Tag: make do and mend

Sewing with Babi

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My daughter wanted to help with sewing yesterday. We’re away at the moment so I was trying to shorten my son’s new jeans by hand as no sewing machine and of course my 3yo wanted to help!

*concentration-face intensifies*

I put two of my hexagons from my EPP project together so she could sew around them. I thought we could turn it through, and have a cute lil’ hexi.

I drew a line for her to follow but she didn’t really get where to put the next stitch. So I ended up drawing little dots all the way around so she could see where to stitch next.

Angry sewing face 😬

She said I don’t like sewing about 2cm from the end and I finished it off. I thought it would keep her occupied while I shortened my son’s jeans but it ended up with me just helping her and abandoning the jeans for a bit 😂

Finished Hexi

What shall we make next and what should I do with “the world’s smallest quilt?” 😂 comments below haha!

Also check out some of my other EPP posts here.

The Badge Cave is Open!

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I’ve reopened my Etsy shop The Badge Cave!

I’ve got lots of 25mm pin badges available as well as customisable badges. I will make your your badge designs for you ❤️

I stopped my shop while I was doing my degree but I’m back and will be uploading new designs soon.

Back to my EPP

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Travel EPP setup

It’s been a while! It’s a great project for when we’re away in the caravan. It’s been 5 years since I started this project in lockdown and it’s still toddling along.

Like I’ve said before, I don’t mind how long it takes, it’s more about the process than the end result.

I’ve still got quite a few chunks of cut hexis ready to prep.

Like this pile.

This is what I’ve sewn together so far…

It’s been hanging on my wall for a while now

I’m not sure if I want to continue this pattern or to make it more random and less calico plain hexis. Not sure yet… we’ll see!

When I get my physical copy of my new crafty journal, I’m looking forward to putting my EPP project into it! It’ll definitely help me come up with some more design and layout ideas for my EPP quilt ❤️🐝

Available on Amazon now!

I’ve launched my Own Crafting Journal that you can buy!!

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I’ve designed a crafting journal and launched it today on Amazon KDP!

My Crafty Journal available now on Amazon! 

Click here to buy!

My Crafty Journal: The best place to organise all your creative projects | Plan | Create | Reflect

Overview

A comprehensive journal for tracking and managing creative projects across various mediums

Journal Features

1. Ultimate To-Do List – Space to brain dump creative ideas

2. Craft 365 Tracker – Yearly creativity tracking

3. Project Planner
Sections for: Project details, Materials needed, Inspiration sketch, Notes

4. Project Reflection prompts for: Emotional assessment, Learning experiences, Future improvements

5. Additional Tracking Tools: Moodboard, Stash Tracker, Stash Wish List, WIP (Work in Progress) Log, Makes Gallery, Mind Map, Sketch Pages

6. Planning Sections: Future Log, Monthly Planner, Time-blocking

Key Points

A versatile creative journal designed to support artists and crafters in organising, tracking, and reflecting on their projects across multiple mediums.

My Crafty Journal: The best place to organise all your creative projects | Plan | Create | Reflect

Thank you 🙏

Journaling and Suprise

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I’ve been using bullet journaling to organise my brain since around 2016, so nearly 10years now! But I’ve always loved having some sort of physical diary, planner or tracker so I can keep tabs on everything going on.

There’s something about the physical act of hand writing an event or appointment in a journal or diary that cements it into my brain and prevents it getting lost in all the other mental coming and going’s.

Examples of some of the ways I’ve used bullet journaling in the past and how I’ve evolved it to be more functional and easier to set up over the years

I’ve tried to use digital planners a few times and even made my own but I don’t get the same sense of “setting it“ into my brain.

This year I’ve been able to prioritise making again. Partly due to ill health meaning I’ve had to take some time off work, but also because I’ve been using it as a form of therapy and recovery.

Making things is a proven way to improve your mental health.

Click here see this article on mind.com

With all my new crafting, has come many ideas for new makes. So much so that my tiny little brain can’t keep track of them all. I started looking for ideas on tracking creative projects. Everything I saw online didn’t really cover what I wanted though.

So, I decided to make my own. Originally I thought maybe I could make a printable version and put it on Etsy etc but then I learnt about kindle direct publishing…

My Crafty Journal – Available now on Amazon!!!
Some page examples 🩷

My Crafty Journal available now on Amazon!

Click here to buy!

My Crafty Journal: The best place to organise all your creative projects | Plan | Create | Reflect

I got a new baby…

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…a sewing machine baby that is 🪡

It’s a Brother innovis F540E embroidery machine 😱

OMG he’s so snazzy.

My first little tester

It’s so amazing. I’ve only had a little play so far, but very exciting potential. I just need to figure out how to get my designs onto it, not just the preloaded designs.

There’s a program called Inkscape with an embroidery design extension called stitchscape. It’s a free open source vector graphics design editor. I have experience using photoshop, coral painter and most recently, procreate but this has been a steep learning curve. Many tutorial videos will be watched!

First attempt not bad at all!

There will be more machine embroidery 🧵 exciting!

Babi wearing 2 Mami made items today

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My little model wearing her cute red polka dot red dress I made and a crochet cardigan. She loved doing twirls and showing off in her little outfit.

I do have another blog post about the little red dress so I hope to post that soon!

Free Crochet pattern “Flower child sweater” by Double Stitch Twins, from Yarnspirations.com

Making some Digital Art on Procreate

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Digital art piece

I made some art on procreate based on a piece of machine embroidery I made many years ago. I’m not massively confident using procreate but here’s my attempt.

Ps I know it’s “make do and mend”, but I added the comma on purpose to reclaim the concept for modern times.

My original freehand machine embroidery
YouTube video of Procreate Timelapse

Music in video by my husband Rhodri – find a link to his band camp site here

Scan or click for link to my TikTok profile

Ceirios

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My son wanted me to help him this evening to fix a drawing he’d done on a wood cookie at forest school. And of course my 2yo daughter wanted to try too…well since everyone was doing it I wanted to play too!

Decorated wood cookie

So we got out our acrylic paint markers we’ve used for painting on pebbles and did some awesome art on our wood cookies!

My son did his name and some cool designs in purple (his favourite colour), my daughter made an incredible, multicoloured surreal extravaganza. And I did some cherries 🍒 Ceirios is my daughters name, it’s Cymraeg 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 for Cherry.

Art by Ceirios – All the Colours

At forest school they make awesome things from wood cookies, as well as name “badges/lanyards”. They’re awesome so I made one for Ceirios too.

We go to our AMAZING local forest school at Dare Valley community woodland, situated in the Dare Valley Country Park. A massive area of reclaimed land previously used for coal mining.

Forest school fun

Can’t recommend enough!

4 years of EPP

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Can’t believe I started my EPP quilt four years ago, right at the start of the first Covid lockdown down. seems like an actual lifetime ago!

Since then I’ve:

  • Finished my degree (with a 1st) *smug*
  • Got a job
  • Had a baby 😱
  • Continued my EPP whenever I’ve got a spare hour or so…

Little anniversaries make you reflect on what you’ve achieved (or not) in the time that’s past.

Wonder what we’ll be doing in four years time? 🤔

I wonder how far I’ll have got with my EPP! Will I ever finish it?!

Honestly, I don’t actually mind. I know this is a long term project, it doesn’t matter how long it takes. It’s more about the process than the finished product.