Lovely Things in the Mail, a Challenge and an Experiment in Upcycling

I had two lovely packages in the mail this week, the first was this pair of beautiful silver coral and turquoise earrings which I was lucky enough to win in the Grow your Blog Party draw on Sharon's blog. Thank you Sharon, they are just stunning, and so me.

The second parcel came from Katherine, and contained these fabulous vintage feedsack fabrics. I am really going to have fun with these, they're gorgeous.

If that wasn't enough however, Katherine generously included this chart that she designed some years ago, long before she knew that I lived within a stone's throw of some of the places mentioned in the design. Just wow Katherine! I love it.

It's reveal day for the Needlecraft Haven Monthly Challenge. This month we stitched this design from Threadwork Primitives. I changed mine up a little bit by substituting a few speciality stitches, and finished it as a small pillow. I thought it looked a bit plain so I fastened one of my collection of vintage brooches to it to jazz it up a bit. I like the effect so much I think it might end up being used to store/display some of them in my bedroom.  I changed the date to 1813 and the initials to EB and FD as well.Five bonus litterati points to anyone who can tell why without scrolling down to the clue at the end of the post.

As for the experiment in upcycling, here is a second hand tablecloth I picked up recently.

And here it is again as a skirt. The jury is out on this one. I really like it, and think it looks pretty and summery, David thinks it still looks like a tablecloth, and Naomi's reaction was "No Mum, just no!". I'd appreciate honest opinions here, don't worry about hurting my feelings, as you can see the family don't!

And finally the clue I mentioned
As if I needed any excuse to put up a picture of Colin Firth in a wet shirt.

PS Go the The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe for a great giveaway

Valentine's Day Bits and Pieces

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm taking part in Jo's Valentine's Day Blog Hop. Here is the secret stitchy virtual valentine photo I received.. Isn't it sweet? If you go to Jo's blog you'll find a list of all the participants. Wonder who got my photo...

I also took place in an actual Secret Valentine's Exchange via Needlecraft Haven. Look at the gorgeous little stitched ornament and all the other wonderful goodies I received. Thank you so much to my exchange partner

And here is the wool felt crazy patchwork heart I sent out. I made it using a pattern and fabrics from Madeleine Millington. This was so much fun to make, and I had enough of the fabric left to make another one at a later date.
It doesn't show in the picture but it is actually about 6" across.
I forgot to get a snap of the other items I sent with it, some cute buttons and braid and some heart shaped solid hand balm.

And finally, as soon as I saw this little Valentine's Stocking from Plum Street Samplers I knew I had to stitch it (you can find the pattern here), I changed the colours up a bit and used a delicious variegated red thread ~ Ruby Slippers from Crescent Colours. The fabric it's sitting on is the one I used to back it.
I've got one more Valentine's finish, but I can't show it yet as it's the Monthly Challenge.
Off now to check out the other participants in the blog hop!

A Small Ornament Finish

You know how it is when you read the JCS Ornament Edition. Some of the designs go straight onto your "must stitch" list, some your brain files away for possible future reference, and some you just go "Meh" but then you see them later stitched up on someone else's blog and it's like you're looking at them for the first time?
Well I was reading Dani's blog a couple of weeks back and I had just one of those epiphany moments. Wow! What was this wonderful ornament design? Surely not one from the 2012 Ornie Edition? But it was, and it was stunning.
OK Peace Pin Button by Jeanette Douglas. Move directly to the top of the stitching rotation. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200.
And here is my version. It's a tiny little thing so I made it a bit more flamboyant by adding a fabric yo yo made from turquoise organza to the back. DH says it looks like a prize rosette from a sports day but what does he know? (I'm in no position to contradict him since I never won a prize rosette at sports day)

Theme-a-licious finish, progress and a winner

I've decided to join in with Heather's theme-a-licious monthly themes. 

Just an excuse to post a picture of The Doctor on my blog really. 

Anyway January's theme was "Jardin January" in which we were to work on any piece with gardens or flowers. This piece doesn't have any flowers as such but it does have berries which means there must have been flowers at some point right? This is "Holly Sampler Pouch" by Threadwork Primitives, stitched using the recommended silks. It's a little different in size to the one on the pattern cover due to a bit of a close call on the fabric size. It's a hanging pocket, the idea is to put cards or sprigs of greenery in it. I had hoped to have it finished for Christmas (hence last years's date on it) but that didn't happen. Never mind, it's ready for next year.

This picture shows my lack of progress on Scarlet Letter's Elizabeth Burrows. I've really struggled to get into the rhythm of stitching these crosses over three fabric threads. Yes, sad but true, the woman with the PhD can't count to three.
And finally the winner of the Grow Your Blog Party Giveaway, that's why you are all reading this anyway.
I put the numbers of the comments into the random number generator and it gave me back the number
(drum roll please)
4
which was Cathy Pavlovich
Congratulations Cathy, if you send me your address I'll get your prize in the post as soon as possible.

Peace, A Pinny a Prize and Poking Things with Pins

Because all the best post titles have alliteration.
Peace, by Lynn at Happiness is Crossstitching, was the Needlecraft Haven January Challenge. I did mine in white floss on  blue fabric and replaced some of the stitches with beads, and finished it as a pinkeep style ornament with a ruffled organza ribbon edge. For other finishes see the album here.

The Pinny is this one I made from Naomi using McCall's pattern 5825, and some lovely retro kitchen fabric. Unfortunatey Naomi appears to have fallen over and I can't seem to get her back up again!

The Prize was this set of lovely Gentle Art threads, which I won in a Guess-the-name-of-the-design contest on Michelle's blog. Thank you Michelle, I shall put them to good use.

Poking things with pins? No, I haven't been making Voodoo dolls, Naomi and I went to a Craft Show yesterday, and among other things we did a workshop on needle felting. I loved it. There is something very therapeutic about repeatedly stabbing things with a sharp implement. I came home with a starter kit, I think I could have found another craft to obsess about enjoy.
Here is the little piece I made. I've a feeling you may be going to see more of these. The only question is what do I actually do with it? Answers (clean ones!) on a postcard please...

Harley Quinn Fleece Jester Hat Tutorial

First of all I'd like to say welcome to all my new followers (waves cheerily), who found me via the Grow Your Blog Party (see previous post).

Those of you who have been here a while, on the other hand, are probably aware that Eloise kind of channels Harley Quinn. ~ for the uninitiated, Harley Quinn, or Dr Harleen Quinnzel as she is otherwise known, is a villainess in the Batman Universe.

Anyway Eloise's little heart desired a Harley Quinn hat to keep her cosy in the frozen north Leeds. I found a knitting pattern (King Cole 3442) that might work although it will need adapting as it is child sized and the points are too long, (it might well adapt to a fairly convincing Ahsoka Tano hat come to think of it)  but I decided I wanted to make a fleece one. I scoured the interwebs like a thing possessed for days, but I couldn't find a pattern or tutorial that was right so in the end I made my own up. 

Here is Naomi modelling the finished article. With a rather belligerent attitude, I might add. You don't mess with this kind of villainess people! Obviously after this picture was taken I had to set to and make a second one because she wanted one too. (The difference between the two girls is that Naomi will treat it as a costume whilst Eloise will go out in it on a n ebveryday basis. Why not? She's been to her lectures dressed as Batman before...)

So having figured out how to make one I thought I'd "put it out there" in case anyone else was sharing my unsuitable-jester-hat tutorial dilemma. 

You will need:-

Red and Black fleece fabric (I bought 1/2m of each and there was easily enough to make two, in fact I'd probably get a third one out if I wanted)

2 large white jingle bells (I got mine from EvilBay, they have little Jack Skellington faces on them). If you can't find any suitable bells you could always use pompoms instead)

Sewing machine and cotton

First you need to make your pattern. This needs to be 50cm up the long side, 35cm up the short side. The width at the base should be head circumference divided by 4 plus 1cm seam allowance. For this one head circumference was 56cm so 56/4 = 14 + 1 = 15cm. (Eagle eyed readers will recognise that my pattern is cut from the Garden News but any old bit of paper will do)

Cut 4 of these pieces, 2 each from the red and black fleece  Note: for an authentic half red half black hat like mine fold your fleece in half and cut two together ie a left and right facing piece, if you want your hat to alternate colours front to back as well as side to side cut the pieces separately so they all face the same way.

Place a red and a black piece right sides together and sew down the short side. Seam allowances are 5mm throughout. Open out and finger press seam open. Repeat for other pair.

Place two pairs right sides together and stitch together up both long sides. Now stitch from one point down to centre of "valley" and up other side to 2nd point. I found it easier to turn the finished hat if I curved around the valley rather than pivoting at the centre seam. Trim off excess at points and clip to stitching at curve in valley. 

Note: This photo shows the hat turned right sides out but you don't actually need to do that at this point. You can see what I mean by the curved valley though.

Lay your hat flat and cut off a 10cm slice from the bottom edge. This will form the band. Flip the band over so that alternating colours line up.

Slide band over the bottom of the hat, aligning raw edges, with the wrong side of the hat facing the right side of the band, and matching all seams. Stitch

Turn hat right side out. Use a pencil or knitting needle to poke the points out as far as you can. Flip brim up to right side along seam line and tuck in the raw edge (I turned in about 2cm, but if you want your brim narrower you can tun in a bit more), pin in place, matching seams, and top stitch very near to top folded edge.

Hand sew a jingle bell to each point.

Place on head, flirt with The Joker and generally terrorise Gotham.
Linked up to Make it Wear it (see link in side bar)

Grow Your Blog Party and A Giveaway

Hello, and welcome if you have come here as part of the "Grow Your Blog" party set up by Vicki at 2 Bags Full
If you are new here you are probably wondering what kind of place you've come to. To be honest even if you've been dropping by for ages you probably still wonder that, so here is a kind of introductory thing:-
I'm Christine, aka Alchymyst in some parts of the internet.
We live in a small village just in from the north coast of Cornwall, where my husband, David, and I run a photography business. We have two beautiful daughters, the elder, Eloise,  is 18 and away at university studying maths whilst the younger one, Naomi, is 16, and in her last year at secondary school.

I'm a very crafty person, by which I mean I'm always making things, I don't want to imply that I am particularly cunning.
I am, I just don't want to imply it.

"I have a cunning plan, my Lord"
(OK, so that probably gives you some idea of my sense of humour too)
My cunning plans often include taking old unloved pieces of vintage tat and transforming them into something new and (hopefully) lovely. Or maybe just slightly trendier tat...
I stitch, knit, sew, paint, you name it, I can't sit still and not be doing something with my hands.
I'm also a Grade A Geek, and an aficionado of fantasy, science fiction, comic books and action heroes. You have been warned.
Oh and I like love shoes. And penguins.

So, what are you likely to find on this blog? First and foremost I'd say this was a stitchy blog, so you're going to see a lot of needlework, there is also quite a bit of knitting, sewing and general crafts. Upcycling features quite heavily too. I try and include tutorials if I think I've come up with something you might want to copy. (There is a new one coming in a couple of days.)
You'll find pictures of flowers and of my garden and general pictures from around Cornwall, pictures of my girls and of our cats, Loki and Jinx (see note above about comic books and action heroes), odd bits and pieces about our lives and the occasional spot of out and out geekery.
I hope you think it sounds like a place you'd like to visit again

In honour of the event I'm offering a small giveaway. This little (about 3" across) springy zingy citrussy corsage is made from felt with a crocheted flower and vintage button centre. If you'd like a chance to win it just leave a comment on this post. That's it. No hoops to jump through. The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere. I'll draw a winner on Feb 1st.
Now, why not hop back over to Vicki's and check out some more blogs.