Sewchet

October 6, 2017
by sewchet 34 Comments

Upcycled Needlepoint

On one of our regular visits to our local charity shop, I spotted this framed needlepoint. It was wedged in a basket at the back of a stack of picture frames and would probably have been consigned to the bin had I not rescued it.

I was struck by the hours of work that had obviously gone into it and was disappointed, if not surprised, that the value that had been attributed to it was just ONE pound.

Unfortunately, as a picture, it just does not work.

It’s old-fashioned and the cheap gilded frame couldn’t be further removed from current interior trends, yet it totally misses the ‘vintage’ vibe, too.

Without really thinking it through, I knew I had to buy it and try to reinvent it as something I would be proud to have in my home – no small task!

A number of Instagrammars had the great suggestion to turn the needlepoint into a tray by adding handles to the frame, or a suitable alternative frame.

I love this idea and very nearly went for it until I was honest with myself and admitted that I have lots of trays and this one simply wouldn’t get used, which seemed such a shame.

Going with my initial idea, I decided to turn it into a cushion cover, after all, the colours would tie in seamlessly with the ones currently in our lounge.

I started by running a blade around the edge of the backing to remove the needlepoint from the frame.

The canvas had been criss crossed with thread to hold it in place, so I was careful not to cut through the canvas when removing the thread.

Having liberated the needlepoint from its frame, it was obvious that it had been a kit originally. I used the colour guides on the side of the panel to choose a fabric from my stash that would serve as the cushion back.

Luckily, this herringbone tweed matched the colours in the needlepoint exactly. There was just enough cord left on a roll to make some piping, too.

The piping cord was made first, by cutting strips of fabric on the bias and basting it around some cord.

I basted the piping as close as possible to the edge of the needlepoint, clipping up to the stitching to turn the corners.

I had to piece the remnants together to make a 15″ square backing to match the size of the needlepoint front.

The zip was inserted into the back section rather than any one of the side seams to minimise bulk at the seams. I top stitched it down close to the zip to stop the fabric getting caught in the zip when removing the cover for cleaning.

With right sides facing, I pinned the backing to the front, remembering to open the zip for turning through later.

As the zip was too long, I would just sew all the way around, in effect creating a new zip stop in the seam, so I didn’t cut it to length at this stage.

The excess canvas was trimmed and the corners were cut across.

Turned through to the right side, this is the finished cushion, shown on a grey chair for contrast: –

I think it will actually live on this sofa.

When I said it coordinates with our existing colour scheme, here’s what I meant – it sits perfectly with the other cushions. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think it looks at all dated now, quite the reverse, in fact and I love it!

The total cost of the cushion was…….£1.00

Not bad when you consider that this kit is currently available for around £40.00, not including the backing fabric or insert!

Not so old fashioned now, is it?!

October 3, 2017
by sewchet 38 Comments

“Best In Show” Knitted Dog – West Highland Terrier

When I posted this photo on Instagram, of the “Best In Show” book of knitted dogs that I bought nearly-new for a bargain on Amazon, it had a mixed reception.

Some people thought I’d lost my marbles while others clearly saw the attraction of knitting such pointless-but-cute objects.

So, when the other one in the series one popped up at a knock-down price, obviously I snapped it up!

Almost instantly, a lovely Instagrammer from Australia contacted me and asked if I’d consider a commission for her of a West Highland Terrier, a “Westie”.

Of course, I jumped at the chance to have a bonafide excuse to actually go ahead and make one, so agreed straight away.

Unfortunately, there is no local stockist of Rowland Kidsilk Haze, so I had the ideal opportunity to put together a larger order with an online stockist to include yarn for a poncho that I’d admired for a long time.

Armed with everything I needed, I couldn’t wait to cast on.

The fuzzy nature of the mohair would be perfect to imitate the fur of a Westie. Two strands of yarn are held together throughout.

Believe it or not, this is a finished leg!!

Whilst not complicated, you need to concentrate on the instructions especially as this one asks you to “follow instructions as for Scottish Terrier” for certain elements of the knit.

At this point, the knitting was almost completely finished but still looked absolutely nothing like a dog, let alone a Westie!

The extra bits were finished in the car whilst at a football match – they’re laid out on the dashboard.

Now to sew it all together.

A satin stitched nose, French knot eyes and collar, all made using embroidery silks, are the final touches.

And here he is!

For scale, here he is sat in the palm of my hand.

He is about 6 inches long and 4 inches high.

Not only that, but I have enough yarn left to make another one……anyone else want to commission a Westie?!!

October 2, 2017
by sewchet 33 Comments

Sunday Sevens #136

Sunday Sevens comes to you on a Monday this week, with twice as many photos as the title would suggest.

1. The week started well with some Happy Mail.

2. The grey yarn is for this cabled poncho-with-sleeves…..

3. ….and the cream yarn is for a West Highland Terrier from the book ‘Best In Show’.

4. This was Mr H-L’s office for the week, a villa in Portugal for a week of company meetings by the pool.

5. Which meant I had to take No.3 Son to football training. It was almost too dark to knit in the car by 7pm.

6. The landscapers were back to finish up with a retaining wall on the driveway.

7. The barn in the field behind us has been sold and will soon become a bungalow or, as is the preferred term nowadays, a ‘single storey dwelling’! Luckily, no further development will be allowed so our view will remain largely unchanged.

8. Ellie The Elephant has been finished and now also has a wardrobe full of clothes.

9. These cakes were my contribution to the huge Macmillan Coffee Morning in aid of Cancer Support.

10. The Year 6 children ran the event. Here is No.3 Son doing his best to sell my cakes – I had to buy one back for him before they all sold!

11. This little fella nearly got put out with the recycling as he was hiding in the bin.

12. A Harvest Supper was held in the village hall on Saturday night. Not much has gone on events-wise in the hall since I stepped down after eight years on the committee, so this church-run event was a welcome get together for the villagers. The village hall is the sole venue for entertainment in the village – if it doesn’t happen here, it doesn’t happen at all.

13. No’s 1&3 Sons joined us (plus girlfriend), but No.2 Son was missed:(

14. We’re still spoiling Fifi – here she is wrapped up in hubby’s T-shirt, curled up on our bed for the night. She seems to be OK at the moment, fingers crossed.

Hope you all had a good week, too:)

September 24, 2017
by sewchet 27 Comments

Sunday Sevens #135

Two week’s worth of Sunday Sevens this week….

1. My sister and niece came for a couple of days. Always something to look forward to and we just chatter non-stop the entire time. And go out for coffee, obviously.

2. We have actually had a few open fires already and The Dogs are first there to hog the best spot and soak up all that heat.

3. Other days it’s still been mild enough to throw open the French windows and let the fresh air in.

4. No.3 Son did some target practice with the BB gun under Daddy’s supervision. Note the newly pruned back blackberry bush:)

5. Mr H-L obsessed over the weather forecasts and finally found two four-hour windows in which he could oil the decking.

6. We cleared out the last of the storage unit and completed the difficult task of sorting through Mr H-L’s late parents’ possessions. A tough job but it had to be done.

7. It’s been quite a productive week, creatively speaking. The Cow-Print dress I made had it’s first outing that very evening as we went to see “Dunkirk” at the cinema. We did something we NEVER do – had pizza! Having eventually committed to going gluten-free a month or so ago, I really fancied a pizza and, luckily, a place right next to the cinema offered a gluten-free option. With prosecco, of course.

8. This will be another Christmas present. I’m ticking off the list slowly but surely.

9. It’s beginning to look like an elephant.

10. Christmas sock number six is under way after a break of a few weeks. Well, I needed something portable to take to a football match.

11. No.3 Son picked up his knitting again.

12. Talking of knitting, I picked up these two books at a bargain price and, having put it on Instagram, have already been asked to do a commission of a West Highland Terrier. Fab – an excuse to make one!

13. One of my students proudly showing her newly finished fabric storage pot.

14. Although I forgot to photograph the finished article, a friend asked me to make her a roman blind from this Orla Kiely fabric.

15. No.2 Son came home for his first Exeat weekend and he and I spent some time together whilst his brother was at football.

16. It is the GBSBlive in London this weekend. I couldn’t be there in person so decided to get in the spirit of things by making a skirt from the book instead.

17. I whipped up a second “Laurel” too, both inspired by a scarf I had in the wardrobe. See, I told you I’d been productive!

18. Not only that, but I managed to squeeze in craft night at a friend’s on Thursday. Look at all these lovely ladies!

19. We took The Boys out for an Indian on Saturday night. I must admit, we did miss not being able to have poppadoms or naan bread, especially as The Boys were obviously enjoying theirs so much.

20. Still, gluten-free isn’t always a hardship – does this look like we’re missing out?!

See you for more Sevens next week:)

September 20, 2017
by sewchet 11 Comments

Cow Print Colette “Laurel”

Yes, I really am wearing Cow-print!

To see more, click on the link to the full blog post over at Minerva Crafts.

September 13, 2017
by sewchet 20 Comments

Sunday Sevens #134

Late again with this week’s Sunday Sevens……

1. Not the most exciting project to get back to the sewing machine for the first time in a month for – sewing nearly ONE HUNDRED name labels into No.2 Son’s clothes and belongings for school. Luckily, I had some help and managed to delegate all the socks to Mother:)

2. Unfortunately, both little boys came down with a sickness bug for the best part of that week and spent a large portion of that time flat out on the sofa.

3. In between bouts of throwing up, there were a few times when they perked up enough to indulge in a board game. This one was picked up for a pound in a church fair and was a favourite of mine when I was their age. The Boys soon decided it was their new favourite game, too. Does anyone else remember ‘Ulcers’?

4. We took The Boys shopping for school shoes and had our last lunch out of the Summer holidays.

5. The next day we took No.2 Son to his new school – here he is in his part of the dorm with the obligatory football team duvet set.

6. He soon made himself at home, putting up posters above his bed. We haven’t seen home in two weeks now and, as we decided not to give him a mobile ‘phone, have only spoken to him twice.

He’s LOVING it.

7. I took a good friend out for coffee to Kilver Court as she can’t drive due to an ankle injury.

8. In the shop there was this ex-display Kingsize bed for sale for the rock bottom price of £400 including the mattress. My friend snapped it up!

9. Hubby and I popped out to a pub for a Persian meal. I drank two bottles of wine on my own.

No, I’m not an alcoholic – they were tiny bottles.

10. I made ten jars of my favourite Damson Jam.

11. Hannah Dale’s gorgeous mugs by Wrendale Designs were on offer locally, so I treated myself to four more.

12. Together with the jars of homemade jam, they look lovely on my kitchen dresser.

13. Mr H-L bought a new ~~toy~~ brush cutter and went straight out to play with it.

14. Sewing classes re-started this week and one of my students made this fabulous apron, destined to be a Christmas present for her Auntie.

15. Another of our good friends turned Eighty this week, so we took her out for lunch to celebrate. Little Barwick House – just lovely.

16. We went with some friends to Frome Cheese and Agriculture Show where we bought some interesting Christmas presents.

17. As well as all the animal shows…..

18. …..there were fun things to get involved in, like the tug-of-war…..(No.3 Son is in the pink T-shirt)

19. ….hubby was plucked out of the crowd to humiliate himself in the Strong Man tear-an-Argos-catalogue-in-half competition!

20. By far the highlight of the day though, was singing along to The Wurzels. Such a lovely bunch of blokes, one of them is now in his Eighties!

21. Just as we were leaving the showground, the skies blackened and a full, double rainbow appeared. We made it back to the car before the heavens opened.

That’s it for this week folks!

September 6, 2017
by sewchet 43 Comments

Vogue 1496 Linen ‘Cocoon’ Dress

This is a make from way back in May that has been so useful and worn so much that I just had to get around to doing a blog post about it.

There’s nothing particularly special about the pattern, other than the fact that it is a Vogue original which has been my favourite pattern brand since the Eighties.

I think we can agree that the shape does nothing for the model’s slim physique on the front of the pattern envelope but, on the contrary, I could envisage it working well for my 5’2″ size 14 figure.

The ‘cocoon’ shape has rather a daring low neckline, short sleeves and the length falls to the knee – perfect to show off my best bits (boobs, arms and legs) and skim over my non-existent waistline.

It also features pockets in the side seams, which are a must for me.

I went to a bricks-and-mortar shop to buy my fabric, and chose this linen with a large floral design from Hanson’s in Sturminster Newton.

A quick make, I sewed it up in no time in anticipation of a long, hot Summer (ha, ha!)

I do love hand-worthy pockets.

No bra needed because the pattern is busy enough to distract the eye from any potential embarrassment – perfect for our up-coming foreign holidays where it would be far too hot to wear a bra.

The armholes were an interesting design.

No waist-hugging meant it promised to be the perfect outfit for a meal with plenty of space to accommodate a full belly!

Yep, overall, I’m pretty pleased with how it looks on me.

It certainly has proved to be a worthwhile make as I’ve worn it lots over the Summer – and I mean LOTS.

Here it is at Desert Springs in Spain in May.

Back home in England it has regularly been a comfortable outfit for meals out.

Another holiday in Spain saw it worn even more as the temperatures soared in July.

Paris in August – I’m definitely getting my money’s worth out of this one!

There was even enough left over fabric to make half a dozen little fabric storage pots to donate to the school Summer fair.

Having been away for most of the school holidays, not much (ie. none) sewing got done and I’m looking forward to getting back to the sewing machine again.

Sewing 100+ name tags into school uniform doesn’t count, does it?!

August 30, 2017
by sewchet 27 Comments

Sunday Sevens #133

Breaking the “rules” once again by posting on a Wednesday, here is this week’s Sunday Sevens. If you’re new to the concept, take a look at Nat’s blog, Threads & Bobbins, where you can find out all about it and how to join in.

1. Although I am no longer officially a Photographer, I was asked to photograph a friend’s granddaughter’s first birthday “Cake Smash”. Such a little sweetie, she doesn’t like getting her fingers dirty, which defeats the object somewhat – although she did put her whole face in it at one point!

2. At the birthday party afterwards in the local Village Hall, afternoon tea was laid on for about forty guests. Whilst plain white china was the order of the day, my friend presented hubby and I with our own ‘proper’ cups and saucers. I’m not sure what that says about us!!!

3. This was the official birthday cake – how amazing?

4. A rainy day when The Boys had friends around resulted in a good game of the perennial favourite, Monopoly.

5. Another rainy day keeping us inside gave me chance to make some Rhubarb and Ginger jam for the store cupboard.

6. We offered to snake-sit for a month whilst a friend is on holiday.

Look away now if you have Ophidiophobia…

7. A week in, and Flash shed his skin. One for ‘show and tell’ when they go back to school next week.

8. I had to crochet an extension to Fifi’s recently knitted coat. A flap at the rear to stop her licking her wound.

9. I incorporated a hole for her tail and it does the job to a point. We just have to remember to undo the flap when she goes out for a wee!

10. Off on holiday!

Of course, the downside to having less-than-sensible cars is that we need to take both of them when going camping in order to fit everything in.

It’s a compromise I’m happy to make:)

11. Home for the next four days.

12. A typical morning – Mum cooks breakfast whilst The Boys and Dad play cricket in their pyjamas.

13. Cafetière of coffee and tin replica bone china plates – who says you can’t camp in style?

14. The Dogs LOVE camping too.

15. Exmoor means lots of good walking to work up an appetite for those inevitable cream teas.

16. We forgot to take the dog carrier I made a while back but, luckily, there was a bric-a-brac stall in a nearby church that had one for sale for just £3.50.

17. Whenever Fifi started lagging behind, we could just pop her in the carrier for a while – perfect!

Trouble is, it took twice as long to walk anywhere as everyone just wanted to stop and cuddle her…

18. She also curled up on my handbag and stole a quick nap each time we stopped for a tea break.

19. Happily, our recent decision to go gluten-free didn’t impact us much when we ate out. So many more places are allergy aware in recent years that we had no problem finding something on every menu. This lemon drizzle cake was as good as a normal one.

20. And with local clotted cream on, it tasted even better!

21. We had lunch at a National Trust cottage in the middle of nowhere….

22. ….and even they offered GF bread and cakes, so no one missed out.

23. Another National Trust property which, although I’ve passed many a time, I didn’t realise was a shop as well.

24. Full to the brim with Exmoor-crafted goodies – I was in there ages chatting to the chap who leases it from the Trust.

25. Do you want to see what I bought?

This is a high-pitched dog whistle crafted from the antlers of an Exmoor Red Deer.

Fifi is almost totally deaf, but I was hoping that the pitch would be high enough for her to hear, the idea being that I could attract her attention if I needed to. She responds to basic sign language and will follow a finger to wherever it is pointed – if I can get her attention in the first place.

She can’t hear it AT ALL.

Still, it’s a nicely crafted souvenir – maybe I could train The Boys….?

26. Saw this beautiful but deadly Fungus on a woodland walk.

27. We spent our time swimming in the freezing rivers by day…

28. ….and walking on the pebbled beaches in the warm nights.

29. All in all we had a totally wonderful Bank Holiday weekend………..and not a drop of moisture fell from the virtually cloud-free sky the entire time!

Hope your Bank Holiday was as unusually dry, sunny AND warm as ours was:)

August 20, 2017
by sewchet 15 Comments

Sunday Sevens #132

Linking up with Natalie at Threads and Bobbins for this week’s Sunday Sevens – a weekly blog series in photos.

1. Progress on the ‘Scrappy’ blanket has been good.

Although I had to buy five more balls of yarn so it’s no longer strictly a scrappy blanket.

2. Managed a glass of red and a homemade pork pie at the pub whilst The Boys played in the playing field behind. We even sat in the garden as the rain held off. Still chilly enough for a jumper though. Well, this is 3pm in August!

3. Another day, another pub. Our local has been closed for a couple of months and is now under new management. The Boys took their light sabres to use as guns. As you do. Our walk takes us past this thatched cottage in the village.

4. A pint and a bag of crisps. It should be written into the Human Rights bill.

5. The blackberries are coming thick and fast – I’m picking over three pounds a day from our bush in the garden alone! Good job it’s thornless. The apples are from mum’s tree.

6. A rare Chinese takeaway – The Boy’s favourite treat.

7. I gave No.2 Son a ‘holiday haircut’.

8. I didn’t realise he had this much to lose!

9. Breakfast at Heathrow airport before heading off to France for the week. It took us an hour and a half to drive to the airport and just forty-five minutes to fly to Paris!

10. I love France’s café culture.

11. And food!

12. Pretty street corners of the district we stayed in – Croissy sur Seine.

13. We did the sights, after all, the last time I visited Paris was as a schoolgirl back in 1979!

L’Arc Du Triomphe

14. Tour Eiffel

15. Sacre Coeur

16. If you turn around 180 degrees, the view over Paris from the Sacre Coeur is breathtaking. Here are two of the Littlies taking a break – we walked eight miles that day!

17. The iconic Metro.

18. We walked the quick way up to the Montmartre district (for which read ‘steep’). Mr. H-L can be seen about half way up the steps struggling to keep up!

19. Montmartre is all about the artists – and they are everywhere.

20. It was fascinating to watch portraits come together before your very eyes.

21. Of course, we HAD to have chocolate and banana crepes while we were there!

22. Relaxing with the locals.

23. Lots of good food and drink (again) and good times spent with family (again).

24. Landing in London to – you guessed it – more rain!

25. Still, we’re grateful to have Fifi to come home to. I’ve vowed not to leave her again as she has needed an emergency trip to the Vet’s whilst we’ve been abroad the last two times. She has recurring mammary tumours and a heart murmur which flare up frequently. Whether she’ll survive this latest bout remains to be seen, but at least she is comfortable and happy – for now.

She’s lying on the bed beside me whilst I type this, snoring quite contentedly wrapped in bandages and her little rainbow coat.

Bless her.

August 13, 2017
by sewchet 25 Comments

Sunday Sevens #131

Linking up with Nat at Threads & Bobbins, Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series showing seven or so photos of your life outside the blog.

1. As Mr H-L was officially working whilst we were in Spain this time, my sister came with us and we spent lots of time together doing ‘girly’ things, like shopping in Mojacar Pueblo…..

2. ….browsing the Tuesday market in Albox….

3…….drinking Pina Coladas at midday…..

4…..late afternoon……

5…..and evening!

6. We spent a lot of time in the pool trying to keep cool both by day….

7…..and night.

8. Good food……

9….good drink…..

10…..and great company.

11. Far too hot for clothes!

12. After trying sheep brains, it was back to more familiar tapas – everybody loves calamari, don’t they?

13. One minute it was there, the next minute there was a hole on my watch bezel where a diamond used to be:(

Luckily I noticed before I went back in the pool, but the condensation had already formed under the face.

14. As usual, our holiday was over too soon and we had to go home – to this!

15. I took mum out for lunch for having the dogs for me.

16. We had family to stay for a few days and they bought me this gorgeous bouquet of lilies and roses.

17. The garden at the side of the house has gone from this…….

18…..to this…….

19. ……to this, so far.

20. Obviously, to ten and eleven year old boys, it’s actually a WWI trench, made all the more authentic by torrential rain and mudslides.

21. One of the first things we did when we got back was to take my watch back to Rolex for a replacement bezel. A day out in Wales was a welcome result and we took a picnic with us.

It poured down.

22. Did that stop us having fun? Of course not – we’re English and rain never stops play!