Advent Bunting Pockets

Are you beginning to think about your Christmas sewing projects yet?

About this time last year I designed a pattern for some mini Advent bunting for Justine and Lisa's Simply Solids blog and this year Justine asked if I could design a larger version.

Each of the pennants along the bunting is actually a pocket that you can fill with little treats to be opened one day at a time throughout Advent, just like a traditional Advent calendar.
The pockets close with a loop and button, so little hands can't go prying before the day!

Simply Solids have a fat quarter bundle for the Christmas fabrics available here and will be selling kits for the advent bunting at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show next weekend.

To make the bunting you need 6 fat quarters of Christmas print fabric, 6 fat quarters of solid fabric for the lining, 1.5 metres of ribbon for the loops, 24 buttons and 5 meters of tape.
This Christmas Dreams line by Dashwood Studios is the perfect fabric, I think!

Download the Free PDF pattern to get detailed instructions with photos and full size templates. The pattern is easy to sew and suitable for beginners. 

I used a machine zig zag stitch to sew the numbers on, and a Sewline glue pen to hold them in place whilst I sewed, but you could just as easily use a regular straight stitch or sew them on by hand.

If you are short of time, you could use adhesive felt numbers instead.

You can choose to place all the pennants in one long line or make 2 separate pieces.

I made 2 separate ones with numbers 1-12 in the first section and 13-24 in the second, but then ended up placing both together to get this shot!

They will make a lovely bright start to the Christmas festivities, so download your pattern and start our festive sewing today!

As always, if you're on Instagram, show me what you've made with the pattern using the hashtag #mackandmabelpattern I'd love to see your version!

A Quilt Finish!

It's a finish! My Hazel Hedgehog quilt for Siblings Together is finally all done. I'm kind of sad, it was such fun to make, and got such a lot of lovely comments here on my blog and on Instagram. But now I can send this, along with the other two I have, off to Siblings Together to be handed out at their summer camps, and I can move on to all the other hundred and one things in my head!
There was no chance of an outdoor photo. We've had gale force wind and a hail storm yesterday! but I think you can see it OK on this bed.

I quilted it with wavy lines from top to bottom....nice and easy and no ends to sew in.

Fortunately I had just enough of some of the fabric scraps left over from the hedgehogs to make a scrappy binding. The backing fabric is Lime Twist Harlequin by Makower which I bought at a recent visit to the Sewing for Pleasure and Hobbycrafts Show at the NEC Birmimgham. Its such a lovely fabric and very useful for backings. I wish I had bought more of it.

I also have another finish to share this week (Two in one week must be a record for me!)
Its this "Little Zippy Pouch" from Quilt Now magazine volume 9.
Sonia from fabricandflowersuk kindly hosted a Sew Along for this pouch on Instagram, which was great fun to follow. Its the perfect size for all my paper piecing paraphernalia, so was put to good use right away.

I used only organic fabrics. The patterned fabrics are Wildwood by Cloud9 and the solids are Cirrus solids again by Cloud9

Linking up with Work In Progress Wednesday and Lets Bee Social

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter

Julie

Advent Bunting Tutorial

Aaah! I know what you're saying! "Is that really a Christmassy thing already?" Well, yes, it is!

Today I'm guest blogger over at Simply Solids.

The lovely Justine wanted me to use some Christmas fabrics, and I thought: "What needs to be made well in advance for Christmas?" Well, an advent calendar of course.....you need that right from the start of December, and that's only about 9 weeks away!

This is bunting that has pockets in it so you can add little treats, one for each day.

The pockets are fastened with a ribbon loop and little button, so there'll be no peeking before the day.

You can choose to make just one length, or split it in two as I have done. It makes it a lot easier to hang on a chimney breast, door or a child's wall.

To make the bunting you will need:

7 fat quarters of Christmas fabric

Bias binding tape

Narrow ribbon for the button loops

25 small buttons

A small piece of solid white for the numbers

Bondaweb or other fusible to secure the numbers in place.

The full instructions along with templates for the pennants and numbers and plenty of stage by stage photos can be downloaded here

Happy Sewing

Sewing bunting is the best sewing I know. I love it!!
All that colour, those nice easy straight seams, the joining it together into long strips, and the knowing its for a happy occasion. Bunting is always for happy times, and this is for my son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law's wedding in just a few week's time. Eek! did I say a few weeks time! There is so much sewing needs doing!
So I've been cutting...

and sewing.....

and sewing some more....

Saffie kept a very close eye on the proceedings....

The stack got higher...........

I added some solids........

Then played around with the placement........

Then joined them into lengths using rolls of ready made bias binding.

And finally took them outside to have a little peek at what they're going to look like hanging in all their colourful beauty!

A total of 6 lengths, 15 pennants in each. Such a happy sewing day!

A Few Finishes

I did manage to finish a few sewing projects before setting off for Toronto, and I actually remembered to take a few photos, so I'm going to share them today. 

I made a clutch bag to take to the wedding with me - so much easier than traipsing round the shops trying to find a bag I liked that matched my shoes!

For the pattern I used the one that accompanied the dress I made, but I didn't make it as wide.

I used a navy linen that I purchased in John Lewis.

The bow adds a nice finishing touch, don't you think? Although it was a bit of a swine to try and get a nice pleat in it.

It closes with a metal magnetic closure.

It was the first time I'd tried using these. But they were an absolute breeze to attach. I shall certainly be using them again!

The lining is a muted sage quilting weight cotton with a white polka dot.

The bag was a delight to use at the wedding - it held everything from camera to compact umbrella and was easy to hold without being cumbersome.

Thinking that it would be the usual glorious weather here I sewed like a maniac before leaving the UK. I didn't manage to make everything I wanted to, but I did sew up this skirt in just one evening.

It's a really soft denim (perfect for squashing into a case when travelling) and to say I drafted my own pattern would be pushing the truth. I literally just made it up as I went along! It has a zip closure at the back and a really narrow waistband. I don't like wide waistbands, and if I had left a bit of space above the end of the zip as I inserted it, I wouldn't have had a waistband at all. I suspect I'll be making a second one of these when I return to England. It's very comfy.

And finally I made a little gift for someone I shall be seeing whilst I'm over here. Her two older sisters both have a personalised apron that I made them a couple of years ago, and I figured that it won't be too long before Gratia is helping out with the baking too. The pattern for this is in the Sewing Patterns section at the top of my blog.

Looking Back on 2013

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. It flew by way too fast in this household. Time was spent with family and friends, catching up, laughing, enjoying good food and as we were very fortunate with the weather, we enjoyed some good walks too.

At this time we inevitably think back over the last year and look forward to what the next one might have in store.

Once the family festivities were over I spent a cosy afternoon looking back over my blog to see what I had achieved this year.

I made 6 quilts. I'm counting the Swoon (bottom left) even though technically it's still a working progress. It will get it's backing very, very soon!

I made 2 tops for myself. I want to make a lot more of my own clothes next year.

My niece was delighted with the baby bibs and blanket. The bunting and stocking wreath have adorned the house over the last couple of weeks. The circle of flying geese table mat is in constant use, as is the mariner's compass cushion, and the little bird pin cushion sits in my sewing room, keeping an eye on all  the activity.

My challenge to myself to make 52 items for  Greenfields Africa  in 52 weeks was completed ahead of schedule in early December. Not all of them got photographed and I kept adding last minute items to the box, so I'm not sure of the exact statistics, but there were over 52 items and they included blankets, quilts, cardigans, hats and booties and also some shorts and dresses for the older children. 

Looking at the pictures all displayed neatly together, I'm proud of my achievement, but my memories are a little rose tinted. It was an enormous undertaking, and I would have enjoyed the process a lot more  if I hadn't set the bar so high. I shall of course make more items for this wonderful charity next year, but without any pressure. Next year it doesn't matter whether I manage to make 2 or 20 items, it is going to be enjoying it that counts.

And finally, I designed 7 new knitting patterns last year. To be honest, most of the work was done in 2012, but they were finished early in 2103, so that's what counts, right?

I was pleased to be able to include this collage because, in my head, it seemed ages since I'd finished a new knitting design other than the little Christmas stockings.

These three little girls have grown enormously over the last year, but I know the eldest one (top left) is still wearing her hat.

So that was it for 2013 !

I've been thinking for a while that my blog was veering more towards the quilting than the knitting, but I think it may just be that it's easier to show the progress of a quilt than a knitted item. In output the knitting won !

I shall be back in a few days with some thoughts on what I hope to make in 2014.

Have a Happy New Year, everyone !

Precious

A precious gift set for a precious baby!

I managed to get these finished in good time, after all. The set comprises a swaddling blanket:

A burp cloth:

A traditional bib:

and a bandana style bib:

These are made entirely from organic cotton with organic flannel on the reverse of the blanket and an organic cotton/bamboo blend on the back of the bibs and burp cloth.

I blogged about the making of the traditional bib here.

I chose the word precious for a very special reason. This set is a Christmas gift for my niece, who is expecting her first baby in February. It's the first baby in the family and we're all very excited. At her second scan, however, it was found that this little one is not growing how we would have hoped. The simplest way to describe it is to say that her heart has developed back to front. From the moment  she is born, she will have to stay a very, very long time in hospital whilst they operate to try to put her heart to rights. She will need many operations as she grows.

I pondered for a long time, trying to decide what would be an apt gift for this very precious little girl.

Hospitals are wonderful places that perform life saving miracles for many, but for a new mum, they are not home. The more things of her own that this little one can be wrapped in during her long stay in hospital, the more comfortable and comforted my niece and her husband will feel. There will be chemicals a-plenty surrounding this little baby, most of them life saving, but the fewer there are in the cloth in contact with her skin, the better in my opinion.

So, hopefully with this little set, they will be able to swaddle her, cuddle her, nestle and feed her, knowing there is some nice organic goodness, right close by. I'm sure they'll need no reminding just how precious she is, but it's embroidered there, right on her bib, just to take care of any low moments that come along in the difficult weeks and months ahead.

I can't wait to see their faces when they open this on Boxing Day. I'm already planning a great many more items, but I'll gift them one at a time, as and when they're needed. (after all, it's a good excuse to buy more organic cotton!!)

As luck would have it, the topic for this month's challenge over at le-challenge is "precious", so I'm definitely linking up today!!

Christmas Star Bunting Tutorial

It's getting to feel rather Christmassy here at the Mack and Mabel abode. I've finished my Christmas star bunting and I managed to grab a little time over the weekend to photograph it in a few possible locations.
Over an internal doorway…….

Across the beam over the hearth in the lounge….

 and on a nice plain bedroom wall…..

I love them all !!

It is very easy to make, and I've written a tutorial for you. You just need some felt, fabric, Bondaweb or other fusible, some bias binding to hang the stars on and a few buttons for decoration.

I chose to make my stars 4 1/2" (11cm) tall. There is a full scale template in the downloadable PDF

that you can print off, but you could make them any size you want.
I went with a red and white theme. It seems to be a favourite of mine for this Christmas!! but they would look just as good with a totally scrappy palette.
The tutorial is here 
and I shall also add it to the sewing patterns tab along the top of the blog. The tutorial has lots of stage by stage photos, which makes it easy to follow, but heavy on ink to print out. I recommend  that you print just page 2, to get the template, but view the instructions straight from the download if you can. Less money spent on printer ink means more money available for fabric Yeah!!!!
I hope your Christmas craft projects are well and truly underway, too.
Have a great week,
Julie

A Quilty Gift

I received the most wonderful gift in the post this week. This beautiful bag was made for me by Jennifer of Glinda Quilts. I feel really guilty actually. She is an online friend that I've recently made through a sewing bee. She had blogged about the Pants Bags she had been making and I commented on the post saying I was really lazy, didn't bother to unpack my case when I went on holiday and just stuffed my pants into the corners of my case. Well, she replied straight away saying she would make me one, and even wanted to know what colours I liked!! You know, quilters are some of the kindest, most generous people I have ever come across.

This bag is so beautifully made! Jennifer's sewing skills put mine to shame !
What is more I am totally in awe of the design of this bag. Don't think old school pump bags that were hard to draw up, this bag glides open and closed with amazing smoothness. It took me a while to understand how it works (yeah, I'm the sort of person that struggles to operate even the simplest of things)

Fortunately my son showed me - it's two separate drawstrings, so that when you pull it closed the fabric doesn't all bunch up at one end. Duh! I guess everybody knew about this except me - well, I know now, and I'm going to have a go at making one.

The other thing I really like, that I wouldn't have thought about doing, is attaching the band in two separate pieces so that there is plenty of room for the strings to move freely.

I really look forward to using this bag next time I go travelling. In the meantime I really wanted to look at it and appreciate it, so,  ....... ooh, Look! some knitting just happened to find it's way inside !!

I'm very pleased to say it makes an excellent knitting bag too !! Thank you so much Jennifer. Your kindness has made me very happy and I'm going to have a go at making one for someone too :)

Talking of knitting, I have been busy trying to catch up on my Greenfields Africa Challenge. I've completed 2 baby cardigans, and another is almost finished.

For this one I used up a couple of balls of Rowan Purelife Revive that I had bought a while back to experiment with. This is an eco friendly yarn as it is made with 36% recycled silk, 36% recycled cotton and 28% recycled viscose. It isn't a baby yarn, but I had played with, decided I didn't like it, so it needed using up. Why didn't I like it? I didn't like the feel of it in my hands as I worked. I love working with cotton, I like using silk when blended with wool, but this? It just didn't feel good. Also it has very little stretch. It will breathe nicely, so it will be good for a little African baby in that respect, but I won't be buying this yarn again.

 

The second cardigan was made with my all time favourite yarn Debbie Bliss Eco Baby. This is sports weight organic cotton, and the only reason I was happy to part with this was because the oddments I had were from old dye lots that didn't match. Some prudent placement of white stripes however meant that you can't tell where one dye lot ends and the next starts.

And finally, the WIP uses another of my favourite yarns - Rowan Belle Organic by Amy Butler.

This is 50% organic cotton, 50% organic wool - BUT, it's been discontinued !! 

I love this yarn. Why did you do this, Rowan ?? Was I the only person in the world who liked and bought it? 

This is made completely of oddments, and I didn't think the lime green would last out to complete the stripes, but it has and I'm very pleased with it.

So, I'm probably still a little behind with my challenge to myself (I want to make 52 items for the charity during the 52 weeks of 2013, but I can always catch up with a few quickly knitted baby hats!

It's been a productive start to September so far.

Have a good weekend, with lots of craftiness!   Julie