February Gifted Gorgeousness

 Running a little late with my GG post this month. 

If you aren't familiar with GG pop on over to Jo's blog for a full explanation, but in a nutshell it is a monthly show and tell of gift related crafting.

So what do I have to show this month? 

I took part in a Valentine's Exchange on Needlecraft Haven. This is the beautiful card and stitched pillow I received from Mary

I sent to Clare but I forgot to get a photograph before I posted it so you'll need to check out Clare's blog to see it

I also made this shirt for David this month

Check out the little Kylie and the Machine label I tucked under the pocket

 

The Last Gifted Gorgeousness of The Year

 Hi and welcome to December's Gifted Gorgeousness post. See Jo's blog here for full details, but essentially Gifted Gorgeousness is a monthly chance to show off anything we can shoehorn into the category of "gifts".

As is usual in December a lot of what I've been making I can't really show yet, but I can show you the ornaments I sent and received in the Needlecraft Haven Ornament Exchange

Here is the ornament I sent to Julie

And here is the truly beautiful Christmas tree ornament that Clare sent to me

Also I made me and the girls matching Christmas t-shirts, because we aren't too old for that right?

Gifted Gorgeousness October

 Well that came around fast! It's Gifted Gorgeousness time again. Time to show our gift related crafting. For a full explanation see Jo's blog here

Two spooky things to show this month, both of which I made for Eloise.

First this shirt. 

I started with a vintage (1970's) blouse pattern for this, but I re-drafted the collar and sleeves, and added piping down the centre front.

Then there is this dress

This is partially self drafted, using elements from Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book and my own bodice design.

In both cases the fabric is from Art Gallery Fabric's "Spooky and Sweet" collection, and it was gifted to me by Minerva in exchange for a blog post.

There are other spooky makes in the pipeline, but I'll show them next month

Gifted Gorgeousness September

 It's Gifted Gorgeousness time again, where we share our gift related crafts. For a full explanation, and a list of all the participating blogs please see Jo's blog here.

A little bit of stitching to show this month. It was Clare's  birthday last week. As you may know, Clare decorates a themed Christmas Tree at her Church each year, and this year her chosen theme is a bouquet of stitched flowers, so I stitched her this little pansy, then I stitched it again on plastic canvas and made up a matching brooch for her.

Double bonus GG points for this one because the chart was in an Italian Cross Stitch magazine that Naomi bought for me when she was studying in Siena.

I can also include this dress I made for myself as the fabulous gingham effect and floral fabric was gifted to me by Minerva. The pattern is the Rockabilly Dress from Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book

That's about it for this month. Hoping to be more productive for the October update

Gifted Gorgeousness July

Well another whole month has slipped by and it's time for Gifted Gorgeousness again.
For a full explanation of the Gifted Gorgeousness Blog Hop, where we show our gift-related crafting, please see Jo's Blog.
This month's finishes are quite similar to last month's
Some sewing:-
A dress for me. The pattern (New Look 6301) was free with my magazine so that counts right?

and a rainbow cushion for Naomi (pattern can be found in Sew Magazine)

Some silver-smithing:-

A couple of  claw set sea glass rings

and an assortment of different rings for Eloise

Maybe next month I'll have something a bit different to show

Gifted Gorgeousness - June

It's time for another Gifted Gorgeousness, where we show anything we can manage to shoehorn into the category of gift gifts we've made or received, or projects we've done using gifted materials. See Jo's blog for more details
This month I've done quite a bit of sewing again.
I made Naomi a couple of high/low hem skirts (Pattern hacked from New Look 6434), using up fabric I had in my stash.

 The chambray was originally bought to make my husband a shirt, but he wasn't keen on the print

I don't know what this crinkle pleated slinky satiny stuff is but I do know it was a swine to sew

I also made this outfit for Eloise, the skirt is McCall's 6931 and the top is New Look 6483. The fabric is from Micheal Miller and is called "Kiss of the Spiderwoman"!

 I've been playing with silver again as well. I made a sea glass pendant for a friend's birthday, and some captive rings for Naomi

That's about it for this month. Hopefully some actual stitching next month!

Gifted Gorgeousness - May

It's time for Gifted Gorgeousness, the monthly Blog Hop organised by Jo where we show the things we've made as, received as, or can otherwise shoehorn into the category of gifts.
Quite a few sewing projects for my GG post this month. Lets see...
I made the girls a top each from some funky tattoo print jersey

I made this top for Eloise for her Birthday

and also this dress

Loki approves

The sharp eyed among will notice that all the pictures are of Naomi, this is because Eloise lives some distance away, so her makes have had to be posted to her.
This was a cover kit with Mollie Makes magazine, so that counts as a gift right?

And I finished off the blackbird applique I showed a couple of posts back. The design/kit was from last year's Spring Craftpod, which was a gift from me to me :)

Gifted Gorgeousness - The March Shoehorn Edit

Hello, and welcome to my March Gifted Gorgeousness Post. For a full explanation of Gifted Gorgeousness, the monthly blog hop where we celebrate the generosity of the crafting community by showing off our gift related makes. For a full explanation please see Jo's Blog
To be honest I've really struggled to find anything that fits the criteria this month, so in best shoehorn tradition here is a dress I made myself.

The beautiful vintage rose print fabric was gifted from Minerva in exchange for a review, which will appear on their blog soon.
And here is my finished Sugar Bowl Crafts scrap-busting sewalong quilt top. A couple of the scraps I used were gifted to me by sewing friends so I can just about manage to squeeze it in here.

That's it for this month. Hopefully I'll have more to show next time around.

March Already? Late February IHSW

I did actually stitch it in February, I just didn't get round to blogging it. Here is the current progress on Cross Stitcher Magazine's Alice SAL

I've also been doing a Scrap-busting challenge with Sugar Bowl Crafts, I'm hopelessly behind on it, but here are the first four squares laid out together.

And Finally, the March page in the subversive calendar the girl's made for me

The caption reads "The best things in life are actually very expensive - you know like truffle oil ... or cocaine

Gifted Gorgeousness January 2020

Welcome to my January 20220 Gifted Gorgeousness Post. If you don't already know, Gifted Gorgeousness is a SAL devised by Jo, which allows us to show off pretty much anything that we can describe in a sentence using the words gift and craft. For full details see Jo's blog here.

Kicking off the Gifted Gorgeousness Year is always the easy post because of  Christmas. I already posted about all the wonderful craft related gifts I received in my Happy New Year post, so this post will be about various things that I made for other people.

Lets see... I knitted the girls a hat each. Pattern is "Head Sock" from The Purl Bug. Here is Eloise wearing hers on Christmas Day at the beach. 

I forgot to get a picture of Naomi's hat, but here she is wearing a little devore velvet slip dress I made her. 

The pattern is New Look 6347. Double GG points on this project as I was gifted the fabric by Minerva

I also made them a silver necklace each, (it's just the lighting that makes them look gold)

I made some of these star shaped fabric mats in a variety of colours and patterns for a few of my friends. 

And finally, a little Year of the Rat ornament I made Naomi for her Chinese Zodiac collection

Gifted Gorgeousness for November - Nothing to See Here

Nope not a thing. No stitched gifts, no exchanges. Nothing. I have been working on a lot of gift pieces, but I can't show any of them yet. Pop over to Jo's blog to learn more about GG, and see how much better everyone else has done this month.
I did make myself this dress using fabric gifted from Minerva, so that is going to have to do.

Sorry, lots more to show after Christmas I promise

Struggling to Come Up With an October GG

It's not that I haven't done any gift related crafting this month, just that none of it is with its intended recipient yet, so I can't show it.
(For a recap of Gifted Gorgeousness see Jo's blog here)
So, having wracked my brains for sometime over what to post I believe that I may well have come up with the most tenuous shoe-horn in the long and proud history of shoe-horning...
I made myself this dress last week.

Pattern is New Look 6632, and the fabric is a mid-weight lurex jersey from The Textile Centre.
How is it gift related I hear you ask. Aha! Since I don't have an overlocker, and sewed this on a regular machine, I used a short piece of vintage seam tape on the inside of each of the shoulder seams to stabilise them.
And the seam tape?
This seam tape?

It was a gift from Julie
Boom! Gifted Gorgeousness!

Gifted Gorgeousness AKA Where Did The Month Go?

Gifted Gorgeousness has snuck up on me again. In fairness August is our busiest month so it kind of slipped past me, and now here we are again with me desperately seeking something even vaguely gift related to show. (If you check out the rules for GG on Jo's Blog, you'll see that "even vaguely related" is just fine)
I did make this dress for my daughter (and the gorgeous sequin fabric was gifted from Minerva) so this will have to suffice.

The pattern is the Elsie Dress from Sew Over It.
I'll try to do better next month.

Gifted Gorgeousness July

Running a little late with this month's GG post (if you aren't familiar with Gifted Gorgeousness pop over to Jo's blog for a full explanation) because I've been away for a few days attending Naomi's graduation.

Naomi Wilkins BA (Hons) - German and Italian

I haven't got a lot I can show for gifted gorgeousness this month, but there is this dress which I made for Eloise

It counts double because the beautiful slinky jersey fabric was gifted to me by Minerva Crafts as part of their Minerva Makers programme. The pattern is Simplicity 1653. Full blog post and review here

Two Bees or Not Two Bees

I completely fell in love with this wonderful golden bee printed jersey from Stitch Fabrics, and I was in such a hurry to buy it that I misread the units of sale and thought I was buying it by the half metre, when actually it was by the full metre, so naturally I ended up with twice as much as I needed.
Well there's only one thing to do when that happens - make two somethings!
First is a Tilly and the Buttons Agnes top for me.

And second a racer back tank top for Eloise (pattern is Simplicity 8338)

And just in case you thought I'd abandoned it, here is my up to date temperature SAL, look at all those lovely reds and ornages!

Gifted Gorgeousness June - AKA I blinked and Missed a Month

Well, I know it's my busy time of year, but honestly, where did that month go?
I'm afraid I've got so hopelessly behind with reading blogs that I've just had to skip ahead to now and it is time once again for Gifted Gorgeousness - Jo's blog hop where we show off anything we can vaguely shoehorn the word gift onto.
You might remember that last month I showed you the sundress I'd made for Naomi, well I've managed to finish one for Eloise as well.
Here are the two dresses together.

More tenuously, I've recently been accepted onto the Minerva Makers team at Minerva Crafts, and my first blog post for them went live a few days ago. Here is the dress I made myself from the fabric Minerva very kindly sent to me.

The pattern is Simplicity 8137

Gifted Gorgeousness for April

For full details of Gifted Gorgeousness - the monthly Blog Hop where we show off our gift related crafting and crafting related gifts - please see Jo's blog
Lots of GIPs (Gifts in progress) this month, that I don't want to show yet, but I did finish this little set of patchwork coaster with matching fabric basket for my friend's birthday.

Also my Mother's Day gift from the girls had a craft related element

Note the Winnie the Pooh fat quarter bundle
I shall have to have a "Think, think, think" about what to make with it