A voyage into three dimensional patchwork!

Howdy folks, time for a little bit of gentle Sunday bloggage!

This time it's about my first go at making something patchwork that wasn't a quilt or a cushion cover.....

My copy of "Quilting on the go!" by Jessica Alexandrakis has already inspired me and led me to making the little bag mentioned in my 'Don't worry, bee happy!' post on 23/6/14. (Ok, so the bag was 3-d once it was made up you'll see what I mean about the next piece shortly!)

I decided it was time to try another project from the book as it has instructions and templates and I love looking through it, so I set about deciding on fabric to use and made the templates.

I wanted the pin cushion to be bright and cheerful so I went with pink, yellow and blue; and green buttons from the stash of buttons I inherited from my Great Aunt.

It's a tad daunting at first; trying to piece together the sections and see where they need to be joined to get the shape right but I got there. The stitches also need to be teeny tiny as once the cushion is stuffed if they're untidy it really shows up! (Note to self - future post re stitching required)

Anyway, I made the pin cushion and gave it to my Mum with a bit of a giggle - it's a big old pin cushion!! I followed the pattern and used the templates in the book, I just didn't realise quite how big it would be so I did suggest it could be used as a paperweight or a doorstop as you can see below:

The giant pin cushion! (To give an idea of scale the button is about the size of a 10p!)

(Can't blame my fibro-fog for the size of the pin cushion as it was just as the pattern said - maybe we're just used to little pin cushions over here?)

I emailed the author of the book and asked if the projects in it are protected, bearing in mind my plans to sell my handmade items. As I suspected, the projects are for personal/gift use only but inspired I started to play about with the graph paper in the book and I created my own little design for a cute little pin cushion..................

Pop back soon for the next installment of my handmade adventure!

Big Love, Loli B xxx

Howdy!

It's me again with another little tale of progress on the hand sewing front!

So, my Dad is not the easiest person to buy presents for - if you ask him what he'd like you'll usually get 'I can't think of anything' as a reply. Actually, he's not the only one - I find many folks these days appear to either not want anything or don't want to suggest anything in case the buyer's budget is somewhat slender. Sign of the times or a return to older values? Either way, if you are determined to give someone a present it can be very tricky to choose that perfect thing.

Step forward, my Mum! I'd had a brief idea of something to make Dad for Fathers Day and when I discussed it with my Mum she suggested the same thing.

So, armed with a few dimensions, fabric and other bits and bobs I set about making a teeny gadget case.

First things first; I had to decide on a fabric to use. Now, with my 'make do and mend' hat firmly plonked on my head I decided that as Dad's fave colour is green this should involved. It would just so happen that having raided a bag of stuff destined for the charity shop, I found a lovely dark green and blue shirt of Dad's.......yes, you guessed it, I technically gave him back a piece of his own shirt!

You may be thinking it was a bit cheeky but I knew it was a colour and pattern he liked and it also satisfied my upcycling obsession.

Here goes another first!x

Quilting is not something I've done before, by machine or hand, but I had to throw down the gauntlet to myself yet again and try!

I used quilt wadding and fixed this to the main fabric and backing with fixative spray before I started to 'quilt'.

The quilted inside of the case x

Next up I made some binding from a piece of black fabric and I stitched it to the case as you can see below. Again, stitching on a curve - when will I go for an easy option?!

 





Finally I added a piece of velcro inside the flap and hey presto! The case was done!















I can happily report that the case fits the gadget it was designed for (a pocket magnifier) perfectly, was padded to protect it and it was immediately placed with pride in my dad's top pocket! (He even found the use of his old shirt amusing thankfully!)

Next time, another little creation or two and my plans for world domination...........maybe........

Big Love, Loli B xxx

Don't worry, bee happy!

So lovely people, since the last post the sun has been out, I have made more Elderflower cordial (obviously!) and the prototype handmade gifts I mentioned have made their way to the recipient, my sis Heidi-Jo! Thankfully they were very well received!

I was nervous to be honest- she's known me since I was 8 yrs old (that's a very long time!), when she started going out with my big brother, and she doesn't mince her words. in fact, she's a writer! Anyway, I knew that she had been researching bee-keeping and uses for beeswax for the next novel so I decided to hand stitch a little patchwork bag and a teeny notice board for her.

I have never made the bag before and choosing the right fabric took a little while. The original idea was from a patchwork quilting book I recently bought, but I adapted it to make it more individual and added a little key ring with the bee fabric inside it. Through making the bag I learned about English Paper piecing, how to make my own binding, how to make corners so the bag stands up and how to sew a zip on a curve -  a lot of firsts but I enjoyed every one!

Sewing squared-off corners x

The zip, stitched on the curve x

The fabric I used for both came from a local craft centre (the bold brown), the internet (the bee/honeycomb) and my best friend's Grandmother! (The vintage brown paisley).


























The notice board was a total flash of inspiration! I found some beehive templates on the internet and, again, adapted one to suit my design. I then decided to embroider the outline onto the fabric and wadding to give it a slightly quilted look.

The little yellow buttons and ribbon were from my (gradually ever-increasing) stash of craft bits and bobs and I used the brown fabric again on the back. I also had to learn to sew 'invisibly' to give the board a neater finish.

The back of the notice board x 

The 'invisible' stitching on the notice board x

All in all I had a lovely time making these items and to know they made the recipient happy made it even more worthwhile! The new skills I learned and the positive feedback I've received have been a real boost and spurred me on to work on more of my own creations.

The next post will chronicle more learning and show you what I did next...................................

Big Love, Loli B xxx

Sun, Rain , Elderflowers and a mind running away with itself.....

Greetings! (In my best Joey Boswell voice)

So having had some sunshine and been able to get some work done in the garden, the rain has set in again today. However, the way I see it all is not lost; the plants need the rain and I can stay indoors and work on my plans! (I realise that won't be popular all round but it works for me today).

I posted a picture of a simple bag last week on Facebook and within around 30mins I had had a request for one to be made for a friend. The power of social media eh!

Since finding my 'inspired hat' my poor little brain has been inundated with ideas of what to make. To be honest, it's not just the normal flurry of ideas one may expect - with fibro you can have 'fibro fog', when you can't think straight, but you can also get a racing mind. Mine's been spinning so fast I can't sort the good from the bad so I have taken to jotting down anything and everything to try and make sense of later!

A friend has been researching mindfulness and I'm going to learn a meditation or two to quiet my racing mind and learn to (hopefully) slow it down and be able to focus.

I other news, I have made my first batch of Elderflower cordial! I feel so lucky to have an Elder tree in the garden as it is a very special, sacred tree and the flowers and fruit are both wonderful! Having made the cordial (and a few bottles to give away of course) I have read in at least two places that Elderflower tea is an old recipe which was used to help fend off colds and fevers. Yet another reason to love our tree! I will certainly be trying it should the dreaded cold visit the house.

Big Love, Loli B xxx

The list-making begins...

Morning!

I have begun a list of potential items to make and sell and I think the best way to decide is to make one of each item, showcase them and get some feedback. Blimey! Where did this come from?! Well, I'd say it's come from a combination of the sunshine (temporarily) coming out, realising I have to live with my condition rather than against it, and a desire to prove myself.

Phew! All a bit intense this morning but now I have a proper set of ideas to play with, the will to succeed and a tidier craft space I am ready to give it a red hot crack.............3-day headache be gone, I have work to do!!

Big Love,

Loli B xxx

It's been a while!

So, since my first post two months ago I have seemingly hit a lull in creativity. The fibromyalgia's been keeping me down and I've been trying new ways to try and tackle the pain and fatigue e.g. mango, dark chocolate - both can apparently help but I'm not there quite yet.

Anyhoo, my creative juices are returning and I am getting back on track, albeit slowly, with my plans for a creative future.

A fellow blogger and creatrix has talked about finding your 'brand' and this is a very important issue. I have always loved making things, from pasta necklaces to Christmas decorations and gifts of all sorts and pondering on this led me to think about my needing a focus. I enjoy sewing (especially when I'm unable to do anything strenuous) and I also enjoy making jewellery and trinkets and decoupage - it will take a little time to decide on which technique (s) I want to focus on and expand on. Kirstie Allsop's bitesize programmes have brought this to the fore for me as each time I watch I am fascinated by each and every craft!! (Yes, they are on a series link, of course)

One of the issues with a fibro sufferer can be a 'racing' mind or something of a 'scatter brain' - a million thoughts fly into your head within seconds of each other and this can be somewhat tricky to cope with. My current method of handling this is to have a notepad and pen handy at all times and jot down the many, many ideas I have. Doing this means I can then revisit the idea, explore it, and go from there.......well, that's the theory anyway!

I must away to my notepad now and plan some projects.........I have recently completed two 'firsts' for me and once they are packaged, sent and reviewed by the recipient they will appear on the blog.

Big Love,

Loli B xxx

Welcome one and all!x

Well, hello and welcome to my first blog post! I'm Loli Belle and I'm just starting out.......

This blog is about my journey from being a nurse into being a crafter; and not just in my spare time. I have been a nurse for 9 years and fibromyalgia has meant I can no longer do the job; for the time being at least.

So, I've turned to my love of craft and all things pretty and vintage inspired and have begun to create bouquet's made with hand-stitched felt flowers, vintage brooches and rings and a few little embellishments. The plan is to sell these bouquet's and the jewellery I make and create a little business.

We all know that the world has gone crazy for all things craft and vintage, but that's really not the reason I want to do this. It will allow me to still make a difference to people, use my creative skills and thoroughly enjoy sourcing materials while learning new techniques and skills!

I have always made jewellery and had a fascination with the 40's and 50's. The clothes, hairstyles and general 'way' appeals to me and I am a fully subscribed member of the 'make do and mend' philosophy. That said, I am also a huge fan of the modern day pinup -  tattoos, bright hair and all. I love the fact that many of these beauties are sporting ink depicting old school pinups while they show their own modern twist on it.

Right, creating and planning to do so I must close my laptop and get to work!

There will be photo's of my work posted soon!

Big Love,

Loli B! xxx