Thursday 26 February 2015

Afternoon all,

Hoping you are all well...

So here are my latest items, the first of which was a teaser in the last post:


It's so cute! Sorry, I should tell you what it is. It is a Freehand Machine Embroidery Lavender Bag. :) It measures a tiny 2 1/2" across at the base and is about the same in height. I made this out of cream calico, decorated the front using my favourite technique (backed with interfacing), made a channel for the ribbon, packed it with some beautifully aromatic lavender heads all the way from Provence and tied it up in bow. My workshop smelt devine...





I made four of these in this design and have many more lined up. They are small enough to fit anywhere, but boy, do they pack a punch! And the best thing about these is that if the lavender aroma starts to fade, they just need a squeeze to crush some of the lavender heads and the aroma is released again. Lovely. What do you think?

Next up:


My small Reversible Denim, Blue & White Canvas Bag complete with Removable Rose. This is a slight change to one I made a while ago which, although reversible was made with a plain white canvas as well as the blue and white mix you see above.

I really like this bag as it is small enough to not get in the way and yet big enough to get in all your essentials. It can be used as a day bag or as a sewing bag, a toiletries bag or whatever bag you like! I made a red flower for it as it adds a great pop of colour and as it is removable it can then be placed on the outside, when the bag is turned inside out. (Or is that outside in?)





I really like working with these materials and have interfaced the blue and white not only for stability, but also for durability and quality of the finish. Plus, with having a flat bottom, it stands up by itself. Ta-dah! What do you think?


Well that's all for now, thanks for reading, please leave a comment below or Like me over on Facebook.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Two New Items

Evening all,

So I have been working hard, as no doubt everyone else has too and I have a couple of things to show you today. Firstly, this:


My new item in the line of Freehand Machine Embroidery, a 'Houses' Throw Cushion. I like how this turned out and the attention to detail was really fun to do, for instance the satelite dish on a roof, the nest under the eaves and the milk bottles outside a front door. :)




It is a 40cm x 40cm cushion, based on cream calico and made with an envelope back. What do you think?

Next up:

Denim and Cream Calico Coasters. These are in a set of six and each individual square has been made and patched together, filled and finished with a denim back. On these, I have only added one of my FMN Crafts labels so that they could be used the other way around if so desired...




These are great in that they are neutral in colours so will go with lots of decor. Do you like them?

Well that's all for today, here is a little teaser for my next blog...any ideas?



Thanks for reading, please leave me a comment if you wish or Like me on Facebook.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Sunday 15 February 2015

Afternoon all,

This is just a short message to say that tomorrow, Monday 16th February 2015, I will be exhibiting at the Bakewell Town Hall, Derbyshire, in the beautiful Peak District.

The Bakewell Town Hall

There is an organisation called the Goboka Rwanda Trust which is a small UK registered charity that supports and delivers projects to help the Rwandan people, their families and their communities, and once a month they run a Cafe and Craft Fair in the Town Hall to raise funds.

Goboka School Project

It is such a great atmosphere and there are around 8 stalls peddling their wears as well as the cafe selling teas, coffees, hot chocolate etc - where I can thoroughly recommend the chocolate cake!

If you fancy a day out in Bakewell, Monday would be a good day not only for the fair, but also because it's Market day and there is always a great buzz. Plus, you can visit The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop...

The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop
Doors open around 10am, hope to see you then.

Thanks for reading,
Julie.

Monday 9 February 2015

Good afternoon to you,

I would like to show you two things today that I have been working on, firstly this:


My Hillside Freehand Machine Embroidery and Applique picture. If you are a regular follower, you will know how much I enjoy using these techniques and this is my latest project using them. This picture just popped into my head recently and I just had to sew it. I hoped to get a sense of surroundings, perspective and realism whilst making a fun, obscure and slightly off-kilter picture. I think it worked! The path leads you up towards the dinky house, but not until you have spoken to the fluffy sheep. :)

This picture sits in a double rubber wood frame (which I love) and the light mounting board really brings the picture together, which can be hung or stood.






What do you think? I'll be taking it to my fair on Monday which I'll tell you about soon.

Secondly, I like to show you this:

Click picture to enlarge

I have just complted this, like half an hour ago, my Linen and Cotton Country Cottage Bunting. I simply love these materials when joined and they work so well together. Each piece has a different piece of material attached and is adorned with either a button or a bow, all tied together with a crochet lace.

This single sided bunting is 6 feet long, has 12 flags and has approximately 14" of overhang on each end for tying or pnning. I just love it and it was really quite odd going to my sewing machine and sewing straight lines! Seems such a long time since I did that... This bunting would look great in a country kitchen (or any kitchen actually) or a lounge, or a conservatory, or above an outside patio table or well, many places.


So what do you think to this? Of course, I love it, but I'd like to know what you think... Leave me a comment, share this, Like me on Facebook or send me a Tweet!

Thanks for reading,
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Saturday 7 February 2015

Afternoon all, I hope your Saturday is going well so far,

I would like to show you the fruits of this week's work:


These are my new Freehand Machine Embroidery Greetings Cards.

I have made a batch of six designs and of course, I love them all! This is the Thank You card:


This has been sewn onto cream card which has been sewn onto cream card (!) in two seperate sections to give definition. I simply love the willow pattern style material and I only had a tiny piece left, which works well as a jug.

This is the Birthday Cake one:

 

I love the way this turned out, it is sewn onto pink cotton which is sewn onto the card. All these cards have materials that have been interfaced to give stability and durability and adds to the quality. Writing using Freehand Machine Embroidery is fun! It takes a lot of practice and a couple of steady hands but it looks great when done. Even when you get the wobbles, it still looks great!

Here is the giant Cupcake Card:

 

YUM! I simply love using these materials and adding spots to florals - I don't think it'll ever get old... This one has been sewn onto a cream calico background before sewing to the card. Have you ever sewn onto card using your sewing machine? It's a great feeling - it goes 'duff duff duff' and it's so cool! Ahem, moving on...

Here is the Birthday Bunting card:

 

You can't go wrong with a bit of bunting - on most craft projects - and cards are no exception. This is really cute, if I do say so myself...it evokes feelings of party and celebration.

Next up, two designs made on linen (which I also love to work with), first the Hearts:

 

These two linen cards are plain, in that there are no specific occassions labelled so can be used for many things. I love the way these are more about the textures than the others and are inviting to touch; very tactile. Here is the second one named Bird:

 

It's really nice to work with neutral colours i.e. browns and creams and I always see these materials as 'quality classics'. This card has a button sun and sewn in grass sections too.

And this is what the inside of most of the cards look like:


Sew So nothing evasive or getting in the way, just lots of space for you to write your greeting without taking away the attention of your words.

I will be taking them to a fair I have in a few days time and if I have any left after that, I will put them in my Etsy Store.

What do you think? Do you like them? Please leave me a comment, I'd love to know what you think. Thanls for reading,

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015