Sweet Swingers

Hello all
here is something different from teddies
lol

I found this cute pattern online for these sweet budgies
called sweet swingers.

They were pretty easy to make and I did learn something new :)
and that was the mattress stitch!
I'd never heard of it in knitting before but what a great stitch it is

when it comes to sewing up your seams, this is the stitch to use,
it's invisible and leaves no bulk in your work.

it's made by taking a stitch from each side of your work and going from side to side till you have reached the top ( or bottom) depending on which end you start.
make sure you leave a long tail of yarn when you start, when you get to the top you pull both ends and it closes the seam... Magic :)

I also bought these needles for sewing up seams

they are much better than using a tapestry needle because they have totally blunt and rounded ends so you can't snag your work and the ends are turned upwards so its easy to pick up your stitches :)

I made the swing out of a cheap embroidery hoop just covered in pretty yarn
the birds are stitched on by feet and body so cant fall off, the flowers and leaves are knitted scraps of wool.

Happy crafting

The Lightbox

Sounds like a title for a good book or movie lol but its not

its a box with a light in it :) as if you didn't know

lol

I've just bought this to help with my craft of ribbon embroidery,

the idea being that you trace your picture from a book,

then you put what you traced onto the lightbox and your fabric on top,

the light will show the tracing on the fabric then you can draw your picture with a water soluble pen then you're ready to embroider.

The box has many art and craft uses and is particularly good if you're stitching on a dark fabric, having the lightbox on your lap will show all the holes easier.

the fabric I have on there is 32 count Linen, so you see how  easily it shows up the holes in this fabric.

its going to be a handy addition to my sewing room

Happy Stitching :)

Pooh And Friends update

Hi every one, hope you're all having a lovely stitchy weekend :)

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my peacock.

Here is an update on winnie the pooh latch hook

This rug is pretty big 20in by 28in

don't know what that is in cm..I'm old school hahaha

as you can see I'm working right to left, if you're fully left handed you would work left to right,

I also prefer to work vertically rather than horizontal but that's a matter of choice, as long as you work left or right depending on what hand you favour you will be comfortable with your work.

The other thing I do is separate all the wool before I start.

when you get a kit it comes like this 

with all the wool mixed together, this one is from the teddy cushion and there are about 12 of these!

I don't know why they do this, but, anyway, I spend time separating all the colors and put them into sandwich bags, like this

Winnie the pooh wool in sandwhich bags

it makes it so much easier than trying to separate those wool sushi things as you go

lol

Happy Stitching
:))

baby afghan

Hi Bloggers

just a quick update on the baby afghan, I'm still working on the baby frog and doing the outlining now, it says in the chart booklet long stitch as well as back stitch BUT I have left out ALL the long stitch and I'm just doing tiny back stitches

so there is no chance of baby getting their tiny fingers caught in the stitches.

There is still a bit more to do on baby frog, finish the outline and there's a cute butterfly and ladybird to do.

another update on this cutie next week,

happy stitching

baby afghan update frog

Hi all, this is baby frog :) cute or what :) this is the second block and woodland baby on the afghan. I'm enjoying this project very much, although the fabric is very thick and the holes are very large which makes the stitching loose, it makes you think.. will it all fall apart when baby plays with it..so, I have knotted all the threads at the back so that wont happen, it doesn't matter if you have knots (in fact I'd recommend it) as there will be a backing on it. also I'm using 3strands of thread not 2 and 2 for the back stitch not 1 as stated in the booklet. another update soon when baby frog is finished :)

 happy stitching :)

A Start on the baby blanket

Hi Everyone in blogland :) I've made a start on the baby afghan blanket and love the little woodland babies :) The owl is the first to do so have got started on that one.

I'm using the new plastic clip frame for the first time that I bought and I have to say it took me a few days to get used to it but now I have and am enjoying using it and I like the way it doesn't leave any marks on the fabric when you take it off.

another update on this little baby next week :)

happy stitching :)

happy stitching :)

The postman knocks

Today the postman delivered my baby afghan and chart :) it looks very nice.

 I also ordered one of these plastic clip together frames, I've never used one before and wonder if any of you have and what are they like to use? I thought it may be better than a hoop, I usually use a frame but don't think I'll get all the baby blanket on there lol well only time will tell how I get on with the clip frame but please feel free to let me know what YOUR experiences are.

happy stitching :)

Working on black

I work with black fabrics allot, many of my projects are worked on black or coloured fabrics, I very rarely use white unless I'm doing a small project as I find white very harsh on the eye's especially if it is a project to be worked on for hours at a time, so I use coloured ones, but I have a tip for anyone working on black or dark colours is to place a white towel on your lap as you stitch, it makes the holes allot easier to see and so stitching is easier with fewer mistakes :)

working on black

happy stitching :)