Sunday 28 April 2013

P G Wodehouse Collectable Books

Rob (my husband) and I have been decluttering a bit lately. First we sold our CD collection and donated all of the records to Oxfam, along with an antique treadle Singer sewing machine. I had been reluctant to get rid of the sewing machine, but Oxfam refurbishes them and sends them to countries where there is no reliable electricity supply. They can be the start of a new business venture for an individual, so it seemed like an excellent new lease of life for the machine.

Here is the sewing machine and stand, with my newer model in the background!

Anyway, this week it was the turn of the books. Most will be donated to charity shops, but our collection of P G Wodehouse books will be sold on Ebay. Many of these are collectable, and very funny to read, of course, so there are some bargains to be had!







The auctions can be found in my Ebay shop here, and will finish on 7 and 8 May 2013.

Posted by Julia of * Love Buttons HQ * and * Fire Horse Textiles *

Friday 26 April 2013

free crochet pattern

Pineapple Pendant Crocheted Necklace

Supplies: Varigated crochet cotton, size 7 steel crochet hook, thrifted jewelry chain

Gauge: Finished pendant measures 3 1/4″ across

Instructions:

Row 1: Working into jewelry chain, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc), shell made, (ch 5, sc into chain) 2 times, ch 5, work shell into chain. Turn.

Row 2: (Sl st into 2 dc and ch-2 space. Ch 3. Dc, ch 2, 2 dc into same sp.) Beginning shell made. Ch 5. Sk ch-5 space. 13 trc in next ch-5 sp. Ch 5, sk next ch-5 space. Work shell in ch-2 space. Turn.

Row 3: Work beginning shell. Ch 5, sk next ch 5 space. Sc between next 2 trc. *Ch 3, sc between next 2 trc* to last trc. Ch 5, sk next ch 5 space, work shell over shell. Turn.

Row 4: Work beginning shell in shell. Ch 5. Sk ch-5 space. Sc in ch-3 space. *Ch 3, sc in next ch-3 space* across to last ch-3 space. Ch 5, sk ch-5 space, work shell in shell.

Repeat Row 4 until only 1 ch-3 space remains.

Next Row: Work beginning shell in shell. Ch 5. Sk ch-5 space. Sc in ch-3 space. Ch 5, sk ch-5 space, work shell in shell.

Final Row: Work beginning shell in shell, work shell in shell.

Tie off and weave in threads. Starch to your liking.

… and just like that, you have a new piece of jewelry to wear tomorrow! Don’t tell anyone how easy this was or you will be making gifts forever.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

The classic Twin Set


A matching set of a cardigan and a short-sleeved jumper or pullover this wardrobe staple first appeared in the 1940's and is now considered a classic.
Twin sets a favourite of secretaries and teachers were popular in the 1950's and 1960's, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn were said to be seen wearing them on and off the film set.





Sunday 14 April 2013

Union Jack Bed Quilt

I had an enquiry from a customer in Switzerland to make a bed-sized Union Jack quilt - a much larger version of my patchwork quilt wall hangings.

I had to scale up the small version to make full-sized templates, then take the fabrics and patchwork them together to fit the templates, before sewing the whole top together.

I used a variety of cotton fabrics, including a few recycled pieces which I thought were strong enough to take the wear and tear of a bed quilt. All the fabrics (except the wadding) were pre-laundered to minimise the shrinkage that occurs with cottons, but I did allow some extra length and width, because of possible shrinkage to the wadding.

The pressed backing was then laid out with the cotton wadding in the centre and the ironed quilt top on top. I used a small basting gun to join the three layers together (these use a finer version of the plastic tags that attach labels to garments in shops).


The quilt was then machine sewn, following the lines of the design, and using matching (red, white or blue) thread on the front, and white on the reverse. The quilt was then trimmed to size, the basting tags were removed, and it was bound using white cotton fabric, using both machine and hand stitches.




A label with the quilt name, 'Austerity Britain No 10', and my details was added to the back.