}

Monday 22 November 2010

Scratching the creative itch, rather badly

I have set myself a quite overwhelming challenge to create each of my sproglets a christmas gift, now I do have just (just!) four children, and with almost 5 weeks to go to christmas, one gift a week doesn't seem so impossible - but I get so little time to create, and I am SO slow at pretty much everything, sewing, embroidery, drawing, I like to take my time and get it right. With just over 4 weeks to go, I would be lying if I said I was not a little overwhelmed.

Anyway, I have made a start, a rather slow start. I hit upon the idea of making a cushion for Ambear, using an embroidery which I started 3 years ago (I told you I am slow!) and really ought to finish and make use of. So, I have no fabric, well, not much, and mostly little scrappy pieces that I found at the bottom of the bag

, so in my infinite wisdom, I figured I would use said scrappy pieces to create a patchwork border for the embroidery, and ta-da I would have a cushion front. The embroidery is my own design and features Ambear and her precious Sleepy Bear.

However, the bag was sadly lacking in such tools as rotary cutters and cutting mats and even a decent pair of scissors, actually the only pair of scissors I currently have in my possesion are either teeny weeny embroidery scissors or blunt as a donkeys ass kitchen scissors, can you tell where I am heading with this?

Yes, my patchwork pieces were all pissed, I figured that was ok as I could sew them together straight and um, that didn't happen, and before I knew it, well, I had one seriously pissed piece of patchwork, that wouldn't even iron right, with crazy fat and irregular seams. So my first attempt at patchwork is a complete bungle, the donkey with the blunt ass could have done a better job, but oh well. Here it is anyways.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Notice the lack of eye popping colour, Ambear prefers muted tones, so I did my best to cater for her taste with my small selection of vintage scraps, this will be a completed cushion this week,very soon, before christmas. Sigh.

Boo has been playing with her train set a whole lot recently, and has been dragging it from pillar to post in a rather tired looking plastic grocery bag, so out came the sewing machine (which is fast becoming my firm friend, now that I know how to thread her up etc) and an old vintage pillow case, and this nifty little drawstring bag was made. It seemed a bit plain on it's own, so I embroidered a train design to applique on to the front.

Photobucket

Photobucket

I reeeeally should have put this away for christmas, although she also needs a bag for her building blocks, wooden farm and animals and oh the list goes on, back to the sewing machine goes I....
What have you been sewing lately?

8 comments:

  1. OOohhhh I love your little embroideries. Wonderful gifts for two of your girls...you should be really proud of yourself. You are definitely on a roll!

    You should check out Judes blog (http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/) I think you would love her methods of piecing. I know I do. Very relaxed and organic.

    Can you send me you new address. I have a little something to send over.

    Take care and happy stitching.

    Jacky xox

    ReplyDelete
  2. OoOOh Jude's blog is so so lovely, thanks for the tip Jacky and as always, your kind words, you are too sweet <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. lovely! embroidery is so perfect for small, pretty projects.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those are SO cute! I especially love the cursive stitching...is that hard to do? Do you just use normal thread?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ahhhh, there's my crafty talented friend! Thanks for sharing. I <3 it!!!!
    ~S

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love your very original hand sewn pieces!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Goodmorning Tallulah...I thought you would like Judes blog. So glad you popped by for a visit (and some inspiration).

    The eco dyeing is fun. An old pot and boil up some leaves, onion skins... wrap your old pillow case around a branch, piece of old, rusty metal and simmer away. You never know what results you will end up with.

    Jacky xox

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you all for your kind words :)
    Sarah, the cursive stitching on this one was actually one of my first attempts, being as I started it almost three years ago. I use very tiny back stitches and three strands of standard floss.
    Jacky, I will be sure to give it a try, I like that it is totally unpredictable, it makes it very exciting, I am thinking beetroot!
    Sena, I can't wait to see you get back to blogging too! <3

    ReplyDelete