Crafting chat

[JackBauer]

Hi,

I know that a lot of you are busy crafting for christmas as should I be but I need to offload and thought it would be nice to have a thread we can offload about crafty stuff/other stuff/whatever amongst like minded fidgety fingers!

I spent today at teh soft play with DD's. DD1 has a friend in her class she has been begging to have over for lunch, but I don't really know her or her mum (they are 3) so we decided to take them both to soft play for lunch. It was fun, and she is lovely, but it meant I felt really awkward getting my crochet out in front of a relative stranger.
My mates are used to me doing crochet while talking to them but I thought she might think I was being rude, so I got nothing done. It was so weird sitting there doing nothing!

I have also been offered a job interview tomorrow for a low paying job I neither want, nor can afford to take with nursery fees etc so I have said I will go but now I don't want to.

On the plus side I have finally found a coat for ridiculously tall DD1 here considering she has just grown out of her 4-5 yr one I have to get a 6 yr olds size for her

And breathe.

Love that too. She explains really well doesn't she. Did you make your own bias binding or did you buy some?

I used ribbon as a cheat I also made a dress version with shop bought bias binding. When I make another I am going to try my own bias binding as I found the ribbon a bit slippy and the bought bias a bit stiff. They both looked good though. I wish the habitual lady would bring out some more patterns, she's very good at them.

Thanks for the links CharChar, I'm going to give that one a try. Just had a peek at your dd's dress - it's gorgous! I've bookmarked that one for later.

That site you linked to with the lovely knitted dress is fab too - I'm thinking maybe I should start knitting... anyone happen to know if there's a beginners knitting kit or something that I could ask for for xmas?

I want to learn crochet, but i am very bad at following instructions so actually need to be shown. Then i might try knitting.

Weepootle - if you find a good kit, let me know!

alice - i relearned crochet (had done it years back but forgotten) from the vidoes on this site

and i learned to knit (had tried before but never grasped it) from knitting help

only thing to remember if using nexstitch but uk-written patterns is the difference between english and uk crochet terminology (us single = uk double, us double = uk treble etc.)

sorry, "english and us crochet..."

Thanks Heart looks terribly complicated I enjoy sewing, but get put off by the fact i am shut away in the dining room being antisocial, so something like knitting or crochet i could do whilst sitting with DH in the evenings iyswim?

Sparkly, that#s exatcly why I taught myself to crochet, Dh tended to get grumpy when I sewed while he was watching telly but I can crochet quietlyapart from the swearing

crochet's easy, honest, once you get the hang of the basic hand movement

i can knit and watch telly, but have to actually look at what i'm doing when i crochet.

There is swearing involved? Now that is my idea of craft!

Hello

I have run out of project yarn (my order from Black Sheep is taking aaaages) so am making DD a blanket from all my acrylics. Jack, I started out using all acrylics but my exposure to my yummy mummy bodenista knitting group has made me a wool snob! If I am doing nice projects and putting all that work in I want nice wool. Admittedly a lot of the stuff I have done is small toys for kids etc so I find chep but nice cottons do well. I shop around on the web. Have promised DH I would make a blanket for the bed out of lots of different types and sizes of square motifs so have spent lots of money on mostly Sublime Merino! Lush, but I keep wanting to use it for other projects and have had to put it away till I have time.

As for stuffed birds I thought of this but didn't realise it was crochet. You could sew felt in the same sort of style though, or this (no pattern but you get the idea) or this?

Hello

I am going to get some felt today to make christmas goody bags with. I have never used it before, can i use the machine and normal thread, or do i hand stitch with embroidery thread?

Charchar - do you think that little dress would work with needle cord? Or would plain cotton be a better idea?

Morning all. Have managed almost all of my first knitted baby legwarmer, very proud of myself [saddo]

Sparkly, needle cord would probably be ok I think, but you'd have to make sure it didn't end up too bulky to scrunch at the top. Felt is v versatile,you can machine it or handsew. Just be aware that it can shift about a bit.

Have doctor's at ten to 9 so leaving in a sec. Am very nervous but hoping it helps. Will check in later.

thanks for birdies pumpit, love the crochet one, will file that for later ref cos it's not quite what i'm after right now but it is luverly.

am super rubbish at making crafting time atm but maybe scheduling it would help - so will start tonight. anyone sees me on here please tell me to fuck off

Hello All!

Gawd, you have been busy. Unfortunately work has got in the way this week, especially after having time off last week with DS2. He's back to hectic, so is the house!

Have finished a bag off this morning that's been looking at me for a few days. Will be cutting out several more this evening (I hope) so at least they will be waiting to go when I get a spare 5 mins.

Doing decorated tea-towels with the boys over the weekend - sorts out prezzies for aunties etc. And we have started to make keyrings and bag tags/charms.

Just realised it's school run time...best dash.

Realised on Wednesday evening why I never get anything done as I wasted a couple of hours on Mumsnet (caught up with the Charlie Brooker webchat which was great fun!).

You've all shamed me into action - the last couple of nights I made a red satin top for the Christmas season. (Was that on the Great Project List? Of course not!)

Need to decide whether I'm making Christmas cards this year, and if so, what to do. Do you make your own? For everyone, or just close friends/family? All my ideas seem to be far too time consuming for mass production!

Hello all

I have got my list of possible christmas presents for the mini hampers i am going to do. Means a lot of work but i am so excited now.

When do you all do your crafting? I am pretty much limited to evenings, so planning on doing some bulk cooking over the next few days to fill the freezer so i have less to do in the evenings = more time for crafting

Typical christmas hamper:

Christmas tree decoration
Snowflake cookies (with edible glitter if i can get some)
Santa hat egg cosies (if kids in family)
Some homemade sweets (honeycomb/truffles/fudge/caramelised nuts)
Maybe some cheese straws

What do you think? Honestly?

Is this felt ok for sewing? or do you need something a bit more specific? it is for making little gift bags

I like the sound of those hampers.

I'm doing foodie ones too. Already made plum jam and chutney. Am making chilli jam and chilli oil this weekend. Also doing mango chutney (a couple of hampers are built around a curry recipe book). Also marinated olives. Will be doing some plate/mug decorating to go in too and maybe some themed coasters/ napkins. May have a go at chilli chocs nearer the time.

As usual my list is longer than the time available.

Sparkly, that felt should be ok, but if you have a fabric shop near you they may do it on a roll by the metre which is much cheaper.

Am admiring the recent makes...I'd better get on with mine. Another bag done last night, many more to go.

Just read the bit about birds. Great use of scraps.

HeartofGold, I made some little stuffed birds. I just drew a paper bird template (trial and error), then cut 2, plus 2 felt triangles for beak> I appliqued wings on each piece before I sewed them together (wrong sides facing)with the beak tucked inside, leaving a 2 inch gap. Then turned it inside out, stuffed it and hand stitched closed. Used buttons for eyes. I added ribbon to hang them by, this can either as you are sewing together or after. Twas really easy and impressed people way too much!

Hello, may I join you lovely ladies? (not stalking you Alice, honest! Great minds think alike. )

I am seriously in need of a crafty reboot. I've hardly done a thing in months after some stress I had in the summer.
However after some awesome nappy craftiness this week (pinking shears to cut some bamboo terries in half for boosters and straight scissors for some fleece for liners ) I dug my last knitted UFO out to discover it only needs the sideseams sewing up, so not a big ask.

I'm not going to write a list of works in progress, as that is a task in itself, but I also have a Paint by Numbers I'm working on.

And those are enough to be getting on with this week.

Hiya Wasting

Going to the sewing shop today to get some felt and bits, as my car is broken i can't go to HobbyCraft i lurve HobbyCraft

Then i can make my gift bags.

Going to try out some sweet recipes today too

I am going to try to get some bath bomb ingredients too, now..where did i put my energy? Damn this energy sapping sofa

Sparkly, those hampers sound fab.
I have been hiding from the chat as have been very bad, have hardly done anything.

Am making my mum a monkey with magnets in his hands and feet to go in her stocking, it's ridiculous, a while extra present that is not needed but I can't start anything else until it is done. And now DH has asked me to make BIL a hat. He is a mechanic, 25, and bit of a wide boy.
DH wants me to do him a black hat with TAWT in FCUK style across the front.