Dressmaking

I thought I would try my hand at a little dressmaking.  I had been looking for sewing books on Amazon and came across some Japanese sewing books.  The clothes appealed to me as I like that loose smock kind of thing.  They come with full size patterns but you have to trace off the size you want.  Through trial and error I found my size and stitched up four easy tops suitable for wearing with my jeans.

You can't see from the photo but the third one down has nice little patch pockets on the front of it.  The top one is open at the back and fastens with ties.  The books contain plenty of patterns for fairly easy tops. dresses and jackets which I will be trying out in the future.

Colourful Crochet

A while back I ordered some Drops Paris cotton yarn and it has been laying idle ever since.  I came across it the other day and decided to do something with it.  I started off with a cushion and ended up with three cushions a throw and some bunting. 

Potting Shed

The Potting Shed has now been given a makeover with curtains that I made and kitted out with lots of cute potting shed items that I got from Sainsbury's when they were selling them off for half price.  I have also included some photos of what we are growing on the allotment this year - new potatoes, peas, cabbages, broccoli, spring onions and lettuce, onions, garlic and shallots.

 

 

 







 

 



 

 

 



Doll's Bedding

This week I have been off work on holiday.  I decided I would have a go at making some bedding for
one of the little cots that I got from the charity shop.  It is now looking lovely and will be donated to the church to raise funds for charity.

First I made a little mattress and pillow,



then I made a pillowcase and top sheet and embroidered onto them lavender and butterflies,

 



then I crocheted a cool summer cotton blanket with little flowers attached,



 and sewed a cosy patchwork quilt as well.

 

Finally, no dolly can go to bed without her very own teddy.

















Doll Rescue

I found this little lady looking very sorry for herself dressed in only her little white shoes.  I bought her for £2 and took her home.  She has now been washed with her hair combed, although it still looks like a bad hair day.  Any way I will get to work and sew her some clothes.



 

From the same place I also found this doll's cot which I will add to my makeover pile.



In another charity shop it was all 'coming up roses' with these vintage linens.

Baby Blanket and Bunny

I don't get to do much sewing and crochet for babies, but these came about recently:

 This little chap is taken from one of Helen Phillip's books.  I tweaked his trousers a little bit from the original.



The flower squares for this blanket were sourced from the internet and teamed with plain squares.



 Here they are together.

I made up this drawstring bag to wrap up the blanket and it can also be used as a storage bag for the nursery.

Sewing Room Reveal

My very own sewing room, how happy am I?  Very happy.  It is not very large but adequate for me.  I have spent the last 3/4 months getting it all together from painting furniture to re-vamping some vintage pieces.  I can now take you on a little tour round.

This is my sewing area by the window where my radio and computer sit as well.  The table
and chair were re-painted and re-covered with a tablecloth bought for a few pound.

 

On the back wall there are 3 storage units.  These were bought second hand and painted up to match the room and store all my vintage linens and wool stash.



This is some of my vintage sheet collection.

 

They were painted white and the back panels and door panels papered with spotty wallpaper.



Plenty of storage space along the top.

And on the shelves.





Drops and Stylecraft wool stash.

 

Embroidered tablecloths and vintage hankies in this side.





Storage bags made from tea towels.



The other end of the room where big fish and little fish are.



This is also the ironing area.  This is a vintage wooden ironing board that has been painted and recovered.

Next is my cutting table.

As you can see it is made from an old sewing machine table.



 Three vintage workbaskets revamped for storage of trims and ribbons.

What do you think of the wallpaper?  It took me ages to find something suitable.
No stopping me now.