Let's Try That Again

Hello, if there's anyone out there!

So, I had every intention of getting back to my creative blog and adding longer updates on what I've been creating. But, as it turns out, I haven't actually been creating all that much so there wasn't a lot to report on.

My main efforts were going into my next book (due out in April) and since then I've been working on the one after that so again, not so much with the other creations! I'm hoping that is going to change though as I feel I need to be doing something else so I'll be aiming to keep you updated.

In the meantime, I did create these online via Vistaprint I have a little tradition that once I get the final cover art from my publisher, I treat myself to a notebook and mug with it on. I've done some for giveaways in the past too which have always gone down well.

I love the springy colours of this one and we all need some of that sort of joy right now!

So I'll sign off for now but hopefully will be back soon with something fun to read for you. Stay home, stay safe and speak soon!


Love, Maxi

(ps, it turns out I've been away from Blogger so long I can't make it work properly so apologies for the wonky alignment but right now, done is better than perfect, right?)

Hello Again!

I'm not sure if there is anyone left out there but if there are, hello! 

I'm hoping to restart this blog as a bit of an experiment to see how it goes. At the moment, I tend to use Instagram to record things which I'll still do but this will allow me to go further into things and waffle on a bit more if I'm so inclined.

As before, it is likely to mostly cover the crafty side of things. There have been various changes and I no longer really scrapbook just down to time restrictions really. I've focused more on sewing as my main hobby for a variety of reasons, and as I am also now writing full time, there's only so many hours (especially when you throw Fibromyalgia into the mix).

Incidentally, if you do want to keep up on how the writing is going, hop over to my Facebook Author Page here which is probably the best place to find the latest news about that. There's also my website here which shows all the various places you can find me lurking! If you love a romcom and/or a romance, I'm your girl!

So! Time to crack on and let's see how it goes!

Have a wonderful day and look forward to chatting soon!

Love, Maxi

Making Sun Blush/Sun Dried Tomatoes in the oven

Normally around this time of year I am busy picking tomatoes most days and looking up more recipes to use them in along with my tried and tested Delia Smith tomato soup, and a yummy and very useful roasted tomato and mascarpone sauce recipes.

This year, I'm not sure what's gone on with the tomato crop but it's been a little on the pathetic side. And it's not just me. My Dad has an allotment and hasn't had much success either. Looking around the internet it seems to be a bit of a phenomenon this year. Bearing in mind all the effort that goes into growing them from seed, potting on and feeding and watering, it's pretty disheartening but there's really not a lot that can be done now.

I have had a couple of pickings and one lot I set aside to make some sun blush tomatoes. I'm quite a fan of these in recipes, more so than the sometimes too intense flavour of sun dried. However, they're really flippin' expensive in the shops, so if you have some tomatoes you want to use up, and a clean jar, then you can easily make your own.

First, sterilise the jar. This can be done either on a hot wash in the dishwasher or in the oven. It's the same process as you would do if you've ever made jam or chutney, etc. Put the oven on to warm up on the lowest setting. My one starts at 80 degrees centigrade so that's what I left it on.

Next, chop the tomatoes in half, and lay them skin side down on a baking tray. I use a magic liner from Lakeland on my trays as it makes cleaning up so much quicker.

Now, drizzle a little olive oil over the cut halves, followed by a teeny sprinkling of salt. It should now look something like this...

 

 

Next, pop them in the oven and just leave them alone. For sun blush at this sort of temperature, I'd say about five to six hours. Mine was a little over five but I was going to bed so had to turn it off. I did leave the oven door closed so they would have still been warming in there for a while. Of course it depends on the size too. If you only have cherry tomatoes, then just keep an eye as you don't want them all shrivelled up to nothing.

 

After this time, you can pull them out and leave them to cool. They should look something like this...

 





Ooh I'm blushing!

 

Once they're cooled, grab your jar and just pop them in. Pour in olive oil. Do this gradually to give it chance to seep into all the nooks and crannies and then just make sure it's covering the top. Pop the lid on and you're finished!

 

 

 

I keep mine in the fridge and they last a good while. You can sometimes find that the olive oil sets in the fridge but it's not a problem, just get them out a few minutes before you need to use them and it'll soften enough to get them out.

 

A much cheaper alternative to shop bought jars and if, like me, you don't spray any of your plants, then also a much healthier way to have these super flavoursome ingredients. Of course you could do this any time of the year with shop bought ones, but I do tend to find a lot of tomatoes in the shops don't always have a lot of flavour, so although the drying will concentrate the flavour, they won't be as tasty as the ones from your garden.

 

Happy Blushing!

 

 

 





Simplicity 2497 - Cynthia Rowley dress - Complete

It's done! I finally got over my fear of the invisible zip and the dress is done and has even been worn a few times. So I'm going to call that a result, if even it did take me longer than I'd planned. Although, to be fair, that was just due to other things happening and not the fact that there were any great issues with the pattern.

 

I chose a poly cotton gingham because, although I love the look of this in silk, this was my first attempt at making something from a pattern in quite a long time and I wasn't really keen on using something more expensive in case it went horribly wrong! I'm also a big fan of easy care clothing - I don't really do dry clean if possible. Making it out of something I can just bung in the washing machine is much more in line with my aesthetic. It also meant it was eminently more wearable than something in a 'fancier' fabric because the cotton lends an element of casualness. When I press it I tend to let the steam 'flop' the frills a little, just so that they don't stand up loads but that's an entirely personal choice. 

 

 

The pattern itself went together fairly well, considering it's the first I've done in a long time. I was a bit worried about a couple of aspects but once I started to actually try the different steps, they tended to come together quite logically.

 

I did have to look up how to do an invisible zip because it was the first I've ever done. I found this blog post really helpful and only got it on back to front once! It was in all honesty supposed to be a black zip but when I came to sew it, I realised I only had a white one. There's nowhere local to just nip out and get one so I went with what I had. It really is invisible for the most part - the most noticeable bit is where the waistband is as the thickness of the fabric there forces it apart a little but not enough to bother me.

 

 

 

There were a few alterations I made to the pattern - I took in both the bodice and the skirt a little as it was too baggy for my liking - I know the style is 'paper bag' but I found that it just wasn't suited to me so just pinned and stitched where I felt it looked better.

 

I also omitted the pockets, partly because I was pretty sure I was going to have to take it in at the sides anyway so that, combined with the side zip was just a bit too daunting for my first delve back in. I don't tend to put stuff in my pockets anyway so it was no great loss. I'm not a big fan of adding extra width to my hips anyway!

 

The skirt length was from the shortest view, rather than the one that went with this bodice. I held up the pattern against me initially and it just didn't look a flattering length on me so I chose this length instead.

 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the dress turned out. If I made another, I'd likely raise the neckline just a tad. It's fine as a 'standing up' dress but once you're sitting or leaning, you're likely to show off a little more than you aimed. I just solve this by popping a slip underneath - a cami would do the same job. It only shows a little but clings so bending is no longer an issue!

 

Just an aside, if you're a fan of making garments similar to those in films, etc, having watched 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' the other day, it struck me that the purple silk dress the main character wears for her first television appearance has definite similarities with this pattern!

 

I've got a huge list of things I want to make - all of them next so it's a case of picking one! If anyone follows my other blog (www.scribblermaxi.blogspot.com) you'll know that I'm madly writing and working on several writing competitions, but I'm hoping to get time to create something else soon. Now I've made this dress, it's really got me enthused to get back to it and do more.

 

Thanks for reading and I hope I have something new to show you very soon! Until then, Happy Sewing!

 

Love, Maxi

Simplicity Cynthia Rowley 2497 - In Progress

I'd really wanted to up the amount of sewing I did this year but, between concentrating on getting a serious amount of writing done, and an ongoing health problem, it's not entirely worked out that way. I've decided to try not to stress about that too much. It's unfortunate but there's not a lot I can do to change it right at the moment so I'll just enjoy the sewing I do get to do, when I get to do it. That's the point really, isn't it?

I'm currently in the middle of making Cynthia Rowley 2497

 

I've had it in my stash for a while and have been wanting to make it for a while. I'm doing it out of a poly cotton gingham for two reasons really - one, because it's a bit of a practice garment. It's a fair while since I made a garment from a pattern, and really, I'm a bit out of practice. The second reason, is that using a cotton, rather than something like a silk, it makes it a much more wearable garment.

 

I'd originally planned to have this ready for a party but as that was a few weeks ago, that obviously didn't happen. 

 

There are a few changes I've already made with this. I didn't add the pockets - partly because although I love a pocket, I don't think I need any more bulk on my hips, thanks very much. Also, as the zip is on the side, adding the pocket in was just a step too far for my first foray back into Pattern Land. I also shortened the skirt, using the cutting line for View, rather than View C (the ruffle version I'm making). It just didn't seem a very flattering length on me as it was.

 

Another change that many people seem to have made is putting the zip at the back and I can see why this is a good move. It would certainly make fitting alterations easier. As it is, I've had to take in a bit at the sides so it's a bit more fiddly with the zip placement there.

 

Yesterday I  finished the waistband inside, and tacked the sides as to where I need to take them in to. It's about another centimetre each side, to reduce some gaping at the armholes and more fabric in the skirt than I like. It's not a 'fitted' dress by any means, but it's looking a little better. I'm not sure if it is going to suit me after all this but it's all experience!

 

 

 

Hopefully it will be wearable - that's the main thing - and I'll have learned something. I'm really eager to get this done as I have plenty more things in the queue to make. I'm looking forward to being able to update you all soon with a finished garment!

 

Has anyone else made this? What did you think of the 'paperbag' style - did you find it flattering? I'd love to hear.

 

Happy Sewing!

Sewing a Case for a Kindle Paperwhite

Apologies for the gap in posts on here. I am in the process of completely overhauling this blog so hopefully soon it's going to look much better, and be updated more frequently. I have to admit that I'm not the most technologically gifted person in the world, so I rely on hubby's help for this sort of thing. He's always up to his eyeballs with his own work, but we are trying to find some time to do this, so do please bear with me and stay tuned!

My most recent make was for a Kindle Paperwhite for my Mum in Law. The Kindle was a birthday present but we weren't entirely sure as to whether she was going to use it so, apart from keeping the receipt, I also held off on making a cover in case we ended up returning the item. As it turns out, she loves the Kindle and is using it all the time! So, time to make a cover!

For some reason, I rushed this and thought I could get away without making a paper pattern first - which is what I had done here and here. This proved to be a bit of a downfall as I ended up making it a teensy bit too small! Lesson learned. That 'mis-make' is probably going to be turned into a few padded lavender bags.

So, back to the stash to find some more fabric. The original version had been from a free fat quarter that had come with a magazine. The next fabric I chose also happened to be a freebie!

 

 

 

I loved this new fabric - it's so sunny and 'Springy'! The only downside is that it was far more mobile than the previous fabric so it wasn't as easy to work with. It also turned out that I was short on wadding. I had some bits and bobs, so I had a bit of a think and decided to 'make do and mend'. I chose one of the utility switches on my machine and stitched a few bits together to make a long enough length for the Kindle cover. 

It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but as it's going to be inside and covered up, I don't think that's too much of an issue.

So, in the end, I came up with this...

 

As I mentioned, the fabric is a lovely cotton, but it definitely didn't have the stability that standard quilting cotton does so it did move about a bit more than was ideal. Hence, it hasn't come out quite as well as I had hoped, or as the previous ones did. But that's just me. It is at least the right size and looks pretty.

 

I've now sent it on to Mum in law and she was happy with it, and the Kindle is now nicely protected and cosy in its new home.

 

Happy Sewing! 

Great British Sewing Bee -The Positive Effect of Blokey Bees

Like many other sewers, I am so happy to see the return of The Great British Sewing Bee - BBC2, Thursday night is now something really to look forward to!

I've loved all of these series but I'm amazed at how much more demanding the tasks are each time. All of the tasks in the first series were - if you had a basic idea of sewing - probably fairly manageable, although of course you did still have that dreaded time constraint!

However, when Series 2 bounced onto our screens, it was immediately obvious that the challenges were going to be a whole new level of demanding! Last year, at the Sewing For Pleasure show at the NEC, I went to a talk by Stuart Hillard from Series 1. A few of us were a bit early and Stuart was just chatting about things and mentioned how he was rather glad he wasn't taking part in it this year (Series 2) as the challenges were so hard! So, that was a fun little insight!

My husband isn't into sewing but he is very supportive in giving me opinions and helping when I run to him, flapping instruction sheets and crying 'I don't understand!!!!' He's also fabulous in doing the boring bits like cleaning my machine. That is actually good for both of us as I'm pretty accident prone and he is mechanically and technically minded (I am so very not!) so letting me loose on the mechanics is probably safer for both of us!

 However, he thoroughly enjoyed watching Series 2 of the Bee with me and I think this was enormously helped by the fact that a) it's just a super enjoyable programme, whether you sew or not, as my parents also watch it and neither sew either. But I also think the appeal is that there are blokes on it - and 'blokey' blokes at that so it's something he can relate to very easily. Policeman David (also known now as Dizzy Sew and Sew ) was the perfect example in Series 2. I think this aspect really added a huge benefit for viewing figures. On Series 3 , amongst others, we have a Lieutenant Colonel from the British Army - it all shows that you can still be an Alpha Male type but also enjoy sewing! And that's just brilliant! It opens the hobby up to absolutely everyone.

Interacting with other sewers on Twitter such as Jules from Sew Me Something and Heather, who won Series 2 of the Great British Sewing Bee (with the most gorgeous Couture dress EVER!), it sounds like the Bloke Effect of the Bee is filtering down. It seems that boys are signing up for their classes! Yippee!! At last! The stereotype of sewing being only for girls has been around for far too long and it's such a shame, and a waste! We've seen from the programmes that men can have a completely different take on things than women do, and I for one, think that's a fascinating aspect! Men and women do think differently and it's good to accept and embrace and learn from that!

So, to paraphrase 'Footloose' - Let's Hear It For The Boys!

(Apologies for there not being any pics on this post - I'm not entirely sure of the legalities of posting any pics from the BBC website and didn't want to get into any copyright murkiness. Pics next post, I promise!)

Happy Crafting!

Mending Stuff and Putting Sewing Back on the School Curriculum

We all know that sewing is a fun, creative, sometimes frustrating, sometimes relaxing but pretty much fabulous hobby. But, at the risk of sounding boring, it's also flippin' useful!

This is just one of the many reasons why sewing should be put back on the school curriculum And when they do, they must ensure that it's done in the right way. A lot of people I've spoken to about this, who were in the last few years of having sewing taught at school (and even then it was an 'option', so not everyone did it), were more put off by sewing in class than encouraged. Had I not had a pretty firm background of loving fabrics and sewing, obtained by osmosis of having a Nan who was a professional seamstress, I would probably have been one of those who never picked up a needle again. As it was, I didn't look forward to the class - which says a lot about how it was taught.

There are so many fun things that children could make in the process of learning these skills in an appealing way, that I really hope the powers that be don't insist on the same old boring oblong shaped apron that we were all started on. Textiles are fun. Sewing is a sort of magic - that something 3D appears from what a short time before had been just a flat piece of fabric. Something that you can wear. Something that when someone says, 'Oh, I love your coat/hat/skirt/dress/bag (etc), where did you get it?', you can reply, 'I made it.' I guarantee that they will be impressed. And the buzz that you get from a compliment on something you've made is fabulous - and addictive - but in a good way! And, of course, with the increase in interest in sewing, the amount and variety of fabulous fabrics has increased exponentially!

I'm planning a WIP bag for the fabric on the left and probably a skirt for the one on the right

So, on to the more boring, but useful stuff I have been doing. I have to say I'm not a great fan of mending things. It's not really what I want to sew for but there's no doubt that it comes in useful and just sometimes has to be done.

I believe I mentioned in another post that a couple of months ago I got a dress at M&S in the sale. It was £21, down from £55 (I'd looked at it previously non sale, and loved it but it seemed pretty pricey!). I tried it on, it fitted perfectly. That in itself is a miracle. But then I noticed that the waistband was coming away from the embroidered band above it. I mentioned this at the till and asked for a little bit more off as it was damaged. So, off came a few more pounds and yes, it was a little fiddly but didn't take me much more than half an hour and I then had a lovely, easy to wear dress for £18 instead of £55.

Next, I was back with the M&S clothing but this time far less impressed that the coat I'd bought there at the beginning of the year, and had barely worn was coming away at the sleeve lining!

 

Sleeve lining (on the left) coming away!

This was not a cheap coat so I wasn't happy. Obviously they don't stock it anymore and the actual coat I love so it was out with the needle again. A bit fiddly, yet again but I muddled through and did a fairly neat job I think, bearing it mind it was trial and error.

Fixed!

On to some gloves now. I made these gloves many moons ago and they really have been well used. Being fleece they dry so quickly and as I used to use them all the time for walking a large dog in an often muddy forest, they have seen the inside of a washing machine plenty of times. No longer having a pooch, I dug these out the other day when it was a big nippy for a trip out on the bicycle. Which is when I noticed a hole, and then another, and then another! Oops!

Holey moley!

Still, a needle, some thread and a bit of telly and the problem was soon solved.

Added to that I finally got around to plumping up the square beanbag pouffe I made a few years ago when we moved in here as it had started looking decidedly sad. The original was made pretty easily because I refused to pay the £50-£75 the shops were charging for the same thing! I found some gorgeous faux suede from Croft Mill and went to work. Yes, you do end up finding the odd polystyrene ball for the next several weeks but any shop bought one would go flat too and if you can't plump it up, that's a lot of money wasted.

 

 

I realise I should have snapped a pic of the item in question, now fully returned to plumpness, but it's just been one of those times so please forgive, and I'll grab one later. In the meantime, take it from me that it's once more returned to squareness, with a little squidgy thrown in for good measure!

 

 

 

This also got the plumping up treatment. I use it in the car, in the small of my back to help against backache. It really helps but had got so flat that it was getting to be of little use. As this was a shop bought one (in which I clearly had no choice of colour!), I just snipped a hole near a seam, poured in some beans and hand sewed it up again with little stitches. It's not that noticeable and really, for shoving behind my back in the car, it really didn't matter if it wasn't a masterpiece anyway.

 

My last 'mend' was more of an adaptation. I'd popped into Boots for some powder puffs and it wasn't until later I thought that having a bit of ribbon on the back would make them much more user friendly so that's just what I did. If you're anything like me, you have ribbon to spare and as only a tiny bit was needed, it didn't take long. I even tweeted a photo to Boots of my adaptation which they kindly responded to, and are having their sales team look into the modification.

1 mushroom + 1 pair of lovely warm tights with a thin toe + a few spare minutes = fixed + money saved

So, whilst it's without a doubt totally fabulous to whip up a dress, it's good to remember that sewing skills are useful for the little things too. Getting my coat fixed would have cost me and if I'd bought the damaged dress without the ability to fix it myself, getting someone else to do it would have meant that it was back up around it's pre-sale price.

We live in a throwaway world but many are gradually coming around to the idea that this isn't always the best option, thanks to the renewed interest in sewing and knitting, and crafting in general. A generation or two ago, most women could sew - at least the basics. We need to get back to that, but not just for women, for men too. It's useful and it's fun! What more could you want?

Happy creating!

Love, Maxi

Padded Case For Laptop Or Tablet

My Dad had recently got a second hand laptop/tablet type thingy (to be honest, I'm not entirely sure of the distinction, but either way, he's got one). It didn't come with a case and, although he doesn't really have plans to be carrying places, he looks after his stuff and I knew he'd want a case to keep it safe and tidy.

I had a rummage in my stash, thinking this would be a good opportunity to use a bit of it up. After diving around in it for a while, it became clear that really, nothing I had would be suitable. Most of it, to be honest, was a bit girly. So - oh dear - I *had* to go fabric shopping!

My Dad is a keen gardener and has an allotment too, so something that tied in with this seemed a good place to start and a short while later I discovered this rather fun print from Michael Miller. It also comes in a cream colourway too.

The actual cover for the tablet was a fairly easy, envelope sort of design. I just laid the laptop on the fabric and folded the fabric up until it made a sort of pouch, and then folded the top down enough to make a flap that could be fastened with Velcro (hook and loop tape) - if that makes sense. It will. It was what I had originally planned to do with this tablet cover before I made a booboo and had to replan rather suddenly.

I used the vegetable fabric for the outer cover, and upcycled a cotton pillowcase that we no longer use. This was a great option as it's nice and soft from many washings, and its soft lilac colour complemented the main fabric colour, picking up the purple shade of the mushrooms in the design, and doesn't scream 'girly fabric' when you open it.

 



For the padding, I used two layers of a thin-ish wadding. I probably could have got away with one but I knew from previous use it can sometimes get a bit flattened out in items like this, and even with the pressing during the making up, so I stuck to the two layers. I also switched to the walking foot on my machine which made things a lot easier.

I made a sandwich of the fabric, wadding and lining, stitched around the edge, leaving a gap for turning and then turned it right side out. So I now had a padded oblong - veggie one side and lilac on the other. If you wanted to quilt the fabric, this would be a good time to do it but I didn't plan to so I carried on.

Taking the measurements from before as to how big the pouch bit needed to be, I popped a couple of pins in, one each side to mark it. Then I took the edge that was going to be the top of the pouch, the bit you'll see when you open the to flap up, and top stitched across just to make it look more finished.

Next I folded the bottom edge (the bit just topstitched) up to meet where the pin markers were and clipped the fabric in place, ready to sew. You can use pins of course, but I'd recently got some of these Clover Wonder Clips so it seemed a perfect opportunity to try them out. Have to say, on squishy fabrics like this, it was so much easier than trying to wiggle pins in which can sometimes result in the bits shifting. I've also seen people use just cheap hair slides - the kind that you slide in and bend to close - for the same purpose which is just as good.

So, a quick stitch up each side of the pouch bit and it was looking more like a case, rather than a changing mat!

Obviously doing things this way means the seams are exposed, so I had got in some bias binding to edge the whole thing with. That was a job in itself! I couldn't find the right brown to match the base colour and the only other matching one I could find was a deep lilac, which toned with those mushrooms beautifully but also pushed it a little too much back into the 'possibly-a-bit-girly' realm again. A bit more hunting and I found a green binding that matched.

Putting it on took two goes as I wasn't very happy with the first attempt. The second attempt still isn't perfect but I couldn't risk unpicking it all again and stretching it or putting another hole (I slipped!) in it. After that it was just a case of marking where the closure was to go on each side and lining them up. I box stitched these on both sides as it needs to withstand a lot of opening and closing.

The Velcro could have done with being a few millimetres over  really

 A quick stitch on of a 'Love, Maxi' label and it's ready to go!

I made this out of one Fat Quarter, and there's a little strip left. I realised when it came that I couldn't get the amount I needed in one go, staying in the direction of the print, but I don't think it's an 'obvious' directional pattern so I was happy to use it in the best way I could and I'm pretty happy with the way it's turned out. Hopefully my Dad will like it, and I hope you do too!

Thanks for reading!

Love, Maxi


Charity Make - Zipped Box Style Make Up Bag

If you're in the UK, you have probably seen the posters and adverts for the Macmillan Big Coffee Morning. It's a great cause and last year the coffee mornings raised £20,532,000 which can all be put towards helping people, and their loved ones, through cancer.

I was lucky enough to be invited to one this year that a friend and her neighbour were holding as a joint venture. This was a great idea, as it meant more numbers, a shared workload and the opportunity to meet and have fun with new people. The 'big day' as it were, was officially the 26th September, but this one, and many others around the country, had been pushed to the 28th. A Saturday morning meant that more people were able to attend.

As well as donating for your cup of tea/coffee and cake, there were various guessing games to play, through posters supplied in the Coffee Morning Kit and a raffle. As I was travelling by train, taking a Victoria sponge or a batch of delicious (hopefully!) cupcakes didn't seem the best option - and when the train pulled in to the station already absolutely packed to the rafters, the decision was proved to have been the right one. It would have been cupcake carnage. Instead I had decided to put my effort into a prize for the raffle. I pondered on what would be a good thing to take. As it was going to be mostly women, and bearing in mind the festive season is already being hailed in supermarkets across the country (something I wish we could legally change to ensure no hint of Christmas is allowed before November at least), I thought that perhaps a make up bag might be just the ticket.

I had some Makower fabric in cream called 'Boutique Accessories' that I thought would be perfect, covered as it is in little drawings of handbags, shoes, etc. (I tried to find a link to this for you, but because it's been in my stash a little while now, it seems that it's no longer sold). I also wanted it to be in a boxed style, rather than just flat. I don't know about you but I always find it much easier to find things in my own box shaped make up bag than I did in a previous 'flat' one.  Of course, as is always the way, nothing went to plan and I ended up poorly for the best part of last week.

Friday came and I still had no gift to take for the raffle. This is when Melanie at I Heart Stitiching came to the rescue. Without the time to spend rummaging through my patterns, I did a quick search on You Tube and found her channel. Melanie's box pouch tutorial is one of the best I've seen. She makes it really easy to see how to do things, gives you the measurements you need and just makes the whole thing seem less intimidating, especially if you are a) a beginner or b) under the weather - or even both.

This is how mine turned out:

 

 

 

 

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out, especially for a first attempt. I have pretty high standards, especially when it comes to gifts so things going to plan with it meant that I avoided the last minute dash to the shops to find a raffle prize to take!

 

I deliberately went with a contrasting colour for the zip as I felt it added a little bit of zing to the project but you could of course have one that matched the base colour of the fabric.

 

The bag was quite fun to make and came together quite easily. The longest part was cutting it out I think. I probably lost a bit of time changing feet on my machine, not that they take that long, but I did change back and forth between the walking foot and the overedge foot a certain amount. Luckily even that doesn't take too long on my Janome machine  I previously had a Toyota which was a nice little machine but the walking foot was quite fiddly to change so I was very pleasantly surprised when I first changed to a walking foot on the DSK.

 

If I make another one of these, I will probably match the thread to the lining fabric (sorry, no pics of the inside on this one as hubby took them for me whilst I got tea ready and I didn't specify an 'interior shot'). In this one the lining is pink and the stitching is cream, to match the base colour of the exterior fabric. My brain was still a bit fuzzy from being under the weather and once I realised, I made the decision to carry on. I actually quite like that the stitching contrasts inside as it's neat and makes it a little quirky. I'd match the next one just to see which look I prefer most.

 

Hopefully the lady who picked my bag as her prize enjoys using it as much as I enjoyed making it, fuzzy brain and all!

 

Did you go to any of the Big Coffee Mornings? Did you make or take anything - I'd love to hear so do leave me a comment below!

 

Happy Crafting!

 

 

Love, Maxi

Jam Session

No, not the cool, hip rock star kind, but the rather yummy produce-something-you-can-eat kind, which I think is indeed still cool and hip - rockstar or not.

During the past few weeks I have been keeping an eye on my Dad's allotment whilst they were away. Luckily it wasn't during the heatwave this time so a lot of the time it was looking after itself. It was in the meantime, producing a tonne of tomatoes, in addition to my own plants at home. But more of that in another post (suffice to say, there was some tomato soup in their fridge ready for them to have for lunch when they got back!). The allotment was also offering up the odd bit of fruit as plants started to head for autumn.

We had already had a delicious rhubarb, strawberry and blackberry crumble...

Yum!

After that, there was a little bit of odd things - none of it was enough to do much with on its own. I pondered on what I could do with it, and came upon the idea of making some jam.

I don't know about you, but for years, I was always under the impression that jam making generally involved some magic. It just seemed to loiter in my head as some very fine art that the likes of mere mortals as myself would never be able to conquer.

Well, turns out it's not quite so much of a dark art as I thought! I've not made loads of jam and the first batch I made several years ago was probably a bit thick really - but still edible for a first go, even if you did sort of have to cut it into sticky chunks...

I was taking a bit of a risk on this batch really too as I didn't have an actual recipe with quantities or anything and who knew what the mixture of fruits was going to taste like. You know, some mixes work and some are a bit off. Either way, the fruit was just sitting there so there wasn't much to lose.

After a bit of scouting around for sugar quantities, I went for a basic theory on adding the same weight of sugar to fruit, with a good splash of lemon juice for good measure. I then prepared the fruit:

* One stick of rhubarb (fairly thick)
* One bag of frozen gooseberries, thawed (these had broken down in the thawing process but going in a jam, it didn't seem as if it would matter too much
* About three blackberries (I know!)
* A small handful of yellow raspberries - these are delicious and a much softer flavour than traditional red one. I think they are called 'All Gold'
* One punnet of plums
* A few bits of pear

Everything but the pears, which had started to turn a bit soft and the plums were from the allotment. These two items had come in my veggie box. Dad doesn't use any sprays up at the allotment and the box is an organic one so there was a distinct lack of nasties to go in my jam mix - marvellous!

I cooked the fruit down, probably a little bit further than I intended because I had forgotten completely that I had it on the heat and got distracted doing something else! Scooting out to the kitchen when I remembered, the fruit was fine and hadn't stuck or anything. I splashed in the lemon juice and added the sugar, stirring it all the time until it dissolved completely.

This resulted in loosening the mixture quite a lot. I turned up the heat until it was boiling but only slightly and then turned it down again for a little longer. I know various recipes say to 'boil rapidly' but frankly, as soon as it started to boil, the stuff was flying out in all directions! A lower heat seemed the best option. I kept stirring for a while, until it started to get to a more 'jammy'* consistency (*technical term), and then popped a blob on a cool saucer and quickly placed it in the freezer for a few minutes.

When it came out, I could push the jam and make it wrinkle a little, before it scooped up onto my finger. Obviously I had to taste then, and gosh, it was delicious! I think it probably depends a bit on how you like your jam. If you like quite a runny (not liquid!) jam, then this stage is fine, but for a slightly thicker jam, you could leave it to cook a bit longer. I quite like a 'loose' jam as I find it is easier to spread. So, take the pan off the heat, grab a couple of sterilised jars and a jam funnel and...



Ta Dah!

 

 

As I say, I didn't have loads of anything so it only made two pots, but that's fine with me. The one on the right has been jazzed up a bit because I couldn't get the label off properly originally and I'm giving it to the parentals (it was mostly their fruit after all!) so a bit of pretty paper and double sided tape later - fit for presenting!

 

 

Munched!

 

Excuse the munching marks on this one, I forgot I was supposed to be photographing it before I dived in! There was a little too much jam to fit into both pots, so we had to each have a bit of bread and jam for supper. What a shame! 



I'm really glad I overcame the 'fear' of making jam. I may well have just been lucky with this batch and the next one might be awful but who knows? It seemed to work this time just fine. Obviously the fruits I was using had enough pectin to make it viable - something with a lower level like strawberries, might be a bit more tricky. The key thing is, just to try! I'm really glad I did.

I'd love to hear about any jam making you've been doing, or any recipes you've just come up with to use up leftovers that have turned out great!

Happy crafting!

Love, Maxi

Craft Space Overhaul...again

***I have just glanced back at my posts and realised that I had already done a sort of blog about this subject, which goes to show just how long I've been away from the blogging scene and how manic things have been lately. So! Apologies that this may repeat certain things and please forgive me my scatterbrain moments. Next time, I'm checking, honest!***


Hello all!

After having an epiphany of the interior design variety a couple of months ago, during a sleepless night, we have had a fairly major change in the room that was being used as a sort of study, come craft space. It never seemed to quite work really and I couldn't put my finger on it as to why. I suppose part of it was that one side was hubby's with his desk and the other side was my desk and various craft gubbins. I will freely admit that during crafting sessions, my side pretty much always invaded his side; a situation I have heard from many other crafters. Luckily, my hubs didn't mind this and happily put up with the encroachment. But I still wasn't really happy with the room. I didn't feel inspired to be in there, despite it being very light and sunny in the mornings.


As I lay awake that night, turning all sorts over in my head, the idea for a whole repurpose of the room emerged. As to whether it was possible was another matter.

I am a total book lover. I love my books - just looking at them makes me happy! In a previous house, we'd put shelves up in our dining room that covered one wall entirely. Those shelves were then in turn covered with books.

 

  

 

 

However, when we moved to this house, after a stint abroad, house prices had gone crazy and the same options weren't available. I had donated a lot, and I mean an awful lot, to charity and to the local library before we moved abroad but I still had a substantial number of books. We ended up having a couple of good old Ikea Billy bookcases  dotted around the house, and another older half height bookcase holding my recipe books. I've lived with it for a few years but it was far from ideal, especially as most of my books were still in the loft, which I knew wasn't the best environment for them.

 

It had also been playing on our minds that we didn't have a dining table. Well, we did, but it was still covered in shipping wrap and sat in the garage. Having a smaller house we just didn't have the space for it. Most of the time, this wasn't an issue. We aren't the type to throw posh dinner parties and we eat in the lounge, chatting and catching up on any series we've recorded. I know purists will gasp in horror at this, but it's what we do, and we're happy doing it. If you have children, then that's a whole different deal and I'd agree that sitting together and having the opportunity to talk about your day, etc, is important but we don't have that situation so we do what works for us. Anyway, back to topic! Mostly our friends were happy to eat as we did, and if the parentals visit, we used some fold out 'tv tables'. It worked. But I was aware that if I went for this whole transformation of the room, then we could also incorporate a dining table, making it a real multi purpose room but still look chic and tidy - the current design had open shelving for a lot of craft bits and I wasn't happy with it entirely. Yes, you can see what you have, but I still wasn't using a lot of it, and it was a pain to dust! And honestly, I'm not a fan of open shelving in general. I like things behind doors and the clean lines that tends to give. I know some people love open shelving and all power to them. It's just a personal choice - there isn't a 'right or wrong'.

 

So! After pulling all my books out of the loft (yippee!!!!) I also took down all the shelving in the room, piling up the craft goodies and sorting out exactly what I was going to use and what, in all likelihood, I wasn't. I went through all my scrapping paper and donated a tonne to my beautician's Mum, who runs a childcare service. Other craft items mostly went to the British Heart Foundation and a couple of bits that were brand new sold on Ebay.

 

Eventually, we got there. Trying to condense the contents of two desks, two filing cabinets, and drawer sets, eight shelves and two cupboards into just the two cupboards was no easy feat. The cupboards themselves were ones already existing in the room but in need of a makeover to blend in. One tin of Annie Sloan chalk paint later...

 

 

and

 

 

transformed! I've yet to put the handles back on this one in the above photo. The other cupboard was pretty much the same sort of mdf wood veneer colour but neither matched each other, and as the bookcases were slightly off white, I really wanted to paint them to make the room look more cohesive. It's amazing what a difference it makes. I didn't both with the top of this one as it's pretty tall and no-one tends to look up there! Plus it's now home to a few things that don't need accessing too much (including the big box that holds my wedding dress! Not an easy size to find space for). Ideally I wouldn't have anything up there but needs must and to be honest, I don't tend to notice the things stacked up there tidily.

 

 

I have to admit, there were a couple of moments when I thought I had taken on an almost impossible job as  I sat surrounded by 'stuff'! But we got there. And I now have a view that makes me smile and inspires me when I sit down to sew or scrap or make a card.

 

 

 

New inspirational view from my sewing machine

 

I wish I had taken photos of the process along the way, but there was a lot else going on at the time and the idea of blogging the transformation hadn't really occured to me, so apologies if it's all a bit 'wordy' for you.

 

We have a print waiting to go up, but need to find a frame for it first and the wall behind the machine is currently bare. We haven't decided on what to put up there yet but I'm sure I'll know when I see it.

 

I'm really pleased with the outcome. We did have to choose a different dining table as our original is too big for the room but the pine one we got, again from Ikea, is just the right size and was a great price. We knew we wouldn't be eating in there loads so it made no sense to splash out on some beautiful, but pricey, solid oak one. It does the job and looks great, with the wood adding a bit of warmth to the white walls and bookcases.

 

Hope you enjoyed the 'tour' and would love to see some pictures of your rooms - especially those that have to be multi purpose!

 

Love, Maxi

















Back Soon!

Apologies for the interruption of posts here. I'm not sure where this year has gone and can't believe we're already half way through July!

I'm currently in the midst of having a major change in the room I use to sew in so it's all been a bit of an upheaval. We've got rid of a couple of desks and replaced them with a small dining table and bookshelves. Not that we entertain a lot but when we do, it's nice to actually have a table to sit at. Our previous house was bigger so although we still have that table, it's too big really for this room. So, Ikea to the rescue and we're sorted!

Condensing two desks, two sets of drawers, a cupboard and various other shelves and drawers into one space has been a bit of a job and I've had to be ruthless with some craft supplies. It has been a good opportunity to see exactly what I have though, and get rid of some things which I know I'm not really going to use. My beautician's Mum runs a childcare service so I always have a good home for paper, etc  and the other craft supplies went to the charity shop. I'm hoping that, although everything is now hidden in cupboards and stored in tins rather than being out on display, because I now have stuff that I really think I'll use, I will actually find it easier to get on and scrap. That's the plan anyway! I've certainly been getting some inspiration from the Glitter Girl videos at Two Peas As most scrappers will know by now, Two Peas in a Bucket are closing their doors this week and it's unclear as to what is going to happen to the videos posted by the Garden Girls. In the event that the rights aren't returned to those who created them for use on their own sites, I am madly trying to watch the Glitter Girl ones which I'd got terribly behind on. I also bought and used Video Downloader Ultimate to grab the videos from Shimelle's Hitchhiker's Guide to Scrapbooking Class. I also downloaded the National Scrapbooking Day classes she did when she made up kits from her own stash as I find these really useful to watch. I'm not a natural with techy stuff but this programme is really simple to use so I recommend it if you have some classes you want to keep before Two Peas shuts its doors for the final time on the 24th July.

We were left with two cupboards in our new dining room/library which had matched the two desks. The 'Billy' bookcases that now line most of one wall are off white, and I had some of the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White left from a previous project. The beauty of this paint is that you don't have to sand the furniture down prior to painting. I did clean it off with a bit of white spirit which I left to dry and evaporate off. This colour is a really good match to the Billy bookcases. I'll be in and out of both the cupboards, and one will have the printer on so they need to be able to stand up to use.

The last time I painted using this paint, I did follow through with wax, as they say but I didn't find it good enough. Gradually things would leave marks and finger marks were obvious. As I have also painted our phone table to tidy it up after some heavy handed movers in various countries left their marks on it, I need something tougher. So this time I bought some clear, non yellowing, matt varnish and have given everything a coat of that. It was a bit of an experiment as I'd not used a varnish before with it. I've given everything one coat now and it seems just fine and I think will be a much better option for me at least.

I'm really happy to have my books all together again and when I did a bit of sewing the other night whilst hubby watched the World Cup final, I felt much more inspired sitting in there. Seeing my books makes me happy and more creative, and even though the sewing was just a frustrating repair (to a brand new Jane Norman dress!), I am hoping for lots of creative juices when I get the room finished properly. One of my first projects is the Simplicity Jiffy Dress  that came with Issue 61 of Sew magazine, in this fabulous cotton print:

So, a couple more coats of varnish today and we should be there. It's a warm one so it shouldn't take too long to dry. Thanks so much for your patience and with a bit of luck I will have some creative creations to share with you very soon!

Happy Crafting!

Love, Maxi

Bit Of A Setback

So! I finally got some time put aside to sit down and get all the gubbins out to start on a garment! I had a lovely new pattern that I'd bought from an indie seller at the NEC's Sewing For Pleasure show, and fabric bought especially for the dress. I'd got my thread, my zip, the whole caboodle!

Having spread the paper pattern out, it didn't really lend itself to the trace straight on to fabric method that Tilly details here being a very thick paper so I spent quite some time sticking and tracing and cutting the pattern onto dressmaker's paper. It wasn't the easiest as the 8 and 18 lines are very similar in colour and once you put tissue paper over this, it gets even harder to see!

So, once I'd cut the pieces out I went to put them on the fabric. This is where it all went horribly wrong. The pattern didn't specify the width of fabric needed (actually it's pretty vague as to how much you need at all but there we are!) and apparently it doesn't fit on the standard 45" width, that's for certain. The skirt is fairly wide and there's no way it would fit. Even opening it out and adding another seam, which isn't ideal but would salvage it, wouldn't work as I'd need a whole bunch more fabric.

Obviously I was a bit miffed. Like most of us, I don't have unlimited time and so I was excited to make this pattern my first big foray back into sewing and spent several hours in the process, only to be let down. Looking at the instructions, there are a few key points missing in those too, especially as this is marketed as a 'beginner' pattern. I beg to differ. The design is simple but it just seems that a certain amount more testing is required before it should be let loose on the public.

I was, and am keen, to support the indie pattern houses and on the whole, I've heard good things about them. I hadn't heard much about this one but loved the designs and the pretty packaging. It's the most I've ever spent on a pattern and is more than all the other indie patterns I've seen, now I've looked around.

I've contacted the company (which is why I'm not naming them on here, for the moment) but have yet to receive the courtesy of a reply. That was nearly a month ago. Less than impressed?! I should Coco! Which it would seem is the pattern I should have bought instead of this one as I've seen loads of great examples on the web of this one.

It looks like I'm going to have to chalk this one up to experience. It's a shame as it's really made me wary of 'unknowns' now. And the dress is pretty. Well, it would be if the pattern had been more accurate!

It kind of put a damper on my sewing enthusiasm for a few weeks, having wasted all that time and then to be completely ignored by the owner, despite an explanatory email asking for assistance and a tweet checking to see if the email arrived. I'm not entirely impressed with the 'customer service'.  I'm hoping to get the mojo back though. I have a maxi dress pinned up - not very exciting, just taking it up as Jane Norman seem to think everyone is nearly 6 foot tall! Still, it should get me back in front of the sewing machine which is a start. I had to cut off a fairly big chunk which I thought might make a fun headband sort of thing if I make a little hem on it.

And I've just ordered Tilly's book too - like I need more sewing books - but the clothes, especially the dress with the sweet little bow are adorable so with a bit of luck, I'll be stitching again soon!

Making Custom Map Cushions

First of all, this post was supposed to be up on Thursday and very nearly was! I couldn't sleep and got up early and thought I'd get this post done.

After fiddling about and arguing with Blogger about the fact that it keeps turning my portrait pictures into landscape mode, I finally figured it out, with the help of Google, and got the post done, and the pictures in. And then managed to delete the whole thing!

Trying to move the picture, I ended up highlighting the whole thing and obviously pressed a random key that deleted it all! Blogger really needs to put an 'undo' button on this site. Either that or I need to start using another service. So, as you can imagine, I wasn't the best chuffed at all that and, didn't have time to do it all again then, so here I am again now! Fingers crossed!

A short time ago, we went to the Eclectic Maker Shop so that I could get the circuit board fabric to make up a tablet case for hubby. Whilst we were there, having a nose around (as is mandatory in such circumstances!), I spotted this map fabric.

I'd been wanting some map sort of cushions for a while. I'd seen quite a few different ones around, and in magazines but not any that were exactly what I was looking for, or weren't a ridiculous price! I have a bit of a thing about maps so I'm always drawn to them. I think it's the promise of travel and discovery that they instill.

So, I bought a metre of the fabric, which gave me four complete maps, and some natural linen for the backing. I soon realised that I wasn't going to be able to find pre-made cushion innards to fit the size of the map so I did some measuring and made up some custom sized, hand stuffed, hand finished cushions instead.

Ta dah! The finished results! I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.

 

 

I hope you like them! I've got some more cushions planned (could do with a bigger house!), this time using this elephant fabric from the Karavan range in the Free Spirit line. I'm still deciding as to what exactly to do with them. I have some ideas but I think it'll be another case of fiddling and seeing what happens!

 

 

I'd love to hear what you're making so feel free to leave a comment below! In the meantime, happy crafting!

 

 

Love, Maxi