything you would find in the shops.

I don't how many of you out there this will appeal to but it is certainly worth a look and it is the range of free printables available on Papercraft inspirations  website.  Even if you are not into papercraft yourself you may have children to keep busy on the dark nights up to Christmas.  Some of the designs I am sure would keep young people busy for a couple of sessions if you go for the more adventurous designs and there is no rush to complete them just yet.

I am going to have a go at these cute penguin cards just as soon as I have figured out what is wrong with my ink.  That is the thing I suppose you have to have a printer but you don't have to print off every element on the download, some of the shapes could be cut out of recycled card.  I just thought this was handy to share as a free resource.

Love sewing magazine also have free pattern downloads find them here if you are looking for clothes patterns, these can run to a lot of paper though so if you are brave enough just deconstruct and old garment and use that as a pattern for fit.  Things like sleeve length and overall length do not really require a pattern and once you have done  it a few times you will wonder why you ever bought patterns.

I currently have fabric for a dress and a top but I have been holding out on making them yet, they are for my winter wardrobe and I know as soon as I make things I want to wear them so it is like saving a treat.   There is also a handbag cut out with a design pinned to it on my table also part of my current slow sewing.  If I had a rush of sales in bags I would crack on but there is no need currently for any rushing.

Today I made another experimental carrot cake, it is a bit odd.  I seem to do a couple of amazing cakes followed by a slightly odd one every now and then.  Maybe it is so I don't get too complacent about gf baking, who knows?

Well that is all for now, take care and  please share any free crafting links you know of in the comments below.

October...ing

These ...ing posts certainly come around quickly don't they?

Settling into the new season and only beginning to get used to getting up in the dark!  What happened there then? The dark mornings have literally come out of nowhere and my body is resisting getting up without daylight.  I am seriously considering trying out my SAD alarm clock again but the only trouble is it bothers my husband. I'll keep you posted.

Making a handbag as a gift for my friend, I had a lovely day sewing yesterday, planning it and finishing it off.  I am going to use similar colour ways for another one for my store but not the same of course, never two the same!  I hope she likes it.

I may add a few beads to the charm, if it doesn't look too much.

Same on the back minus the butterflies.

A bit of hot pink lining.

Reading 'Adventures for your Soul' by Shannon Kaiser, it is a bit airy fairy for me in places although I do enjoy positivity I draw the line at asking the universe for everything and it appearing. I'll carry on though as you never know there could be that one little thing in there that I just love. Also 'What the Dog Saw' by Malcolm Gladwell, now I have loved his other books but this one is very much a series of shorter articles.  A little disjointed and not what I thought but then that is my fault for not reading the review thoroughly.  On a brighter note I have loved 'The Corset' by Laura Purcel this was night time reading for when I go up to bed .  I like something gentle and non threatening before I go to sleep so this book just fit the bill.  I usually have a few books on the go non-fiction, a more challenging novel and an easy read for bed. My mum doesn't understand why I don't read them one at a time however they suit different moods and times of day. Does anyone else agree? 

Baking cakes, my latest was a lemon and walnut cake it was supposed to be just lemon but I didn't feel it was going to be nutritious enough so I swapped 50g of the sugar for ground walnuts and the water for soya milk.  It tasted amazing and I will make it again, no photos as it went so fast.  My gram flour eggless quiche did not fair so well .

Entering lots of sewing prize draws online, this is not something I usually do but I thought why not.  My friend enters these draws and she is incredibly lucky ,maybe some of it will rub off on me. 

Eating lots of seeds, I began doing this after reading an article on seed cycling to regulate hormones in the Healthy magazine.  You eat 1-2 tbs of flax seeds and pumpkin seeds for the first 14 days then switch to the same amount of sunflower and sesame seeds for the next 14 days.  You start all this on day one of your cycle.  It is easy enough to just add to cereals, I am hoping it may be helpful for migraine as I have a definite link with the timings of these.

Walking in the woods and being amazed by the size of the toadstools, much bigger than my hand and keeping my dogs away as they eat everything and we can do without more illness.

Appreciating all that I have, family, friends and a cosy home.

Take care everyone. 

Oddments Top

A little while ago the lovely Jo from Three stories High sent me some offcuts of fabric that she was clearing out for my bag making.  When they arrived I was looking at how they sat together in the bundle and thought I would like to make a top with them if possible and still save little bits for bags.  That idea has sat around in my head for a few weeks and today I got on with it.

The idea being that I would use some of the denim for the side panels and the white and black print for the centre.  I also wanted to use one of the floral fabrics for neck facing and a pocket.  I got the pieces cut out and then I wasn't sure I had picked the right fabric for the pocket.

I stared at it  for a while and then decided to use the other floral that was in the pack, a little darker but still with the right colours.  To be honest I think either would have worked but I had to make a decision.

I am really happy with it and I know i will wear it a lot, I used an existing t-shirt to cut around and just placed the fabrics underneath.  To make the facing show on the outside I simply stitched it the opposite way then topstitched it to the outside.

Now that I have the facing and pocket cut in the other colourway I may have to do another patch top using some of my other pieces.   I made  one similar to this in jerseys earlier in the year and that one is worn often with jeans.

A bag will follow at a later date Jo! This was quite early afternoon and the light was already fading as it has been such a gloomy day.

I did manage to snap a couple of images in the garden of things that made me smile this week, a few lovely flowers that are still coming into bloom this late on.  They are from a mixed  pack of seeds I planted earlier in the year they seen to have taken ages to come up but now they are adding colour as everything else is fading.

They are planted in the planter stand my husband made for me last year so they are up off the ground.

What a colour!  Just what you need after lots of rain, it is just sat there surrounded by dead leaves this one.

I will definitely buy more of the mixed seeds for next year as it is such a nice surprise when they come up and you are not quite sure what to expect.

Also we are still getting cherry tomatoes from the green house, they just keep coming.

Well  I hope you are all having a lovely week, back soon. 

A Gentle Week

Sometimes it is nice to get things done a bit at a time, that is what I am focusing on at the moment and it is working well.  Writing things down does help for me and I don't know why but having to tick it off a list is definitely a sure fire way to make me do things but it can also be demoralising if you put too many things on that list.  I find that if I put start this... do ten minutes of … and so on it gives everything on such lists a chance.  For example I have been doing a bit of cutting or sewing each day, a bit of language learning and sorting small areas like a desk or drawer.  I now write pilates on my list but not how long, so I may do fifteen minutes or I may do half an hour, this allows me breathing space to be tired some days after work and not feel I have failed if I don't do a full half hour.

The little bits of sewing this week added up to this dress...

We also had a nice day to take a photo, I wanted a different location but my helper (my son) did not want to walk over to the field with me to act as photographer.  He said this spot was just fine so I apologise for the repeat in locations.  The fabric is scuba again but this time a lighter version, this will be an autumn /winter dress I am just making the most of the sun today with the bare legs and sandals.  In future it will be worn with tights. 

I have just made a carrot cake, it is very sweet, much sweeter than my usual recipe and way too much carrot. It will probably go quickly as my boys have a sweet tooth but it may be a bit much for me, I will stick to my regular recipe in future.

Earlier this week I sold a bag on etsy so that was a nice surprise, I am now worrying if I have filled the customs label in correctly I did ask the post office to check it but I will only relax when it gets there!  It is the brown bag from my side bar so I will perhaps have to change that image now as I only make one of each style.

Unfortunately I have not had as many walks as I would like this past week as one of my dogs is ill again, this has meant two trips to the vet. He has had antibiotics, injections and paste to help with loose stools but he still doesn't seem right.   The vet said it would be about five days and he would be on the mend  and that was Thursday. He is so thin and I keep giving him extra food but it is such a worry.  It is not as if we can ask them how they feel is it. 

Now I am off to have a read for a little while with a cup of tea, hope you all have a good week.