Crocheted Cushion Cover

As promised, I'm back with a finished crocheted project.
I started making this cushion cover around March this year and
 finally finished it a few weeks ago. I don't think it would have taken that
long to make if I hadn't been distracted by other projects. I just dipped
in and out, adding a round or two whenever I can. Eventually I had two
squares that were just the right size, joined them together and
it was done! And now we have a new handmade cushion on our sofa.
Hooray!

I used Drops Cotton Light yarn and I'm very happy with the colours
 I've chosen. They've been wonderful to work with but I'm a bit
disappointed that the squares came out a bit wonky. It's really
 noticeable at the back.

I've blocked both sides but it didn't make much difference and I've
realized this wouldn't have been an issue if I'd maintained the same
tension throughout. I'd definitely keep this in mind the next time I
 do any crochet.

I joined both sides with double crochets and these button loops
were made with chains. We can be quite messy around here and
it's good to be able to take the cover off and wash it if we need to.

Here are my girls with Mummy's new cushion. They like it very
much and despite the wonkiness I have to say I like it very much too!

That's all from me for now. I hope you're all keeping well.

Thank you as always for stopping by. Have a great week!

Hello!

How are you all? Apologies for not being around 

this past week. I wanted to keep up with everyone's posts

 while we were away but the holiday house we stayed in 

didn't have internet access and when I tried using my phone

I couldn't for the life of me remember my Blogger password.

So I've had to wait til we're home to get back here and it is

lovely not only to be in our own house again but also to be here. 

I've missed you all and I'm looking forward to catching up

with everyone's blogs this weekend.

Today, our first day back, we've been taking it easy. It looks
like we haven't managed to bring the sunshine and warm weather
back with us but never mind, it's still much nicer to be home.
Before I go I'd like to show these cards I made last week. I was
able to fit in a bit of making time in between packing and getting
things ready for our week away and made these three. It was
half an hour's fun with washi tapes, buttons and alphabet stamps.
Next time I'm back I'll share with you a finished crochet project.
Til then, take care and have a lovely weekend!!!

Back soon!

Peg Bag

I have another finished project that I'd like to share with you.
This one's a peg bag I've made to replace this one. I'm actually quite
fond of our old peg bag (I love those apple appliques) but after a year
of service it now has a few holes and the stitches on one side have
 unravelled a bit so I thought it's time I make us a new one.

I used pieces from an old table cloth that I bought ages ago
from a vintage shop. Part of it was used to make this cushion cover.
I kept the left over pieces hoping to use them for another project
and there was just enough to make this peg bag.

I like how the solid orange border looks like bias
binding along the opening. I added this small orange
button to keep it closed and for the loop I used one of the
girls' orange elastic hair bands.

I just love the colours and the simple retro design.
The flowers actually remind me a little of Orla Kiely's
Giant Abacus cushion.

So that's our new peg bag. It's bright and cheerful
and makes the job of hanging out the washing a little
bit more fun. It was easy to make too and didn't cost a
penny so I'm even more pleased!


Hope you're all well and having a great week.
We're off to the Isle of Wight for a week's holiday
but I'll try to be back here soon. See you!

Cherries

This is a little embroidery hoop picture that I made the previous
 weekend. I've always wanted to make something like this
but I couldn't decide whether to use appliques or crossstitch.
 Then I came across a project in Prima Makes Magazine 
that gave me the idea to use red buttons for the cherries
and I thought I'll give it a try.

I found a couple of wooden ones amonst my button stash
that were just the right size and so with some green thread and
yellow fabric I happily stiched away.

I used satin stitch for the leaves and split stitch for the

stalks. It was simple and easy, just the sort of project I enjoy

working on while sat on the sofa watching tv.

I think the buttons work perfectly and they go really well with
the yellow background.

It's a cheerful little picture and I love the handmade
colours it brings to our home so I'm really happy. Hope you
like it too!


Have a lovely week!

Lovely Happy Things

The girls and I made chocolate tiffin for the first time last
weekend. They had so much fun bashing the rich tea biscuits
to smithereens, even I enjoyed it too.

This super easy, no bake treat is so yummy we just have to make
them again for their party this weekend. Hurray!



....................



I received a parcel in the post last week and was so excited
when I found these magazines inside.

A friend of mine has sent them for my birthday and I'm so thrilled.
 They're packed full of sweet and beautiful makes, they'll be a wonderful
 source of crafty ideas and inspiration for many, many years.



.....................



I found Lulu happily drawing and colouring the other day and
was quite surprised to see how she's turned an old freezer tray
into a little crayon holder.

It made me laugh but I was also very impressed. I think
she'll be giving me tips on recycling and repurposing soon
and I wouldn't mind it at all!


...................



I love this storage jar that my mother-in-law got for me from the YSP 
shop. It's from the French design company Atomic Soda.

I think it's gorgeous and I'm just happy to have something like this.
(The bowls and mugs are equally fantastic--you can have a look here.)
And yes, my mother-in-law is lovely. I'm so lucky!





....................



It's the girls' birthdays this weekend and on Sunday we'll
have a party. I've gathered all the party things that we already have
and we'll be reusing many of them. I made this mini bunting last year.
I've added the stripey straws to make it look nicer and now that's
Lulu's cake topper sorted.

We'll be using these paper buntings too. They're made with
patterned paper that were craft magazine freebies. All we need
to do now is to string them together and hang them. Easy peasy.

We just hope the weather will play nice this weekend. Tomorrow
we're off to the zoo. Can't wait!





Have a lovely weekend too!
See you soon!

Rainy Day Out

We went to Yorkshire Sculpture Park on Saturday morning. 

It wasn't the best day for an outdoorsy family day out but we still went

anyway. We were hoping that the rain would let up after awhile and

 luckily it did! There was another heavy downpour as soon as we got
there but only for a few minutes and after that the rain stayed away
for a couple of hours,  just long enough for us to have a wander
 around with my parents-in-law and see some of the new open air
 exhibits.

We started off at the Bothy gardens then meandered down
to the hillside to one of my favourites in the park, Barbara Hepworth's
'Family of Man', where the girls played a little game of hide and seek
with GrandDad. It was the perfect day for jumping on muddy
puddles and they did a lot of that and running around.

The whole time there were dark clouds threatening more
rain so instead of going further down to the lake we went to the
Underground Gallery and then back to the YSP Centre for a
bit of cake, juice and coffee. We sat in the balcony looking out
to a beautiful landscape dotted with Henry Moore sculptures
and grazing sheep. Even in such awful weather it was still
a fantastic view.

After a little rest we had a quick look round the shop
(so many lovely things!), admired Rob Ryan's original papercut
celebrating the Yorkshire landscape, cycling and the upcoming
Tour de France leg in Yorkshire (nearly £10,000!) and then made
our way down to the chapel to see an exhibition by the
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. 

The Chinese government has recently confiscated Ai Weiwei's
passport and he can only collaborate with the park through emails
 for this exhibition, making every piece even more meaningful
and remarkable.

It started to rain soon after this but by then we were already
about to leave so we were lucky again. We'd like to come back
for another visit this summer and see more of the park. We're lucky
that we're only half an hour's drive away from this wonderful outdoor
art gallery and we really should come more often, hopefully on a
much sunnier and warmer day than this. But I'm glad we came.
It was still a lovely family day out despite the rain.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope your weekend was lovely and
not too rainy. See you soon!

New and Improved

This is the new top I've made which I mentioned in my
previous post. I was busy cutting and sewing on Wednesday
evening and finished it in time to wear on my birthday
the following day.

It is slightly different to the other two summery tops I've made.
It's longer so it's more like a tunic and instead of using bias binding
I've sewn a facing on the neckline and armholes. When I say 'facing'
it's really more like a lining, but it works a treat. I have seamed,
neatly finished edges plus they were quick to do too--hurray!

Towards the end of the evening I was too tired to make a thread
loop so decided to just put buttons on either side of this little slit
at the back instead. I think it looks okey. I've also altered the shape
of the armholes so they fit better and they do.

Here it is worn with a pair of leggings. I really like this 'Galloping
 Horses' fabric from John Lewis. They were two remnant pieces which
 I bought for £11. Not a bad price for a new top!

I think it's safe to say you'll be seeing more tops here in the 

coming months, especially now that I've discovered 'facings'. 

I keep learning as I go along and so many things are new to me

 so it's all very exciting. As always I'm already looking forward
 to making the next one. I might try adding a Peter Pan collar
 like Virna did with her beautiful dress. We'll see!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're all having a
great week. Back soon!