tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30257963280591714772024-03-05T20:11:38.564-08:00Hope & GloriaLearn to Sew, Love to Sew.Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-18893716920632143402017-12-21T20:09:00.000-08:002017-12-21T20:09:53.107-08:00It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a woefully long time since I last posted here...three months to be exact!<br />
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Times have been a changing in our house and at Hope & Gloria meaning I haven't been able to find the time to update this blog. My family and I have made a major move - all the way across the Atlantic and onward to the Pacific Northwest of America!<br />
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I am happy to say that we are all adoring life over here but also that Hope & Gloria continues to go from strength to strength back home in the UK thanks to modern technology and the brilliant team of ladies that I work with.<br />
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My wonderful colleague Allison has stepped up to take charge of the day to day administrative side of the business, meaning I can continue in my role as Director, designer and marketeer for Hope & Gloria from the other side of the world.<br />
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I am beyond excited about the inspiration for future sewing projects that this beautiful part of the world is sure to bring and I am happy to report that now that most of our boxes are unpacked I have found some time to finish my festive wall art picture (see above). I think this could be the first in a series of designs that I may simplify for sewing club projects next year.<br />
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In the meantime I am delighted to share a few pictures of projects completed this half term in Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs. Knowing that our move was approaching, I actually designed these projects back in June - it is fantastic to see them finally completed by our talented club members months later.<br />
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As always, the Hope & Gloria Sewing Enthusiasts have proved that they are indeed a very talented and creative bunch and all of the amazing sewing club leaders should be proud of the help and guidance they continue to give every week.<br />
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Aren't they amazing? Whoever receives their Christmas present in one of these adorable gift bags is very lucky indeed!<br />
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Wishing you and yours the Very Merriest Christmas!</div>
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Keeley. x</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-54771384200957542152017-08-31T13:28:00.001-07:002017-08-31T13:28:57.528-07:00Knot Too Tricky At All! Handy Techniques for Tying Knots....<div>
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Next week is one of my favourite times of the school year - the beginning! It's a time when we get to say "Hello" to lots of new club members, all eager to learn lots of lovely sewing skills and embark on a fantastic new hobby. It's also time to say "Welcome Back!", to existing members after the summer break.<div>
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During the first few weeks in Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs we aim to teach what we call "the basic skills". These are threading needles, sewing a basic running stitch and tying starting and ending knots.</div>
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Once a child can master these they can really gain a level of independence that allows their creativity to flourish. </div>
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Threading a needle is not always as easy as it looks and last year I shared a blog post on tips for making threading a needle a little bit easier. You can <a href="http://hopeandgloria.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/how-to-thread-needle.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> for a refresher.</div>
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Ahead of our return to school, I thought it would be useful to share a few tips on how to tie what we call starting and ending knots in Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs. Practice these at home and you'll be flying through exciting sewing adventures in no time!</div>
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<span style="color: magenta;"><b>Starting knots -</b></span> There are many techniques that can be used by children to tie a starting knot. It can be difficult to make sure that the knot is placed at the bottom of the thread and it's a matter of finding a technique that they are comfortable with.</div>
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Here's one that I have found children tend to pick up pretty quickly....</div>
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1. Once you have threaded your needle pinch the bottom of the thread between your left finger and thumb.</div>
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2. Wrap the thread once around your index finger continuing to hold the end of the thread between your finger and thumb. Keep the thread slightly loose so you can slide a needle through it.</div>
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3. Carefully, slide the needle under the loop you have made, taking care to avoid scraping your finger! You can also slide the loop off your finger before threading the needle through the back of it if you find it easier.</div>
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4. Pull the needle and thread all the way through.</div>
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5. Slide the loop off your finger taking care to keep hold of the end of the thread while your other hand pulls the needle.</div>
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6. Pull both ends tight and you will have a lovely knot - you're now ready to begin sewing.</div>
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<span style="color: magenta;"><b>Handy Hint:</b></span> If you are sewing using a larger needle it will make bigger holes in the fabric, so you will need to make a larger starting knot. To do this using the technique above, at step two just wrap the thread around your finger a couple more times - this will make a fatter knot.</div>
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<span style="color: magenta;"><b>Ending knots</b></span> - hugely important for ensuring that all that beautiful stitching doesn't come undone after all that hard work...! Here's how we do it the Hope & Gloria Way:</div>
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1. Thread your needle underneath your last stitch, or one that is very close to where you have finished sewing.</div>
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2. Pull your needle and thread through until you have made a small loop (make sure you don't pull the thread too far and pull the thread too tight).</div>
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3. Thread the needle through the back of the loop you have made and pull the thread through.</div>
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4. This time pull it tight to make a knot. The knot you have made is now anchored to the stitch, keeping it secure and none of your lovely stitches will come undone!</div>
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Happy Sewing!</div>
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Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-30250769022625885202017-04-13T12:48:00.004-07:002017-04-13T12:48:59.883-07:00Eggcellent Easter Projects!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the beginning of last half term the Hope & Gloria Sewing Club Leaders and I presented our club members with a challenge; if they mastered two new stitches over the course of the half term and used them to embellish and add a personal touch to my original Spring Wall Art designs they would be awarded with a Hope & Gloria Embroidery Skills Certificate.</div>
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Knowing how enthusiastic our club members are about sewing, we fully expected them to rise to the occassion, however, I have to say that we were all astounded by the quality of work and how amazing the wall art projects turned out to be. Who wouldn't be proud to have one of these amazing projects hanging on their wall as part of the Easter celebrations this weekend? A huge well done to all - I can't wait to see what you make next half term, and in the meantime, Happy Easter to All!</div>
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St Ann's Heath</div>
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Keep Hatch Monday</div>
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Keep Hatch Tuesday</div>
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Lovely Work From Phoebe at Nine Mile Ride School</div>
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More Lovely Work from the girls at Holy Trinity School, West End</div>
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Holy Trinity Primary School</div>
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Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-65485677176898322372017-04-10T07:26:00.002-07:002017-04-10T07:26:37.592-07:00Easter Adventures in Embroidery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am a huge fan of embroidery. In terms of a relaxing mindful activity, it has to be one of the best as far as I am concerned. Creating a picture, pattern or design using just a needle and brightly coloured thread is hugely satisfying and it is always fun to see where your needle and thread will take you.</div>
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Last half term it was all about the stitches at Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs. The Hope & Gloria Team and I passed on our embroidery skills to our club members and I thought it would be fun to share a few more Easter themed stitched/embroidered projects that I have made that could be made at home using these new found skills.....</div>
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Bunnies are always a favourite motif to use in projects at this time of the year - after all, it's only a few days until the Easter Bunny pays a visit to homes across the land! Here are a couple of my vintage inspired bunny decorations. I'll be hanging a few of these on a twig tree at the weekend to decorate our home. </div>
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They are very simple to make - just cut out two rabbit shapes in white felt and get doodling with thread on the front of one to add pretty floral patterns in lovely spring colours. The flowers on my bunny are made using a simple star stitch with a contrasting coloured stitch in the middle. Add a stitched eye and a bow then sew around the two edges adding a small amount of stuffing. Sew a loop through the top and they are ready to hang.</div>
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This stitched Easter Egg picture is a great way to showcase embroidery skills. </div>
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I have used six small egg shapes to decorate using different stitches, but one large Easter Egg with oodles of brightly stitched patterns would work just as well. I stitched the eggs during our sewing club sessions last half term - every time I was asked to demonstrate a new stitch by our club members I used a felt egg shape to do so. It seemed a shame to not use them once the term was over, so this is what I chose to make with them! It's a fabulous way to show off your embroidery skills and also makes a lovely piece of art to hang on the wall every Easter. Why not give it a go?</div>
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Finally, why not take a look at this post from the Hope & Gloria Blog archive? <a href="http://hopeandgloria.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/doodling-with-thread-embroidered-easter.html" target="_blank">Doodling With Thread</a> It's an Easter themed post that I wrote a coupe of years ago and you can find inspiration for making lovely egg decorations like these....</div>
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We've still got a few days until the Easter weekend, so why not get your needle at the ready and get stitching? Doodling with thread can be sew much fun! Enjoy!</div>
<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-57795353636941479352017-02-18T07:29:00.001-08:002017-02-18T07:35:52.767-08:00Threading Your Needle....A Few Handy Hints!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs we are often asked by parents who are keen to support their children in their new hobby, how they can help them to learn to sew at home.<br />
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By far and away, one of the best ways to get ahead with sewing at a young age is to learn to thread a needle independently. Sewing Club Leaders are, of course, always on hand to help club members who are struggling, but the best way to get the most from a sewing club session is for children to be able to thread their needles quickly and get on with the fun part - the sewing!<br />
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Threading a needle can be frustrating when you are first learning to sew. It's an old adage but practice really does make perfect and if parents can spend some time helping children to perfect their needle threading at home, this will really give them a head start when it comes to getting on with sewing at home or when making our lovely projects at their sewing club.<br />
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I thought I'd put together a list of tips and hints on how to thread a needle....<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">1. Always sit down to thread your needle - when you are starting out with your sewing adventures, sitting down will stop any wobbles making it easier to concentrate.</span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta;">2. Make sure the eye of your needle is large enough for the thread you are using!</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">3. Cut your thread on an angle - 45 degrees is good. In this way you are making the end of the thread slanted and easier to get through the eye of the needle.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">4. Rest your hands on a table while you are threading it - again, less wobbles so easier to get the thread through the eye of the needle.</span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta;">5. The eye of the needle will be different on each side. If it's not working for you from one side, give your needle and turn and try from the other.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">6. If your thread is fraying try one of the following:</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: blue;">Cut the thread again a bit further along so that you have a straight edge to work with</span></li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">Lick the end of your thumb and forefinger and press the end of the thread flat.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">Moisten the very end of the thread (just a little), by placing it between your lips. (This technique is very popular in our sewing clubs but don't make the thread too soggy, or it will become tricky to thread!)</span></li>
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<span style="color: #666666;">7. If it just isn't working for you using one end of the thread, turn the thread upside down and try from the other. All thread is twisted, so it will be at a different stage in the twist at the opposite end of the thread and may make it easier to push through the eye of the needle.</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><b>I hope these tips help and good luck with your practising!</b></span></div>
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Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-37857784425906052192017-02-12T12:15:00.001-08:002017-02-12T12:15:27.282-08:00Marvellous Mini Project Sewing Club Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first half term of 2017 came to an end for Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs on Friday.</div>
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It was the shortest half term of the school year made up of just five weeks. However, that didn't mean that the amazing Hope & Gloria club members had to compromise when it came to making their projects - the opposite in fact, they were able to make and take home a whole range of fun, fabric mini-projects which they should all be very proud of.</div>
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In each school year there is always one half term that is shorter than the rest and my design challenge is to come up with an idea for projects that is achievable, lovely to look at but above all fun to make during this short space of time. Mini-projects are always a delight to design - they must be fun but simple, as well as being easy to make in our clubs. We find children love to have the opportunity to work on a range of quick and easy projects from time to time.</div>
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This year, I am pleased to report, proved to be no exception. Hope & Gloria sewing enthusiasts were able to choose from Woodland Wildlife Wallets (see pic above), Felt Friendship Bracelets,</div>
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or cute and quirky keyrings...</div>
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As always at Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs our club members were total stars making the most adorable projects and I'd like to say a huge "Well done" to all of them. I am delighted to share some of the projects with you below - aren't they brilliant?!</div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Wishing all of our club members a brilliant half term!</span></h3>
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<span style="color: magenta;">See you after the break for our "Spring Has Sprung Wall Art" projects!</span></h3>
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Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-66075271890686127822017-02-10T12:20:00.001-08:002017-02-10T12:20:46.772-08:00Wonderful Wool!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are right in the middle of another cold snap at the moment. It snowed for pretty much all of the afternoon here in Ascot much to the fascination of my pet cat Bear, who sat and watched the snowflakes fall for ages.</div>
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To me Winter and Wool go hand in hand. I always get my knitting needles out at the end of September and when I am at home in the evenings, I'll knit in front of the television most nights until the Summer arrives. Up until now I have been busy making hats. Woolly hats with oversized pompoms are v. fashionable right now and I have made a few of my own which I have been happy to wear on dog walks.</div>
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My latest knitting adventure involves fishermans's rib. I first encountered this lovely knitting stitch when I was a teenager. I knitted a fisherman's rib jumper for a boyfriend. It was bright blue and he only ever wore it once under cover of darkness! </div>
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When my friend Peter came to stay a few weeks ago he was sporting a gorgeous jumper that had been hand knitted by his Mum. Theo, my youngest son, was hugely impressed by this and asked if I could make him one. The only thing that holds me back is remembering the amount of time you need to dedicate to making a jumper. At twelve, Theo is no longer in child sized clothes and as many people will be only too aware, the tastes of a pre-teen can change with the wind.</div>
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Before deciding to commit to the sweater I thought I'd re-acquaint myself with fisherman's rib and I've been knitting this in the evenings....</div>
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I love the uniform neatness of the stitch. It was originally going to be a cowl scarf but now I am thinking it would look great as a simple cushion. I am still undecided, so will wait until it grow further to make a decision!</div>
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There are many reasons to knit. I wrote about them in a past blog post - 10 Great Reasons to Knit, that you can read <a href="http://hopeandgloria.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/10-great-reasons-to-knit.html" target="_blank">by clicking here</a> For me all ten reasons remain relevant and I look forward to further adventures in knitting over the coming months. Next week I'll be attending the Woolly Wormhead Workshop at the Unravel Festival at Farnham Maltings where I'll be adding to my knitting skills and I look forward to sharing details of the day with you soon.</div>
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Wishing everyone a happy and creative weekend!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-11990852348819542212016-12-24T07:57:00.003-08:002016-12-24T07:57:53.483-08:00'Twas The Night Before Christmas....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpZHDyX3TsU3g5rq9vTkZEKwr0Q1B48l_k2EWzCPtv_j8Q8lMl9YzxHK8NY23-kxHKOywxaB6n2YMV_2aP41OLpv6oBNwdEyozWlI7TIqsDSEWIFnR7msSjvwaQxVYvJv5iMj_csAgj4/s1600/Knitted+Mouse+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpZHDyX3TsU3g5rq9vTkZEKwr0Q1B48l_k2EWzCPtv_j8Q8lMl9YzxHK8NY23-kxHKOywxaB6n2YMV_2aP41OLpv6oBNwdEyozWlI7TIqsDSEWIFnR7msSjvwaQxVYvJv5iMj_csAgj4/s320/Knitted+Mouse+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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.....when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse</div>
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The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...</div>
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in the hope that St Nicolas soon would be there...</div>
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Merry Christmas Everyone!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-31355440126281821322016-12-24T06:33:00.001-08:002016-12-24T06:35:20.724-08:00Festive Makes From Hope & Gloria Sewing Enthusiasts!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well done to all of the lovely, talented and creative children who came along to Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs half term.</div>
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As always, you were full of enthusiasm and should be very proud of the wonderful Christmas Stockings you created.</div>
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Looking forward to seeing you all again after Christmas but in the meantime here's a gallery of some of your festive makes.</div>
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Merry Christmas!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-1361072784679338012016-12-24T06:29:00.000-08:002016-12-24T06:35:10.489-08:00Super Stockings!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's nothing like a last minute panic....</div>
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Just a couple of days ago whilst sorting through the gifts I'd bought for the boys' Christmas stockings I discovered that something essential was missing - the stockings!</div>
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Five years ago one of my major pre-Christmas craft projects was to make the boys their own personalised applique and embroidery felt stockings. They were made with lots of love over the course of December and since then they have made a star appearance each Christmas Eve to be filled with fun presents by Santa.</div>
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Not this year. Although I remember putting them away in a safe place when I was packing up to move, unfortunately I have no idea what or where that safe place was. They will turn up that is for sure, but just no this side of Christmas. A wise friend told me to give the boys pillow cases to use this year instead of stockings, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do so and two nights ago I cut out three stocking shapes from my felt supply and this is what happened....</div>
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There was no time to embellish or personalise this year, but I think the "Elf" style is cute, simple and effective. Whether my teenage boys appreciate my endeavours is another matter, but it makes me happy!<br />
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I also finished off another stocking which used the same motif as the Robin Heart that I made earlier in the month. I love the retro look of it - maybe I'll place it by the fireside next to the boys' just to see what happens.<br />
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Christmas stockings have been a major feature of the last few weeks for the Hope & Gloria Team and me - we have been making tonnes of adorable festive stockings in our sewing clubs and my next post will be a gallery of the wonderful creations made by our talented sewing club members.<br />
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Happy Christmas!Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-17051455045758566042016-12-20T10:44:00.000-08:002016-12-20T10:44:18.849-08:00Christmas Countdown!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was really quite shocked to find that the last time I posted on here was back at Halloween! It has been a very eventful few weeks - a house move and the busiest half term ever at Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs have meant that the blog has been on the backburner.</div>
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This is not to say that the crafting hasn't continued (although at a much slower pace than usual), and now that the boys have finished school and our school clubs are taking a break until the new year/term, I can finally attempt to finish off a few of those sewing and knitting projects that have been on my to do list for many months. Hopefully, they will be finished in time for the big day - but watch this space....</div>
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I am really happy to have finished my vintage inspired robin heart decoration. I keep a special notebook full of sewing project ideas and whenever a new idea springs to mind I add it to the growing list. </div>
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This hanging heart decoration has been on my stitching to do list since November 2015 - I began making him in November 2016 and yesterday I completed it when I stitched on the ribbon and button. </div>
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If you have read my blog before, you will know that I am a huge fan of robins and I am happy to report that we have a couple of them in the garden in our new home - the perfect inspiration to prompt me to get around to making this decoration. I hope it evokes vintage Christmas Cards of days gone by featuring a fat cheerful robin. It is now hanging on a door handle adding festive cheer to our family room.</div>
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Christmas festivities have already begun with the Richardsons' - we had my family visiting for lunch last weekend and after watching Kirsty Allsop's Handmade Christmas programme I decided it would be fun to have a go at making our own crackers. As we were pushed for time I invested in cracker-making kits from Hobbycraft - I have to say they were a great introduction to making your own, and Theo and I had a lot of fun assembling them. </div>
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We used raffia instead of the silver ties supplied with the kit and we added name tags so that the crackers handily doubled up as place cards. There's no reason why this idea could not be put to use with shop bought crackers if you don't have time to make them.</div>
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Here they are in situ on our festive table on Saturday......</div>
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It really is lovely to add handmade touches to family gatherings - they are always appreciated and everyone seems to love a personal touch. Next year I'll try to begin sourcing materials for crackers a bit earlier so that they can be truly unique. Let's see if I manage it...!</div>
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Looking forward to sharing further Christmassy crafts with you over the next few days.</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-82030743455803037222016-11-01T03:45:00.001-07:002016-11-01T03:45:27.576-07:00Our Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year Halloween turned out to be a very last minute affair in our house. With the impending house move we didn't plan our usual party and the boys felt that now they are all teenagers (or nearly), it was time for them to put aside such childish things as dressing up.</div>
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This didn't stop me from getting the box of decorations from the loft and decorating our porch on Sunday afternoon ready to welcome trick or treaters the following evening.</div>
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I also managed to find some time for a spot of Halloween themed embroidery. I love Mexican Sugar Skulls with their intricate designs and bright colours. I wrote about their origins and use on this blog three years ago. If you'd like to know more <a href="http://hopeandgloria.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/dia-de-los-muertos.html" target="_blank">click here</a> . This year I had lots of fun using different embroidery stitches to create my own and the shape of the skull suits using an embroidery ring as a frame. It is now hanging on the wall in my workroom.</div>
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Yesterday evening when the boys arrived home from school the pumpkins were still uncarved and they had very little interest in turning them in to Jack O' Lanterns until I remembered a top tip from a friend and brought out my secret weapon - a drill! </div>
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Yes, it seems power tools are the answer when it comes to pumpkin carving post twelve years of age. Elliot and Theo were more than happy to get involved in making my glitter ball pumpkin. (Isaac was not so keen as he couldn't bear the smell of the pumpkin!) In just over an hour the pumpkins were carved and displayed on the doorstep in all their glowing glory!</div>
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We had more trick or treaters than normal this year - and Halloween turned out to be a fun evening after all with just enough sweets left over at the end of the evening to ensure smiley faces all around in our house! </div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-70873606219060761592016-10-24T06:32:00.001-07:002016-10-24T06:32:09.019-07:00Batty Bats - a Halloween Tutorial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Meet Bertie & Bella!</div>
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Due to an impending house move and all of the planning and organisation that goes with it, I have been unable to run Halloween Sewing Workshops this half term.</div>
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As I have said many times before, I love Halloween and all of the fun that goes with it. This afternoon I have had a creative burst of activity and taken a break from packing boxes to make this cute pair - Bertie and Bella Batty Bats For Halloween. </div>
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They are fun and easy to make and since I can't run a workshop later this week I thought that sharing a Halloween themed tutorial would be the next best thing. Here's how to make them.....</div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><b>You will need:</b></span></div>
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Small pieces of dark grey/black/grey and white felt</div>
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Two small black buttons</div>
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The Batty Bat Template (the print out can be found at the bottom of this tutorial)</div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">Step one:</span></b></div>
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Make your bat's face: cut two small white felt circles and sew on to the front of one of the body shapes and add two small black buttons. Embroider a mouth and fangs using back stitch and satin stitch - make his expression as crazy as possible!</div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">Step two:</span></b></div>
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For the wings you can either have single or double thickness. I have cut four wing shapes and stitched two together to make the wings double thickness and less floppy. If you want your wings to flap - cut just two wing shapes and have single thickness.</div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><b>Step three:</b></span></div>
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Pin the back and front body shapes together inserting the two wings in to the seams on either side. Sew around the outside edges making sure that you sew through all of the felt layers when you get to the wings. Leave a gap at the bottom of your bats body and add a small amount of soft toy filling. Sew up the remaining gap and your fabulous Halloween bat is complete.</div>
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You can add a loop through the top to hang your bat from - perfect for decorating the house this Halloween!</div>
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<span style="color: lime;"><b>Here's that template:</b></span></div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-87349274325535704942016-10-22T06:10:00.001-07:002016-10-22T06:10:38.034-07:00Pocket Pet Cushions - Children's Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have had a fantastic start to the school year at Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs! We finally got to make our Pocket Pet Cushions! </div>
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I began to design these super cute projects back in June. One of the things that I have discovered whilst running Hope & Gloria over the past few years is that children love making projects that involve using soft toy filling and they also love a pocket. We encourage our club members to be as creative as possible and often they will manage to add pockets to projects that didn't originally have them, so there was a tonnes of enthusiasm for our first project of the year. With a cute pet owl or pussycat, monster or mouse what's not to love?</div>
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As always our sewing club enthusiasts have been amazing this half term. Considering that many of the children are new to our clubs, the standard of sewing has been incredible. The Hope & Gloria Team would like to say a huge "Well Done" to everyone who joined us and we look forward to seeing you again next half term for our fantastic festive projects!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-52112420375091146502016-10-22T05:49:00.001-07:002016-10-22T05:49:42.813-07:00Suzy Stitch Owl <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Owls were one of the first ever projects that we worked on when I began Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs at St Jude's School six years ago.<br />
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Over the years they have featured as design choices for our sewing club members and I am still surprised by their popularity. This half term we made pocket pet cushions and the owls were just as popular as the other pocket pets on offer to make. Why wouldn't they be? After all these adorable birds have such appealing faces and shapes and they fit in so well with this time of the year with the fabulous Autumn colours to be found in the woodlands.<br />
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Suzy Stitch Owl began life as an old lambswool sweater that I had felted a while ago and was sitting around in one of my fabric stashes. "Something Old From Something New" was one of the categories at the Virginia Water Show in September and I had intended to make an owl from the sweater to enter in to the competition but as with many things, I never got around to it.<br />
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After an incredibly busy start to the school year at our sewing clubs, last weekend I finally began time to begin work on this project. Once the basic shape had been cut and I was cutting out the feathers and wings I began to think about using stitches as decoration and I decided that I could use the feathers to showcase a range of simple embroidery techniques and then I came upon the idea to use my owl as a teaching aid in my sewing clubs.<br />
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One of the many aims we have at Hope & Gloria is to teach children new stitches and introduce simple embroidery. Children always respond really well to a good visual to learn from and I am hoping that this is what Suzy Stich Owl will prove to be.<br />
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She features nine different types of decorative stitches on the feathers on her chest and star stitches on her wings. The wings are sewn on and edged in blanket stitch, the eyes sewn on with over stitch and the beak with back stitch. There is so much creativity to be had from just a needle and thread and this is what Suzy Stitch Owl is all about.</div>
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Many of the ladies from the Hope & Gloria Team will also be working on stitch owls to use as teaching aids and I am really looking forward to seeing how many of these stitches are being used by our clever and creative sewing club members by the end of the school year.</div>
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Happy sewing!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-63486394971042663882016-10-02T07:56:00.001-07:002016-10-02T07:56:26.682-07:00Show Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is nearly a month since the Virginia Water Village Show. I have been meaning to post all about this lovely event for the past three weeks but the start of a very busy school year has meant I have been caught up in other things.<br />
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However, before I turn my attention fully to Autumn inspired projects and of course, Christmas, I thought I'd share why I love this type of event - the village show....<br />
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As I have driven around the local area and further afield this summer I have spotted so many signs for local village shows and I wonder whether the resurgence in popularity for handicrafts and all things vintage has led to a rise in the number of village shows. From here in Ascot to Cornwall during the summer, I have spotted lots of opportunities for gardeners, bakers, jam-makers and handcrafters to show off their skills and their wares.<br />
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For the last two years I have entered and won prizes for my knitted and stitched projects in the craft sections of the Egham Royal Show and The Chertsey Show - both of them fairly large in scale and a great day out for the family. This year Summer holiday plans meant that we were away at the time of shows but I was lucky enough to be around to enter The Virginia Water Village Show. This is a much smaller event but it perfectly embodies what a local gardening and craft show is all about.<br />
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I'd be lying if I said I didn't love winning prizes for my makes but there are so many other reasons to get involved in these events. They really do bring the community together. There are competition sections for old and young across lots of different gardening, cooking and crafting categories, so there is something to attract all family members across the generations. They provide an opportunity for local experts to showcase their skills and hopefully inspire others to take up a new hobby. There is also invariably a tearoom at a village show, so they are also the perfect opportunity to relax and make new friends over a cuppa.<br />
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This year I was delighted to win first prize in the craft section, but I was even more delighted to put my £1 winnings to use by buying this turban squash (modelled here by Theo), from the fruit and veg stall. <br />
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We were also given a fantastic recipe for Turban Squash Soup by the lovely lady from the stall, and following a quick trip in to the supermarket on the way home to buy ingredients we made soup to have as a starter with our dinner. Brilliant! There's nearly a whole year until next summer's shows but there is no time like the present to get making. I thoroughly recommend giving it a go!<br />
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-91498095083539775682016-09-05T08:36:00.002-07:002016-09-05T08:36:51.714-07:00Quilt Show!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last month I spent a fantastic morning at The Festival of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham. My Mum lives in Solihull so I was able to leave my three boys with their Nan rather than dragging them around what is pretty close to three teenage boys' idea of hell. (Thanks Mum!)</div>
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It wasn't the first time I'd visited the show but I have to say that this year I was blown away by the incredible artistry and creativity not to mention amazing skills that were on display in the form of quilts. The women, men and craft groups that work to produce these beautiful works of art are truly inspiring. Here are just a few of my favourites that I was lucky enough to view:</div>
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Scenes from Shakespeare featuring Meerkat Characters - how cool?</div>
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I have been to quilting courses in the past and one thing I know is that quilting takes time. These beautiful quilts must have taken ages to make but wow! the results are stunning.</div>
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One day, when I no longer run a busy business and my children are grown up and independent I plan to spend a lot of time quilting. I am not sure I could ever produce amazing results like those at the Festival of Quilts but I look forward to giving it a go.</div>
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In the meantime, here is this Summer's quilted project. I have managed to fit it in in-between holidays to Spain, Cornwall and Swtizerland (I have been very lucky this year), days out with the family and planning school projects for September. It pales in comparison to some of the quilts I saw at the show but I love the theme and fabrics used and had lots of fun making it.</div>
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The British seaside was my inspiration. I adore beach huts and love the thought of owning one one day. How idyllic would it be to sit and watch the waves with a cup of tea working on a latest craft project? I can dream.... I have used a Dresden Plate design for the sun in the top left hand corner and I like my subtle cloud shapes above the beach huts. The candy colours were lovely to work with and I have used candy pink and blue stripe and polka dot fabric to create a patchwork backing. The bright and cheerful yellow buttons echo the bright yellow sun on the front.</div>
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I think this cushion will be my burst of summer sunshine indoors when the days get shorter. While I was at the Festival of Quilts I couldn't help but buy more fabric (the choice is amazing). I can't help thinking it may be time to make an Autumn cushion to go with this summer one!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-56544026723463649692016-08-10T03:17:00.000-07:002016-08-10T03:17:21.494-07:00Summer Hols, Summer Makes, So Far.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVEOrYETOeAIpwesedLQ8BlWmvZYBx4EDwmt6pZG5D8xDbIXl1prkkZHPRrzMUZG-qPy7Juf9e3SbWnN_gav8uf-PaDdp5ZH8D1xizX01rrdLocjwnSW2hRkhgQx8b6Q3C0BzyV0fROw/s1600/Tropical+Pin+Cushion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVEOrYETOeAIpwesedLQ8BlWmvZYBx4EDwmt6pZG5D8xDbIXl1prkkZHPRrzMUZG-qPy7Juf9e3SbWnN_gav8uf-PaDdp5ZH8D1xizX01rrdLocjwnSW2hRkhgQx8b6Q3C0BzyV0fROw/s320/Tropical+Pin+Cushion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I adore summer. There are many reasons why I love this time of the year. I am lucky that my job, on the whole, fits in around school term times which means I have the same holidays as my children. The six week summer break (seven this year!), gives us time together as well as time to relax and have a few adventures.<br />
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It also gives me time to work on projects that have been in the back of my mind throughout the year. Most of my year is spent designing for Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs which I adore, but the summer break means I can work on ideas and designs that are more complex or I can indulge in other textile crafts that I love such as crochet or knitting.<br />
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Since school finished I have been pretty busy and I thought I'd share my summer makes so far.<br />
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My sister has recently re-decorated my eight year old niece's bedroom and asked if I could make some vintage style bunting to add to the decoration. I always have gingham fabric to hand (it's one of my favourites and works brilliantly in patchwork), and it worked perfectly with the lovely blue and pink floral fabric that I bought earlier this year. Rather than adding another pattern to the design I decided to personalise the bunting - pink felt letters hand stitched on to cream calico. I am delighted to report that Freya loves it and it now decorates her fabulous bedroom.</div>
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At the very start of the hols we headed off to Spain for a family holiday. We go there every year and one of the many things that I love about where we stay is the fact that there is no Wi-Fi. This means that the boys have to be resourceful in terms of keeping themselves occupied (much to their horror), which usually involves spending hours I the pool and even book reading(!)</div>
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To keep me occupied this year I bought my first colouring book and pencils. I have to say I didn't get very far with this and it did make me accept that I prefer my craft to be of the textile variety. Thankfully, I also had a fab Nancy Nicolson Embroidery Kit that I'd bought months ago. The week in Spain gave me plenty of time to get stitching and I found it very therapeutic to just practice my embroidery stitches following someone else's design for a change. I took some of my own threads instead of using those supplied with the kit simply because I prefer to work in bright colours. I was really pleased with the results:</div>
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My crochet adventures continue and I am currently joining together seventy granny squares in to a blanket that I hope to finish before the end of the summer and I have finished edging my first ever crochet blanket that I began back in March. </div>
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Considering it's the first crochet blanket I've made I am really pleased with the results. I chose colours that I don't normally work with (normally I choose bold and bright ones), and I like the way they work together. </div>
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I look forward to sharing blanket number two with you when it's finished (hopefully before the end of the summer hols).</div>
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Finally, inspired by Rio 2016 and all of the gorgeous tropical designs and prints that are everywhere this summer yesterday afternoon I decided to make my Totally Tropical Pin Cushions. I think I am becoming a little obsessed with pin cushions (see my previous post), but I love these bold bright and cheerful designs and they will definitely bring a touch of summer magic to my sewing clubs next year!</div>
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I am looking forward to sharing more makes with you throughout the summer break. Wishing you sunshine whatever you are making!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-25854389206947661882016-08-04T08:40:00.001-07:002016-08-04T08:40:48.117-07:00Flower Power Pin Cushions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU1epnqN0CtGHGiXdtePhjY1zGIOm_XKWTmlS7XBRn5PQQa3C5WfvsxNvoTgQSwklzHQQmxEEb7hsUFm_0JocPxFwx37rGzsnlYXmVfhjBk-8DN0j_FPJacAdaoDeXkEbgOLKejf5u4A/s1600/Flower+Power+Pin+Cushions+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU1epnqN0CtGHGiXdtePhjY1zGIOm_XKWTmlS7XBRn5PQQa3C5WfvsxNvoTgQSwklzHQQmxEEb7hsUFm_0JocPxFwx37rGzsnlYXmVfhjBk-8DN0j_FPJacAdaoDeXkEbgOLKejf5u4A/s320/Flower+Power+Pin+Cushions+resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Although it's possibly not the most sophisticated of flowers, I am rather fond of the sunflower. I have always loved their cheerful faces and was disappointed to find out that they don't actually turn their "heads" towards the sun, as I always thought this was a lovely image. It's currently sunflower season and I have seen plenty of these lovely, striking blooms for sale in the local florist. Maybe next year I shall get around to growing my own.</div>
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They featured in this fantastic bunch of flowers that I received as a "Thank you" gift at the end of term and this got me thinking of a new design for a pincushion. </div>
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If you have read previous posts on this blog, you will know that I am a huge fan of pincushions. I have posted tutorials for pin cushions that are still in use in my sewing clubs and I am happy to report that children find them far more fun to use than a pin wheel which is a huge help when trying to encourage good health and safety practices(!)</div>
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These flower power pin cushions will be debuted in my new clubs in September. They are very simple to make and would work brilliantly as a summer sew at home project for children. If you'd like to make your own just follow the steps below...</div>
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<b>You will need</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WolNVakLtrFIlEW8uBGVdSZjjpPvkWAR_VGmNs6Kw-H_8gByi6B7Cy1BVWVYlFCQzKfoseKnZ90_ZrCyFTPE_Ump6cmj_EZTKPKFbgBVihgD-imEgR9xh3H_WmQCy9M3BazJkSADB4w/s1600/SF+Materials+resized+with+sizes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WolNVakLtrFIlEW8uBGVdSZjjpPvkWAR_VGmNs6Kw-H_8gByi6B7Cy1BVWVYlFCQzKfoseKnZ90_ZrCyFTPE_Ump6cmj_EZTKPKFbgBVihgD-imEgR9xh3H_WmQCy9M3BazJkSADB4w/s320/SF+Materials+resized+with+sizes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Three yellow 8 petal flower shapes 12cm in diameter, one charcoal grey (or any other dark colour), felt circle 9cm in diameter and one 6cm in diameter. I used pinking shears to cut the 6cm circle but you could also make small cuts in to the circle to give a fringed effect.</div>
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<b>Step one:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6QWgtKKqtmlLFlDZvDmovgnQccaF3Eh-39nl-HUrbb3mYfGvnhpChCPnCdh4AjqIzWHUeBr6p7qN6tsY3oZqqZRe5wM26slLXHA-WE3XJgy9nZ7wZZ5VhJDHhS2Uqjg5b0gbs23oIzs/s1600/SF1+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6QWgtKKqtmlLFlDZvDmovgnQccaF3Eh-39nl-HUrbb3mYfGvnhpChCPnCdh4AjqIzWHUeBr6p7qN6tsY3oZqqZRe5wM26slLXHA-WE3XJgy9nZ7wZZ5VhJDHhS2Uqjg5b0gbs23oIzs/s320/SF1+resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sew small, even running stitches around the outside edge of the 9cm felt circle.</div>
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<b>Step two:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyHjkw3YLkhkbv2uT9O-vfHHwOeouNrFVpsLu9MllCV7iTLS9rhhJAuNbL26GN20kLBgJVocCCQpQV6H8X0pNFBD18dhd0kSW25rOOPTVdd_Xe5Lpup5Bdbx_QPWF0mV9dau3uW2B9Bk/s1600/SF2+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyHjkw3YLkhkbv2uT9O-vfHHwOeouNrFVpsLu9MllCV7iTLS9rhhJAuNbL26GN20kLBgJVocCCQpQV6H8X0pNFBD18dhd0kSW25rOOPTVdd_Xe5Lpup5Bdbx_QPWF0mV9dau3uW2B9Bk/s320/SF2+resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pull your thread to gather the fabric in to a ball shape but don't close the hole completely.</div>
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<b>Step three:</b></div>
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Add plenty of stuffing so that the ball feels firm and secure with a strong finishing knot.</div>
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<b>Step four:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUKUPTyUcQ962E0679uSeRJjnSrUCV5fuNNwy6VysJ_uXB8d9e6UE2hVgvBiMMzQJWuZ9FHd-uXWKNDmqgXdaadnchYDtFDRoNyU4AgTR48YtFy0rSsoHEWGjRRKtnBlz-qeYAZlIfLo/s1600/SF4+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUKUPTyUcQ962E0679uSeRJjnSrUCV5fuNNwy6VysJ_uXB8d9e6UE2hVgvBiMMzQJWuZ9FHd-uXWKNDmqgXdaadnchYDtFDRoNyU4AgTR48YtFy0rSsoHEWGjRRKtnBlz-qeYAZlIfLo/s320/SF4+resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Place the ball that you have made on top of the 6cm felt circle and one of the flower shapes and sew through all three layers around the felt ball to attach it in place at the centre of the grey circle/flower shape.</div>
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<b>Step five:</b></div>
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Position the additional two flower shapes behind so that they form layers and sew small running stitches around the edge of the small grey circle making sure you go through all of the layers of flower shapes to join all three layers together.</div>
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Your super sunflower pincushion is now ready to use and keep all of your pins safely in one place. This technique can also be used to create other flower designs. You can use brightly coloured felt to create exotic blooms, or how about taking your inspiration from summer daisies with white and yellow felt? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcANCxhRdRnIxa1fBE3sVxVn402KFJ8uqZIY6ua-ajg_Z-2MsWI8ZmHQZz_EYL9O8VmF835ACQbPJWHaho7EHQGcS0yESDwKnoQ1ffh_LFPMFKrdn69cNQlbfSC8HG6NyV143Lp1zBNA/s1600/Flower+Power+Pin+Cushions+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcANCxhRdRnIxa1fBE3sVxVn402KFJ8uqZIY6ua-ajg_Z-2MsWI8ZmHQZz_EYL9O8VmF835ACQbPJWHaho7EHQGcS0yESDwKnoQ1ffh_LFPMFKrdn69cNQlbfSC8HG6NyV143Lp1zBNA/s320/Flower+Power+Pin+Cushions+resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The list endless - Happy Sewing!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-15996020537789685382016-07-31T07:14:00.001-07:002016-07-31T07:14:24.283-07:00Making It Magical! Our End of School Year Gallery...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well done to all of the talented sewing enthusiasts who created the most amazing projects last half term. I'd like to give a special shout out to all of the year 6 "Hope & Gloria" graduates who left our clubs to head on to new sewing pastures at secondary school. You will be missed and are wished all of the very best luck in your new schools - keep sewing.<br />
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This year all of our "graduates" were given a certificate in recognition of their amazing sewing skills that all of The Hope & Gloria Team hope will remind them of the fun and creative times spent in our sewing clubs.<br />
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One of our very talented year 6 club members, Jessica from St. Ann's Heath Junior School brought in the very first project that she made with Hope & Gloria when she was in year 3 - an owl. It was lovely to contrast her first and final sewing club projects and it's always lovely to see how far children progress with their sewing skills during their time in our clubs. A huge "Well Done!" to Jessica.</div>
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Here are some other lovely projects that were stitched with skill and love last half term by our sewing club members. As always their creativity is truly brilliant. Have a lovely summer everyone and we look forward to seeing you all again in September!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-3910915565490942332016-07-31T06:56:00.000-07:002016-07-31T07:18:41.654-07:00The Land of Make Believe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Being the Mum of three boys, there aren't usually any unicorns or fairy houses to be found in our house. Over the years there have been one or two dragon themed books, films and toys here but generally nothing of the magical girlie variety.</div>
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Therefore, it was a real treat for me to design the projects for the Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs for last half term. The theme I had chosen was "Make It Magical". People often ask me where I get the ideas for our sewing clubs projects from and often it can be as simple as listening to our club members talking about things they love and magical creatures always seem to come up in conversation. Knowing how much our sewing club members love unicorns, they just had to form part of the range.</div>
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As always the design challenge I face is to come up with a project that will produce smiley faces for new and experienced stitchers and my unicorns can be made as simply or as decoratively as required. By this stage in the school year many of our sewing enthusiasts have mastered a few decorative techniques which can be put to use with these cute toys. Here are examples of the more decorative variety that I stitched along week by week with the children in my clubs to give them stitching ideas for their unicorns:</div>
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I think my favourite project from The Land of Make Believe were my Toadstool Fairy Houses. Super-cute and as we discovered in our clubs, ideal for letting children's creativity run wild, they make a really adorable decoration.</div>
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Again, there were lots of options for personalising and decoration. I think any fairy would love to make a home in one of these magical houses. Here are two of my examples:</div>
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I wrote about our final project option - the adorable baby dragon in a previous post. He proved to be very popular amongst our club members (nearly as popular as the unicorns), proving that there is still a lot of love out there for these gorgeous mythical creatures!</div>
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We had a fantastic final half term of the year at Hope & Gloria. It's now the end of July, I have already designed our September projects and over the summer hols I'll be thinking about Christmas!In my next post I'll be sharing pictures of our club members finished projects - why not take a look to see how brilliantly our sewing club members "Made It Magical!" </div>
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Happy Summer Everyone, and Happy Sewing!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-68501281986230203762016-06-27T08:54:00.002-07:002016-06-27T08:54:53.285-07:00Our Celebration of Sewing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This weekend we had our annual celebration of sewing which takes the form of The Hope & Gloria Junior Sewing Bee Grand Final.<br />
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In my last post I explained how we reached this point through round one of the competition and yesterday afternoon Allison, Debbie, Sarah, and Sophie from the Hope & Gloria Team and I guided our amazing finalists through the last stage of the annual competition.<br />
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One of my absolute favourite aspects of my role at Hope & Gloria is designing all of the projects that we make in our clubs. Yesterday afternoon I was delighted to hand the designing reins over to thirty of our sewing club members so that they designed and made their own cushions and bags in a bid to win first prize in 2016.<br />
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This year we had two overall winning categories - one for school years 3& 4 and one for school years 5 & 6. After seeing the brilliant creations from round one, it was no surprise that this year's standard was incredibly high and choosing just one cushion from each category was very difficult. <br />
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Follow the yellow arrows below to see the winning entries....<br />
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Our winner in the younger age category was Amber Moores from Warfield Primary School who gave us a well thought out design that showed a brilliant understanding of the use of colour and space as well as beautiful stitching for her age. </div>
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Hannah Mackie was our first prize winner in the older age group. Hannah managed to sew designs on to the front and back of her cushion in the allocated time of 75 minutes - a daytime scene on the front and night time one on the back featuring the moon and a bat. The back of the cushion also featured a pocket for a tooth for the tooth fairy to collect. Hannah's inventiveness of design, function and beautiful stitching meant that this was a truly well deserved first place.</div>
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Well done to Amber and Hannah! Also, I must also say a huge well done to all of our contestants that joined us yesterday - you were all amazing and I don't think I have ever found it so hard to judge a competition. </div>
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I am happy to report that no-one left empty-handed. As well as taking home their beautiful creations, all of the girls were given a goody bag containing Hope & Gloria sewing supplies and some sweet treats.</div>
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Well done once again to everyone - we hope to see you all again at next years Hope & Gloria Junior Sewing Bee!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-76616898896612207622016-06-18T05:21:00.000-07:002016-06-18T05:21:50.461-07:00Bee-ing Creative - Round One of The Hope & Gloria Sewing Bee 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been dying to share these fantastic pictures with you. They are the round one winners projects from our annual inter-school sewing competition. I think they are pretty fantastic.<br />
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Now in it's second year, the 2016 competition looks set to be as successful as when we launched it last summer. Once again we were overwhelmed with round one entries and it was incredibly difficult for the Hope & Gloria Team and I to pick out just 30 children to take through to our grand final which takes place next year.<br />
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The aim of the Hope & Gloria Junior Sewing Bee is to give young sewing enthusiasts a platform to showcase their talents and skills in the same spirit as sports tournaments, dance shows or other children's competitions. It is a celebration of the amazing results that can be achieved with a needle, thread, fabric and a large sprinkling of creativity.<br />
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In this year's final we'll be asking our finalists to add their own designs to either a bag or cushion measuring 15cm x 15cm. They will be working on their designs at home over the next few days and some of the lovely ladies from Team H&G will be on hand next weekend to help them realise their designs.<br />
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Everyone from Hope & Gloria is very excited about next week's final and we can't wait to see the lovely creations that will take shape. I have a feeling that it is going to be very hard for me to judge a winner but I look forward to sharing all the news and results from The Hope & Gloria Junior Sewing Bee 2016 with you next week.<br />
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-9604172776429890192016-06-05T07:57:00.001-07:002016-06-05T07:57:16.084-07:00A Gallery of Gorgeous Bags!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year Hope & Gloria bag projects are incredibly popular. They are always lots of fun to design. For this year's bags I came up with a satchel design using lots of lovely bright and bold coloured felt. In order for our sewing club members to add their own individual touches to the bags I also added a simple badge project which turned out to be lots of fun with many amazing creations being made across all of the 32 Hope & Gloria Sewing Clubs.</div>
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As always our sewing enthusiasts excelled themselves and the finished project were quite simply beautiful. A HUGE "Well done!" and a big round of applause to all of the Hope & Gloria club members for all of the brilliant work last half term.</div>
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Here are some of the completed bags...</div>
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Crowthorne CE Primary School</div>
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Dorney Primary School</div>
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Oaklands Junior School</div>
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Also, last half term I was lucky to spend some time with an amazing group of young carers teaching them to sew at what is to become a monthly workshop that I have organised in conjunction with The Windsor and Maidenhead Young Carers Service. I was joined by Tanya - one of my team of lovely Hope & Gloria Sewing Club Leaders and together we are volunteering our time to give this group of inspiring young people some time out to be creative.</div>
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We were amazed by their positive outlook and also be their creative skills and can't wait to see them again next week when we'll be making pencil cases.</div>
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I look forward to sharing the results of our next workshop with you. In the meantime here are a few of the beautiful cushions that were made. Just Fabulous!</div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3025796328059171477.post-85172796893548356242016-06-02T10:21:00.001-07:002016-06-02T10:21:13.495-07:00Fun Father's Day Makes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's fair to say that we've not had the best weather in the UK this half term but it is great weather for sewing and being creative indoors.</div>
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The young sewing enthusiasts that come to my clubs will have heard me talk on numerous occasions about how lovely it is to give gifts that are handmade and we have the perfect occasion for this in just over two weeks time on Sunday 19th June - Father's Day.</div>
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I thought I'd share some quick and fun sewing ideas to make Dad smile and keep young ones occupied whilst waiting for Summer to arrive.</div>
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Why not show Dad that he's number one with this fun and colourful rosette. It's easy to make using scraps of bright felt, here's how...</div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Step one:</span></b> <span style="color: #444444;">Cut two medium sized circles (approx. 5cm in diameter), from one colour of felt and another that is slightly larger (Approx 8cm in diameter), from a contrasting colour.</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Step two:</span> <span style="color: #444444;">place one of the medium felt circles on top of the larger one and draw around it. Cut a fringe all the way around from the outside edge to the edge of the circle that you have drawn.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;">Step three:</span><span style="color: #444444;"> I cut a number one from some scraps of felt and stitched it to the front of one of my medium circles but you could also embroider number one or a personal message. Sew a safety pins securely to the centre of the other felt circle.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: magenta;">Step four:</span> <span style="color: #444444;">Cut two strips of felt approx' 2cm x 15cm and cut a "V" shape in to the bottom. I stitched some patterned ribbon along the centre of mine as I like to add pattern but they can also be left plain.</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Step five:</span> <span style="color: #444444;">Now it's time to pin all of the pieces together. The blue circle should be placed on top of the larger fringed circle in the centre. The two ribbon pieces should be placed behind and pinned like this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUDUcyeRgP5UpDMEWEy8dxbhtGH4RculQj2oBu0xEq5n_hf0vmaWqV7LIE8br0GqAzgZL_bsHDcgP95SVlS8sOy-Uu6rlBGd8zxiITuAYdh2ubswBEz_p5cB7IKajnBPhU7q4eLT9jTo/s1600/Rosette+3resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUDUcyeRgP5UpDMEWEy8dxbhtGH4RculQj2oBu0xEq5n_hf0vmaWqV7LIE8br0GqAzgZL_bsHDcgP95SVlS8sOy-Uu6rlBGd8zxiITuAYdh2ubswBEz_p5cB7IKajnBPhU7q4eLT9jTo/s320/Rosette+3resized.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Then place the circle with the safety pin on top of this with the safety pin facing outwards.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cxIOeDGcKxLEVh7u0BEHB-SmKDZk3E0H-EMAvauMqzy1G5fqKVnIVkFpuSgmFU67PxdM9-Av6IJ0iPaK4KsUuELt2siWeNVbH3P394eeHRY-XB9KxDMUfVQhUfYIML412fYRfsmzMiE/s1600/Rosette+2+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cxIOeDGcKxLEVh7u0BEHB-SmKDZk3E0H-EMAvauMqzy1G5fqKVnIVkFpuSgmFU67PxdM9-Av6IJ0iPaK4KsUuELt2siWeNVbH3P394eeHRY-XB9KxDMUfVQhUfYIML412fYRfsmzMiE/s320/Rosette+2+resized.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Make sure you pin all of the layers securely in place.</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Step six:</span> <span style="color: #444444;">Sew all of the layers together with small neat running stitch around the outside of the blue circle making sure you go through all of the layers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Now your rosette is complete and can be worn proudly by Dad on Father's Day!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Or how about making a keyring so that Dad's keys are always easy to find? I have used a star shape and also a smiley face in my designs but you could use any shape, colour or design of your own as the keyrings are all made using the same simple technique:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6XN3s6DeiN2YrLHckydqy26wK0oJau2_MGnw0ZE33rK8TFXDdV67CnA5QnBLjUbtxdLzzYj01TUSSOYLs8EL2NwrCkwRhfhBMFSgpk6QZ85JTUEujw4umE12mv9FMSJ8-Jjpw93lgj8/s1600/Smiley+face+keyring+1+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6XN3s6DeiN2YrLHckydqy26wK0oJau2_MGnw0ZE33rK8TFXDdV67CnA5QnBLjUbtxdLzzYj01TUSSOYLs8EL2NwrCkwRhfhBMFSgpk6QZ85JTUEujw4umE12mv9FMSJ8-Jjpw93lgj8/s320/Smiley+face+keyring+1+resized.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Cut two shapes from felt and add a design to the front of one of them. Cut a 10cm length of ribbon and fold it in half threading on a split metal ring.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnfQ0SqSsnYc1gS07bliT73HYiIlDR-kiCPOEsGyXCOsJc-BCyWVAmzDqqnV3IKFHbIMCNbiaLiIbov3G4IpwIyF7kDC6xrNrkJrnLKz0vzoSKT3DfG4t9GOGLiX4OvW9VowlzioHmKs/s1600/smiley+face+keyring+2+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnfQ0SqSsnYc1gS07bliT73HYiIlDR-kiCPOEsGyXCOsJc-BCyWVAmzDqqnV3IKFHbIMCNbiaLiIbov3G4IpwIyF7kDC6xrNrkJrnLKz0vzoSKT3DfG4t9GOGLiX4OvW9VowlzioHmKs/s320/smiley+face+keyring+2+resized.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Pin the two felt shapes together with the folded ribbon pinned in place inbetween the two shapes. Stitch around the outside making sure you sew through all of the layers when you get to the ribbon (it's also a good idea to go over your stitches a couple of times at this point to make sure the ribbon is held firmly in place).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6x7FbhEfc0k3q1FU3NYKRQVjy2WrtrULS-o3o0_bodkVie2wgRTAD14rXds1F6CueKbFS73cThDxdPF8y6u4o6_Odot_HVF_2Qd36TwOIqdmAMOq6xNsQd2mX1nFZm9IFV9eELvRWNE/s1600/Group+Shot+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6x7FbhEfc0k3q1FU3NYKRQVjy2WrtrULS-o3o0_bodkVie2wgRTAD14rXds1F6CueKbFS73cThDxdPF8y6u4o6_Odot_HVF_2Qd36TwOIqdmAMOq6xNsQd2mX1nFZm9IFV9eELvRWNE/s320/Group+Shot+resized.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Happy Father's Day Making!</span></div>
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<br />Keeleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01085475183900120501noreply@blogger.com0