What tips do you use????

First things first, it's school holiday time so the chance to do some sewing is greatly diminished. But I'm pretty much okay with that because it was so busy coming up to Easter I'm glad to have a break too. So I've been attacking housework since the weekend. Every scrap of clothes in the house has been sorted, ironed and put away. There are 15 work shirts hanging merrily in the wardrobe. It's a great feeling to be finally on top of things.

Now just because I'm not sewing doesn't mean I'm not thinking about it! I decided to gather and photograph little bits and pieces that I use all the time for sewing but aren't necessarily sewing items. I wonder do you guys have similar things you use and are you willing to share your tips and tricks?

I use the lint roller all the time, I usually have a bunch of them in case I run out. I get these guys in IKEA. They are €1 each which is the cheapest I've seen yet. But not only are they cheap they are much better than others I have bought. The peel off on the diagonal and for some reason they are much easier to use than others.

I use my thin roll of masking tape all the time. If you want to use masking tape but are afraid that it is too sticky then just unroll what you need, and tape it onto your jeans or desk or whatever. Take it off and do it again and presto you now have low tac masking tape. This tip is used all the time in art too so that's where I got that one from.

Tweezers are so handy for many things. The only thing I don't seem to use them for is actually plucking my eyebrows!!! ha -- I must address that soon!

Tiny little bull-clips are brilliant for holding many layers of fabric and batting together. They are secure and they don't wobble about so that the seams match up really well.

The little metal ruler is sewing related but I only bought it recently. I find it very handy for small spaces that you need to measure.

The little tube on the right is for cleaning your iron. It is absolutely brilliant. My iron no matter how much care I take will eventually get brown marks on it. You know the feeling when you're absolutely sure that you put the interface on the right way round?? Yep, that's sure to make a mess of your iron, so this little beauty will make it look like new again.

On a different note, I bought the material for Sophie's Communion dress last weekend. It's just beautiful, it's pure silk, but a matt one. I love the sheen off it. I also got some netting and lining. I'm looking forward to making this up with my Mum in the coming weeks.

My Mother's Day present just arrived :)

I suggested this Mother's Day that instead of a present that I would treat myself to some fabric. Here it is, a nice way to brighten up another shocking day of bad weather.

Long weekend of relaxation

Not too much to report from this week. Have not been feeling the best these last two days. I've made lots and lots of Easter Baskets and have 5 more orders to get through. Just as well I love making them. We will be spending Easter in Sligo again this year so I hope the day is nice for egg hiding and then of course for the hunting part.

I knitted this little guy for a friend who had a baby girl a couple of months ago. I did indeed knit it the week after the little girls safe arrival but then as usual it went missing and didn't show up again until I did my sewing room clear out last week.

Now I'm going to knit another one with a blue nappy for my sister who had a beautiful baby boy a few weeks ago. I can't wait to see him again at Easter. 

I'm nearly there with my sewing bee blocks for this month. Erin from Billy Button Designs is the Queen Bee this month. I really love the colours in my block and have everything sewn and trimmed so it's just the piecing left.

Happy sewing x

A Tour of my Sewing Room

I've been spending a lot of time trawling the internet for photos of people's sewing and crafting rooms. I've created a board on Pinterest for inspiration as I will be moving my room downstairs into a larger room. 

At the moment my cutting mat and rulers are in my son's room, which isn't ideal. Also the ironing board is very close to where I sit so I'm somewhat hemmed in. The one thing I do have in my little room is good storage so that's something I will definitely have in place before I move. I want to get a dresser and paint it and have it to store a lot of my larger items.

So anyway here is a tour of my sewing space as it stands. I do love this room and I spend a lot of time here but the busier I get the greater the need for more space.

 

A visit home

Not too much to report this week, so far anyway. I have continued on some more blocks for my scrappy quilt. I have 8 more blocks to trim and will start on that maybe tomorrow after I have completed some orders for my Easter Baskets. Then again it might be Friday before I get to it. 

I went home for a couple of days to Sligo this week. Just on my own without the kids. My sister had a baby boy and I was dying to see him. He's absolutely beautiful.

I'll check in again before the weekend.

Happy sewing.

Another week gone

I've had a busy week. There were some orders in for my Easter Baskets and pencil cases. Once I had these done and dusted I turned my attention to creating another quilt design. This time I wanted something that would make a dent in my scrap baskets and one that I could do in blocks rather than strip piecing.

I'm very excited about this design and even though I meant to sew it on an ongoing basis I already know that I haven't got the patience to do a block every now and then. I discovered the joys of chain piecing which is absolutely fantastic, saves so much time with the scissors and thread!