Thursday 28 February 2013

Heart-shaped Scissor Keeper: Tutorial

This cute scissor keeper could probably made from scraps left over from other projects, and the denim backing could even be cut from old jeans.



Whatever you use to make it with, the heart is a perfect shape for scissors - the pockets form a natural point and hold the scissors neatly in place.

It's really easy, even for a beginner.

it can hold a lot of pairs of scissors!

If you like the sketchy style of stitching I've used then choose a contrasting thread (black is good on most fabrics, and gives a natural outlining effect) and a slightly longer stitch length on your machine.  Aim for a little wobbliness in your stitches, and stitch each seam three times or more.  It looks like free machine embroidery, but it's a simpler way of achieving that fun and informal look, especially on long straightish seams.



However, if you don't like the whole sketchy feel of it and want a neater-looking finish, you can simply use a straight stitch and a matching thread.  The design makes use of raw edges, but could be adapted to folded edges - however, I would use fewer pockets in this case as you'd increase the layers of fabric being stitched at one time.  You could also use felt for a neat finish.

lots of layers

You'll need:


denim fabric for backing (my starry denim is from Wholeport, as is my floral fabric)
scraps of cotton or polycotton prints/plains (you'll be sewing through lots of layers, so don't use heavyweight fabrics here)
black sewing thread (or whatever colour you choose)
something to form hanging loops - tape, string, ribbon
wadding (optional)
buttons to finish (optional)

Here's how to make your scissor holder:


Start with an A4 piece of paper (if you are in the USA or Canada, use letter size paper - it's close enough in size to make no real difference) fold it vertically and mark half a heart shape. Cut the heart out and open out the paper to form your first template.  This is the inner heart - in my version it's the floral fabric.

folded A4 paper

Use this template to cut another heart template, around an inch wider all round (if your cutting skills are not so good, measure 1" out from the first heart shape as you go).  You could use newspaper for this template if there's nothing else to hand.

creating a larger heart

Cut 2 hearts from denim and another from wadding (I used 2oz) using the larger template.  Trim the wadding one so it's just a little smaller all round than the denim.

Check the size of your scissors against the A4 heart and decide how big you want your pockets to be and how many of them you want.


working out pocket sizes

Fold the heart to create templates for the triangle shaped pockets

creating more templates

Using the template from the A4 paper, cut one heart from cotton print, and as many triangles from the bottom of the heart as you need.

pockets ready to sew

Cut two each of each triangle. You can see mine are all backed in plain white cotton - it's up to you if you want to do the same.  It means you can save your best "scraps" for where they'll be seen!  I'm not sure if that's really sad, really scrimpy or just plain common sense!

Place the triangle shapes right sides together and stitch across the top edge.  Press and turn to right sides.  Trim the excess fabric off the top corners.

pockets stitched, turned to right side and pressed

Top stitch each pocket.




Sew the triangle pockets in place onto the fabric heart and the denim heart (but not the second denim heart at this stage)

lots of layers - sew carefully

Stitch a line centrally along the middle of the heart, dividing each pocket into two.

the central line creates useful sized pockets

Sandwich the wadding between the two denim hearts.  Push the two ends of some tape, ribbon or string into the two top edges of the heart to form hanging loops.  Sew around the raw edges, paying particular attention to the hanging loops, making sure they are secure.



Pop it into the washing machine to fray the raw edges of the fabrics, especially the denim.



And there you go - it's done!

I think it looks good on the wall next to the sewing machine - and it might just help make sure the right pair of scissors is always to hand!


Sunday 24 February 2013

Handmade Monday 105

Welcome to Handmade Monday!

This week I seem to have made very little progress. The painting project is coming along slowly and the writing project...well, that's coming along even more slowly.  Almost at stop, really.

A family funeral, followed closely by a migraine (quite possibly very closely related) did scupper much of the week.  But when I came across this on Pinterest this morning



I was reminded that things don't always go smoothly for anyone.  Throwing creativity into the mix, especially as a career choice, does make life a little more difficult at times - but also infinitely more worthwhile!

I'm aiming for ten or maybe twelve painted images that I'm happy with and have given myself four weeks to come up with them.  I do have ten images already, but I'm only happy with five, so the other five don't count!  They're mostly seaside images, fun and bright.

 The photos here are close-ups of just a portion of the full image.


They're acrylics, some of them using watercolour techniques on watercolour paper with an ink outline.  I like the sketchiness of the watercolour-style ones.


I've just realised the exact same pair of flip flops is in each picture.  I have never owned a red pair of flip flops!


But I have been down the bottom of the garden in my dressing gown (and wellies - just out of shot!) to feed the chickens!

I keep noticing unfinished bits in these photos - she needs a shadow under her jaw, the dressing gown sleeve needs its outline finishing.  So, even the ones I thought were done need touching up!

I'll be sending these images to a greetings card publisher when I have (what I think is) a good selection.  It's something I've thought about doing for a long, long while but it scares me a little bit er, quite a lot, if I am honest!  I can only try though - and if they don't like them, maybe I can self-publish them.



Just a quick (but serious) note: please have a read of this post if you haven't already.  While it's about trying to raise money, anyone who donates will be entered into a draw with some super amazing prizes.  The story behind the reason for the fundraising is one of the saddest you will ever hear, and it's happened to a very talented artist/designer, Gretel Parker.  UK crafters are known for their community spirit - and their love of a good arty prize - so please get involved!  Even if you're feeling the pinch, you can donate as little as £1 and know that it will help.  If you can't donate, maybe you could help spread the word?  Maybe you could do both?

Meanwhile, I'd love to see what you've been creating this week, so...

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Funds for Gretel

The craft community has always been known for its generosity and caring nature, so it probably comes as no surprise that crafters have set up an online raffle to help another very talented crafter.

It's an unbelievably sad story.  Gretel's partner recently took his own life - and, as if that isn't bad enough, it's left Gretel not knowing whether she can carry on living in the cottage she described not so long ago as their "forever home".  Money cannot even come close to making up for what has happened, but it could help to ease her dreadful burden a little and give her a little breathing space in what must be an incredibly difficult time.

Nobody is asking for a donation from you - but if you could purchase a raffle ticket then it really would help to raise some much-needed funds.  There are some amazing and very beautiful prizes to be won - lovely, gorgeous, beautifully designed and handmade items.  There's also a week's holiday in a family's own holiday cottage being offered as the star prize.


Without wanting to make you sob like I'm doing right now, please, please, please take a few minutes to head over to the Funds for Gretel Facebook page or the Funds for Gretel blog.  There are instructions there for how to buy tickets.  And if all you can spare is £1, then please just buy one ticket - it will help.  And, of course, you may win something wonderful.  You have until 30th March to buy tickets.

If you are in America, you can find out more and donate here,

If you want to know why I'm asking you to do this, please read Gretel's blog post.  It's heartbreaking.  But you should read it.

Sunday 17 February 2013

Handmade Monday 104

Hello and welcome to this week's Handmade Monday.

Well, this week has been a mixed bag for me.  Sewing, painting and writing - all of which might be things I do all the time, but I'm currently working towards something a bit different (different for me, at least).  The painting and writing in particular are part of two quite big projects which may or may not turn out as I'm hoping, but time will tell!  The painting is of course more visual than the writing...

...but they're not finished yet and there are more to do

It might sound completely unrelated, but at the moment I'm reading Be a Free Range Human by Marianne Cantwell.  There's a lot about this book that resonates with me, not least that it makes me realise it's perfectly OK to be dabbling in lots of things and not necessarily just picking only one thing to do for a career!  And that I can concentrate on one thing for a while before moving on to another - and that is fine too.

I've just read a chapter on how research is probably much less useful than creating prototype projects, and I've realised this is exactly what I'm doing on my new projects!  I think this idea also fits in well with how I like to go about things - trying something out is a great way to see if it's a good fit for you.  I'd guess that model would work for a lot of other people too.  It's nice to see someone put a name to it!

The free range aspect of the book's title is not just about the work you choose to do - it's also about where you choose to work - we're so fortunate today that the internet allows us to be connected pretty much wherever we are in the world and a growing number of people are making the most of that (actually that includes those of us who choose to work from home as well as those who work on the beach!).


It's an enthusiastic and motivational book, and even though it's not focused on handmade or crafts, the theories fit superbly with the handmade lifestyle and ethos.  It's not the cheapest of books but I would thoroughly recommend it (no, I'm not being paid in any way!).

The message is: it's perfectly possible to build a lifestyle and job you love...and I think this image from Pinterest says it all...

Source: laracasey.com via Wendy on Pinterest



In other news, I've almost finished the heart shaped scissor pockets I talked about here, and I've been doing some sewing with my granddaughter too.  More about that later in the week.

What have you been doing this week?  As usual, I would love to see, so...

Thursday 14 February 2013

Hearts and Flowers for Valentine's Day!

It seems appropriate somehow that on Valentine's Day I find myself working on a hearts and flowers project.


Actually, it's probably a bit more about scissors and sewing than hearts and flowers.

What I'm making is a hanging heart, with pockets for holding scissors.  Kind of a scissor keeper, to hang on the wall.  A heart seemed the perfect shape, and with all those layers, there will be a perfect pocket for every pair of scissors.


I hope that, as well as looking pretty and being useful,  this heart will have magical properties... because I expect to be able to always find the right pair of scissors exactly when I need them.  Ha!  What are my chances?

I was planning to do this as a blog tutorial, but having started it, I'm not sure - it might work better as a downloadable pattern, so we'll see how it goes.  Check back soon for an update!

Meanwhile, if you like the look of the starry denim or the flowery cotton print, they're from Wholeport.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Customer Service and the Small Business

One thing that small businesses should be able to do much better than any large business is customer service.  If you have a small business, it's something that might set you apart.

Why?  Let me illustrate why by giving you a couple of examples of what happened to me this week:

The Small Business:


I phoned a mobile mechanic I've used before to pick up my Dad's car and MOT it.  The car hadn't been driven for around 8 months, wouldn't start and wasn't taxed or insured.  My dad has Alzheimer's and thinks he still drives it every day.  He was upset about the idea of us taking his car off him but accepted it had to go for an MOT.

no, this isn't the actual car (but doesn't it look amazing?)

The mobile mechanic had just had his van stolen so at first said he couldn't do it.  However, he found someone with a pick-up truck and organised collection (and delivery back to my house, so we didn't upset my dad further) - all without fuss.  Fabulous customer service - friendly, helpful, understanding, considerate and prompt.  I can highly recommend him if you want a car mechanic in Warrington.

neither is this one...

The Large Business:


This very same week, my parents' phone stopped working. I spent 8 days trying to communicate with BT about it.  It took 10 days to fix it (including being told 6 times it was fixed when it wasn't) despite it being marked as a priority because of their age.  I have discovered:
  • each call to BT takes about half an hour  - you can have a shower, get dressed and make your breakfast while you are waiting to speak to someone
  • after an engineer has worked on it, they send an automated message to say the phone line "should be OK" now.  "Should"? Is it not someone's job to actually check? It would appear not.
  • When it isn't OK, it takes another half hour of waiting on hold to speak to a human being to report the fault yet again (and again and again...)
  • BT employs contractors on a paid-by-job basis.  I've been told that when the job looks complicated, these contractors sometimes just pass it off as fixed. BT also have their own engineers and you may stumble across one eventually when your luck changes.
not quite old enough to be a phone engineer...

Why am I telling you this?

Because it illustrates the difference between how a very large company responds to customers when solving their problems and how a small one does it so much better.  And quicker!

As a small business, you can respond to customer needs quickly and directly.  As a customer this week, with a problem each time related to my elderly parents, I was dealt with in two very different ways.  The small business stepped up and responded with a personal service, which I was happy to pay extra for.  The large business? It gets worse.  When I said I was worried about leaving my elderly parents without a phone line overnight, I was told quite sharply: "There's nothing to worry about".  Really?!  One has Alzheimer's and sometimes wanders off.  One has had several serious falls.  They have problems using a mobile phone (heck, Dad can't even remember it's a phone, he thinks it's a clock). How would they summon help?  Wouldn't you worry?  

who shall we ring next?

I know everyone has real-life stories like this - which is precisely why excellent customer service really matters to people.

What can you do for your customers to make life easier for them?  Easy online ordering, easy ways to contact you, quick response times, flexible approach, personal responses, extras like gift-wrapping or gift cards, sending direct to the gift recipient ... none of it is difficult for a small business, but sometimes it appears pretty much impossible for the giants.

Go on - go the extra mile.  Shine out from the competition.  It's well worth the extra effort and might just make somebody's day.

Sunday 10 February 2013

Handmade Monday 102

Welcome to Handmade Monday.  Come on in, make yourself comfy!

This week, I had a long list but didn't manage to actually make a lot.  It's been one of those weeks where family stuff kind of takes over and leaves little room for much else.  A real muddle of things:

  • BT being unable to repair a phone line for my elderly parents (it took 9 days and lots of highly frustrating calls on my part)
  •  training mum (85) to use a mobile phone so we could speak to her (with limited success)
  • selling a car (I can recommend AutoTrader - I could've sold about 30 cars in 2 days)
  • and, sadly, a death in the family - my lovely Auntie Joan lost her battle after a long and painful illness 

Then Craftseller magazine arrived to cheer me up a little!  I have two features in this issue.

My heart photo frame...

I used dotty denim and lace trim from Wholeport

and my Top Mum bird plaque...


both bring a flavour of spring and both make great ideas for craft sellers to stock their craft stalls for Mother's Day sales.

The templates and instructions for both are in the magazine, as are the vintage-style papers I used for the bird plaque!  The double-sided free papers come as an insert and are great for other stuff too, like card making.  There's also a free tote bag this month if you need an extra incentive to buy the magazine!

Anyway, it's over to you now for Handmade Monday.  I didn't do very well this week with visiting and leaving comments - sorry.  Hopefully I'll be better this week.  You know what to do...

Saturday 9 February 2013

Thank you!

Thank you everyone who took part in the giveaways recently.  These giveaways wouldn't work without entrants, so each one of you matters.  I'm just sorry I can't give a prize to everyone!

The winner of the business marketing assessment from the authors of Commercial Creatives was Adaliza - who sounded delighted (it's an amazing prize so I'm not surprised she's delighted!).  I'm dying to hear how that one goes, it sounds like it would be a huge boost for any small business.

For those others who would've liked to have won that one, there is still a chance...



if you buy this month's issue of Craftseller magazine (issue 21, March) you'll find the same prize being offered.  It's another chance to win and well worth entering!



Oh, and more winners...

The winners of Danielle Lowy's Rubbish Revamped  books are as follows:

Jo at Pickle-Lily (hard copy)

Nati at Nati's Little Things (PDF copy)

Hennies Pennies (PDF copy)

Well done you three - happy reading, crafting and upcycling!

Friday 8 February 2013

I Made it as a Cover Girl (well, sort of...)

You may already know about Craft Makes, the digital magazine which accompanies Make & Craft magazine.  But look whose face they put on the front cover today...



Hmm. It's a very odd feeling seeing my picture up there!  My interview is featured on the pages inside (among lots of other stuff!) and it's only 20p to get your own copy (if you're in the US that's 37 cents). Wherever you are, it's not much to pay!

I have to add, for vanity's sake, that my image looks a little stretched sideways.  What is it they say about the camera always adding 10 lbs?  Like I need any extra weight!

Find out more about Craft Makes here.  It's a weekly digital magazine and the good things about digital copies are of course:

  • they don't clutter up your home
  • you can buy them wherever you are in the world
  • and there's no evidence of your magazine habit lying around
The magazine is out today, available to download from the Craft Makes website if you'd like a copy.  Enjoy!

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Linda Rumsey are you out there?!

One of the winners of the £20 Abakhan vouchers was Linda Rumsey - but I'm having difficulty finding a way to contact you Linda.

What I need you to do is email me (details here) and let me know your email address so I can pass it on for your prize to be sorted out for you.

If you know Linda, please give her a heads up.  If she doesn't get in contact by Thursday evening, I'll need to pick another winner.

Sunday 3 February 2013

Handmade Monday 102

Welcome to Handmade Monday.  Click the link to find out what it's all about and how you can join in.

This week I have been playing around with a Slinky, but not on the stairs...

Slinky craft!

Instead, I turned a Slinky into a bird feeder for Craftseller magazine...

the removable strap is stitched 
and has some carefully-placed Velcro

You may remember me making a bird feeder from Tetra-Paks?  Well, neither the magazine nor I was happy with how it turned out (although perhaps it's got potential with a bit of a re-think!) so, with their agreement, I went in a totally different direction.

You may have seen this image on Pinterest...

Slinky bird feeder?

Well, let me tell you it might look like it started life as a Slinky, but I discovered this particular one is actually manufactured as a bird feeder and hasn't ever been near a Slinky.  Except maybe on the designer's drawing board...

I had some hairy moments with my version, and it turned out aiming for a circular feeder was just not going to work.  Not if I wanted to show it to anyone apart from the birds in the back garden!

the birds were definitely interested
but not while I was around with my camera!

I quite like trying out new things and working stuff out - but I guess one of the hazards of that approach is that sometimes things just don't go to plan!

In other news, I'm sorry I've been slow announcing winners to the giveaways.  In my defence, I've had a migraine and as a consequence my thinking has been muddled, to say the least.  You'll find some winners here, but I'll get round to sorting the rest of it out tomorrow, with luck.

What have you been doing this week?  I'm looking forward to some blog browsing, so, as usual...

Friday 1 February 2013

We Have Some Winners!

You may have noticed there have been quite a few giveaways on this blog recently...

OK, so now it's time to announce some winners! These were all picked at random, so it's pure luck if you won or not.  Sorry if you weren't one of the lucky ones, congrats if you were!

If you did enter any or all of the giveaways last week, then thank you.

not that type of giveaway, sorry

The following five people all won a copy of the Commercial Creatives book:

Christmas Pie Crafts
Sarah at the Lilac Dragonfly
Clare Cooper
Stephen at Soy of the North
Mo at Mornie G Jewellery

I plan to email the lucky winners this evening (Friday) and hope I can track you all down easily! Providing I can find your email addresses, I'll pass them onto Mike at Commercial Creatives and he'll arrange your book to be sent to you in your preferred format.  If you don't hear from me very soon, feel free to email me (details on the contact page).

The second group of winners is for the Abakhan Fabrics vouchers.  Three lucky people won a £20 voucher:

Ali
Linda Rumsey
Stephen at Soy of the North (Stephen, it's obviously your lucky week - I'd be buying a lottery ticket or two if I were you! Think of me when you're a multi-millionaire, won't you?)

The winner of the Magix photo-editing software is Anna.  I have the download link and activation code to send to you Anna, so I'll email you this evening.

I'll be back soon - hopefully tomorrow - with the winners of the personalised marketing assessment and the Rubbish Revamped craft books!


Abakhan on Pinterest

Pinterest is something you could lose days to, it really is. They'd be enjoyable days though!

Abakhan Fabrics has recently joined Pinterest and has launched a competition on there.



If you can't see the instructions in the above image, here's what you do:

1. Open a Pinterest account (if you don't already have one)

2. Follow AbakhanFabrics on Pinterest

3. Create a board called #AbakhanFabrics

4. Pin at least 10 items from abakhan.co.uk that you'd like to use and tag with #AbakhanFabrics

5. Tweet the link to your board to @AbakhanFabrics on Twitter

6. Email the URL of your board to pinterest@abakhan.co.uk and tell them what you'd make from your pinned goodies

The competition launches today - happy pinning!  Four lucky winners will win £20 of Abakhan vouchers!  Good luck!!