This is the most fabulous idea ever – upcycled t-shirt bags! Turn your old or unwanted t-shirts into environmentally friendly shopping bags with just 3 cuts and one sewn hem. I just LOVE Martha Stewart!

I just LOVE kits – I have all my crochet projects organised in zip-lock bags with patterns on a shelf in my craft room – ready for me to just grab one and start stitching!

So you can imagine how excited I was to see these cute kits!

Rag Doll Kit

Quilt Kit

Soft Book Kit

Tote Kit

Hobo Tote Kit

Messenger Tote Kit

I also sew and am a ‘lazy sewer’, so these kits are just perfect – wanna know why?? There’s no pattern!!

Yay! So how do they work?

They are pre-printed panels and pieces on cotton – all kits come with instructions and a list of other materials such as fibre-fill – all you have to do is cut and sew!

How cool is that!

We have all kits available for pre-order now – and if they are popluar, I will be carrying them all as regular stock items.

I also do quilting in my spare time (LOL!) and below are pics of my first quilt.

Wonderland by Momo - quilt

The fabric was ‘Wonderland’ by Momo for Moda Fabrics.  I used a layer cake and extra backing and binding fabric from the same range.  The pattern is a mix of tulip flower blocks and plain blocks.  the pattern was from an old edition of ‘Handmade’ magazine.  It is about a single bed size – maybe a little shorter.  It’s currently adorning the back of one of the couches in the shop.  I made a few mistakes in the initial rows – two blocks were shorter than others so the seams did not match up – but this is not too noticeable.

With the left-over bits I sewed them all together and made a cushion:

Wonderland Cushion

I just wanted to share with you some fab new box totes that I made myself and which we are now selling in-store and online:

A selection of our hand-made totes on display in-store

Box totes or ‘sock boxes’ some people like to call them, are great little carry-all project totes!  They are small and light – just the right size for a set of DPNs or a circular and a couple of 50g balls or 100g skein or your fave sock yarn.  They also make great gifts – just in time for Christmas!

We have a selection of styles available:

From the whimsical “Kimono Girl” -

Kimono Girl Box Tote

to Retro spots:

to Russian Matroyshka kitsch:

and even Christmas ones!:

These are all limited-edition, one-off designs, handmade by me!  I use quality quilting cotton and all bags are fully lined with quality zips.  There is a fabric label sewn in to each one and the carry strap is cotton webbing – very sturdy!

There are also pouches to match each box tote – great for storing notions, scissors (sheathed of course!), stitch markers etc…

Look out for our new range of crochet hook rolls and needle rolls coming soon!

So get yours quick – before they’re all gone!

I’d had these chenille squares in my fabric stash for ages and finally got motivated to do something with them for my son’s school fete which was last weekend.

I got nine chenille squares which were pre-cuts from EBay – there’s a lady on there who cuts up old chenille bedspreads and sells the squares for quilters. I originally bought them to use in a quilting project, but decided not to.

Anyway, take nine squares in co-ordinating or contrasting colours and arrange so you’re happy with the effect.  Sew them up in rows of three in a block, then sew each three-square block with the others to make a nine-patch cover.  Repeat for the other side.  Sew both sides of the pillow together along all four sides – but on the fourth side, only sew about 2 inches along at each end.  This leaves a hole big enough to put a pillow form in.  I used a Size 14 form for the smaller one and size 16 form for the two bigger ones.  Then I turned the cover right side out, inserted a pillow form and then sewed the open seam up by hand.

I had a few blue squares left, so decided to make some chenille baby blocks to go with the cushions.  Simply take 6 squares and sew up in a cross formation.  This makes the sides of the cube.  Now, right sides together, go around and sew all the sides of the cube together until you’re left with one open side.  Turn right-side out and stuff with polyfill, then sew up the hole by hand.  I added a metal jingle bell into the centre of the polyfill before I sewed the cube up, but you don’t have to add one if you don’t want to.  You can also be tricky with some embroidery or applique if you have time – I didn’t, hence the plain appearance.  LOL!

Et Voila – a chenille square baby block toy!

Oh and they sold really quickly on the day!