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

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 Items and a Giddy Moment...

Hi all,

For today's post I would like to show you a few new items (there's never a dull moment here), first up is a small batch of Freehand Machine Embroidery Cards that I took to the fair last weekend:

Whenever I put these out at the fairs they go almost straight away (which of course is good!) but I can pretty much guarantee I will not go home with many... Those of you who are eagle-eyed will notice there are some similarities to ones I have made before, but you may also notice there are some slight changes in style and colours materials/used, due to natural evolution of skills and experience in making items...

The next thing to show you are these:

These are really cute little Linen Coin Purses! They have two different sides to each purse, a cute little zip and a cream lining and a snazzy little string pull. Even though they are really small, they pack a punch in the content they hold! These will be going out at my next fair.

And my third items today:

My Freehand Machine Embroidery Denim and Firm Linen Purses. These are slightly different to the ones I made last time in that they have a different front to their back, so it makes them even more interesting. I love the little birds design and the materials are so hard wearing, adding to durability. They look cute too and you can get LOADS in them. I made one a while ago for myself and boy, does it take some abuse! I am not a pretty handbag type of girl - in that the exterior will be lovely, but inside? Jeez. My Mum often comments on the amount of unnecessary stuff items I carry in my bag and asks how it all fits, so my purse does get bashed around a bit, but it still looks like new :)

And finally for today, I tweeted about my Freehand Machine Embroidery Bakewell Pudding Shop framed piece of art recently and the Bakewell Pudding Shop themselves picked it up; here's a screen shot:

Teehee! I was made up! I am so proud...

And on that note, I'll sign off, until the next time :D

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Next New Item...

Evening all,

For today's blog, again another little one, I'd like to show you these:

These are Linen Needle Cases, in two different designs made from the same batch of materials that I bought on Monday.

The stash of four made so far

The interior containing four leaves for needles and pins

Two cuts of the materials made so far

Beautiful French print in a sewing theme

Just over 3.5 inches wide

Just under 5.5 inches tall

My FMN Crafts tag, as always, sewn with pride :)

The material is so lovely to work with and I love the print - very appropriate to the item. I teamed it with cream cotton, and the felt pieces inside for the needles and pins compliment the exterior in cream and black colours. They are finished with cream ribbon to close.

What do you think? They would look great with any sewing kit and would make great gifts too.

An example of use

These will be coming with me to my next fair and I will be making more soon.

Thanks for taking a look, please leave a comment if you wish :)

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

Latest Item and Craft Fair

Good afternoon all,

Just a quick one today to show you my last creation of the week:

This is my Freehand Machine Embroidery Cross-Body Bag. It is made from denim and cream heavy weight linen, lined in cotton with three pockets, zip closure and adjustable two tone strap.

This bag can be worn across the body keeping your possessions really safe or over the shoulder, or held in the hand as one so wishes. Of course, I have decorated it using my favourite method and the bag is different on each side.

Of course, I love it, and I will be taking it the fair tomorrow...

Which leads me nicely to say the Craft and Gift Fair is at the Bakewell Town Hall in the beautiful Peak District on both Saturday and Sunday. There promises to be some great stalls with local artists, creators, photographers, jewellery makers and so much more, plus my husband will be there with his charity stall selling quality bric-a-brac items, donated by wonderful people to raise funds for the fabulous Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Doors open at 10am so please, if you fancy a day out in a beautiful part of the work, pop in and say hi. Stall holders will appreciate your custom very much...

Thank you for reading,
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Good afternoon to you,

I would like to show you two things today that I have been working on, firstly this:

My Hillside Freehand Machine Embroidery and Applique picture. If you are a regular follower, you will know how much I enjoy using these techniques and this is my latest project using them. This picture just popped into my head recently and I just had to sew it. I hoped to get a sense of surroundings, perspective and realism whilst making a fun, obscure and slightly off-kilter picture. I think it worked! The path leads you up towards the dinky house, but not until you have spoken to the fluffy sheep. :)

This picture sits in a double rubber wood frame (which I love) and the light mounting board really brings the picture together, which can be hung or stood.

What do you think? I'll be taking it to my fair on Monday which I'll tell you about soon.

Secondly, I like to show you this:

Click picture to enlarge

I have just complted this, like half an hour ago, my Linen and Cotton Country Cottage Bunting. I simply love these materials when joined and they work so well together. Each piece has a different piece of material attached and is adorned with either a button or a bow, all tied together with a crochet lace.

This single sided bunting is 6 feet long, has 12 flags and has approximately 14" of overhang on each end for tying or pnning. I just love it and it was really quite odd going to my sewing machine and sewing straight lines! Seems such a long time since I did that... This bunting would look great in a country kitchen (or any kitchen actually) or a lounge, or a conservatory, or above an outside patio table or well, many places.


So what do you think to this? Of course, I love it, but I'd like to know what you think... Leave me a comment, share this, Like me on Facebook or send me a Tweet!

Thanks for reading,
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2015