New Items!

Good evening all,

So sorry for the absence, I have still been busy making but I have been a little preoccupied with Craft Fairs and (ssh, don't tell Blogger) Instagram. It's brilliant! If you fancy a look at my stuff on there, click here.

For today I want to show you a few things and I'll do so like before, in photo form. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or head over to my Instagram or Facebook page. Thanks!

Vintage Doilies and Handkerchiefs Small Lined Cross Body Bag with Internal Pocket

Linen Vintage Handkerchiefs and Doily Small Envelope Back Throw Cushion

Small Framed Freehand Machine Embroidery Tea Cups Wall Art

Vintage Doilies and Handkerchiefs Large Lined Shoulder Bag with Internal Pocket

Lovely Denim and Floral Cotton Mobile 'Phone Cases with Earphone Pockets

Small Tea Cups Linen, Cotton, Chiffon and Lace Envelope Back Freehand Machine Embroidery Cushion

Linen and Vintage Handkerchiefs Wristlet Bridesmaid Pouches, Set of 3

Small Botanical Garden Envelope Back Throw Cushion with Removable Brooch Back Flower

Evening all,

Just a few pictures to show you folks, of things I have been making recently...so first up:

This is my Small Reversible Bag, made using denim and canvas materials, and adorned with a hand made flower brooch. I made these a while back and it wasn't long before they sold and when I saw the blue and white material the other day, a light bulb was lit to make more. So I did!

Next:

This is my new style of bag, I call this my Botanical Garden and Linen Leather Strap Bag. I think the clue is in the title! I simply love the Botanical Garden material and was fortunate enough to come across quite a lot of it, so here I have used it in a bag alongside other neutral materials. The lining is cream, it has a Botanical Garden set of pockets and I used a leather belt to make the shoulder strap, which is riveted and can be altered to the length desired.

And the next:

Similar to the above item, this is a Botanical Garden and Denim Wristlet. It is of the size that it can hold your mobile, your purse, your keys and a tissue or two so that you are ready to dash out the door in an instant and you know that you have everything you need - all secured and safe and held over the wrist.

And finally:

You may have seen these before, these are my Freehand Machine Embroidery Mobile 'Phone Cases with Earphones Pocket, decorated with really cute little birds. These are slightly different to the last ones (I think most things are remade better the next time) and are made to fit many mobiles, including the iPhone 6. I just love the floral materials used for the birds and the spotty interior. Cute!

So that's all for today, but before I go I would just like to say tomorrow (Monday) both my husband and I will be exhibiting at the Bakewell Town Hall, me with my items and my husband will have his RNLI Charity stall. We are actually supporting a charity ourselves by standing, namely the Goboka Rwanda Trust, as they hold a monthly cafe and craft fair in the Town Hall to help the charity and it is always such a great atmosphere with stalls, teas and cakes so if you fancy a day out, you know where to come. Plus, it's market day in town!

Thanks for reading,
Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2016.

Cushions and a Fair

Good afternoon all, I hope your weekend is going well so far...

Just want to show you these two cushions I have been working on over the last few days. Firstly:

This is a fabulous (if I do say so myself) Flower Vase Throw Cushion. It is based on a cream cotton material with envelope back and then I made the flowers in three different style, using a variety of materials and methods including hand and machine stitching.

It is a rather tactile cushion that I think would look great in many areas of the home, albeit a bed, chair or otherwise. It's pretty, it's attractive, it's a talking piece and it's a one-off. Sure, I could make another one, but no two would be the same, making it a unique hand made item.

The other one is this:

Although the photo is a little pale (poor lighting that day) I hope you can see this is my Vintage Doilies and Lace Throw Cushion. It has the same base as the one above and then I decorated it with a mixture of cream and white doilies, lace, cotton, ribbon and a vintage gold button. The doilies actually came from a rather cute shop in Bakewell and I knew I had to so something fun with them. You may remember I have made various bags with doilies before but this is the first cushion.

 

Click to enlarge

I enjoyed making this cushion and although it was fiddly, I think it looks fabulous. The doilies are so cute and I think they should be on show more than just as a base to an ornament! In this guise, they are. And yet again, it would grace any chair, chaise lounge or bed spread. This is most definitely a one off unique item as I have only a few other doilies in my store.

So what do you think?

I am not putting them in my Etsy shop as I have a fair on Monday that I want to take them to.

Speaking of, it is at the Bakewell Town Hall and this fair is being run for the Goboka Rwanda Trust by means of a Cafe and and Craft Fair. It is always a good event, usually there are around six quality stalls selling fabulous local photography, textiles and sewn items of many forms, my husband often has his RNLI charity stall selling quality vintage and antique items, there are hand made cards and children's items, hand made jewellery, there is a stall selling African coffee and other items and more, plus the Rwanda charity sells items made by the children of Rwanda to raise funds for their communities. The cafe is great offering a welcome rest from exploring the town and market, with refreshments at very reasonable prices. I can personally recommend the chocolate cake!

Doors open around 10am until around 3.30pm when the market in the town closes. Please pop along if you can.

Thanks for reading, share or comment if you like and have a lovely Valentine's Day tomorrow. <3

Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2016.

Hello! New Items...

Hello all!

Wow, it's been such a long time, I've almost forgotten how to blog... Things have been a little busy in our neck of the woods and whenever I get a few minutes to blog, I just seem to find something else that needs doing!

Anyway, I have been busy making and selling, last week I completed three orders in four days, so that's good, all happy customers too I will add so all is well. I have made a few things I'll share with you here too, that have either sold at recent fairs or are going to a fair soon, so first up:

Click to enlarge

My latest Upholstery Material Throw Cushion (sorry about the poor light in the picture, it was a very grey day). This cushion has to be one of my favourite makes. I often make cushions as one-offs (if that's how you write it) and so this is no different in that respect, but what I love so much about this is that I made the piping using the same material as the cover and this is the first time I have done it with so much success! Sure, I have used piping before, in many pieces, but that was already made, this piping I made from scratch and I was very pleased with the result.

See what I mean? (Blowing my own trumpet here).

For the back I used a complimentary material, of the same kind, and I made an envelope back so there are no hard zip lines and it will be easy to take off to wash. I simply love the material and I have been fortunate enough recently to come into a lot of small pieces of materials, of many kinds, gifted to me by generous and thoughtful friends and so have a lot to get my teeth in to! This cushion sold at the first fair I put it out at - to a stall holder's Mum! Lovely.

Next up:

This is one of the orders I mentioned earlier, a Covered Diary made using the owner's Cath Kidston material of Stanley the Dog! This was for Ceri, a fab friend who often has a Phoenix Trading stall at the Bakewell Town Hall. She saw the dairies with covers that I had on my stall, thought of her own material and commissioned me to make one for her. It is such lovely material, and the interior material is a spotty red so goes well. It's so cute! The little covered elastic is to help keep it closed and she can also slide a pen/pencil in there too if she likes. Thanks Ceri!

And the next: (Another order actually).

This one has a story.

This is a Mini Shopping Bag with Matching Wallet. A lady came to my stall in Bakewell and admired the wallets I had, stating she liked them but would like a place for coins and a closure of somesort, so I went home, had a go at a few different designs but they all turned out too bulky - which went against the idea that the wallets are soft and sleek so they don't bulk in a pocket - so I ended up just making a velcro pocket on the inside that would hold a few coins, but not a closure. She came back the following week, saw them, liked them but still wanted a closure. AND a matching bag! She saw the toiletry bags I had in the material above, said she wanted that size but with handles to put it over her arm and so the items in the picture were born. The wallet has a coin slot AND a closure. And that's ok because it will be going in the bag and not a pocket... She's coming to the next fair and I really hope she likes it, she's waited a while... I'll keep you posted ;)

Next up:

Can you guess what these are?

Yep, these are Keyring Carrier Bag Holders! I know! I can't claim these as my own idea, they are the brain child of my step-daughter Tracie and I thank her for the idea, very much indeed :) She spoke to me about it, I made one the next day and she had the prototype, feeling very pleased with herself and so the day after that, I made the twelve you see in the picture.

Tracie said she just needed something to hold a single bag in, and that could clip to her keys so she always had a bag with her (as she would always have her keys) and didn't have to keep remembering to take one out with her. This is perfect. Of course, they can be clipped to hand bags, thrown into a bag or the car door, or whatever, but they are designed with the mind that you will always have your keys when you go out, therefore you will always have a bag (and not need to pay the 5p!) Simples.

And finally for today:

These are Covered Notebooks. I really like these, they are A6 size lined hard-backed note books that I have covered in some beautiful floral materials. They are lined with a complimentary colour and are a nice snug fit so there is no 'rolling around'. I used the same method as the covered diaries and now I have my method of working sizes perfected, I can cover just about any book - albeit hardback or otherwise. These are great for taking notes and they are quite thick too, so there are plenty of pages to go at. (I like them so much, I might keep one!).

So that's all for today, thank you for reading, pass this on if you like and/or leave me a comment below - I'd love to know what you think!

Thank you,
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Linen, Cotton and Liberty of London!

Hi all,

Don't know about you but Spring really does bring out the 'busy-bee' in our house... we don't seem to have stopped in a looooonnng time. Oh well, I guess it's all good.

Anyway, I just wanted to post a quick blog on a few of my latest makes, so first up:

These are really cute little Flex-Frame Linen Purses. I made flex-frame purses a while ago and they went well, so I thought I'd make a few more in the linen materials I have; these are the first two styles. They are small enough to fit easily in a bag yet roomy enough to hold multiple cards and coins, or all kinds of bits and bobs. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Strawberries with Pink Spot

White Heart with Cherries

They are made with flat bases so you can not only fit loads in but also they stand up, plus they have cream cotton linings and the linen exteriors mean they are really hard wearing so should last for ages. What do you think?

Next up:

Another batch of Tissue Holders, as these are officially the hot-cakes of the fairs and sell so much so, that I am very often making them. They are quite sweet though aren't they? I had one lady at my last fair buy four in one go! Gifts, me thinks...

And finally (I think you'll like this):

This, ladies and gentlemen, is The (capital T) Denim and Liberty of London Aztec Print Drawstring Rucksack. Oh yes-siree. See the pictures for details.

Aztec detail added to the rounded corner top flap which has an elastic loop for closing

It has a denim base for added strength where needed and you can see the strong cord

It has two good sized wide shoulder straps

It also has a loop handle for convenience

Here you can see when the drawstring is pulled and the contrast between sides of the flap

Here's what it looks like when the flap is back and all the Aztec print is exposed

It is a really large 'bucket' style rucksack to take lots of goods

And it has a light cream interior to help find your items easily

I just love this bag and am sorely tempted to keep it! It is re-enforced in all stress areas, fits comfortably on the shoulders and is made of sturdy materials aiding durability and lasting quality. The best part is the fabulous Aztec print which is vintage Liberty material. I have used this material in earlier projects and it is just so nice to work with. This particular bag took me just over 6 hours to complete which includes design, sizing, measuring, cutting, pressing, assembly and finishing touches. I was a little tired...but I am sure you will agree, it was worth it!

I will be taking this to Bakewell at the weekend, so fingers crossed someone else loves it as much as I do :)

Well that's all for now, let me know what you think or pass this on. Thanks for reading.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015

New Item: Patchwork Vintage and Upholstery Materials Sling Bag.

Afternoon all,

For the last two days I have been working on this:

This is my (Hobo Style?) Patchwork Vintage and Upholstery Materials Sling Bag.

I made it using some of the most fabulous materials gathered from all over the place, for example upholstery factories, vintage and retro shops and markets etc and they are pieces that I have kept with the thought of 'to work on later'. You know what I mean...

This bag is an absolute favourite of mine and I am very tempted to keep it! The materials are soft yet sturdy so that they will last, it is lined in cream cotton curtain lining material, it has two internal pockets in upholstery material, is has a long 52" strap designed so the bag can be worn across the body, it has curved corners and it has a magnetic snap to close that is concealed with a coconut shell button. What's not to love? The doilies are vintage are are so beautiful, it was quite painful having to cut them in half! Plus, they have been hand sewn on, just like the little buttons too.

I will be taking this to my next fair which is at the Bakewell Town Hall, this Monday 20th April 2015, this event is run by the Rwanda Charity - details of which can be found in an earlier post, just scroll down.

Let me know what you think to this bag though please, it'd be great to get some feedback!

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Fab New Items

Evening all,

Just one little post today, to show you these:

This is my first batch of three Mixed Linen Patchwork Cosmetic Cases.

David and I went to Bakewell yesterday on a day trip (can't seem to get enough of the place!) and on the market, we came across a stall run by a lovely lady named Sue, who runs a business called Wonkey Donkey Bazaar. She has a fabulous collection of all things crafty including the gorgeous new linens you see above (the cream based ones). As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to have a load of them! 

These cases measure a generous 7.5 inches wide by 5.5 inches tall and are roomy enough for all types of cosmetics and toiletries. They have pretty embellishments, fabulous red zips and are lined in complimentary cream cotton. They also have fancy stitching and just look at the buttons! Even though I made these myself, I must say, I love them!

 

What do you think? We are in Bakewell again next Monday exhibiting in the Town Hall so I will be taking these with me - details of that and more later.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment below if you wish, or Like me on Facebook.

Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2015