Super Stitched Scarves and Snoods....

.....or how we went from this

 to this:

This morning we had a truly lovely workshop. Outside it was raining and I mean really raining. The sky was grey and as we looked out of the windows at the Broomhall Park Pavillion we couldn't help feel a little sorry for the children and parents braving the great outdoors in spite of the puddles that were rapidly forming in the playground.

Inside, I am happy to report we were full of cheer and very enthusiastic about the lovely scarves and snoods that we created in lovely bright colours in defiance of the dull grey weather that we looked out on. A huge well done to all of the sixteen children who came along - you were amazingly creative and should wear your fab new accessories with pride!

Here are just a few pics of projects in the making and finished items.

A lovely floral scarf design

Beautiful flowers!

Super-cool Snoods!

An adorable scarf

Happy Valentine's Day From Hope & Gloria!

Hope your day is filled with love

If you are in a crafty mood this valentine's day why not take a look at some the previous Valentine's inspired post. Make something with love today....

To find out how to make these adorable applique hearts click here

Find a Shabby Chic Lavender Heart tutorial by clicking here

and finally, to see the most recent tutorial from Hope & Gloria click here

Happy Sewing!

Put A Little Love In Your Heart - A Valentine's Tutorial

We are feeling pretty waterlogged here in the UK at the moment. It seems as though it has done nothing but rain here since the start of the year. Everyone is talking about the weather - even more so than usual.

So I figure that what is needed is a colourful and happy sewing project to lift spirits. Valentine's day is just a few days away. It's the perfect time to show a loved one that you care and what better way than with a gift that really is made with love.

This project combines cross-stitch (a pastime that I love but never seem to have enough time to indulge in), reverse applique and simple sewing and takes no time at all. 

Stage one of your project is to decide on the message in the centre of your heart. Because of the time of the year I chose to use "love" as a nod to St Valentine, but it's also a lovely idea to stitch a loved ones' name. The word "home" is also very popular when it comes to interior decor at the moment.

I used 12 count aida to sew the word love. This means there are 12 crosses to an inch and they are very small. If you are new to cross stitch you can also use a larger cross stitch base fabric such as 8 count or 6 count aida which is also known as binca. Cross stitch fabric can be found in most hobby or haberdashery shops.

Stage 2 requires a heart template - here's how to make one:

First - decide on the size of your heart. For this project mine is approx 10cm x 10cm. Cut  square of paper to this size.

Fold the paper in half and draw half a heart shape that fills all of one half.

Cut along the line and open out - your heart template is now ready to use.

Using your newly made template cut out two felt heart shapes. I usually pin two squares of felt on top of each other and cut them out together - this means that your two heart shapes will be exactly the same size/shape and easier to sew neatly together.

Cut out a heart shape from the centre of one of them. To do this you can make a smaller template using the same technique as before but this time cut your heart from a piece of paper measuring 5cm x 5cm.

Stage 3 - Time to sew.

Pin your cross stitch design in place behind the cut out heart. Using small running stitch sew it into place.

Now the pin the other heart shape in place behind it and sew around the outside using small blanket stitch leaving a gap to add the stuffing.

Add a small amount of stuffing and sew up the remaining hole.

Stage 4 - Finishing Touches

Add a ribbon loop for hanging and a button as a finishing touch. Your cross stitch heart is now ready for giving or decorating just in time for Valentine's Day. Put a little love in your heart. 

Happy Valentine's Day.xx

Watch The Birdy!

Last weekend I found sewing inspiration from an unexpected source - the RSPB or Royal Society for The Protection of Birds.

This is nothing new to our family - as a child my family and I were often taken to The Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust on the day after Boxing Day by my father. A keen ornithologist in the family meant that we had an annual trip to look at the thousands of wetland birds which head to our country near the Severn Estuary each year.

I have promised Theo a trip there one day - he seems to have inherited his Gramps' enthusiasm for feathered friends. He persuaded Giles and I that we need to join the RSPB when we visited the Windsor Food Festival back in November. We left the event laden down with bird focussed magazines, books and various children's activities having agreed to give our support for the next twelve months.

Theo is also a committed member of our local Cub Scout Group and each year they take part in the RSPB Birdwatch where a nationwide audit of garden birds takes place. Giles was surprised to find Theo sitting in my work room bright and early on Sunday morning counting the number of birds he saw feeding on the hanging bird feeders in our garden and adding his findings to a spreadsheet supplied to the cubs by the RSPB.

Having been in need of a new pin cushion I decided to make one in a birdhouse design in honour of the feathered friends spotted by Theo in our garden. I chose lovely spring colours - light blue, pale green with a touch of pink in the form of a heart decoration. I had seen a similar project online made from paper. I adapted this idea and I am really pleased with the results as it looks adorable in felt. It's now taken pride of place on my sewing table - a hint of Spring which hopefully won't be too far away now(!)