geometric garland how to....

ok... if you are like me and have a bag of bright coloured felt scraps left over from projects..here's a little d.i.y to use them up :)

you will need -
felt scraps of many colours
scissors
sewing machine

1 cut the felt into different shapes..I made squares..triangles and circles to give it a geometric look...

2 pile them up in some sort of colour order and start sewing them together..sew right through the middle and keep going 'til you have used them all up...

 

3 hang 'em up :)

 

you could make them in all one colour...or do all the same shapes...mix them in with paper shapes ...do hearts...flags... the options are endless.... my scrap bag of felt however was not.. so now I'm wondering if I should go buy some more :)

I am still clearing out my fabric stash...it is taking a while because I want to bundle them together and mix up nice pattern options, but I am getting there...plundering and bundling is my middle name this week :)

x x x x x

 

day tripping #1

I've decided to make a list of places we'd like to visit on a day trip.... sometimes though.. you miss the best bits of a city because you don't know it very well. so here is a little post about some cool places to visit if you are ever in Manchester... first stop is always the Northern Quarter...

as the name suggests it's in the northern part of the city...not far from trains..trams,bus stations and a good multi-story car park...the shops are mostly independents and the streets are filled with bars...tea shops and restaurant's.... it's worth a trip for this shop alone

Oklahoma

 it reminds me of the fab shops they have in Amsterdam..

 not far away is the Manchester Craft Centre which is a lovely building housing units for crafts people to work and sell their designs from...

also around the same area there are shops..of the comic and book kind..vintage...galleries...fabrics...art supplies and clothes...there is a bit of an odd part where you might think you've taken a wrong turn (just warning you) but otherwise its a fab part of the city that makes me hop on a tram and visit more often than I probably should :) 

 I'd love to know if you have any favourite places so I can add them to my list :)

x x x x x

rainy day how to...

rain clouds are everywhere at the moment.. so I thought I would make a colourful version to cheer me up when the sky's are grey... all you need to make these are -
paper...card..scissors..pencil...tape...string...felt...sewing machine

- cut out two cloud shapes in your chosen paper...and then another in card (all same shape)
sandwich the card inside and put a loop of string in the top - centre to hang it with...
sew all three layers together..make sure to over sew the bit where your loop is so it is nice and secure..leave the bottom edge open..

cut out raindrops in felt - 2 of each colour and sew them together adding a length of string at the top...trim the edges so they are nice and neat and when you have made 5 lay your rain drops  underneath your cloud and arrange them at different lengths..washi tape them in place to make sure they don't move..

sew along the bottom edge attaching all 5 strings and raindrops...

and hang up :) ...these could be made from fabric and padded for a cuter look...

or if you are making with children they could be made from papers and glued or taped together...

and they would be super quick so you could make lots :)

hope the clouds are rainbow coloured where ever you are today... if not make some ;) x x x x

a cheery post about colours :)

the house is quiet again...school is back and this morning was strange, waving the boys off and realising how fast they are growing up...so I got busy with the camera and snapped a few pics of this to cheer me up :)

before Easter I had chopped into my 'very very extra special' stash  for this quilt and stitched it all together... then we went away...

when we returned I started quilting it and then spent a few nights hand stitching and binding....

I think this is my favourite quilt so far.. (I realise I say that every time I finish a new one)...the others have been a bit experimental but this one knew exactly where it was going...simple squares with full on pops of colour and pattern and it makes me smile :)

 

of course I got carried away and cut too many squares so I made some more cushions inspired by my  swappy ones from before....

then I made a few more owl cushions...

available here

beci orpin inspired mobile :)

I am planning a bit of a change in the workshed...and I need to make some room, so I will be saying goodbye to most of my vintage fabric stash...collecting them for so many years has taken its toll on my storage and I need some space...so keep a look out in my shop in the next few weeks :)

have a lovely week

x x x x x x x

five go mad in Dorset ...again....

Arnie :)

a little catch up post about our Easter...spent in my favourite place..Dorset :) oh what a happy bunnies we were to return there...

West Bay Bridport (Broadchurch beach for those who watch)

last year we fell in love with this place and have been dreaming of it ever since... truth be told we are hoping to move down there when the time is right :)....

Cove at Durdle Door

the weather was dry and sunny...cold, but it didn't matter to us... the sea was wild and the snow fell a couple of times...

Durdle Door

the boys had the best time... chasing the tide...seeking fossils..running up and down the beaches...I love how they change and become themselves again without all the peer pressures and school routines...

Chesil Beach

then in turn we start to relax and leave all our troubles and stresses behind...

Ladram Bay

when it's too cold to sit on a beach you get to see much more...

Ruby Rockcake Lyme Regis

or you can pop in to a fab shop and treat your self to some nice things...I may have treated myself several times over in this amazing shop 

how did I miss that Golden Gnome??? after a lovely coffee and chat with Caroline the owner... I came away with a bag full of gorgeous things and a lovely new friend :) x

...on the last night I made these from found pebbles...and then I hid them in the cottage where we stayed so a little bit of us stayed down there... :)

and before I'd even unpacked or started on the giant heap of washing...I made my first project from my Beci Orpin book ...

Now it's back to normal here.. but after some lovely family time and some space away from screens...I am ready :) x x x x well almost x x x x