#100dayproject2021 days 62 - 67

Day 62

A little paperclip notes page marker. These paperclips are a good way to use up fabric scraps. Though, due to their size, they can be a bit fiddly to make. I used chain-stitch to create the letters.

Days 63 - 66

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Little buttons with words or hearts. I covered small (between 3cm and 1cm in diameter) old buttons with a variety of fabrics and I then embroidered letters, hearts, or as in the last image, a word. I also added a ring of running stitch or chain-stitch around side of the button. 

The buttons in the last image were used on my #52tagshannemade tag for week 14.

Day 67

A little bow. I stitched two small scraps of white cotton together with running stitch in red silk thread. I gathered the centre of the bow using running stitch. For decoration I added a couple of scraps of shattered silk and a bead.

There'll be more about the #100dayproject2021 soon.

TTFN 

Louise 

#52tagshannemade week 6 - buttons

I'm a trifle behind with my blog posts as this is last week's tag. The theme was buttons and Anne  meant  for this one to be a simple tag to make. 

I used a piece of vintage quilt that I added a strip of red cotton lace to one side and edged it in blanket stitch in mustard-coloured vintage thread. I added 5 buttons, 2 linen buttons and 3 mother of pearl. Rather than just fasten them on, I made bit of a feature out of it.

The next one involves hexies

TTFN

Louise

Hello again

It's been nearly a year since I last posted here as I've been relying on my Instagram to show what I've been up to. However, instagram does have its limitations of space and no of photos etc, so I'm going to endeavour to share more on here.

What I'm up to at the moment 

It's 2020's 100 day project time and I'm taking part again (I did finish last year's).) This year I'm making buttons using old ones.

I have two jars full of brown and black buttons that I'm not likely to use in the normal way, so I'm using them to create 'new' buttons. As you can see in the above photo, I cover the button in its own jacket of cotton fabric. I then use these to create the new button.

These are the first four buttons that I made. I'll share the others (It's day 38 today) in the next few days till I'm all caught up.  I have quite a few new things to share with you got.

TTFN
Louise

Wips*

I have so many wips at the moment! I do try and finish things before I satart on something new, but ideas do keep on popping into my head begging to be made! It's an occupational hazard I guess. I do use a sketchbook for jotting down ideas, but my fingers are always itching to get into the actual making!

In June last year I bought some early 19th-century silk. It isn't soemthignthat I would normally buy as antique fabrics can be really expensive, but the three pieces I bought are quite thin and fragile making them unsuitable for large pieces if work. However, as most of the things I make are small, it was an ideal opportunity for me to have something that was nearly 200 years old!

19th-century silk in purple, red and green (though it looks grey in this photo).

I'm using some of the purple to make a small bag, which began life as the small sketch below:

Though the only thing I kept from the sketch is the shape of the bag as I wasn't sure one how well the silk would hold up if I trued to patchwork pieces together. I also swapped the running stitch fir chain stitch. First of all I tacked the silk onto a piece of cotton fabric (recycled from one of my Dad's old shirts) to help stabilise and support the silk. I'm now in the process of stitching lines of chain stitch, both to attach the two pieces of fabric together and as decoration, as I'm altering both the direction of the line and of the stitching.

The back showing the cotton backing.

Once this side is completed, I'll start on the other, though I've not quite decided what I'm going to do with it yet.

I'm also using some of the purple silk to make some buttons, one of which may appear on the finished bag. The first one (on the right in the photo below) is a mixture of my favourite french knots and little 'stems' of beads edged in chain stitch.

For the second button (in the images below), I've secured five little beads inside a piece of silk that I've mounted onto the base fabric and I'm adding french knots into the fabric folds.

If you pop over to my Instagram account (@louise_at_elsiemayandbertha) you can see images of my progress on both the bag and buttons, and whatever else I'm working on.

TTFN
Louise

*Wips - works in progress

More buttons and a couple of needlecase wips*

The needlecases and the set of four red silk buttons will be taken to the Seagrass Gallery next week. The other two buttons will appear on projects still to be thought of!

I'll be back on Friday.

TTFN
Louise

*wips - works in progress

More finished things and a couple of buttons.

 This is a little lavender sachet, with a 1930s style fabric and a piece from a vintage table cloth. I've also added a little handmade button with a another button on top that covers a little stain that was on the tablecloth. I've added a piece of vintage lace  with chain stitch and the bottom is also closed up with chain stitch. It's filled with dried lavender flowers.

 This lavender sachet is made the same way as the other one,  using another 1930s-style fabric and piece of vintage tablecloth. The ribbon hanger is attached with a vintage button and I've used some broderie anglais at the join.

These two buttons are made in the same as showed you in the tutorial I posted the other week. They will be used in future projects.

The two lavender sachets will be going to the Seagrass Gallery in the next couple of weeks.

I'll be back on Monday with this weeks #our52weekproject post.

TTFN
Louise