Thursday 29 October 2015

My cousin's Headbands

I made these headbands for my cousin's birthday and I swear I'm in love, I could have easily made 10 or more of these, as they are just so easy to make.
My original inspiration come from the book "half a yard heaven" by Debbie Shore. However I was unsure if the headband that I first made would fit my cousin, so I sort of started making up my own pattern.
So today I'm going to share with you how I made the last two head bands. They're so simple and easy that you'll be making loads of them out of your scrap material.

You will need:

  • Ribbon (two lengths measuring 13-14 inches)
  • A rectangle of fabric (as wide as you like, mine were between 5 and 7 inches wide, but roughly 11 inches long)
  • A needle and thread

Method:

  1. Take your rectangle of fabric and sew the two 11 inches long sides together, right sides facing.
  2. Turn the long tube inside out, so that the patterned side of your fabric is showing.
  3. Place the seam in the middle of the tube and flatten by ironing. 
  4. Next, take one length of ribbon and place the shortest side on top of the shortest raw edge of the tube, with the rest of the ribbon running along the length of the tube. 
  5. Now fold the top of the tube into two right angles, with the straight sides covering up the ribbon.
  6. Then sew along the sides covering up the ribbon and turn inside out. Your fabric should now be hiding the joining seam of the ribbon and tube. 
  7. Repeat the last 3 steps on the other side of the tube.
  8. You now have your basic headband, decorate as you please and you're finished.

Sadly I forgot to take photos during the making of these headbands but leave a message in the comments section if any part of this is unclear and I'll see if I can help.
As always, I hope this has inspired you! 

Monday 26 October 2015

Sneak peek of the week

Sorry this is a day late but what do you think I'll be posting about later this week?

Thursday 22 October 2015

My knit and stitch show haul

Hello again! Today I have another knit and stitch show themed post for you today. (If you're interested to know what I posted about last week take a look here.) Today, I thought I might share what I got for myself at the knit and stitch show.
So firstly I want to share this amazing coloured double knitting wool that I got for just £1.20 from a stall, which had just pile after pile of wool. It may not be the best quality of wool but I though that its colour would fit in perfectly with the colours that seem to be in trend this winter.
Then there's the amazing Rowan wool that I got from the Black Sheep stand. If you've ever seen Black Sheep wools, then you'll know that there are amazing deals to be had. So I bought 2 balls of the tumble wool. I'm afraid that I couldn't help but use it straight away and so I've made a cowl from it already. (I may post about that at some point, but I'm not sure, let me know if you'd like to see a post on that).  You may be wondering why I've mainly just got wool at the show and not fabric, but I told myself before I went that I wouldn't buy any more fabric because I already have more than enough.

Whilst looking around a book stall, I found a small stash of vintage patterns and had to stop myself from jumping up and down and squealing with delight. Not only that, but also these patterns are exactly the kind of patterns I was looking for to use up my stash of fabric. So now I can't wait to start my next sewing project (but first I need to finish the half started ones).

I also got a pattern from another stall, which I think would make a good work out top, as well as just a nice t-shirt that has a bit of interest in the back.
So now I'm set for the next couple of months. Let me know if you've ever found any vintage patterns and if so where did you get them from.
I hope this has inspired you! 
(or something along those lines) 

Sunday 18 October 2015

Thursday 15 October 2015

Coats fashion show

So, over the weekend I went to the London knit and stitch show and I had an absolutely amazing time, but don't worry if you couldn't make it, as there are also knit and stitch shows in other places (have a look here to see if there's a show near you). At the show, there was also the coats fashion show, which displayed the new work of Rowan, Patons, free spirit and of course Coats. As well as new patterns from Butterick, Vogue and McCalls.
Whilst watching I also took photos of some of the items, so that I could share them with you, and also where you can find the relevant patterns (this only applies to some items as I couldn't trace all of the pieces on show, but let me know in the comments if you find any of the patterns that I couldn't source).
 Don't you just love the amazing texture in this cardigan and its colours just fit right into the themes you would associate with autumn. Sadly though I couldn't find the pattern for this cardigan.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to get a front row seat, so you may just see some head bobbing into the frame now and then. But don't let that detract from how cool this oversized jumper is. Again this was another pattern I couldn't source.
Normally knitted things for men just look naff but this men's cardigan is not only wearable but also really fashionable. However no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't source this pattern.
With it coming up to Christmas, and the season where I don't know about you but I love to wear a really nice jumper, this no doubt will be a real hit and this style has certainly been making the rounds already. Sadly I was unable to find this pattern.
And of course there's an equally stylish version for men. Unfortunately I was unable to find the pattern for this jumper. 
Sadly I wasn't able to get a full photo on this skirt but trust me when I say that the back is really something. So according to the program, the information is as follows:
Pattern company: Vogue
Pattern: V8882 style D
Fabric: FreeSpirit Elizabeth by Tula Pink Ship Shape PWTP065-SKYXX
The fabric used in this men's shirt really gives it that wow factor and it also reminds me of the 70's style that everybody seems to be loving at the moment. According to the program, the information on this is as follows:
Pattern company: Vogue
Pattern: V8889 Style C
Fabric: Coats Electric Elements by Tim Holtz Cigarbox PWTH015- MULTI 
Okay, just take a minute to appreciate the sheer beauty of this cardigan,it totally captures the autumn colours and how autumn is totally about leaves. This pattern was designed by Martin Storey and you can find information on his pattern here
 Look there's yet another cool men's jumper, Rowan are on a roll :) This pattern was designed by Marie Wallin and you can find more information on it here.
This jumper is a really nice take on the oversized jumper trend, as it has a really nice tailoring to it. For more information on this pattern take a look here.
I reckon the cowl styled neck on this jumper could come in really useful come the cold weather this winter. This pattern was designed by Sarah Hatton and you can find more information on it here
And here's another really cool men's jumper, you can't say that Rowan haven't catered for men. The pattern was designed by Martin Storey and information about it can be found here.
 This knitted hood has a great comfort meets ready to go style, which is just really wearable. However I was unable to find the pattern needed to make one.

When this jumper came out onto the cat walk, there was a gasp among the audience and I think you can see why. This jumper won't just complement an outfit, it will make an outfit. This jumper was designed by Martin Storey and information on the pattern can be found here. 

This is my personal favourite and I could totally see this item in my wardrobe. The pattern was designed by Emily Platt and information on it can be found here.
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 This is yet another classic jumper that has such as timeless feel to it. This jumper was designed by Emily Platt and you can find more information about it here.
The colour of the wool used here, really stands out and complements the patterns on show here. The snood was designed by Emily Platt and there is more information on it here. The hat was also designed her and information on it can be found here. Although you can't see them in the photo the model was also wearing these super cool welly toppers, which where also designed by Emily Platt and information on them can be found here.
Don't you just get a great 70s vibe from this jumper. This pattern was designed by Kim Hargreaves, if you would like to find out more information of this pattern, take a look here.
Personally, as someone who loves to snuggle up in front of the TV in jumpers and ponchos, I think this take on the classic poncho is really interesting.It was designed by kim Hargreaves and more information can be found here.
So you've seen lots of over sized jumpers in this post but here's an oversized cardigan that I personally love. It was designed by Kim Hargreaves, you can find more information on this pattern here.

Although this may look like your average cardigan, it's actually got some Swarovski beads added to it, which really gives it that extra sparkle, there was lots of murmuring when this came out and I think you can understand why. This pattern was designed by Jennie Atkinson and you can find more information on it here.
As you can tell from the women's faces in the background of this photo, that this jumper really is something. It was designed with Swarovski and again has beads threaded through the jumper. This was definitely the most stunning item in the whole show. This amazing dress was designed by Jennie Atkinson and you can find more information on it here.
I hope you've enjoyed this quick round up of the coats show. Don't forget to join me again next Thursday.
I hope this has inspired you!
P.S. I haven't been asked to or paid to write this post and all the views expressed are 100% my own.

Thursday 8 October 2015

My Ikea Cushion Covers


Yes, I'm here with yet another cushion cover post. It may seem repetitive but these covers are so quick and easy to make.

If you're interested to know how I made these pillow covers, then check out this post, as I used exactly the same method.

Both of these pillows measures 50cm x 50cm and I got them from Ikea (hence the name of this post).

I got this fabric from a local fabric store but I'm not sure what the name of the company that originally designed these fabrics is called, or if they're even from the same company. If at some point I remember, I will update this post and let you know because I absolutely love the fabric with the swimmers on.
I hope this has inspired you!

Tuesday 6 October 2015

Up coming event

Hi guys, this is just a quick post to tell you about a super cool event coming up in London. It's called the knit and stitch show. I've been a couple of times and it has always been amazing.

This is not a sponsored post, I really did just want to let you know about this cool event.