Read more about the article #miymarch16

#miymarch16

#miymarch16 may have been a couple of months ago, but here are the resulting images I posted from it below. Make it Yourself March is an Instagram event.  It involves posting an image based on the daily photo prompt - a list can be found on Wendy Ward's blog from this year. New to Instagram, I found this event coincided beautifully with a couple of my goals - to become more familiar with using social media and to push myself to create more.  It was a great way to be inspired by fellow dressmakers. Instagram is an easy form of social media if you have a smart phone and I've carried on using it since. During March, I made 4 dressmaking items, completed upcycling projects, planned future projects, made gifts and machine embroidered.

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Crafting with Family – March

It's been a while since I have posted and my post is all about a craft meet up two months ago! Mum's house is quite a good meeting point for her, my sister and I to meet up.  We managed to meet up in March and here's what we got on with: Having purchased a lovely new Singer sewing machine recently, my sister put it to the test by having her first attempt at appliqué!  Not one to be daunted by a challenge, she decided to appliqué a friend's name.  A very impressive feat, going around all sorts of twists and curves when you're still adjusting to a new technique and how your new machine works! The great part about this bright and colourful cushion is that it's all made from remnants.  The main cushion is made from an ex-display curtain from a department store, with the money going to charity.  The letters were cut from a swatch book, which had been picked up the same way from the same store. I didn't embark on a sewing project this time, but I did finish the second sleeve to a short sleeved cardigan I began two years ago!  It's now at the sew up stage before the neck band and button band are tackled... There's the progress of my mum's doll, which she began in our February meet up.  It's coming together now it has a head!  She wasn't able to progress with it that weekend, but she did hem up someone's new net curtains by hand!

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Read more about the article Making Individual Gifts – for Dad

Making Individual Gifts – for Dad

For my dad's birthday this year, I decided to use my new skills to make some different gifts to normal. Cufflinks Here is a photo of him wearing the cufflinks I made in glass.  I had no idea you could make cufflinks from fused glass (or didn't think of it until it was pointed out to me)! I'm quite limited in my glass fusing skills at the moment, particularly in cutting, so I used inclusions for the decoration (note: inclusions are when you include certain metals between the two layers of glass so that they become sealed into the piece).  The inclusions are feet.  I chose feet as he enjoys running, so it fits in with one of his hobbies. The class pieces were fixed onto the cufflink backs with an amazing adhesive called Hang-your-glass, which creates a strong finished piece. Toiletry Bag Here is a photo of the toiletry bag I made.  I used free machine embroidery to decorate this item.  I made up the design from a family saying - "A bath is worth two hours' sleep" which I believe he relies on to keep up with his busy schedule! I really enjoyed making the personalised design on this bag.  The bath tub was appliquéd on with an old curtain swatch remnant.  I particularly enjoy writing with the machine, which is great because I no longer gaze longingly at impressive but expensive embroidery machines with preset lettering options.  Sure, a machine program for lettering is faster and accurate, but free machine embroidery comes out differently every time.

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Read more about the article My college of handcraft
My craft studio

My college of handcraft

Hello! Welcome to my blog. The goal of this blog is to charter my journey through my own rather roughly laid out 'craft school'! Last year, faced with yet another temporary job coming to an end, I decided to apply for a part time position instead.  Sure, not the best option when you are renting, have no savings and your boyfriend is due to finish his PhD in the next year! Okay, so this may turn out to be a financial mess in the end!  But on this occasion, I have decided to follow what I want to do and enjoy, rather than opt for financial security. I write this blog for those who look back at their education and wish they had studied something else.  I enjoyed my education, but I've never learned to do any textiles or crafts- any of my hobbies- in an educational setting, and that is what I am focusing on now. Since September, I have been going to some glass fusing and ceramics classes for fun.  Neither are my forte, but it's fun to try something new and something I really couldn't afford to do at home (or have the space for)!  I am very lucky to live nearby an adult education centre which puts on classes which are affordable and although it is a outgoing expense, it is a fraction of the cost of going back to college to study - and a lot closer to home. From January, I have been extremely lucky to be a part of a free machine embroidery class.  It's a technique I have always wanted to get round to but never have.  I'm hoping to follow these sessions with a creative textiles course after Easter if it runs.  The stitching class is a real boost to my inspiration at the moment. I have a lot of extra space to fill in my 'craft working week' so this blog will charter the gaps between my official classes too.  This may include putting what I learn in short courses into practic or undertaking my own challenges. Besides learning new techniques and setting up projects, I will be looking into the entrepreneurial side of hobbies as businesses (well, I believe the government likes all courses to have an enterprise module included!), so I will be tracking my endeavours with my recent little start-up: Clobber Creations. In the next blog, I'll be letting you know how I get on tackling some unique birthday gifts for my dad.  In the meantime, I am following/taking part in the #miymarch16 event by @thatwendyward and @dressmakerssocial which involves a themed photo on instagram a day!

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