Laura Strutt's Blog, page 25

Guest Post Katie Gets Crafty with Pattern Drafting

Leaning new skills is always a top priority – today Katie from the wonderful craft blog, Katie Gets Crafty – shares her experiences taking a workshop in pattern drafting! So, without further ado – I shall hand you over to Katie!

♥ – ♥ – ♥

 If you follow my blog over at Katie Gets Crafty you will know I have been keen to start making my own clothes for some time. I haven’t had the confidence to attempt it myself so I decided to find a class. For the last month I have been going to a weekly sewing class at Rivers Meet. The classes are really relaxed with each person working on their own project.

This past Saturday I attended a specific class for making a made to measure skirt pattern. We followed the pattern for a tailored skirt from the book ‘Metric Pattern Cutting for Women’s Wear’ by Winifred Aldrich

First on the agenda was to take our measurements. We paired up for this, as it is hard to take your own measurements accurately. The waist measurement sat much higher than I would have expected. With the hip measurement we held the tape at the widest point and moved it up and down to ensure we could get the skirt on and off. In doing this my hip measurement become larger to allow for the skirt to fit over my thighs, making me a classic pear shape! Using 1cm gird paper and our measurements we created our own unique skirt template. This process required a lot of math’s and for me that meant getting out my calculator.

With our paper patterns cut out it was time to make a toile. Before today I didn’t know what a toile was, but it is basically a test garment. The next step required us to place the pattern on the fabric following the pattern instructions. The front piece was to be placed on the fold of the fabric. Whilst for the back piece I had to measure from the selvedge to the grain line marking on the fabric, ensuring this was the same distance all the way along. If you’re not sure about this there are some fab YouTube tutorials. With the fabric cut out it was the moment of truth – to sew it all together and to see if it fits. At this point I was a little nervous, I really didn’t want to start all over again. To my surprise it fitted with only a few alterations needed. With the amendments made I was so thrilled to leave the class with a perfect skirt pattern unique to me!

This pattern will allow me to create lots of different styles and designs with the knowledge that it will fit me.

I have taken away two key skills that I will apply to all of my craft projects.

1 Patience Spend time measuring and cutting accurately. I am guilty of wanting to rush this process to start playing on my machine!

2 Precision The importance of placing a pattern on the fabric correctly by following the instructions and the grain line should not be underestimated.

I would never have made this progress on my own at home. So, for any budding dressmaker I urge you to sign up to a local class. As well as learning valuable skills I got to hang out with lovely people and eat cake! What more could a girl want to do on a sunny Saturday?

♥ – ♥ – ♥

Keep up-to0-date with Katie’s creative journey over on her blog Or, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!

Have you taken a class or workshop recently that really inspired you or shared some amazing new techniques? Leave a comment and share the details – we’d love to hear about them!

The post Guest Post Katie Gets Crafty with Pattern Drafting appeared first on Made Peachy.

The Week That Was: Tiny Treats

Calligraphy has really taken over my world right now, so while I have a few free moments and in need of a little reward after finishing up the second part of a huge deadline, I thought I would spoil myself with a few tiny treats. Of course, these would be calligraphy treats!

One of the greatest feelings of learning a new skill or taking up a new creative pastime is learning about the different supplies, tools and products. Discovering what they do, how to use them and what your personal favourites are.

In the short, short time that I’ve been working on learning hand lettering and modern calligraphy I have learnt a few very basic but super important facts.

Fact 1 You can never have enough paper

It is a simple fact that if you want to learn hand lettering or calligraphy you need to put in the practice. Practice burns through paper like nobody’s business.

Fact 2 You can never have enough inks

The more letterforms you work on the more you have to dip your pen in your ink the quicker you’ll use up your supply.

Fact 3 Pristine nibs make for better letters

Neat precise lettering simply can’t be achieved with a battered old nib. Taking the time to gently clean off all the inks and dry thoroughly will prolongs the life of each nib.

Yes – these might be the most obvious facts about calligraphy you’ll ever read. Facts that you’d assume that people would already know. But, I have to say that I was really surprised at how quickly I have been going through my paper and ink stash. With daily calligraphy practice it is no surprise that you’ll need to re-stock these supplies.

To give my lettering paractice a little bit of variety I have mixed it up with some new metallic inks!

I’ve decided to keep my practice interesting with different styles of paper – crisp blank sheets, squared paper, bleed-proof natural brown, and picking out a selection of inks – metallics and white to contrast that dramatic black that has become a daily staple! For the most part I have been working with Gillott 404 and 303 nibs and a Leonardo Crown nib – finding what is the most comfortable for me, what styles I can create and what techniques I find are better suited for me with each one.

I have read on many calligraphy sites and forums that a damaged old nib makes it impossible to create the neat thin upstrokes and the deep flourishing downstrokes of copperplate lettering. I understand this in principle, of course I do. But, how do you know in practice when the nib is old and tired? Well there’re a few Clues to Spot When To Replace Your Nib…

The tip of the nib will catch and scratch on the paper preventing you from creating neat smooth thin lines of the upstrokes.

The two tines – the straight sections that sit either side of the split that runs down the centre of the nib – will become bent and distorted. These are the same nibs – Gillott 404, the nib on the right is brand new, ready to use, the nib on the left has seen too much battle action and needs to be replaced. Simple, right?!

Knowing what to look for in a damaged old nib means that you’ll spot when the nib has seen better days when you clean it up after practice and can discard it – so mo more starting a new practice session with a busted up old nib!

I’m assured that during the learning process it is not uncommon to damage nibs while you learn the balance and pressure needed, so as you build your skills the more life you can preserve from each of your nibs!

I love having this cute little storage tin to stow all my nibs ready to use…now I’m on the look out for a storage box for all my inks, pen holders and nibs – do you love lettering? How do you store all your supplies?

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Festival Of Quilts 2014

It’s that time of year again! I’m getting packed up and ready to head to one of my all time favourite shows – The festival of Quilts at the NEC, Birmingham!

I can’t believe that this time last year, I was just starting out on my little Made Peachy journey – driving up to Birmingham to demonstrate for Vilene at my first in a series of shows. To say I was a little nervous would have been a huge understatement! But, it was a blast, I met some of the most amazing people, saw some incredible quilts, bought way to much fabric and had a brilliant time.

I’m so excited to be heading back to the show next week – Festival of Quilts runs from the 7 -10 August at the NEC, Birmingham – not got your tickets yet? You can get them online!

This year, myself and the supremely talented Kim Thittichai will be on the Vilene stand at M8 demonstrating just some of the amazing things that you can do with Vilene products, showing you the ranges and also helping out with any project trouble shooting you may have! Last year I loved how many people came by to chat about their latest makes, to learn about different techniques and to simply say Hi! I can’t wait to meet more of y’all this year!

Psst! I’ve shared lots of tutorials for how to use Vilene products  - so, search Vilene in the side bar search box to see find something to inspire your next project!

Now, I really had better get my head down and get some samples stitching so that I have something exciting to show y’all…if anyone needs me I’ll be at the sewing machine frantically stitching and pressing eleventy billion seams!

Also…I made myself a sweet lanyard for my show pass, partly because I’m fancy that way, but mainly because I wanted  it to be super long so that I can wear it sash-style across my body…not round my neck-choke-hazard-style!

Are you heading to the Festival of Quilts this year? Do you exhibit at the show? Let in touch – it would be ace to meet up!

The post Festival Of Quilts 2014 appeared first on Made Peachy.

Quick Catch Up: Hello August

Well hello there August! I can’t believe that you’re here already!

In the middle of this glorious heatwave it has been pretty hard to focus on getting work done, all Ive wanted to do is laze about in the garden reading, napping and working on some lettering practice. Sadly, there have been so much to get done here! As y’all know I have been working on some pretty exciting makes for a secret project – the first and the second deadlines are now done – which is beyond rad! I’m on the home straight, which is amazing. It is brilliant to be working on a a huge project, but it is also so completely consuming at the same time! I mean, when you have a heap to get through staying focused just has to be the very top priority.

If you follow my Instagram feed, you’ll know that I am addicted to modern calligraphy! Not a day goes by that I’m not thinking about sitting down with my pens and inks and getting some more practice in – I have  long way to go, lots of from for improvement, but this is a love affair that shows no signs of letting go! I can’t wait to have a little more time to dedicate to this amazing craft!

The show season gets started this month and my calendar is starting to look rather jam packed over the coming months! If you’re heading to any of the textile shows this year, it would be great if you’d swing by and say hello!

Here are my 2014 Diary Dates…

7 – 10 August The Festival of Quilts NEC Birmingham

9 – 12 October The Knitting & Stitching Show Alexandra Palace, London

30 October – 2 November The Knitting & Stitching Show RDS, Dublin

20 – 23 November The Knitting & Stitching Show HIC, Harrogate

While I’ve been super busy, I have (I promise!) been trying to keep life over here as interesting and exciting as possible…although, I’ll be the first to confess, my energy reserves are a little low! Roll on this final deadline so I can get back to adding more big love to this little place! For those of you that have also had a busy month, here’s a quick catch up of some of the things that have been happening on Made Peachy this month!

Crafts: Quick-Make Puppy Bed

Style: What They Did With…Ikea RÅSKOG

Skills: Fab Free Calligraphy Resources

Eats: Summertime Refreshment Round Up

My other loves on the internet right now are…

My Browser Besties:

DotComGiftShop

Simply Solids

Love Sewing 

The Sewing Directory

My Blog Crushes:

Girl Meets Wolf

Hey Love Designs

Kerrie Mitchell

Mary Makes Pretty

This month reading has taken something of a back seat, which is no fun at all, but I do have three more books to add to  my Reading Challenge in My Months Reads:

28: Necessary Lies- Diane Chamberlain

I’ve read a few of Diane Chamberlain’s books and this has to be one of the most compelling. A work of fiction, but firmly rooted in historical fact. The parallel narration give the book pace and momentum. The characters and scenarios are just as you would expect from Diane Chamberlain, carefully considered, instantly believable and highly visual.

29: This is Where I Leave You – Jonathan Tropper

This book seems to have 50/50 review between love it and hate it. I’m in the Love It camp! Set around a family sitting Shiva the week soon spirals out of control, as the dysfunctional family spends seven days in very close proximity. Many of the elements are ridiculous, but there is sharp wit, tenderness, sadness and even thought provoking elements. Very enjoyable read!

30: Summer of ’76 - Isabel Ashdown

A very heart-warming tale of a family during the Summer of ’76. While this is very heart-warming, some of the elements were a little predictable and didn’t have the impact of some of her other novels. The imagery of that summer are very strong and would most defiantly be identifiable to anyone who remembers that time.

If your looking for ideas for boos to add to your Must Read List be sure to check out my January Reads, February Reads, March Reads, April Reads, May Reads and June Reads! If you’re on GoodReads sure to swing over and say Hi!

This month will see me hitting the road, catching up with dear friends and finishing up the third and final part of this large deadline. I’m hoping there will also be time for a little sewing, knitting, baking (because I can’t remember the last time I made a cake!) and, of course, calligraphy! So, friends, what does August have in store for you?

The post Quick Catch Up: Hello August appeared first on Made Peachy.

Pinterest: What They Did With…Notice Boards

Block Colour Notice Board Via Underwerket 

Getting my workstation back in order after finishing up a deadline is top propriety. And, as any creative gal will tell you, first stop for inspiration is Pinterest!

A notice board is not only a place to stow those essential reminders, keep those items that quite simply must not get lost, it is also a place or inspiration. A place that should be just as good to look at as it is useful. So, here are some of my favourite DIY Notice Boards over on Pinterest!

1 Pleated Notice Board ⇒ A Swell Place To Dwell

2 Geometric Cord Notice Board ⇒ HomesNineMSN

3 Wood & Twine Notice Board ⇒ Southern Whim

4 Chevron Notice Board ⇒ WeLovePerth

5 Clipboards Noticeboard ⇒ The Pretty Blog

6 Wire Rack Notice Board  ⇒ The Owl And The Accordion

So many stylish ideas – I think that the clipboards might have stolen my heart…which is your favourite?

Y’all know that you can find me over on Pinterest to check out the other things I’m pinning right now!

The post Pinterest: What They Did With…Notice Boards appeared first on Made Peachy.

Deadline Done – Life Resumes!

Friends! I have just completed and sent off the second in the batch of three deadlines for that epic huge project that I am working on but can’t speak of yet.

It is so tricky when you have so much you want to share…but you simply can’t just yet. It’s frustrating in the greatest sense. I want to show you some of the fun things that I have been making, some of the cool techniques I have been using…but, nope, not just yet.

I know, dear reader, that is all a little dull for you, am I right? But, trust me, so soon as I can share y’all will be the very first to know.

The thing that I have found about working on large (and very tight!) deadlines is that no matter our good intentions other things drop off along the way side. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t important anymore, I try to reassure myself that this is just the nature of the beast. Doesn’t stop me from feeling badly about things though.

I have had very little time to work on projects for Made Peachy - for which I apologise folks, and I appreciate that y’all still swing in past and check out what’s been going on over here. I’m looking forward to having a little more time in my schedule to dedicate to more makes, fresh ideas and tutorials to share with y’all.

Not only that, there are home renovations that are started, and sadly abandoned in favour of getting ahead with work tasks. Plus, here’s a news flash, deadlines in this house bring clutter – that is a fact! There are sketches and notes, materials and supplies, finished makes and works in progress as far as the eye can see. It doesn’t take too long before you feel as though you are walking on that fine line between achieving amazing things and the whole world getting tangled up in a colossal ball of yarn!

It is hard to remember that sometimes you are only one girl, trying to do all the things. A wise person once said, “You can do anything you want, you just can’t do everything you want!” Well, certainly not all at the same time, that’s for sure. Today, in the blissful wake of completed deadlines, I have decided to spend the day getting things back in order, reorganising my workstation, getting the house spick and span and taking just a few hours to chill out. A midweek day off, a little known (and highly underrated) luxury!

Deadlines are an essential part of mine and so many of y’alls working life – and it is hard not to get caught up in a jumble of feelings once they are completed – happy that you’ve finished something important, but overwhelmed by all the things that you’ve inadvertently neglected. Tell me, how do you get things back to normal after a deadline?

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Summer, Summer, Summertime! Refreshments Recipe Round Up

The last couple of weeks have been real scorchers. The sun has been beating down on us, I’ve gained quite a few more freckles and we’ve even had our fair share of dramatic thunder and lightening storms!

In an ideal world, when the sun is shining and the weather is so glorious, we would be out side in the fresh air, relaxing with our friends and enjoying a chilled drink. That, however isn’t alway the way, more often than not we are stuck inside working, keeping the house or taking care of the Littles. So it is hard not to fee as though you are missing out. Well, I thought I would share some of my favourite summertime refreshment recipes from Made Peachy to keep your summertime spirits right up there where they should be!

Iced tea is one of my all time favourite beverages – I drink it the whole year through, but there is nothing quite like it for the summer time! Here are some delicious (and super easy) Ice Tea recipes for you to try out!Creme Caramel Rooibos Iced Tea

Serve up in elegant glasswear to really impress your guests with this as-good-as-a dessert beverage!

Cafe Glasses, £5.95 for set of 6

Iced Peach Green Tea 

I believe that this stuff is so good that you’ll want to drink it all day long – so why not make up a huge pitcher full and keep in chilled to perfection?

Glass Cordial Jug, £19.95

Sweet Iced Tea Ice Pops

Make your own in these super-cute little bunny ice pop maker!

Woodland Bunnies Lolly Maker, £4.95

Prefer coffee over tea? Well, I got your backs on this too!

Cold Brew Iced Coffee

Cold brew coffee is like liquid gold – a little also goes a really long way – brew up a batch and store for a couple of days in a bottle in the fridge!



Table Water Bottle, £4.95

Looking for something caffeine free?

Homemade Lemon Limeade

How cute are those mini milk bottles £9.99 for set of 6?

Aren’t they just the perfect for serving chilled fresh pressed juice out in the garden!

Now, the blazing heat isn’t too bad then you have lots of chilled beverages to refresh you! Let’s go enjoy the summertime…who knows how long this will last!

♥ – ♥ – ♥

Be sure to go check out the awesome summer sale over at DotComGiftShop – and treat yourself to something lovely!

The post Summer, Summer, Summertime! Refreshments Recipe Round Up appeared first on Made Peachy.

The Week That Was: Quilting Day with Sizzix

Last week saw me taking another epic road trip to sunny Wrexham to go hang out with the wonderful folks at Sizzix and learn more about the die cutting products that are designed exclusively for quilters.

I have been dabbling with the Sizzix big shot for cutting fabrics for a while and really enjoy how quick and easy the whole process is – not to mention how accurate and efficient!

Crafters have been turning to the Sizzix Big Shot to add elegant and stylish accents to their card making, paper crafting and scrapbooking projects, but now Quilters are getting in on the action and that is just fine with me. Personally, my rotary cutter, ruler and matt are my quilting essentials but, teaming them with a die cutting system that will cut the same shapes, neatly accurately over and over again – well, it doesn’t stake a genius to see just show a quilter can benefit from using one.

As I have been working on a huge yarn-based deadline, my sewing time has been dramatically reduced and I have sorely missed it too – but I also have to create a number of new samples in time for the Festival of Quilts this month – you know the drill, to much to make, too little time in which to spend making it. So, if I am able to die cut a huge chunk of the pieces for a quilting project in one neat hit, it leaves me more time to work on the sewing and the finishing – which, when you feel like you are always on a deadline, that is a good thing!

Not only did I get the change to spend some time checking out all the latest materials, supplies and seeing some fabulous projects created using the Sizzix die cutting system – I also go to hang out with some seriously rad quilt folks.

If you are looking for a little bit of patch working inspiration, fresh ideas with fabrics, or simply some quilting eye-candy, you really should go and check out the websites of my new found quilting chums…Mandy Noble, Debbie von Grabler-Crozier, Joanna Carter, Jessie Fincham & Trudi Wood!

I can’t wait to try out more of the Sizzix dies, work on a selection of exciting new projects and see where this takes me on my quilting journey!

Do you have a Sizzix Big Shot in your sewing room or craft studio? If you’ve been making projects using the Sizzix Big Shot be sure to leave a link to them in the comments – I’d love to see what all y’all are making!

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Pinterest: What they did with…Ikea RÅSKOG Trolly

Have you even fallen in love with something and find that you obsess about it every waking moment?

I appreciate that this is perhaps a character trait of mine, but I know that I’m not alone in this. You only have to take a look at the Pinterest boards of your friends and you’ll soon quickly be able to spot the things that they love, love, love right now!

At the moment we have been getting back on the home renovation wagon and I can’t help but think about things that I want to make, update, add or customise for our home. One of the things that I have been thinking about a lot in the last few weeks is the Ikea RÅSKOG.

Ikea RÅSKOG, £50

I know, who falls in love with a kitchen trolly? Well, me. I do.  Within seconds of log gin into Pinterest, I quickly realised that I was not along in this love. And, whats’s more there are some super inventive, and creative ideas for using this cute kitchen trolly in your home. here’s a round up of my favourite Pins showing What they did with…Ikea RÅSKOG Trolly

1 Craft Cart ⇒ House of Smith

 

2 Rolling Herb Garden ⇒ This Little Street

3 Drinks Cart ⇒ AzulHome

4 Night Stand ⇒ FreelancersFashion

 

5 Bathroom Storage ⇒ Lark and Lola

6 Baby Room Storage ⇒ The Giltter Guide

Fabulous and functional – is there anything better?

Y’all know that you can find me over on Pinterest to check out the other things I’m pinning right now!

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Quick Look Quilt Block Directory

Morning Quilters!

I was lucky enough to spend all day yesterday in the company of some very, very rad quilting folks – but, that’s a story for another time! There is no denying the fact that spending some time in the company of enthusiastic creative people is a sure fire way to get that must-make-something-now part of your brain working in over drive!

Festival of Quilts is right around the corner, so there will be plenty of quilting for me in the not too distant future as I work up some more lush samples to share with you all on the Vilene Stand…but, for the rest of this week I’m back on the yarn wagon – and I wont be coming up for air until it’s all finished.

So, while I’m dreaming about all the awesome quilting projects that I can’t wait to get cutting and piecing, I thought I would share a small and sweet Quilt Block Directory that I created for the folks over at Sewing World to run alongside the Patchwork & Quilting Special that’s on sale now!

In this directory I’ve shared nine of my fave quilt blocks – with a finished block, piecing diagram and also examples of the finished quilt top too!

Whether you are new to quilting or are looking for a quick hit of inspiration, this mini block directory will give you a little kick start!

As I can’t work on any quilt projects till all my deadline work is done, I’m going to have to live vicariously though y’all – so, tell me…what quilting projects are you working on?

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