For this week

Hello there

For this week's foray into craftiness I've finished a placemat set which has been on the go for quite some time. I got the inspiration from Liz Betts from Quilty Pleasures, who wrote an article for issue 3 of the 'Love Patchwork and quilting' magazine.

I've added my own take on it, not only by choosing different fabric but also by less obvious changes. I had the circles fabric already in my stash and then got some cotton/linen mix fabric. I did buy some of the Summersville Spring fabric that she used in the article but that will make my next set of this design of placemats. I love the way that fabric choice has such a huge impact on a design. 

Only 26 hexies ready for paper removal and
sewing in place

I marked out the hexagon's placemat sections onto the first placemat and actually started hand sewing but it didn't take me long at all to realise that 'popping knots' isn't so easy and also that hand quilting these placemats would take far too long for them to be a financially viable proposition. I'm doing a local craft fair on March 22nd and I know that all they'll want is probably Mother's Day gifts but I can still sell these online, where I have a better chance of attracting people who are interested in hand made items. Paper piecing and hand sewing 30 1.5in hexagons was more than enough handsewing to contend with for the £40 I can charge reasonably. 





That was a few weeks ago and in that time I went to my patchwork and Wendy said that King Tut is what she uses for quilting. Oh boy! Superior Threads who make it, do it in variegated colours - just look at the colour I used for this quilt - lush! It wasn't cheap at £8 but so so worth it and it's really affected the way this project developed.







I got three more online since using this  as a) there's a deal on at Barnyarns, where you can buy three for £17.95 and b) I want to have them close to hand for any future projects I need to quilt.

I've put the hexagons in slightly different
places on each placemat

I do like the way the quilting looks on the back
of the placemats too. They're definitely reversible

The worst part of this set was the binding. I decided to do the double fold technique using 2 1/4 in strips of fabric. I don't like it, as it's far too bulky at the join and round the mitred corners. I was chuffed to only have a bit of the fabric stripping left when I'd finished though.

The coasters were the best part, as they're nice and quick and easy and make the most of the King Tut thread and the hexagon shape.

I'll be working with linen mixes again. Nice.


I also managed to machine embroider a birthday card for a friend on Friday afternoon and we'd had two days of sun, so despite being full of cold in the middle of the week, I've ended the week feeling quite bright. I forgot to take photos of the card but I'll see if the recipient wouldn't mind taking some photos for me and I'll share them another day. 






For those of you who read my blog regularly, you may well remember that in January I made two Superman cape outfits for two little lads in New Zealand. I know that you liked seeing me wearing it (!!!)  but I can guarantee that you'll much prefer seeing one of the boys wearing it. I was so chuffed that they liked them.








Take care out there

Christmas wishes

Hello there

I have neglected my blog lately as I've just been too busy making and doing what we all do at Christmas; work and party hard :-) I haven't partied hard but I have been out for a few Christmas do's which were fun.

The main aim of this post is just to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Christmas is great but it can be very difficult on families who can't afford all the trimmings or have time to make things. Also families who have illness or have lost a dear person to them. This time of year doesn't get rid of all those many issues but thankfully this year, everything is fine ( I pray that doesn't tempt fate) with us here, so I really am grateful for that. I even won the lottery this morning; £25 doesn't change my world but hey, a win is a win :-)

I've made loads of things including Christmas fabric gift bags and embroidered table cloths, glasses cases and Christmas tree decorations. Some I can't show as they were orders for Christmas presents or are presents. I'm in the middle of two cushion covers as well but there's not much chance of me finishing them before the big day.

The place-mat set in the fancy Google 'awesome' photo (it's magic the way it just does that; it seems to know what special effect to put on) was for an order I did. The images were printed onto special printable cotton from a Snowman and Snowdog cdrom. I first of all tried to use transfer paper but I didn't like the effect on that; it seemed to have a coating over it which I found unpleasant. Wendy Deverill (my patchwork class teacher) showed us a quilt she made for her daughter for her wedding and she had used it for several things, including a laptop! Her son-in-law works for Google and that photo was so apt for their 'story' together so far.

I thought these images were really fun for the person who wanted them, as she loves dogs and unusual items. I can guarantee that nobody else has place-mats like these, as the cdrom is brand new this year; infact I must remember to post photos of them onto the Crafter's Companion Facebook page as they are the company who created the cdroms.

I was so chuffed to find that background fabric and think of the idea of blanket stitching the images onto it. It then followed on that I blanket stitch around the edge of the place-mats too, instead of binding as I normally do. 

I used dark blue on the backing as some of the images are night ones and it's maybe just a practical point for place-mats and possibly young children! :-)








The coasters use the same fabric but most are undecorated other than two of them, where I decided to put monograms of the clients' names - I love it and the client seemed to as well, so job's a good 'un :-)

If I get a chance over the Christmas period, I might try to do a montage type doozy wotsit but don't hold your breath.

Take care out there and just do what you can - don't take on too much pressure of this time of year; just enjoy the people around you xx

Christmas table decorations

Hello there

If you read my post on November 28th you'll remember (of course you do!) that I promised a photo of two Christmas themed placemat and coaster sets I've made. So here they are:

On Etsy this set is called 'gold and deep red Christmas set' surprisingly enough.

These have Christmas themed items quilted into them; stockings, trees and stars. They are reversible which is always so handy with placemats.


This set is on Etsy and just called the Red Christmas set

The thing I really like about this is the red polka dot fabric on one side. The binding on this is handmade out of that fabric too. The quilting is just straight lines but that's what works best with the patterned fabric. 

I had also made a Bon appetit set, which has now sold. It's not a Christmas theme. I made a set like this with red as the theme earlier on in the year.

 This photo is rubbish; I've no idea why they look so creased because they weren't, as can be seen below.

These are reversible too

Machine embroidery this time and no quilting

Anyway that's all for now folks. My next post will be all about a Christmas decoration I made in my patchwork class this week, which has now sadly finished for this year. I've loved going on an alternate Wednesday to do patchwork and just get lost in there and forget about the world. I'm currently having a dilemma about whether or not to do the City & Guild's patchwork and quilting course, which Wendy is starting next September. I don't think it's going to be possible with the way my family unit works but I have other ideas up my sleeves, so all is not lost.

Take care out there and deal with Christmas as best you can.

I am still around

Hello there

No, I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth; although you may not notice as I do seem to spend one heck of alot of time in my room at the moment. I've been busy sewing like a mad thing for the orders I have for 'A Place to Set' and for the Christmas fair I'm doing this Saturday. I may even manage to not mutter on for ages in this post but don't hold your breath.

That's one of the sets of portable coasters I've made for the fair. I love the effect the metallic thread has on them; I think it makes them look quite professional. They'll be great for a New Year's eve party.

Here's another set I've made for an order.

I'm so happy with the buttons I found
to use on this set

I'm in the middle of sewing up four other Christmas sets but you've seen them before.

I've also completed two Christmas themed placemat and coaster sets but I'll not spoil you today and I'll post about them tomorrow.

Me? Cruel? Surely not!?

Take care out there

p.s. See! Totally mutter free zone; I can do it! :-)

Would you believe it?!

Hello there

Yes, you should believe it. I've only gone and actually finished the placemat and coasters set, I mentioned five days ago here on my blog. It's taken many hours to achieve this but hallelujah, I did it! 

I'm going to have to do the place-mats using a non-binding method, as this increases the cost of the place-mats, as it takes so long to firstly make it and then to hand sew the back of it in place. Each place-mat takes a minimum of an hour to make.

I might not be a fan of the binding but I do love the polka dot fabric I got from Grace and Favour up in Thornton Cleveleys. You may remember it's the same fabric as the bag I made on Monday night.

I made the coasters the usual way I do; without binding! I like the red stitching round the edge although that photo doesn't do it justice at all.

I can't wait for summer to come round again, so this table can be used for more than photo shoots. I know it's only just Autumn but I'm definitely a hot summer kinda gal.

Nero was getting really fed up of me taking
photos of the table and not of him

Now for the craft fayre tomorrow. I'm not expecting to be able to sell the place-mat sets there, as I think people there will be looking for cheaper stuff but my business cards are here, I've got quite a few sets of the portable coasters, two bags and the owl I made on holiday earlier this year. There's also the bunting I can use to decorate the stand or the hall with and I even bought a notebook to use as an order book! So fingers crossed for a positive experience even if not a big sales day. It's all about people getting used to the idea of the portable coasters and what I can do and it's about me getting used to promoting what I make.

Final word is from the owl;

Or maybe not as he's too interested in that apple still left on my Katy tree.

Take care out there

Inspired

Hello there

Inspired? Oh yes, Cynthia Frenette has a lovely blog and recently she posted about some placemats she had made using an Urban Threads design pack. I was drawn to it by a posting UT did on their Facebook page. She's mega talented and was very helpful indeed when I emailed her about her project. 

I've managed to get a little practise run at this, whilst I wait for the Madeira metallic thread and Schmetz metallic needles to arrive and I love it!! 

The machine in full flow doing what it does best. I have just used my Mettler Polysheen thread 1903 and 1902 (red) to do this practise but I'm pleased enough with this even.

Now to see if I can make six placemats before Friday night, as I'm doing the Craft Fayre on the Saturday. I'm not optimistic really but even if I just have one completed one and 5 partially done ones, I will still take them along incase anyone takes a fancy to them there.
If you live nearby, nip in and give me a confidence boost and see what other great handmade projects you can find there too.

                                           

I just love the detail on the handles

I think I'm going to just do this on each placemat, as I'm concerned if I do a patchwork plate section like Cynthia's, that the cost of them will rise too much and discourage people. I think to start off that's a wise idea but we'll see what potential customers have to say.








Right, I'm off on a mission. 

Take care out there.

Rather chuffed

Hello there

I've actually finished the placemats and coasters set! ... Ok, you can get up off the floor from the shock now! :-)

I started these at a few weeks ago at a Karin Hellaby class at the Festival Of Quilts. The patchwork design is called Simple Pineapple which is a Karin designed version of the traditional pineapple.

Yer yer, I know; a dog free photo is a challenge for me!

Even though I intended these for my house when I first started them, I realised that they would be a good item to sell at the craft fair I'm going to in September. I've had a look on a few handcrafted websites and I think I could ask at least £45 for these, as there's 6 of the place-mats and 6 coordinating coasters.

At least there aren't any dogs at the table!

The techniques involved include patchwork, machine quilting and hand sewing the home-made binding in place.

I'm working on a decent way to package them, which will include the little 'tag' I made, as seen in top left hand corner of this photo:

I've made the backing fabric two different colours on both the coasters and the placemats; the same as two on the front:








I'm a happy girl but trouble is, I almost hope that nobody buys them, so that I can keep them, although I do have plenty of material left.

Take care out there

10036

Hello there

Well my 10,000th viewing of this blog has been and gone. I'm now onto 10036, which is fabbo, dabbo! I know that alot of those viewings might be from companies who electronically set up their systems to 'view' pages but that's fine. When I started this blog, I highly doubted that I'd keep up with it, so I'm really chuffed that I've kept going for so long; it must be three years now. I don't know how to find out when I first started but I know that I've done 257 posts!

I'm telling you today about 'By DW' really and what I'm up to in relation to continuing/refreshing/updating my business profile. I still find it hard to think of it as a business but more as a small enterprise. It's something I've barely put any effort into really when you look at how successful enterprises are and how hard they work to keep them going but it's there none the less. This morning I took the step of joining The Enterprise Nation Club, which was set up by Emma Jones (MBE). It only costs £20 for the year but it feels to me as if I've made a bigger commitment now. That money gives you discounts on allsorts of things such as business cards and books and the price of a ticket for a StartUp Saturday event. I want to go to the one in Liverpool on September 7th. Go and have a look to see what it's all about.

I've also started doing The Enterprise Nation's 12 week long FREE start-up course. It just involves one email a week to read over and possibly take action on. The first one is all about coming up with a business idea, which I've done in a very vague way. They encourage a far more considered view of course and suggest finding a niche product to help you market your items more efficiently. I can't let my failings on any of this prevent me from moving on with this plan. I will adapt and modify as I go forward of course but as long as the momentum is there, it'll be fine.

 PROGRESS NOT PERFECT!

I'm planning on writing a more in-depth story for The Crafty Network, so you'll see a link for that on the business page of this blog -My Creative business journey. Wait until I've done it though - give this girl half a chance :-)

Right, now to do some more handsewing of bias binding round these placemats I've been making. I bought some invisible thread yesterday at Grace and Favour, as I'm determined to have a go at using the machine sewing method to sewing the last part of the binding on. Hand sewing is all very well and good when it's decorative but it's so tedious when it's just serving a practical purpose and takes far too long to make the place mats financially viable at possibly £25 a set of 6.

Take care out there

10,000 pineapple placemats and coasters

Hello there

The title of this post is slightly misleading but hey, it got you thinking " what's that crazy lady doing now?" didn't it?! :-)

The 10,000 bit refers to the fact that scarily enough that's how many views my blog has almost had. 9959 to be exact; the figure stands at as I type. I'm rather chuffed about reaching such a milestone for my little space in blogland.

The pineapple refers to the technique I learnt from Karin Hellaby at the Festival of Quilts on Thursday August 8th. Karin adapted the traditional method of doing pineapple blocks to make it much simpler and now she travels the world teaching allsorts of quilting techniques she has developed for 21st century quilters.

It really is a quite relaxingly repetitive technique, with great effects. I'm determined to finish 6 placemats and coasters by the end of the weekend, as we don't have any other plans and Maggie has a friend over for a sleepover, so she's occupied. I managed four blocks in the class and I've done two more and now almost done all the free motion quilting on the quilt sandwiches.

This was my dining table in the middle of the afternoon:

You want to eat? I don't think so! :-)

I know the wadding is far too thick but it's the last of a batch I had, so I had just enough to do these placemats, so it's all gone.
Whilst doing the sandwiches like that, I had an idea of what stitching I wanted to quilt with and this is what I initially planned on:

I practiced with stitch width and length

After all that though, I changed my mind about what stitching to do, as I looked at the patterns in the patterned fabric I used and saw the swirls, so I had to repin all 6 placemats which was not great but all in the name of creativity :-)

 I'll show you the finished project, when I finish, surprisingly enough :-)

Below are some photos of just one project I loved from the Festival of Quilts:

 

Take care out there