It is such a busy time of year.... so just a quick posting today to say that I am happy to share with you a new pattern 'On the Garden Fence'. This time it is a cute cushion design with a really modern twist.
Read MoreI'm up early this morning, so thought I would blog away with all my news. First of all, I have had a bit of a reorganisation in the sewing room to accommodate all my plans. Like most quilters and fabric junkies, I seemed to have endless ikea trays and boxes full of bits and pieces, odd fat quarters, offcuts and precuts, fabrics that have been given to me along the way and fabrics that I have bought with plans in mind, that somehow have never quite come to fruition. Being organised seems like a small thing, but I know from friends, that quilters are notoriously not so good at this. Hoarding, stashing and making a mess are bywords for our species. Trying to start a small business though means addressing this and a little more order is called for. Time to get to grips with this addiction and I have to say...it is totally liberating!!!
Read MoreHello there,So this blog posting is about 3 things. A scarf, a bag and an embroidered pendant.
Read MoreI wasn't really planning another blog post before the holidays, but somehow it has come to pass. My sewing room sort of pulls me in somedays and I get totally lost in the idea of the moment. Even so, I am not entirely sure how I came to be making this project now....there is an internet trail of clicks I suppose. It went from thinking about what to do with a patch of our garden, to looking at images of topiary gardens, to considering that these were a good topic for embroidery, to researching knot gardens, to sketching an idea, to raiding my fabric stash and picking up my needle. I am not always a massive fan of the internet, which seems to take over our lives and especially that of our children, but actually it is a huge resource, when ever an idea pops into our heads and we can instantly find a world of inspiration out there.
Read MoreI know it's been a while since I posted anything, but working on a website and new patterns is so much more work than I ever imagined. Anyhow, as it is still under construction - and as I am wholly tired of staring at a computer screen - I decided to actually do some sewing for a change! This little project was inspired by the recent BBC adaptation of War & Peace. Did you see it? It was totally wonderful and it reminded me of our Moscow days.
Read Morewell, what do you think? Pretty darn cute? It is surprisingly pleasing on the eye - I am not sure I would have believed it really. It's not perfect though (for a start I got the text print upside down) - I learnt a few things about working with faux leather, along the way ... as you do....
* You can't unpick it - once your sewing machine needle has gone through it, it is marked permanently, so sew carefully
* You can't iron it - it melts....I KNOW!
* You need to find a way to hold your seams open on the inside to avoid bulky seams. I searched on the internet for a solution.....glue was suggested, but I wasn't at all sure I liked this idea. I ended up, sewing the inside edge down to keep it flat and out of the way of the seam line, but having sewn it from the wrong side -it wasn't a perfect result on the right side!!!! and I should have matched the thread!
Read MoreHi everyone,
Lots to share with you today on the blog and I know I haven't written in a while, but I have been trying to finish off my final submissions for my 'on-line' embroidery and textiles course and it has been the most enormous amount of work. I hope to be sharing more about this whole experience soon, but for now I am just sitting with my fingers crossed!!!! Well sort of.... I have been sewing a little too.
First up - the Steamer Trunks Quilt is finished and its my favourite-est ever quilt! It is just so pretty and cheerful and fills the room with dreams of travelling to far away lands in bygone times. It was super fun to make all the labels and extra appliqués that make it special.
When it came to backing the quilt, I had a problem, because the fabric that I had originally bought, somehow didn't really sit well with the finished quilt. I hunted through my stash and found the same fabric in a lighter colour way which worked perfectly, but I didn't have enough of it for the whole backing. What to do.... solution.... a bit more patchwork. I added two side panels of a gorgeous Kaffe Fassett spotted fabric on either side and it worked perfectly.
I thought about the quilting alot, but am not entirely sure I made the right choice. My daughter suggested a paisley design and this was the right choice, but I am not sure that I shouldn't have done something different on the trunks themselves. I think that the problem was I thought the design of the quilt was so beautiful on its own, that I didn't want the quilting to distract from the picture. On reflection, it may have enhanced it. My other quandary was what colour thread to choose as I had the light newspaper prints and then the heavy bold colours of the trunks. I used a fine 50 weight Aurafil ivory coloured thread, but it was not a brilliant solution against the trunks. Perhaps a grey shade would have been better.
On the whole though, it all comes out in the mix OK and the quilt is just lovely. Our sitting room is starting to take shape now and the new addition will be perfect on our new sofas, if they EVER arrive!
Now to introduce you to Edgar Owl.
In between everything else, I couldn't resist having a go at making up this Heather Bailey pattern that just charmed the socks off me. You can find the pattern on her lovely website, along with delicious fabrics and heaps of inspiration. It was so fun to do and a quick little project. I have never really made stuffed animals before and he probably could have done with a little more stuffing in his tummy, but I think he might need a little girlie companion to keep him in line, so perhaps she will be a little rounder, shall we say (figures.. huh?!?!?!). 'Edgar' though, is just the handsomest dude and sits beside my sewing machine now, inspecting everything I do. He is supposed to be a pin cushion.... but honestly, I can't bring myself to stick a pin in him - he is much to serious for such a frivolous occupation. Chief consultant on stitching decisions, seems way more appropriate although, in truth, he has as much to say about it as the rest of the boys in the house...LOL!
Finally, there has been some nice programmes on the TV recently to mark the anniversary of the Victory day celebrations after the second world war and an especially charming one about the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, sneaking out of the Palace to join in with the crowds in the Streets of London. This prompted me to think about making a Union Jack quilt for the garden and I made a start on this new project. The pattern I have is called Jumping Jacks from Joanna Figuero of Fig Tree Quilts. I love her vintage style and it seems perfect for a project that has its roots in the 1940's. The creams and tiny prints of her fabrics make you think of WI cake stalls, bunting and Land Girls.
The first block is done and I am thrilled with it. It is not the easiest block to make though because of the angles of the stripes and this takes a bit of getting to grips with. I have it sussed now though, so the next blocks should be much quicker. I'll be writing some tips about this as I go along in the next few weeks, so if you are interested check back, because making those points work is not as easy as it might look.
I hope the Bank Holiday weekend brings you all lots of sunshine and time for pondering all the wonderful sewing projects that are out there. A little Alice in Wonderland coming up next time. Meanwhile, Happy Stitching.... Love Ruby x
Well, it's nearly the weekend and I just wanted to pop up this little post in time for bank holiday. I wish it was a little warmer and sunnier, but still, it is May and summer must be on its way. Talking of summer, this week, I have been working on a little project that has been on my 'to do' list for over a year and as we are thinking of arranging a short holiday in June, it was finally time to get on with it. It's a summer bag and I love it so much that I feel as if I am on my way on hols already.
The bag is called 'The Right Turn Bag' by Anna Maria Horner for Janome and you can find the free pattern and instructions here:
Anna Maria demonstrates every step of the way in the video tutorial, so I am not going to say much more except TA DA.......!
If you want a fun weekend project and have lots of scraps to spare, then have a go and you can experiment with some of the decorative stitching (which you never really know what to do with....LOL) on your sewing machine. The bag is light and roomy and perfect for holidays and easily fits in your suitcase too.
Otherwise I am just about to embark on quilting my steamer trunk quilt. It is layered up and ready to go....
So I wish you all a Happy May day weekend from Yorkshire. Love Ruby x
Christmas this year is going to be really special. It is the first christmas in our new home and in England for some time and all our three wanderers will be back with us. It will be the first time since last christmas in Sweden that we have all been together. It is true 'there is no place like home' and I love the familiarity of all the christmas traditions I hold so dear and the ease with which I can put this all together this year. All those delicious ingredients to make Christmas Mincemeat and Puddings are already heaped on the supermarket shelves along with crackers and all the other things that are needed to make this an 'english' annual ritual. That is not to say that we will forget all the lovely things we have picked up along the way in our many years of travel. Incorporated into the festivites will be a French Christmas Eve Feast, a Russian New Year Celebration and a Swedish Smorgasbord. We have deocrations from all our travels, and a few small traditions that we have incorporated into our family celebrations. I'll be writing more about all of this as December goes along.
For now though, it is time to get busy in the sewing room to make a few small gifts and decorations, which I try to do every year. This year I wanted to make some small applique pictures - almost like fabric chrismas cards that I could send easily to friends and family in the post. I chose one of my favourite winter motifs - the reindeer as the central idea. In Stockholm, our garden was a winter wonderland by this time of year and the local deer would wander about, in and out of the trees and the snow and fill the air with the spirit of christmas. I shall miss that this year, but in truth what prompted it all was a little red velveteen reindeer, found in an old ice cream carton amongst all the stuff we got out of storage with the move home. I haven't seen him in many many years, but he belongs firmly in the christmases of my childhood. As a tiny girl, I would play with him underneath the christmas tree and I remember being most upset that he had to go back in his box when christmas was over.
So I gathered together all my christmas fabrics and trimmings and felt and velvet and started messing about.
I searched on google images for a silhouette shape that would work with applique - there were plenty to chose from and I printed it off and adjusted the size on the photo copier to make it alittle larger. Trace the outline onto fusible web, remembering that it will be in reverse. I actually traced my reindeer both ways so I could have him facing either way.
For my background fabric I chose christmas batik prints - I especially like this one as the reindeer looks quite at home prancing amongst the trees. I used a tea plate to draw a circle with a white chalk pencil and then I embroidered the outline with a perle cotton 8 tweedy thread and a chain or tambour stitch.
Next iron on your reindeer using the fusible web to fix it. I used both felt and velvet and both worked easily. Felt is probably slightly easier to work with because it doesn't fray around the edges like cotton velvet. Anyhow, once your little guy is in place (make sure you leave space for the embroidered antlers), you need to secure him with a blanket stitch on the machine or by hand.
Next draw on your antlers and set to work to embroider them however you like. I chose to use some gold and silver thread that was couched using a fine metallic thread. Couching simply means that you lay the thicker thread on the outline you want and stitch it down with tiny overstitches.
To add a little extra sparkle, I put a few sequins on the ends of the curling horns, a tiny bell around his neck and a fluffy red nose. I felt he needed to be able to see his beautiful surroundings, so I used one of those tiny micro buttons for an eye. I think he is looking pretty neat now.
For the wreath around the edge, I used up lots of scraps of tartan and plaid flannel fabrics, backed with fusible web and simply cut out in tiny leaf shapes. Scattering them around the ring looked rather pretty.
I ironed them on and then decided that there was no way I was going to stitch around each one to secure it, so I had another idea. I layered it with the batting and backing.
Then I put the fine metallic thread in my sewing machine. I am not a great fan of sewing with this - it is a bit faffy and the thread can break frequently. It is absolutely essential to have the right needle in your machine. I stitched a twiggy zig-zaggy higgledy-piggledy wreath all over the leaves and actually it worked really well.
Finally add some berries - either more sequins or buttons or you can add some tiny felt ones and glue them on before stitching the wreath as I did on the first one I made.
Bind it up and VOILA - I think it's a charming christmas card and one that will last more many more christmases to come!
Off now to make some Cranberry, Clementine and Pecan Mincemeat. See you soon, Ruby x
In assembling the bag you need the 3 C's 'Chocolate, Chardonnay and Courage' but perhaps most of all GO SLOW. Read, re-read and take your time.
Read MoreFinally, finally, I took the plunge...after pleading from my kids that my old computer, which whirrs and squeaks at every touch of the keyboard, had reached the limits of 'uncoolness'.... and bought a bright new shiny Macbook. I have to say, it's lovely. I haven't quite got to grips with it all yet, but I was sure that it needed a little 'Ruby' touch to make it truly mine... and only mine!!! So I decided to make a protective carrying case for it and as I was sort of making it up as I went along..... here's how it went.
First thing....(and my favourite thing).... decide upon some fabrics from the stash. It wasn't difficult. I simply love this Anna Maria Horner print and it was simple to team it up with something for the lining.
I used two fat quarters of each fabric and joined them together. I didn't worry too much about matching the big print - it's so dramatic, I didn't think it would matter. The lining fabric matched up naturally. I need this case to be reasonably strong so I decided to iron on a layer of light weight iron-on interfacing on both pieces to firm them up, before I started to put it together.
I loved the bold print for the outside of the cover and decided that a little embellishment would be nice, so I set to work with my needle and my candy bowl of threads. The interfacing also acts as a stabiliser for the embroidery and makes the fabric firmer to work on.
This idea of hand embroidering over a large print was something I had been meaning to try for a while and I have to say it was soooo much fun. A few stitches here and there and can add some texture and extra interest to the print.
While I was doing this, I was already formulating my quilting plans and knew that I wanted to use the actual fabric design as my guide and different coloured threads to highlight the wonderful print of this little 'hand drawn garden'. However, I thought this would look strange on the striped 'stack of books' print I had chosen for the lining, so I decided to make this first quilt sandwich using just a plain backing that would be later hidden inbetween the outer layers. I went ahead and quilted the afternoon away....
Once this was done, I turned my attention to the lining. I wanted to stiffen it alittle and found in my store cupboard some sort of canvas with an iron-on coating on the back. I have absolutely no idea where it came from or what I had intended it for - but it was the perfect thing for this. I cut a strip of it and ironed it onto the lining. I did a little bit of free motion quilting along a couple of the stripey books to be sure it would hold in place.
Then I attached the two layers of the cover together around the edges, having pressed it carefully first. At this point I trimmed the whole thing down to size by laying the Mac book inside it. It needed around an inch off each side and I used a curved ruler to make rounded edges on the outside flap.
The last stage is to do the binding and here my first attempt was a mistake and I had to unpick it. I used ordinary quilt binding - and it didn't give me enough edging to join the sides together. The quilt sandwich is quite stiff now and I needed a wide soft edge that would allow me to make the envelope and be able to stitch the sides together. I'll show you what I mean ... as once I made a 4" binding, it made more sense.
I stitched the binding down by hand on the inside of the cover and then machined it too, to make sure it was absolutely flat and then made my envelope, carefully ensuring that my macbook would fit inside snuggly. I machine stitched the sides, twice. I know this has to be durable and will be bumped about and pulled in and out of a totebag, so having put in so much effort to make something original - I wanted to be sure it would work on a functional level.
Finally the fastening - this was problematic. The whole thing was starting to remind me of a modern take on a Victorian 'botanical'notebook case and I rather liked the idea of closing it with a tie, like those old fashioned journals. I rummaged around in my buttonbox and found this sort of toggle, which seemed like a good idea, except it was completely flat on the bottom and if I had just sewed it on, it would have lain too flat to wind a cord around. I thought maybe elastic was a good idea. I never buy elastic......mmmmm - out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my mum's little sewing drawers which sit in my sewing room - inside, of course, were all sorts of useful bits and bobs, including 6 different sizes of elastic (what is it about that generation - "always be prepared") Yay! It worked a treat. I threaded it through the toggle and stitched it onto the front of the cover. I made some matching cord, by using a strip of fabric 2" wide, folded in on each side to the middle, folded again and then folded again and machine topstitched to hold it in place.
Finally it all came together.
A little vintage label added a quirky, steamer trunk sort of feel to the whole thing. I absolutely LOVE this - it is useful and pretty and unique. So perfect to take my Macbook on a journey.....did I tell you I was going on a journey....next month - more to come on that one. Ta ra for now, Ruby x
Making Embroidery Modern
