Wednesday 27 May 2015

Linen, Cotton and Liberty of London!

Hi all,

Don't know about you but Spring really does bring out the 'busy-bee' in our house... we don't seem to have stopped in a looooonnng time. Oh well, I guess it's all good.

Anyway, I just wanted to post a quick blog on a few of my latest makes, so first up:


These are really cute little Flex-Frame Linen Purses. I made flex-frame purses a while ago and they went well, so I thought I'd make a few more in the linen materials I have; these are the first two styles. They are small enough to fit easily in a bag yet roomy enough to hold multiple cards and coins, or all kinds of bits and bobs. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Strawberries with Pink Spot

White Heart with Cherries

They are made with flat bases so you can not only fit loads in but also they stand up, plus they have cream cotton linings and the linen exteriors mean they are really hard wearing so should last for ages. What do you think?

Next up:


Another batch of Tissue Holders, as these are officially the hot-cakes of the fairs and sell so much so, that I am very often making them. They are quite sweet though aren't they? I had one lady at my last fair buy four in one go! Gifts, me thinks...

And finally (I think you'll like this):


This, ladies and gentlemen, is The (capital T) Denim and Liberty of London Aztec Print Drawstring Rucksack. Oh yes-siree. See the pictures for details.

Aztec detail added to the rounded corner top flap which has an elastic loop for closing

It has a denim base for added strength where needed and you can see the strong cord

It has two good sized wide shoulder straps

It also has a loop handle for convenience

Here you can see when the drawstring is pulled and the contrast between sides of the flap

Here's what it looks like when the flap is back and all the Aztec print is exposed

It is a really large 'bucket' style rucksack to take lots of goods

And it has a light cream interior to help find your items easily

I just love this bag and am sorely tempted to keep it! It is re-enforced in all stress areas, fits comfortably on the shoulders and is made of sturdy materials aiding durability and lasting quality. The best part is the fabulous Aztec print which is vintage Liberty material. I have used this material in earlier projects and it is just so nice to work with. This particular bag took me just over 6 hours to complete which includes design, sizing, measuring, cutting, pressing, assembly and finishing touches. I was a little tired...but I am sure you will agree, it was worth it!

I will be taking this to Bakewell at the weekend, so fingers crossed someone else loves it as much as I do :)

Well that's all for now, let me know what you think or pass this on. Thanks for reading.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015


Saturday 16 May 2015

Three New Items...

Hello all,

Just a small post today to show you my latest makes, so first up:


These are men's (or not) hard wearing wallets, made from fab upholstery materials. I made some of these a while ago and they all sold well; I know of at least two people who really like this style of wallet saying they are not only durable but fit well in a jacket or trouser pocket without the bulk of a usual wallet.

They have a lining which contains four pockets for cards, which can actually hold eight and at the back there is a notes slot. They are really soft to the touch too, quite tactile it seems...

Next up:


I saw this material and knew right away that I had to make bags from it! This is a small laminated cotton bag that can be used for all kinds of things, but mostly it can be used as a lunch bag (as in the pic) or as a children's bag for books, toys or otherwise... 

And finally:


This is a freehand machine embroidery flowers, denim and cream throw cushion that I simply love! I made one similar a while ago and that sold quite quickly and so today I finally got around to making another. This is 16" square and has an envelope back. What do you think?

Finally for today a quick reminder of the Antiques, Craft & Gift Fair I am attending tomorrow at the Ashford-In-The-Water Memorial Hall, near Bakewell. If you fancy a day out, please come along, entry is free, there are refreshments and fabulous stalls and the surrounding area is just a beautiful part of the Peak District. Doors open at 10.00am.

Thanks for reading,
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Friday 15 May 2015

Ashford-In-The-Water

Evening all,

Just a short blog to let you know of a new fair I will be attending on Sunday (new to me) at Ashford-In-The -Water.

The fair is an Antique, Gift and Craft Fair in the Ashford-In-The-Water Village Memorial Hall, a village close to Bakewell, where there is free admission, refreshments and fabulous stalls peddling their wares including jewellery, fine antiques, home wares, creative artworks, beeswax products, wood items, cards, textiles and much more.

Advertisments have been made through social media as well as posters & banners in all the local areas, leaflets in all the surrounding antique shops and leaflet drops at all the other craft and antique fairs attended, so it's sure to be a busy affair! Spread the word if you can...

Doors open 10.00 - 4.30pm.



See you there!

Thanks for reading,
Julie.

Sunday 10 May 2015

Bakewell Craft Fair

Hi all,

So as previously mentioned through Facebook and Twitter, I have one day left to go at the Bakewell Town Hall Craft and Gift Fair, tomorrow Monday 11th May 2015.


There have been some great stalls over the last two days including those selling hand made textile items, hand turned wood pens, landscape photography, mixed medium wall art, silver and dichroic jewellery, Phoenix trading cards, hand knitted characters and cushions, hand made decoupage and decorate cards etc, plus there is my husband's stall selling quality bric-a-brac items to raise fund for the RNLI.

Tomorrow there are a few other stalls coming in too, of which I don't know so it'll be a suprise!

The fair is organised by Dale's Fairs and adverts are placed on stallfinder.com, in the local free newspaper, in the Information Centre, via leaflets at previous fairs and via posters in the town well before the event. The posters around town that say "Follow The Sheep" are the ones to look out for.

The town hosts market day on Monday's and it is always buzzing, no matter what the weather, plus Bakewell has the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop, which is always worth a visit.



If you fancy a day out, you know where to come :) DE45 1BT

If you come and visit my stall and mention this advert, I will give you a 10% discount on any purchase over £10.00!

Thanks for reading,
Julie.

Tuesday 5 May 2015

Three New Items :)

Hello all,

Hoping you are well and not too caught up in Election Fever...

Today I would like to show you my latest works; I have been busy as usual. First up:


This is my Freehand Machine Embroidery Padded Flat Base Shoulder Bag. It has beautiful flowers on both sides that have been designed and sewn on using my favourite method, there is a floral lower band, and it also has a gazillion internal pockets. Yes, that's right.

It is made using sturdy denim materials in black and blue, the bag is lined in cream cotton with all the pockets in floral cotton, the handles are padded, the base is flat so the bag stands up by itself and the body of the bag is fleeced lined for extra padding and durability too. It sits nice on the shoulder or it can be held on the forearm, or it can be held at arms length.




I love it and it will be coming with me the the fair at the weekend; details about that later in the week.

Next up:


This is my Neutral Bunting and is so called because of the colour scheme.I am convinced it will fit into many homes and this is exactly why I made it using these colours and the materials - which are a mix of new and old. There are upholstery, curtaining, clothing and linen materials and they are bound with soft black webbing. Every other bunting flag has two buttons attached and each flag has a different front to it's back, meaning it is double sided, so it can be hung against a wall or across a room.




Each bunting flag is 8 inches tall, there are 12 flags per strip, it is 8 feet long and with it being made from these materials, it is long lasting. What do you think?

And finally for today:


These are my new style Tissue Packs, made using two different materials each and filled with 10 handy sized tissues. I changed the way I make them as I saw a lady with one like these recently and it got my cogs turning! I really liked the little strip on each side of the opening and once I worked out how to make them, I did. :)





They are just so pretty! They look good in any bag or even on the bed side table and they make great gifts...

That's all for today, thanks for reading and please leave me a comment if you wish.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015