Folksy Friday

Its no secret by now that I have a thing about vintage tea cups and saucers. here are a few teacups used in a variety of ways for my Folksy Friday offering.  Enjoy. White, no sugar for me please.  There are clickable links to each item.

Vintage Cup Succulent Plant
by Candys Emporium
http://www.folksy.com/items/932793-vintage-cup-succulent-plant?shop=yes

Mini Teacup Necklace
by The Lime garden
http://www.folksy.com/items/965345-Mini-Tea-Cup-Necklace?shop=yes

Vintage Teacup Stand
by Marmalde Button
http://www.folksy.com/items/1047141

Teacup Pin Cushion
by Made by kate d
http://www.folksy.com/items/1383645



OhFlowersForTea - Teacup & saucer
by KerriAnns Creations
http://www.folksy.com/items/1047073



Peppermint Japanese Teacup Candle
by FionaPitts
http://www.folksy.com/items/1168597

Print by Ella Masters art and Illustrations
http://www.folksy.com/items/840213



Dont forget to make tea you need a teapot and I have the very thing to keep it warm in my own folksy shop and as a special treat if you found it by reading my blog and are in the UK I will give you free shipping. To snap it up, just send me a message via the item and the first one gets the free shipping. I will change the shipping in the  listing before you purchase.

New Bag and new fave supplier

Its been so cold in my sewing room I have to say that the knitting has taken preference over the winter.  I dont know what it is about that side of the house, but for a 4 year old house it is like a different climate in the dining room and the sewing room above it. I really dont know how my daughter slept in there in the winter.
However,  having discovered this lovely lady in the teambritannia forum I have fallen in love with sewing again, if not my ageing and very annoying sewing machine. Now, even the cold will not stop me. These handmade buttons are just fantastic and have inspired some new bags.

The first is here, and has a lovely summery feel.  The best thing of all is its reversible, so actually 2 bags in one.  I already have a few more combos planned so leave some buttons for me please.

On a final note, the pattern was from Lisa Lams` Bagmaking Bible which I treated myself to just before Christmas.   Great book with lots of clear instructions and such inspiring pictures.

Happy 4th January!!!!!!

Well its different isnt it?  I really think 4 days into 2011 is too late to bandying New Year Greeting about.  Hope you all had a fab Christmas.  Mine was quiet to say the least and I got a horrid cold the day after boxing day.   Its pretty much gone now and I back off to the day job tomorrow so normal service should be resumed.

Upon finishing the custom orders for Christmas I put down the knitting needles and decided to finally finish a quilt I started around April time!  It had been pieced for months but I knew my dodgy machine was not up to the top quilting so put it off as I have never hand quilted before. I thought it was going to be tedious and drive me mad, but actually, I am finding it very relaxing...and warm on my lap hehe.  Two blocks and the binding to go and I can share it with you.

I have spent this morning updating the Perfect Little Purse Company , re listing some items, and adding a few new things which ironically are not all purses.

Pillow fun and its green

Well ok pink and grey but you know what I mean!


Here are the pillows I made using the rest of that ginormous supersoft sweater I was sent for this project, the same fabrics for trimming and some rescued shirt buttons. They have a zipper up the side and removable pad also handmade. The filling is new but the cover for that is from a clean but also recycled curtain lining I had floating about. I am delighted with how my recycling projects are going. These were to go in the shop but i am unsure. They look kinda cool on my freecycle chair which I am also super chuffed with. Hubby and son think its "well fogey and naff", but I have always wanted a wing back chair and whilst brown dralon is not awful its not my taste. I am considering making a loose cover for it. A first for me, but I have an expert in the family and grew up watching her making these things. Whilst she is completely retired from `all that` these days, she has agreed to help me.
So, back to the pillows. I need help here, keep or sell?

Upcycling again

I have just completed another upcycling project. I really have to thank my customer for inspiring this and opening up a whole new set of possibilities. This time we have a lovely grey/purple sweater which in her words was impossible to wear because of its very odd shape. It yielded lots of fabric though and to my delight did not fray when I cut into it. So soft. This lady does buy quality stuff for me to chop about.
Here are the finished objects.

What Can You Make from 2 dresses & a Silk Top?

Well the answer is.........bags!
I recently had a custom request for bags made from a customers dresses she did not want to wear any more but wanted to keep in some way.
We started with a jersey Karen Millen dress, that's the floral fabric with the purple butterfly. A ruched taffeta prom type dress. I had a hard time cutting that up because it was just gorgeous. Also a Ted Baker silk top with exquisite buttons.

The first bag was a weekender type bag which used the dresses for the main body, the decorative ring from the back of the prom dress and the buttons from Teds top. I used the silk from that top for the straps and lined it with a black poly cotton as I did not want to detract from the other fabrics.




The other bag was borne from the shape of the skirt on the prom dress. It was shaped with lovely tapering panels. I had some plum taffeta in my stash with complemented the purple butterfly on the weekender and to tie it all together I popped a removable corsage on with a button covered in the Karen Millen dress fabric.





I am so pleased with how they came out so like my sketches. My customer is delighted and now I am wondering how to transfer this as a service/item in my shop as its a delightful way to re-use favourite clothing and recycle.

Its a Factory Here

I recently had a custom order for 10 little bags for little girls. I have never done this conveyor belt type of production before and its a bit different to starting a bag and finishing it all in one session.
I think they are really cute. Now I just have to iron them( yes they are a little crinkly, but the daylight would not wait for me to iron) ship to my customer. Thank goodness the posties called off their strikes.




Now for some more knitting

New Little Bags for Girls

I have nearly finished Elspeth but I realised her dress was a bit short for the cold weather so I am making some knickerbockers. So you will have to bear with me.

This afternoon I was working on a sample for a possible supplier. The brief was for little handbags for little girls. Right up my street as I am still a little girl at heart. If not in the mirror sadly.

This is what I came up with for style. The client will be having her choice of fabric so this one is up for grabs at the very reasonable bloggy price of £10 if anyone would like it.

Some Bag Production, Finally

Remember I told you about the custom order? Well here is the finished article. The pocket on the front is a hand embroidered piece done by the customer, just lovely neat work. She asked me to use it as a pocket on a black bag. I made it up in a lovely soft needle cord which I felt suited the regal feel of this piece. Its wonderfully soft and `poomfy` (I think you get what I mean by that, just don't now how else to describe it) as I have interlined it. Really hope she likes it.



I had a bit of time to spare before the evening meal so I knocked up this shoe bag for my little nephew who is starting part time school later this month. I can believe that. He is too small. Or am I just getting old !!!!!!!!!!!!


These were the first bags made in my new warm craft room inside the house. Here a few pics. They do not do it justice. It is huge. I have room to get my pilates machine out if I ever make myself again. Don't know why I haven't because I love it when I do but I just seem to have so much other stuff to do. Think I need a new school year resolution. Don't worry about the little railway carriage. It is going to be made into a summer house. More on that later.

Superman Luggage

I wanted to share with you my first attempt at a holdall type bag.
My sister in law asked me to make some form of small luggage for my nephew for his first holiday, bless. Now, said nephew is Superman mad and we were delighted to find this fabulous licensed fabric.
My nephew is quite the critic and wastes no time at his tender age of three in telling you if something is not to his taste. I was so relieved that he loved it and carried it around my house for nearly the whole time he was here.
So cute, I am biased I know but still. Cute.