I've often written here how much I enjoy getting creative, using it to relax and recharge but also to give a great sense of achievement, even to ensure I have a present to give someone without having to go shopping. I also think there is something wonderful about the hand made and the one-off, especially when we are surrounded by so much that is mass-produced.
Many may say that they are not creative but I beg to differ and am delighted to see that the BBC launched a new year-long campaign this week called Get Creative. It's all about highlighting the creativity that happens throughout the UK on a daily basis and celebrates art in all forms.
If you are feeling in need of inspiration then do check it out - from watching Johnny Vegas make a tea pot in 60 seconds to the VanGoYourself campaign which challenges you to recreate a famous painting, or the more practical info on finding local courses where you can learn new skills or perfect your creative talent. And don't say you don't have any creative talent because you do - you are human!
My week has been seen me complete yet another appliqué blanket, this time for a friend who saw the first cot blanket I made and declared that she was tempted to have another baby so that she could have it. I thought that a little extreme so have made her a blanket in her signature colours of red, white and blue so she can cosy up under it on the sofa.
I'm also knitting a scarf for a colleague but ran out of wool. Today has, therefore, seen me out on a shopping expedition, not only for more wool but for materials for three more blankets - yes, it's almost becoming a production line! Anyway, the shopping was pretty successful and I'm itching to get started. Mind you, the knitting ought to be my priority or it will be soon be too warm for this scarf to be worn!
I have been rather obsessively monitoring the times of sunrise and sunset since returning to work after the Christmas and New Year break. It's almost as if I believe that the closer attention I pay, the earlier sunrise will get and the later sunset will be. However, I'm pleased to see that the longer days have become so noticeable that I have almost given up checking the times. I've even managed to cycle home from work on a couple of occasions without the need for lights and that's brilliant news from my perspective.
It therefore seems a bit ironic that I'm about to showcase a couple of night lights that I've made. Mind you, however light the morning and evenings get, the night is always dark - at least in my bit of the UK - so perhaps there is always a call for night lights after all? I'd always rather liked the idea of a solar-powered night light and really liked the Sun Jar that appeared on the high street a few years ago. When it first appeared the cost was around £40, which was a bit steep for me, so I set about trying to see if it would be possible to make one myself. Well, how hard could it be? A clip-top jar and a solar light, right? Please may I present what it's possible to do with an Ikea jar (£1.25), can of Plastikote glass etching spray (£6), a Wilkinsons' solar garden light (£1.25), and a small bit of clear silicone sealant. Oh, and a circle of kitchen foil to really maximise the light!
OK, so it doesn't quite have the warm, bright glow of an authentic Sun Jar, which is why I called it a Moon Jar. Fortunately my godson is fascinated with the moon and so it went down a storm as his birthday present last year. The only catch is that his parents have to remember to switch off the light (a handy switch inside the lid) and put it on the windowsill of his bedroom every morning to ensure it's fully charged to be turned back on again when it gets to bedtime.
I'm also not convinced that it has the staying power of a Sun Jar - it certainly won't stay on all night - but I have to say, I was pretty pleased with my attempt.
Last weekend I set about making a completely different sort of night light. This one uses a kit along the lines of the lampshade kit that I have already featured. The kit contains materials to make three lanterns, designed to be used with battery-powered tea lights (the real deal with naked flames are an absolute no-no!). My friend had spotted them when ordering her own lampshade and I was tempted to buy a kit for myself, without really thinking through where, what or for whom I may make them. However, it wasn't long before inspiration struck. I could make one into a night light for my godson's little brother who is about to turn two.
When he first arrived home I presented him with a string of bunting spelling out his name. I had some of the fabric I used left over so thought I'd use this. It took a matter of moments to assemble, possibly helped by the fact that I had already made a few lampshades and this was much smaller and easier to handle. Again, I have to admit to being pleased with the results. Let's just hope it is equally well received as a present next month.
I'm planning on turning the remaining materials in the kit into DIY lantern gifts for a couple of eleven-year-old girls I know, so that they can make their own.
A few weeks ago I realised why I find making appliqué blankets so satisfying. I came across an article in The Guardian by neuroscientist, Daniel J Levitin titled Why the modern world is bad for your brain. I'll let you read the article yourself but to recap very briefly, modern technology has enabled us to multitask to such an extent that we have become addicted to it. And this is bad!
What is good for our brains is to spend a decent amount of time concentrating on one task. This is exactly what I do when making a blanket. It involves just enough concentration to keep me focused, but not so much that it is taxing.
Firstly, there is the need to cut out all the fabric shapes that are to be sewn onto the blanket. This is probably the bit that uses the most brain power. Which fabric to use for each shape and making sure you iron the Bondaweb onto the correct side of the fabric.
Next is to decide on the size of the blanket and cut the fleece accordingly - a bit of concentration and accuracy required there.
Once done, you get to use a bit of artistic flair as you decide on your design. Since I was making a blanket featuring my 'birds on a wire' design I had to mark out the lines and sew them in place first before positioning each bird and ironing it in place.
The process of sewing the birds in place can be a bit mind numbing - a couple of hours of guiding the sewing machine around the edge of each bird - but since my normal working day involves a ridiculous amount of multitasking, I'd say taking my brain to this place is probably a healthy move. Once in my stride I can pretty much zone out and this is where I may have actually done a bit of multitasking. That is if sitting at a sewing machine and listening to the radio can be considered multitasking?
That done, the final step was to pin a hem around the edges and blanket stitch it in place - a quiet few hours on the sofa. Bliss!
After all that, not only did my brain feel restored but I had created something from scratch. Supremely satisfying. Not least because that's my niece's birthday present sorted without having to spend hours traipsing around the shops!
There are many things in life that I enjoy but two of them are BBC Radio 4 and knitting. So imagine my amazement when I stumbled across a section of the BBC website dedicated to knitting and Radio 4!
Not only does it feature a list of ten reasons why knitting is good for you, but it showcases some amazing knits from listeners. Apparently, a call went out for people to knit the Radio 4 schedule. And, oh my goodness, they did! From Farming Today through to the Shipping Forecast I urge you to take a look.
Meanwhile, I'm knitting a scarf for a colleague as I watch the Australian Open Men's Tennis Final. What a good way to spend a Sunday when it is bitterly cold outside!
Fabric shopping can be a serious business. This week I took it to the extreme, using a day's annual leave and crossing many counties in the search for material. Actually, it was really a girls' day out but let's not get too diverted from the fact that I got to spend about an hour or so in a big warehouse of a shop surrounded by gorgeous fabrics. I was like a kid in a sweet shop. Well, for the fabric-lovers out there, what do you think?
This represents only about a third of the stock
Welcome to the Christmas section!
I have been once before and was, initially, totally overwhelmed before getting a bit carried away. On that occasion I came out with fabric for three summer skirts and a whole pile of fabrics for countless other unknown projects, many of which have come to fruition.
So what and where is this fabric emporium? May I introduce you to Hansons in Sturminster Newton. And they don't just sell fabric. They have everything for knitting and crochet and some paper crafts too. It may be rare that you are in the neighbourhood but I highly recommend a visit if you are.
This time I went with a strict list but that swiftly got ignored! However, I think I was fairly restrained and came away with six 'fat quarters' of fabric that will be incorporated into a couple of appliqué blankets.
For a blue blanket
For a grey and coral blanket
Both blankets are presents and the blue one needs to be ready in a few weeks so hopefully I can share it with you soon.
Have you ever struggled to find just the right lampshade to finish off a newly decorated room or to give an old lamp base a new lease of life? Then I have just the thing for you. Make your own!
You'll need a kit but they are available on-line and are not only easy to use but give a very professional finish leaving you with a totally unique lampshade and a huge sense of achievement. In fact, I was so pleased with the results when I made my first lampshade, I went on to make two more!
The first was a joint Craft Club effort, with five of us tackling it together. We had all brought our selected fabric and, in some cases trimmings, and someone had done a bulk order of kits, making it a bit cheaper.
The kit comes with the top and bottom metal rings of the shade, a self-adhesive plastic sheet which forms the drum wall that you stick to your chosen fabric (or paper - wallpaper works well), some super-strong double-sided tape, a small plastic tool, and excellent set of step-by-step instructions complete with photos. There's even a video which is great to give you the general idea before you start:
They say it can be done single-handed - the video even proves it - but I have to say I've not completed any of my three projects without an extra pair of hands to help when rolling the fabric onto the metal rings, so don't say I didn't warn you! I also cut the fabric a bit longer than the plastic sheet on one of the short ends - the width of the double-sided tape to be exact. I then fold this edge over, sticking it with some spare double-sided tape, so that you don't get any fraying fabric edges where the drum edges join (although this isn't necessary if you are using paper for your shade.) Don't be tempted to fold over too much or it will show on the inside.
I started off with a 20cm drum shade as I had a small piece of silk left over from trimming the guest room curtains, but the rest of the crafty ladies tackled the 30cm drum shades. We were so excited with the end results we even posed for a silly photo!
I then decided to make a shade for an old Habitat lamp that had long ago had its shade banished to a charity shop. I hope you agree that it now has a new lease of life.
You can just see the result of the folded edge here
My latest project was completed last weekend and was inspired by a beautiful gift. A friend of a friend gave me a present of two pieces of beautiful fabric. One just screamed "make me into a lampshade!" It is heavily embroidered in in shades of grey, silver and black. The long stitches of the embroidery does mean that, when cut, they leave fairly long threads so I did tidy around the rolled edges with some latex fabric glue to hold them in place.
The only problem is, I'm now seriously considering getting new sofas because my old, saggy green ones really don't go with the lampshade. Now, that's dedication to handmade lampshades, even if I do say so myself!
In a few weeks time, two special girls will be turning 11. Surely the perfect age to have your own sewing box? So, thanks to some expert tuition and instruction from my Mum's friend, I have made two 'surprise boxes', each to house a simple sewing kit.
Each box is about 10cm square and 12 cm high and is constructed from stiff card covered with fabric, some of which is also padded. The surprise comes when you take the lid off and all four walls fold out flat. Each wall and the inside of the lid also has a ribbon strap to anchor down various contents. In this case a small pair of scissors, a seam-ripper, a retractable tape measure, a wheel of pins and, hopefully sometime soon, some handy reels of thread.
I've seen a version with an additional, smaller box fixed to the centre of the base inside, which also has fold out flaps, but I decided to keep the centre of the box free. This is so that I could include a pin cushion and co-ordinating needle case.
This is where I get to say "here's one I prepared earlier" as I made these a year or more ago. The pin cushion is needle felted. The needle case is made from felt sheets with the white insert hand sewn in using embroidery thread and the cup cake decoration machine sewn (because I didn't trust my hand sewing to be neat enough, particularly when examined from the back!) A red button acts as the cherry on the cake, in more ways than one. In fact, I got a bit carried away with these so if anyone is in need of a pin cushion and needle case, let me know!
Now I just need to find some suitable reels of thread, preferably ones that will tuck behind the ribbon straps, to complete the boxes.
