~Catching Up~

At the end of a tiring week leaving home at 7am for work every morning (I look and feel rubbish!) I am quickly popping in to do a ta-da of my latest chair project.  All the chairs in this house are vintage ones which have had a makeover. I thought I'd show the chair I've painted for Laura's bedroom.   I posted a photo of this on Instagram earlier in the week.  The solid wood chair was in a family shed, rescued and given to me.  It was in bad condition with a PVC seat, but as you can see it's a lovely shape so just needed a good scrub, rub down and paint.

 

I used the Laura Ashley eggshell in Duck Egg blue I had left over from my sewing room chair project. The method here was 1 coat of primer, followed by 3 thin coats of eggshell, gently rubbing down between coats.

 

I then used fine glasspaper to distress the edges, and finished with a wiped-on coat of clear wax and a good buff with a cloth.  The finish is lovely and satiny smooth - worth the effort.

 

The seat pad was repadded with cotton wadding from Dunelm and recovered in this lovely duck egg check linen fabric (£19.99 per metre - Dunelm) I've enough to make some cushions too.

 

Just need to repaint her room now - but that will have to wait until half-term!

Hope you like it. 

Have a lovely weekend x

~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 :)

~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.

 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.

~Gingham Shell Top~

I'm struggling with both money and time at the moment, but have managed odd half hours this week to make a top for myself. Have lost a stone and a half so I need some new work clothes but have no pennies :(

I get a free paper pattern each month with my Prima magazine subscription I got as a gift at Christmas.  This month's is this top and skirt...

 It comes as a full size paper pattern (great), but printed on 2 sides, so you have to trace some pieces off (not so great - grrr!)  I think the sizes are small too (Bust 34" Waist 26" for a 12) but I cut out a 12 as I'm usually a 10/12 now.

I used 90cm of cheap gingham (£2 a metre) so in effect it was a toile to see how it fitted.
How I wish I had a mannequin!
( If anyone's great aunt Gertie is getting rid of one please let me know.)
This is the finished top...

It fits okay but is snug on the waist/hips and is also quite short.  I'm going to add half a cm to the side seams below the bust darts on my next attempt.



 

Didn't have the requisite concealed zip so made do with a normal one, but it looks okay; although I look like a broad shouldered weightlifter in this photo.

 

 The edges at the top of the zip are a tad wonky, but isn't that what cardigans are for?

It will be fine for work.  When I am office-based I have to wear black and white as a uniform, which is at worst morbid and funereal, and best, like a Betty's waitress!
Next attempt is in this polka dot cotton...

Has anyone else been sewing clothes this week?

~1960s Drawers- finished!~

Here are the finished drawers I blogged about last week.
This first photo is the best representation of the actual colour and finish.  I have distressed the edges and the finish is silky smooth. It's worth taking your time to rub down between coats to get a good result.  I love the chalky finish and different colour hues.

 

I had a trauma picking the handles - bringing loads home to try from Blossom & Walker in York...

 

 

...before going back and settling on the turquoise flower embossed ones (£3.99 each)

 

Here's how I did it;

Rubbed down the drawers to provide a key.

Wiped the surface with a damp cloth.

Painted the legs with 3 coats matt white spray paint.

Coat 1: 'Deep Sung Cream' matt emulsion

Coat 2: Paint mix - I mixed Craig & Rose 1812 'Saxe Blue'  with Wilkinson 'Spearmint' matt emulsion testerpot and added the Molly's Paintbrush chalk additive as per directions.

Coat 3 and 4: as above - rub down with fine glasspaper between coats.

Then when fully dry, distress with glasspaper both fine and coarse to show the base coat.

Coat 6: wax with Colron finishing wax and buff well.

 

Then I lined the drawers by wallpapering them with this neutral polka dot wallpaper...

 

They are currently residing in my bedroom and look quite nice with the CK wallpaper; but in my head they are destined for a hallway in a seaside Victorian terrace with stripped floorboards and white walls!
This is the whole thing - do you like the shape? They were originally a dressing table as the back has markings where the mirror was attached.

 

Thanks for popping by and see you soon x

~Baby Gifts~

This Saturday is the baby shower for my new niece who is due in July, so we will zip across the Pennines to Manchester for some tea, cake and fun.
Here are some things I have been making.
First, another Puerperium Cardigan from Ravelry - this time it's the long-sleeved version in a dark pink yarn (Wendy Sorrento) with chunky wooden buttons. Pictured here with Mrs Bunny, a one-off for my new niece, inspired by soft toys and cuties I've admired on other blogs. 

And finally, my biggest reveal...
Who would have ever thought I would complete a crochet project? No more crochet-fear here -well not much :)
Thanks to the 2 crochet lessons at Me and Mrs Fisher in York, here is my cushion for the baby's room...

 The wool is a bamboo cotton type in 3 lovely shades of pink and the big granny square is just stitched onto a cushion I've made from Laura Ashley cream woven fabric.

Hope you like them!
Made with love x

~More painting of furniture~

I visited Hornsea again last weekend for a wander in the sea air on my ownio and did my run of the charity shops.  In a second hand shop I picked up (literally) a solid 1960s chest of drawers - loved the size and shape of them and the fact they were on legs. I got them for £18, with a framed floral picture thrown in for free. I hate haggling - but it did work!
The handles and the vintage wallpaper lining the drawers are currently for sale on ebay (link in my sidebar). Waste not want not and all that!

 

The handles after a good polish

 

Vintage wallpaper

Next stop was the vintage style interiors  'A Lovely Little Shop' on Market Place which sells fabric, Sass and Belle goodies, painted furniture and vintage bric-a-brac. After chatting about paint and furniture renovation, the lovely lady there put me on to this product...

...a chalk based additive by Molly's Paintbrush for paint which means you can use up all your flat emulsion bits and bobs and make your own chalk paint. I think they sell it on ebay too. It comes with full instructions of quantities to use - I'm using it to mix up small amounts which I store in plastic takeaway boxes with lids.
I've used the powder with leftover emulsion to mix up this shade of blue/green for the drawers...

I will hopefully finish it this week and share the end result and what it's been like to use.

~Chair Makeover using Laura Ashley Eggshell~

I have 2 job applications that I need to complete post-haste but I am painting and waxing things instead! It's half-term so as usual I have a 'to do' list (which is not wholly achievable!) but I have managed to complete this chair makeover.
Thought I'd give this paint a try as it is cheaper than F&B and I liked the colour. It's Laura Ashley Water-based Eggshell in Duck Egg (750ml for £13.99 from Homebase or Laura Ashley)

I have to say it's a thinner consistency and doesn't have the opacity of F&B eggshell but the results are fine.  Here it is...

...and with a new chair seat - yes, more Sanderson - I'm getting very predictable.

It did take 3 coats, rubbed down with wire wool inbetween, and a final coat of Colron Finishing Wax.

It's destined for the sewing room, so it will fit in nicely I think.

 

~New Look 6895 Ta-Da~

Sorry for the delay in finishing my top I started to sew last week here
I get easily distracted with my 'to do' list and have undercoated and glossed the spindles and handrails in the hall and landing as well as making a roman blind for Jack's room. Now I have a stinking head cold just in time for going away for a couple of days!
I had sewing machine issues too, bunching and breaking of thread and noisy sewing...Got my manual out, laid it on it's side and cleared the feed dogs of packed lint with a paperclip, needle change, tension adjustment...Running like a dream now - I felt like a mechanic and very pleased with myself!!
Here is the finished top...

I'm pleased with it though I made this one with the scoopier neck and I actually prefer the higher-neck version.



I left out the gathered sleeve band too and make straight capped sleeves. This photo gives a truer pic of the lovely fabric too...

 

And to finish off; a vintage button with a handsewn button loop.

It looks lovely with this White Stuff blazer I treated myself to with my Birthday money...

So tomorrow (with my Lemsip and tissues) I will be trotting off with Jack on a road trip to Bath.  As a big Jane Austen fan, or Jane-ite as my English teacher used to say, I am very excited. Not sure my son is, but we will have fun!

See you soon x

 

 



~Sewing in the hols~

Spurred along by Daisy's Sew-Along (click on the link opposite) and also the final of the Great British Sewing Bee on Tuesday, I've started a new sewing project...

 

It's New Look 6895, which is a multi-size pattern for 6 tops - I'm making view C, top right, which takes 1.5m of fabric.  It's got a gathered scoop neck, and gathered short sleeves.

I made another of these (view E) in 2012...

 

 

I'm using this navy soft cotton lawn, which I bought a few weeks ago for £5.99 a metre from the fantastic Fabworks millshop here in Dewsbury. It looks a bit faded in my photo, but it's a true navy.

Talking of the Sewing Bee; I did apply for this year and made it to the phone interviews but no further. *sad face*
That said, as I do my cutting out on the floor in a most unglamorous fashion, oofing when my knees hurt and I put my tongue out whilst concentrating - all these things would have not made easy viewing!
Here are my 4 pieces cut out, notches cut out and tailor-tacks done, all ready to start after tea. See how messy my sewing room is now you can see the untidy side! 
And now, Small Dog has just wondered in to have a look a la Claudia, Patrick and May just to check up on me...

I will return tomorrow with some progress (hopefully).

 

 





~Baby Shower & Cardigan~

Today I went to a Baby Shower; my first one - I didn't know what to expect but it was lovely.  It was a vintage afternoon tea, with some added 'guess the baby' photo games and opening of gifts. and was hosted by some friends for their sister/daughter whose baby is due on 21st April.   I thought it was very much an American tradition we had adopted, but reading about it on the tinterweb, it appears that worldwide we have always had these kind of events in every culture, though they may evolve and change over time.  In the late 19th Century apparently Victorians held afternoon tea parties for expectant mothers - I didn't know that!
I made the Puerperium cardigan (newborn - 6 weeks) which is a free Ravelry pattern I read about last year on Country Rose blog here

I made the short sleeved version (as I ran out of time!) but you can do a long straight or tapered sleeve.  It's knitted top down in one piece with sleeves knitted last 'in the round' which I did on my preferred 2 bendy pins. I have to be honest and say I didn't enjoy it at first -  faffing about with stitch markers, but actually it'll be lots easier next time as you can see where to increase and don't really need the markers past a certain point.
It only took less than 3 25gram balls of Yorkshire-spun Erika Knight British Blue Wool in 'Milk' (appropriate eh?)
I bought mine from Wool & Buttons see here  £3.95 for 25g.  After washing and blocking you can see the lustre of the wool, it's really soft like mohair.

I've already started another version in pink and I'm much quicker this time round!

~Finished Play Quilt~

I thought I would share a few photos of my finished quilt with you.  I have made a few quilts before, mostly thrown together and not very planned.  I actually thought about this one! It's designed to be a play quilt, that can be thrown on the floor anywhere and will withstand regular machine washing.  It's also the right size to be a cot quilt or would be a lovely cover for little-people naps on the sofa.  It is for my brother's new baby due in July.  I did my research on the t'interweb regarding measurements and methods.  The finished quilt measures 31 inches (79cm) by 35 inches (89cm).

I wanted the fabrics to be suitable for boys or girls, and I like a random selection of fabrics. All the fabric was prewashed to minimise shrinkage and colour-run (I usually miss that stage out due to impatience!)  The back is a scarlet polycotton...

...which was cut 4cm bigger all round than the quilt front, enabling the excess to be pressed and folding over to form the binding.  I machine-sewed the binding and it's ok, quite neat and the mitred
corners are mitred-ish...

I had all the materials, apart from the backing polycotton, the light wadding and the red and blue retro floral fabric which repeats regularly (see left top and right bottom below).  This was from Sunday Nest haberdashery upstairs at Me and Mrs Fisher in York. Some of the fabrics are repurposed (the star fabric was once Laura's pyjamas)  vintage (below left)  and other scraps of fabric were given to me.

I found lots of useful advice here:   http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/p/tutorials.html

Hope you like it!

~Knitted Cowl~

Just finished this cosy cowl scarf which I've really enjoyed knitting.  The lovely simple cable pattern was from this month's Prima magazine  (February issue page 128 - I got the magazine subscription as a Christmas present.)  The pattern uses 10mm needles and Debbie Bliss Paloma wool, but I knitted it on 6mm needles using some Louisa Harding Fleuris in 'Meteor' I had already.

As well as keeping my neck cosy...

if you remember I knitted this tea cosy in some of this wool last year!
Think I may need this scarf this week as it's getting colder. Keep warm  x