Is it too early for a Christmas post?

Now that I am in the full swing of preparations for Blue String Vintage and Handmade Fair, Christmas is feeling closer and closer.  As it gets nearer to December, people, (well my family anyway) are usually beginning to think about Christmas gifts and decorations, so I knew that at Blue String I definitely wanted to include some Christmassy stock as well as all .

This week I have been very busy making rag wreaths, Christmas bunting, stockings, present tags and tree decorations to sit alongside my other stock and I thought I would share them with you.

I have been trawling through trusty old Pinterest and getting inspiration for my Christmas wreath designs and I decided to make lovely ones made out of strips of fabric and ribbon.

We have a whole load of Christmassy colour themes going on, but here is the traditional red, white and green theme, with a few bits of hessian and gold added in for a change of texture. Oh and some heart beads, because who doesn't want hearts?

There are some smaller wreaths on the go too, in icy blues and whites and pinks and mauves. Hopefully there will be one for every taste, whatever your colour theme. I will be able to do these larger ones to order too! More on this later.

I am really excited to show my tree decorations and bunting as well, which were really popular with my friends and family last year. I will be uploading more pictures of what I will be bringing to Blue String soon and maybe a blog layout update too!

Business cards!

Well now I feel very professional!

I have recently had business cards printed, as I really need some to hand out to people (Customers?!) at Blue String Vintage and Handmade Fair on the 24th of November. I ended up picking these lovely ones from Zazzle.

I wanted a double sided card, as I thought it would be good to have info relating to my blog on one side, with my personal details on the other. I also wanted to make sure that they fitted in with the design of my blog. They didn't have exactly the same font, but it looks pretty close. I love the green chevron too, which I am thinking about adding into my blog background at some point. 

I am really pleased with them and am also really happy with the service I got from Zazzle. They came pretty quickly and offer a money back guarantee if you are not entirely happy, which seems like a win- win to me. They were also fairly reasonably priced at £20 including postage for 100.

On a different note, I have been busy making additions to sell at the fair, including these cute pencil cases.

I decided to get really bright zips to go with the fabric I brought for the clutch bags I have made, aswell as some other patterned fabrics. I am going to sell them with pretty pencils inside covered with vintage papers.

Anyway I had best get cracking with more stock! Its pin cushion mice next! haha.

 

Clutch Bags

Here is my first lot of stock for the up-coming craft fair I'm going to in November!

Do you like my fabrics?!

I love clutch bags, so I knew I wanted to make some to sell, but as I have never made any before I wanted them to look quite simple but cool.

I basically just made a long zip pouch with 2 outer pieces of fabric and 2 lining pieces. I attached them to the zip, sewed the 2 outer and 2 inner pieces together, then turned it all inside out. The bags have a big press stud to hold the flap down.

I love the big chunky metal zips. They were such a bargain too, 10 for a pound from Birmingham's Rag Market! The fabrics I used are from The Fancy Silk Store in Birmingham, my favourite is the bird print. What you cant see is the gorgeous silky linings inside the bags, silver, pink and blue satin :)

Here are some more pictures of the clutches with things in, as they look so much nicer puffed out a bit.

 

 

(By the way, I have made more than three!)

 

I think next on the list is some purses in matching fabric and also pencil cases. I had better get a move on!



First Craft Fair!

I have actually booked myself a stall at my first ever craft fair!
I have been putting it off for a while. I wasn't sure I would have enough time to make anything, or if people would actually end up buying anything. But I decided to stop making excuses and just do it, or I would just talk myself out of it.

The one I am going to is called Blue String and seems kind of a mixture of handmade and vintage stuff. I have never been before, but it looks really nice and I think it is quite new. It's at St James Church in Sutton Coldfield and is on the 24th of November.

The thing is now, what the hell am I gonna make? And also how am I going to be ready in time for the end of November?! I had better get crafting! I am always making something, but this has got to be stuff people will actually want to buy!

I have a couple of things in mind, some cute bags and purses and then a few Christmassy things as well. I have been trawling through Pinterest every chance I can get, trying to get some inspiration on stall displays. Here are some of my favourites on my Pinterest.

So now I have actually got to make the stuff.
I went to buy some materials last weekend and had a lovely time wandering around Birmingham's Rag Market and picked up some amazing fabrics and bits and pieces. You can expect to see some pics soon.

I'm really excited about this, but have no ideas yet about pricing, display or amounts of stock to bring! I am going to be searching so many blogs for tips these next few weeks! If anyone has any hints, or knows any good websites let me know!

Matchy Matchy!

I feel like I haven't blogged in ages! For anyone who has noticed my absence, (hi Mom and Dad) I'm very sorry. I have been quite busy this week starting a new job which I'm loving, but means less time for sewing.

But here is a little something I refashioned recently and something I have wanted to get round to doing for ages.

I really like the idea of wearing a matching skirt and crop top set, especially when it looks cute and lady-like, in a fabulous tweed or something. I love this example from Geneva at a pair and a spare. I love this blog and always find it so inspiring. If you have never looked at it, go now!

My example is a little different, (I have neither her amazing photography skills or her general air of sophistication) but I'm still really pleased with my attempt.

 

 

 

 

I had an old,  long sleeved, thick jersey dress that used to belong to my Mom. I think it was from Sainsbury's or some other high fashion clothes retailer. I really like the pattern and the thickness of the fabric, but the dress was too big on the whole and just didn't look right on me.So I decided this was the perfect opportunity to try and recreate a style I love.  

I cut the dress so that the top would sit at the top part of my stomach when hemmed, then cut the sleeves to make it a t- shirt.

For the skirt I added a length of elastic to the top and some darts at the back. (I managed to keep the original pockets) However, it then was very short! I cut apart the sleeves and made them into a little kind of peplum/ruffle at the bottom which seems to work.

 

 

In the end this only took about an hour or so to chop up and re- style, so it was a real quick project. (I love it when things come together fast. I'm so impatient)

Oh, and about the photography. I apologise for the weird lighting and lack of styling on my behalf haha. My little brother is my faithful and very skilled for his age photographer and always takes the photos of me for my blog. This lot of pictures is definitely my fault, having had no time to get any photos in actual daylight! Sozz Ethan.



Simplicity 2176

First off I would just like to say how much I love this pattern.

My nan brought this pattern a few weeks ago, along with some black and white floral cotton and some light tulip cotton and I have recently got round to making them both up.
It is probably one of the easiest dress patterns I have made in a while, but it has loads of detail and nice lines which make it look a lot more complicated.

This is one of the dresses. I think my Nan looks lovely! The shape of the dress suits her so well. I had to make hardly any alterations besides shortening the straps a little and making the skirt a little longer to suit her taste.

This is the black and white floral version. It is exactly the same, but it is more difficult to see the waist pleats and the bodice band with a busy pattern.

Nan was really pleased with them both so that's the main thing. I am also tempted to get the pattern in my size, shorten it and make one for me.

Some Selfless Sewing

The last week or so, I have mainly been concentrating on sewing a few things for my mom. (I'm such a nice daughter)
My mom and dad are off on their holidays tomorrow, and this has coincided with my mom realising that if she buys a pattern and fabric I can make her clothes.

She was looking for a summery wrap dress and a skirt with pockets in the shops but couldn't see anything that was just right. We eventually found Simplicity 1617 and Butterick B5850, and some colourful fabric.

The skirt was pretty easy to construct. I used view D of the pattern, with the drapey pockets and made virtually no alterations.

The fabric my mom chose was a multi-coloured, floral, lightweight, cotton and I think she looks great!

 

It really suits her!

I made up the Butterick dress in view B. No sleeves and a slim skirt.
This was a tad harder to make up and I did have to make a few alterations to the fit. But I am really happy with how it turned out in the end and so is mom.

Mom decided she wanted pockets in this too, so I used the pattern pieces from the skirt and attached them to the dress. (she has a thing about pockets)

I actually think it looks really nice with the pockets, and the sash around the waist is lovely too. The fabric is a thicker cotton which drapes really well. It also seems like it wont crease, which is great as it went straight in a suitcase as soon as I had finished it!

So hopefully they will both get lots of wear while she is abroad!