Party Top.

I have just made this top. Although there are some rather scary versions on the front, I went for the simple look.

And I love it! It has a real party floaty fun feel. I wore it out to a friends birthday meal and another party and I felt really good.

I personally feel it is areal rival to the taffy blouse. Both need light fabric but this just felt fitting because of the of the way the wings are sewn, but floaty too.

I will defiantly make this again. This version was whipped up using an old duvet cover.

Just to show off my party shoes too (oh how my feet hurt today!!)

Although I have worn this a party number it would easily do for everyday, I just love it!

Any one get anything made up this weekend?

Pin Cushion Tutorial From Michael Ann.

                                                                                                                                              hey fellow crafters!                                                                                i'm michael ann from michael ann made where i share diy tutorials and projects to help us all become a little more crafty. for the month of may i'm running a series on becoming a more confident crafter with tips and ideas to encourage us all to try new things and practice our skills. i have been making things for literally as long as i can remember and just love the feeling of satisfaction in being able to give someone a handmade gift. i want to help everyone feel excited about making things themselves so i'd love to see you by my blog sometime and help you become more crafty! today i'm so excited to share with you a tutorial to make a wrist pin cushion. i love being able to have my pins easily accessible since i do a lot of clothes sewing, but a wrist pincushion is great for stitching while sitting on the couch too!                                    materials you'll need - - scissors, needle, embroidery thread - elastic (even a spare hair tie would work) - pretty fabric - felt - stuffing fluffing - a little piece of cardboard (i ripped off a tab from a cereal box and it was the perfect size!)                              cut the cardboard, felt and fabric, making each one a little bigger than the last. sew the fabric to the felt with a straight stitch using the embroidery thread only along three of the sides. then slide in the cardboard and fill it with fluff, and sew the last side shut. 

   

 just to add an extra bit of cuteness, i decided to cut a scalloped edge on the felt. pinking shears would look cute too, but i still need to buy some of those...                  measure out the elastic to fit comfortably on your wrist and then sew it on the back.

                     
 then stick a couple pins in and you're ready to go! i am so happy with how cute it turned out considering it only took about an hour to make. now i'm ready for some marathon sewing! best of luck with all your pin cushion making and swapping and a big thanks to charlotte and rachel for having me! hope to see you all by the blog sometime for more crafting goodness!

 A Huge Thank you Michael Ann, we are so lucky to have such great inspiration that is willing to be shared and build this lovely sewing community, and making this swap such fun!

                                                  

Journal of a novice cyclist, Exeter route

This a journal of my cycle rides (as if you couldn't guess!!) . I have had many grand plans about cycling instead of using the car but really I cycle for fun. Today's little route is a mix of towns, canals and country, and beaches! Yes we have it all.

We started off at Eexter quay side, a thriving little area of pubs, cafes, cute little shops (oh and a billion tourists in the summer) but now it's a great place to be. Mingling around are old and new boats canoeists, rowing boats, cyclists walkers and runners, everyone enjoying a little sun.

The lovely thing about this route is there are so many stop offs. We cycled along the canal to Topsham and the Estuary. The route is about 4/5miles I think. And at the tip of land space we arrive at the Turf locks, a lovely pub which does some good food.

We intended to cycle further, along the route that takes to the beach, but we found a gate that was locked on route and I just couldn't face getting Arthur out of his seat so we turned back.

We took another stop off after a few miles at the Double locks this time

And most importantly what was I wearing, yes in compliance to the Me Made May, I wore self stitched linen trousers and 70s style yellow top (one of my favorites!) What an awful photo though!!

                             Ah this is better!! Arthur had a great time too with lots of stop offs.

And when we got home he was enjoying his den that we made this year, it's looking lovely.

And finally look what we found in the park!! Even Callums hair matches his suit!!

 A great day when the sun is shining, although I think I'm ready for a slightly longer ride now.

Owl pin cushion give away & winner from last week.

Good morning my dears, 

Can you believe we are now on week 2 of our Pincushion Marathon of posts. Charlotte and I are really enjoying this swap. If you haven't seen it yet, there is a Q&A post with more in-depth clarifications about the swap. 

Now, roll the drums because its time to announce last weeks give away winner.

We numbered all the comments lefts and both blogs and random.org choose:

Congratulations, "Made for Dinosaurs"

Please remember that we will hold your prize for one week, if it's not claimed we will pick another winner. So do come forward and email myself or Charlotte with your address.

So you wondering, what are we giving you a chance to win this week? This lovely Owl.

So lovelies for this week. Cassia who turns out lives not so far from me at all is kindly giving away as a prize one of her cute little owls.

Name: Cassia Leicester

Shop: Tabbytha ~ Vintage and Handmade

Etsy Shop: www.tabbytha.etsy.com

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TabbythaVintage

A bit about me:

I am a self taught jewellery maker living in Exeter in the beautiful county of Devon with my husband and cat.

I started making jewellery as a hobby but once it got out of hand I started selling at local fairs and opened my Etsy shop in 2011. I love creating one-of-a-kind pieces and get my inspiration from vintage styles and the natural world. I have very eclectic tastes and therefore started adding to my range with hand sewn products including corsages and pin cushions.

I learnt to sew and cross stitch when I was at school. Despite owning a sewing machine I still prefer to hand sew which is why I started using and then making pin cushions.

I am giving away one of my owl pin cushions which is made from a variety of scraps of material. He has a weight inside to keep him from toppling over and a faux leather bottom to make him durable. I hope you can give him a good home. ♥

Eligibility:

Open internationally

Open to all - not only members of the pincushion swap party.

Closing date is Sunday 20th May GMT London 8pm.

The winner will have to contact myself or Rachel directly to claim your prize within one week. 

The winner will be announced on May 22nd 2012.

To enter :

Please make sure you are a follower of my blog and leave a comment

Extra entries:

Go to Rachel's blog and comment your answer there too.http://houseofpinheiro.blogspot.co.uk/


Good luck everyone.

A perfect Mindful Denim Meringue Skirt

Yes Mindful sewing is in full swing! For those that don't know I started thing of my sewing in a mindful meditative kind of way, to try and stop rushing and making mistakes and causing stress.

 So feeling good and rather pleased I have the perfect denim skirt. We all need some staple clothes and this is great for that. Lets face it a denim skirt will go with every top and pair of shoes I own.

I have made some changes which I feel happy with, the fit around my waist feels snug, although I have noticed in the photo a little pull across the middle. Lets hope all the exercise I'm planning will stop that!

 

I also made up some pockets for the back, I had such a dilemma trying to work out whether to put on buttons, I thought plain was more versatile in the end.

 

The scalloped edges really benefit from taking time, I also did a little top stitch around the bottom.

 

Silly photo face!! But I just wanted to show the cute insides, fabric curtisy of Meg the Grand, thank you, as I think it's perfect!

 

So being my least liked pattern from the Colette book to my top skirt of the summer, what a turn around!!

Molly Makes pin cushion tutorial

Considering Rachel and I have been so very lucky to be featured on the Molly Makes blog last week we thought it only fitting that the first pin cushion tutorial should be from Molly Makes themselves!

These are so utterly cute, and here is how to make them!  http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/24/make-an-apple-pin-cushion

                                                                            Enjoy!

Book review : Home dressmaking by Good Housekeeping.

Can you believe this, I picked up this book for a staggering 1 penny! Yep, I am feeling a little pleased with myself!!

 

So what attracted me to this book other than the price and that I have countless teach you how to sew book? Well the front cover of course!

Those lovely girls look so sweet and the they look even better inside. All images are drawn but very good and informative, just like a step by step guide to successful sewing should be from Good Housekeeping. It does have everything basic sewing needs and a good problem solving chapter at the back.

Other than the girl pictures I totally feel in love with the first chapter, The Total Look. The very beginning was completely relevant today although it was published in 1977. 

And just like the recent Colette book it asks us to take a good look at our figures, although it has wonderful terms such Tall, plump girls, and A round Roley poly figure!!

I did think this was a great book though and it will be firmly staying on my bookshelf and ready to remind myself the best way to achieve better sewing.