hello and welcome...

Hello and welcome to my blog, where I love to share a little of my life with you...I am so lucky to be a textile artist and maker...inspired by the beautiful countryside around me and by all sorts of things in my life....if you fancy a creative WORKSHOP take a look here or taking a peep at what's in my ETSY shop click here...thank you for paying me a visit today!



Sunday 28 October 2012

old friends and upcycling...



what to do when your trusty sewing machine isn't very well, for the first time in 20 years and you have  to take it to the machine doctor...

and then a 'Making in The Studio' workshop is happening and we are a machine down as someone's machine has come without a foot...

it's time to call on Singer and Jones...sounds like a double act or a firm of solicitors...but no, they are my old friends...


this is Mrs Singer...such a wonderful machine...smooth and well-oiled...daughter mine loves the smell of her!! 

 
and here is Miss Jones...a hand worked beauty with a lovely action and a tiny spindle-like spool hidden in her depths...both are gilded ladies fit for a fancy drawing room or front parlour...







sewing using a hand machine is soo soothing...clink and chink as the handle goes round and the needle smoothly moves up and down...

Victoria arrived equipped for anything...and brought a friend...a lovely Mollie Makes doll which she had made...and a fab pincushion...



Sandra did a show and tell ...a beautiful crocheted rug she had made and  gave me a gorgeous gift of a crocheted bowl, to which I added a lovely button and filled with threads...isn't it a gem?

I do soo love it when people bring things they have made to show...or send photos of items finished after they they go home...



Sandra's busy here sewing on to the front the pretty leaves which she had embroidered with beadwork...



  
Helen came with her cute little basket of goodies...






Sandie got to use Mrs Singer and enjoyed herself no end...and did hand sewing and then got on to making a corsage...looking good! She had made her pretty beaded bracelet by the way...so many talented makers here today!



and after a day of hard work and fun and concentration and sewing and cutting...and tea and cake...4 beautiful bags appeared...Sandie's has a bit to go to be finished as she made hers slightly differently but here is Helen's with pretty suffolk puff decorations...


and a later photo...thanks Helen...love the covered button...


and Sandra's gorgeous soft green bag with beautiful embroidered beaded leaves...



and Victoria's messenger bag...with fab flower in just the right fabrics after much debate in the studio...


Ladies I salute you! You have all made gorgeous handmade handbags...hard to tell that when you arrived these beauties were all old wool jumpers!


I soo love doing workshops and meeting wonderful creative folk who take a making idea and run with it! You are all an inspiration!

3 comments:

knittynora said...

Gorgeous! Love the sewing machines. Glad that they are not only beautiful antiques but usable.

I need some help with mine....so many ideas but no idea how to use it :)

Going to stick to hand sewing and knitting for now xx

Emma Wigginton said...

why not bring your machine over and we'll have a go together...mind you knitting and hand sewing is very relaxing!
xx

Down by the sea said...

Your workshop looks so good and everyone made such lovely things.
I only have an old singer sewing machine, there are still so many of them around and they still work quite well. My daughter went to Nepal two years ago and they took quite a number of Singer machines to give to the villagers to use.
Sarah x