Vintage cake plates

In a bid to find the perfect teacups to turn into candles, I sometimes end up buying a whole teaset. This is not usually a problem as I totally love everything I buy, even if it would look totally out of place in my house!

This goregous black flowery print is one of my absolute faves:

 

The  teacups look great as candles, and I even turned the sugar bowl into a large candle. 

 

When I buy large sets, I often end up with an odd cup or saucer, but with this set I had two large cake plates and 9 tea plates. So one of the tea plates became the 'saucer' for the sugar bowl candle and then one cake plate and four of the teaplates became a raffle prize for the Christmas Bazaar I did in December. 

The remaining plates are all mine!! I simply cannot bear to part with them, so they have taken up residence in my sideboard, eagerly awaiting the next tea party! They have already had a trial run...

I think these plates make the cakes look even yummier than usual, but that's just me!

Do you have anything you can't bear to part with?

Baby Appliqué

You may remember a previous post about some appliqué babygrows, well this weekend I improved on these and created three cute t-shirts for a very special little boy. I used the same designs as before but this time I sewed them on as I discovered the stupid adhesive I used before does not actually stick and comes off in the wash (rubbish).

I used some bright coloured t-shirts and then ironed on the shapes using the aforementioned rubbish adhesive. I figured this would help hold in place with the assistance of the stitching.

This cute little tie is cut from a light blue cotton with navy Winnie the Pooh detailing which is just adorable. I like how it is 'Winnie the Pooh' without being obvious.

The spanner and hammer are cut from a brilliant fabric with all sorts of tools on it and it is a lovely bright and colourful pattern. I call it 'Bob the Builder print'! Against the blue and red t-shirts, the little tools really stand out. I think babies' clothes should be bright and colourful and these definitely fit the bill!

I'm quite pleased with the zig zag stitching as I haven't done this before, and the Mummy loved these tops! Can someone please have a baby girl so I can do some of my other ideas??

Finished WIP: Nativity Scene

I have been getting all my Works in Progress finished recently, and this is the latest one! Totally late for last Christmas but it is now ready in plenty of time for Christmas 2011!!

I'm quite pleased with how it eventually turned out but didn't particularly enjoy stitching it as it was so fiddly. I've never worked on plastic canvas before and found it a bit of a pain to be honest. Glad it's finished and it's now waiting to go up to the loft to live with all the other Christmas decorations!!

Finished WIP: Loo Roll Embroidery

In a previous post I mentioned a WIP and I'm pleased to say it is now finished!

 

This little number has now taken up residence in the downstairs loo, and I'm quite pleased with how it looks. It's my first embroidery project so the stitching is a bit wonky and uneven but I think that adds to the quirkiness of the pattern. And practise makes perfect so the next embroidery will be neater! 

Cute french memo boards

I thought I would share some pics of the special orders I had for some of my french memo boards which were destined to be Christmas pressies.

 'Penny'
Butterfly print in different shades of pink and purples with narrow baby pink satin ribbon
16x20 inches, £15

 'Cute as a Cupcake'
Cream fabric with mini cupcake pattern, and narrow baby blue satin ribbon

14x16 inches, £12

 'Cute as a Cupcake'

Cream fabric with mini cupcake pattern, and narrow baby pink satin ribbon
14x16 inches, £12

14x16 inches, 2 for £22 if you buy two the same

All of these boards are available to order - please email admin@princesscrafts.co.uk or leave a comment if you would like to order one!

Bespoked memo board

As well as the regular stock memo boards that I make, I sometimes take bespoke orders. This is the latest commissioned board, and it has turned out rather well.

It is a fairly small board (12x16 inches) so I managed to use some remnant fabric left over from some cushion covers. Luckily, I had a complete flower so was able to show off the design to its best.

Teamed with a narrow silver satin ribbon and silver studs, this board will be perfect in my Mum-in-Law's study! And the best part (for her anyway) is that is barely cost a thing as she already had the board and I already had the rest of the materials! Just goes to show it is worth keeping remnant pieces of fabric 'just in case'!!

Time to measure up!

I got a fab desk calendar for Christmas which is jam packed with sewing ideas...

..and there are some great projects to get your teeth into. I think I will start with this funky pencil case/makeup bag.

 I even managed to get some cheap and cheerful tape measures in Ikea for only 25p each!!

 Now all I need is a zip and some backing fabric.