makes

Despite being very tired this week (i fell asleep on the sofa again last night!) i have managed to make something this week.

 Firstly i made a notebook cover - a woody owl

I selected lots of woodland like fabrics to make him up and them embroidered him on. I was hoping for a 60's sort of style, esp. with his eyes! not sure if i achieved that but he looks quite good.

When made up i found the cover to be too big. For a bit i thought about having to take it apart and shrink it (or find a bigger book, anything other than taking it apart!) but them an idea crept into my head - pen holder! and lo and behold the cover was just the right size to create a pen holder at the top! (wow!)

Quite chuffed with that error! he'll be up for sale soon so yell if you want first dibs!

Last night i went with rustling up a couple of Easter 'baskets' (OK, they are not baskets in the true sense of the word but its what you have at Easter so I'm sticking with it!)

Felt was cut out (these basket won't be very strong but then just how heavy can a chocolate egg be?)

i popped a triangle of yellow felt on them and made them into chicks. Think the chick needs an eye (black sequin) and i may have to hunt out a tad of orange for their beaks.

just hope the kiddies appreciate them! if they do i may consider making so more for next year but with added interfacing or the like for strength!

TTFN!

lies, dam lies and statistics!

At the end of last week i read a blog post by tilly from tilly and the buttons. People are doing a challenge to use one pattern and wear clothes made form it for one week. She had collated the data into various charts showing which make of patterns was most popular and what item people were making. Being sad i asked to be sent the data and set to, to investigate any stats i could! 

When i usually do statistics I'm working with numbers and so the software package i use is number related! i surfed about for a more qualitative based one but came up with nothing. so i set to with what i had a performed a correlation between pattern type and pattern manufacturer to see if there was any relation ship between what the participants are making and who designed/sells the pattern.

As you can see there is no relationship and the R square value is very low. (the closer to 1 it is the better the relationship, also i gave each manufacture and item a number so the graph would plot, i can give you the details if you are desperate!)

I also collated all the data into one graph, showing easily that tops by collette are the most popular! i can not, however, proved statistical significance (this is where i waffle on about n numbers and power calculations!)

Ok, enough with the data mining! i have science data to sort!

Sewing show - part 2

My last post told you all about my trip to the sewing for pleasure (etc) show.

While there, in the embroidery, fashion and stitch part i saw some beautiful work which i want to share with you. Some of it is just beautiful and some is science related but then you'd expect that from me really!

Firstly some work by Anne Smedley (who i believe is part of this group)

Then there was work by Linda Rudkin

Very beautiful,

Then some lovely embroidery,with interesting textures from miss Lucy

I couldn't resist these -  part of a display by the second turning textile group

 couldn't help but think what beautiful skate dresses they'd make!

Now - on to the science bit!

After a little bit of hunting i located some science - 

This bit or work, which is so pretty, was inspired by the structure of proteins. This lady was once an organic chemist but now jenny Langley makes textile art. The little strands represent the bonds between atoms, such is the beauty of nature.

I couldn't resist this piece - 

A periodic table! This was created by one of the members of Fulcrum, a group of artists working with bondaweb, decovil and solufleece (sorry i couldn't find an online link for them.

And finally but by no means least - 

Stacie Charlton (who blogs here)

Her work is based on fossils ans totally appeals to my anatomical side!

Sewing show

Friday  - the trip to the sewing for pleasure (and associated hobby crafts and fashion embroidery & stitch) show was undertaken. That makes it sound like a massive effort but it wasn't, because i enjoy it alot and i live very, very close to the NEC meaning that i can drop the offspring at school and still arrive before it opens!

My mum and i wandered through the hobby crafts bit, looking at the lovely things on sale but managed to resist buying anything as i really don't need any more general craft items to try and hide somewhere! 

We had a good look at the beautiful costumes from downton abbey, which i must thank because knowing they would be there won me tickets to get into the show! (it was on the ICHF facebook page! thank you ICHF)

We wandered around some of the beautiful embroidery and fabric art on display (there will be more in my next post) and then on into the sewing section.

It was very hard not to spend an absolute fortune here as there were so many beautiful fabrics, buttons and trimmings!

We said hello to the clothkits lady

these things tempt me so much but i have 5 unmade ones at home which i figured I'd better sew up before i get any more!

We said hi to ABAKHAN

These were the lovely people who gave me money to spend for my second place in the sewing directories Christmas comp. Mum (in the blue top) got some wool for baby jumpers from them as a fantastic price! i really hope they consider opening a shop down here soon!

More lusting after pretty things followed, i did get new machine needles and looked at over lockers! (didn't get one though!)

Hope everyone else who went had a good time and if not hope you can make next years.

Hooray

Hooray, i do feel abit like that today. I have had a folksy sale, 3 pencil rolls. They are for triplet, so as i only had 2 girly ones i ran up a third and I'll be off to the post office in abit to send them on there way.

I have also finished the dress! i need a chance to get some good pictures (fingers crossed the weather has at least one nice bit over the weekend) and then it will be up for sale on etsy.  and of course I'll show you all too.

White boots

This is the reason I've not got much sewing done.

i know its a children's book, but i read ballet shoes as a child and loved it (i still have it!) so now I've got the skating bug i got this to read. 
You may have noticed that I've been getting the skating bug! I seem to do that sort of thing, every couple of years i find a something new and obsess about it, i learn all about it and through myself into it with gusto, I've done it with gardening (that wore off after a year or so), sewing, this one hasn't worn off, and now skating! do not however expect pictures of me in skating dresses though, tiny may get one but not me, that would be way to scary!

Mothers day

OK, its Tuesday but its my first day back at the big computer rather than my phone (which is OK for just checking things but rubbish for actually doing stuff!)

As i have been busy doing things that are not sewing i thought you'd like to see what my children russeled up for mothers day - 

Tiny made - 

 A beautiful picture of me!

Her first bit of sewing (I'm very proud!)

and a fridge magnet (which weighs far too much for the little strips of magnet she put on the back and it keeps hitting the floor!)

My lad made me a card

The 2 smaller flowers can be pulled out and used to request a cup of tea or help with dinner!

did you get/send anything nice?

Giveaway winner

What ho, its a misty morning here, hope the weather is perkier where you are! 

I got the random number generator (aka tiny) to select a winner for my giveaway but first i shall bore you with some other things!

My big brother just moved house so i made him and his misses new key rings as a 'new home' present.

Tiny has been the only one busy making things this weekend, she's tried her hand at jewellery

Lucky mummy! i've just been too tired and unmotivated to do much, we've been at the ice rink everyday this weekend, skating on friday and saturday (including having to go loads of strengthening exersizes on ice! yes, i was rubbish at this!) and then on sunday my lad played hockey in a cross-ice game. 

Anyway, i must get motivated to get sewing this week,

and now...... (drum roll please!)

The winner as slected by little miss random herself is

Middle aged drama queen

Well done!

hope to see you all next time!

see how busy i've been at work!

yes i've been busy at work - look doodles!

More union flags

More Union flags (according to doctor who - the idiots lantern, its only a Union jack when flown at sea!), this time they adorn my sons bum!

ok, the pictures are rubbish, i took them this morning and he wouldn't stop moving, he found the 'tail' (bit of elastic hanging out of the waist band cos i wanted to make sure it fitted before finishing it off) extremely funny! 

Well its done so i can get on with something else tonight! TTFN

That dress and more

 I finally got tiny to try on her new dress and pop outside for a twirl. 

No idea why she needed to wear reindeer antlers but thats 4 year olds for you!

I only managed to get if off her when she started eating peanut butter and i suggested that it may get grubby!

On friday i had a tinker with a note book cover

Yes, its chalk board fabric. This has been claimed by my lad but i'm not sure about it, The chalk rubs off (obviously) making it harder to carry about.

Any thoughts what else i could do with the chalk board fabric?

I have got started on something else for the lad, more shorts (i do make him alot of these!). I have been soo tired lately, droping off at 8.30pm ish! I think last nights 45min hamster hunt (a small girl left his house open! he was hiding in my fabric stash!!!!) woke me up abit but i'm not sure i need that every evening!

Also - my big brother is moving house, what do i make as a new home gift for them? your idea are most welcome, and don't for get my giveaway, ends in a couple of days. TTFN!