sewchet

October 3, 2014
by sewchet 9 Comments

How To Turn A Cardigan Into A Coat (and More Charity Shop Finds)

Now the excitement of Yarndale is over I can’t wait to start ‘making’ again.

I’ve got several crochet projects on the go but there’s nothing like a bit of sewing for an instant fix and, as Autumn is trying to oust our Indian Summer, I turned my attention to my Winter wardrobe.

That makes me sound like I rotate my clothes according to the seasons in an incredibly organized fashion. I don’t – they’re all hanging in the same place (except the ball gowns which have their own space). There are a few items that I like but don’t wear simply because they’re not easy to actually wear.

Confused? I’ll show you what I mean.

Take this John Rocha cardigan that a friend passed on to me, I suspect because she had the same problem. It sports an enormous shawl collar that makes the cardigan shift backwards so I find myself constantly hauling it back forward over my shoulders. It also has a kind of waterfall effect at the front which gapes so you need to wear another cardigan underneath to actually keep warm!!!

I had decided to donate it to the charity shop but then asked myself “What would Shawn do?”

Although this is a very modest refashion compared to her standards, it works and now I have a new garment at no cost!

Here’s what I did: –

1. Wrap the cardigan around until it fell the way I wanted it to and pin in place.

2. Sew two buttons to the left side of the cardigan (remember these from my Yarndale Booty?)

3. Cut a piece of scrap leather to use as a backing for your buttonholes. This stops the yarn from stretching out of shape and gives it strength.

4. Pin to the reverse of the cardigan and (right side facing) make two buttonholes on the right hand side of the front to correspond with your button placement.

The buttonholes are virtually invisible from the front and this is what they look like on the inside;

The finished coat is a real winner that will get lots of use which isn’t bad considering it’s been sat in my wardrobe for about a year now!

I love the cosy cowl neck and this proves my theory that eye-catching buttons really can make an outfit:)

I had a couple of other things to take to the charity shop anyway and, as is often the case, came home with more than I took in!

First were these ice-cream sundae glasses at £1.25 each which the boys will love;

Then I spotted this framed print of Harlech Castle for £2.99;

It’s already hanging in one of the spare bedrooms;

Most excitingly are these four pillowcases for 50p each – pure white and the finest crisp Egyptian cotton;

Initial thoughts are to make some napkins out of them – I should be able to get at least twelve which I could embroider or crochet to turn them into something quite special.

Any other ideas?

October 2, 2014
by sewchet 10 Comments

Yarndale People (and a possible “Yarnvale”?)

And Finally….the third (and last) post showcasing just a tiny proportion of the wonderful weekend that was Yarndale 2014.

Today, it’s all about the people.

The warm, friendly, talented, generous and sharing stallholders that make Yarndale the success that it is.

180 stallholders embraced 6,000 yarn-mad ladies (and a couple of men!) with open arms for not just one, but two crafty days, most of whom were still smiling by end of play at 4.30pm on Sunday.

Most were there to sell an amazing variety of hand made goodies and supplies, but there were also a number of organizations spreading the word about their groups.

One such collaboration was the Skipton branch of The Embroiderer’s Guild. Their 3D map of the Yorkshire Dales National Park was outstanding and featured numerous different stitching styles. The ladies running the stall were eager to tell you all about their work and couldn’t have been friendlier. Obviously it highlighted the Tour de France route:)

There were several spinning demonstrations going on…

…and the lovely ladies from the Craven Guild of Lacemakers even let me loose with their bobbins!

Look at all those pins!

Plant Dyed Wools were demonstrating loom weaving with wool dyed and spun from their own rare breed sheep;

Big Wigs Angora brought along half a dozen of their rabbits to effectively demonstrate the rabbit-to-yarn chain. You have never felt anything so soft in your life as the fur of the Angora rabbit!

This is Rachel Coopey of Coop Knits signing copies of her books;

Gam Farm Rare Breeds also brought a few of their sheep to the show – this one was particularly friendly and loved all the petting;

As with many of the stalls, their wares were imaginatively laid out;

County Alpacas were very popular with their angel-faced creatures that stole the show;

Jackie Lunn Textiles created a very attractive display…..

…and her pin cushions were little works of art on their own!

Her wet-felted circles inspired my first efforts at needle felting shown in yesterday’s post here.

Kits were selling like hot cakes – these by Alula’s Garden were presented in a thoroughly original way;

The ladies at Tall Yarns were so helpful and enthusiastic about their clothes that I ended up trying nearly every design on! I was wearing a red linen dress on Sunday that I made and it just so happened that it worked very well with most of their designs.

The stall that gets my vote for the softest yarn in the most beautiful ice-cream shades is Mrs Moon – what an utter delight! Here is Roz from The Velvet Cow making a huge purchase for a new crocheted blanket for her bed.

For me, the most inspirational stall had to be H-anne-made.

Her textile art incorporated all kinds of mixed media collaged and stitched to a canvas frame.

Maps, music scores, pages from novels; these were all used to create a kind of ‘memory’ art. Her sketchbook itself was a fascinating insight to the way she works.

After spending Saturday having a good look at all 180 stalls, we went back on Sunday to purchase one of Anne’s lovely kits only to find that she had sold out!

This was yet another imaginative display to accessorize the Skein Queen’s stand;

Not only were TOFT showcasing their endearing line of amigurumi animals….

…but, like so many generous artisans, were giving away free patterns (and, in this case, an Alpaca pom pom) with their yarns;

Last, but by no means least, are these adorable needle felt sculptures by Jenny Barnett;

They are so lifelike it is uncanny – check her blog out for details of her workshops.

Well that, my Blogging Buddies, is it.

Yarn enthusiasts came from far and wide and put a sticker on their home town. When I placed mine, we seemed to have travelled the furthest in the UK! Our sticker is the green one outlined in black;

There is just one last photo I’d like to share with you…..

It had to be Lucy, didn’t it?

One of the founders of the yarnfest that is Yarndale, she is such a genuine, lovely and down to earth lady. She smiled from dawn ’til dusk all weekend, never once got fed up with photo requests and seemed truly interested in every single one of the individuals that queued up to meet her.

We waited until close to closing time on Saturday when the crowds had dissipated and then introduced ourselves.

We briefly discussed our plans for a sister event in the Blackmore Vale in the South West and Lucy asked if we would get in touch if we decide to go ahead as she is aware of a gap in the market for such a venue.

We would love to be affiliated with Yarndale and thought “Yarnvale” could be the southern equivalent in the Spring.

What do you reckon???

October 1, 2014
by sewchet 13 Comments

Yarndale Booty

As I am still trying to match my photographs of stallholders to their websites, I thought I’d do a quick little post showing you the treasures that tempted me into parting with my cash.

First of all, you must understand that I love buttons. All shapes and sizes, but all handmade and each one unique. The right button can transform the ‘good’ into ‘great’ and catapult your lovingly handcrafted item into another league.

I was barely in the door two minutes when I made my first purchase. A couple of stalls in and I lingered long enough to lose the girls for the rest of the morning. Tile Productions make the most fabulous handmade tiles for kitchens and, to use up the leftovers, they make buttons. Well, we were queuing four-deep to rummage through those little baskets of gems and no-one so much as glanced at the stunning tiles in the background! They had no idea that their gorgeous little glazed, ceramic buttons would create such interest, especially as they are essentially a by-product!

These are the four that hopped into my basket;

More buttons soon beckoned and these little iridescent beauties are by Textile Garden – coconut shell with a turquoise glaze and silver edge;

Injabulo is a specialist Fair Trade seller of hand made buttons and baskets from Africa as well as supporting the British Wool Industry with gorgeous wool blankets and cushions from Wales.

I fell in love with this fabulous button;

Longwood Blankets were were selling the most glorious plaid throws – I came home with this one;

There were lots, I mean loads, of stalls selling home grown wool with a clear provenance from sheep/rabbit/alpaca to skein. Overseeing the entire process through shearing, dyeing and spinning must be satisfying in the extreme and I rather think I would like to have a go. (Cue research into keeping Angora rabbits for their supremely soft fur.)

In the meantime I shall have a go at spinning. Not with a spinning wheel Sleeping Beauty style, but with a Drop Spindle. This consists of a very simple contraption that looks incredibly easy to use when demonstrated by the experts, although in reality I anticipate some rather choice language will be peppering the air!

This kit was supplied by Wheeldale Woolcrafts and included some hand dyed and carded Corriedale wool fibres ready to spin;

With a dozen or more workshops on offer we were spoilt for choice really, but I booked Layers Of Texture which was essentially a short course in needle felting.

Jaki Bogg was efficient in her introduction, talking us through the basics and leaving us the best part of an hour and a half to have a go.

This was my very first effort:(

It was enormous fun and I think I’m addicted so I bought a bargain mixed bag of roving in the bright colours I love so much;

I also decided to buy some luxury silk tops produced by the Tussah Silkworm. (Adelaide Walker and Wingham Wool Work) They are completely gorgeous and shimmer in the light. I’m thinking luxury brooches finished with tiny beads and silver thread…..

Another skill that I have been procrastinating about for ages (Tajana!) is that of sock knitting. I shall dither no more though, as the lovely Rachel Coopey’s (of Coop Knits) book Coop Knits Socks convinced me to finally bite the bullet. She even signed it for me too:)

I then hot-footed it over to Purlescence where they had the most fabulous 100% Merino wool skeins in a zingy shade of yellow. I just had to have it. I don’t do subtle:)

They were also able to advise and supply the requisite 80cm long 2.25mm circular knitting needle (a lot less scary than four double pointed needles methinks!)

A pretty little stitchmarker was thrown in by some kindly stallholder with a friend’s wool purchase and she very generously gave it to me for my socks;

My last, and arguably favourite, purchase were these beautiful 2″ wooden buttons.

Perfection.

September 30, 2014
by sewchet 11 Comments

Yarndale (and a chat with Lucy!)

What a fabulous, yarntastic weekend!

Yarndale 2014 was all it promised to be – and more.

Conceived and organized by a group of five yarnaholics (including the very popular Lucy of Attic24), Yarndale’s inaugural festival of 2013 was followed up with an equally successful event this year.

Three friends and I endured the 250 mile car journey north to Skipton, Yorkshire, which took a mammoth seven hours from South Somerset due to a typically busy Friday night’s traffic. We enjoyed real five star hospitality in luxury surroundings from Pam Gregory at Cononley Hall – these were our two rooms: –

We really couldn’t fault it at all – the perfect place to relax and unwind after a full day on our feet (our heads were buzzing from inspiration overload!).

We set off Saturday morning after an amazing full English; just a five minute stroll to the station (which turned into a sprint as we saw our train on the platform from halfway up the road!) followed by one stop on the train to Skipton. There were two (free) buses put on this year to ferry passengers to and from the station and they set the tone for the whole weekend….

….yes, even the double-deckers had been yarn-bombed both inside and out!

We were at the front of the queue so managed to snap a couple of photos – this was pretty much the only man amongst 6,000 crochet-mad women in the entire place!!

The event was held in Skipton Auction Mart which, when we viewed the site from the hill, was enormous! Can you see just how vast the covered area is? I’ve circled it in red below: –

The approach through the park (for those walking) was well signposted with crocheted signs in various styles….

Local schools joined in with unique interpretations on bicycle yarn-bombing;

The walk took you past the picturesque canal…

…until you arrived at the site…

…which marked your wooly destination with yarn-bombed trees!

Apologies for the poor quality of the photos (and me, a professional photographer too!) but I left the camera at home and went with the iPhone. They’re not great but, hopefully, you get an idea of the atmosphere surrounding the event and the amount of thought and effort that went into organizing such a huge project:)

Once inside, a colourful gallery of all 1,182 mandalas sent to Lucy greeted you, stretching the entire width of the venue;

The Yarndale Hub (centre of operations!) was, again, strung wall-to-wall with last year’s contributions of 6,212 bunting triangles sent in from all over the world. Here we are, the only photograph of the four of us taken over all four days!

Can you guess where this is?

Of course you can – it’s the Knit & Natter lounge hosted by our favourite Lucy!

This creative lady sums up the yarn obsession shared by everyone at the show!

I think that’s more than enough for one post but do come back again when I have details of a little plan that we discussed briefly with Lucy and photos of some of the many stalls that were so beautifully displaying their wares.

September 25, 2014
by sewchet 19 Comments

Yarndale, Crochet Scarf & Designer Curtains

Wahay, we’re off to Skipton tomorrow – Yarndale, here we come!

Three girly days filled with yarn-related happiness and three nights ~~of drinking wine~~ away from home. Us four ladies having bought our tickets for the much awaited yarnfest four long months ago, thought it wise to book some decent accommodation at the same time while there was still some choice. Long gone are the days where I’m happy to sleep anywhere as long as it’s spotlessly clean. Oh no, nowadays I want somewhere at least as nice, if not better, than the home I’ve left behind. £39 a night Travelodge will NOT do.

Luckily, Cononley Hall was available and £90 a night for B+B in 5* luxury is a bit more up our street!

So, rooms booked, tickets at the ready, now for the FIVE HOUR drive up from Somerset……

Looking on the bright side, when did you last get to sit down and crochet for five hours flat??

Talking of which, I have finished another WIP. It’s a Christmas present for a male in the family and I’m hoping it’s masculine enough. I’m basing my choice of colours on my husband’s taste but he is rather brave on the colour front to say the least!!

Today’s Challenge: How to take an interesting photograph of a scarf (without a model)!

I’ve also finished with the designer fabric I bought in the charity shop. There was enough to make a pair of full-length curtains for our dining room which I am absolutely thrilled about. I can’t show you pictures of them in situ yet as the room still needs to be painted, but here they are all neatly folded waiting to be hung.

So, until next week (post-Yarndale) toodle-oo!

September 22, 2014
by sewchet 17 Comments

Charity Shop Designer Bargain Of The Century!

I am so excited!

I popped out to get some picture hooks and thought I might as well have a quick look in The Charity Shop (there is only one in the nearest town) and came away with what must be the BEST DEAL EVER.

The two labels said “Remnants” priced at £5.00 each. Basically, they were obviously going to be a long and a medium pair of curtains that had been started but not finished. They were each double width, cut and seamed up the middle, and that was it.

Brand new fabric.

ELEVEN metres of it.

Ten pounds.

I snapped it up.

I got home, laid it out and had a proper look.

It was top quality and looked pretty exclusive to me so I checked the selvedges and googled the fabric.

It retails for £76.00 per metre.

That’s £836.00 of brand new fabric for a tenner!

Honestly, I can’t tell you how chuffed I am. Although it does make me wonder about the lost potential passing through charity shops for a song. Am I going to take it back and insist they price it right? No, so that makes me a hypocrite then. But I didn’t know it was designer fabric before I’d paid up and returned home so that makes feel a little less guilty:)

Tess thinks it would make a nice dog blanket.

It won’t.

I’m going to try to piece it together to make a new pair of curtains for the dining end of our kitchen as the silk ones have started to disintegrate in the sunlight.

That wasn’t the only thing I bought though; there was an Ikea double duvet cover going for £3, and I knew just what to do with it…..

Do you remember the day bed that used to be in my studio which is now in the garden?

Well, hiding behind the bed was an attic full of “stuff”…

Ugh! It does NOT make for a happy studio:(

I cut the duvet cover around three sides and opened it out. I hemmed it and punched eyelets at intervals along the top edge and suspended it on hooks hidden behind the beams and, an hour later – voila!

Out of sight, out of mind – I now have a much more streamlined, tidy space and, not only that, acres of floor space for cutting out those designer curtains:)

I also have quite a lot of leftover fabric so what can I do with that, I wonder….?

September 21, 2014
by sewchet 9 Comments

Sunday Sevens #2

My week summed up in pictures again as part of the Sunday Sevens link up by Natalie over at Threads & Bobbins.

MONDAY – Treated myself to a book I’ve wanted for ages

TUESDAY – Still outside, naked, in September!

WEDNESDAY – Tried to make sense of the pattern I wrote whilst crocheting the Greengate-style Poncho

THURSDAY – Another WIP for a Christmas present – can you guess what it is going to be?

FRIDAY – A little bit of upcycling for my back-to-uni No.1 Son, blogged about here

SATURDAY – Removed this chunk of blu-tac from No.3 Son’s nostril…..!

SUNDAY – No.2 and No.3 Sons made pasties for supper

All in all, quite a productive week!

September 19, 2014
by sewchet 18 Comments

Tutorial: How To Cover A Lampshade and use Chalk Paint to upcycle table lamps

You may remember a post from earlier this week when I mentioned that I had been bargain hunting in charity shops for Number One Son’s return to Uni. Part of our haul included two utterly minging shiny brass-effect table lamps complete with two equally vile lilac lampshades.

I snapped them up solely because they were in perfect working order and only cost a meagre £3.00 in total. No.1 would never have bought them but, as I was paying, he was grateful for anything and I convinced him that we could do something, anything, with them to increase their aesthetic appeal.

Quite frankly setting a match to them would make them more attractive so my plan to paint the bases and cover the shades was over and above, I think!

My lovely friend Roz over at The Velvet Cow has been extolling the virtues of Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint for a while now and very kindly lent me a pot of Old White and a paintbrush for the afternoon. (Be sure to check her blog out to see the wonderful things she has done with it!)

We started painting before I remembered to take photos, but you get an idea of what we were up against: –

The great thing about Chalk Paints (we used Annie Sloan but Autentico also has an extensive range of colours) is that they eliminate the need for laborious preparation. No sanding necessary, just wipe clean and paint – it truly is that simple!

So we did…

One coat was all they needed before being left to dry. A coat of wax should then really be applied as a protective layer but, as these were table lamps, not table legs, we figured they weren’t going to get bashed about that much to warrant it. And we didn’t have any anyway:)

Much better.

Now to start on the lampshades.

Having mixed some PVA glue with an equal amount of water, it was slopped on the the shades very quickly.

Another charity shop find that I couldn’t resist ages ago was this book of musical scores, each one the National Anthem of a different country. It’s so old that the pages are the authentic tobacco-stained brown that is so often faked with cold tea; a lovely contrast to the white base.

We literally tore pages from the book and pasted them with more PVA onto the shades, smoothing it as we went.

Extra pages are slapped on, overlapping where necessary, until the whole shade is covered.

When dry, use a Stanley knife or (similar craft knife) to cut away the overhanging edges. (Tip: make sure you use a fresh blade or you risk ripping the paper).

I can’t wait to show you the result so, without further ado…..

….TADAH!

No.1 is understandably chuffed with our efforts and I think they will add a cosy touch to his Uni digs. They look especially lovely at night time.

It’s amazing what you can do with very little cash and lots of imagination, isn’t it?

September 18, 2014
by sewchet 61 Comments

Greengate Style Baby & Toddler Girls Crochet Poncho

Hello Fellow Crocheters – this one is for you!

I’ve just finished a crocheted poncho/cape for a little girl’s Christmas present and I thought I’d share it with you. It’s entirely my own original design and, as I attempted to make notes as I went, it took a little longer than it should have. I reckon you could whip one up in just a couple of evenings which is great news for those of us who get bored easily.

Based on the lovely Greengate colours, I have a huge WIP that is of the same ilk;

It’s quite simple really, just double and treble crochet with a picot edging, but the colours are so cheerful and bright.

This is my first attempt at writing a pattern so I hope you can work it out. The more experienced amongst you will probably be able to figure it out without referring to my instructions, but it is possibly more than a complete beginner could handle.

Anyhoo, here goes….!

This is a free pattern that you are welcome to share – but please do not copy and paste to any other site; just link back to this page. (Please also respect my efforts and do not make this design to sell elsewhere).

I’d love to see any that you’ve made yourself, so pop a link in the “comments” box if you do:)

September 17, 2014
by sewchet 11 Comments

Soap Bottle Apron!

Happy Wednesday Blogland!

I’m in a cheery mood today having spent a morning making a last minute list of ‘niceties’ for my son to go back to Uni with and then sifting through the charity shops trying to find them. You know the sort of thing – non-essential items but those that make student digs a bit more bearable and homely. We came home with everything on our list except a desk lamp. Our bounty included: –

cork noticeboard (brand new) – £2.00
large wooden mantel mirror – £4.00
two bedside table lamps with shades – £3.00 the pair
pendant lampshade – FREE! (they had given up on trying to sell it)
shade for standard lamp – £7.50
pair of lined, full length curtains – £5.00

A grand total of £21.50 – what a bargain!!! (Although I did make a donation for the free pendant lampshade; it is for a good cause after all:))

When we got back home after a nice fish ‘n’ chip meal out (well, I did save loads on the shopping front), the creative bug was biting me but there wasn’t much time before the school run to make anything elaborate.

Cue a new blog post from After Dark Sewing (Thanks Beth!).

Less than fifteen minutes later and I had this made and photographed –