Tuesday 31 August 2010

MAKE MONDAY


MONDAY'S MAKE - TISSUE CASE TUTORIAL

For all you lovely blog followers, who haven't clicked on my tutorail page and who want to have a go at something simple and make a few stocking fillers for family (I know, shouldn't be taking about Christmas yet!!!), and you have scraps of fabric you don't want to throw away and are waiting to used up, this is the perfect make in under 1/2 hour. Simple!

Let me know how you get on, and don't forget once you have mastered the art of making them, just adjust the sie for different tissue pack sizes, even large mans tissues, for dad to sit next to the bed or in the car.


And before I go I have finally purchased a now sewing machine, can't wait, as I have bee using the same machine for over 20 years, which has no flat bed as I broke it about a year ago, no cover for the bobin loader on the front, broke that too, no light as the electrics to that went a few years ago, it only had 6 stictches, ziz zag small.med.large, straight stich small,med,large, oh and backwards. So any new machine is going to be a joy to work with and this is the baby below....and it only has 294 stitches...so it is going to take me a year to use every one!!




Kx

Friday 27 August 2010

a wONDeRfuL wOrLD







Happened upon this wonderful fairytale shop on Etsy today, after seeing one of their creations featured in a fairytale adventure treasury along with my Red Ridinghood Buttons.
What great pieces of artwork to be displayed alone on a mantle shelf.
Happy Friday & Bank-Holiday!
Kx

Thursday 26 August 2010

Fabric Porn


I will never learn........

Does anybody else see there paypal account as a giant slot machine, and woop woop it reaches £50.00 and you just have to spend it, not save it for a pair of shoes, a new handbag I need. But more FABRIC!!

I have just spent £48.92 (which is the postage as well)

1/2 yard sets (10 polka dot fabrics in top photo)
1 yard of red polka dot
1 yard of red ginham

So I can make Christmas Elf Stockings

I think 4 large (2 spot with ginham cuff, 2 ginham with spot cuff)
10 half size in reversed colours.

Should keep me busy for a while, making stockings like these. 
Now all I have to do is wait 10 days for the fabric to turn up.............

Kx


Wednesday 25 August 2010

BAG LADY





For your supplies and to embelish, screen print on, batik, paint or leave plain!
£4.50 for 3 bags, plain cotton in Red, White, Blue & Natural.
Find them in my supplies shop.

Kx

Tuesday 17 August 2010

A/W 2010 HOT KNITS - settings changed!!!


Sonia Rykel Gloves £70.00
I know most of you are going to say, I'm not following the fashion trend, it sucks and I will be knitting what I want, how I want and use the cheapest wool I can find! Plus I've been knitting those for years!
Well what ever the argument is, the big fashion houses bring out a trend, be it new, old hat (accuse the pun!), a throw back from the 80's (snoods, snoods, snoods & arm warmers aka Madonna, as I am about to point out). The high street stores then cherry pick, copy and mass sell in cheaper acrylic wool blends, cheap labour, and just how they love to skimp on the excess.
So whether you follow it or not we are lead or lend a nod to fashion, after all you are not buying your own stock, the followers of fashion are.

Taking a peek at net-a-porter, I have 'cherry picked' what I think I can adapt, within my sewing abilities and what is most wearable, coveratable, and just sits on the line of classic, can be worn with pretty much with any of this winters trends. A few of you may just jump with joy as you are already making, and making very well, similar items.

I love the Sonia Rykal gloves, just like those stripey knee high socks (that I have a draw full of, and wear under my boots..). But priced at £70, and beyond my current sewing skills, I am going to have to see who on folksy will make some like these first (or get a customer order in........).

Stella McCartney for Adidas £40.00
Burberry Snood £195.00

Donna Karen Infinity Scarf £500

Call it what you want but the snood (the throw back, as mentioned from the 80's is back!!) Yer. Well I think its a good idea, keeps your neck warm, a quick hat for the rain and the wind or snow, what else do you want...
So Stella McCartney for Adidas is not expensive at all, but following the 'trend' the snood is low key, no day glow oranges, lime gleens and pinks, but tones of black, grey, winter white and a touch of red thrown in, The bigger and chunkier the better.

Donna Karen Arm Warmers £285.00

Missoni Fingerless Gloves £155

Another of my favorites for this season, arm warmers & fingerless gloves. I think the look is great and you can match them up with any outfit. But at a coughing £285 for Donna Karen's arm warmers means I most definitely will be making my own in a soft dark grey angora wool. And I have always had a soft spot for Missoini knits, always very delicate, and their staple zig-zag pattern, again this is something I will not be able to perfect just just yet with my knitting skills, but there must be somebody on Folksy who can knit me a pair of these.....!!! (I'll buy the wool.............Then you knit me the dress, scarf, cardie.........OK GLOVES FIRST!)
Missoni Bennie £115
Stella McCartney Bennie £155
Stella McCartney Bennie £135

The Slouch Bennie, has been around for a while, but it is cute, all seem to be slouch Bennie's in any knit chunky, soft, fluffy, mainly all plain, sticking to the basics, black,greys, winter white (big colour this year), natural colours, hint of red, bright pink, purple and teal, Missoni's knits stand out a mile and scream Missoni, otherwise as with everybody else, it could be Stella at £155 or Topshop at £25.
Animal print is still in, mainly in tones of black and grey, again something I am unable to knit (yet), but having a new weaving loop to make Bennie's on, I am going to make one similar to this red angora one, once I have finished my chunky teal one I am making.



Mulberry Pom Pom Scarf £295
Missoni Scarf £170

Sigh, Missoni's delicate cobweb knit ultra long scarf is beautiful, (sticking to the teal, winter whites,
grey and red), what can I say, nothing other than I can think of plenty of bills that need paying before I would even have a chance to get my hands on one of these, maybe Mother (MUM ARE YOU LISTENING) can dust down your knitting needles and make me something like this for Christmas.... (I challenge you Kx).

The Mulberry's Pom Pom scarf is great, now I couldn't sew an argyle pattern for toffee, but this knit is fab mixed with the stripe, so I think I am going to make one 'LIKE' this following a couple of pointers, like the pompom edging the fat stripes, but will mix them with thin stripes, and will stick to these colours to match my grey wool felt coat...and soon to be black smart cape, which I am making (another of this years trends.....what me follow fashion).

I got my pictures from Net-a-porter.com which has other close up pictures of all these items, so if you are a great knitter, get knitting and selling (not forgetting the missoni style fingerless gloves).
Kx
ps. Couldn't understand why no comments left or I could change anything, my fault! Doh! Now back to normal, I hope... but if you still can't leave a message let me know. Kxx

Sunday 15 August 2010

blondseknits

Due to my ability to not make anything whilst sitting, I found I needed a new pastime whilst on my train journeys to work. My car was tearfully waved away to the scrap man 2 weeks ago, and for a while will need to take a train.
The problem has left me with 3/4 hour to spare and in three days I managed to spend £10.00 on 3 magazines, not good...so knitting and crochet has now taken over!
I won't be competeing with anybody on folksy, somehow I will never get around to making little figures and knitted bowls of fruit.  I will be sticking to making things I will wear! (You can never have too many scarf's, necklaces and bracelets & bangles. I have never felted so looking to knit wool bracelets and then felting them to make them stiffer. And see what happens.
All my knitted jewelley will be made using 100% undyed, unbleached wool, reclaimed funky wool, and those like my mum who can't bear to wear wool, because of the itching! 100% cotton. No manmade fibers to be found.
Kx

Sunday 1 August 2010

WASH DAY BLUES





BLONDEDESIGN

New to my shop, I received some yummy huge buttons in the post from noodlebubble, so had to just getting making, before they ended up stuck all over my clothing!

Fabric from Clarke & Clarke, made in England
Gingham Bias Binding, made in England

New Cute Aprons in the above fabric coming this week.

Find Bias binding in my blondesbackyard shop.

Kx