Felt mobile

Hello back! I've been absent for a while since I'm currently in New Zealand trying to settle here and I haven't got all my tools and material.

However, I couldn't stand it anymore!! I needed to do something creative and with the excuse of having to buy a gift for a newborn that I haven't met yet (well, she is already 5 months), I decided to make a mobile (I think that's how you spell mobile? ). Of course, things never come out as you planned and lack of time simplified my original idea.

Lauren & Ngaio

Ngaio is a cute wee baby, daughter of our good friend Lauren. And apparently she is already playing with the bells. The long stick can sit comfortably in the cot so it doesn't need to be attached. The bells and buttons are super-duper sawn in so that Ngaio doesn't choke with them.


You can see the original materials I was going to use in this picture. In the end I didn't use the fabric because felt is just faster to work with. I can save that for another time. I was lucky I found this great bag of buttons that I will be able to use in so many projects!!

(click to enlarge)

I hope you like the final result, the photos don't make justice to the vivid colours of the felt... seems like the camera, when having red (the big N) measures weirdly.
(detail view)

It's been a fun project :-) I'm already thinking on what next!

Kids pressies with cotton & felt

This Xmas I've tried to make as many things as possible for gifting. That way I could get to be creative with someone in mind. It's been fun. Felt is such a great material to create fun things easily. I designed these things with no pattern and loved it!

This is an apron for Ella, who is 5 years old.
I really enjoyed making the strawberry pin.


And this is a mini string pack for Max, who is 2 years old.

Few things I've done last week

I've been pretty inspired and made a few quick projects. They all took me just a night (less than an hour per project perhaps). These are the results:

1 sausage-scarf
1 orange bag
1 red wine bag

Made with less than one skein (less than half perhaps?) with very big needles, in soft wool that I had left over from another project. And a few interesting silk yarns (for the ribbons), all I did is knit and reduce drastically every number of rows for the sausage effect. Then embellish with buttons for a girly effect. Could look quite fun in bright colours, making each "sausage" in a different colour, for kids :-)

And the bags

I'm so proud of these - I really enjoy making bags (which reminds me I must post a pic of my first bag, which I started in our first group session - stripes and dots, remember?). They are made with felt and inherited thai fabric that Mari gave me.

(click to see all steps to make this bag, easy and quick,
thanks to this easy pattern from Colorfull)
(forgot to add this pic, essential!! the bottom to keep the tote standing up - and give it more room and shape. Once you finish sewing it, is good to iron it to give it sharpness)

After making the orange small tote I thought 1/ is too bright and 2/ is bit small for my friend Mayo. So I went and made another one... which I plan to embellish with a flower brooch that she can put on or take off in the bag when she wants to use it on her jackets

Detail where you can see the "handmade" touch. The pictures don't reproduce properly the colour of the felt and the contrast with the apple green thread :-(
Is more like a bourgoundy red, warm and heavy.

Simple brooch

Well, after seeing so many felt brooches, I had to try make one myself. So, who better recipient for it than Mari, who has already provided me with hours of pleasure (and exercise) with my new inherited bike! Anywhere here is my first attempt.. - colours were nicer than they appear in the photo, the blue is more of a turquoise, with a hint of green.. and the pink is a deeper pink. In any case, I had fun making it!

Third Session

Sunday was a very rainy day but the girls still made it to my place. We had new comers, which is always exciting: Rose, Carly and Caroline turned up to our 3rd session in London, N4.

I must say that I wasn't very inspired and for the looks of it, perhaps because of the weather (or maybe because of the previous late night out), we were all a bit less productive than usual on the craft side.

On the cooking (and eating) side, we managed to do so well!! Specially because the girls provided us with irresistible delicious treats. Caroline made an splendid and healthy quiche, Rose made her own version of Asparagus rolls with soft cheese (very tasty and with nice soft bread), Carly brought her latest addiction: cheese-non-fattening-pretzels (always loved their name, pretzels) and a super sweet and juicy pineapple, Helene spoilt us with a great selection of French cheese from La Frommagerie, accompanied by nut bread.. what else we need to be in paradise? oh yes.. my carrot cake!!

Half asleep I stumbled out of bed at 10 (after finishing our previous night's party at 3am) and made the cake. Just as I slided it into the oven I turned around to discover I forgot to chuck in the grated carrot!! Thankfully it still worked out adding them at this stage. And I followed Amy's advice and chucked in raisins and nuts (by adding my morning muesli).

Carly's capable hands serving up the yummy quiche

The day went well, with lots of gossip, background music (including Flight of the Concords), bit of crafts and the best way to spend a Sunday, with friends!

Anyway, this is what we worked on:

Caroline starting a knitted clutch, after deciding she will make some pillow cases
with her stunning kimono fabric (which I forgot to photograph!)

Rose decided to do an embroidery bookmark for her
granny, who apparently is a master embroiderer!
Here you can see her beautiful hands in action!
The beautiful necklace bases Rose found in a charity second hand shop in Islington, I should go try get some! They are so delicate and femenine, I cannot wait to see what she makes of them!Rose and Caroline in a thinking mood,

Helene is still working on her funky and original decoupage box (see detailed photo below)

My first attempt, I tried to make a cover for my nano-iPod but it just didn't work out,
I just couldn't see it... (note my new needles case, cute hey? from a matchbox)

Second attempt, more succesful, cute..
but I'm still not convinced... And I haven't got any pictures of Carly because she mostly did some repairing work on her clothes, which I envy cause I can easily list all the garments I got with about-to-fall buttons!!

Big Lebowski outfit accessory

We had our friend Ben's b'day party at Bloomsbury Bowling. That was good fun, some people made a good effort (Check Carly's great hair thingy!! - she won best outfit prize, of course!!) and as I had a candy stripe dress I never get to wear (obviously, where am I gonna go with that?), I took it out of the wardrobe and decided to make some hair clips to accompany it!



These are my first felt made things. Felt is such a great thing, so easy to use, quick and flexible and rewarding :-) I love my new hairclips, and cannot wait to the summer or another party to be able to wear them again!!

Lex, the rabbit

My dear friends Catty, Francesco and little Joseph (or Giuseppe, Pepe, Peppone...) came to visit from France. So I made this little finger puppet for Pepe. I wish I took some pics of him cause he is the cutest boy, so awake and curious (like most kids at his young age). Can't wait for Catty & Fran to finish their house so that I can come and visit in Lake Annency!

Second Session

Yes! More girls adding up to our group. Helene and Amy joined Mar and me last Sunday and the result was a few good sunny hours making lots, chatting lots and... eating lots!!

Bought these for the first time and they disappeared very quickly! They are from Bon Mamman.. tastyyyyy!! and the sweet's were just for colour inspiration ;-p

Amy in action...

And Amy finished! proud and happy!
Funny, her work matches her clothes!!

Camera shy Mar's hands in action. She is GOOD!
And one of Mar's two very pro looking things, the door stopper


Helene, having a snack whilst working on her super collage box.. still working on it
Helene shows proudly her work on her super cute new top,
with matching shoes (I should have taken a pic of them!)

a detail on the "Klimt-esque" look of the top of the box

and me...
took me a loooong way to get here, after meassuring, drawing and cutting, cutting and cutting! This is the outside of my new bag

Before
And after, with the lining... (still unfinished)

First Session

Saturday 23rd Feb we started our crafty group. Our intention is simply share creativity and get motivated by seeing each other's lovely creations. Mar, Delphine and I got hands on and created the following:





This is my first proper crafty thing made with my new sewing machine (Xmas gift from my parents). With the help of savvy Mar, and her beautiful fabrics, we got these cutsy things made. So much fun, a great start for a new season!!

My pumpkin


Mar's pumpkin

Proud Delphine with her cute felt mirror sachet

And a detail of it

and of course.. the food!!

Yummy macaroons that Delph brought, matching my pin cushion!! :-)