Snoooooooooooooooooooooooow!

Today we are snowed in. This is bad, for two reasons. One: Myself and the Rubester don't have high cabin fever thresholds. Two: I am out of iron on interfacing. That may not sound like a trip to Disasterville, but pretty much all my current projects need it. A new and interesting development is that my attic sewing room is FREEZING. I had to stop about 5 times yesterday whilst sewing on a popper to warm my hand up by sitting on it. Rubbish.

Anyhoo, I did manage to get a couple of purse prototypes done:



I like the general style and shape of both these, but i think they need another card pocket and maybe something along the top flap to brighten it up. A nice ribbon or big button or something. Hmm. The blue one was going to be my test wallet, but Ruby half-inched it within seconds. She approves at least.

Notice the difference in the colour of the pics? I was using natural light and the colours of the purses threw the white balance right off. I really need some help with photography...

Also, which do you think is better, the straight on closed pic or the diagonal closed pic?


Can't face the cold of the sewing room today. Have spent a productive couple of hours researching craft fairs and chatting to Ross Green of Greenflare about some graphics stuff. Very talented fellow. Think I'm going to have to relocate the sewing room to the bedroom, for the sake of my fingertips.

Happy New Year!

Hope you had a fabulous festive season! I had a marvellous time, lots of quality time spent with the family eating, laughing and playing Trivial Pursuit. Good stuff.

That's not to say I haven't still been sewing away, oh no. In fact I'm actually impressed with myself how much I've fitted in! My crafty business idea is on its way to becoming reality, and I had a meeting just before Christmas with a lovely lady called Gillian at Wrexham Business Development who's set me well my way, and so my next few months look like this: January will be spent researching, developing my products and getting all the paperwork in order and ready to go. Ruby will also be starting nursery. Eek. February I'll be busy sewing, sewing, sewing trying to make as much stuff as possible ready for the Mad March Fayre at the Northgate arena, Chester, where Sparrowarms will be premiering! Any items that don't sell, will then be put onto my brand new Folksy page (which is in development at the mo).

I'm very excited. So far I'm thinking of selling wallets, purses, everything bags, phone/mp3 cases, knitting needle rolls and mini sewing kits. Dependent on my development though. Fancy a sneak preview? Here's a few wallets I've been working on:




My first Batman wallet. Currently being tested by Kev, too shallow and needed a fastener (hence my finger holding it closed) so onto:




Thundercats wallet (made from the scraps of the Thundercats blanket) and a belated Christmas present. Not quite neat enough so onto:



Spongebob wallet. Better construction, but I put the seam in the wrong place and still not quite neat enough.


Finally, Batman wallet number two! Think I have the size, construction and style sorted here. Yay. Now to cut out a million of 'em.

I also made this:



It's Ruby's birthday present! It's based on the card table Play house, and is lit with fairy lights, has a window, curtains, pockets and a cot and table inside! Ruby LOVES it. Yay to sewing.

Christmas is nearly here!

Whoa, last post was the 9Th of December. Naughty me, but as i'm sure you can imagine, December is a busy crafting month. I had most of my presents done by the start of this month, but there's always a couple you forget, or have to re-do as you decided to keep them, or fleece trousers to make as this snow WON'T GO AWAY.... So before the big day arrives, I though I'd round up what I've been doing with myself the last few weeks.

I've been thinking and working a lot on my new business plan. It seems to be coming together nicely, but I'm taking my time. One of the ideas I'm toying with is mobile phone/mp3 covers.


Sorry about the bad photo's. Again. I have a new camera, but I'll come to that in a bit. This is the case I'm using for my phone, it's not quite as refined as the finals will be, but overall, I'm liking it. It's the same style as Papa Jones' Spongebob one.



Here it is with my Ipod in.




I made this one for my Mum. She likes elephants. It's also lined with red denim. Yum.


I got a new phone this month too, I purposely picked one with a decent camera (it ain't pretty) but I liked the idea of having one less device to carry around. Here's a pic taken with it of the Thundercats throw and pillow I made for my friend Pricey which he has yet to pick up. I might stick it on Ebay if he's not quick.



Here's another idea I'm playing around with to sell.

Its a PVC lined everything bag. I'm using this one at the mo for holding nappies and snacks for Ruby. It fits in my bag lovely, and keeps the stuff together! It would also be a really good sized makeup bag, or great for packed lunches as the inside is wipeable. Much better than a Saino's carrier bag.

It holds three nappies perfectly, with plenty of space for two Pepperami mini's and a Babybell, the current snacks of choice.


Momentous happening this month too, Ruby's had her big bed (Yay!) so I wanted to make her a special blanket. I fancied patchwork, but didn't have enough of the fabric I wanted to use for the entire blanket, so appliqued the patchwork onto two layers of fleece with a layer of wadding in the middle.

It's so cosy, and makes a great play mat too.


Patchwork close up. I love the guitar fabric, but have now used every scrap. Sniff.


Over Christmas, I'll get pictures of everyone with their handmade gifts, so expect a MEGA January post!

Merry Christmas everyone! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oh, the Excitement

I went to Asda today and bought this:


"Why the heckaroo would a svelte (ahem) young lady buy such a humongous shirt?" you might ask? Well, to turn it into this:



I LOVE IT. Holy Mackerel. I will now be buying XXXL tshirts wherever I can find them. I'm so excited, I want to get changed into it RIGHT NOW.

OK, overuse of capitals over. I also made this for Papa Jones:


Whenever he has a new mobile, I make him a new case for it. I got sick of doing boooring black ones, so asked him " Does it have to be black?" he replied "I don't care as long as it protects the phone."So this baby has Spongebob on the outside and Batman on the inside. Oh yeah.

By the way, people keep asking me if I'm losing weight, or watching what I eat. Well I do watch the cake/rocky road/ pie go into my mouth I suppose. Just shows what properly fitted clothes can do.

Good Sewing, Bad, Terrible, Awful Photography

Today and yesterday, I've been on a clothes making frenzy. I've made a fab Thundercats skirt and two, yes TWO dresses! Unfortunately, the pictures I've taken of them are absolutely awful. Don't believe me? Take a gander at these babies:

My Thundercats skirt, made from a pillowcase. It's an awesome skirt, honest!

The back:

Obscenely out of focus.




My purple jersey dress. Papa Jones took this for me, I asked him to cut my head off and just photograph the dress, but I think he ignored me which explains the stupid face I'm pulling. There's also a random stain on the front, which I cant seem to find in real life.



Dear god what an unflattering angle. This dress does have two frickin sweeeet things going for it though; it has motorbikes all over it and it's the first time I've attempted sleeves! And they worked! That was a pretty darn exciting moment for me. I've always been scared of sleeves. Not in general, not like they were going to come alive and strangle me in the night or anything. Just making them.

I made the pattern for these two dresses by putting a tshirt and skirt that fit me well onto some paper and drawing round them, and it works really well for my weird body shape. I think the neckline needs some work though.

I'm going to wear this dress out this weekend, but jazzed up like this:


Holy mackerel.

It says a lot that these were the best of the photo's.

Yay Geekcrafts

I'm so excited!I was contacted today by Shayne from geekcrafts and Dinohorsie is going to be on the website! Yay!

I LOVE geekcrafts, you should go and have a look at the awesome stuff they have there!

Busy, busy, busy...

I haven't posted for a while, but that's because I've been sewing my buttski off! We've been a bit poorly in the Jones household, so after The Rubes has retired to bed, I've been snuggling on the sofa in my PJ's with Lost and some hand stitching. Heaven. This afternoon my parents were kind enough to babysit, so I've been up in the attic, working my way through my 'To sew' list. This is what my week has brought:

Matching Pirate skirts for Ruby and I made form fleece. So cosy! Thanks to Kegga for this idea. I've got lots of fleece, so will be making many more.


A fleece dress for Ruby.


A skirt for Ruby made from and old jumper. I left the ribbing at the top, zigzagged elastic for the waistband, and zizagged the bottom too to give that rufflyness.



Pink cord edged in some random stuff I got in a huge bag of lace and ribbon from a carboot sale for a fiver. That was a good day. Elasticated waist again.


Herb. He was supposed to be a Christmas present for my friend Richard, but I'm going to give him to Ruby instead as I want him to live at our house! I'm not even going to wait until Christmas.

And finally...


DINOHORSIE! Ever since she was really little, Ruby has called Dinosaurs, Dinohorsies. I wondered what a dinohorsie would look like... I was going to give him a mane and all sorts, but the fabric was enough on its own. That hair got frickin everywhere though.