Fabric Dolls Experience

 Hello my wackys how have you all been,

 Its been a busy week for me, and I'm definitely glad its the weekend , shame its Sunday already. So this past week I had 2 birthday parties to take my kids to and you might think its all good and easy but I don't quite find it that way, its summer school holidays now and the girls are home all day everyday, the result is a lot of arguing like " live your sister alone" - "don't do that"- " you gonna hurt yourselves"- bla bla bla can you  see yourself in this picture?!!   There's  moments were we all are happy making a mess, playing board games, baking, dancing to music on TV, but it doesn't stop being challenging to cope with 2 little girls which are 6 and 3 years old and a baby who's 3 months old... sometimes I think I'm loosing my sanity lolol.

Sometimes I recon I like to test my limits you see with all the house work kids cooking etc. I like crafting and having 2 b-day parties coming would be the perfect time for me to try and make something new, which in my case was fabric dolls; I didn't realise how hard it would be to actually finish the projects on time for the birthdays and do everything a mum has to do including putting the baby to sleep ... Do you got the idea!?

Basically this dolls took me a hole day from start to finish, however in a normal day with kids in school and baby possibly in the nursery I recon it would take me only 2 hours, anyway they got done in the end and I'm very happy with the end result, they were my first 2  fabric dolls ever but I have a feeling there's more coming on.

What do you think?!! Do you like making stuff as well why not share some pictures with all of us :)

See you soon my wackys xxxxxxxxx

And that's it my wackys...

Hello my lovers,

Today's post is to simply inform you that at the moment I wont be doing any more how to's written tutorials... why??? might you ask well, simply because  I done most of them, well the ones I know at least ;) so the next post will be showing you some accomplished projects and they will have a link attached to it where you can click and go directly to the written tutorial... In future I'll also post video tutorials but for now it will have to be a bit on a standby  :)

Also I'm going to some workshops now to try and learn new crafty things  I'll share the experiences with you...

Because it would literally be impossible to forget summer school holidays are upon us ad some have even already started , we all know sometimes how had it is to keep the kids busy and out of each others troats so I'll also be posting about stuff you can do with them either at home or outdoors.... so you see we have loads to share with you in the next few weeks so keep tuned.

Crafty button box frame

Hello my lovers,

Well here we are one more monday evening and I finally have some time in my hands to share a crafty HOW TO post with you;

 Today's how to is fairly simple awfully easy but not everyone thinks about it.... and now that the summer school holidays are almost here you can even do it with your wee (little) ones :), all you need is a box frame, a lot of buttons, some felt but tha'ts actually optional and some patterned paper, hot glue or multi purpose fabric glue like fabritac for example... + you'll need to decide on wkat you want your picture to be and if you want to paint the frame or not ;) EASY !!!!!!!!!!

How To:

1st paint the frame and let it dry

2nd cut a felt shape ( or make the drawing directly on the patterned paper)

3rd glue the buttons onto the shape and let it dry.

4th place the shape onto the chosen patterned paper and then on the frame.

That's it really, could it be any easier?!!!

I would love to see what you've done so feel free to share on our facebook page Lili's handmade crafts.

see you all soon xxxxxxxxxxxx

How to transfer images onto canvas

Hi there my lovers ,

Yes its been a long  long time, and I know I'm due a few pictures videos and not to mention tutorials so here comes one just written for now, later on fingers crossed I'll be able to do a video but for now, this is how its gonna be has I'm still trying to sort of space in my house and time after taking care of 3 children to make the How to videos, hopefully coming very soon...

 So here it goes:

1st cover your canvas with a gel medium such has liquitex  use generous amounts of it has it will give you a better result in the end.

2nd Put some liquitex on the photo/image has well.

3rd Press the photo copy (laser is best) onto the canvas image down and let it dry all night.

REMEMBER: if you have any text with the picture you'll need to print it in mirror image mode ok...

4th the next day use a wet sponge ( with water obviously " not completelly soaking ok?!") and dab the paper, and with the tips of your fingers start rubbing the paper off.

5th use a hot gun to dry it faster and then repeat the above has necessary, until you're just let with your image. It takes time and is quite messy but don't give up. Also don't rub to hard or you could actually remove bits of the print.

6th use some mode podge or the smae gel medium but I prefer mod podge has a sealer to protect your image and that's it really :)

1. So what are you waiting for go on start crafting, this makes wonderful gifts or home decoration ;o) If I can do it so can you ...
2. See you soon my wackys xxxxxxxxx

p.s. why not have a peep on our facebook page click like page share it and you might win a prize completely free of charge. We need "100 likes" and someone will be the lucky winner :)

DIY Baby CoT Bedding Set

Hello everyone,

Well, I've been way over my head lately... yeah this pregnancy hormones are taking the best out of me, I've been moody, angry, teary you name it... Thank God there's only 9 more days left... Lets Hope I don't get the baby blues though lolol...

 So today I bring you an almost finished project of mine, which is going to stay home but I or even you can always make and sell it yourself, the purpose of this one however is to stay here with me has a gift for my little unborn boy and to serve me has practise obviously :)

 So on the saving bit of this post we have an old cot ( which was sanded down, primed and painted sky blue and the clear waxed) + we have fabric + wadding & the normal stuff like thread etc. ( whatever we need to actually make it)

 Here's how it is so far:

 This will be the cot bumper protection that goes around in a 3 way allowing me to see what's going on with my little one without having to get up an peeping.... It still needs to be attached together and filled with wadding .

This is the already finished duvet cover (2 faced) I can also use the back, which is an all white fabric with a blue gingham heart similar to this one....
 On the saving side here I decides to make a cover instead of a quilt 'cause I already had a "duvet" bought when my first child was born but being her a girl I had to make it more boyish :)






 So on my still to do list is finishing the bumper bit  making some cot sheets, and making a matching change mat with 2 pouches 1 for the wipes and 1 for the nappies and cream, that I can just roll up and put it in the bag in order to take it with me wherever I go, and when I get home I'll just need to take it from my bag unroll and put it on the changing cot attachment that I currently have ideal don't you think no need to buy 2 different things .... SAVE UP SAVE UP my people, economy is no laughing matter at the moment is it?!

If you buy all of this in the shops it will cost you:

Quilt and Bumper set +- £25.00
Cot Sheets (fitted and flat set) +- £15.00
Changing mat usually around £10.00
PLUS the travel Changing mat £10.00 as well

This equal at least £60.00 and I'm being generous here cause it can be way more and you know it...

Now if you make it (this is how much you would spend  +-):

5 meters of fabric  (1m for the duvet cover; 1 m for the bumper; 2m for the sheets (or less) 1m for the changing mat) at £3.00 p/m = £15
1 meter of clear pvc  for the changing mat = £4.99
2 meters of 4oz wadding for the bumper = £5
1 m Iron on velcro for closing the cover ( you wont need all of it) = £2.50

This will come to a total off  £32.50 +- ... hummm what would you rather do?!! Not have any work whatsoever and buy something mass produced with no personal character, no charm or not even what you actually had in mind... or do exactly what you have in mind and even if you want personalise the whole thing which would just even had value to it?!!!

 Hummm, not much to think is there?!! sometimes is better to be proactive and get your hands in it... Lets not forget the feel good factor of you being able to say "Yeah I did it myself " "I've done that" - OH so good... and lets just admit it the ahhh's of admiration from others always boost our self- esteem up.

 This is why I love crafting :), the whole process of imagining the "drawing" how something will turn out the measuring, the cutting, the sewing the whole process is just magical and personal which for me is just priceless.


Hope you guys have a lovely day.

I'll show you the end result when my baby corner is all done :)

See you soon
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A first try at a Handmade Baby Sleep Positioner ( support)

Hello my wackys,

 GOD its been ages I know, but please don't give up on me, craftier times approach and Video tutorials as well ;) never done them before but everything has a first time right :) and challenge is my motto.

 

 If you follow me on facebook you know what this post is about, if not I'll tell you, 1 week ago I was asked to do a little personalised pillow that would fit on a moses basket, that bit is no challenge for me anymore what accompanied it however was .... A Baby Sleep Positioner yeahp.... :-/ can you imagine my face when my partner at 7 am arrived work from home and told me that a colleague of his asked him that just because he had the brilliant idea to say that I do it __ WHAT a x$£? are u thinking?! I asked__ I never did anything like that and you know it I told him... I don't even have the right material its not just fabric and filling you know.?!! ____ What can't you do it?! ____ I don't know, how should I if I never even tried it... but I'll give it a go ... OH MY GOD, I was in way over my head no idea where to start  where to order the foam measurements nothing........ ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ( frustration scream).

 Well here's the end result anyway:

 

I'm not completely happy with it , in the future I'll use semi- cylinders instead in order to give more stability and I'll also use a thin foam base, and way wider Velcro wider elastic, etc. ... lets just say I learnt a lot from this experience.... bloody hell I didn't even think to look on the internet to see the designs of if before I ordered the foam cylinders oh well .... Whats done is done, hopefully they'll like it....

 

Here's one from the high street I found on the internet afterwards:

 

 

Ahhhhh ( thinking).....  This is how they're supposed to look like.... Geee.... After reading some reviews I saw that people wanted it a bit bigger so little old me decided to have the foam longer and slightly wider lolol well, the result is above....

 

I still prefer mine has with the elastics on the back you can adapt from moses basket to cot, the foam pads are completely removable so you can wash it  or use them has a decor for the crib when the baby is older.

 

Well I don't know if they're gonna like it but practise makes perfect isn't it it was my first try and now I know what to do and what not to do and more importantly what's it suppose to look like looool :D

 

I steel prefer the design on mine has the shop ones look quite sterile :) nothing wrong with some pretty pink hearts is there :)?

 

Well know that I poured my heart out here, I feel much better... I will definitely be making more for sale just not completely with the same mistakes or should I call it quirkiness.

 

see you all soon my lovers, and don't not do or try something different just because you never did it or tried it before, we learn from our mistakes that's what crafting is all about.

 

See you soon everyone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

How to make Bias binding step by step

Hello my lovers,

 Its been a while yes I know, but from now on I'll post more often, has I'm finally on my maternity leave and free to craft until my fingers go numb ;o) .

 

So I've fallen completely in love with a super machine by Simplicity that does bias binding & piping, isn't that fabulous so much easier than the manual process that's for sure, however at a whopping £115.00 +- at amazon for instance, has wonderful has it may be and although it would definitely speed up all the crafting process I don't think that at the moment I would consider such an investment, maybe in the near future though... we'll have to wait and see don't we?!!

 So for all of us, simple minded and with an tight pocket here's how to do it the old fashion way.

 

What we obviously need however will definitely  be:

Fabric of your choice;

An Iron & Ironing board obviously

A Ruler ( I prefer the metal ones)

Bias binding tool ( those little metal triangles that you can find in almost any haberdashery store or even on the Internet)

 

• Scissors
• Tailor's chalk
HOW TO:

Fold a square of fabric in half diagonally across the middle.

 Press well and cut along the diagonal fold line.

Decide how wide you want your bias binding strips to be and mark lines spaced at intervals of the finished width parallel with the diagonal side you just cut.

 Cut through both layers along the diagonal chalk lines.

          
           To join strips, hold the right sides of the ends of two strips together so that one strip is        
           perpendicular to the other, and sew along the diagonal seam.
          
           Press the seam open and trim the ears of fabric visible from the right side, then fold and press
           the bias tape as desired.

Make sure you have folded on the bias of the fabric by matching the crosswise grain to the selvage, so that the two grain lines are perpendicular to each other.

 

 The tape can be pressed and folded once or twice towards the middle along each side to make single-fold or double-fold bias tape.

 

 A quilters' rotary cutter, mat and ruler can be used to cut strips of equal length easily and without marking the fabric, you can also used the aid of the binding tool if you find necessary, it speeds up the process a bit but if you don't have any don't fret .

 

Here's a youtube video to help you visualise it ( and no its not me on it, I'm a bit camera shy ;o) ):

 

                                                http://youtu.be/zScaWid2G6c

Hope this video helps.

See you soon my lovely crafty wackys :)
xxxxxxx