Biffsugar

Successful sewing

Well I've been quite pleased with myself for making this phone case for my daughter and her continuing love of the Unicorn.  This is the first time I have made a lined pouchy thing and I always have a mental breakdown when I have to think about which side you lay the fabric and how it will work when you turn it the right way out.  So I held my breath for that bit - not being sure if it would work.  I was so pleased when it did.

I did break out in a mild sweat for some of the sections but that is just normal for me and sewing.  I still don't find it a thoroughly relaxing activity but I have improved massively over the years as I have built a little tiny bit of skill.  It used to be that my ideas far outweighed my abilities but this little pouch has brought me a lot of joy and satisfaction to know that I built it from scratch with no pattern or anything!  I have to admit there was a previous version which the phone just did not fit into but it very happily turned out to be useful for holding tissues so you know, every cloud!

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Unicorns I love them...

I can at last show pictures of the Unicorn cushions that I made for my daughter's birthday.  She turned thirteen at the weekend.  I'm trying hard not to think about that fact and that she may only be here with me for another five years.  Make the most of it, make the most of it...

Anyway she loves Unicorns - who doesn't?  So I set out to make her some cushions for her bed.

I am so pleased with them.  It's been a long time since I did any patchwork and I didn't plan it out extensively before I started, I just went for it and it paid off!  More importantly she loves them too and thought I had bought them (high praise!)

The green unicorn fabric is Heather Ross Far Far Away and the purple is by Timeless Treasures.  

After presents were opened we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast...

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Work In Progress - Quilt top

For a long time now this quilt has been a WIP...

 
This is my first quilt project and I take comfort from other more skilled, confident and established bloggers that they too can take ages to produce a quilt.

I am inspired by these bloggers and their achievements too many to name them all but certainly including: Hop Skip Jump and Posie gets Cosy.  But this is only my first attempt and everyone must start somewhere with their quilting journey.  This is mine - well sort of - it's a quilt for my daughter who has a great eye for colour (certainly better then mine) so she chose all the fabrics and laid out all the squares in the order that she wanted.  I am simply the facilitator if you like. 

 
It certainly makes me happy to look at it!

Log cabin cushion

For a long time now I have owned Patchwork Style and like many of my other craft books I look longingly at the pictures and presume I would never have the ability or patience to make any of the projects. Until now that is.

Inspired by Soule Mama's post about her recent stunning quilt-making venture I decided now was the time. I had some old cushion fillers that needed a new cover and stack of old scraps lying around so really there was nothing to lose.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out - it will be great in the caravan where there is no colour theme going on - just anything loud and bright will do! Also, I really enjoyed making it, the process of quilting the fabric to the batting as you go along is deeply satisfying and the lack of requirement for perfection was suiting me down to the ground. All in all, it's a winner.

I've just bought Quilting in No Time ...

 
great projects, beautiful photos - I don't know where to begin!

I'm celebrating the summer boy...

Why is it that with girls you can just buy a £1 sheet from a charity shop, come home and turn it into a skirt or some bunting or a hat for bunny and everyone's happy, but boys just don't dig that sort of thing?  Inspired by the Made website and the fact there just aren't enough things to make for boys, I started to think of my own boy and offered to make him a Nerf Vest (he wasn't impressed - I think it was a bit like when you wanted a Sooty off the Market for Christmas but your Nana just knit you one instead and it wasn't as good!). 

So instead I made him this!

 
I didn't even know what you called it but I think it's a Quiver?  I couldn't find another one to copy so I had to make up my own version.  Obviously this was a first go and I made my mistakes but overall it looks pretty good and he was impressed with it for about 2 seconds before he started to make suggestions (I'm being polite - they may have been demands!) that I actually made a wider one so he could carry his cross-bow as well.  So it could be back to the drawing board on this one but I was pleased to be able to make him something that was right up his street!

 
 

Caravan

 
There is a new member of the Biffsugar family.  Her name is Mavis : :

 
She's an old lady now but still - hopefully - has a bit of life still left in her.  After dithering around for only about five years wondering if we should buy a VW T25 Campervan (which is still an ambition of mine!) we eventually settled on old Mave here.

Of course you can't go caravanning without a bit of bunting so she has inspired this ::

 
And you can't really have your tea in the caravan without a fancy tablecloth can you?

 
There is a definate lack of curtains in the photo I know.  The curtains it came with are very plain but will do for now until I can find something bright and funky.  Hopefully Mavis and the Biffsugars will be having some summertime adventures pretty soon.

The Pillowcase dress

For a very long time now I have had a pillowcase which was destined to become a dress.  I have made lots of empty promises about turning it into something fabulous and now at last that time has come ::

 
Ta daaaa!

Of course I couldn't just have the most basic dress, no.  I had to elasticate the shoulder straps and then it just had to have a ruffle.  I had never made a ruffle and certainly didn't know how to attach one but thanks to Sew What! Skirts  - which has been sitting on my shelf forever - I now know!

This was an unusual sewing project for me in that I didn't feel stressed about it.  Usually my ideas completely outstrip my capabilities on any crafting project - but particularly sewing, and I end up feeling frustrated with the whole thing.  This time, I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself.  So much so that I tempted fate and asked my daughter to choose some fabric so I could make her a skirt!

 
This skirt was made using the tutorial from Dana Made It which has loads of other great tutorials that I must try.  She does say this is the easiest skirt you will ever make and I have to agree.  I have not yet forgotten the trauma of making this!

As there has been a new addition to our family lately there has been some sewing for them too, but more on that tomorrow!

Advent - how do you do yours?

 

We currently have 5 different ways to count down the days until Christmas in our house.  Firstly my very own calendar which I have had since a girl.  Then there is the Bunny rabbit Christmas house calendar, the Christmas garland calendar, the advent candle and then there is this:

 
This is an ongoing project which each year gets 'tweaked' and added to slightly; a button here, some trim there.  This year it was the stamped numbers.  I have been in love with this set of stamps for several years waiting for the moment when I could no longer justify why I didn't have them.

The stocking advent was inspired by this photo from the Martha Stewart website:

 

 

 

 

 

...tutu too!

Despite the stress I sometimes (often!) encounter whilst sewing, I decided I was going to make a tutu for my daughter.  She wanted to dress up as Princess Daisy from the Tiara Club books for school book week. 

When I heard this news I instantly slipped into the romantic notion I have of myself as a mother.  The one where, not unlike Michelle Pfeiffer in 'One Fine Day', I am able to create a fancy dress outfit out of thin air.  My desire and imagination far outstrips my talents in almost every area of my life! 

I was egged on by my daughter as I had already agreed to make a tutu for a friend, whose daughter was running the Race for Life.  However, with this one I had gone for the no-sew option and things went relatively smoothly producing a perfectly acceptable item at the end: :

"I'll make you a tutu too!" I said to my daughter.  This made us a little hysterical - you have to say it out loud to understand!

I cannot say how long it took to make it - or rather I won't.  But after much frustration and dismay I arrived at this: :

 But it looked much better like this: :