A change of direction

The welcome lull between Christmas and New Year has given me a chance to think and I realised that it's been a while since I've written a post.  This is mostly due to a change in direction in my creative energies.

Where I used to sit and wile away an hour or two cross stitching or embroidering, I now find myself more and more drawn to my sewing machine.  I love sewing and the (sometimes) instant gratification it brings after I've spent an hour or two at the machine and have a completed project to show for it.  I love being creative and letting my energy flow through whatever I'm working on and it often brings a sense of calm when my mind is in turmoil. One of my favourite aspects of sewing has been the connections I've made with friends (old and new) who have shared the same love of sewing and creating and also passing on that enthusiasm to my children who love to create.

Going forward, I will be using this space to share what I sew with you and I hope you will join me on my creative journey.

Best festive and New Year wishes

Zoe
x

Because you can never have enough threads...... right?

Due to a troll invasion; dragon sighting and goblin fight in the woods; not much sewing has been done this week!!!  Oh ok... That didn't really happen but it sounds far more exciting than just saying I've been ill and the children have had various bugs and not much has been done!

We have all had a quiet day today winding bobbins; building a camp; spending time chatting with each other; making plans and mostly just winding down into our Easter break. 

I have had a wiggly jumble of DMC threads that I have been wanting to sort out for ages and with the children's "help"; we are slowly getting them sorted.

Small sample of my DMC thread collection!

It was such a nice way to spend the day in my new craft corner/room winding up threads as we were all winding down.

I didn't realise until I started this project how many threads I actually had stashed away but I never thrown any away... after all; you can never have enough thread, right? :)

 

Happy Stitching/Sewing/Crafting

Zoe xx

Mother's Day Gift

In the few precious hours I had to myself last week whilst my little boy was at nursery; I decided to make my lovely Mum a Mother's Day gift.  I only had a small amount of time so it needed to be something little.  I flicked through one of the craft books I've just borrowed from the library (I love flicking through free crafty books at the library!!) and discovered this little lavender satchet cunningly disguised as a tea bag and Ta Dah... My Mother's Day gift idea was born!

I bought the little mug to go with it and stuffed it full of chocolates to finish it off.

Fingers crossed she likes it! :)

Happy Mother's Day to all you lovely mummies out there!

Zoe xx

Spring has sprung!

One of the things I love about living in Norfolk are the big skies and when it's sunny; believe me they are glorious! 

I love spring with it's abundance of potential summer loveliness creeping through the ground; the song of the birds in the trees and the ducks arriving on our doorstep ready to be fed.  One of my favourite spring time activities is sowing seeds ready for the veggie patch.  We've already started some beans and we have now bought some seed potatoes to chit ready for planting.


seed potatoes being chitted.

After winter time, spring is always a welcome relief and with it heralds the return of my sewing mojo.  You can't beat sewing when the sunlight is streaming through the (not quite so grubby as I did attempt to clean them) windows.

One of the projects that I've long been meaning to do and finally got around to doing was sewing some chair cushions for the children's seats at the kitchen table.  The table is just a little bit too tall for our little one's and they have struggled a bit to reach their tea on occasions.  The children both chose the fabric from my stash and I made a simple envelope cushion (so I can put it in the wash whenever needed) with ties.

My daughter's cushion for her kitchen chair

I didn't use foam padding as you would traditionally use for kitchen chairs as I needed the height from the cushion pad.

My little boy's cushion.... I love this fabric

It feels good to have completed this project and now I feel inspired to finish some more.

Hope you are feeling the same way too.

Happy stitching
x



Christmas Whizzery

Well Christmas whizzed by in a crazy whirl and I was still frantically sewing stockings right up to the last minute! As a family we all had different enjoyment from these little advent stockings that I would never even have dreamed of.

The children have delighted in finding another chocolate stuffed stocking in the morning when they wake up.  Sometimes at night, the excitement would be too much for my littlest munchkin and he would wake up to check if the elves had been... Which did result on more than one occasion, in a chocolate covered child/duvet/teddy as he fell back to sleep with magic elf chocolate dreamily squirrelled away in his hand which of course had melted by morning.

Mr Wonky Witch loved sneaking into their rooms, desperately trying not to make any noise as he tripped over various toys strategically placed to catch him out.

I have loved sewing them using materials given to me by lovely friends and family and I have loved the idea that we can use them again next year...and the year after that!

Not bad for an idea that came to me whilst standing next to the cheese counter at the supermarket one foggy November morning!  I wonder what it is they put in those cheeses anyway?

Happy New Year Stitching

xx

Advent Stockings!

At the end of November I decided to make the children's advent calendars this year rather than buy the usual cardboard ones.  I soon realised that I should have had this bright idea back in October (or possibly January) when I worked out the amount of stockings I needed to make!!!  I also deliberated for far too many days about how to add numbers until it became a real stumbling block.  So eventually I decided to just go with making them; hoping no-one would mind there aren't any numbers attached... after all, the children can count... right?

50 little felt stockings cut out and ready for sewing.

After many nights of sewing in secret; I have to admit I've fallen in love with this project.  Simply put, it has filled me with such great joy to watch the children's excitement as they anticipate the next little chocolate stuffed stocking the magic elves bring for them over night. 

The magic elves are of course Mr Wonky Witch, who has also jumped on board this project and shared in the excitement.  Watching him as he sneaks into our slumbering children's rooms, desperately trying not to trip over anything or make too much noise has also been an unexpected joy.

Last, but by no means least, making each of the 50 stockings as individual as possible from my hoard of ribbons; buttons and sequins has been a challenge but a pleasurable one at that.  Some of the ribbons and buttons have a history going back a few generations and some of the bits and bobs have been given to me by lovely friends and family.

The sewing part of the project has all been done in secret to try and maintain some of the magic but my daughter keeps saying to me "I know it's you mummy!".... so much for secrecy!!

Happy Christmas Stitching
x

The week with the crazy idea!

This week has seen a definite turn from autumn to Winter here as the temperature starts to drop.  I will be sad to see Autumn leave us as it is my favourite time of year and I feel really in tune with it as a season.  There's something about cosily sewing by the fire as the nights draw in; seeing the leaves falling from the trees laying their glorious carpet of colour and watching the munchkins delight in jumping in puddles that speaks to me.

With the delights of autumn turning to winter my thoughts are now firmly set on Christmas and that inevitably leads to "ooh what can I make?".  I had my lightbulb moment whilst doing my weekly shop and my daughter asked me if they were having advent calendars this year and I thought "I know; I'll make them!"  This was a completely crazy idea as not only is it being done as a surprise so I'm restricted to evenings but also I had this idea on the 22nd November which meant I only had a few days of November left to make two advent calendars!

So Friday morning whilst my littlest munchkin was at nursery, I spent a very happy 2 hours cutting out 100 little felt stockings to make into an advent calendar.  I will hopefully be decorating them using remnants of fabric, ribbons and buttons I've faithfully hoarded collected over the years!

I will keep you posted as to my progress as the week goes on!!

Happy Stitching
x

Latest Sewing Projects - Cafetiere Cover

It's fair to say that my lovely partner puts up with a lot of my "creative" mess so when he asked me to make him a cafetiere cover I could hardly refuse.... his one request.... "can you make it manly!".  

Fast forward two years and VOILA!!!!

This was my second attempt at a cover as the first one I made I underestimated the shrinking effect the wadding would have on the material so it wouldn't close.  Luckily we were in need of a new "hot handle door opener thing-a-me" for the wood burner so the first attempt has been useful! :)

My partner is really pleased and he chose the material so I think it satisfies the "manly" criteria.  He can drink his coffee and enjoy another one at the same temperature later on. I love making practical things for the home; particularly when it's something someone has requested... hope he comes up with another idea soon! :)

Happy Stitching

Zoe
Wonky Witch Needlecraft

Project of Firsts - Cushions Finally Finished

As previously mentioned in my "Project of many firsts" blog I have been tackling a project that has tested my new found sewing skills to the limit.  I have to confess though I did cheat a little... I didn't add the piping as planned (I don't have the right 'foot' for my sewing machine - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it :) ) nor did I add a zip as I found the whole prospect a bit daunting! I did add a plain envelope backing which was just as effective and perfect for just whipping off when needed for a clean which is a first for me (the envelope backing not the cleaning! :) ).

Now, the cushions are finally finished and I really love them as they contain a small snapshot of my children's hand prints at this point in their lives!  The only thing left to do now is to work out where to put them in the house!

Happy Stitching

x

It's Fun To Craft Together

 As I've mentioned before, it's the simple things in life that make me happy!  One of those things is spending time with my 3 year old daughter who is just starting to show a keen interest in stitching, sewing and crafting in general (oh and spiderman too but that's a whole other blog post!).

With this in mind we went to the library and picked up a few books to find some ideas for a project and found a brilliant one called Green Crafts For Children by Emma Hardy.  After flicking through it we didn't have to look very long for a project to do before my daughter found one she liked the look of as it's the project featured on the front cover....the felt necklace.

To make the necklace we needed a few scraps of felt in various colours; some 'gloopy' glue, scissors and thread. Two felt pieces were cut to size, rolled into a "swiss roll" and glued together.  Once the glue had dried we then cut them into smaller "beads" and threaded them all together to make the necklace.

The lovely thing about this project is that it was a really simple idea and perfect for a 3 year old to tackle as she was able to do all the cutting and gluing herself; although she did have a little help with the threading part!

A really lovely way to spend an afternoon....it's fun to craft together.

Happy stitching

x

A Project Of Many "Firsts"!

A lovely friend bought me a rather fabulous and very much welcome fabric bundle as a Christmas present this year.  I spent a lot of time pondering what to make with it as I'm so used to making things for others that it took me a while to finally settle on something to make for myself.  

At first I was going to make an apron and then decided to tackle a different type of project; patchwork cushions!!  I've never attempted patchwork before and in hindsight can see there is a little bit of skill involved with lining up all the squares but once I'd decided on the fabric order of the patches it all came together really quickly.  

I also decided to try and incorporate my children's hand prints into the centre of each cushion I'm making (I have a baby boy and a 3 year old girl) and this was my first attempt at applique!!  Again, there is a little bit of patience and skill involved in machine applique but once I got the hang of it on the sewing machine, it all came together quickly - even if it is a little wobbly in places!

Now I need to finish the cushions off and my next "first" will be attempting to add a zip!!!  If anyone has any tips on zips they would be gratefully received!

I'm hoping I'll be able to show you the finished results fairly soon so stay tuned!



Happy Stitching
x

It's The Simple Things In Life That Keep Me Happy!

Recently it has been my goal to try and stitch a little bit of something every day even if it's just a couple of threads on a tapestry or cross stitch project or another square added to my patchwork cushion.  Yesterday, as the picture below shows you, a completely unexpected project was given to me by my 3 year old daughter.

"Mummy", she said. "I've drawn this donkey; can you stitch it for me?".
"Certainly" I said.... and away I sped to gather up needle, thread and material.

Slightly Wonky Donkey - Stitched With Love!

A few stitches later and one slightly wonky donkey was completed!  I handed it back to my daughter and she duly took it away and using her little scissors, cut round the material.  Once this task had been completed she came back and handed it to me and said "this is for you, so that you will always remember me when I'm not here and at nursery!!".  

Although I hadn't planned on sewing this yesterday and I know it's not the neatest of stitching, I will keep this pride of place in the sewing room as a wonky reminder of my little girl.

Happy Stitching

x

Sweet Christmas Cones!

The Wonky Witch Needlecraft cavern is feeling very festive at the moment; in fact you can't see the table anymore due to the Christmas projects that are still in progress!  One such project are these Christmas cones which I'm filling with sweets as a gift for my magical little pixies and also for other friends and family. 

One other gift that I've loved stitching for a friend has been this Christmas star!  With blanket stitching around the outside and the cheeky little bird in the middle I'm hoping that she will love it.  The idea came from Mandy Shaw's "Stitch With Love" book which had lots of festive ideas and really inspired me to give this type of embroidery sewing a go.

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Christmas; hope you get to enjoy some stitching/sewing time!

Happy Stitching

x

Sewing Projects - Bunting

It's been very busy on the sewing front recently at the Wonky Witch Needlecraft cavern that I haven't had much time for cross stitch.  Please don't get me wrong, I have managed to sneak one cross stitch thank you card in for a friend but sewing has taken up all my free time recently.

The first project a few weeks ago was some good old fashioned bunting for the royal wedding celebrations. I realise the colours are not particularly patriotic but I wanted to match it with some other store bought bunting I already have to use at my daughter's birthday party in June... excuses, excuses!   The bunting was really simple to make (which is perfect for a newbie sewer like me) and I've added some of the details of how it was made up below;

To make a bunting strip 12 flags or triangles wide I used 4 separate pieces of fabric made up of gingham, polka dots and flowers in pastel colours.  

1. Using the 22cm x 18cm triangular template shown in the diagram; cut 6 triangles from each of the 4 fabric pieces, ending up with 24 triangles in total.
2. Place 2 of the triangles from one lot of fabric right side to right side and sew together (using a 1 cm seam allowance) leaving a gap at the top of about 4 cm.
3. Press along the seams then turn inside out so right side of fabric is showing.  
4. Repeat with your other triangles and you should end up with 12 flags for the bunting.  
5. Sew a strip of ribbon across the top of each of your triangles to complete.  I used roughly 3 metres but you may want to adapt to your space requirements. 

The hardest part of all was choosing the fabric!!  Am I the only one who finds it hard to pick and choose the right fabric for a project?

As always, Happy Sewing/Stitching!!!

x

Sewing Projects - Christmas Teepee and Reindeer

I'm amalgamating the pages on my blog so this is a re-post of my previous sewing page.
I have a confession!!!  Although I've been a keen cross stitcher for nigh on 20 years; I'm new to sewing and I have to say, I've absolutely fallen in love with it.  Below are a few of my sewing projects that I'm working on for friends and family and hopefully it will inspire others to dust off their sewing machines and give it a go! 

As a starter I'd like to show you some Christmas presents I made for my daughter.  First was the teepee!  I wanted to give her a bit of private space that she could play with indoors during the winter time.  The pattern for this came from Sam Scarborough's "cool spaces for kids" book which has loads of great ideas for sewing projects.  The fabric I chose was just a smal pink and white gingham as it suited her room and was easy for a newbie like me to work with. 

The second present was a reindeer style hobby horse!  This one was a bit trickier and involved some collaboration with my better half on the woodwork side of things but I finally pulled it all together on Christmas eve.  This design came from "Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle" by Tilda whose books I love (I seem to have collected them all) and my daughter loves racing around the house on it! :) 

Hopefully I shall have more to share with you soon.

Happy sewing

x

Mollie Makes - Craft Inspiration!

Front Cover of Issue 1 of Mollie Makes

Just a quick post to tell you about an exciting new craft magazine that has just been launched in the UK entitled "Mollie Makes". 

Like Wonky Witch Needlecraft they love anything crafty and with ideas and projects that seem to be fresh, modern and innovative we're sure they'll be a success!

Check our their blog for more information (we are particularly loving the little linen eggs with the embroidery detailing)!

Happy Stitching

x

Wonky Heart Birthday

Wonky Birthday Felt Heart

One of my favourite materials to work with is felt. Felt has such a lovely quality to it; is really versatile and comes in such a wide variety of colours I couldn't possibly be without it in my fabric stash. So it comes as no surprise that I turned to this material when I wanted to make a small birthday gift for a lovely friend of mine. The heart template came from Tilda's "Sew Pretty Home Style" book and I used it because it had that slight "wonky" feel to it. The embellishments on the front and the gingham ribbon for hanging were all made up from "bits and bobs" I had in my sewing basket. That's part of the fun on a project like this is that to a degree you get to make things up and be creative as you go along. 

Time to start rifling through my fabric stash again as I enjoyed making it so much, I think I may have to make one for myself!

Happy Stitching
x