Inspiration, Sewing

Christmas Crafts, old and new

I had the most wonderful weekend of crafting! I completely took over the lounge and dining room to make a start on all my Christmas crafts. Firstly the new project; if you read my blog Stitch, Sew and Hobbycrafts you will have seen some wonderful fat quarters that I couldn’t resist. If I am honest I wasn’t sure what size a fat quarter was but I now know they are usually 18 inches by 22 inches. Fat quarters are fantastic for little projects and quilting. I decided to use my fat quarters to make Christmas bunting! I wanted to make sure I made the most of the fat quarters, therefore I spent a lot of time working out the best size for the flags. I went with 6 inches along the top by 6.5 inches from the point to top. This was the size when the flags were cut, so I did lose a little when sewing.

I am really pleased with my cute Christmas bunting. The fabric is just gorgeous with a traditional but very modern look. Once I have added the binding at the top I will post a picture and let you all know where you can buy them! If you can’t wait until then send me a tweet @katiegetscrafty or leave me a comment.

For my old (faithful) project I used a template for Christmas sacks that was passed onto me by my Aunty Karen. Karen is a wonderful crafter ,with my sister and I benefiting over the years. When we were little girls we would receive handmade dresses, whilst more recently we were made beautiful Christmas placemats and tablecloths. A firm favourite of both of ours has to be our Christmas sack. They play such a special part on Christmas morning. Three years ago Karen was kind enough to give me the template so I could make one for my goddaughter. It went down a treat and I hope it means as much to her in years to come as it has for my sister and I.

So this weekend I dug out the template and got making!

I am still to add the star to the tree and the name of the lucky recipients. I will post a picture once they are finished. I do hope you like the Christmas sacks and the festive bunting. What are you all making for Christmas? I would love to hear all about your Christmas crafts, old and new.

Sewing

Using Oilcloth for the first time

On a recent visit to my sisters she asked me to bring my sewing machine with me. I always like the little projects she sets for me. In the past they have been turning up curtains, covering ottomans or making cushions. These days they are often little projects for my wonderful new nephew. I was keen to see what this project entailed. My sis had purchased some oilcloth online and was hoping I could use it to make a new cover for a changing mat.

Oilcloth is a fabric treated on one side with oil to make it waterproof. I had purchased some oilcloth recently for a tablecloth but it didn’t require any work, so this would be the first time using oilcloth on my machine.

Before making a start I read this article to give me an idea of what to expect. I was a bit nervous to start with, but I told myself it all went terribly wrong I would just buy my nephew a new mat!

I used a standard foot but changed my needle to a 90. This might have been too thick but the stitches looked OK. I cut the fabric so it folded with the fabric facing inwards. I sewed along the longest part first then turned it the right way before sewing up the top. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as this is the thickest and heaviest material I have ever used, but the oilcloth went through the machine smoothly requiring no extra effort from me.

This really was a simple project but I wanted to share my experience as the oilcloth was a great surprise and really easy to work with. I am excited to use it again on a more ambitious project. Maybe a nice lunch bag?

Inspiration

Stitch, Sew and Hobbycrafts Show

This weekend I attended the Stitch, Sew and Hobbycrafts Show. Since moving to Devon I have been to the show each year with my fiancés Mum and Aunty. It’s an event we look forward to as we get lots of ideas for our crafty projects, as well the chance to have a good old natter and catch up!

This year’s show exhibited a selection of costumes from Les Miserables of which I am still to watch! A couple of years back clothes from the first series of Downton Abbey were on display. This year it was great to see a number of stall holders selling the new Downton inspired fabrics. I had looked at them a lot online so it was great to see them in real life. The colours were as beautiful as I had hoped. I just love the teal colours in the Lady Sybil range. You can check them out here.

The highlight of this years show was the stunning display by Devon-based textile enthusiast Alison Murray. The collection of ‘Big Books’ were 9 feet high with turning pages. Each page represented a season of which spring was my favourite with the beautiful crochet blossom tree and wisteria. Check out this clip of Alison talking about how she made this creation along with the help of many volunteers.

We left feeling really inspired and ready to get crafty. I couldn’t leave without getting this beautiful Christmas fat quarter bundle from the Exeter Sewing Machine Company. I am making mini Christmas bunting with them. They will be on my folksy page soon so watch this space!

Inspiration, Sewing

What makes a good tutorial?

Emma from @livepeachy is the founder and host of #craftblogclub, a weekly get together on twitter for craft bloggers and craft lovers alike. Each week we have a topic, for example last weeks was ‘What makes a good tutorial?’ As a beginner I often follow online tutorials. They are a great way to see if I am doing it right! I do love books, magazines and patterns but sometimes I just need to see someone else doing it for me to really get it and understand. I had just finished making some lovely cushions following an online tutorial so I was pleased to have the opportunity to share this great video with others during our weekly #craftblogclub.

A few months back I got my hands on this lovely fabric at a local charity shop. I wasn’t sure at first what I was going to make with it but soon decided I was going to attempt cushions.

As a beginner I am not ready to battle zips yet, so I found an envelope cushion tutorial online by The Crafty Gemini. I love how clear Vanessa is in this video. Clear instructions with great close up shots. I would recommend the video to any beginner like me. I was really pleased with the finish; I even felt confident enough to add some buttons. It was my first time making a buttonhole on my machine and it was so much easier than I thought. I don’t know why I hadn’t done it before. I think I will be adding buttons to everything from now on! I used another tutorial for sewing on the buttons. I know this is a simple sewing technique but I wanted to be sure they were secure. I used this video to check out the best technique.

I am really pleased with the final result, so much so that I will give them to my Mum as a Christmas present. It’s ok, she isn’t online so she won’t see them!

Thanks to #craftblogclub I was able to share this tutorial with others as well as bookmark lots of tutorials that others recommended. For those of you not familiar with #craftblogclub we meet every Tuesday 7-8pm. Make sure you follow @livepeachy to keep up to date with the weekly topic as well as fun crafty challenges. Maybe see you there next week?

Inspiration

Spinning at the Rivers Meet

August was the month I finally got away for a holiday. I was so excited to have an entire week in Leeds with my sister for two reasons. Firstly, she is awesome (she didn’t pay me to say that, she really is). Secondly, my sister made me an Aunty this year! Since the arrival of my nephew I had only managed to snatch the odd day here and there with him, so the prospect of 7 days was very exciting. So, I headed off to Leeds with my Sewing Machine (in it’s new padded/spotty bag) and a smile!

The week was fantastic. We managed to fit in a lot, Pramtastic, walks, shopping and baby club. However, the most anticipated outing was lunch at Rivers Meet. My sis had told me of this magical place where her friends meet, drink tea and eat cake whilst surrounded by lots of crafting goodness!

Rivers Meet did not disappoint. As soon as we walked through the door we were greeted by a lovely lady spinning. She must have noticed my eagerness as she immediately jumped out of her seat and welcomed me to have a go. It was a lot harder than it looked. Getting the rhythm just right on the foot peddle whilst feeding the wool at the same time required gentleness and precision. Check out my ball of wool in varying thickness.

After having a spin we sat and ate lunch. Whilst my nephew had a little nap I took the opportunity to explore the rest of the building. The front room was a very creative space geared up for various workshops of which I would certainly attend if I lived locally. There is also a little shop with fabrics, buttons and felting kits. I couldn’t resist this elephant print fabric. I am not sure what I will make with it yet but I am sure it will appear in my nephew’s room soon.

I am now counting down the weeks to my next holiday and this time I will have three reasons to be excited, my sister, my nephew and Rivers Meet!

Inspiration

Folksy Summer School

I had not long joined Twitter when I saw a tweet posted by @Folksy

WE’RE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS – can you help?

Not knowing what they needed volunteers for I followed the link. Folksy Summer School! As I am at the beginning of my crafting journey I thought this is the place I need be! Saturday 10^th August came round very quickly. It was a nippy morning and I was pleased to put on my Folksy Volunteer t-shirt and collect my Summer School Bag.

The folksy team had clearly been working their knitted socks off and had prepared so much. The venue was looking great. We were tucked away at the Woodland Discover Centre in Sheffield. Clear zones were marked out in a beautiful map.

I checked out the volunteer rota and was slightly daunted to see that I was in charge of the camera for some of the talks. I apologies now if they are a bit shaky! Folksy have shared several of the talks online. Check out this one by Emma Jones of enterprisenation.com ‘Starting out and growing your business’.

Early morning I joined the Mollie Makes team in their crochet corner. I am an absolute beginner, having only attempted crochet a couple of times with a friend over large glasses of wine. I was very grateful to @nina_camacho_ for her patience with me. I found it really fiddly to start with. The lovely Ruby from Frank & Olive offered extra help and it was when I used one of her larger crochet hooks that I finally began to get the hang of it.

The day met all of my expectations and more. It was wonderful to meet so many lovely people all sharing a passion for all things crafty. From my fellow volunteers, to the folksy team and the guest speakers – you were all fab. I was sad to finish my volunteering shift knowing you were all meeting up the next day for part 2. I will just have to wait for the anticipated return of Folksy Summer School 2014. I am keeping a very close eye on @folksy for any such news!

Inspiration, Knitting & Crochet, Sewing

About me

Hello! I am Katie and thank you for visiting my website.

In September 2009 I picked up knitting needles for the first time. I have since attempted crochet, cross stitch and machine sewing. I consider myself a beginner with a lot to learn. Katie Gets Crafty offers an opportunity for me to share my crafting journey. Be sure to follow me on twitter @katiegetscrafty and check out my folksy page.

Wish me luck!