Sunday 28 March 2010

Wedding Cake

Hello, I hope you've had a lovely weekend?
Mine was.
Nothing terribly exciting to report, just a lovely homey, family type weekend and that's how I like it. I don't need drama or danger, thrills or spills, just being with the people I love at home is pleasure enough for me. How can there be anything more important than that!
Right, as promised... Wedding Cake!
For a few months now I've had a box full of vintage French lace stashed in my attic. Wonderful Man bought it for me at one of our local auctions last year I think, or it may have been the year before that. You know how it is, the older you get, the faster time slips by!

Well I've been waiting for the right project to come along and this one seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
A wedding cake.

I patch worked it all around the sides and on the top.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself, choosing and offering pieces this way and that. Carefully stitching little curls and swirls and catching down tiny icing like frills and flowers.

I also happen to have a rather sizable stash of ribbons, all different kinds that I carefully squirrel away when ever I come across them.
These roses I made from wide, wired ombre ribbon. I'm afraid the photo doesn't do the colours justice.

Ta-daa! (I love typing that word)
I hope you've noticed the 4... Yes 4 pillars holding up the top tier of cake!
In my original cake design I was going to just sit the top tier straight onto the bottom tier, but when I asked a friend for her opinion, she thought is should be on pillars. (Bless her little cotton socks. Mental note to self, never ask a friend for her opinion.) Only joking!
Hmmmm...This caused much head scratching and nose wrinkling on my part and for good reason.
How was I going to make 4 round columns strong enough to hold weight on top and soft enough to be stitched to both the top and bottom of the cakes at the same time? And that resembled icing!
Hmmm....
The stitching of said columns was, to put it politely extremely difficult. Much 'Dick Dastardly and Muttley' grumblings issued from my lips I can tell you! Also much pricking of fingers and dropping of needles!
Anyway, I would tell you what I used and how I did it, but then...
I'd have to kill you. Sorry.
Ta-daa! again.
Just for good measure.

Thank you for all the lovely comments about the crochet coat hangers.
I'm hoping to have some sort of instructions for you next time. I can't promise it will be an exact pattern but I'm sure if you can crochet the basic stitches, you'll be able to make one of your own.
.
OOO! and before I forget please find time to check the 20 Minuters list on my side bar as we have new crafters joining us all the time and I would hate for you to miss out on any crafty blogs!
.
Till next time
Love Fi x


Wednesday 24 March 2010

Crochet Coat Hanger.

Hello there.
I'm so excited today with my 'Ta-daa' moment!
I want to show you my crochet clothes hanger.
Inspired by the project in a Japanese craft book on Lucy's blog.
I looked at the pretty picture and screwed up my eyes and wrinkled my nose. Yes I think I could make something like that, maybe not identical but similar.
So I gave it a go!
And I'm thrilled with it. (big grin)
It was very fiddly, but after a little conflab with my friend, I'm going to try another one but make it a different and hopefully simpler way.
I'll keep you posted.
.
Next time I'll be sharing some Wedding Cake with you.
No.... not reeeeeaaal Wedding Cake, you know me, I made it from vintage lace! (What else would I use!)
.
Till next time.

Love Fi x



Sunday 21 March 2010

Fabric Therapy.

Hello. Have you time for a cuppa and a catch up?
Good, I thought you might have. LOL!
.
Lets start with a bit of retail therapy. A friend and I had a day out together in Guisborough this week. We'd never been to Guisborough before, but we'd had a tip off about a lovely craft shop called Leven Crafts , so we followed it up. Unfortunately I have no photos of the inside of the shop because there was far too much to look at and stroke and oo and aah at, but here's what I bought...

very pretty fabrics and ...
some more pretty fabrics and...


a little bit more fabric and ...

some uber pretty lace and ribbon.
.
It's not all been spend, spend, spend around here though. I have been busy too.
I've made wonderful man a new cover for the old horse hair seat pad on his work chair.

I'm trying to make a crochet cover for a coathanger like the ones in Lucy's new craft book.

And I have this little project to finish but I'll show you more of that when it's completed.
.
Till next time,
Love Fi x



Sunday 14 March 2010

Mothering Sunday.

Hello, just thought I'd drop by to wish you all happy Mothering Sunday. I hope your day has been a lovely as mine.
.
Fi x

Tuesday 9 March 2010

Pointy, Dangley Crochet.

Hello all, thank you for all of your lovely comments. You really are sweet.
Gosh! I really don't know where the time is going to at the moment. I'm finding it really difficult to visit as many of your scrummy blogs as I would like, and I do hate to miss anything. You're all being so productive now you're 20 Minuters, I could really do with an extra day in the week just for blog reading! Do you think anyone would notice if we made it an 8 day week instead of 7!
If you remember the post before last I promised you some dangley, pointy, crochet goodness. Well here it is... no not the one above. That triangle was made following the only triangle pattern I could find in a book and to honest it didn't cut the mustard! No sireeee! Not good enough for my bloggy friends.
So...
I designed my own.
Much prettier don't you think?


And soon one became three.

Actually I'm telling a little porky there, it wasn't soon at all. No, they took a jolly long time, much longer than I thought they would. Maybe I'm just slow with the old hook but these babies took at least 4o minutes each!


And I won't tell you how long the joining chain took because some naughty words might slip out just like they did while I was making it. Talk about fiddly!

But it was all worth it in the end.

I just need to aquire some brighter colours, like the ones below.

They're evolving already.
These are a little smaller and I 've given them a pretty picot edge.
.
Gosh I must dash! Parent's evening tonight! I really do hate it and in my 12 years experience of it there never was a bigger waste of everyones time! (OO! I bet that statement raises some comments!)
I might have to explain myself next time.
bye for now
Fi x

Wednesday 3 March 2010

Greengate has arrived!

Hello my lovelies.
We had yet another dollop of snow yesterday morning, quite a shock really as there wasn't any forecast!
I must admit it did look very pretty with the sun making it twinkle and sparkle.
But that's not what I want to show you today.
So lets go take a peek...
Look! Doesn't that look scrummy! I do love Greengate, it seems a little more subtle than Cath Kidston, but still as pretty.

I luuurve those little tins, and look... my home sewn cupcakes and birthday cake have pride of place along side too.


My favourite.
Isn't this pretty?
Do you know, I do believe it's Mothers Day soon! Hmmm...
Sorry I had to have a closer look at those beautiful tins.

Well, I really must tear myself away now

I have some sewing and crochet to do.
.
Thank your for all of your kind comments about my Accidental Blanket. You make me feel all warm and squidgy inside : )
.
Love Fi x