Sewing course – Little lessons

A selection of little bits and bobs I have created while on my current sewing course.

Appliqué

Doodle stitching (there might be a more technical term but I don’t know it at this moment)

Playing with Free motion

 

Currently working on my main project for the course and will hopefully update with success or failure in the next few weeks.

Making skirts

Hannah, the lovely lady who running my sewing course, ran a one off session a few Saturdays ago on how to make a simple skirt of the kids.

I had brought along an old dress that I had used while I was pregnant to make the skirt but upon closer inspection it was decided it would be wiser to start using a normal cotton fabric, so used some of the lovely purple fabric Hannah had brought along.

Skirt 1: Using some of Hannah’s fabric stash.

After successfully making skirt one there was time to make another one, so I thought i would use the dress I had brought with me.

Skirt 2: Before

I thought it was not a stretchy fabric and hadn’t realised it was cut on a bias. These 2 factors made sewing the second skirt rather more interesting as it stretched as I ironed it and then even more as I was sewing the top. Still once the elastic was in it seems to have turned out rather nicely. This one is also longer than the first skirt… I had actually planned it that way.

Skirt 2: After

Upon bringing them home R (whom they were both made for) decided to wear both, one on top of the other, for the rest of the day. If that isn’t appreciation I’m not sure what is.

 

Just sketching

When I set up this blog the whole idea was to keep a record of my paintings. Yet, ever since I have been actively updating my blog I haven’t done any painting (of my own, painting with the kids doesn’t count).

When I realised this I had a bit of a  mourning period because I loved to paint. I loved my art. Not that it was anything spectacular, but with kids and every other type of craft I have been putting my hand to, I haven’t made time for it. I will have to work on that! The cards idea was only meant to be a ” to do while the paint was drying” activity and well things have spiralled out of control.

But for now, I made my self sit down the other night and just draw, which I just haven’t done.

Nothing special but here is the produce of that evening.

Fun with the kids Jan 2015

Little late this week

My kids love colouring, painting, cutting and sticking. Glad to see my craftiness is rubbing off on them.

My main challenge is channelling this creative energy into tangible projects. (School and nursery don’t seem to have this problem.)

But for 2 shiny weekends this January we succeeded in working together to make some lovely projects I’m very proud of my kids for working on.

The Birds

R had a made a squirrel (with a hand print tail) in school last year and really wanted to make another one. I amazingly found a pot of greeny blue gluey paint that needed using up (left over from the Frozen castle). It was decided that a blue squirrel was probably a bit odd so I suggested making some birds instead.

On day one, we painted the cardboard tubes (a big one for E and a little one of R, because that is what they wanted). Then we made some hand prints (5 for E and 3 for R, again because that is what they wanted).

On day two, construction! we cut around the hand prints then stuck them too the cardboard tubes to make wings and tails. We cut out little triangles for beaks and added some googly eyes. Then E spotted some orange cellophane wrapping that had come from a pudding and decided that she wanted to use strips of it to make hair or top feathers.

 

The Boxes

The next weekend the girls once again wanted to do some painting and I convinced them it was time to decorated some lovely mini orange crates that we get from co-op. (The girls love these for carrying round random bit in.)

On day one, we used yet more greeny blue gluey paint which had surprisingly not yet been used up to paint the top and sides of the boxes.

On day two, I let them loose with stickers and glitter glue to personalise.

 

Before

Painting

 

Finished

I am very please with my girlie’s work and thought it worth showing off. Hope you enjoyed too.