Flickr Groups

I've been using Flickr for quite a while now, but have just joined the Last Minute Fabric Gifts and the Bend the Rules Sewing groups. Really great ideas, and useful to see how other people's projects have come out.

Purses & Pouches

These are the two zippered pouches that I made today. The green corduroy one from Cynthia Treen's book. I was pleased with that. It was v quick to make, her instructions are very very clear, and I find the illustrations easy to understand. There's no lining in this one so I didn't have that extra hassle, but I do need to overcome that. Looking at it, I could make it longer to make it a pencil case. The shop I bought the material from is in Hove, called Fabric Remnants, and it is closing down, so everything is pretty good value. Zips were 30p, and the corduroy was £6 a metre, I only got 1/4 though!

The stripey pouch, was harder, I didn't like doing the lining by hand, that seems to not give as good a finish as machine sewing, that was the Bend the Rules book, which I didn't see any bending of the rules in this pattern! Still the more things I make and do, the better I'm going to get.

Zippered Purse

I thought I'd try the zippered purse in the Bend the Rules Sewing book, which went ok, but you had to hand stitch in the lining, which didn't give me the neatest or strongest stitch. So I think I would adapt the pattern to machine sew in the lining for a more satisfactory product, and it would be faster to make as well. But I think it's good to follow patterns, and work out how to make them better for yourself, as everyone has their preferred way of working.

Post

Today I got a parcel from Amazon which I had been expecting, it came alot sooner than their 2nd October delivery date (thankfully). I bought Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing (angry chicken blog) and Cynthia Treen's Last Minute Fabric Gifts. They both have some great projects in them. I've already made my son a tiny bunny rabbit from Last Minute Gifts, he'll see it when he wakes up.

I have my fabric bucket to make next, then I'm going to try the zippered pouches, both books do them, so I'll see which one to go with. Will post the results!

Muffin Recipe - Louise's Recipe

FRUIT MUFFINS Makes 16
4oz Butter or margarine
10oz Sugar
1 tspn Vanilla Extract
2 Large eggs
2 Cups of SR Flour
1 tspn ground cinnamon (optional)
Pinch of salt
2 tspn Baking Powder
Half cup of milk (anything but skimmed)
1 Pint of berries
2 tspn demerara sugar

Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy and add eggs one at a time,add vanilla
Fold in flour and baking powder with the milk - do not over mix, batter should be mixed but lumpy
If using blueberries crush half a cup and mix in first
Mix in the fruit
Fill muffins nearly to the top and sprinkle with sugar (also can mix inhalf a tspn of cinnamon to the sugar topping)

Bake at 190 degrees c for approx thirty mins

STORE UNCOVERED

VARIATIONS
*Strawberry and white choc:200 grams of white choc chunks
Lrg punnet of strawbs - chopped (use them from the fridge - the colder thebetter)
*Raspberry and choc - same as above just don't chop the rasps (works reallywell with frozen rasps)
*Banana and Pecan:3 small very ripe banana's squished in at the egg stage150 grams of pecans (or walnuts - both work well)
*Choc chip and macadamia nut:200 grams of roughly chopped macadamias150 grams of chopped plain choc

The variations go on.....have a play!

Busy Day

Today at my son's school, was an Eco day, and they were having a fair at the end of the day. So I made a Victoria Sponge cake, from Nigella Lawson's How to Eat book, and some summer berry muffins, from my friend Louise's recipe, which uses just about every known measuring device known to man. I'll share it with you one day soon.

I also made a shopper bag, from Danielle Proud's book House Proud. The instructions were pretty good, although the handles took far too long to make, with turning them inside out. She tells you to sew one end, but it's better not to, so you get a neater edge when you sew them on the bag. Still it's an interesting book, with some practical projects in (reupholstery).





Here are my collection of doorstops!



Shopper Bag

Flowers

I bought these lovely gladioli for £1.99, in Asda, as they are grown in Britain. They are stunning all by themselves.