zakka style

A phrase that keeps turning up a lot in sewing circles lately is “Zakka Style”.  Zakka is a type of Japanese design that uses the art of the handmade to create fresh and modern items for your home. Everyone’s take on Zakka is a little different and that is what makes it so versatile and fun!

Last month at my sewing group, a quilting friend brought along a little book that she had recently purchased containing a collection of various Zakka style projects from some of the most talented designers the stitching world has to offer.

I was immediately oohing and ahhing at the image on the cover – a set of 3 nesting storage boxes designed by Laurraine Yuyama of Patchwork Pottery.  Next thing I know, I have abandoned the project I had brought along for that day and made a start on the first of these cute little fabric boxes.

I started with the medium sized one first

I added beads to the centre of the flowers just to boost the ‘cuteness’ factor

and, for a while, this lonesome little fabric box made a very comfortable home for my knitting yarns

After being side-tracked for a time with other projects (that kinda happens with us stitchin’ folk ), I have finally finished the set.  Ta daa!

I was going to use them as storage bins in my sewing room, but I rather like them in the bathroom.  The cool aquas and greens seem to be quite at home in there, so that’s where they are staying …. at least for now.

The dinky tiny one is real cute don’t you think?  I might use that one to keep cotton wool in.

Trouble is, the towels suddenly look rather ‘tired’ now that these refreshing little items of ‘newness’ have appeared in the bathroom! Time for new ones, me thinks

Happy stitching everyone!

a parcel and a swap

I posted my ‘wee sheeps’ pouch to Lindsay today. Exciting to think that those ‘wee sheeps’ will be travelling all the way across the pond to Pennsylvania! My! this blogging stuff really can take you places!

Next up…. is the Very Berry Handmade Textile Artist Trading Card Swap (phew! try saying that after a few glasses of vino!). I have until the end of May, or there abouts, to design a 2.5” x 3.5” textile card to swap with someone else in the group, so I’ve been looking through my stash for inspiration.

The theme for the swap is “Something New”, which pretty much gives me infinite scope, since the whole process of blogging and swapping is all pretty “new” to me! I wanted to make something that will bring a smile to the person receiving it in the mail and I hope this little offering will do the trick

It’s been fun making this little example of teeny tiny loveliness and, if I get time to try out a few more designs before the swap deadline, I’d love it if all of you would help me choose which one to swap!

Happy Stitching Everyone!

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giveaway winner!

And the winner is ……….

 

It’s you, Lindsay!  Congratulations and thank you for your entry!  You commented that you are a night owl and I am right with you there!  I don’t do mornings either

Lindsay blogs over at PA Country Crafts where she shares her love of sewing, crafts, recipes, tutorials, and a peek at her life in the country raising six children.  Why not pop over and see what she’s been up to lately?

 

I had so much fun with this giveaway!  It was my first one and I will certainly be doing some more in the future.  It was a hoot reading all of your comments – interestingly, it would seem there is a fairly even split between the night owls and the early risers!

The level of interest in my wee pouch took me completely by surprise, with over 300 entries received in just 3 days! So, thank you to all who took part and a big ‘hello’ to all those of you who now follow Sewing Room Secrets on Facebook, Bloglovin or any other means.

Next up …….. I have signed up to a Textile Artist Trading Card Swap over at Very Berry Handmade and I am so excited to share my progress with you! I’m sworn to secrecy as to the identity of my swap partner, but I will be posting pictures of the trading card I am making in my next post. Until then, happy stitching everyone!

thoughtful thursdays

“forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it”

- Mark Twain

it’s giveaway time!!

OK, so here’s the thing – I’ve just got wind that there is a mahoosive giveaway taking place over at Sew Mama Sew (yes, I know, I’m probably the last to know *hangs head in shame*).  Anyways, I’ve decided to join the party, albeit a little late!

I’m going to give away my ‘Wee Sheeps’ pouch that I blogged about a couple of weeks ago.

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment below in answer to this really tricky question:

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

For a second chance to win (optional), follow ‘Sewing Room Secrets’ on Facebook or Bloglovin (or both!) and leave a second comment below telling me which way you are following.

That’s it!  The giveaway is only open until 10th May 2013 at midnight, GMT so get your entries in quick and spread the word if you can (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc), so others can enter too. I will announce the winner on 11th May. Oh, and don’t forget to visit Sew Mama Sew for loads more chances to enter the other fantastic giveaways.

Good luck everyone and thank you for entering!

 

thoughtful thursdays

 

♥♥ Ever noticed how everyone smiles in the same language? ♥♥

fabric finds and other cool stuff

I must confess, it’s been a few years since I’ve been to a quilt show (I know, shocking!), but a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a couple of tickets to the British Quilt & Stitch Village at Uttoxeter Racecourse. So, that’s where I’ve been this weekend – gazing at beautiful quilts and embroidery, not to mention  spending a small fortune on fabric and other cool stuff!

I didn’t intend to spend so much, really I didn’t, but with all that fabric, those buttons, that ribbon and all the other brilliant ‘stuff’ all under one roof, I was doomed from the start!

With exhibits and traders spread over several halls, the experience was a lot more leisurely than the likes of the Malvern and Birmingham quilt shows; none of that pushin’ n shovin’ malarkey! Just how I like it

I found some gorgeous new pastels to add to my stash.  I think I should have enough to make a quilt from them all now, so I’m on the look out for just the right pattern.

I also stumbled across these cute wee charms that you can tie on to handmade gifts.  Can’t wait to use those!

This is cute too.  A little patchwork-styled sitcky note holder!  How fab is that!

I am easily pleased, I know, but I did buy something else that was awfully sensible (for me anyway).  I’ve always looked at those daylight lamps – you know, the ones with a magnifying glass to help you see your stitching better?  When I’ve looked at them before, I could never quite justify the expense.  But, lately, my eyes have been feeling a little strained and my eyesight isn’t quite what it used to be. So, I took the plunge and am now a bonafide LED, daylight, magnifying lamp user! I used it last night for the first time and I wish I had invested in one years ago – what a difference it makes!  I would definitely recommend it!

So, my debit card had taken a battering and I was already headed towards the exit.

Honest I was.

Then I spotted this little lot.

What was I to do? I mean, really?

I may never set eyes on such loveliness again, I thought. So, needless to say, those beautiful linens are now keeping good company with the rest of my fabric stash.  I just had to, right? Right.

With all these new additions to my stash, it really is time that I used up some of my existing stock, so to speak. I’ve been working on a little set of fabric storage boxes, which I’ll share with you in my next post.  But until then, here’s a little peek at my progress so far.

Happy stitching everyone!

thoughtful thursdays

When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people.

As I grow older, I also grow wiser and now I admire kind people ♥

a treasury of applique

Given the choice, I prefer hand sewing over machine and appliqué has got to be one of my favourite techniques.  It’s like a form of art, I guess – the way you can take the teeniest, tiniest scraps and layer them, so as to build a picture out of nothing.  The down side to this, of course, is that I find it difficult to throw even the smallest piece of fabric away.

I recently made a little appliqued sewing caddy and it has been getting such a lot of attention from fellow stitchers that I thought I would share it here on my blog.

I first saw the pattern by Hitomi Fujita in one of my quilting magazines, yonks ago, and I fell in love with it straight away (Australian Patchwork & Quilting, Vol.4, No.6).

But, you know how it goes – it went down on my ‘to do’ list and then was forgotten about, until a few months ago, when I was flicking through my collection of old magazines (I can’t throw them away either ) and I came across the pattern again. 

I’m so glad I didn’t just file the pattern away again, because now I have the most wonderful little home for all my sewing essentials.

There is a place for everything, from my embroidery scissors

a small fastener ensures that my scissors stay securely in place

to my tape measure and leather thimble

pockets where I keep my pins, embroidery threads and the all important stitch ripper!

places for a ruler, pencils and threads

there is even a pin cushion and needle book

The great thing is that the needle book and the pin cushion are both detachable from the pouch, as they are secured in place with velcro. Genius!

but, best of all, I got to do lots of lovely applique on the outside

This labour of love is now one of my most cherished creations ….. every stitch holding a memory of thousands of tiny seconds of time spent in my sewing room doing what I love most ♥

Happy stitching everyone!

thoughtful thursdays

 

As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction.

- Irish Blessing

Liebster Award

I have been nominated for a Liebster Award by the lovely Irina over at El Petit Taller.  Thank you Irina!

If you’ve never heard of this award before, it is for fledgling bloggers like myself and is a way for them to get to know others, get more followers and discover other blogs that they might like!

To accept the award there are a few rules to follow:

• Each blogger should answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
• Choose eleven new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award on to and link them in your post.
• Create eleven new questions for the chosen bloggers.
• Comment on their page to tell them about the award.
• Each blogger should post eleven random facts about themselves.
• No Tag Backs!!!

These are the questions Irina has asked me:

1. what person do you most admire?  My Mum! I admire her for many reasons,  not least for her courage, her boundless energy and her capacity to always put others before herself.  She has taught me the value of family, friendship and love.

2. what’s on your bedside table right now? A reading lamp and a photograph of me and my son when he was about 4 years old (he is 19 now).

3. what’s your favorite cooking recipe?  I have a really sweet tooth, so my favourite recipe is for Mary Berry’s Lemon Drizzle Cake.  It’s super easy – plop everything into a bowl and mix! Never fails – yum!

4. is there a sewing book you would recommend? The first sewing book I ever referred to was ‘The Sampler Quilt Book’ by Lynne Edwards. It was the perfect introduction to patchwork and quilting! I also like Strips & Strings by Evelyn Sloppy.

5. what’s your favorite journey? Home. My favourite journey always leads me home.

I would like to nominate these lovely blogs for a Liebster Award:

• Fiberluscious
• Lucy the Happy Quilter
• Once Upon a Time in the North
• Sewfrench
• Sew Vintage Emporium
• Runcibledays
• Pink Stitches
• Tizzy Crafts
• Adventures in Thread
• Rose & Dahlia
• Everyday I’m Stitchin’

And these are my questions for them:

1. Sweet or savoury?
2. A few really good friends or lots of acquaintances?
3. City girl or country?
4. Morning person or night owl?
5. What is the most unusual thing you have ever eaten?
6. What is your earliest memory?
7. What is your favourite smell?
8. What 3 words would you choose to describe yourself?
9. What qualities do you most treasure in a friend?
10. How did you choose a name for your blog?
11. Is there such a thing as ‘enough’ fabric?

Now for some random facts about me:

• I cannot walk in heels to save my life
• As a teenager, I once fell asleep on a bus – standing up!!
• I lived in Cyprus for 3 years from the ages of 3 to 6
• I went to a total of 14 different schools when I was growing up
• My favourite chocolate is Lindor by Lindt 
• I love to bake
• 24 years ago I had a holiday romance and I’m still married to him!
• I am a self confessed fabric stroker
• My favourite book is ‘The Secret Life of Bees’ by Sue Monk Kidd
• I love the sight of bluebells in the woods, so beautiful!
• I have a miniature Yorkshire Terrier called Beebo

Now all that’s left for me to do is to pop over to my chosen blogs and let them all know that I have nominated them for this wonderful award!  But before I do, I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures of a quilt I made from the ‘Strips & Strings’ book I mentioned earlier.

Happy stitching everyone!

spring arrives with a baa-ng!

I’m back in my sewing room after a lovely Easter break with my family in Northern Ireland.   Long walks, (way too many) coffee shops and ‘wee buns’, warm fires at night and a glass or two of my favourite tipple!

It’s funny, but I still refer to Northern Ireland as ‘home’, even though I have lived in England now for more than half of my life. There is definitely something magical about going ‘home’ – that feeling of true belonging that cannot be felt anywhere else on earth.

It was lambing season whilst I was there, but sadly there were fewer lambs than usual in the fields surrounding my parents house this year. The recent heavy snow falls meant that many sheep and their lambs perished, buried in huge snow drifts of up to fifteen feet high in some areas! 

Thankfully, many pregnant ewes survived the harsh conditions and, now that the snow has all but melted, lambs are once again a happy sight on the Irish hillsides

It was scenes like the ones above that inspired me to create a sheep-themed pouch like the button pouch featured in my ‘button love’ post.

 

 

I use this one to keep cotton wool in, but there are any number of uses for it. You can find the tutorial for it here.

I’m back home in England now and as I sit at my sewing table, looking out at the daffodils making a later than usual appearance, it makes me smile to see their sweet golden faces heralding the arrival of spring at last!

Happy stitching everyone!

thoughtful thursdays

 

 

“There is no such thing as a small act of kindness”

- Marjorie Pay Hinckley

thoughtful thursdays

 

 

♥♥♥  Friends are like fabric

- you can never have enough! ♥♥♥

annual sewing retreat

Just got back from a fabulous weekend at Alston Hall with some of the lovely ladies from my sewing group.  Oh my goodness!  I have literally eaten the equivalent of what would feed a small family this weekend! The food was amazing! Back on the diet tomorrow for sure…. 

For anyone not familiar with Alston Hall, it is an adult education centre set in a large Victorian House in Longridge, near Preston.  Perfect for a sewing retreat – large rooms, high ceilings and lots of natural daylight streaming in through large windows. There is a lovely relaxed atmosphere in the house, just like home from home really.  I spent the entire time in my slippers and tracksuit and no one batted an eyelid.

Besides eating my own body weight in food and laughing with my friends until my sides hurt, I actually managed to make a little bag for summer.

I used the Phoebe Bag pattern by Rebeka Lambert and I love how it has turned out. I’ve cut out another one already and can’t wait to get started!!

But, alas, there are packed lunches to make and clothes to iron and tomorrow’s dinner to think about, because it’s back to work on Monday.  Oh well, it was good while it lasted ….

Hope you all had a great weekend too.  Happy stitching!

thoughtful thursdays

Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth ‘you owe me!’.  Look what happens with a love like that – it lights the whole sky!

-Hafiz

happy st patrick’s day

……. from me and my wee leprechaun

Caught this little fella riffling through my button collection! Says his name is Michael Finnigan and he’ll grant me 3 wishes if I let him go.    Mmmm …. what shall I wish for?

…..as this wee character is my own design, I was thinking that I might offer the pattern for sale as a PDF download, if enough people like him!  (Michael Finnigan said he would allow me to do this as one of my three wishes – cheeky monkey!)

Happy Stitching folks!

button love

I don’t know what it is about buttons that makes me want to squirrel them away for a rainy day. I’ve always had a fascination with them – I can’t throw them away, so I cut the spare ones off new clothes – you know, the ones that are sewn to the care label – and I save them in my button bag (is any of this making me sound crazy?!!).  Ironically, I don’t think I’ve ever had to use one of these ‘spare’ buttons, but I always keep them ‘just in case’.

I use buttons quite a bit in my sewing though, so it’s not like they don’t serve a useful purpose  

Tiny buttons used as flower centres

 I like to use them in fun and decorative ways and am always on the look out for unusual or cute buttons.

I spent a couple of hours in my sewing room the other day,  just organizing my button collection. I sorted them all into colours and then placed them in cute little jars that I came across at IKEA.  They are supposed to be spice jars, but what the heck! I use them for buttons!  The jars have a wonderful pot-bellied shape and aren’t too big, which I like.

Even with all these buttons, I still buy more any chance I get!  I mean, just look at these little beauties – who could resist those?

I featured a little button pouch on my face book page recently and promised to do a tutorial to show you just how easy it is to make one.

I promise to write up the tutorial for the little button bag in a day or two, so pop back often – you won’t want to miss it!

In the meantime, have fun and happy stitching!

thoughtful thursdays

I’ve been receiving some lovely comments on my blog and my facebook page recently, which has been so encouraging!                   Thank you all, so much! ♥♥

One lady in America emailed me this lovely message:

“I have no talents nor skills to sew, and yet, your blog  makes me feel that I may want to give it a try”                                                                                

I do hope she does give it a go! It is so encouraging to think that my little adventures in my sewing room might just inspire someone else to pick up a needle and thread and begin their own sewing journey!

I like that thought.

Think I’ll hold on to it for a wee while

♥♥♥ Happy stitching everyone!  ♥♥♥

mother’s day gifts

I have been wondering what to make with my stack of Suffolk Puffs. 

And, with Mother’s Day just around the corner, I really wanted to use them in a pretty way to make a gift for my Mum.  I had already purchased some delightful novelty pins from Teeny Tiny Vintage (trust me, her pins are even more gorgeous in real life!), but I wanted to give my Mum something else that I had made with my own two hands.

So ……  I began my usual ritual of ransacking my sewing room, trying to find inspiration from my stash of pretty fabrics, buttons, ribbons, lace and the like.

For a while, I drew a blank, but then ‘it’ happened.  You know that moment when you get a picture in your head of ‘it’ – the thing you want to make – and suddenly you become even more frantic in your search for that ‘perfect piece of fabric’.  “I’ll know it when I see it” says the voice in your head and, sure enough, the exact fabric you need turns up… eventually.

Amidst the mess that was once my tidy sewing room, I have managed to sew a cute wee zipper pouch and two lavender scented sachets.  All in all, I’m really happy with my efforts. All that’s left for me to do is to package it all up in a pretty ribbon, ready for Mother’s Day (after I’ve put my sewing room back together that is )

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! x