Hexie BOM: March

I admit that my biggest failing with this blog is getting around to taking pictures of the things after they have been completed. The trouble is I tend to craft in the evenings after work and by the time I have finished something the light has gone and the pictures don't look very good in the indoor light. So I inevitably think that I will take a photo in the daylight, then start making the next thing and never get around to taking the picture!

Anyway, I have finally taken a picture of the March Hexie BOM. The March design from the Hexie Blog BOM was a shamrock for St Patrick's Day. However, as I am using the fat-quarter material I already had mine has a less green feel about it but I still think it worked out really pretty.

I've also finished the April BOM (and taken a photo of it!) which I'll post next week. I've fallen a little behind with the BOM - I ran out of ready made hexies and it does take a bit of time to make them each month. However, having seen the half made quilt on the Hexie Blog it really inspired me to stick with it. So the May block is underway. I may not finish this all in a year (in fact it is highly unlikely with all of the sewing together of the quilt top), but I am determined that I will finish this however long it takes me!

A smashing mosaic time!

Sunday was Father's Day, and although this is never going to feel the same again for the last two years we have made sure to still celebrate Dad (Ray) on Father's Day and to have a 'gift' to mark the day. Last year, we visited a garden center and selected some beautiful flowers to plant up Dad's area in the garden. This year, we stayed with the garden theme but with a craft twist.

I've always liked the idea of trying to make a mosaic and last year I saw some mosaic stepping stone kits online. Mum bought me one and unfortunately time has run away with me and it has still be sat there. So this Father's Day we decided to make a start on it as our 'gift' to the garden this year.

The original stepping stone kit design from Tracey Cartledge

After having a read through of the kit I realised that the design was actually really hard to mosaic as to be able to see the flower petals you'd have to be really precise with tile cutting - surely not the point of a mosaic! So the design was promptly thrown aside. Cue an enjoyable session with a hammer smashing up the tile pieces into even smaller tile pieces!

Once the last piece was smashed and the pieces gathered it was time to play around with the shapes and see what design appeared. It's funny that the pieces seem to make their own design, at one stage Mum's fiddling produced a bird, the next a leaf. Anyway, after a bit of time a design appeared that we liked.

And this is as far as we got! Having started quite late in the afternoon it was too late to then start mixing concrete and mortar to make the stepping stone, before then transferring the pieces into the top of it. So at the moment, the design is nicely laid out - with everyone under threats not to knock it or touch it, and tonight may the stone making commence! Fingers crossed this all goes well now!

Springtime felt birds

Spring has finally arrived and with the sun shining at the weekend I made the most of the opportunity to get some bright sunlit photos of a newly finished project - some springtime felt birds.

I love working with felt - it's probably my favourite material because it's so versatile and easy to work with. These little birds are a great opportunity to mix together different colours, patterns and embellishments. The combination possibilities are endless.

The purple flowery material is part of a fat quarter bundle I bought at Hobbycraft a while ago. I think the fabric adds a simple hint of springtime to the birds when combined with the blue and purple felt,whilst the yellow ribbon and sequins provide a good splash of contrast.

The birds are so light that they easily fluttered around in the breeze whilst they hung in the tree.

Happy 'Spidey' Easter

Happy Easter!

I thought I'd share a little Easter crafting treat today. Obviously I had to wait until it had been given to the recipient as part of their Easter present before uploading pictures. It's not particularly Easter themed but it went perfectly with the Marvel Easter egg I was giving them.

So here he is - mini Spiderman!

At only 7cm tall he really is mini! The 32 year old 'child' who received this was pleased with it though!

Hexie BOM: February

During February I was working on the second block from the Hexie Blog's BOM challenge. Who would have guessed it would have been a Valentine's heart block.

Whilst the original version looks very pretty in pink, I have stuck with my plan to use up some more of the fat quarter material used in my January BOM. So here's finished block number 2!

I finished this at the end of February just in time for the March block to be revealed. It's then only taken me a month to get a picture of it! It's so hard at this time of year to get good pictures, as by the time you get home in an evening the light has gone.

I've actually already finished the March block too! So now let's see how long it takes me to get a picture of that one!

A special cross stitch kit

Recently my boyfriend's Grandma has been very unwell and I was given some of her crafting materials. In amongst them was a lovely cross stitch pattern that she had adapted to use for someone's birthday. It was a beautiful design with a cream heart and wild flowers. We'd been looking for a picture with some meaning for Dad for a while and this seemed perfect. For Christmas, Mum turned the pattern into a lovely kit for me - complete with a beautiful storage box!

We've changed the colours on the design so that the roses are yellow which have a significant meaning for us. The design is already well underway and I think it's going to look great once it is completed. More updates to follow!

A little bit of embroidery

At the end of last week I saw a post on the Glee and cakes blog of a lovely piece of embroidery. This reminded me how much I enjoyed embroidery when I finished a couple of small individual motifs a while ago. So I raided the fabric stash for a piece of plain material, some threads and a needle and got going.

You can draw the design straight on to the fabric using washable fabric pencils. Once the design was drawn out it was time to start sewing - picking difference stitch types as I went. I decided I wanted quite a simple look so I chose to use only three colours of thread throughout - blue, white and purple. I also only used four types of stitch - lazy daisy, chain stitch, couching, and french knots.

I really like the finished design and the process of making it. Now just to decide what design to do next...