Posts Tagged ‘Fabric’

Project Tablecloth

{ July 7, 2010 @ 11:13 pm } · { Crafts }
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A quick update on recent sewing activities…. Having an Ikea table, which it goes without saying that it’s an irregular size, I have found it tricky to find tablecloths that do not drown it and make it look like it belongs in a doll’s house!

Solution: make your own!

Plan of attack:

a) Find some fabric – I found some lovely purple gingham fabric in the Fent Shop in Skipton (£5 for about 3 x 2 metres)

b) Beg, borrow or steal a sewing machine! – I have convinced my mum to let me look after her sewing machine for now as she is trying to sell her house (helpful decluttering!!)

c) Find the (baby free) time to actually make the thing! – Finally last week, admittedly nearing the midnight hour, I managed to do so.

I measured the size of the table & allowed a 15cm drop on all sides, minus the 1/2 inch hem (sorry for mixing units – that’s just the way I do things!). This, coupled with susequent pinning, sewing & pressing took less than an hour. In fact most of the time was spent trying to work out how to get the bloomin’ thread from the spool underneath through the needle (no instructions!) I somehow even managed to break my beloved new Cath Kidston polka dot tape measure (grr) – but decided to boycott them & get a jolly replacement from Octapus instead!

The finished article looks the part and fits in with our slate & plum colour scheme in the lounge (where the table lives). There’s even enough fabric left to make some cloth napkins and I’ve had some comments on having done a decent job, so I’m chuffed!

Nic-nac-tastic!

{ June 1, 2010 @ 10:02 pm } · { Crafts, Family }
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My very kind mother-in-law came over today with her sewing machine to help me do some projects that were a bit much to do by hand. First on the list was a nic-nac tidy for my darling husband, to empty his pockets into when he comes in from work. This will save the depositing of various keys, coins, headphones etc all around the house in little ‘man piles’ and the inevitable searching for the lost items when he can’t remember where he’s left them!

I wanted to make something similar to a peg bag, but with more pockets, so I used my lovely peg bag from SwirlyArts as inspiration. Tom chose his own fabric, which I ordered a fat quarter of from Fabric Rehab for £2.75. This was a perfect amount when cleverly lined with an old red bedsheet which we had saved and I pinched a baby clothes hanger from Millie’s wardrobe.

It did take a few hours to do, working out how to sew in the hanger properly and unpicking seams when I forgot to put the front pockets on before hemming the main pocket…. but we got there in the end! It holds the objects nicely, and I’m pleased with how it turned out. A custom made object for £3, bargain!

Fabric Addict!

{ May 25, 2010 @ 10:21 pm } · { Crafts }
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In my recent vein of crafting I have become more interested in fabric, particularly liberty print and vintage styles. I have come across some great websites and am starting to build up a little stockpile of fabric and buttons for future projects.

Folksy is a great starting point as you can search for ‘fabric bundles’ and similar under the ‘materials’ tab. There are people selling destash fabric, fat quarters and full blown haberdashery supplies. Plus new things are listed all the time, which means there’s always a new bargain to be found. I recently bought some lovely rose and polka dot fabric squares from Cherry Tree Handmades – they are going to be great for some clothing embelishments (see pic 1). I have also ordered a lovely vintage Kokka sewing print fabric (see pic 2) from Tamsyn G which I am hoping to make into a bag when it arrives!

I have also come across Fabric Rehab – which has a really interesting selection of prints. Plus you can get a fat quarter for about £3, which seems like a good deal to me. I’ve particularly fallen in love with the Maison Bleu print (see pic 3)…. perhaps it could become a cushion?

For any fans of Liberty Print fabric you have to know about Shaukat. You can shop online or visit their store in London, and they have a big selection to choose from. It’s quite pricey, but you can get some fab floral prints that you can use to give your wardrobe some vintage accessories. I particularly like the Betsy print (see pic 4), and if you can’t be bothered to do it yourself, you can buy some lovely hair clips and things from Emily Pickle! (see pic 5)

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