A Flamingo Makeover

Last week I was wondering what to do with the fabulous flamingo wrapping paper that I bought from Wenthworth garden centre. A few ideas came to mind like notebooks and storage boxes but I still felt it needed to be on display as it is too pretty to hide in a cupboard. Julie at  My Threadbare Life suggested putting it in a frame, that is also a good idea but then I spotted one of my sewing boxes that was looking a bit tired.  I had painted the vintage box when it was given to me some years ago but it was starting to get a bit faded and scuffed.  It is one the boxes I use for some of my cottons and many of you may have one the same.

Here it is with its new flamingo cover...

I started off cutting out all the pieces by carefully laying the paper on then making a little fold where I needed to cut.  Originally I started out with some very sticky glue that was not a good idea and just made a mess, a trusty glue stick from Asda worked much better I just made sure I put plenty on.  It could really do with a clear coat of varnish now but I haven't any at the moment.  All the ones I have seen in the shops have a slight yellow tinge to them and I don't want that.  Any ideas would be welcome.

When I had placed all my paper pieces there was still a little bit of cream paint showing around the edges of the drawers.  Luckily I had a little pale green paint leftover from when I did the makeover on my hall cupboard here Retro cupboard makeover, it was a little pale for this so I added a little dark green from my son's paints he had when he was younger.  I kept the little box of paints and brushes  as I knew they would come in useful and they often do!

This has given it a new lease of life and the wrapping paper was only £2.49, there were so many lovely designs I will have to keep them in mind for any future makeovers.  There is still a small amount of paper left so maybe it will go around a pencil pot or something like that.

Here it is before I started with my  original paint job, it has many more years of life left in it.  I think the old lady who originally owned it would be pleased to see it is still being put to good use.

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William Morris Dress

Well I am calling this my William Morris dress because that is what the fabric reminds me of.  The fabric was simply called birds and flowers, which says it all really but as soon as I opened it I thought William Morris.  I have had a look around and had it been based on one of his original designs I think it would have been a bit more than £7.50 a metre!   I only bought one metre too because it was intended for a top but as soon as I saw it I changed my mind.  I kept the shape simple just a tunic shape with a little elastic at the waist to give it a bit of interest.

It is quite thin so I think warm summer wear or definitely with leggings the rest of the time, it also originally had longer sleeves that I cut down to just three quarter. However I had a mishap when cleaning up the seams under the overlocker and it dragged the sleeve in cutting a hole in it!  At that point I had to shorten the sleeves altogether.

There was just enough of a strip left to make a narrow tie belt, I think that just finishes it off.

There was no pattern this time just a bit of making it up as I went, I used another dress for the general size and shape.  Also there wasn't actually enough fabric for any sleeves with the pattern laying in the right direction so what I did was sew the strips that were left together  then cut out the sleeve shape with a seam running down the centre of the arm.  Once the seams were ironed flat it is such a busy pattern you can't notice it.

Here you can see the join, but not once it was ironed.

This fabric was nice to work with and has a bit of a floaty feel so it will be nice to wear in the warmer months. I am also hoping it will be one of those items that doesn't crease too much when you wear it. 

When I wasn't making that I was reading The other Side of Happiness by Brock Bastian.  This was quite an interesting read and I just picked it up by chance in the library.

What I found most interesting were the points about how young people are becoming less resilient due to the way in which they are protected to from everything that could possibly upset them.  Rather then learning and growing form setbacks and challenges many are falling apart at the first problem.   We all want to protect our children but I suppose in our current way of life many problems are prevented before they ever surface. One thing that springs to my mind is the way sports day no longer has individual winners just winning teams, surely we have to learn to take part with the possibility of not always being a winner or ever?    Anyway it worth  a look, although some of the initiation rituals practised by some tribes that are mentioned in the book,  left me a little queasy!

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Santoro Fabric Bag Complete

Well I finished this bag this morning, it was sort of complete last night there was just a little hand stitching I needed to complete.  I have really enjoyed making this and feel I may get back into bag making, I did stop because I have a little collection that are unsold upstairs but for myself and gifts they are always appreciated.  The rivets have not arrived so I have left off that detail, I may add a couple later to strengthen where the strap meets the bag when they eventually arrive!
Here it is...

Now it isn't stuffed with anything here so I think it is standing up quite well empty, I will definitely use faux leather in future to strengthen bags.

It is the same on both sides, I was expecting the buckle and claws on the strap to be more silver or at least bronze but never mind.  There was also lots of pulling and straightening to get the folds out of the strap when it arrived but I suppose that it was you get for £3.49, I didn't want leather so there we are.

I made the little charm from a bit of the faux leather, an old key ring and some jewellery making beads and bits I had in my sewing box.  The tassel was a lot longer but I thought it looked too much so I cut a chunk off, I was also unsure how to attach it but I decided on a bit of embroidery thread plaited and stitched in before rolling the tassel.

The piping is just mock, I simply folded over some cord fabric, the only problem being that you don't have a definite width guide to follow.

Inside I have used a leftover bit of cotton from a dress I made last summer, and a saved zip from an old bag.

So in total this project has cost me £7.69.

Materials list

Santoro Gorjuss fabric £3.00 fat quarter from Happy Hare
Black strap  £3.49  ebay
Piece of black ribbon  £1.20 ebay
Cream faux leather;  leftover from an upholstery project for a relative.
Lining; leftover cotton from a dress.
Zips; recycled some years ago when they were unpicked from an old bag.
Mock piping; recycled cord leftover from making a cushion for a friend.
Bag charm; assorted bits from my sewing box ( and a lesson never to throw out old key rings, I have just recalled we got rid of a few two weeks ago when sorting the junk drawer!)

All in all this bag had a lot of recycled items and it has made me think a bit more about the details that make up a bag. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference and not what we spend on supplies.

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