Shiny New Items

Evening all,

I decided I would make this blog a photographic one with small descriptions, letting the pictures do most of the talking, so without further ado I'd like to show you my latest makes... (Click on the pictures to enlarge).

My new range of Mini Buntings. Each measure approximately 4' - 4' 6" in length, have 12 flags and are double sided so they can be viewed from either side. They are absolutely gorgeous (if I do say so myself) and look great in many spaces, especially along shelving, fireplaces, window ledges and more. I think the small print of the cotton fabric is what makes them so attractive...what do you think?

These are the latest in my line of gift sets, namely Three Piece Toiletry/Cosmetics Cases. I am making them in a range of fabrics but the concept is the same, there is a flat based wash bag that is lined with either PVC or oilcloth (colour matching dependant), a smaller flat cosmetics bag that is cotton lined and a roll up brushes holder with ties. Of course they can be purchased for yourself, but they make excellent gifts for any girl of any age. :) Again, it's the fabric that is so appealing, to me at least, I simply love delicate florals. There will be more of these too.

You will have seen something similar to these before, but these are my new Freehand Machine Embroidery Padded iPad Cases in portrait style. They are all decorated using my favourite method, are fully padded with fleece and interfacing, have cotton linings with nothing to scratch your devise and have an envelope closure with button and elastic. These cases fit the iPad Air 2 and the 9.7" iPad Pro. Of course, you can try your own devise if on hand at a craft fair or place an order to have one custom made.

These are my latest design of 'Bag for Life' made using a fabulous firm duck type material in a gorgeous print called Botanical Garden. As soon as I saw this material I had to have it and knew it would work great as bags. These roll up and are held with an elastic, and I am also going to make some with their own pocket so instead of rolling, they'll fold flat and will be encased - a pocket that is integral to the bag. These bags are the perfect size to drop in you bag or to just grab and go.

And finally, I have managed to make a small range of Fat Quarters for my stall. Some of the fabrics in the bundles are what you have already seen in this post. I just love them, as if you haven't guessed already and so I wanted to share them with you. These are in sets of three and are 18" x 22" a piece, they are a mix of cottons and poly-cottons and there is even some Egyptian cotton throw in for good measure. They have all been measured, cut, pressed, folded and bundled using lengths of cute ribbon. They cost just £4.99 for three and will be available at my craft fairs - while stocks last.

So that's all for today folks, hope you enjoyed a look and to read a comment or two if you'd care to leave one. Thank you!

Julie.
(C) FMNCrafts 2016.

Busy Busy and New Items

Hello all,

Wow, long time no blog! Guess what? I've been busy! As usual... Some of these items were out at my last fair, but that just shows you how long it's been since I blogged.

So without further ado, I'll show you some stuff. First up:

This is the next in line of my Upholstery Material Cushions, this one in a beautiful botanic style print, complete with matching piping (I love making piping now...), an envelope back and detail on the back to match the material on the front. This material is a mix of hemp and linen and it feels delightful, it measures 16" x 16" and will be going with me on Sunday to the next fair I'm at - details later. I have another one to show you but that's next time, as I haven't got the cushion form in it yet... I really like making these one off style throw cushions and the neutral colours mean they can be placed in many homes.

Next up:

The latest style of Mobile Case with Earphone Pocket. I bought these blue and white materials and thought they would look great on the mobile cases so these were born. This style of case (ones with pockets) have been selling well at the fairs as they are so attractive and useful. I think that's what people are looking for these days...

And the next:

These are my beautiful (yes, I do say so myself) Freehand Machine Embroidery Denim and Cotton Padded Glasses Cases. Oh yes. Each have a little flap to hold the glasses in with an elastic closure and each is lined with a complimentary cotton lining. The padding protects the glasses and they are big enough to hold bulky sunglasses too. Perfect for summer holidays then...

And the next:

I really love making these - Tissue Packs. Each is made using two beautiful different prints of cotton and there's a lovely peep of 'material number two' down the middle, where the opening is to get to the tissues. Mum and I went on a material shopping trip a couple of weeks ago and we found a shop I will be returning to no doubt! I spent quite a bit and some of the materials you see in these tissue packs are indeed brand new. I love material shopping. Is it possible to ever have too much?

Each pack contains 10 4ply tissues and are easily replaced once used. These make lovely gifts and when they sell at the fairs, I would say 80% are bought as gifts. One lady bought 4 last summer for Christmas presents...

These are next:

This scotty dog material is also new and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. I have a feeling it may be good as purses and that's why I whipped these two little ones up. I also have it in blue. They are a great size, you can get loads of money plus store and credit cards in and there is a blue spotty interior with black ribbon pull on the zip. I think these will go well and of course I will be making more than just two!

And finally, just a few re-do's as these items always sell well:

Floral Classic Padded Glasses Case (click to enlarge)

Carrier Bag Keyrings - never be without a carrier bag again!

Roll Up Floral Shopping Bag, heavy duty, large size

Map Gift Bags, set of three, great fun!

Tea Cup Freehand Machine Embroidery Floral Throw Cushion. I love this!

Magnetic Washi-tape Pegs

Net Curtain Bunting. Yes, I know, but it's an experiment - I want to hear people's reactions. I think it's funky but we'll see.

So that's all! If you have managed to get through this whole blog - well done! And thank you. Please leave me a comment or even share this, I'd love to get a little more exposure about my creations and gain people's thoughts.

Oh, I almost forgot. On Sunday and Monday, 1st and 2nd May 2016 I will be exhibiting at Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire. They are holding a Dog Show outdoors and a Craft Fair indoors. Guess which one I'm exhibiting at?! Ha! In fact, no, scratch that... ;)

Bye for now.
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2016. 

New Items and Shop News!

Good evening to you all,

Isn't it lovely to officially be in Spring? I just love this time of year, the winter has passed (officially!) and there are sunny days to come...being a Leo, this pleases me :) All the flowers are in bloom, there's the smell of freshly mowed lawns and the birds are nesting. Haaaaaa...

Anyway, back to business, as per usual, I have been busy, mainly with online and friend's orders actually but also with making things to stock a local shop with (eek! More on that later...) and stocking up for my up and coming craft fairs. This year, I have been able to secure at place at Newstead Abbey Craft Fair; more details about that later too.

So these are the items I have been making recently for the fairs. First up:

These are a new style of Freehand Machine Embroidery Toiletry/Cosmetics/Make-up/Wash Bags. They are made using a hard wearing duck material on the outside and a washable/wipe-able material on the inside so that you can wipe up the inevitable spills, drips and leaks that occur, making these very usable bags.

When my Mum and I were at the NEC recently for the Sewing for Pleasure show I picked up the felt balls you can see hanging from the zips and I think they are so cute! I think it's all the little bits that make a piece special and different from all the rest. I love these and am very pleased with how they turned out. They are quality bags that are really pretty! They can hold lots of products too, including extra deoderants and hand creams. :)

Next up:

My next batch (fifth actually) of mini Freehand Machine Embroidery Lavender Bags. These are always a good seller and they really are so sweet that they always bring a smile to people when they smell them. Except for some children I might add! I guess they haven't felt the need to smell the wonderful aroma of lavender yet... I took some of these into the shop recently and the lady who runs it commented a few days after how everyone was admiring them and that she thinks they won't be in there for long! They are small but they really pack a punch being filled with French lavender heads. Lovely.

And the next:

As we are now in Spring, I think it's a time to celebrate the new life, which means bringing out the bunting! I simply love these materials, Cath Kidston in fact and use them in many of my projects. They make for excellent bunting and this particular bunting has 12 flags, makes up to approximately 8 feet long and each flag hangs approximately 7". There are also approximately 22" worth of tie at each end so there will be no problem either pinning or tying to wherever it is needed. Plus, for bonus points, it is double sided so it can strung across a space or room and look beautiful from both sides. :) I will be making many of these are they are such fun, will last forever and are seemingly timeless.

And finally for today:

This is a new design of Patchwork Sling Bag, especially good to use in the Spring and up coming Summer. It has many features and plus points to it and I really enjoyed making it.

It is made using all different sized pieces of pink and white cotton patchwork pieces which have been interfaced, for strength and durability, then quilted onto fleece for padding and quality. The bag has an exterior pocket that fits a mobile phone, it has a magnetic snap closure with a cute flower covering, it has a long strap with one permanent end attached with hardware and the other end can be knotted to make it any length desired onto another piece of hardware. Internally it is lined with cream cotton, it has three pockets of different sizes plus a loop with a split keyring to add keys. The detail is beautiful with the lace, embroidery flowers and buttons and I am really pleased with how this turned out. It took two days mind you! I have decorated the front as this will be seen the most and on the back, I concentrated on the design instead of the decoration, so there is no risk of damage to it or to clothing.

 

 

 

 

This bag can be worn across the body or over the shoulder, simply as desired and it looks good in both ways. I know. I tried! I even patch-worked the strap too so it's all in-keeping. I am actually very tempted to keep it...but I know my Mum would say "you can't keep everything!"

Just while I am here then, I would like to announce that as I mentioned earlier, some of my goods will be going into a shop, well they are in and the shop opens on Saturday! It is called Two Little Magpies and is based in Beeston, Nottingham, which is just four miles from my home. It is a gift shop and showcases around 40 different local artist's work (including my own) and their end game is to increase the supply of hand made, hand crafted, locally designed and created items, instead of the usual store bought items that we have become accustomed to over recent years. They have a great attitude towards designers and creators and I am really excited for them. I have a really good feeling about the people and their project and when I went in a couple of weeks ago to take my stock, the shop was looking fab being kitted out with display units of all kinds, included map covered table tops, chairs mounted on the walls and old luggage trunks. Click on their Facebook page to see what's happening...

Well that's all for now folks, thank you for reading, please share this, leave me a comment or visit my Facebook page to see more of what's going on.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2016.