The dress lives on...

Here is another quick little make from Crafty Creatures (by Jane Bull).

Not a lot to say about it really, other than I am still using up little scraps from the baby dress. And see the trunk - already thoroughly chewed.

Must not waste any more time here for now, as (fellow Brits will appreciate this) the SUN IS SHINING. The girls are due back from swimming lessons in less than ten minutes, and then we are going to head straight to the park. With some brownies and a flask of hot chocolate. (It may be sunny, but it's not warm.)

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.

Jolly the Giraffe

Jolly the Giraffe - pattern from Crafty Creatures by Jane Bull

Remember the lovely purple dress I took the scissors to so I could use it to back my chevron crochet cushion?

I am still making things out of the dress scraps, and, this time it is something to give back to the original wearer.

Mum has just been up for the week, on `Grandma duty', while my back recovers after surgery (am now into the sixth and final week of not picking up Charlotte - hurray!). It has been lovely (having Mum here, that is - not picking up your own baby is as frustrating as you would imagine it to be).

We made quite a few things between us - some finished projects which I'll post about in time, and others that are still works in progress. This giraffe was one of several things from a book Mum bought with her - Crafty Creatures, by Jane Bull. I can definitely recommend it.

No prizes for guessing where the pictures were taken. Well, it would have been rude to let Mum go home without at least one trip to my favourite place for cake, wouldn't it?

And while we tucked into our treats, Charlotte chewed her way through each of her giraffe's limbs. Very soggy. But she most definitely likes her new toy - and so gone is any guilt I may have had about cutting up her beautiful little dress. It is bringing her more pleasure this way than if I had kept it in a box for her to bring out and glance at when she is grown up.

And that is all I have time to say today. Soon the girls will come bouncing home from school, and the chaos begins again. Yesterday, inspired by the book Mum gave us, we started making three little ponies. On a whim. I think our house is a mad house. Most parents in their right mind do not decide to embark on a crafty project after school just because their children have spotted something that `might be nice to make'. But, dinner was in the oven (my new favourite lazy but surprisingly healthy dinner of roast chicken and jacket potatoes), and all was calm. More about that when we have something finished to show you...

Dreams about a dress

In her fancy togs at 3 months

Back when Charlotte was a tiny new born, one of her first visitors was my friend Gis. On the day she visited (in July), the sun was shining, and we all had lunch outside in the garden. She has a couple of little boys, and the children all had a great time running around barefoot on the grass. It was warm!

Gis gave Charlotte a beautiful dress - which, she said, is blatantly something a mum of boys enjoyed the novelty of shopping for, given the less exciting range of boys' clothes available in shops, so she says. I couldn't wait for my legs-still-scrunched-up newborn bundle to be big enough to wear it.

Six months

Now Charlotte has gone and done what all babies do, and reduced her mother to a predictable thing, regularly heard bemoaning how she isn't teeny or tiny any more.

In the last week, she has gone up a size in clothes, meaning that dress is a thing of the past. She has found her toes, too. She likes playing with her feet now, and they seem to be like a new toy to her each time she manages to grab hold of them.

I must confess - for quite a while now, I have had designs on her dress.

3 months

The idea came to me one day at Fancy (lots of good ideas come to me when I am eating cake). Charlotte was sleeping (above) and I was enjoying a blissful half an hour to myself. The conveniently sleeping baby continued to sleep, and so I reached into my bag for my latest crochet project. It was at that point that I realised they (the baby and the crochet) matched! Inspiration had officially hit (in my mind, anyway), the Brilliant Idea grew and grew, until I knew I had to do something about it.

 

Yes, I could pass the dress on, or save it for the unlikely event of another baby girl being born here and in the right season to wear it. But this holds nice memories of Charlotte wearing it, and it is too lovely to languish in a cupboard for years before finally ending up in a charity shop.

I intend to make sure this lovely fabric gets a second life and is seen and appreciated every day. (Notice how I am justifying my intentions of butchering a beautiful little baby dress?)

A couple of friends are coming round later to keep me company and sew (whilst the hubby is out at another almost certainly dull work meeting), and so I am going to see what I can make from one little dress. Watch this space! 

Wilma's Parade!

Okay, I cannot wait any longer to show off some of the Wonky Wilma gorgeousness that has been popping into my inbox lately. 

So (as they say on Strictly) in no particular order...

Remember Sharon's retro Wilma, and her mention of a Wilma sewing night? Well, here's what her friend Karen made - can you believe this was the first thing she'd ever made on a sewing machine? Amazing. Just goes to show where a little help from your friends can get you.

And these ladies know how to adorn their creations with some fabulous accessories. 

Karen's Wilma getting into Movember...

Wilma goes all glam! (made by Sara)

Pamela's Wilma elephants at the O2 

Deirdre's spotty Wilma

Ruth's Wilma - made for her grand daughter,
baby Emma (due to be delivered by Father Christmas).
I LOVE the eyelashes, don't you?

French Wilma! (Made by my friend Celine's mum)

Super cuddly velvet Wilma, made by Claire

Paisley Wilma in Stevenage (made by Linda)

Sara's retro Wilma with Bedfordshire lace eyelashes!

I hope you've enjoyed our elephant parade. Has it given you some inspiration for your own Wonky Wilma making? My next one is definitely going to have eyelashes!

If you've got a Wilma under way and didn't quite get finished in time for this parade, please email me a picture when it's done - you'll give me the perfect excuse for another parade! How about pictures of Wilma by the Christmas tree?

I haven't bought ours, yet - but after yesterday's trip to London for Christmas Crafty Pint, I am sorely tempted to get it, just so I can put up my lovely new goodies. More about that later once I have some pictures for you...

Pre-loved Textiles and your Wonky Wilma

Continuing with our Wonky Wilma Week, next up is a guest post from Sharon Edwards - another Bedford mummy, Sharon is the lady behind the much admired retro Wilma who starred in yesterday's piece. Here she is, to give some ideas on how you can use pre-loved textiles to make your Wonky Wilma. You can keep up to date on all her other gorgeous makes on her brand new blog.

Hi All..

I’m a bit of a technophobe when it comes to all this blogging business, yes I know I sound ancient but I’m not!  So please bare with me as I slowly get to grips with it. I hope what I write gives you inspiration to make your Wilma and get you thinking creatively about pre-loved textiles!

It all started when I received a face book message from my mate Sara who said, “Come on Shazza, let's have a few mornings making Wilma. I need someone who can read a pattern, it will be fun and for a good cause to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital!" 

Sometimes I need a little push, and to be honest I wanted to make more creative things! We also talked our friend Karen into coming along who described herself as “the cack handed one” as she had never sewn before!

It was great thinking of all the fabrics I could use to make Wilma, and I thought to myself I don’t want to use new fabrics that look a bit soulless but if I found some pre-loved textiles, it tells a story.

In my previous role as Costume Supervisor at Madame Tussauds, I always had to think of ways to replicate the costume and that always kept me on my toes!

Using pre-loved textiles will save you time and a bit of money if you already have it at home. Just think you could use a vintage tea towel, an unused duvet set, curtains, a skirt, the possibilities are endless. Just make sure that the fabric hasn’t rotted due to age otherwise every time you sew you’ll end up with an open seam and poor Wilma will be falling apart at the seams literally!

About 3 months ago I found some floral 1970’s pink curtains in Oxfam only £2.99!Anyone that knows me, will already know about my love for a good rummage in the charity shops, I’ve also been known to skip dive! I absolutely love finding a bargain,one person’s rubbish is another person’s treasure!

So I used the curtain fabric for my Wilma and decided to make her a bit more individual and attached a bow which is in fact a  shoe clip .These I picked up from another charity shop a few months previous and thought these will come in useful at some point! I’ve had a lot of fun making Wilma and she has been admired by many people!

I have two mum friends from school coming to me for an evening of making Wilma.They have never followed a pattern or sewn before,the instructions are step by step easy to follow. I’m sure they will not have a problem, even after a glass of wine!

So why don’t you join in and get a group of friends together, having fun making your very own Wonky Wilma and raising money for a good cause!

Owl Trousers

After my last old stuff into new success, I was keen to get going on another similar project. This time, it was to have a go at turning a shepherd's nativity costume into a pair of trousers. 

We'd been given a great big bag of fancy dress things, and in amongst the princess dresses was a shepherd's costume, which was way too big for the girls. And, let's be honest, didn't hold quite the same appeal as Snow White.

I'd held off passing it on, as there was something about the fabric that inspired me. Then I realised it was crying out to be made into a pair of cosy trousers. What a lucky girl the eldest daughter is - first pillowcases into pyjamas, and now a shepherd's costume into trousers! It'll give her something to throw back at me as a teenager if nothing else.

So, in the same fashion as I'd done with the pyjama bottoms, I sized up the shepherd's costume, holding up a pair of current trousers belonging to the biggest girl to see if I'd be able to wangle trousers out of the fabric in front of me. I reckoned it was just about big enough. Out with the scissors, and on with the overlocker for a bit more winging it sewing.

I'd been given this lovely bundle of fat quarters, which turned out to be just right for making these owls. Should anyone ever be stuck for something to buy as a gift for a person who sews, the clever people at Fabric Rehab have all the answers you need - starting with a Bundle of Joy. Full of promise.

I really like the owls. They took a while to make, but I'm glad I did. And the big girl likes them, too.

She has tested out her new trousers, and the verdict is good. Even if they do look a bit like pyjamas!

I might add pockets to the back. But not until I have made a coordinating Wonky Wilma out of the remains of the fabric. Which brings me on to my next point.

The Wilma challenge has now been taken up by quite a lot of you. Thank you! My favourite one so far has to be this mini version, made by my friend Stacie. Pure sewing genius to make a little one, too. I am definitely going to be copying that idea in time for Christmas presents!

To make the mini version, just print two pages of the pattern to a page

I've just been talking to my friend Liz, about possible ways of adding even more fun to the Wilma challenge and to raise as much money as possible for GOSH. Starting with a best upcycled Wilma competition. What can you find to turn into a Wilma?

Can you guess where we met to talk about Wilma?

Pillowcase Pyjamas

Last Sunday afternoon, I wandered out for a walk into town. All on my own!

Being on my own (without young helpers to take things off the rails and play hide and seek in amongst the things hanging up), I popped into a charity shop for a casual browse. I like doing this - mainly in the hope something might catch my eye that could be harvested for fabric, or, even better, some bundles of lovely vintage linens to buy. This luck rarely comes my way. But, I spotted this pair of pillowcases.

With KCWC vaguely on my mental horizon, and, the eldest girl's gentle but persistent  requests for some new pyjamas, I thought "Bingo!". Nice soft, pretty fabric. These will make nice pyjamas, I thought. I held up the pillowcase to try and guess if they'd be long enough. And then I figured that, having three girls has its advantages in situations like this, as if the pillowcases turned out to be too small to make something for the biggest girl, then there were two others waiting in the wings. He, he.

Big scissors, a pair of her current pyjamas, and the overlocker at the ready, it took me just under an hour to make these from start to finish. Hurrah! And, they fit the biggest girl. Double hurrah!

I added some nice ribbon for extra prettiness. This has definitely gone down well with the biggest girl. As has the little loop so that she knows which is back and which is front. A small improvement on the last pair I made for her.

For the top, I pulled out the same pattern I had used last year - but made a couple of minor adjustments on last year's version. Starting with the bias binding, which I swapped for the same ribbon I'd used on the bottoms. Admittedly, this doesn't sit quite as nice and flat as the binding would, but it was quicker to make and looks nice enough.

I swapped the ties for elastic and a button, as I thought this would make the pyjamas easier for a child to get on and off independently. It has.

If I'd had more fabric, I would have made the sleeves a bit wider to make them a little loser - but this just wasn't possible.

And, after wearing them for a night, my resident sleeping beauty has judged them a success.

It was a lot of fun making something new out of something old.

There was no pressure to get it right - it was entirely guilt free fabric I had bought, and had not cost me much anyway. And it was extremely satisfying to realise the challenge of squeezing a pair of pyjamas out of a couple of old pillowcases can be done. Not that I had woken up that morning with that challenge in mind - but it is sometimes nice just to follow the inspiration from the thing in front of you when it hits. This is the kind of creativity that I love, and that makes me feel happy.

Next on the making pile is another old into new project. I'll let you try and guess what my initial fabric started out as (the clue is in the round thing), and, what I plan to turn it into (here's a clue).

On a different note, big great big thank you to the people who have already jumped on board with The Wonky Wilma Challenge. Wow. Exciting to see others joining in with this charity project. I can't wait to see some finished versions! Please keep spreading the elephant fun about and share the links. If you haven't got your pattern yet, then a couple of clicks here, and it's all yours. Go on...