Castleton Christmas Craft Fair November 2014

After a break of a couple of months I attended a great craft fair at Castleton last Saturday.  it coincided with the switching on of the Christmas lights so the village was bustling despite the weather which was misty with occasional rain.

To get into the Christmas feel I set up my table with a red gingham cloth, made new price cards in red and added red lights to my white display tree. 

 As well as my usual goodies I brought along my mini Christmas Stockings and a new make for this year, mini bunting in a choice of Christmas or vintage/retro style fabrics.

It was a busy fair with a great range of stalls from turned wood to beautiful silver jewellery.  I also met a few familiar faces which is always nice. 

One particular one that caught my eye was Go Vintage, a wonderful selection of vintage and retro collectables.

It was a really enjoyable day, I made a profit and sold out of my Christmas mini bunting.  However I do have a few mini Christmas Stockings left so they will be appearing in my online shop.  

And finally.... as always there was a great selection of dogs visiting the fair but the one that caught my eye was Billy, who as well as being cute was the best dressed dog!

Project: Fabric Pictures

As I cannot bear to throw away any left over fabric I am always looking for new ideas for small projects. 

Having a good sort out of the back bedroom I rediscovered some unused picture frames so thought I would have a go at making some fabric pictures.  As I had some pieces of rescued vintage embroidery I thought I would start with that however you could use any fabric as long as it is not too thick.  So if you cannot afford those expensive curtains how about getting a sample and make a picture instead or if you have a much loved item of clothing that is no longer worn you could use a piece of its fabric to make a lovely keepsake.  

The frame I am going to use for this project is from Ikea and comes in a range of colours however most hobby shops can also provide small frames which you could decorate yourself. 

Gather together your fabric remnants and frame and look at what would fit best and go with your frame  Then take the frame apart, if it is new/used it will normally have a piece of paper inside, keep this to make a template. 

Measure each side of the paper and mark the central point on each side.  Then cut out some thin cardboard (I recommend using cereal packets) using the paper as a template and transfer the central points onto the card. If you have more than one frame keep the paper template to be used again. 

Then place the card into the recess on the frame to make sure it is a neat fit.  Next, to allow room for the fabric to be folded over, trim off around a millimetre from each edge.  Make sure your central markings still show. 

Next place the card under your fabric and move it around to see what pictures you could make.  Once you have made your choice pull the fabric tight under the card and pop the frame over the top so you can see how the finished item will look.  You may need to move the card a few millimetres one way or another until you get the look you want.  

The next stage will depend on the fabric, if your fabric has a central motif you can measure the final placement of the card, see Option One.  If your fabric is not symmetrical or you want the main pattern off centre you need to follow Option Two.    

Option 1:  Measure the motif across and then top to bottom to identify the centre.  Then using this central spot place the long edge of the card on it lining up the central mark on the card. Use a pencil to mark the fabric along the short side of the card.  Then turn the fabric round and do the same lining up the short side of the card with the central point.  This should leave you with four lines on the fabric which you can now use as a guide to place the cardboard.  

Option 2:  Having offered up the fabric to the frame carefully remove the frame and turn the fabric upside down on the table, taking care to keep a tight hold of the fabric so the cardboard does not move.  Then carefully fold back the fabric and holding the cardboard firmly down draw round it.

Having marked out your final layout you can trim the fabric leaving around half an inch.  I would now recommend ironing your fabric and if you have it apply a little spray starch.  You can also add to your fabric using appliqué but make sure you don't add anything too bulky as the final version needs to fit within the recess of the picture frame. 

Having finished the preparation of the fabric you need to stretch it over the card.  Placing the cardboard within the pencil marks start to fold over the fabric on opposite edges and stitch together starting half an inch in from the corner. Pull gently so the fabric is smooth but not too tight so it starts to bend the card.  Then continue to stitch pulling the two edges over the fabric until you are half an inch from the other corner.  

Next to avoid the corners becoming bulky cut the triangle off each corner making sure you leave enough fabric to still cover the card.  Don't worry if you cut it a little too close as this should be covered up by the recess in the frame. Then fold over the other two edges including the corners and stitch them together.  You should now have your fabric evenly stretched across the card.   

Finally secure your fabric picture in the frame and enjoy.  I have also made some others using untreated wood frames which I painted using tester pots (see Recommendations) and I'm very chuffed with the result!

Hathersage Craft Fair April 2014

Earlier this month I attended the first of my local craft fairs.  They are all in villages very close to where I live and as they usually have a lot of tourists and day trippers I am hoping they will be a success, more on that later!

This was held in Hathersage Church Hall and had a good mixture of stalls including driftwood, baking and handmade leather bags.   

As this was a Spring Fair I made some Daffodil Brooches as well as bring along my Fabric Easter Eggs.  I am especially pleased with my new white tree which I used to display my Easter Eggs.  

I also had my Vintage Embroidered Cushions and Drawstring Bags as well as some vintage style bunting and paper chain kits.  Unfortunately it was very quiet so only sold a few small items, I blame the weather which turned wet at the last minute and the Grand National!

New Year, New Ideas

Although I enjoy the festive season I do look forward to the lull after Hogmanay.  It’s good to get back to normal as well as take stock.   This year I have taken the time to think about what I would like make in 2014 rather than leave it to the haphazard approach of last year. 

One thing I wanted to do better was having items for special occasions so being a compulsive list maker I put together a calendar of special days, holidays, seasons etc.  I then worked out when I would need to have items ready to go in my shop. 

I already had a few new ideas of things I wanted to make so I matched them to my calendar.  I then used my scrap book for inspiration and came up with some further ideas to fill the gaps. 

Now I have a list of great projects for the first half of 2014 as well as a calendar of when I need to have things ready to go into my shop.

While I was in an organising mood I thought I would also do  a stocktake of my fabrics and trimmings and needless to say I found lots of things I’d forgotten about!   But it did give me further inspiration and allowed me to plan what I would use for each of my makes as well as identify anything I would need to get.   So in theory no more rushing around at the last minute when I find I have got the wrong colour of ribbon.

My first project, Valentines Day Hearts has gone well, I had everything I needed and they were completed on time and are now for sale in my Folksy shop. 

I don’t know if I will keep this up but for now I have no excuse for missing the boat when it comes to special occasions!

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

From a personal point of view I have always felt that Christmas should start around 2 weeks before the 25^th December.  I hate seeing mince pies for sale in October and avoid looking at Christmas Decorations until I have to admit defeat in early December.  Where other children wanted to open their presents before the big day I was horrified at the thought and although I am now grown up I would never peak, shake or rip the wrapping paper!

 However as a seller I have learnt that I have to embrace the festive season a lot earlier.  Last year I was a bit late in getting my Christmas Stockings online so this year I had to be more organised. 

Some sellers have had their Christmas ranges up for sale since October but I opted for a mid-November launch to tie in with CRAFTfest, a online craft fair.  This has hopefully given enough time for sales but is not too early for the magic to run out!

So having launched my new range of Mini Christmas Stockings at CRAFTfest they are now available from my Folksy shop. 

This year I found a great range of new retro fabrics as well as some of my favourite fabrics from last year. 

I have also included some individual gingham designs for those who like to be more traditional.

Although I hope I have good sales this year lets hope there are a few left so I can use them to decorate my own home!

Flower Brooches

I just had to share these!

As part of the Folksy Summer School goodie bag there was a pack of small fabric squares, samples from Ray-Stitch of their lovely range of plain cotton.

It was such lovely material but was too small for patchwork but was just the right size to make petals for a brooch.  

Each square was trimmed, making it into a quarter circle.  I then stitched the two straight edges of each quarter to make a cone.  

Flattening the cone so the seam was at the back I stitched along the open edge in a small running stitch, adding six more petals in a continuous chain.  

When the running stitch was pulled it gathered the cones into petal shapes, I then stitched each end together making a circle and glued it onto a brooch back.

Looking for inspiration for something to fill the centre I looked through my scrap bag and found some left over bobble trim.  I cut the pom-poms off and then mixed and matched them with each brooch and glued them into place.   

I won't be selling these, some may become presents but I have a feeling I will be wearing these myself! 

Laura Ashley 60th Anniversary

I have always loved Laura Ashley and have used their fabric throughout the years.  So when I found out that as part of their 60th Anniversary they were reintroducing some of their old patterns it made me quite nostalgic. 

My first memory of their fabric was as a teenager in the 1970s, I loved their dresses but could not afford them.  So when I bought two of their milkmaid style smocks in a charity shop I thought I was so cool!  And although that was a great summer I am happy to say there is no photographic evidence!

When I got my first home in the 1980s I went to town.  I made loose covers for my sofa in Mr Jones, made curtains and bedspreads in Louise for the spare room and had blue trellis and red rose bud wallpaper in my bedroom.  I have never seen this wallpaper since and I have not been able to find out what it was called, any ideas?

In the 1990s they were still producing beautiful floral prints and when I moved house again I found myself going back to Laura Ashley.  I made curtains in Somerton and had a lampshade and cushions in Tulip.  I also made beautiful curtains using Beeton (Chambray) and managed to get matching oil cloth so that completed the dining room.

I have also used their wallpaper borders over the years as they were a quick and cheap way to bring colour without the cost of wallpaper.  I still collect vintage rolls when I see them, I would no longer use them on a wall but have some vague idea there must be a decoupage type use for them, any suggestions are welcomed!

In recent years the patterns have not had the same attraction for me the exception being the gorgeous Holiday floral pattern which I only found after they stopped doing it.  However good old eBay came to the rescue and allowed me to get some cushion covers and fabric.  I also love Bunched Roses which I still use in my kitchen having collected an apron, oven glove, seat cushions and table mats!

I still have a lot of my collection and continue to collect Laura Ashley vintage fabric which I now use in my makes.  

But sometimes I cannot resist a vintage cushion cover, piece of Alice china or of course a wallpaper border!