A Tale from the Scrap Heap

This is a Tale from the Scrap Heap of Flaming Nora. The woman has scraps, and more than most. A long time ago from a far away part of London she sent me a bundle of scraps and said 'make something'. 
  

I got mostly silk douppion in beautiful jewel colours.

So I began thinking about what to make with these scraps?  As I was hanging out the washing, I realised that many people comment on my 'fancy' peg bag, made from scraps so called 'luxurious' scraps, the floral Liberty fabric is from a skirt I made for our honeymoon 8 years ago and it's lined with silk douppion scraps patched together. It's a little faded and worn, but every time I hang out yet another load, a flashback of lying on the beach in Antigua makes me smile. 

That's when I decided that these beautiful bold coloured silks were perfect to cheer up the dull everyday chores of domestic life. This coincided neatly with my desperate attempts to tidy, sort and organise my ramshackle house, so it's guilt free crafty time - it has a purpose.

 

First up I made a carrier bag tidy, despite always taking bags with me when I go shopping they still manage to worm their way into the house. 

 

A lot of my scarps were long strips, so they inspired this make. I used a run and fell seam to join shorter lengths together, then french seamed the strips together, I decided it may only be a bag tidy but silk deserves to be finished nicely.

A piece of cord from an old carrier bag provided the drawstring top and a scrap of elastic at the bottom lets me grab a bag quickly. It looks mighty cheery too.

My second idea came about by the death of our fridge/freezer. When the new one arrived I couldn't bring myself to fill up the front with all the notes/reminders/bills etc. that had messily cluttered the old one. So I made some pockets. 

I left some raw edges on this one, I like the way the shot in the fabric gives you a contrasting frayed edge.

I zigzagged the smaller pieces together to get my pocket size (lay it on top of some newspaper when you do this, it stops the puckering and just rips away after)

A scrap of my own denim was the perfect backing, I stitched some rigilene (plastic boning) along the back so the pocket didn't sag when on the fridge - you could stitch in a channel for an old ruler / piece of mount board etc to do this. (make sure it's not something too heavy).
 

Stitch on your pockets, stick on your magnets,

Now you have a tidy fridge, at least on the outside.



My third make was a super quick and easy doorstop, there is a door that nearly knocks me out daily, why I haven't done something about it until now is beyond me. 

I only had a tiny bit of green, so patched it on with the zigzag again to keep as much of it as I could .  I made a denim inner bag and filled it with dried beans (rice works just as well).

 

Perfect, except it looks too much like a pillow and there is usually a teddy sleeping on it.


If you made it all the way to the end of this enormous post you deserve a reward - head over to Flaming Nora and get yourself a bag of free scraps (you just pay the cost of the postage to you). Make something fabulous and show it off.

 

I still have a few scarps left, I'm waiting for inspiration to hit me for these. Happy scrapping!

kids clothes week challenge - day 4 and 5

I managed to finish the second dress, it seems to have taken forever. I have added a few simple embroidered details, around the neckline and the top of the patchwork pocket. I like how it's turned out, though the skirt part is pretty huge and swamps Missy Big, but she didn't seem to mind - I couldn't get her out of it, so that's a good sign.

  

a patchwork pocket and more buttons from the stash,

I have loved working with needlecord, it reminds me of my own childhood. I think I need to make something for me next.

Two days to go, not sure what's next but they will have to be simple projects.

Lots of creative spaces here.

KCWC flickr here. 

Be inspired!

kids clothes week challenge - day 2 and 3

While the visitors have been out visiting I managed to catch up a little. I finished Little Missy's pinafore dress, it's a little big so there is plenty of growing room. I used lots of turquoise and teal buttons from my stash to adjust the height of the straps, I think these are my favourite part of the dress.

Then I made a start on Missy Bigs red pinafore, I'm using the sundress pattern from Carefree Clothes for Girls (page 63). 

I'm spending more than one hour a day on this, just in case you thought I was employing elves to help out.

Here's a few of the goodies I bought at the Knitting and Stitching Show at the weekend. Lots of inspiring stuff there, was not allowed to take photos of it though.

 Back tomorrow with another dress finished I hope! Take a look at the flickr group for lots of wonderful makes.
 

kids clothes week challenge - day 1

It's here, the Kids Clothes Week Challenge, I got off to a good start, making the most of a free morning. I have about four things I want to make. 

I'm pleased with my start, it's a bib style pinafore dress for Little Missy, it's a copy of a dress she has and loves but is growing out of which has caused many tantrums.

I'm not sure how the week will go, my Sister-in-law has surprised us with a visit from New Zealand, I will continue if / when I get the chance. 

Are you in? How has your first day gone? 

Happy sewing out there!

planning my creative space

You may know that it's the Kids Clothes Week Challenge over at Elsie Marley next week, and I'm trying to be a bit more organised this time. I have a list of things the girls need  and a whole head full of things I could make. There are fabrics to choose...

I bought pattern books, to hopefully save time on the pattern cutting front and get more clothes actually made, but so many patterns to choose from now.

I am currently re-organising the house, (mostly it's still in my head, but I've started) and this includes my tangle of embroidery threads so that I'll be ready to go on the next project, a curtain to go on the front of a shoe shelf/cupboard Mr made a long, long time ago, I'm finally getting round to my part.

 

ahhh, that's better...

 

I'm heading to The Knitting and Stitching Show with my Mum for our annual outing at the weekend, it's dangerously full of fabric and yarn in there, wish me luck!

Linking in with Our Creative Spaces. 

 

i got a little lost...

...physically, in the V&A

...and emotionally, Little Miss started Nursery a couple of weeks ago and I found myself wondering all over again who the heck I am when there is no small one demanding my attention and filling my days. But I'm coming around to the 2 and a half hours of child free time everyday and I've stopped pacing the room. I even started doing a bit of work.

...but today I'm going to share my day out yesterday, Mr has no work at the moment (we're trying not to panic) so I took full advantage of the opportunity and headed into the smoke.

 by David Mach

a wire sculpted gorilla, made to look as it was made from coathangers

There is a fantastic exhibition on, the Power of Making is full of objects made by hand, some traditional, some very modern and using technology (I now know what a 3D printer is) but all celebrating the power of craftsmanship and how it fits into our world today. You can't take pictures in there, so these are just a few of the things you can expect to see. 

 

Alphabet Pencil Sculpture by Dalton Ghetti
These are incredible and are all carved using a razor blade and a needle.

 image credit

A lace fence by Jeroen Verhoeven

Not this actual one on show, but beautiful, just beautiful. 

Baby by Michelle Sugar Art
 Yes, sugar art - this incredibly life like baby is a cake.
It was a little creepy, who could possibly cut into that? 

There is so much to see and it was packed, so go early if you're planning a trip. You will love it. If you want to see some of the makers in action, pop over here, you can watch a pig cake being made, amongst other marvellous things.

paper and glue

It is true, I am a terrible hoarder. I keep so much stuff that I should just recycle or give away. 

Yet there is potential in just about everything. I recently came across a stash of old catalogues, the Boden and Cath Kidston ones have delicious prints in them. 

Armed with some plain white card, a ruler, a glue stick, scissors, odd scraps of ribbon and a rainy afternoon I reduced my pile of catalogues and gained some very handy gift tags. 

I love how they turned out.

Why not have a go? I have plans for some old maps, magazines, old dictionaries.... oh the possibilities, let me know if you make some, I'd love to see them.


More creative spaces over here.

good times

The big one went back to school today, the little one starts nursery on Monday, and I've been looking through the holiday pictures. This is what we got up to...

loved the recycled sculpture trail at Teignmouth beach

we baked, and made, and played, and started on some pompoms, we're going to pompom bomb the allotment, or the park or maybe our garden, inspired by this

it hasn't been a fantastic year at the allotment, many things just didn't grow, but we did get lots of flowers and it was still fun

 

a day out at the Southbank, where we caught the last of the Festival of Britain and the Liberty Festival, and browsed through the booksellers stocks

all polished off with delicious birthday cake the girls made for me and some last minute sewing, a new P.E. kit bag


now I'm wondering if it would be wrong to stuff in the last of the cake before school pick up?