Crochet Booties - A work in progress

One of the chaps in my office at work, wife is expecting a baby any time soon!  What a good excuse for a bit of Bootie making!

I originally was looking for a pattern to sew a pair, however lots of Crochet and Knitting patterns came up when I searched, and my crocheting is marginly better than my knitting.

I used this pattern from Ravelry as it looked about my level (easy!)  And having had a rummage in my stash of yarn, I choose some 55% wool double knit, as it feels beautifully soft when made up.

My first attempt resulted in a green pair of booties which are slightly lop sided. However I have turned the first bootie inside out and they look kinda like a left and right pair.

I have started a 2nd pair (in pink and cream) and this time paid more attention to the instructions and they appear to be coming out a little better shaped.  I have decided instead of completing the bootie, I will turn these into a pair of mary-janes for a girl!  As I don't know the sex of the baby yet, I will have both pairs on stand-by for when the baby is born!

I will post picture of the of mary-janes when I have finished them!


Sarah xx


I love to read comments from all around the world, however it was nice to hear from some fellow UK bloggers on my last post, you may be interested in the a Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/202641099790216/  we are a group of UK crafters from moneysavingexpert.co.uk sharing our makes and chatting about all sorts.

Sewing Companion Case

I couldn't resist this little Sewing Companion Case when I came across it, whilst browsing Pinterest

Sorry my photography isn't the best!

I was was also very happy to find it is a one piece pattern, I love uncomplicated patterns!  I'd bought the Balloon fabric on a trip to a craft show at the NEC in Birmingham over a year ago, and teamed it with the pale blue polkadot fabric, which I thought made an excellent contrast.

Once the 2 fabric pieces, plus some soft iron on interfacing, are sewn together and turned out the right way, some nifty folds form the pockets.

You can (just) see the stitching which holds it all in place on the back. 

In my haste to make this, I forgot to check that my needle work scissors would actually fit in it. And this project was sadly left unfinished for some time. So my top tip is to measure and adjust the size of the pattern to your scissors before you start. The instructions say 4" Scissors should fit, mine are 5".

However, I loved this little Sewing Case and wanted to use it, so I found it is perfect for my Nail Scissors and clippers, the emery board is a little long, but I'm sure I can find a suitably sized one. So, I finished this project with an old fashion popper, and it now sits in my work box, where I can find it when I need a manicure!

Sarah xx

Patchwork Cushion Ta-Dah...

I finally finished my Patchwork Cushion...

 You may remember my post here - Brand New to Patchwork.

I made the back of the cushion in the same fabric as one of the squares and it came out better than I thought it would.

I have concealed the zip under a flap on the back. And used a cushion inner which is bigger than the cover to give a nice plump look!

I'm quite pleased with my first attempt at Patchwork, I haven't done any more yet, but I think I will!

Sarah xx

Pouffe!

I had an urge to make a Pouffe!  I'm not sure if I came across this picture on Pinterest first or whether I searched for a pattern first, but I had one in mind for my husband's Christmas present, but never found one to buy, and didn't have time to make one, then!

Pouffe Pattern on www.bhg.com

Last week, I searched and found the free pattern again via Pinterest on www.bhg.com (you have to sign up to download the pattern) and then trawled my cupboard for a large enough piece of fabric (2 metres). Luckily I had quite a lot of fabric left from when I made my curtains 20 years ago.

I wasn't sure that the fabric lent itself to the to the pouffe, however after some deliberating and laying the pattern on vertically and horizontally, I decided to cut across the stripes and be extra careful when pinning and sewing, to make the stripes match.  I also put a zip in one of the seams, as I thought it would be easier to fill the pouffe with Bean Bag beads and zip it shut instead of try to sew it whilst the beads were popping out all over the place, plus it will make it easier to add more beads when it needs topping up.

It was quite quick and easy to make, took me an evening to print the patten and cut the 8 pieces and took me an afternoon to pin and sew the pieces together. I omitted the octagon piece on the top of the and bottom of the finished pouffe, and of course omitted the stitching on the original pattern.  I am toying with adding a covered button in the centre.

I need to buy some more Bean Bag beads and this is actually about 4/5 full and just needs filling right up to give it the full shape of the original one. I may even make another one in a different fabric (I fancy some Chenille or Velvet) and fill it with some hollowfibre stuffing for a more solid shape.  However this one is very comfortable and supports my legs nicely when relaxing on the sofa, my husband loves it too!

Sarah xx