Wrist Pin Cushions

All my crafty and sewing friends noticed these on this years Great British Sewing Bee.  Several of the contestants had them in various shapes and sizes.

I thought I could make them but needed the tools as my Lidl glue gun was not up to the task at only 5 watts.

Ebay delivered a new 20 watt device.

My first attempt involved a pretty red and white spotted jam jar lid.  You need a strong base as otherwise you can stab yourself in the arm.  Unfortunately, it rattled against my watch.  Back to the drawing board.

A milk bottle top looked a likely candidate, as we use milk cartons, I went scavenging in my neighbours recycling bins.  I did ask permission, mostly!  My friends also came up with the goods.

So this is the process if you fancy a try.

You will need.

1 x milk bottle top, approx 4cm diameter

2 pieces of velcro, approx 2cm x 5cm.  As not everyone’s wrists are the same size.

Matching Thread.

Toy stuffing or similar.

Glue Gun

Cut a piece of fabric 23cm long by 8cm.  For the wristband.

Another piece approx 12cm diameter circle.  For the pincushion.

Ribbon for decoration approx 15mm wide, depending in the height of the milk bottle top.

The Wristband

Fold the wristband fabric lengthways and pin.  Sew the seams leaving 5mm seam allowance.  You can also use two separate pieces of fabric.  If you have a folded edge, sew one end, then sew along the length, leaving a space, so that it can be turned inside out, and sew to the other end. Turn inside out, making sure the corners are pointed.  Iron Flat. 

Top sew around the whole wristband, therefore sewing up the gap.

Attach a piece of velcro to each end of the wristband, one facing up and one facing down.  On top, attach the spiky velcro and on the bottom at the opposite end attach the fluffy velcro.  This is important, as when you are wearing it, you do no want the spiky velcro on you skin.  Notice on the completed items below, the spiky velcro is on the top next to the pincushion.

The Pincushion

Take the circle of fabric and make a running stitch all the way around the end, about 5mm in.  A little more if the fabric frays.  Use strong thread or double the thread as it is about to be under considerable tension.

Pull the running thread to make the pincushion shape.  Put in as much stuffing as you can.  It is tricky to get the stuffing in while the thread is not knotted.  Knott the thread leaving a small hole as above.  Using something small, like tweezers, keep stuffing the pin cushion until it is quite hard and compact.

Attached the pincushion to the bottle top.  Put glue around the inside edge of the bottle top and a little in the middle, put a small amount on the underside of the pincushion and squeeze them together, making sure the pin cushion is very securely attached to the inside of the bottle top on all sides, especially around the edges.  Work quickly.

MIND YOUR FINGERS.  IT IS NOT CALLED A HOT GLUE GUN FOR NOTHING!

Let this dry for a while, until cold.

Glue the pincushion to the wristband in the middle.

Wait for it to dry.

Glue the decorative ribbon onto the outside edge of the milk bottle top, to cover it up.  Turn the ribbon in at the ends for neatness.

At this point check all the edges around the pincushion and around the area where the pincushion is attached to the strap, add more glue in small amounts until it is very secure.

The wristband and pincushion joints take a lot of force, as it is being attached to the wrist when used.

I went a bit mad.

I made at least twenty.

They made great lockdown gifts for my crafty and sewing friends.

Spread the love.

Baby Jumper 1

My first try at a baby jumper.  The small pattern was something different, but really easy as it is only knit and purl to make a raised design.

Jumper front, with knitted welt, simple diamond design and buttoned shoulders.

Heart shaped buttons on the shoulders.

Diamond design.

Sirdar 4848 pattern for No. 1 wool.  Double Knitting, Acrylic and Nylon, 40 degree wash.

It turned out well, bit it was quite small.

Sailor Shorts

I have made these shorts before.  Simplicity Pattern 3696.

I bought the material in a lovely shop in Brighton which was rammed with fabric.  I liked it so much I have not used it for several years.  But if this year has taught us nothing else, it is to live for now and use the nice stuff.

The pattern is for pyjamas, so I just made them shorter.

What is different this time, is that I added two pockets for a technique I learned making scrubs.  More of which later.

Elastic waist, cool and comfy.

Pattern Simplicity 3696

Baby Cardigans 2

I thought the pattern for this cardigan was so pretty and girly.  Unusually for me, I forked out for the correct wool too, Sirdar Snuggly Heirloom.  Which was probably a mistake as I had not noticed it said hand wash.  Rookie error, especially for a child’s garment. 

Cardigan stretched out for shaping.

Front

Back.  Showing the detail.

The pattern is knitted from the bottom to the arm holes in one piece, from the front left to the front right, all the way around the body.  It seemed like a real slog, but then the rest came together quite quickly.

Front Buttons and collar.  The collar was knitted a bit like turning the heal of a sock.

Quite a few firsts on this make, but it turned out beautifully.

All I know about this one is, that it was made from chunky wool.  I tried very hard to get the colours to match on the sleeves and fronts as it was variegated wool.  I had to wind on the balls to the correct colour and hope the repeat was the same. 

Bags 13 – Sausage Dog Tote

My neighbour is Sausage Dog mad, well any dogs really.  It had to be done, to celebrate her new job.

Knitted Shawl

My friend Greg sent me this pattern.  It is the Bella Shawl by Annie Baker.

It uses 400 meters/437 yards of Double Knitting Wool.

Approx Size – 62 x 20 inches after blocking.

The knitting is started in one corner, goes up in zig zags with a hole pattern, gets to 171 stitches, then decreased with a different straighter holed pattern.

I blocked it out when it was finished.

I really like it, but I won’t be making another, it was difficult.

Corner to Corner Crochet Blankets

The baby blanket was crocheted as a gift for baby Evie.  Michael’s first grandchild.

I can’t tell you a pattern because I just googled ‘Corner to Corner Blanket’ beginner.

Starting one of these is the hardest part as it turns back on itself.  Everyone you ask for help says, ‘Oh I never remember, I have to google it every time’.

I think I used, Drops Puna Uni Colour, superfine Alpaca.  Probably not the best choice for a baby blanket but it is soooo soft.

The finished size was only about 24 x 18 inches, as that is what google tells us, is the size of a baby cot blanket.

I was so taken with the stitch, as it makes a symmetrical design that I made another, much bigger one, for us in a type of chenille.

Close up.

Full Size, laid on a King Sized Bed.

It is lovely and Snuggly.

Soft Toys - Luna Lapin x 3

‘Making Luna Lapin’ is a book by Sarah Peel.  She has a company called Coolcrafting and a shop of the same name in Kendal, Cumbria

The book includes the pattern for the rabbit and 20 additional costumes.  Luna is the girl rabbit and Alfie is the boy.

Lapin is the French name for rabbit/hare.

They are made from thick wool felt which is not that easy to get hold of.  I bought my first felt and a fat quarter of liberty print from a Quilt show and then found the actual shop ‘Quilter’s Quarters’ in Longridge, Lancashire.

Luna Lapin was designed to be hand-sewn which made it a perfect project for when we are away.

The trickiest parts of making the rabbit are the ears, attaching the legs and the bottom of the torso and the foot pads.  The legs end up poking out of the centre of the body, until they are inverted.

The ears and foot pads are made from Liberty print.

First Luna is a beige shade of felt.  I decided to make my Luna’s baby friendly.  The original design has button eyes and buttons at the shoulders to help attach the arms.

Close up of the dress.

My Luna has embroidered eyes and nose.  The eyes were very hard, as I was working on a curved surface, trying to sew a perfect circle.

Her knickers are cute and I embroidered a daisy on, to mark the front.  I have been making bears for years but have never made them clothes, so this was a new experience.

The dress above is the T-Shirt Dress from the book.  The collar and the bow are the more difficult parts here.

The hand-sewn dress took a couple of days to complete.  It has many of the qualities of a full sized garment and the ironing is key.

Secondly I made the Polka Dot Dress from the book.  I improvised with contrasting pockets.

Luna has very long legs, so she is poseable.

The little red shoes would not have been complete without the buckle, so while we were in the lakes we paid a visit to the Coolcrafting shop in Kendal, where I bought the next felt for two grey rabbits.

Next came Luna and Alfie in Grey Felt, the same as the ones in the book.

The only difference between Luna and Alfie on my version are her eyelashes.

Her dress is a Liberty fat quarter.  Their ears and foot pads are made from a blue Liberty print.  I had enough left to make his shirt.  The shirt is a perfect replica of a full sized man’s shirt including a yoke on the shoulders.

His waist coat is made from the same material I made Mick’s waistcoat from.  His jeans are fabric from a pair of Mick’s Jeans.  I thought Laura might like that.

The jeans have an elastic waist and turned out to be the worst item of all.  But they stay up, just.

They took about two months to make including all the clothes as everything is hand stitched, except the large seams on the jeans..

Luna and Alfie are now living in Ireland with Mick’s Granddaughter Evie.

Baby Cardigans 1

Both of these cardigans were made from the James C. Brett, Double Knitting Pattern JB443

The cream wool was a generic Baby double knit in cream.

The Grey and White was King Cole, Baby Double Knitting ‘Cherish’, Shade ‘Humbug’ 1893.  Once finished this wool is super snuggly.

Lots of firsts here.  I have not done much pattern knitting and these were my first holes, as in holey pattern.

The sleeves have 2 rows of pattern rather than three.

Also my first collar and front borders with button holes.  I think I have made the button holes wrong, when I asked in the wool shop, but they work.

So you know me, get my money’s worth out of everything.  I tend to make more than one of everything I make.

The grey one is a larger version.

The wool makes up a pattern.  Well, my OCD would not let me just knit and let the pattern run amok.  So I wound the wool on to the same places for one front and one sleeve from one ball, and the same from the second ball.  It kind of worked, the greys are darker on the body than the sleeves.  But both sleeves and both fronts are the same.  With the back being wider the pattern pleased itself, but Evie will be sat on that.

Tried a little hat too.

The crown came out really well with the grey centre.

I don’t think the hat and the cardigan will fit her at the same time, but your never know.

I am enjoying knitting small things.

Soft Fabric Baby Gifts – Book and Advent Calendar

I totally fell for the clever marketing technique in the Quilter’s Quarters shop in Longridge.

The flat fabric pieces do not sell themselves well.  However, they had both of these items made up and as soon as I saw them they were sold.

They are made from pre-printed sheets of fabric, which once cut out, re-assembled and stitched make a soft play book and an advent calendar with little pockets from treats.

The story tells how small animals change to become larger animals.

Fortunately the leaves are numbered, otherwise it would be a brain bender.  The instructions are printed on the bottom of the fabric, stating how to layer the pages.

I used iron-on fusible interfacing to give the book a snuggly feel to the touch.

The advent calendar was a world more difficult, just because of the accuracy required.

I used curtain liner for the backing, which slightly padded the whole piece.  Added a guide channel of material to the back to hold the dowel for hanging.

The numbers are made up in four strips.

They are then sewn on to the main backing very precisely between each number.

The numbers are pleated into a concertina shape so that items can be inserted into the pockets. 

Each run of numbers is then secured in place.

A wooden dowel was added to the top and tasselled cords added to make a hanger.