LucyKate Crafts...

Something new...!

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:34:00 +0000

I thought I'd try something new, they are a bit rough round the edges, it being a first attempt and all, but I have wanted to give making a video tutorial a go for a long time now.

The first is a little introduction and a tour of my sewing room (you get to see where Mr LK fell through the ceiling), and the second...,

is a simple tutorial for how to do free machine embroidery. We've spent this evening playing around with 'imovie', and after persuading Mr LK to take the chipmunk sound effect off my voice, they have finally been uploaded to You Tube!

I think if I do more, I've learnt quite a lot from doing these two, the quality will be much improved next time round (and I'll use a tripod instead of a shaky hand!). So what do you think?, an oscar or a razzie?

In all this excitement, I almost forgot it is my two year blogiversary on Monday, going to have to put my thinking cap on for how to celebrate!

Post is here, post is here!

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:46:00 +0000

I've been working on my mobile for the mobile swap I'm signed up for...,

using the embroidered letter idea again really appealed to me, and this time there are four miniature ones addressed to the seasons.

There are some leaves to be embroidered ready to add into the mix too, the problem I have now is to sort out the actual construction of the mobile, not having made one before!

I'd quite like to just string them all in a row, but need to think about how, and with what, any mobile making tips would be greatly appreciated!

An ode to the colour red...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0000

I love the colour red, our couch is red (well, deep red, but that's close enough),

(red leather..., swoon!)

my wedding flowers were red, a lot of our ornaments are red,

we have a lot of red things in the (messy!) kitchen too.

(there really are worktops under all that, honest)

So, how pleased do you think I was to receive this in the post the other day?!. It's my swap mobile from Sara of Kindred Crafters. It's red, and it's toadstools, can't get more perfect than that. I love it.

(eek, how hard is it to photograph a mobile?!, STOP SPINNING!)

It's hung in my sewing room at the moment, but I really want to put it above the table in the kitchen once I've got a hook in place to hang it from.

My own mobile is almost sorted and ready to go. Something else almost ready to go is this flower, well rose to be more precise. It's been sat on my desk for ages so am going to put it in Etsy, see if I can earn some money to go Etsy shopping myself, or...,

Mr LK is currently on an airplane (again!), en route to Chicago (nope, not jealous in the slightest). How much Orla Keily kitchenware from Target can he realistically bring back?

I'm going to be hiting that 'find it at a Target store' button a lot over the next few days!

Hello, this is Lucykate Crafts, and here is today's (giveaway) news...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:02:00 +0000

Mr LK has returned from Chicago, once through the front door he was brutally pushed aside and his bag ransacked by two small children who had heard a rumour he was in possession of new pairs of crocs. Unfortunately for them, their mother beat them to it, the call of Orla goodies being stronger...!

YUM!

He was promptly given a hug as the good man had also picked up the latest copy of 'Mothering' magazine, which contains a rather lovely and beautifully written article called 'Crafty Mama's'.

There are interviews with 5 crafty bloggers including Amy Karol and Stephanie Congdon Barnes.

I am doubly pleased to have a copy of this as it also led me to the blog of the writer, The Artful Parent, which is well worth a visit.

In other news, the mobile for the mobile swap is complete and on its way across the pond to it's recipient.

I am embarrassed it is so late, but better late than never.

And finally, after Trashalou's raffle to raise money for the Bushfire Appeal, the winner of Marmalade requested that she be sent off to the Toy Society, who are collecting donations to be passed on to children who lost everything in the fires.

That means Rusty is all alone and in need of a home. So begins the 'find Rusty a home' appeal. By way of apologising for completely forgetting it was my two year blogiversary last week (oops!), who would like to offer this poor, lonely pup a home?

Just leave a comment on this post, you can take part in a little market research for me, and let me know your favorite craft book, and why. Comments will be closed as of midnight on Wednesday 25th March, so you have almost a week.

In the meantime, if you are in the UK and a mum, Happy Mother's Day for Sunday!

The return of the owl,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:45:00 +0000

It has been quite a while since I did anything owlish, and this is why,

...the mini owl has arrived. The Anchor kit is now available here, and contains all the instructions, templates and materials required to make one owl.

There is still time to join in the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post!

Right, back to work on some new patterns, my softie portfolio is beginning to look a little depleted, new designs are on their way!

EeeeeK...!

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:29:00 +0000

We have mice,

loose in the house!

Where's that cat when you need him?!

This week has been new pattern week. There are quite a few in the pipeline, some working better than others. I have a few half finished animals sat on my desk, and others still in sketch form. At least the ideas have been flowing, thank goodness! There are potentially some big projects coming up.

ps, giveaway winner is..., (drumroll please)

well, it looks like Rusty is off to Italy (lucky thing!), to live with Dolci Fusa!

Softie designing dilemmas,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:39:00 +0000

It has occurred to me over the last week, while working on a variety of different animal softie patterns, the issue of colour, and how much the colour and fabric choice has to do with what, as the designer, you are aiming to convey. I've found myself automatically reaching for fabrics featuring browns and oranges to use for a fox, greys and blacks for the badger and so on. Would the badger pattern work as well made in reds and blues?, I'm not sure, but no doubt, now the pattern is cracked, I will be giving it a try eventually.

BADGER (close up)

I've also found myself attempting to work at odds with my own natural style. When I design and make a softie, whatever creature it is, the finished product is more often than not, slightly cartoon like. This isn't deliberate, it just seems to happen. No matter how much I try to stay realistic, cute and stylised keeps creeping in. I think it is a by-product from having worked in the craft kit industry. When I'm designing, as I mostly design projects for magazine editorials, I'm constantly aware of the fact that I know what I can do sewing wise, but a pattern design needs to be executed in a way that would appeal and feel manageable to a less experienced sewer.

BADGER

(the fox has gone back to the drawing board by the way, it came out a little too cartoon like, even for me!)

I'm happiest working on patterns. It doesn't concern me to, for instance, have my cat pattern featured in a magazine or book for anyone to make. Doing so, is healthy for the creative process, the cat pattern is just one pattern. Once it's been published, it spurs me on to develop a new cat pattern, one that has evolved from it's predecessor, and beyond. And if I continue doing that, maybe one day, the more realistic style I crave will begin to materialise. It's the journey and the bits in between which are the fun part anyway.

While we're on the subject of patterns, the Spring issue of the online "UK Handmade" magazine is out today. There's a chicken softie pattern from me in there amongst other lovely projects and articles.

ps. I've finally had a more detailed response from Flickr as to why they deleted my account. It was linking to this blog underneath my images. They have admitted that the deletion may have been a little hasty, and made my new account 'pro' for free. I guess that is the closest to an apology I'm going to get!

Confession time...!

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:34:00 +0000

I sew and craft a lot, but one thing I've never done, is make either of my children any clothes! I've made umpteen costumes for plays and parties, but no clothes. Anyway, the other evening, for some unknown reason, I just had to make Lucy a dress. The latest issue of Sew Hip magazine was sat on my desk, and in it, there is an 'oliver + s' popover sundress pattern. I found some pink patterned fabric, (it's actually a bed sheet which came from a charity shop), and cut out the dress shape. But when it came to the yoke, I spotted, out of the corner of my eye, a childs size top, which has been amongst my fabric stash for a while. I bought it, again from a charity shop one day when I was caught short and needed some white broderie anglaise. There was a square missing from the back, but the top part was still intact.

So, making life easy for myself, I simply stitched the dress straight to the top! Easy peasy!, after adding two patch pockets in a different fabric, we have one pretty little dress, for a pretty little 7 year old.

Problem is now, I've caught the bug. Adding a skirt to an existing top just makes this dressmaking lark so easy. Rummaging through Lucy's cupboards, we then moved on to a red vest top. Now, Lucy normally steers away from red, her school uniform is red so it's a colour she has to wear a lot, but, matched with this turquoise based print, it was a go-er!

Lucy cut out a little fabric heart which we attached with 'heatnbond', then added a blanket stitch edge and a button.

As the dress shape (I used the largest pattern size, which is for an 8 year old) was a little wider than the top, I've added two darts, and then shortened the length to compromise for the added top part.

Wonder which one she'll wear tomorrow!

Right first time...?

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:23:00 +0000

errrrrr... no!

It's very rare for any of the softie's that I make when working on a new pattern go right first time. But I don't have a problem with that, I'm human, I make (lots of) mistakes!.

This is the fox I mentioned in this post,

It's not finished, but I've stopped because he's just not quite right. The design needs tweaking and I'm not convinced with my fabric choices either.

So off he goes, back to the drawing board. And just to show you how often this kind of thing happens, here's a whole drawer full of 'not quite rights'!

I can't remember where I came across the link to this, but I love this idea. It's a collaborative blog totally dedicated to handmade mishaps, Craft-Fail. I think I'm going to have to join, I'd feel right at home there!

So, come on, fess up your handmade disasters!, and have a happy easter. This is my favorite holiday, it involves chocolate, yum!

Etsy Labs, and a monday craft night...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:03:00 +0000

Firstly, thank you for all the encouraging comments regarding the fox. I feel embarrassed now for being perhaps a bit over critical of my own work!. We've been away over Easter weekend visiting family, so crafting has been thin on the ground, ok non-existent!. But, I did come home to this unexpected piece of news...!

Etsy hold craft nights, in Brooklyn NY, on a monday evening. On Monday 13th April, Heather Ross was scheduled to be running a class, but due to unforeseen circumstances, had to pull out at short notice. So, what do you think they did instead?, ...made toadstools from my toadstool tutorial! How cool is that?! There are some photo's from the evening on Flickr.

Since we are still in the throws of the Easter school holidays here in the UK, I am feeling my crafting is in need of a kick start. So, as tonight there is no 'Lost' or 'The Apprentice' on TV to distract me, I'm going to join in with the Crafteroo thursday night project. For those who don't know what Crafteroo is, it's a new-ish, rapidly expanding UK based online craft forum, I am the Editor of the craft business board, go take a look!

Beg, borrow and steal...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:14:00 +0000

Things are a little slow this week. The kids have gone back to school, and my three days that I get to work are passing by fast, with not very much done. This holiday has been nice, albeit tinged with a little sadness due to a close family member being very ill, Lucy, Luke and I have spent a great deal of time together just chilling out. We've had lots of cuddles on the sofa, watching dvd's while basking in (finally!) a bit of sun flooding into the lounge. Luke is growing up so fast, he's 4 soon, ...4!

Still don't want anymore though, here's why...,

(warning - this does contain some mild swearing!)

It's not often I borrow from others to blog, but I first heard this song a while ago now, still makes me howl with laughter every time

Kingfisher & Bullrush,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:51:00 +0000

I've had a bad week, anyone who follows me on Twitter will already know I hit myself rather badly on the head with my car door on Friday and ended up in A&E (or the ER if you are American). That is the closest I've ever been to knocking myself out!. I think I just have to accept that I am accident prone, coming to that conclusion after sitting down on my sewing needle!

After the head incident, I'd started thinking I must have knocked all the good ideas out too, until a trip to a local charity shop resulted in a couple of illustrated nature books. That helped get the cogs working again.

Kingfishers...,

such beautifully coloured birds,

and Bullrushes.

Not easy to photograph the two together!

My Husband...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:30:00 +0000

is a very talented man! He has spent the last three weeks or so, up till all hours of the evening, and late into the night painting a very important portrait, for the 'Changing Faces' debate being held at the Mall Gallery in London towards the end of this month.

I don't have an image of the actual portrait to show you, the one in the advert (above) is a preliminary sketch. Changing Faces is a charity who work to support people who have a disfigurement. The reason my husband, whom I usually refer to as Mr LK, but he does have a name in his own right, Alastair, is involved with this is because, not only is he a much commissioned portrait painter, but he is also the President of the

Royal Society of Portrait Painters. He is their youngest ever President, and as this is his first year of appointment, it is also his first time of officially opening the annual open exhibition, tomorrow at the Mall Gallery. He will be giving a speech in front of a lot of important people too. I have no doubt he'll be fantastic, but it's going to be difficult for him. He's doing all this, away from home, with the knowledge that this morning, his much loved stepfather sadly passed away.

To Alastair, be strong, all our love, Amy, Lucy & Luke.

xxx

Tick, tock...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Sat, 09 May 2009 13:26:00 +0000

Thank you all for humoring me with my soppy previous post!, the exhibition opening went well, as did his speech. As a way of saying thank you, I spent yesterday evening working on a new tutorial, and here it is..., a wrist watch pin cushion!.

To make one, you will need...,

2 circles, measuring 8cm across of coloured felt (I've used a felted jumper)

1 circle, measuring 5.5cm of cream felt

1 strip of fabric, 3cm wide and long enough to wrap round your wrist with a 3cm overlap

1 strip of felt, same size as fabric strip

selection of small buttons

embroidery thread (I've used pearl cotton 8)

small amount of stuffing

1 snap fastener

pins, sewing needle, scissors, sewing machine (optional)

First, take the strips of fabric and felt, place them wrong sides together, pin and stitch all the way round the edge in blanket stitch.

Take one of the circles of coloured felt, and cut two, 3cm long slits. Thread the strap through, making sure the felt circle is right side up, and the strap has the fabric side facing down. Secure the strap in place with a few stitches. Put this to one side while you work on the watch face.

Next, embroider the watch face numbers, either by hand, or you can do this by free machining on a sewing machine. If you are a bit unsure how to do machine embroidery, I have a video tutorial posted on You Tube which explains how to do it! It will help, to get the spacing right, to do the 12, 3, 6 and 9 first, then fill in the gaps with the other numbers.

Now, going back to the strap piece and holding it fabric side up, take the other circle of coloured felt, and place this, right side up, on top of the first felt circle. Stitch blanket stitch all round the edge to join the two together, stop when you just have 5 cm left to sew, and stuff the watch face via this gap. Once you are happy with the shape, continue sewing to close. Attach the watch face with a few random straight stitches (I always prefer to do this part after it has been stuffed so I can get the positioning right, as stuffing it quite often changes the shape). Add a winder to the right hand side, I did this by attaching two small buttons, one on top of the other. Sew on another button centrally on the watch face, and embroider on the clock hands.

I made mine to say, 8 o'clock, my favorite time. If it's 8am and we're still in bed, it means we've had a lie in, and 8pm, is when the kids are tucked up in bed, and I start sewing!

Test the strap round your wrist, and mark with a pin whereabouts the snap fastener needs to go. Sew on the fastener, then add a button on the outside of the strap, although this is purely for decoration.

and there you go!. It looks big on me, but I have ridiculously tiny wrists. Just adjust the sizes of the circles if you want to make yours smaller.

As always, if you make one, I love to see your creations, please join the 'Lucykate Crafts... pattern pieces' group on Flickr and post your work there!

Happy stitching!

Red shoes...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:51:00 +0000

I've posted before about my love of the colour red. For a while now, I've been on the look out for a woollen jumper to felt, which is just the right shade of red. The one I used for this latest softie shoe, is more pink than red...,

but on Friday, while dragging Luke on a thrifting trip into town, I spotted not one, but two red jumpers. Now, given that I am getting short of storage space, and also trying to be thrifty in my thrifting, I can't warrant buying both jumpers, the question is, which should I get?

One is a lovely, rich shade of true red, the other is just as nice, but a slightly bluer red, and I just couldn't make my mind up. They have put them both on one side for me, and I'm going to ask you lot for advice on which colour to go for, which would you get?!

(another softie shoe, it's been a while since I've made these, was fun remembering how!)

(I know what you're all going to say..., get both!)

épingles & aiguilles,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:37:00 +0000

I loved embroidering this, a custom order for a cotton reel pin cushion,

pins & needles..., in french!

Hope I've spelt it correctly!

ps, I did get both, you lot are a bad influence!

Penguins...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:49:00 +0000

This week has so far been dedicated to penguins, lots of penguins!

I couldn't make my mind up over body shape, so decided to use both (the mum & dad), but then it kind of evolved into a little family group...,

and a fish!

Couple of things I'd forgotten about, there is a little interview with me over on the 'Northern Belles' blog, and today is the day for my guest post over on Cuteable, so if you like foxes, hop on over there.

Right, must go clean my teeth, I have an appointment with the dental hygienist shortly!

Can you guess what it is yet...?

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:33:00 +0000

This is what is sat on my desk today, in progress. An improvement on yesterday when it looked like a turquoise miniature model of the Loch Ness Monster!

Now, I need to tackle the marvelous feat of textile engineering which will result in the tail..., I hope.

Apologies for my somewhat erratic blogging of late, there is a reason, fingers crossed!

Mother Nature is so not my best friend!

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:23:00 +0000

3.00pm for me is about time to go on the 'pick-up' school run, and more often than not, this is how the whole experience unfolds...,

3.00pm sky starts to go grey,

3.05pm gets darker still, wind picks up,

3.10pm just as I set foot out the door, the first drops of rain start,

3.20pm arrive at school, a bit wet,

3.30pm pick Luke up from pre-school, it starts lashing down,

3.35pm Lucy's classroom door opens, it starts lashing it down even more,

3.40pm scooters/bikes collected, begin journey home in the rain,

3.41pm kids complain they are wet,

3.42pm kids complain they are wet,

3.45pm I yell at them to get a move on as we're all getting wet,

3.50pm kids complain they are wet,

3.55pm arrive home (thank goodness we have a porch!), WET!,

4.00pm wet coats, clothes and shoes chucked on floor.

It's 2.30pm now, and oh look, surprise surprise, the sky is starting to cloud over...,

please tell me it's not just me this happens to?!

Has anyone seen my crafting mojo?

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:24:00 +0000

...because it seems to have gone missing this week!

I've tried, and tried and tried, but production has slipped to an all time low. It's been very disheartening after being on a bit of a roll the week before with my attempt at a stork for a mobile (of sorts!) amongst other projects.

But this week, nothing. I've tried tidying up my craft room, but it ended up in a bigger mess than before. I've tried moving the furniture round in there too, only to end up moving it back to where it was before.

I suppose the way forward is to start with something simple. Unfortunately, my peacock, as much as I love it as it is, just will not stand up. What I need to do is re-make the tail in lighter weight fabrics, and weight the base more to balance it out. If I get that right, maybe the rest will start to follow.

Ok, that's enough of me moaning! Tell me, what do you do to combat the crafting doldrums?!

What's a girl to do,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:42:00 +0000

...when all the housework is done, the children are playing happily in the garden (albeit, one small boy in only his underpants!), and your other half is away all week (in Singapore!)?

...make cake of course!,

(anyone fancy a slice or two?!)

...chocolate cake, just need the can of squirty cream and a spoon.

A new week is starting, let the crafting commence!

Fabric, material, cloth,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:34:00 +0000

...whatever you call it, it is my favorite medium to work with. Anyone who reads this blog regularly will have noticed that I work from a limited range of fabrics, the same prints will crop up over and over again. This is partly due to lack of storage space, funds and also because my crafting philosophy stems around the idea that it doesn't actually need to cost a huge amount of money to sew. Many of my fabrics are from old clothes, mine, the children's, family members, and thrifted. When I do add to my collection with bought fabrics, it will be something carefully chosen, I window shop a lot, but only occasionally buy.

Manda posted in detail the other day about fabric, and I'm also an advocate of buying fabric from overseas. Last Thursday, I took the plunge, and purchased these two prints from ChokiChoki via Etsy, today is Tuesday, and they arrived this morning all the way from Japan. How's that for speedy service! I've had my eye on the telegram print for a while, and fell in love with the vintage sewing print while browsing. Unwrapping the package, I was briefly disappointed to see they were a little darker that I originally thought, but then realised I still had my sunglasses on, sunglasses removed, problem solved!

(the sewing print is on linen, lovely weight of fabric)

Speaking of Manda, I have pinched her idea from this Flickr photograph for having swatches of fabric hung up over my desk,

...very handy and very organised!

And speaking of Flickr, here's a tip, NEVER (accidently) delete cookies from your computer, without taking a note of your yahoo id and password, otherwise you will find yourself unable to log in to your Flickr account, for hours and hours.

Not that I did this...,

yesterday,

just sayin...!

Crafty eye candy...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:43:00 +0000

Al has been away in Singapore for a week, there wasn't much I asked him to bring back, just this Japanese Craft Book, 'Animal Mascot', which I've had my eye on for weeks.

Very cute penguin and seal pattern,

and Crocodiles to name but a few.

But he also picked up the May issue of 'Cotton Time',

love this issue, there are a few softie patterns, in amongst,

a whole heap of quilting ideas.

All the eye candy got the creative ideas going at the weekend, and I started playing around with fabric...!

I'd better get on with the sewing!

Embroidery threads,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:38:00 +0000

I've never really been one to pay much attention to brand names, but have to admit to having always favoured Anchor embroidery threads, mainly because I worked for Coats as a Designer for nearly twelve years, and as a result, have quite a supply to hand.

But, a while ago, I was sent some threads by DMC. Now, from my experience of the UK needlecraft industry, there has always (and probably still is!) a bit of rivalry between Coats and DMC. In my fledgling days as a designer, myself and a colleague were sent to spy on the DMC stand at a trade fair in Germany, only to be recognised and asked to leave. I am certain the DMC design team will have been simultaneously spying on the Coats stand too!

So, I guess, now I work for myself, I am free to choose. I've not used the DMC pearl cotton before, but today my needle is threaded and I'm giving them a go.

Which do you use?

News 'n' other stuff...,

lucykatecrafts@talktalk.net (lucykate crafts...) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:01:00 +0000

There have been a few unexpected surprises over the last week, cheques turning up through the post for magazine projects I'd all but forgotten about, a mention in a new sewing magazine (thank you Claire!), and this...,

2010 Sewing Calendar, from Andrews McMeel Publishing, now available for pre-order on Amazon. There are instructions to make 100 projects, including a few from me, look, thats my toadstool on the front!

I've also just had word of some new projects being selected for a collaborative pattern book too, more on that soon though!

ps, I think my computer chair may be broken, while I've been typing this it's gradually gone down, I'm now almost sat on the floor!