A New Look

Yesterday I thought I would quickly change the look of this blog as it has had the same background for ages. Well what I thought was going to be a quick job ended up taking ages, images were in the wrong place, things were overlapping, well I got there in the end but it is not as colourful as what I had before. My son said he prefers it this way, please feel free to let me know what you think.
I had also had the idea of starting a new online shop so I have been looking at a few ways of doing this. I use my Folksy shop at the moment but that hardly seems to get any traffic any more, from what I have read from others lots of people are having the same trouble.
I originally moved to Folksy from Etsy and initially it was more successful, there is so much out there it is hard to get seen.

There are a few people I know who are doing a couple of craft markets. Mixed reviews on these also as they have told me they have only just made the table cost back on a couple of occasions and while they can be a good way to get your stuff seen, the real point is to sell it!

So at the moment I am not sure what to do, the fees on Folksy are only small unless you sell, but then it's a bit pointless if nothing is being seen. Any crafters out there who have some good success stories and ideas please let me know.

Yesterdays make was a new dog cushion...

Don't worry I didn't leave the dog unattended with a lit candle I was trying to brighten the space to take the picture and he wouldn't stop climbing on the cushion.  This is not his cushion even, my other dogs sometimes like to sit here next to the radiator, he has his own new bed! The fabric was left over from a tote bag I made  last year.

My other nagging doubt about starting another shop is that I didn't want making to be all about money, but is sometimes useful and rewarding to sell some of your creations.  I suppose I have conflict in this area.

 There also has to be a purpose when you are doing something, if it's a gift, an alteration or something for you there is an end in sight, it will be used.  When you are making items for the purpose of an online store and they sit in cupboards waiting to be sold it can feel disappointing. I end up using them myself and so I have many bags.   I would be no use whatsoever with a real life shop as the unsold merchandise would drive me crazy each day!

I have found a site called Zibbet that lets you list 10 items with one image for free and no charges or 50 items with 4 images and a $4 a month charge ( you get more exposure with the fee paying version)

I am a little tempted to give some where new a try.

Also on the Design Trust page they recommended this book...

Now I already have a few books along these lines and they haven't done me much good so far. But I live in hope that there is a business woman in there some where. There is also the fact that maybe I am not applying a lot of what I've read (ouch!) yes I may have to admit that. So first I will try the library for it, then re- read my other craft as business books then if all that fails maybe buy it for myself when it is my birthday.

Birthday Cards Using Recycling and the Sad Waste of Paper

I always like to keep bits of colourful envelopes it seems such a waste to throw them away when you have opened cards. The same could also be said of any envelope really, all those bits of paper just thrown away, that could be used for shopping lists, paper for the children to doodle on or cut up and fastened together for note books to keep in your bag for odd bits you need to jot down.

As you may have gathered I hate waste,so while I have to watch tree after tree disappearing through the photocopier every day at work I try to be a bit more sensible with my use of paper at home, and not just paper we try to re-use  and make the most of our stuff.
I have a cupboard full of gift bags which are re-used at Christmas and Birthdays, any I am given are folded and carefully stored, as are ribbons, and any re-usable bits of paper.  We recycle clothes, at charity shop if we no longer want them, I often buy there also or on ebay, my children also sell on games or donate and they also buy used games for consoles etc.
There are a couple of birthdays coming up so I decided to make a couple of cards for that today. I know that places like hobby craft are full of pre-made card and envelopes and I have bought these when they are being sold off occasionally. More often though I will use what I have and that is usually what most people will have lying around.

So the white card was A4 size but then cut in half and folded now quite often there is a pristine piece of white card on the back of any birthday or Christmas cards you are given. Cut this away carefully and store, ribbons often come on boxes of chocolates, around blankets or towels or can be picked up at charity shops.

 Buttons I always save the spares that come with any thing and any clothing that cannot be donated or reused is de constructed and all zips, buttons and useful bits removed.

The silver and white background card in my cards was from a bath gift set I was bought last year it lined the bottom of the box! The pink paper I used to make the flowers was a used envelope, your name is usually in the middle so there is loads of usable colourful paper on birthday envelopes. If you are not very good at cutting your own designs you can go on line choose some images and make yourself some templates ( just remember to save them so you are not creating more waste!)

The buttons are from my stash of many odd buttons I just sew them on, silver pens come in useful for writing on your greetings and save on printing. I don't usually add further paper inside I just write the greeting straight onto the card.

Now these cards now need envelopes to fit, I will do these tomorrow, you can use colourful magazine pictures (use the free ones that get pushed through the door) or any paper big enough even saved wrapping paper just make a little label to stick on the front.  I usually find people like cards you have made because you put the time in. I have been a  bit behind on all my handmade stuff recently so I am on a real push now to get back into it.

There are loads of ideas out there for re-using paper, card, jars, jumpers etc. I will share more later.

Repairs, Cards and Books

Today I managed to get some jobs done despite spending all of my free time watching the new puppy. I repaired the sleeves again on a shirt, repaired a rucksack for my son and mended a hole on a pair of jeans.  Nothing amazing I know but they are jobs that have been sitting there and it is a relief to get them done as I nearly always put off starting anything for myself while ever there are other repair jobs sitting around.
I also made a Christmas card, yes just the one but it is still October. It is quite a basic tree one, but sometimes you want to feel like you have done something no matter how small to get the ball rolling and get you back into making stuff.  So that is what this was, I have  decided I am going to make them daily, not all the same of course and this way they will build up gradually.

Now the colours are much brighter but this is a night time photo so it looks quite washed out.

The card I bought last year really cheap after Christmas for something like 30p for 6 with envelopes. The tree is cut out from vinyl samples I was given years ago and I still have loads left, other bits are recycled paper, some stickers I got free with a magazine I was bought as a gift ( a craft magazine as a present from a friend)

So I have ideas now but it is getting the time to make them a reality, watching a puppy as many of you will know takes loads of time and energy, every sniff we have to rush outside to see if he needs to pee or poo, When my son is watching him he has only half an eye on him so accidents are happening more then, so much as I should make him watch him more (he is supposed to be his, I laugh) I don't want to delay his house training so it is more effective when I can keep catching him and talking him out.

I have seen some fabulous ideas on pinterest 

How gorgeous is that sewing machine cover, I also saw this one...

Now I hope these images last because sometimes I share and then find the image has gone. However if I do one thing this half term I think it has to be making myself a sewing machine cover like one of these.

I have a couple of new books on the go this week, one of them is fiction, The Loney

I have only just started this so will let you know how it goes. The other one is by Cesar Millan called How to raise the Perfect Dog ( hah! again I will let you know how that goes also.

Right I am going to try to be back tomorrow as I am determined to carve out a little time each day for making.

Make what you wear

 I have been thinking while planning what to do with some fabric that has been left forgotten in my sewing box that I'm sure many of you watched the sewing bee when it was on.  I bet you also wondered if you could tackle some of the challenges that were presented to the contestants as the series progressed, they always make sure they have to show a range of skills to get crowned the sewing bee (whatever that means!)  I always think they all do remarkably well and are far too hard on themselves.
A lot of what they have to make I wouldn't want to have a go at, for example corsetry, millinery and 3D fancy dress design.  They always throw in some weird stuff and I wouldn't want to tackle that  at home let alone with a camera crew breathing down my neck.
People do love a challenge though and some may also love that that challenge if it takes place on T.V and good for them.  My sewing is preferred in private, where I can curse the mistakes and quickly turn them into something else before anyone else sees!
So this brings me to what I was thinking about with the fabric, don't make something just because you haven't got one or haven't made one, it will likely end up at the back of a cupboard unworn.  I know this now from experience, I also know I don't like waste, time or money.  If on the other hand you will happily spend hours and hour on  replica gown from the 19th century complete with accurate corsetry and petticoats just for the thrill of knowing how to do it, well go right ahead and have fun.
My wardrobe does need some variation but usually the stuff I make I wear as it is similar to other items own and sticking with this involves less waste for me.
Below is a variation on a dress pattern I made myself which I have shown before, but here the dresses are side by side so you can see that I have just altered the sleeve, neck or length to change the look.

 All of these have been worn often including the cream checked one which is the latest.  My least favourite is the one in beige with small dots on the end, I did a tapered skirt on that one, not pleats or gathers. The fabric is a bit dull and I don't think it will be around for long. (charity shop calling)
Sometimes sleeves or detail at the front can change the look and really, dresses are all pretty much the same shape.
With this in mind there will be more of these added because they only use a metre of fabric and are very quick. I do really need to make some t-shirts though as I often need these to go with jeans and just find I have a wardrobe full of dresses, a couple more skirts in solid colours would also also be useful.  I did buy the fabric to make a grey skirt last year then made a bag out of it instead, but at least the bag sold.
I've been feeling pretty rubbish this last twenty four hours with a migraine that has only just lifted, I will try and resolve to make t-shirts and add a bit of variety.

Shoe Revamp Ideas

I have been looking for a pair of lace up low heeled shoes for work/everyday and as I have something very specific in mind this is proving difficult. I like anything I buy to earn its keep! So I have to love the shoes, they have to go with lots of things and they have to be comfortable enough to wear all day so not too high but sometimes very flat can be just as bad. I was going to use a bit of the money I made form the bridesmaid dress but not all of it, yet all the shoes I loved were ridiculously expensive.  Below are some of the ones I have admired but will not be buying...

These are a nice neutral colour but although I love the ribbon they would not go with everything with much with so much green in them.

Again the lilac ribbon limits their use but I do love these slightly wacky shoes as I like anything a little different.

So those shoes were by poetic license and I found that they were cheaper on ebay but still more than I want to pay. My next thought was having a browse at more neutral shoes but maybe dong the ribbon thing myself then I could change them up if I wanted to.  I am currently watching a beige pair of low heeled lace up brogues on  and my intention is to add the ribbon laces if I win them, the heel is lower than the ones above.

Now you can buy the ribbon laces here Pimp my shoes satin ribbon laces and there are lots of colours and different sellers on amazon.

But I also found that you can just make the ribbon laces yourself by just using ribbon and heat shrink tubing, you just pop it on the ends with a bit of glue and shrink with a hair dryer. That might be more cost effective once you have the tubing but I suppose it depends how many laces you intend on making.

I have found the tubing on ebay for £1.35 so it is cheaper to make them! There is also a tutorial explaining what to do here . So you could buy cheap ribbon and change them to match your outfit (occasionally, it may get tiresome re-lacing the shoes too often.)

Another thing I've seen is someone using decoupage on an old pair of shoes to hide scuffs and give them a new lease of life, here is the image for that...

Now these are not really my style and I'm not sure how the effect would look close up but it may be something that would work just to liven up a scuffed heel or maybe just around the toes but you would have to get it very symmetrical I think. find out how here

Now I also like to take care of what I already own and I have a pair of much loved ballet pumps in nude which are getting a little scuffed near the toe and the sole is thin (it was to begin with but now it really is). These shoes are very comfy so I intend on finding out how much it will cost for a new sole and to have the scuff touched up, they weren't expensive to begin with maybe £14 but if I can have them repaired for £10 I would rather do that and have something I know fits well and not be adding more to landfill! It is also unlikely I would find a similar pair for that price. 

There are lots of ideas out there for re-styling your existing shoes including dyeing them a darker colour to hide marks and someone had even used clip on earrings on them for detail. It would be good to hear from anyone who has done something similar.  I will post an update on what happens with mine, I might also add the ones I am bidding on are gently used. 

Frugal Small Living

Just recently  I have started watching the US programme Tiny House Nation. I find it really interesting and I admire the people on there who are willing to par down their lives in order to do other things with their finances. Some are living this way so they can travel for their jobs, a couple on last night were doing so to be mortgage free. Also so they could move for the husbands schooling, then residency and so take the property with them.
The properties are really well designed and look good in the landscaping which usually accompanies the build. The thing is the American owners usually have a gorgeous plot to put the tiny home on, this of course makes all the difference. Some of them are placing them on land owned by parents or siblings, farms etc. I would imagine it would be very difficult to get a gorgeous site for such a home here in the UK and if it was available it would be probably quite costly so you might as well be paying full rent or mortgage on a regular property.
All of this however does not stop me from being incredibly fascinated by how people manage to live in this way. I like all the space saving ideas and a lot are similar to the way we live when we go away in the caravan. That is just a week at a time though and I do like to sew and have space to myself. I would imagine living on top of each other can be incredibly difficult.
There is a blog I have followed for some time called Rowdy Kittens Tammy and her partner had a tiny home built and lived in it for three years full time also moving locations a number of times for work. You can see it on her blog, they have decided to winter in a rental house due to the cold and the pressures of small living.  I really enjoy her blog and she has always been very honest about the reality of living in such a way.
One thing that strikes me is that US homes are generally so much larger than ours here in the UK yet they are the ones choosing to opt for these micro homes sometimes, this can only make it so much harder to do.

The above picture is the kind of thing featured in the show, sometimes with a loft bed/pull out bed.

They do look really cute and I would imagine are great for keeping clean but perhaps suited more to a single person or a couple, a family in one would be a real challenge.

Having read that lots of you are downsizing your belongings for a more simple life the show is certainly worth a look for all the space saving ideas and de-cluttering advice. I tend to look on in horror thinking where would all my clothes and sewing stuff go? If anyone is living in a tiny apartment or home it would good to hear from you. 

Also just found one more that I love Here

Autumn Sewing

I have been wondering what to make this Autumn/ Winter as anyone who sews will know that it is difficult to find fashionable fabrics in stores that don't cost a fortune.  Honestly I find it very difficult to find new stuff at all because so few of us do it now they don't have a very good turnover of stock.  You can go in from one season to the next and still find the same stuff!
I think the crafting fabrics get replenished more often maybe as more people do quilting and smaller items but a lot of people shy away from clothing I think.
I like knits and jersey fabrics for this time of year but the patterns available in a lot of shops are so old fashioned, even online it's not much better.  I did find an online shop called Charlie Girl they have lots of gorgeous prints but the postage was absolutely ridiculous (something like £20 for my £11 pound order!) It is a US site but it isn't that expensive to post from the US so I don't know why the extortionate amount.
I spotted this lovely dress...

This is from the Burda Style site, now I wouldn't buy the pattern as I have shift style dresses and it is an easy shape to make without the pattern if you just lay on top of an existing item of a similar shape, allow generous seam allowances and try on as you go.  You probably will get a better fit doing it that way any how. I have not done a cowl neck before but how hard can that be? Not very I bet .

Now I need to  find some reasonably priced knit fabrics in good colours and patterns and this would make a few good work dresses with thick tights.

I really like the fabric in the picture, I have a lot of black though so maybe I'm playing it a bit too safe to go for that, anything too wild can look a bit too dressed up for work.  Must investigate options for this one.

I also really like this skirt...

Also from the Burda Style site but I already have a dress that I made last year in that type of fabric if you remember from my earlier post 

Turquoise Tartan dress

So you see I tend to go for the same kind of things but I don't wear that dress very often it is a going out dress. A skirt would get more wear but maybe I need a different colour.  I like the way it is cut at a different angle at the bottom. I will have a browse, charity shops, online etc and see what can be done. Recycled would be best of course.

Fabric, Books and Under the Weather

Well the last couple of days have been a little unproductive as I have not been well. I am wondering if it is the change in the weather all of a sudden but I have had a bit of everything.  they say you don't catch cold from the cold (I know it is a virus) but why is it as soon as the temperature drops everyone starts dropping with it.
My fabric arrived but I have no energy to get started so it will have to wait, I am also now confused as to what to do with it.
The tartan fabric is lovely and soft and would make lovely winter cushions so a bag no longer looks likely. The fabric with the birds will still be a skirt but the birds are a lot smaller than I thought so they do not give the impact I had hoped.
If I go down the route of making cushions though I will have to replace all of my living room cushions with wintry ones. That feels like an unnecessary expense so unless I can come up with a frugal or recycled way of sourcing knit or fleece fabric we will have to see.  My patchwork cushions are perhaps more suited to spring summer, hmm.... unwanted woollies anyone?

This kind of thing would work with old jumpers.

While I have been feeling rubbish I have been reading Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman ,if you are interested follow the link in the side panel . It is really interesting and I love books that teach you about how you think and why. One small thing in it stuck in my mind and it was about an experiment where students were asked to read an amusing text, some held a pencil in their mouths sideways forcing them to smile. The others held it pout fashion, the ones smiling found the text more amusing.  Basically if you make yourself smile more you naturally feel better.  I have read about this before but we need these reminders don't we.

I have some little Amazon ads down the side of the blog now, don't know how this will work or if it will but I thought I'd give it a little try as I shop on there for my books and with Christmas coming I'll be buying off there for my children too. Nothing too invasive.

Oh, I also bought myself some B vitamins thanks to Pam in Texas for reminding me about that I'm sure when I recover I will feel the benefit.

Fabric Print Ideas

I nearly bought some fabric last week from a lovely website I found through the blog Four Square Walls (It's a really good blog and she must never stop sewing!) however being an american site the postage on the fabrics I chose was just ludicrous, $27.00 for just 2 metre.  I was really disappointed as they had lots of print jerseys which you just don't see here and I have not found anything similar on any   other online fabric shops. I went through the process of signing up, creating a password and entering all my details before they informed me of the postage costs.  I think it would have been a site I frequented had it not been for the cost of postage, I really do not understand why they are charging so much and they are probably missing out on a lot of UK customers due to this.  The site is Girl Charlee and I've just had another peek and got cross all over again, I may drop them a message and ask why the high postage.

How cute are these? This is just a small sample.

   Anyway after that little moan it got me thinking about having another go at creating some of my own designs on fabric  using fabric ink.  I had the disaster dyeing incident earlier in the year and haven't really tried that again since but I think some delicate prints on a plain background may work and hopefully be more successful.
I would like to do some screen printing at some point but that is messy, uses lots of ink and getting the repeat right over large areas could be difficult.  I saw some great ideas on Handmaker's factory blog here are some images...

I love this orange on a neutral background and using the toilet roll tube, fab idea. I think I would like a skirt in that design and I hope they don't mind but I'm going to copy it when I get back off my holidays.  I will share the post with them when I do because the blog is all about sharing ideas and encouraging others to reinvent items.  I just wonder about the staying power of the ink through washes once you have completed it? I'm sure there will tips about such things out there.
I have also brought home the fashion design drawing books from the library that I ordered.

This one is £18 to buy

This one I've been looking through and had a go at some of the tips, it is really good I may jot down notes but after 3 weeks if I still feel a need for it the price is only £3.99 on Amazon.

This one has gorgeous illustrations but maybe more complex than the last so I will pick the bits I need but it wouldn't be one I would invest in. Maybe for the  more advanced.

This one is more basic but feels like a child's book ( maybe it is)

Not one I'd buy

So I will work through these over the next few weeks and see what I get out of it, i may find that the book on  my wish list is no longer required now that I have these. I think the library is good for learning all sorts of things and it doesn't cost you anything to try something new that way. One of the annoying things when you sign up for paid courses I have found is that there is always a number of set books you have to buy which are generally quite expensive.  It makes you think well couldn't I have just got the books and done it on my own.  I did eight years worth of courses with the OU and I'm glad I did and sometimes you need those qualifications on paper.  I do  think however that anything you are learning for your own personal development can be done now using books and there are so many how to videos on the internet.  There is no excuse really not to try something new. Just don't go trying to operate on yourself!

Spring Fashion Ideas

I had a little look on the desigual website today and found this little dress that I think would lend itself  very well to using up fabric.  You could choose three of your fabrics that are not quite enough to make anything with on their own, or you could look in the charity shop.

 I think I would make it longer as I want to be bare legged in the summer and that is too short as it is without tights or leggings I think.  I also think I would make the top panel a little bit shorter so that when you add darts to the top of the shift dress you don't have an interruption where the two panels meet.  I can't see any darts on the one in the photo but I would want it fitted with a central back zip.
I also think the colours of fabric you  use do not have to be similar you could use contrasting ones.  I think there are lots of possibilities here and I am going to have a look at what I can do.  If you use jersey fabrics there would be no need for fasteners you could just pull it on over your head.
So that dress is item number one I'm going to make for little or no cost ( a small cost for zip maybe).  I did say I had enough clothes for my holiday but that means I won't get to sew anything so scratch that! As long as it is very little or no cost it's ok.
The other item I would like to make is a black jacket casual but ok if I was dresses up, I don't want a formal jacket and I already own a black leather jacket so something more suited to spring.  I saw this but I don't like the shiny parts on it...

My mother in law works in a charity shop and said they are having a sale  around now everything 50p or £1 so if I can just get a larger black jacket in a cotton maybe I could come up with something I like.  ( The jacket above is £48 and the dress £78)  I will put these two images in my ideas book so that I don't forget.

I'm going to go and have a look now if there is anything I can come up with for idea number one.

Spring project ideas

This week has felt more like spring is here despite the strange smog/Sahara sand that has been hanging in the air.  The lighter evenings and less need for heating has had us thinking about holidays and doing the garden.  We have removed the children's trampoline as they did not use it at all last year even though they said they would so we replaced the net.  The net has just perished and left it looking like an eye sore, so my husband took it all down.  They did not even mention it was gone!  We have decided a pergola and seating area will look nice in that corner of the garden but we do not want to pay too much for this.
My husband is very good at building and repairing stuff so he has been weighing up whether or not it is worth making the pergola and bench or buying a second hand one from eBay.  Sometimes the price of wood means it is not worth starting from scratch but you can pick up some good pieces if people are moving or bored with them that might just need retreating and a bit of attention.
I found this gorgeous idea on instructables ....

Follow the link above to see the original and full instructions

How fabulous is that bench!  It is made from ordinary dining chairs that have had their padded seats removed,  secured with batons at the back, arms added and panels across the seat tops.  This is what the chairs looked like before..

I'm sure a lot of people have old furniture in their family that gets thrown out or donated as it is not the current fashion.  If you have something similar it could be something you  could use in your own garden rather buying expensive garden furniture.  If you are not skilled enough to tackle the arms I'm sure it would be fine without and the straight bits of wood you could have cut for you at the DIY shop.  ( Make sure you measure correctly first) It would also need to be treated with appropriate outdoor protection.

I also think this piece of furniture would look good inside the house, you could have thick foam cut  (Dunhelm Mill do this, I've had it for seating before) and make a cover for it.

If you have not looked on the instuctables site have a look now there are ideas for all kind of things.

Dress up inspiration

I need an outfit for dressing up next Friday, it has to be book themed.  I didn't want anything too outrageous as I have to work in it all day so I have been having a look and thought maybe something like this...

I'm thinking Alice not the other strange characters

(love those stripy tights)

So I'm off on a little trip to the fabric shop tomorrow to see how cheap I can get some pale blue and white cotton.  I may also try Primark because if they have inexpensive sheets it will be a cheaper option.  I have bought sheets from there before when I had to make a large banner it works out better value.  I may come back having not found a thing so then I will have to rethink but I have all week if the plan changes.  I had not planned on buying any more fabric just yet but I need a costume and I figure it will probably come out every year if I make it (around book weeks that is, I don't just randomly dress up as odd characters)

Alice in Wonderland was first published in 1865.

Floral dress revamp ideas

I got a little catalogue through from next, just a little spring one that they just post out for free so I thought I would flick through it.  I didn't have the intention of buying anything but it is useful to look at ideas sometimes for putting things together or items you might want to make.  I have had this floral dress in my fabric bag for a while that was given to me for the fabric.  It is a nice dress it's just a little dated so i have been wondering what to do with it.

The length is a bit long and the sleeves a bit flouncy so they will definitely have to be changed but the next book also gave me this idea...

This little skirt is £38 on the website! I would not pay that for that little bit of fabric but its a possibility out of the above dress only two layers I think though as there is not enough for three and maybe three is a bit much?  So that was one thought, another thought is leave it as a dress but change the style..

Little thin straps?  (£28  this dress)

Or halter neck ?  (£25 this dress)

I'm not sure which I will try but that is my project for this evening and it is a much better option I think than paying those prices (but then I wouldn't) I will show the results tomorrow.  I also don't understand why the dresses are less expensive than the skirts, surely there is more fabric in a dress and you have the full outfit. 

Sewing Bee and inspiration

I watched The great British Sewing Bee this evening and I have to say how much I admire those who take part in the show.  I like to sew but I personally can think of nothing worse than doing it under camera with a couple of experts ready to pull my creations to pieces! I have missed a few shows as I didn't realise it had started again as my husband or children generally have the remote even if I am in the same room as the TV.  This evening I really liked what they did with the fancy dress outfits, showing this kind of thing gives people ideas what they can do for their own children with what they have to hand.  I also agreed with the top two chosen for this, the queen of hearts and the pirate outfits, brilliant!
I have to use up some of the stash I have been given from my mother in laws wardrobe clear out, although I had to take some to charity shop as no room for all the fabric and some was fabric I wouldn't use also. There are little bits from projects too which need making up so I have cut some shapes out earlier and thought I'd make a start but they are now left on the table while I decide.

So I'm thinking either a pattern on a toiletries bag,  clutch bag, brooch, embellishment on a T shirt or maybe something else? Every so often I think I may make up lots of little bits like this and do a craft fair but I've read a few people say they have made much and sometimes just covered costs in a day so I  haven't done it.  I looked into booking a place on one locally before Christmas and it was £30 and with the small amounts I'd perhaps charge I didn't think it would be worth it.

Has anyone done one in England? If so what do you make and is it worthwhile?  I know the only way to find out is to have a go but I don't relish the idea of standing on a stall in the rain all day while people pick over stuff and then to come away out of pocket. 

Found these cute little ideas, I think I will make some of these little key rings, they can be given as gifts.

I found this idea on this site Crazy little projects.  They have a crazy monthly challenge on this site and it is 'It's in the bag' for March so I will have to make a new bag and join in.

Natural Dyes For Clothing

Just recently I bought a dye for a t-shirt of mine that I really like but it is beige, and beige is not really for me. To be honest the t-shirt wasn't very expensive in the first place and I could have just bought a new one.  The thing is there is nothing wrong with it and I like the style so I thought I'd give dyeing it a try and put in some denim pieces while I'm at it to give some of my bags a new shade as a background.  I haven't tried it yet, I am going to do so later.  It is a Dylon one that you put in a bucket ( I didn't want to risk the washing machine one but if anyone has tried it let me know)

This is the colour that I went for, I really like purples and I think this is more purple than red.
Now I know that dyes have chemicals in them but we all wear  clothes with such dyes everyday, this is all the reason to wear our clothes for longer. We can update them, donate or change them into something new.  So I did have a conscience when I bought this dye, so I've been looking at natural alternatives to dyeing clothes and there is loads of information out there on this. Here are some ideas at this blog

 There are also instructions for experiments you can do with kids which is a great way to get the children involved and bring up some interesting questions about preserving and recycling.  I think I will try some of the ideas at Planet Science .
I will post before and after images of the garment to be dyed even if it is a disaster.

I've also seen this lovely book for anyone with little girls Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses  I'm sure lots of clothing items could be saved in this way.