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.

Three New Items...

Hello all,

Just a small post today to show you my latest makes, so first up:

These are men's (or not) hard wearing wallets, made from fab upholstery materials. I made some of these a while ago and they all sold well; I know of at least two people who really like this style of wallet saying they are not only durable but fit well in a jacket or trouser pocket without the bulk of a usual wallet.

They have a lining which contains four pockets for cards, which can actually hold eight and at the back there is a notes slot. They are really soft to the touch too, quite tactile it seems...

Next up:

I saw this material and knew right away that I had to make bags from it! This is a small laminated cotton bag that can be used for all kinds of things, but mostly it can be used as a lunch bag (as in the pic) or as a children's bag for books, toys or otherwise... 

And finally:

This is a freehand machine embroidery flowers, denim and cream throw cushion that I simply love! I made one similar a while ago and that sold quite quickly and so today I finally got around to making another. This is 16" square and has an envelope back. What do you think?

Finally for today a quick reminder of the Antiques, Craft & Gift Fair I am attending tomorrow at the Ashford-In-The-Water Memorial Hall, near Bakewell. If you fancy a day out, please come along, entry is free, there are refreshments and fabulous stalls and the surrounding area is just a beautiful part of the Peak District. Doors open at 10.00am.

Thanks for reading,
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

Another New Product :)

Afternoon people,

Back, no sorry made by popular demand (via Facebook and Twitter) here is my new design:

A Freehand Machine Embroidery VW Beetle Small Cushion...

After posting about the two VW Camper Van cushions yesterday there was some great feedback with people asking about Beetles and other cars and so today I came up with this. What do you think?

I made it using the subtle colours of greens and browns and mounted it onto my favourite background of cream cotton. I also made an inside enclosed cushion meaning that if needs be, the cover can be removed for cleaning. I also created an envelope back for it and it measures 12" square.

More designs to come...leave me a comment below if you like.

Thanks for reading,
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Bakewell and New Makes

Hello all,

Just a short post today to say I had a really fun weekend in Bakewell, and to show you what I made today.

At Bakewell it rained a lot but the people still came out and it was great to meet with friends and make some new ones. I sold quite a few things, including my Headstone Viaduct Freehand Machine Embroidery Picture I made a few weeks ago:

A really lovely couple with a tiny baby in arms came to the stall, fell in love with it and bought it without much hesitation. I was so very pleased - not just for myself but for them; I simply love this piece of art and the techniques used and I could tell right away they felt the same. They have already sent a message saying it looks great on their wall, so I am even more excited about it. :)

Because I have sold quite a few things at recent fairs and online, I seem to have been non-stop in the workshop over the past few weeks and so today, I was back in there making these:

Small Freehand Machine Embroidery VW Camper Van Cushions.

I LOVE camper vans, especially pre 1967 split screen camper vans. In my opinion, these vans have a greater style than those of later dates but of course, this is just my opinion! I made a 'green theme' one recently that sold only on it's second day out and I have had many comments regarding them, so I thought I would make a few more.

These two in blues and pinks were fun to make and I am really chuffed how they turned out. I gained some new materials a few weeks ago and they work great for these vans so expect more... They are a really cute size and pack a punch at 12" square, they would also fit in many places of your home - or make great gifts!

What do you think?

I will be back in there again tomorrow as this coming weekend will be a busy one - I am in Bakewell for 4 days, Friday to Sunday so that will be fun! With it being Easter weekend, I am expecting lots of people coming through the door. If you fancy a day out, please come to the Bakewell Town Hall to visit the fabulous stalls peddling their wares. Doors open at 10am each day and if you don't know where it is, you will see signs for the fair all over Bakewell that say 'Follow The Sheep'. Can't miss them...

Thank you for reading, leave a comment if you like below or visit my Facebook page for more. 

Julie.
(c) FMN Crafts 2015

Two New Items

Evening all,

So I have been working hard, as no doubt everyone else has too and I have a couple of things to show you today. Firstly, this:

My new item in the line of Freehand Machine Embroidery, a 'Houses' Throw Cushion. I like how this turned out and the attention to detail was really fun to do, for instance the satelite dish on a roof, the nest under the eaves and the milk bottles outside a front door. :)

It is a 40cm x 40cm cushion, based on cream calico and made with an envelope back. What do you think?

Next up:

Denim and Cream Calico Coasters. These are in a set of six and each individual square has been made and patched together, filled and finished with a denim back. On these, I have only added one of my FMN Crafts labels so that they could be used the other way around if so desired...

These are great in that they are neutral in colours so will go with lots of decor. Do you like them?

Well that's all for today, here is a little teaser for my next blog...any ideas?



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

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Mobile 'Phone Case

Afternoon all,

Here is the third in the line of Freehand Machine Embroidery Mobile 'Phone cases I have made:

I really like the style of this rose and the colours are lovely (photo's never really do them justice).

It is made using hard wearing yet soft linen, hard wearing denim, cotton, and it is interfaced, padded and lined in cream cotton and has an elastic and button closing.

This fits my phone which is a Sony Xperia Z1 and that measures 5" tall x 2.5" wide and although it is snug there is room for a little 'play' to fit similar sized phones. Of course, I can make them to measure... Find this item in my Etsy shop really soon.

Next time I blog I hope it's going to be about my latest picture frame project I am currently working on, of the Bakewell Pudding Shop! More later...


That's all for now, thanks for reading, leave a comment if you like.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015

Freehand Machine Embroidery Heart Keyring

Afternoon all,

Did you start back to work today? Booooo. Well, for me, I did and it was great! Well, actually, let me get this right - I don't think I actually stopped working and so therefore, I didn't start back today! Yee! Confused? Yes, me too. When one is self-employed, daily hours, break-up and start-back days are blurry because the hours just melt into one. I hardly ever stop!

Anyway, these are what I have just finished:

Freehand Machine Embroidery Heart Keyrings.

These are great fun to make and I have two styles here. They were actually quite fiddly to make, but fun! Do you like them...?

See them in my Etsy store soon. Thanks for reading, pass this on if you like or Like me on Facebook or even leave a comment.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2015

TOAST and Cushion

Afternoon all....

Some exciting news just in, my items are going to be gracing a shop! And not just any shop, oh no, this is a company in Leek, Staffordshire called TOAST, you may have heard of them before, TOAST stands for Totally Original Artisans Staffordshire. I was introduced to them by a friend, I have been in contact and have just posted a box of my items off to them this morning...it's all very exciting.

Click TOAST and it will take you to their website, this is their Twitter and this is their Facebook.

And for my latest item:

Another of my Freehand Machine Embroidery projects, this cushion is made using cream Calico, it has an envelope back, it has three flowers with stems and a leaf and there are two tiny birds flying in the distance too. It is 16" x 16" and has a polyester pillow form inside.

This is a cushion that would compliment many areas of your home and help to give it that homely feeling, it would also make a great gift...I love it. How about you? This one will be going to my next fair.

That's all for today, remember to leave a comment if you like of visit my Facebook page.

Thanks for reading,
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2014

Fairs and New Products

Afternoon all,

I have been busy. As usual. Over the last two weekends, I exhibited at the Bakewell Town Hall for Craft Fairs and both were worthwhile. I had really good fun at each fair, made some more friends and made even more sales. A couple of people asked if I have a list of fairs and their dates that I am attending and although I didn't right then, I told them to look at my Facebook page every now and then, as I usually list up-and-coming dates on there. You can too...

Whilst I was at one fair, Verity, who runs Hedgerow Pickles and Preserves asked if I made Notice Boards. I said no. Then I thought about it and when I got home I planned it and then the following day I made these:

Tiny Blue Flowers with Cream Ribbon

Strawberries with Red Ribbon

I sent Verity an e.mail that day and she responded with "Oh my God, you don't mess around do you?! They're perfect!"

I was pleased. And so I made the strawberries one today. What's tomorrow you ask? Well, I ran out of some of the materials so I can't make any more until re-stocked. They are fully padded, the ribbons are taut and finished off with cute little buttons. They are ideal for sliding in business cards, envelopes, bills etc and you can also use fancy clips to attach things if you wish...

What do you think?

Leave me a comment if you like, Like me on Facebook too if you wish or pass this on. I'd love to hear what you think. There will be more styles, sizes and designs coming soon. I am exhibiting at one of Verity's Fairs in June so I may save them and make a stash for then...afterall, these were her idea ;) Thanks Verity!

Thanks for reading, have a happy week :)
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2014.