As well as the blogging & swap-organising I’ve been doing recently, I have been trying to make things too, I’m just not sure whether I’m particularly happy with the results. I’ve dithered about photographing them and putting them on the blog, let alone putting them in my Folksy shop…
But, I think it’s dishonest to present crafting and creating as an always- rewarding experience, so I’m going to post the pictures and see if helps with my perspective. Even just taking the pictures has made me think that they’re not quite as unsatisfactory as I first thought…
Inspired by the recent scrap swap I wanted to work on some ideas for using small scraps of fabric, maybe with a view to writing some tutorials for the blog. My first attempt was this coin purse design:
I’ve used log cabin patchwork, which is obviously a great way of using narrow strips of fabric. I like the size (it’s a great size for carrying my small digital camera safely too), and I like the general idea, but I think, in my enthusiasm for using up tiny bits of fabric, the strips are too narrow and the resulting design is (I think) too busy – and I’ve got my contrasting lights and darks in the ‘wrong’ places. What do you reckon? I think fewer, wider strips, and a better contrast in the colours and/or designs on the fabric would work a lot better.
I like this pincushion quite a lot design-wise.. but I’ve stuffed it a bit too much, and it looks like it’s going to burst at the seams! The problem with this is the stuffing I’ve been using… it gets really lumpy, and to try and counteract that, I have stuffed the cusion a bit too much. I might have another go with it, and I’d be really interested to know what other people use to stuff their pincushions… I know some people use wool, and I’ve also heard good things about crushed walnut shells. Would love to hear what you use and where you buy it.
One project that we ALL (me, the boys, and Sandy too) completed today, and that we’re all very happy with, are these lovely little softies:
I thought it was time that the lads had a bit of go at sewing, and given that they are currently obsessed by the fabulous kids’ magazine Okido and reading the wonderful adventures of Zim, Zam and Zoom, AND because Zoom is a very pleasingly simple shape, well, everything fell into place…
Here’s the illustration that I worked from – I sewed all the features and me and the boys & Sandy did all the sewing round the edges and stuffing the Zooms’ middles. Zim, Zam and Zoom is drawn for Okido by the illustrator Alex Barrow (you can see more of his work on his groovy blog – including some of Zim, Zam and Zoom’s adventures). Dan and Tom have popped off to bed now with their Zooms and their favourite ‘Moon Issue’ of Okido. If only our Zooms could turn into a rocket, like he does in the story!
