Monday 29 September 2014

~Lavender Attic Etsy Shop~

I joined Etsy in 2008...it has only taken me 6 years to actually get some of my handmade and vintage homewares in my shop to sell! It has been on my 'to do' list for ages and I made myself take some time this weekend to sit down and get to grips with listing on Etsy, and thankfully it seems easy enough. I got stuck at one point and was helped by the lovely Vivienne at Green Rabbit Designs :)
The kind of things I will sell are handmade items such as cushions, bags and tea cosies mixed in with vintage homewares.  Click on the link on my sidebar to visit.
This little beauty of a bookbag is just about to be listed...
I do love it so and want to keep it but I won't...made in gorgeous Sanderson vintage linen fabric.
Also these cushions are for sale, made from vintage 1960s fabric...

...the reverse is wool check fastened with wooden buttons.
 
So, I will see how things go.  I've also joined Instagram this week and has seen some of you on there, please find me as I'm still learning the ropes :)

Sunday 21 September 2014

~Baby Jumper tada~

I've been back at work and too busy to blog since 1st September, but thought I'd share this latest finished project. I do feel good when I actually complete a project. I liked the shoulders on this sweater pattern and wanted to knit it for my baby niece Evelyn. It's Sirdar 6013 for baby cashmere merino silk DK.

 
 
I chose to make it up in Sirdar Simply Recycled Cotton DK in shade 0022, a dark chalky pink with a marl appearance. I went for one shade rather than stripes.

 
 
Here's the finished jumper...

 
 
 
 
 
 I crocheted 2 flowers for embellishments (pattern from Nikki Trench crochet book) in cream cotton yarn...
 
I wasn't happy with the not-very-neatness of my picking up stitches round the neckline, hence the flowers to hide a wonky bit :)
My sewing up isn't great either - must practice more!
I also found these mittens for Evelyn; £1.50 at the Monsoon outlet...


 So, I had a lovely day over in Manchester yesterday catching up with my brother and his lovely family in their new home.  On the drive over I spotted a fab sewing shop nearby in Eccles and we had a walk there.
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 Bambers is a family business over 2 floors, selling overlockers, machines, wool, fabric, patterns, haberdashery, and they also run sewing courses.  I feel very guilty because I quite impulsively bought a dressmaker's mannequin (hurrah!) for a very good price - cheaper than I'd researched on ebay and the web. So, hence I felt the need to get up at silly o'clock this morning to do a car boot sale.  Unfortunately I only made £35 today but it will add to my ebay sales of late and pay for this essential bit of kit, so my homemade clothes fit me better.