Lulu

My sister has modified a coat for her dog Lulu, she is a beautiful dog and very, very soft, she loves nothing more than a big old fuss lol.  We got talking (my sister and me not Lulu) about this coat and she was in two minds about it, she thought it was too boy'ish, it being mainly blue, so I said I'd make her a patch for it with Lulu's name on.  I got the design from Applique Time on Etsy and I'm really please with it, lovely easy design.  I opened the paw design in my PE Design 10 software and added the name, I can't remember which font I used.  Susan (my sister) brought the coat with her when she called for coffee, as soon as I saw it I know what fabric I's use.  I stitched it out on blue felt and used a pale pink batik for the paw pads.  I left it whole on the stabiliser (tear away) so she could cut it out how she needed it, just needs the lint roller on it and finished.

This is Lulu.

Last of the cushions for a while

For details about the fabric and cushion pads I used please see past Cushion posts.  For the front of this one I used the same design as on the front of this cushion, I just placed them on opposite sides.  

For the back of the cover I used the Tree of Life design from Urban Threads.  As you can see I did the same layout as the other cushion. 

 The idea behind these cushions is that Hanni can turn them and see a different pattern on either side of the cushions a good mix and match really.

Another Cushion for Hanni

For details about the fabric and cushion pads I used please see past Cushion posts.  For the front of this one I used the Passport to New Zealand design from Urban Threads for the top right hand block and the other three are designs from Kreative Kiwi Embroidery the set is called RW Maori. 

 For the back of the cover I did a checkerboard pattern, not perfect but I'm pleased with the outcome, was also a good way of using some of the scraps up.

Halloween Ghosties

These are this year's Halloween treat bags for our little visitors.  The designs are from GG Designs Embroidery and it was one of those times when you look at something and think 'I've got to have those' haha.  Last year we went through 100 sweetie bags, the weather is a very big factor on the amount of Trick or Treaters we have, last year it was quite warm so they were out in force.  We live on a main road and I used to work at our local primary school, so there have been plenty of visitors for quite some years lol.  So this year I've made 100 boy and girl ghosts and have made up about 50 bags, making more if necessary.  We have made up some bags without anything on for the older children who bring their little brothers and sisters, we can't leave them out lol.   The designs I used are called Ghost Treat Bag Topper, there are other designs in this range and I've actually bought those as well.  Whatever I don't use will go in the box for future years, the same will happen next year with which ever design I use.  When I have finished using the different designs I will have a year of the mixed leftover's.  That's the plan at the moment anyway J

They are made using felt and are very easy and quick.  I used a larger hoop and managed to sew out ten on each.  The designs are in singles, fours or sixes, so as you can see from the following pictures I used a four and a six in each hoop.

Happy Halloween everyone J

Cushions for Hanni

Not actually been blogging for a while as you can see, but I'm busy making Christmas Gifts, so nothing I can post at the moment.  That being said I do have another three cushions I've made for Hanni that I can show you.  This one is following on from the last Kiwi cushion as in I'm making them using all the same fabrics which are Dunroven House Homespun Fabric Fat Quarters and the Natural Seeded Klona cotton fabric from Empress Mills, the colours go really well in her room.  I used the Hippy Van design for this cushion front, from Big Dream Embroidery, really lovely and easy to follow design.  

I used my Accuquilt Go strip dies to make the diagonal blocks of the cream fabric from the fat quarter bundle as well as the borders.  I love my Accuquilt Go machine and dies, my hands are rubbish these days so using them makes everything really easy.  

On the back of this cushion I've used the Where the Fern Grows design from Urban Threads, it's not really a New Zealand fern but close enough.  I again used my strip dies to cut the borders.

Because of all the raw edges on the inside of the cover I used some light weight iron on interfacing to keep everything tidy.  I've made this cushion cover to fit a 20" square cushion pad, the extra fill ones, really plump.  I always get my cushion pads from the Bedding Comfort Store online, well worth a visit and they come in various sizes.  

Kiwi Cushion for Hanni

This is a 22" cushion for Hanni, I used my embroidery machine to stitch out the Kreative Kiwi Embroidery Designs on this front, called Kiwi Blocks, Hanni had fallen in love with New Zealand on her seven week visit so I thought these designs would go down well.

For the back I used my Accuquilt Go strip dies to make this checkerboard pattern, I just kept going until it fit adding borders around the edges lol.

Sorting sorting sorting

Drawer units are in, the filing cabinet and the pedestal, that was well planned.  It's just now down to sorting stuff out.  You know when at last you are able to actually see what you've got and you think 'I didn't know I had that' and 'oh, that's where that went' lol, if I've said those things once I've said them a hundred times.  Some of it I'd think 'why the hell did I buy that' and 'how do I use that', but I have so it's been dusted if needed and a new home to live has been found.

Hanni's dressing room: the two sliding door wardrobes are brilliant, we have managed to fit three of my drawer units into one of them, with enough room down the side to store larger items such as the embroidery unit for 'My Brother'.  The walls still need painting but that's a relativity quick job and once done my ink and ribbon racks can go on that back wall.  I still call it Hanni's dressing room but in fact it is now the storeroom.

In the other wardrobe David has put all but one of the drawers in, I didn't want the top one in as I would have been hitting the ceiling every time I needed to get in the drawer, so I asked him to put a shelf up there instead.  I could have put it in the gap half way up but wanted a shelf there too.  As you can see I'm now sorting fabrics out.

Not far off finishing now.  Once my old craft room is empty, David will be moving in there and using my old desk while his office is decorated and rearranged.  Then once he's moved back into his the old craft room can become a bedroom again.

Craft room photos

Thought I'd share some of my photos with you, I keep being asked, so I'm sorry for the delay.  These photos have been taken throughout the week.

David has put up the wall units and the dado trunking, you can also see the support battens for the worktop.

It's now at the stage where the wiring can be done, but first he's checking to make sure everything is level.

My desk area, just making sure the vents over the radiator is lined up.

Worktop level and time to adjust the support legs.

 This is going to be my sewing area.

This is the view from the as was dressing room, this room hasn't been started yet. as soon as we can shuffle things around and it can be emptied it can be painted.  The two fitted wardrobes have drawers half way up, I'm wanting all the drawers in one of the wardrobes and some of my blue drawer units will be in the other one.

 David is taking the largest of the two Billy bookcases.

 Out of one door and into the other.

 Look at all those boxes, I didn't realise there was that many in there.  As you can see the under wall unit storage has been added as well as the doors and handles, the under unit lighting has also been fitted.  All power and network cables are in and working.

Testing the wall unit doors will open without hitting the bookcase. 

 Next the smallest.

 Mucky cow, look at the muck on that wall lol.

 This is now, David as you can see has added the glass doors to the bookcases and is now giving the worktop a coat of Rustins Danish Oil.  They will need three coats and will also need between 4 and 8 hours to dry in between each coat.

More soon.

Carpet down

Carpet down, it is one of those heavy duty ones that have to be glued to the underlay.  I wanted something that is easy to clean with a short hard pile, that will actually make it easier to roll around on my chair lol.  It takes a little longer to lay this kind of carpet, and you need a window open to air off the glue lol.  I think it's well worth having this kind of carpet in a craft room or the like, in the long run it will last a long time.  When Hanni bought her new house and got to the carpet stage both her and David went to Shaw Carpets in Barnsley, so we went to have a look.  As soon as I walked into the factory showroom I'd seen what I wanted.  

The box thing in the pictures below is the first of my new under wall cabinet drawers from Ikea, just the right size for all my threads etc.  More storage haha you can never have enough storage.  I'm having a couple as shelves as well.

The carpet in the dressing room is staying the same no need to change that for what it is.

Craft room update

Craft room coming along nicely, the paint is on the wall, I chose the Dulux Ivory Lace, it actually dries slightly lighter than it looks on the tin, which I'm glad about.  I chose to have paint on the walls to keep the room cooler.  When we had the house extension done our bedroom had painted walls for a while then we papered them and the difference that made was really noticeable.  Upstairs in summer gets a bit warm, so I'm hoping the painted walls will make a difference.  I currently have a ceiling fan in this craft room, so I'm trying out the new room before I decide whether to have one in there or not.  Everything is now ready for the carpet.

New Craft Room

Well I'm having a new craft room, Hanni has moved out as I've mentioned before and her room is bigger than the one I'm currently in.  This one is being reverted back into a bedroom, I've had it for the last three years, it does feel a lot longer.  Her room is actually a bit bigger than mine, plus she has a dressing room.  David has planned it down to the last nut and bolt lol, he just keeps saying what about this and how about that etc, etc, etc.  So the plan of action is to strip the walls (I'm just having them painted) to find any lumps or bumps and sort them out.  Wall cupboards turned up on Saturday morning, dado trunking and LED strip light arrived Friday.  Carpet being delivered and fitted next Thursday, so the painting has to be finished for then.  

This is a link to my current craft room 

It looks all very clean and tidy, but it's nothing like that at the moment.  I have the addition of 'My Brother', he is currently living in front of the window so I don't have that much room any more, not to mention the fabric that I have squirreled away haha.

This is Hanni's room as it was being decorated when we did the house extension and looked like this when she moved out.

 My Brother will live in between the doors, so I will have plenty of sewing room.

This is the dressing room area with the floor to ceiling sliding wardrobes, soon to be my storage.

This is what it looks like at the moment

The red stuff on the floor above is the dado trunking which will be full of sockets for all my gadgets, it won't be red that is just a peel off cover.