Felting - first attempts

With Christmas on the horizon (albeit distant at the moment!) I've been trying to step up the crafting. We've been eating dinner earlier (before Matilda goes to bed) so that I then have all evening to spend on sewing etc. So, I've made some good progress on Matilda's doll - I've cut out the head and body pieces, sewn them together and embroidered the face (my first go at embroidery went well!).

I've been wanting to try felting for a while and have built up a small collection of wool jumpers, scarves and hats from car boot sales and charity shops. This week I chucked them in the machine on a hot wash and hey presto - felt! Now, what to use it for...

My friend also came round one afternoon to teach me wet felting using some orange and white scraps of wool tops she had. I made some slippers for Matilda (which are a little big so I think I need to felt them further, and they look a bit like clown shoes!). It was great fun, if a little tricky to do with little ones scampering about!

So, without further ado:

Jumpers etc before the wash...

And afterwards...

And a small pair of clown shoes...

Make cider while the sun shines

What a lovely warm day it was yesterday! Once the sun had burnt off the morning mist there were glorious blue skies. We met up with some friends at a car boot sale (after an early start with Matilda) and they invited us back to theirs to help make cider from apples they and various friends had picked. We spent a relaxing afternoon in their garden: sorting apples, trying to work the press, eating delicious beetroot soup and fresh bread, all washed down with freshly pressed apple juice of course! We didn't get far with the cider-making - the press wasn't up to the job. But it was a fun day anyway!

A bag (and first attempt at applique)

This weekend I made a bag for my niece for her 5th birthday. I used a pattern for a small shopping bag which I had from a 'learn to sew' course at my local knitting/sewing shop. Some new Ikea fabric formed the bottom half and the handles, and the denim was left over from some old jeans I recently cropped. My niece loves all things pink so I used some dark pink thread for the top stitching.

I had decided to add an applique butterfly using some fabric from a japanese-style satin-like top I bought at a car boot sale. I ironed some bondaweb onto the reverse of the top, drew a butterfly shape onto the paper backing and cut the shape out. I then ironed it onto the bag fabric and zig zag stitched around the edge. I'm really pleased with the result - I love the look of applique but when I tried some out before (on some scrap fabric) it went all stretched and the shape was warped - possibly because I didn't use any bondaweb, or possibly because the fabric was t-shirt jersey so had some stretch in it. Anyway, this worked really well - two non-stretch fabrics probably made it easier - so I'm feeling enthusiastic about trying some more applique in future!

Taggosaurus

I've been making a few of these for the littlies I know; I may try to sell some at our community market too. The fleece for the body is cut from a large babygro bought at a car boot sale for 50p - what a bargain (especially as I made four taggosauruses from it)!

Curbing my inner consumer

I used to love clothes shopping. Despite my green tendancies which have existed ever since I can remember, I just loved spending the day shopping for clothes. At some point that has changed and now even when I really think I "need" something, I often can't bring myself to spend the money. Fat Face sales are a different matter entirely, but even then I know I will wear the things I buy over and over again. I hate the throwaway fashion industry - a whole generation of young people thinking clothes are so cheap they can just chuck them away when they lose their shape or shrink in the wash (which they invariably do), with scant regard for the implications for the environment and for working conditions in the developing world.

Still, I can't get away from the fact that I still do love new clothes. Step forward the car boot sale and the sewing machine! On Sunday we went with some new friends to a car boot sale. On my shopping list was fabric to make bunting and clothes to customise/adapt. I couldn't believe how cheap things were - 50p for children's clothes, £1 for adult's clothes in some cases. Although I didn't find the secret stash of cute vintage fabrics I hoped I might, I did find some lovely bargains that will hopefully enable me to make some lovely things without buying too much new fabric.

One thing that did strike me as we walked around was how much children's stuff there was for sale. So many clothes and toys, most of it going unsold despite the giveaway prices - there was just too much - piles and piles of little pink outfits! It just shows how much we are programmed these days to buy so much stuff for our own and for other people's babies, with the result that you often can't even give your good quality second hand children's items away. Seeing this excess induces a niggling feeling of uneasiness which definately helps to curb my inner consumer! Now if only I could find some time to get the creativity going...