Lickle Pickle

Finally feeling crafty...

2012-04-05T20:15:00.000+01:00

Well I'm now 25 weeks pregnant and finally feeling up to getting some sewing done! I stayed strong at my 20 week scan and didn't find out the sex of the baby. Whilst this makes it even more exciting, of course its tricky when it comes to buying baby stuff. I'm not really a neutrals kinda girl: I love bright colours so when I came across this tutorial on dying baby clothes via Pinterest I really wanted to give it a go www.danamadeit.com.

I used a Dylon tin in Tangerine and dyed the clothes in a saucepan on my hob.

This was my first attempt at hand dying so I was a little nervous but I really enjoyed it and am well pleased with how they turned out. Of course, I couldn't leave it at just dying the baby clothes, I had to "bedazzle" them too (as my mum accuses me of doing to everything!). I used my embroidery software to create an applique with "Baby Longman" on it. So now I'm completely addicted to yet another creative pursuit and had to buy some red dye today!

Maternity Makes...

2012-01-15T18:24:00.002+00:00

Ok, so I'm still waiting for the second trimester "bloom" to hit me, apparently it should be any day now (I hope). Until my sewing mojo returns I have been doing some ground work. I ordered some gorgeous fabric from Prints To Polkadots; they've got a great sale on at the moment. I particularly love the Alexander Henry Goo Goo fabric (cream background with babies). I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to make with them but I'm thinking burp cloths, baby quilt, swaddling blanket etc.

I also found some vintage dress patterns in a charity shop for 20p each which I think I can use to make some maternity dresses.

If you come across any maternity/baby related tutorials or have suggestions for things to make I'd love to hear from you.

2012 will be the year ....

2012-01-01T16:37:00.001+00:00

...that we welcome a new baby into the family! Today I am 10+5 weeks pregnant. :) My daughter is very excited to be a big sister: we told her on Christmas Day. A baby brother/sister was on her present list. I have already had two scans as I am taking part in a study at St Thomas Hospital in London, my next scan is on Tuesday when they will confirm my due date, which at the moment it 24th July, but baby was measuring 2 days bigger on the previous scans so that may change.

I'm looking forward to the second trimester: when the sickness and tiredness goes and I will apparently start to bloom! I really don't remember feeling so ill the first time around. Can't wait to be in the mood for sewing again; haven't made anything much since October (apart from a baby of course). In the meantime, this is my 8 week scan picture.

I'm such a bad blogger...

2011-10-28T20:41:00.000+01:00

I'm such a bad blogger, I haven't posted in months but I do have a fairly good excuse, I mean reason. I've had to cover an additional area at work which is a 3 1/2 hour drive for me so I haven't had a whole lotta time to be creative. When I haven't been traipsing across the country I've been completely exhausted. On top of that my daughter started school in September and that's been hard going. I truely expected her to love it but more often than not it's been tears and begging (her not me) to get her to stay. It's back to school on Monday after a week in Spain for half term; I'm hoping it won't be too painful. When I find where I left my memorystick ill upload some recent photos.

The Festival of Quilts

2011-08-13T19:53:00.000+01:00

My mum and I had a fantastic time at the Festival of Quilts today. Although we have been to "Stitching for Pleasure" at the NEC for the last 3 years, this was our first time at this show, but it certainly won't be the last! I bought loads of stitchery goodness; buttons, wadding, wool tops, thread, quilt and dress fabric. If I wasn't so tired I'd been stitching right now! I hope everyone who has visited the show had as good a time as we did.

I sooo love Pinterest

2011-08-04T17:44:00.000+01:00

Thought for the day:

Source: etsy.com via Charmaine on Pinterest

Small New Blog Meet-Up

2011-08-01T20:40:00.002+01:00

Fab blog Lily's Quilts is hosting a "Small New Blog Meet-Up" - a great chance to meet new online friends. Thanks for the opportunity Lynne. I love anything creative - especially to do with fabric. I'm a new quilter and love "blog land" for finding inspiration, ideas and information.

New Obsession - Cloth Dolls

2011-07-23T18:20:00.000+01:00

Ok, so I have developed yet another crafting obsession - making cloth dolls. My mum bought me the book "Introduction to making cloth dolls" by Jan Horrox and this is my first attempt at making one. She is a woodland nymph and I've called her Mahala, after my nan. I really enjoyed the whole process of putting her together; from painting her face to the free motion machine embroidery on her arms and legs. I need to work on shaping the nose better next time but for a first effort, I was happy with the end result.

On another note, my "Night Before Christmas" quilt is coming along, although I haven't worked on it for a week or so because I got side tracked with the doll! I'm kind of waiting until The Festival of Quilts at the NEC in August before I do any more to it, in case I find some fabric there I want to include.

Bethany finished playgroup this week - I admit I did shed a tear or two (what am I going to be like on her first day of school?)...so I probably won't get a whole lot of free time in the next couple of months. I'll have to get my crafty fix from the children's centre sessions we'll be going to!!!

Creative catch-up

2011-06-03T07:38:00.000+01:00

I haven't posted for such a long time but I'm on a roll this morning! The last few weeks have been filled with Bethany having chicken pox, me having tonsilitus (whilst I was on holiday - how fun was that!), dieting (I've lost a stone yippee), redundancy worries blah blah blah BUT I have been working on a few crafty projects (when the going gets tough, get sewing!).

I made my daughter 3 dress to take on holiday - this is the only one she would wear. In fact we had a spat about it which resulted in me decided never to make her any more clothes! She told her dad "I wish mummy wouldn't make me dresses" so now I've got two dresses with no one to wear them. Maybe I'll try putting them on Etsy.

Ok, so now I have another addiction...

2011-06-03T07:00:00.001+01:00

Since I made my the T'Shirt quilt for Bethany I have become addicted to the idea of quilting. Ok, so this is a little out of seanson, because we're in June but....

a couple of years ago I bought a design pack from Embroidery Library when they were having one of their fantastic special deals - "Night Before Christmas". This story has been part of our family Christmas tradition since I was a child and I finally feel like I'm ready to have a go at making a quilt with the designs. I know its going to take me a lonnnggg time (there are 30 embroidered blocks without counting any of the extras in the pack) so I wanted to start now in the hope that I would get it done by December!

I've been trawling the web looking for Christmas fabrics to use in the quilt. I have to say, I can't believe how much cheaper fabric is in the US. A lot of the fabric I found was the same price in dollars as it is in pounds in the UK. So I have ordered some fabric from America, because even with the postage cost, it works out cheaper than buying it in the UK - how crazy is that?

Anyway, I'm really enjoying the process at the moment. I try to get one block embroidered a day - 10 stitched so far so I'm on target. I can't wait to get my parcels in the post! :)

Crafty Shopping Bag

2011-04-28T19:32:00.000+01:00

I whipped up this shopping bag for my crafty friend Sally's birthday. I always love making stuff for people who I know appreciate the work that goes into it. The bird is machine embroidered and I bought the design from Embroidery Library.

Yo Yo T'Shirt

2011-04-25T20:58:00.003+01:00

My sister bought herself this T'shirt and asked me if I could decorate it with some buttons or flowers to make it a little more special. I made a bunch of little yo yo's ages ago, most of which had some green in the fabric so I thought they would look nice in a feature on the neckline. I tried pinning them in various positions and when I was satisfied I hand stitched them on with invisible thread, then accented the centres with either buttons or beads. Fingers crossed that my sister likes it!

T'Shirt Memory Quilt

2011-04-22T17:23:00.000+01:00

This week I have been working on my first ever quilting project. For a very long time I have been attracted to quilting but didn't know where to start and was quite overwhelmed by the thought of it. I finally decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I had been saving loads of Bethany's pretty T'shirts since she was born and I wanted to make them into quilt that she can use now but them pass on to her children. I was surprised at how quickly it came together. I enjoyed each step, even the hand stitching on the binding (I'm not a fan of hand stitching because I get a lot of pain in my wrists). I can definately see how addictive quilting could be and it has given me the confidence to think about a bigger project.

Ladies Top to Girls Dress Refashion

2011-04-05T21:27:00.002+01:00

I bought this ladies top for 50p from a car boot sale. I knew it would be too small for me but thought I could use it to make something for Bethany. The bright bold print would be perfect for her and she loves to help me sew.

The obvious thing was to make it into a summer dress, so after laundering, I measured her chest size, then pinned and cut along one side of the top. I used the off-cuts to make tie straps and the flower embellishment. The flower was created on my embroidery machine using a design from Pickle Pie Designs Pretty cute eh?

Reversible Headband

2011-04-03T11:04:00.002+01:00

I did a spot of blog hopping yesterday and came across a great tutorial for a headband:
Brown Paper Packages: S4S- Extra-Curricular Activities, Part 2 Bethany asked me to make it for her so I set to it. It didn't take long and as you can see she was pleased with the result.

Tatertots and Jello: One of my Favorite Things -- Jo Totes Camera Bag Giveaway!!!

2011-03-28T18:49:00.001+01:00

Tatertots and Jello: One of my Favorite Things -- Jo Totes Camera Bag Giveaway!!!

Take a look at these fantastic camera bags.

A Throne fit for a Princess

2011-03-14T16:56:00.001+00:00

I made this for Bethany's birthday party a couple of weeks ago. I just used a couple of cardboard tubes (from the inside of wrapping paper rolls) and taped them onto a childs chair. I then created the cover and embroidered the emblem to match Beth's princess dress. All the little girls at the party wanted to try out the throne!

The Fabric Guild

2011-03-13T11:27:00.000+00:00

To celebrate my mum's birthday on Friday we took a drive over to The Fabric Guild in Leicester. It is an "American style warehouse club" not open to the general public, admission being restricted to members only (you can join during your visit, £5 for lifetime membership). A couple of friends had recommended it to us and I think it was worth the trip. It's humble exterior belies the host of goodies you'll find inside. I came away with an armful of stuff including fat quarters from 60p and some Anna Griffin paper crafting embellishments for 25p! Bethany spent ages picking out the buttons she wanted and at 40p a packet it was well worth it to keep her amused!

Sad News...

2011-03-12T07:41:00.000+00:00

I intended by next post to be all about the great day I shared with my family yesterday celebrating my mum's birthday, but before I could publish it, we received the devastating news that my uncle had passed away. Darrel Else was an amazing man, with a huge heart who fought bravely for so long against his cancer.

Uncle Darrel; I feel privileged to have known you. You leave a hole in out hearts that will never be filled.

Polka Dots on Parade: Toast of Tuesday!

2011-03-09T08:11:00.000+00:00

I feel so honoured - I was actually featured on

Polka Dots on Parade: Toast of Tuesday!

Ruffle Camera Strap

2011-03-07T21:02:00.002+00:00

My second project this weekend was to make a cover for my DSLR camera strap. I've seen lots of these in Blogland and fancied having a go at one myself. I embroidered my name and added this as a little pocket for a spare memory card. A pretty quick project and I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Personalised Baby Blanket

2011-03-07T20:50:00.002+00:00

I've had a busy weekend working on a couple of crafty projects. The first one, which took took the longest was an embroidered baby blanket that a friend asked me to do for her sister. The whole thing was a little challenging as there were a few different aspects to it. First, I had to use my embroidery software to put together all the text. Then came the machine embroidery and applique. Finally I hand embroidered the edge with blanket stitch. I hope little Benjamin likes it!

Happy Birthday Bethany!

2011-03-01T21:24:00.003+00:00

My gorgeous little girl had her 4th birthday on Thursday. I'm still in shock as to where the last 4 years have gone! I decided to throw her a party - she's never had one before but as she has got lots of friends at playgroup, it seemed like a nice idea (little did I know it would feel like I was planning the royal wedding!) Anyway, a fairytale theme was the obvious choice, because Bethany loves dressing up but lots of her friends are boys so we didnt want them to be left out. This gave lots of opportunity for me and my very talented family and friends to contribute some craftiness.

I made Bethany's princess dress from a women's red velvet dress and some fabric remnants. I machine embroidered the crest on the front, which I think made it extra special. She wore the red tiara I had for my wedding. I also put together a costume for my mother-in-law.

My mum decorated the cakes, made the table decorations and made her own flower fairy costume!

My sister prepared all the food and my friend Sally made a "Pin the star on the castle" game.

The adults dressed up too. I was a queen, my husband was Captain Hook, my brother wore his armour (he is in a medieval re-enactment group) and my sister was an angel.

Along with the traditional party games - Pass the Parcel, Musical Bumps etc, we had a craft table too where the children could decorate a tiara or a shield. I put together a scrapbook of how I planned the party and asked my family to write messages in it as a keepsake. I will add the photos to it when I get them printed. I think everyone had a good time but I won't be planning another party in a hurry!

Mod Podge Girly Shoes

2011-01-22T15:00:00.000+00:00

My daughter came home from playgroup last week talking about her friend's "curly whirly shoes" and how she'd like some too . I eventually worked out that she meant "Lelli Kelly" (LOL) . Anyway, much as I think their shoes are very cute there is no way I'm paying £30+ for a pair of shoes that may fit my 3 year old for a couple of months. I'd seen some good tutorials on how to decorate shoes with Mod Podge and thought this was a good opportunity to give it a go. I picked up a pair of plain white plimsoles from Primark in the sale for £1 - perfect! Bethany was keen to help me so together we came up with these;

We applied 3 layers of outdoor Mod Podge, glitter, fabric, velvet ribbon and some embellishments made from yo yo's and buttons. We were both really pleased with how they turned out. Now I'm looking out for some shoes I can bedazzle for myself.

Halloween Wreath

2010-10-05T07:38:00.002+01:00

I've gone a bit Halloween mad the last couple of days - I'm using the excuse that I have a young child but really I think the inner child in me is trying to get out! Anyway, I've seen loads of gorgeous Halloween and Autumn wreaths in blog land so it inspired me to have a go. First I covered a hoop in hessian (burlap) glueing it down with my hot glue gun (and I've got the burns on my fingers to prove it!). I made various fabric flowers in autumn colours and mixed them with silk flowers. I also added a couple of plastic spiders and bats to make it a bit more spooky. The witchy sign came from the local 99p shop to finish it off. I'm pretty please with how it turned out.