sun dress

WARNING: yukky ebay style photos coming up...

We're off on our holi-bobs soon & I wanted to post this quickly, so again, 'scuse the rubbishy pics. Must try harder.

I've been on the lookout for ages for a vintage sun dress & found some contenders but were either tiny, too big or too pricey. So after discovering how easy shirring is (when I was making an "Elsa" costume for Hesper - need to blog about this at some point!), I decided to apply this technique and make myself a sundress...ta-da:

It was made from some vintage fabric that I forgot I had squirrelled away, but is exactly what I had in mind. I followed this tutorial from Where the Orchids Grow, which is really easy to follow. It basically consists of two measurements, two rectangles of fabric and lots of shirring elastic. Just praying for sunshine now!

re-discovering sewing for fun

I haven't done an April-Easter catch-up type post as intended, as it's now May I can't see much point!
So instead, here's a quick sewing post. I feel like I haven't done any sewing-for-fun for ages now and I haven't made anything for Hesper for about a year, I think? Probably because I did make her loads of clothes that she never wears and when I do sew now its for selling, so I decided to try sewing for fun again. I made Hesper a smock dress (more like a top with her betty spaghetti legs).

This was in a mustard coloured knit with black circles - a remnant I picked up for 50p aged ago. She wore it once in  a flurry of excitement and I fear it is now discarded with my other makes as it is not PINK or shiny or associated with anything Disney or Princess. sigh.

My second make is this toy cat, which I made from my trusted "Wee Wonderfuls" book by Hilary Lang.

I followed the Katie Kitty pattern, but made it in organic brown linen instead of felt and I substituted the dress for a ballet skirt+ stripy top combo. I also made her ballet shoes and gave her a little bell around her neck. I couldn't get the face right - I think she looks a bit evil but Hesper is happy enough with her, just the thing for a poorly girl! I really enjoy sewing toys, especially at the last stage when you are free to add any personal details or embellishments. I have lots of ideas for things to make Hesper,  like turning a vintage suitcase into a portable dolls wardrobe complete with dress-up doll and outfits...not sure this will happen but its a nice idea! I'd forgotten how much I love sewing for pleasure, rather than sewing to sell - which can be a bit stressy as I constantly question whether my work is good enough. But I love turning scraps of fabric and trimmings into a new toy, making something personal and unique, especially when it hasn't cost a penny. Free toys...hooray!

...more pom pom cushions

...a few more cushions made, getting ready for my stall at the My Little Vintage fair on 23 November in Wellingborough!

pom pom cushions

Getting stuff made for vintage & handmade fair at end of November. Made today, this screen printed cushion in organic linen, printed in my 'blossom" design repeated in black and teal to match this lampshade. Finished with black pom pom trim. Few more to go...

recently...

My "blossom' design screen printed as a repeat in teal and black onto organic linen. Made into a lampshade:

I've wanted to contrast bright pom pom trim with my screen printed designs for a while...and now I have! The vivid pink contrasts well with the natural linen and black design. Also looks great against this Ercol chair painted with Annie Sloan's English Yellow chalk paint:

When I saw this lamp base in a charity shop the other day, it had a big hideous shade on it and I thought it might be worth painting. Once I'd got rid of the shade, I realised how lovely it is. I think it is quite old, it has a bakelite bulb fitting and reminds me of the Arts & Crafts period. I rubbed some dark wax in to bring out the wood and dressed it in my handmade shade. The shade is actually orange, though it looks red here. I dyed some linen and printed my black cow parsley design on before rolling into a shade. Once lit, the orange is really vivid and looks good in our living room against a teal-coloured wall. It also echoes the Cole & Son Cow Parsley wallpaper on the opposite wall. Both the lamp base and shade were intended for selling...but I have been persuaded into keeping them. This is becoming a bit of a habit!

handmade skirts

I felt like a domestic goddess last friday. I baked a cake in the morning, while that was cooking I made a skirt for H - the mauve one from some old fabric I had leftover. We went out, when we came back I "whipped up" another skirt for her (the yellow patchwork one, which was actually a pillowcase). I say "whipped up" like it doesn't involve any swearing at the sewing machine or dropping needles all over the floor... or me shouting "KEEP STILL", which of course it always does. She loves skirts and dresses at the moment though, is she actually becoming a girl?! Apparently they are perfect for bouncing on the sofa in. Sorry about the pics - blurryness down to bouncing, not poor photography skills. honest.

* This is a vintage & handmade child's bureau that we have painted, heavily distressed and waxed. Will be for sale in my Etsy shop soon (eventually)! 

cloud cushion

I had some fabric left over from my last lot of dip-dyeing which wasn't quite the right size for a square cushion cover, so I made a cloud-shaped cushion. Inspired by how the blue dye had "bled"onto the white cotton, it looked like a heavy rain cloud, or a watercolour painting of a dark sky.

I was busy photographing another cushion for my Etsy shop, when Hesper ran in and grabbed the cloud cushion and started posing perfectly with it. It is now above her bed, but I think I will make more in the future.

welcome oscar

A colleague of Chris had a new baby a few weeks back and so I wanted to make, rather than buy something for him. I turned to my trusted Wee Wonderfuls book by Hilary Lang and decided on the Bjorn Bjornson bear. Although made in wool in the book, I used a blue crossweave organic cotton, that I already had and an organic multi stripe in bamboo-cotton for accents. The book suggests that the limbs are sewn in place for under 3's, but I really liked the moveable limbs, so I attached them with buttons and just made sure that it was all stitched securely...and warned the parents.

I'm really pleased with how he turned out. I added a band of colour around the neck to tidy up the neck join. I also added a cloth tag and hand stitched "Oscar 2013" on his bottom!

new (and sold) in my shop

I've been experimenting lately with hand dyed fabrics and screen printing. I always like to play around with different materials and techniques as when I try to follow one way of thinking too rigidly, I get a bit stuck. I had the idea a long while back to experiment with dyeing techniques and print. Recently, I've managed to give it a go and a couple of pieces have sold! I have been dip dyeing fabric to create an 'ombre' effect...I know it is EVERYWHERE at the moment and I don't like to normally make something that is so ubiquitous but I do really like the effect. So far I have tried orange and blue dyes. The orange worked wonderfully as a lampshade as it really glowed when lit... like a bright sunset. This lampshade sold along with the small orange ombre cushion that I made without screenprinting.

I still have a rectangle cushion to match the lampshade in my Etsy shop: 

 ... And I have just listed this lampshade in linen with blue dye and a white cow parsley screen print. Co-ordinating cushions to be listed soon.

african skirt and spotty top for Hesper

I bought a fat quarter of African fabric for Hesper a few months ago, at the same time that I bought some South African fabric to make a doll for one of her friends. I have never been sure what to do with it as it is only a fat quarter, but the recent sunny(ish) weather led me to make her a quick and easy elasticated skirt. I used the complete fat quarter and the cotton was lovely to sew. It is a traditional African wax print from Ghana (her Grandfather's birth place) and is available from the African Fabric online shop.

I also made her another smock top with this organic cotton bamboo fabric. It is in a multi-coloured spot print and I bought it from Organic Cotton. I had meant to screen print my cow parsley design on it, but ended up adding two large yellow covered buttons. It's a bit "flouncier" than the last one I made, but she  gets away with it!

cynthia & tig

I posted before about the wonderful Wee Wonderfuls book by Hillary Lang. I have made three dolls using the Tag Along Doll pattern - which is a joy to make, but I also attempted a couple of others when I first bought the book. I dug them out of Hesper's toy box as I thought they deserved a show and tell. This little lady (I call her Cynthia) was made following the Sleepover Pals pattern - the actual pattern is for three of these little dolls who all fit nicely into a roll-up sleeping bag. My idea was to make them with small magnets in their arms so that they can all "hold hands"... well, I made one back in October and she  remains a billy-no-mates. Her magnet arms are quite useful for holding onto H's hair clips that she discards throughout the day...

 

Next is "Tig", made from the "I Heart You" pattern. I used red corduroy for the heart-shaped head, blue gingham for the body, legs and skirt back. I made the front of the skirt from a section of vintage embroidered linen that I picked up from a charity shop. The linen and lace were small scraps that I had stashed away and the rest of the fabrics are all recycled from charity shops. In the book, she is made from a printed, folksy fabric but I wanted to experiment with making a doll from these embroidered linens as they are too pretty to be kept hidden away.

 

smock top

 I finally got around to using some of the bargain remnant fabric that I bought last year to make Hesper this smock top. The fabric has a tiny faux-tweed type check on it in neutral colours. I added two big cerise buttons that I have had for about thirty years! They were originally on a pair of bright socks that I had as a child. Not sure why socks need buttons this big, but glad I kept them!

I think this is possibly the easisest thing I have ever made, the fabric cost £1 and H actually seems to like it!

two new dolls

In the past month we lost our lovely dog Taos to cancer (I was too sad to blog about it at the time), we had a lovely log cabin + hot tub break in the New Forest, plus some bouts of illness thrown in, getting all Christmassy and... taa-daa! here is another doll I have slowly, but steadily been making. She is a gift for one of Hesper's friends. Made following the Tag Along Doll pattern from Wee Wonderfuls, which I used before here:

Because her recipient is part South-African, I used orange and purple South African fabrics for her dress and legs. She also has green felt eyes and curly wool, hair instead of felt as in the original pattern.  I worked out how to do the hair by looking at various techniques online and then just sort of making it up a bit. I wanted her to have long curls and found this kinky- textured wool gave the right look. I stitched it into side bunches as I used a lot of wool and did not want it to look too wild.

With the left over pieces of fabric I made her a quilt, backed with some lilac and white print fabric that I had squirrelled away. I also covered a couple of buttons with the purple fabric and added these to the quilt with orange elastic loops, so that the quilt can be wrapped around her and buttoned up into a sort of sleeping bag-cocoon! For finishing touches, she has a hand-stamped linen gift tag with metal eyelet and a chocolate coin in her pocket!

...and here is doll number two for another of Hesper's friends. Again, using the same pattern I made her body from organic, fairtrade linen. The dress is from the lilac & white fabric that I used for the quilt backing above and her hot pink cord legs are made from a pair of Hesper's old trousers (thoroughly washed!) She also has curly wool hair, tied in bunches with strips of felt. 

I hope they love these dolls as much as Hesper does!

// Wee Wonderfuls doll making book by Hillary Lang here //

// African fabric bought online here //