Happy Saturday

Too busy for a long post so just some photographs today for you all to enjoy








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A bit of Create Place lovin'

I have had the pleasure to be involved with the Create Place in Bethnal Green for just over a year and wanted do a blogging virtual shout out to them. So hereby. The Create Place is a wonderful creative space on Old Ford Road, near the tube and overground and right next to the ace Gallery Cafe. The run a fantastic selection of classes there, from creative writing to beginners sewing, cupcake decorating to quilting. There are knitting drop ins and free daytime classes, there is a little shop selling locally made designer handmade goodies, and there is always a pot of tea on the go.


It is run by the lovely Lisa. She didn't just bring her amazing stash of Kaffe Fassett fabrics but also bags of enthusiasm, knowledge and sheer love for the place. She knits, she blogs, she rollerskates, she rocks. The Create Place is friendly and local, and every learner and teacher is instantly made to feel very welcome and involved. I love the place dearly and am glad to see it go from strength to strength. And to top it off there is a selection of handmade designer goodies on sale! Their website is here: www.thecreateplace.co.uk and their full listing and bookings are here: http://bookwhen.com/nghzv


We have few places left on the next beginners sewing class on 29th January and just one on the popular one day quilting class on 5th February. Get in quick before they fill up! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Web and blog problems, back on track now!

I migrated this blog to a new location, aiming to use Wordpress to design it. I  posted a great post about wanting to win a place on the Girls Guide to Webdesign course, and told EVERYONE about it. I had some lovely comments too, and quite a few votes. Then disaster struck and my new blog went down, taking everything with it. It looks like I somehow managed to delete some major files. Oops. A little knowledge is a very dangerous thing and I should leave well alone until I learn to do it all properly!

So I have reinstated my blog on here, no harm done, and have started working on my website instead (www.cheekyhandmades.co.uk). I think it is already looking better. Cleaner, more spacious. Just imagine what I could do if I won that space on the course? So if you can please follow the link to the amazing Girls Guide to Webdesign and click on my logo. I know my original blog link doesn't work anymore but you can still vote. And have a look at the other inspirational women doing their bit to try and win a place too. Maybe even sign up for a course yourself? The course comes highly recommended and one way or another I will do it this year.

I will just leave you with this unrelated but delicious bundle of fabrics I received from Fancy Moon last week. Yummy!

new year's resolutions

I don't go in for the usual bettering myself new year's resolutions ( do I think I cannot possibly better myself? Best discussed at a different forum!). But this year I have made crafting resolutions. In short I am going to make even more stuff but chiefly things that have been in my head or on my to do list for a while or things I have seen in some of the many many craft books I have bought this last year that have made me go Oh I want that. Only for the book to be added to one of the piles of books in my living room and never to be made. 

Maybe I should make a resolution to not buy any more craft books until I have run out of all the things to knit, crochet and sew from all the wonderful patterns I already have. But it is an addiction and I am not quite ready to stop buying and coveting craft books just yet (although I could go on a fancy holiday in a hot country if I stopped!).

SO...here is my list of all the wonderful things I want to make and finish this year. Maybe slightly ambitious but hey as I am still feeling very optimistic about 2012 here goes in no particular order:

1. Make something (bunting?) out of ironed plastic bags. May sound daft but I have seen a few tutorials about reusing plastic bags (not that I have any mind, I will have to beg borrow and steal some) to make a durable fabric by ironing the bags between greaseproof paper. See this fab link: http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/diy-plastic-bag-fabric-reclaiming-plastic-shopping-bags-for-good.html

Doesn't this dress look fab?

2. Gorgeous Owl jumper as sported by the lovely Lisa this Saturday.

About 5000 people have already knitted one worldwide I saw on Ravelry but why not me too? It is rather cute..

3. I bought a lovely soap making book and would like to now make some soap. In fact I have a lovely (pie in the sky?) idea of making my own dishwasher soap, shampoo and everything. Baby steps Jennie!

4. Do a cross stitch design for a new tattoo. Yes, it has been way too long since I last had myself decorated and I feel a little swallow vintage stylee coming on. As I also want to do a funky cross stitch design (inspired by Twisted Stitches and Subversive Cross Stitch books) I will combine the two.

5. I want to, need to, finish the great lacy tunic I have been knitting for like, ever. I did so well with the first side and the start of the second one too, and then I stopped. And then I never started again. It looks great and will be fab when done so I MUST!

6. Make something from the Big Ass Book of Crafts. It has about 6000 projects in it and I love most of them so this should be easy. I feel something non fabric related, maybe some spray painting onto vintage plates? Could link in with the class I am doing at Oak Studioto make a cake stand from vintage plates. 

7. Make a gorgeous multi coloured crochet cushion a la http://littlewoollie.blogspot.com/2011/09/little-ta-dah-and-thank-you-give-away.html.

right up my Strasse me thinks! 

8. Make something from the gorgeous Everything Alice book. Perhaps the lovely felt cot mobile for Laurel's twins?

9. Make a quilt from the Material  Obsession books, maybe coupled with my growing stash of old clothes of ours I want to re-use. 

10. Make something from the Scandinavian Needlecraft book, would make great Christmas presents

11.Make something from the great Sew it, stuff it book. Lovely dollies and teddies. Perfect for little people's birthday presents.

12. Do some fabric printing from the Printing by hand book I bought about a year ago, with all the best of intentions. I even have a stamp I made  with the lovely Zeena and some shiny silver fabric paint.  

I also joined the Ravelry 12 in 2012 group, to spurn me on. http://www.ravelry.com/groups/12-in-2012-3

....and lastly I thought I might try blogging every day or most days just to force my creative hand in that way. We are now on day three so let's see how we go...

 

 

Learning to quilt

Today I ran a quilting course with the lovely Francesca, Lisa and Agnes.

Francesca ambitiously undertook to make a toddler sized quilt from lots of patches so she did not finish this today, Agnes however made a quilt for her daughter's dolly and Lisa made a moses basket quilt and they both finished their projects.





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Dress a girl around the world

I am at the Create Place right now, making dresses out of pillow cases for girls all over the developing world who would not ordinarily have a dress of their own. We are having enormous fun, there are about 8 of us sewing. So far we have finished a few dresses but are on schedule to make at least ten to add to the box of dresses we made last year (but haven't sent off yet, oops). 

Hopefully you will come and join us at the next one!

dress a girl around the world website

The Create Place

www.superstyling.me.uk