Pretty Handmade Placemats

Finally an update to my blog.  It isn't that I haven't been sewing because I have, it's just that real life keeps getting in the way.  I'd rather be sewing than doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, mowing lawns, cleaning cupboards, etc etc.  If you are a sewer or quilter, you will totally understand.  If you are my husband, it's another story altogether lol.

So what have I been up to in the weeks since I blogged last?  Well I have been making some pretty place mats.  They are fun and easy projects and will make great gifts, especially as the Christmas season rapidly approaches us.  I have really enjoyed making my first set, and love the color combination I chose of black and bright purples, pinks and greens.

Sewing seams, tracing and embroidering

Completed mats

Vine enhanced with buttons

Colorful background

I have now turned my attention to making some Christmas place mats - with all the christmas fabrics on the market right now, the possibilities are endless.  I chose a more classic Christmas look with a beautiful poinsettia and paisley print, enhanced by a pinstripe,  These place mats are still a work in progress.  Here is what I have completed so far.

Work in progress

Poinsettia and Paisley

Oh Joy

Front of mat

I have quite a bit of Christmas fabric in my stash, so I may make a few different Christmas sets.  I am planning on putting them on Etsy along with many other items I have completed.  Of course Etsy is on the back burner right now too because well you know.....real life gets in the way :-) 

Fabric Stash

For those of us who love to sew, the words "fabric stash" brings a smile to our face and joy to our hearts.  For those unfamiliar with the term, here is the official web definition of the term:

      ***In simple terms, your fabric stash is is your hoard of fabric 

            or your future hoard of fabric.  Stash is the fabric bought for
  future projects that you haven't even thought of yet***

I've been sewing and quilting now for years so needless to say my fabric stash has been growing leaps and bounds.  Fabric choices are absolutely limitless, which makes ideas and creations endless and it allows your imagination to soar.  I am a sucker for florals, mostly smaller florals so fabric artists like Cath Kidston and Tanya Whelan sing to me lol. 

 I am also in love with Lecien fabrics and the Japanese artist Atsuko Matsuyama.  I love their bright, colorful vintage looking prints.  They make me happy :-)

Japanese Lecien - Flower Sugar

Atsuko Matsuyama 30's Collection - Petite Lawn Fleur

Lecien - Florals, Cherries & Strawberries

Last night I ordered some Atsuko Matsuyama fabric for myself (from one of my new favorite online stores Sew Deerly Loved ).   I have been looking at it for a while and denying myself the purchase because well you know, I don't really "need" anymore fabric.  My mother asked me what I was going to make with it when I told her this morning I had ordered it, and my answer was "I have NO clue"...but it will look pretty in my stash :-)  

Hi, my name is Lesley and I am a fabric hoarder...............!!!

My First Apron

Well I completed my embroidered bird and decided to turn it into an apron.  I have never made an apron before, so after studying some apron making videos on You Tube, I thought "what the heck, I can do this" and got busy making my first apron.  It's not perfect, and I made a ton of mistakes, but you live and you learn.

Lesson # 1 was that I really shouldn't try to make things out of my head lol.  I should have followed a pattern, but I decided to just wing it and make it up as I went along.  I think I do better when I have a pattern to follow though.

So here is the bird and the teacup, finished in all its glory.  I was going to use beads for the center of the flowers, but remembered I had bought some pretty colored sequins for a card project, so I decided to use them in the center instead.  I love the way the light catches the sequins, and it brings the embroidery to life.

Picking out the fabric and colors for the apron was easy.  I used a beautiful pink floral fabric by Cath Kidston for the main focus, and some green polka dot fabric for the co-ordinating edging.  I also decided to try my hand at using bias tape - another first for me, and I chose a bright green that went well with everything else I had chosen.

Adding the bias tape wasn't too difficult.  I think I might have needed to loosen up the bias tape a little as I rounded the corners of the apron, it felt a little tight.  I guess that will be Lesson # 2 for me..lol.  I am thinking about making some hot pads and finishing them with bias tape, so that will be a smaller projects for me to work on and I will get used to using the bias tape.

Lesson # 3 was a difficult one for me.  It had to do with the pocket.  When I embroidered the bird and teapot onto the fabric, I used a backing to give it more support.  When I wanted to turn the embroidered piece into a pocket on the apron, I didn't want you to be able to see the stitches on the inside of the pocket, so I gave it another backing so it would look nicely finished.  Well adding on the bias tape along the top wasn't bad, but attaching the pocket to the apron was a nightmare lol.  Because of all the thickness from the layers in the pocket and the bias tape, it was hard to turn in the seams and sew through them all.  I fussed with it a bunch, unpicked and cursed a lot, but finally managed to get it attached.  Lesson # 3 learned and duly noted - do not use so many layers hahaha.

Lesson # 4 is that I need to learn how to take professional photos when shooting photos of my work.  I wasn't quite sure how to photograph the apron so you can see it properly.  So here is the best shot of my apron that I could come up with for now.  

Overall I can't complain too much about my first attempt at an apron.  I know there are several mistakes and I have learned from them, and hope to put my knowledge to good use if I ever decide to make another apron lol.

I am already working on something new, which I will be sharing with you shortly.  So tune back in soon for more updates.  I will also have more info about my new Etsy shop I will be opening, where I will be making and selling handmade goods.  I will also be making some new christmas cards sometime in the near future so I will be adding those to my card shop.

Have a great week everyone - adios for now :-)

Stitching Kind of Morning

You know those kind of mornings when you wake up and all is peaceful and quiet with the world?  Before all the hectic noise of traffic leaving for work, the garbage man dumping the trashcans or the dogs in the neighborhood discovering they still have voices....those are the kinds of morning I just love.  Time to get up, slip something warm on my cold feet (Fall has arrived this week in sunny Southern California) and put on a pot of coffee.  I can sit quietly and concentrate on the sewing project at hand.

Well my passion right now is still embroidery so I have another hand-stitched project I am working on.  It's a little bird with a tea pot.

I am not sure what I plan to turn this into, but I am kind of leaning towards making it the focal point on an apron.  Or I could turn it into a placemat?  I've made so many cushions lately, that I feel I need to turn this into something else.  Anyone have any other brilliant suggestions for me on what I could make with it?  Leave me some comments, I would love to hear from you.  Here is a little preview of what I have completed on this project so far.  Not a whole lot, but it is coming together quite nicely.

Don't you love my pretty sewing tin in the background.  I had to have it when I saw it in Scotland.  I was in a quaint little coastal village called North Berwick, and there it was staring me in the face.  It came loaded with threads, scissors, needles, pins and more.  I have since taken all of that stuff out, and replaced it with my own sewing threads, scissors and needles that I am using on my hand sewing projects.  I love the old fashioned vintage look of the tin - it just makes me smile looking at it.

Well back to the normal boring stuff, like cleaning house and laundry - bah humbug!   I hope you all have a great day and I will be back soon with more sewing goodies to share :-)

Welcome

Welcome to my new sewing blog.  I have wanted to share my sewing projects with family and friends, and even strangers for quite a while now.  I love to quilt and sew.  So here we go with my first project. Well it is not my first sewing project, as I have been at it a few years lol, but it is my first project I am sharing with you all.

I have recently rediscovered the joy of embroidery.  I have embroidered quite a few different pictures over the past few weeks, and have decided to turn them into cushions.  My first one is a cute little duck, enhanced with 1930's fabrics.  I adore 1930's fabrics because they are so bright and vibrant and fun.  This is a 10 inch cushion, so it is little, but would make a great addition to a little one's nursery or bedroom.  I do eventually plan on starting my own Etsy shop.  I have a card shop but have never ventured into the Etsy sewing realm.  Sometimes I question whether I am good enough to sell what I make, but I guess I will never know unless I try.  So that is the plan for the near future - get that Etsy store up and running and see what the future brings.

Back to the little duck project.  As I said earlier, I have chosen 1930's fabrics to enhance my embroidery.  I ordered a line of fabric called "Chloe's Closet"by Moda,  and I am in love with it.  I only ordered a small 2 1/2 inch sample package of the line and wish I had ordered more. It's adorable.  It brightens up my little duck :-)

So without further adieu here's the little duckling.

The beautiful fabric line "Chloe's Closet" by Moda.  There were so many beautiful patterns and colors to choose from, I had a difficult time deciding which ones to pick.

I finally picked the colors I wanted and started adding them to the top and bottom of the embroidery.

And then it was time to add on the sides.

I then had to pick out some other fabric for a border to co-ordinate with Chloe's Closet.  I chose this pretty purple and white 1930's fabric.

How cute is this.  I love the way it turned out - the colors compliment the stitchery.

Another close-up shot

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my first project.  I have lots more ideas and creativity to share with you, so I hope you will add this blog to your favorites and come back and visit me often.  You just never know what you are going to find :-)