Handmade Slippers

I have finally finished making some slippers. They were a bit of trial and error and have taken a while to complete.  I really wanted to make them in some needle cord but the material frayed terribly and I abandoned it and started again.

The slippers were made from a pair of old recycled jeans and some scraps of fabric that I really adore.  The pattern came from Debbie Shore's Spring Projects Hearts and Flowers Twin CD Set.  

Here is the final result and my husband is very pleased with them.

Bags Galore!

Bags Galore is the name of a Project Twin CD rom set by Debbie Shore which I purchased with the intention of getting more out of my sewing machine.  The CD Rom comes with instructions, patterns and most importantly 10 step-by-step video tutorials.  

I have been holding onto some lovely fabrics and zips for some while now waiting for such an opportunity as this so I didn't hesitate to purchase this CD Rom when it was on special offer.

My bag was constructed slightly differently to the instructions in that I made use of the frilly zip which has become a feature by installing it on top of the opening seams.  I wasn't sure how it would pan out and and how I would deal with the ends. However, I managed to tuck and hide these as I machined the final seams before turning the bag inside out.  I have more fabric so will try this again soon and then post my photos below to share with you.

Let us know what you think of my efforts.

Anyone interested in purchasing frilly zips try this website. Although I didn't get mine from here, they have quite a selection of nice colours and I spoke to a very helpful lady.  The size I used was a  9" (25cm) and this fitted extremely well.  If you buy larger, apparently you can trim the ends.

Crafty hugs from Crafty Tashx

Now that I have made a couple more, I am posting pictures of these as well.

Sew much fun

It has been great to have some time off and be able to be creative.  I have had this itch for some time to do more sewing and although I had an idea what I wanted to make, I hadn't researched patterns so wasn't in a position to do much sewing until today, Easter Monday!

Searching on YouTube lead me to a sewist called "Patty Doo" who gives amazing clear instructions on making purses and bags.  One design that grabbed my attention was her tutorial on the Bowie Case. The Bowie case is a cute little bag with a bow, that can be sewn in 4 sizes depending on the size of your mobile device or an even bigger version to use a clutch purse.

Watching the video tutorial made understanding the steps involved simple so I went to Patty's website to download the pattern for £2.78 so I could give it try.

Thankfully, no resizing of the pattern was required and it was easy to determine which size would best match the size of my mobile device.   The hardest decision was whether to go with the bow or not!

Having cut out the pattern pieces I then rooted through my small stash of fabrics recently purchased through Little Laura's Haberdashery (www.littlelaurashaberdashery.co.uk) to see if I had something suitable to use.  In the end I settled on another fabric because I liked the really pretty print and felt I had something equally suitable for the contrasting bow.

A couple of hours of sewing and re-winding of the tutorial video and I was soon finished.  All that is left to do is put a magnetic clasp on it and then I can start using it.

Not bad for an afternoon's work and a very nice change it made.

                                           Back view

                                           Front view

I hope I have inspired you to make something for yourself.  Do check out Patty's website at http://www.emmalinebags.com for more ideas and tutorials.

Craft hugs, Natasha

Sew much fun

I enjoy a broad range of hobbies which is why I call myself Crafty Tash.  In my younger days I used to do a lot of dressmaking as it was difficult to buy off the peg clothes that fitted well.  My biggest success was making my own wedding dress and my bridesmaid and page-boy outfits.  I also made silk waistcoats for my husband to be and his best man, Ian his brother.  Looking back, it was a mammoth task but I felt I needed something to do to fill the 18 months leading up to the big day.  I hired the assistance of a seamstress to adjust my dress pattern so that the fitting would be perfect and it was.  It was a wonderful day followed by a three week honeymoon in America.  We borrowed a video camera and I just kept smiling the entire three weeks.

Sewing is taking a bit of a revival and back in the New Year I took the opportunity of updating my sewing machine.  It has come out on a few occasions but I haven’t fully utilised it yet. I made a cute owl very recently having received a free pattern and fabric from my Homemaker magazine.  

Hobbies can be expensive if you invest in everything you need, maybe use it once or never finish what you started due to lack of knowledge or skill. 

Here is a hobby that I guarantee you will enjoy – making felt Christmas decorations.  I have purchased this Felt Christmas Decorations book by Corinne Lapierre and it consists of 20 projects.  It is available from Amazon for £3.74.  

You will need access to a photocopier because the patterns need enlarging by 200%.  I have made all these Christmas decorations in four evenings!  I hope to sell these on my stall in November.  My favourite is the owl.  I shan't stop until I run out of felt!  Let me know what you think of them.