Craft Book Challenge... without the book

Well, there is a book, I just don't get along with it very well.  My two last projects, meant to be my CBC for February and March, were supposed to come from this book, but the patterns were all wrong for me and so I had to toss the book aside and improvise, which turned out to feel even better.  It made me realize that I can do stuff my own way and it can look as good as the ready-made patterns.  Huge boost for my self-esteem.

So, the book in question is Sew!, by Cath Kidston.  

It is a very good-looking book with great ideas, and I don't regret buying it.  In fact, I am trying a third project from this book, knowing that if I get lost again with the pattern, I can change a few things and work it out.  My first attempt was a needle book, shown here in the book:

And here as it turned out:

I thought that using fabric covered cardboard was a bright idea, that is until I tried it and realized it did not really work out well.  My main problem was that my Heat'n'Bond stuff did not really stick to either the cardboard or the felt, so that the whole thing was coming apart.  It might be that I was using the wrong stuff, or that I did not know how to use it.  Anyway, I had to add a few stitches here and there to secure it a bit, but it ended up looking a little too cheap for my taste.  

You can see below what it looks like from the back, where I had to sew the strap.

I was not about to call it quit, though, so I made my own version, inspired by the pattern, but without the cardboard and the fabric adhesive.  Everything is sewn and nothing will come apart with this one.  It is not as sturdy as the one from the book, but I wasn't really into it to begin with, so I made mine a soft cover with a sheet of felt as batting.

I like this one much better and as you can see, I have already found some use for it.

My second attempt was a fabric-covered coat hanger.

I have to report that I did not go very far with this pattern.  I read the instructions twice and could not make any sense of them.  The measurements were all wrong for the hangers that I had, and the gathering technique did not seem to me like it would work.  I was still on my guard from my recent experience with the needle book, so I used the book as inspiration for the choice of fabrics and I just drew my own pattern to fit my hangers.

I am still surprised they came out so good, and I can see a few more of these hangers in a near future, because these were given to my mom for her birthday, but I want some for myself as well.

 So far, the CBC has been very revealing to me.  I have learned not to be afraid to try something new, and I have learned to trust my instinct and to improvise.  The three patterns that I had chosen lacked some instructions, and I have had to stop and think to find out how to get to the result in my own way.

My next project again comes from Sew!, and hopefully I can work around that one too.  I will show you soon what I am up to.

Out of the Rabbit Hole

It's been so long since I showed up here that you must have thought I fell down the rabbit hole.

It might be just that, for look who I met when I came out.

I was browsing my favorite blogs a couple of weeks ago when I came across this great tutorial from All Sorts.      

And instantly it was clear to me that I NEEDED to make one for myself.  I pushed aside everything else I was working on and had to make it right away.  I looked through my supplies - sorry, no time to go shopping for the perfect fleece or new fabrics - and had my little bunny ready in no time.

Of course, my boyfriend got jealous and demanded a matching boy version, so a second one came as quickly as the first.  They are that easy to make!  And for the clothes, I used the dress pattern, which I slightly modified, and turned in into a little jacket.

What I like the most about these cuties, apart from the fact that they multiply in the blink of an eye, is that their clothes are reversible and leaves space for their pompom tails to pop out.  That is just too darn cute.

I don't have any specific plans for them, except to keep me company in the studio, but don't you think they'd be great in Easter baskets?

Sylvie

Wanna Swap?

Karen from Sew Many Ways is having her first Swap Meet Weekend and I thought it might be fun to join in and see how it goes. What I have to offer is one full yard of Kaffe Fassett Rosette print, which I think is beautiful, but I bought it for one specific project and now it just doesn't fit with the other fabrics, so I would be happy to let it go to someone who could use it.  And just so you can check shipping fees, I am located in Quebec city, Canada.

What I would like to swap it for?  It could be either another Kaffe Fassett print or some Phillip Jacobs.  I am also collecting polka dot prints and vintage calico fabrics , and they don't have to be a full yard, they can be a bunch of nice scraps, since most of my projects are quite small.  So, don't be shy, let me know what you have to swap and we'll see if we can make a happy match!

Visit Karen here to join in the swap party!

Sylvie

Craft Book Challenge - January

I finally came around to making this patchwork pincushion that I liked so much from the book Tout en patch'..., which I have mentionned numerous times on this blog.  It is, by far, my favorite craft book from my small collection, and I return to it quite often for easy small projects.

The pieces for this patchwork were really small, some less than half an inch wide, so I decided to try paper-piecing them, and it worked like a charm.  There is something about hand sewing that I find very relaxing and I have enjoyed making this little piece.  I think the hardest part was selecting the fabrics, which I chose from my vintage scraps collection.

You can still join in the challenge here, and see what other participants have been making.  For February, I will try something red to be in the spirit of Valentine's Day, crossing my fingers that I can get an earlier start than I did in January.

Happy crafting everyone!

Sylvie

Paper-piecing Challenge

I've had such a slow crafting start this year, I feel pretty bad about it.  I had a very nice project all laid out, the "I'll take one of everything bag", a pattern from Anna Maria Horner's book Seams to me. I had ordered the fabric especially for this project and went as far as cutting out the paper pattern from the book. Then I spent an evening trying different layouts with the fabric, and calculating how to cut it so I would still have enough for the lining and the braided handles.  I never came to a final decision and the project is still waiting, the fabric neatly piled up on the end of my ironing board.  This was meant to be my project for this month's Craft Book Challenge, but now I have to switch to something else because there is no way I can make this bag over the weekend.

So I took out my vintage fabric scraps and decided to make a paper-pieced pincushion I've had my eye on for quite a while.  I only had time to get started on a few pieces tonight, but hopefully I can put it together this weekend.  It promises to take quite a few hours, though, as it will all be hand sewn.

Sylvie

Fairies and Snow

A fresh layer of snow is covering my little corner of the world today, fluffy and beautifully white.  The sky was glowing pink last night, and this morning the trees were straight out of a fairy tale. 

I've had fairies on my mind these past few days, while I am reading this great novel, The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton. It is the story of a four-year-old English girl abandonned on a wharf in Australia, and the journey of her grand-daughter, ninety years later, to unravel the mystery and find out who that child really was.  Her starting point is a fairy tales book which belonged to her grand-mother, and with it we travel back in time, and from Australia to Cornwall.

It might be the best new winter reading I've had in a long time.  For some reason, I tend to re-read my favorite books in winter: Girl with a Pear Earring, I Capture the Castle, Frozen Music, Emily of New Moon, Quelque chose à l'intérieur.  Their long-time acquaintance keeps me warm and comfy during the cold days.

  

I might come back tomorrow with a report on my crafting activities - or lack thereof.  In the meantime, I keep looking for traces of my own fairies,  little blue-feathered, peanut-eating fairies...

Sew and Tell - Holiday Recap

Why is it that every year I tell myself that I will start sewing presents early, only to get caught on December 23 frantically handsewing the last pieces close?  I guess I like to live under pressure, and I sure got plenty of that this year.  But it was well worth the trouble because I am glad of what I made and the little presents were appreciated by the recipients.

I made this simple bag for my sister Nathalie, who likes birds and purple.  The pattern is from a French book called "Tout en patch..." by Corinne Crasbercu, and you can see what it's all about here.  My sister and I actually exchanged our handmade gifts, she made some lovely crocheted items for me.

I couldn't resist the urge of making yet another of those lovely patchwork baskets from Pink Penguin.  This one, my fourth, was for my mother, and I filled it with japanese paper scraps for her scrapbooking and cardmaking, and with a few cross-stitched ornaments that I had made.

I also made her a couple of laundry bags (also from "Tout en patch...") that she will get to use in her upcoming trip to Cuba.

And as if I wasn't busy enough with the gift making, I decided on a whim to make a couple of chinese puzzles that we used in a game at our Christmas party.  They don't look like much, but trust me, they were a lot of work!

Want to see what everyone else made in December?  Hit the Sew and Tell button on my sidebar and find out on Amy's blog!

Sylvie