Custom orders

Isn't life funny. Last week, just as I was starting to think that I really should pull my finger out and start making some bits and pieces for the Horsebridge Summer Fair on June 19th whilst I still had time to make lots and what should happen but I get lots of orders!

Within the space of a few hours I had  received 2 custom orders and sold a cushion from my Folksy shop, plus I was given an order for 2 personalised cushions for a friend for a Christening she is attending in June!

One of the Folksy orders was for a personalised felt envelope for a ladies little girl to put her pocket money in. She very kindly left me some nice feedback via Folksy so it seems Isabella was pleased with her felt pocket money purse!

The other Folksy order I have just finished, which was one of my baby quilts. Sue had found one via the sold items in my shop and wanted one with more of the aeroplane fabric and a square embroidered with her newborn nephews date of birth etc. The aeroplane quilt was born and fingers crossed she likes it! I really enjoyed making it.

I must, MUST get more baby quilts made. They are one of my best sellers and never normally make it to my Folksy shop because as soon as one is made it normally gets brought up by my family or friends as gifts for new babies! One day I will have a selection in my Folksy shop!

I'd best start cutting some squares out now!

A little bit more drawing on fabric..

It was a very good friends 40th birthday last week and I really wanted to get her a lovely, personal and special present - but I didn't have a clue what to get her. I searched high and low in every shop in Whitstable trying to find the perfect gift but I just couldn't find it.

I finally decided that the perfect gift would be a photo album so that she could capture all the best moments from her 40th year and to personalise it I decided to make a fabric cover (with a bit of help and inspiration from Poppy Treffrys' book). Whoo hoo, more drawing on fabric and more drawing with my ever favourite Flixion pens!

It took quite a few failed attempts I finally came up with the design that I thought would be ok and I scribbled it down.  The bird cage image I chose specifically as she used to have several of them hanging from her ceiling above her stairs (which looked gorgeous) - one of them which I remember bringing back as hand luggage from Thailand  for her many years ago! I then copied the design onto some white linen and went mad on the sewing machine with the free motion embroidery foot!

I ironed on a few bits of fabric with Bondaweb on the back and then more free motion embroidery over those. The coloured panel at the bottom was pinned on to within an inch of its life as being a lazy sort of sewer and being in full embroidery mode, I really couldn't be bothered to swap the sewing machine feet over to sew it on and then have to stick the embroidery foot back on again to finish off - so I decided to pin it on and and keep everything crossed that it worked!

Thankfully it did work and this is where I get to show you the finished article that I was quite pleased with but.........hmm, unfortunatley I can't as I don't have any pictures of it! My hubby had to take the camera to work the next day and I had to wrap it up and take it with me to London on the train for Sarah's party so this one will have to do...

 She still hasn't had the present yet but I am keeping everything crossed that she likes it and that I manage to get a proper finished photo of it eventually!

Right, I'm off to find another bit of fabric to start drawing on ................

Drawing on fabric

I love the blog Flossie Teacakes, the girl is a genius with a sewing machine and everything she makes always looks so immaculately made, including the beautiful clothes she makes for herself, so simple and yet so very stylish.

So when I read on her blog about some Frixion pens she was using, I took note! Florence I think uses them more for her dressmaking, but for me I thought they would be perfect for drawing illustrations on fabric and then free motion embroidering over them.

The reason they are so perfect for this is because they are rollerball pens, so very easy to draw with, but once you have sewn over them and want to lose the pen lines all you need to do is...iron and the lines will disappear right before your eyes!

They are just brilliant! I got mine on ebay and they were about £5 for 3 pens and well worth the money so make sure you order some quick smart.

Nearly normal

Grrrr back to school tomorrow.
Back to getting up early, ironing uniforms, making packed lunches, homework and rushing everyone out of the door.

They are really not looking forward to it and neither am I. It has been the best Easter holiday, we have all loved it.  I am really going to miss the little monkeys, I might even miss their arguments.

Hmm ok, I probably won't miss the arguments or the constant mess the house has been in over the holidays (I forgot how impossible it is to clean the house properly when the kids are there!) but I will miss them.

We decided to cling onto the last day of the holidays and head off to Howletts Animal Park (just outside Canterbury) for the day. Leaving early to get there when they opened was a very good idea as come 2pm when we left it was packed!

We had a lovely day despite it costing an eye watering £67 for 2 adults and 2 kids! But the good news is that the one day tickets turn into a year long passport - so you pay once and can go back as many times as you want for a whole year! Brilliant, especially as we are only 20 minutes drive away, so we intend to make the most of this and go back  lots of times over the coming year.

I love all the primates best. Especially the Gorillas, I could have spent hours just watching and photographing them.

Ahh well, back to reality now. Thank goodness it is only a 3 day week to ease us back into normality gently, with a Royal Wedding thrown in as well!

Vintage nighties and seaside life

Well the weather has been gorgeous this week here in Whitstable.

With the smalls off of school we have just been hanging out at home, the park, the beach, with friends.
It has been just lovely.

Whitstable is a gorgeous seaside town and I feel truly lucky to live here. 

Let me show you a few of the sights...

 

A Fishing boat in the harbour...

The lovely old boat outside the Whitstable Oyster Company restaurant...

Oyster shells...

Pipi Max....Ok not a Whitstable sight normally but we did take him for a walk (ok carry, he is a bit slow!) to the beach with us one day...

Lovely vintage nighties flapping in the warm breeze from Vintage on Sea - a sweet little vintage clothes shop right on the seafront....

The fisherman's huts - available for weekend hire (via The Hotel Continental), right on the seafront and car parking space to boot (a rare find in Whitstable!)....

We also have lots of clever crafty people here in town too. The other Saturday along with Vicki we went along to a vintage and handmade fair at a local hall where we  met Hannah from Bubblebay Designs. It is so strange meeting people whose blogs you read as you know so much about them and what they like from their blog - but you don't actually know them in person. I can report that Hannah was just as lovely and friendly as she seems on her blog and her creations were gorgeous. (although Doh! I forgot my camera so no pics to share of Hannah's lovely stall).

Well, we are keeping our fingers crossed there will be lots of sunshine this weekend and we can get the BBQ out for the first barbeque of the year! Hope you have a great Easter weekend wherever you may be.

The Imperial War Museum

We've had a week of train journeys this week. I took the kids on the train to my parents for the week to keep them occupied for a few days and to spend time with their grandparents, aunty, uncle and the all important cousins who they LOVE spending time with.

Tuesday we all caught the train to London and went to the Imperial War Museum. I had only been there once, with work a few years ago for an event we held there so I hadn't had much of a chance to look round then.  It was a brilliant day out and free too which is always a bonus!

There was loads to see and do and the kids really enjoyed themselves. My favourite part was the 1940's house, I love the gorgeous fabric used for the kitchen windows!

And these beautiful embroidered items made by Wartime evacuees.

Lovely old fashioned packaging.

From the museum we caught the tube to Covent Garden where we watched a bit of street entertainment.

Then headed over to Chinatown for some asian cooking essentials for my sister who cooks amazing Thai food (she lived over there for 10 years, so was in spicy food heaven stocking up in the New Loon Supermarket!).

It feels very strange to me going to London now - I feel such a tourist despite living and working there for many years! Since moving to live by the sea I rarely head up to London, so it was a real treat to have a day out and enjoy all the sights!

Family

We have had lots of visits from family over the past few weeks, which has been just lovely.

First my mum and dad popped down to see us for the day, which meant a little pre-dinner drink at the Old Neptune to watch the sunset - (Happy Mother's Day for yesterday by the way Mum!).
Then my sister, her boyfriend and kids popped down unexpectedly the other sunday afternoon, which meant err....more pre-dinner drinks at the Old Neptune!

My two had a whale of a time with their cousins. My son F and my neice decided to do some paddling and got soaked! It was freezing as well, not quite as warm as the last couple of weeks! We all had a ball anyway, although there were many tears when they had to go home. Both my parents are only children so I didn't grow up with cousins and love watching our children and their lovely relationship with my sisters children, it is so special.
It was also my nephews 4th birthday last week, and as he is VW Campervan mad I made him this picture to go up in his room. I think he liked it !