Magazine Gifts (Part 2) Homemaker

As I mentioned in my last post I was gifted a subscription to Homemaker magazine last Christmas. There seem to be a great many craft, stitch, knit, home magazines on the market now and I was introduced to Homemaker magazine by a friend. It has brought a lot of pleasure this year as it dropped through the letterbox each month. This month it had a small pack of fabric attached in bright colours.

There was also a leaflet with ideas and instructions of how the fabric could be used. This included hexagon bunting, lavender bags, camera strap and other fun suggestions.

Last year I began to create covers and panels for notebooks and journals, which I sold at craft fairs along with other crafty handmade gifts. 

AnnieOBTextiles Felted Panel Journals

For a variety of reasons I have not attended any craft fairs this year, but recently decided  to build up my stock again and maybe do a few fairs in the run up to Christmas. 

AnnieOBTextiles Linen Notebook Covers

The bright and bold fabric of the magazine gift suggested notebook cover to me immediately. There was approximately an eighth of a yard of each fabric so together with some cotton and linen fabric I like to use, it worked out well. The cotton and linen gives some body to the cover and works as a good base for applique decoration.

I used the bright yellow fabric as edging and cut out sections of the blue pattern to create flowers on the cover and the page marker.

The inside is lined in the blue fabric and a piece of the yellow makes a good pocket for little notes or bits and pieces.

As luck would have it there was a toning blue ribbon in my stash for the page marker and book ties. 

I am really pleased with how it has turned out. The fabric is much bolder and brighter than the ditsy cotton fabrics I usually choose but I love it. Maybe I need to be braver in my fabric choices.

The free machine stitched slogan of 'Sew Happy' really sums up my mood. I shall be looking for more bright, cheery fabrics in the future 

(or is that just a good excuse to go fabric shopping!).

 

Gift Tag Cards

Summer has arrived at last and we have had a glorious sunny weekend. It is so good to open the curtains in the morning and see wall to wall blue sky. 

(And not cloud over by 9.30 a.m. as it has been doing recently).

 It almost feels like being on holiday. I had to turn the bathroom cabinet out to find some sunscreen as being very fair skinned I turn lobster coloured very quickly. It was a pleasure to potter about in the garden, have meals outside, knit under the sunshade and generally soak up the warmth. The little time spent indoors, after finishing off the washing and other chores that could not be ignored involved making a few cards.

I found these calico gift tags in a sale recently and thought I could probably use them for something creative. At less than a £1 for a pack of 6 they begged to come home with me - honest.

Going to my default mode of flowers I thought some applique would work well.

The calico was sturdy enough to free machine embroider quite easily. I was initially undecided whether to tidy up the frayed edges of the calico with a border stitch, but thought the shabby chic look worked quite well so left them raw.

A brad was added and some ribbon threaded through to complete the "tag" look. It is probably just as well my immediate neighbour is deaf as she might have wondered what I was doing on a sunny Sunday morning bashing away with a hammer. My hands are not strong enough to use the proper brad tool and I find using a hammer much more satisfying (and quicker!). 

Colour coordinated buttons were added for a finishing touch.

The tags could have been left to add to gifts but as my card box is still quite depleted I thought I would use them to decorated cards.

This card pack was another bargain buy in the sale and with some pretty papers added...

...they made an ideal background for the tags.

They needed a little something else to finish them off but I did not want to commit myself by putting 'Happy Birthday', 'Best wishes' or 'Thank You' on them just yet so I went back to sitting in the garden. This was thinking time of course, not relaxing in the sun you understand.

It must have worked because I had the idea of making little fabric legends. By printing and stitching strips of fabric like so...

.....they would be ready to attach to the card of choice when required.

Having added these new cards to the card box, I went back into the garden for a celebratory glass of something cool. 

The perfect end to a lovely weekend.