Monday 14 March 2011

Spring

For me, Spring has most definitely sprung. On my walk home from school today, the sun was shining, the daffodils were swaying in the crisp breeze and I could hear the faint sound of a lawnmower from a very keen gardener! Meanwhile, I'm finishing Christmas ornaments :) Yep, we finally got the ol' Singer sewing machine out at the weekend because I had a day off from work (paid holiday is just the best!). This was the result afterwards . . .



The one behind is Lizzie*Kate Be Naughty which I've finished into a small pillow. And then the little snowman in front is a lovely freebie from Prarie Schooler, which I'm planning to finish as an ornament, when I find some nice ribbon. I have a question for you all. How do you stitch up the last side really neatly after stuffing? I try to do tiny stitches in a matching colour thread and sometimes this works, but other times it looks scruffy. Any insider tips would be very much appreciated :)
I went babysitting at the weekend and it's great the amount of stitching one can achieve when one is undisturbed. Plus, the couple whose kids I babysit for have just had their ground floor renovated and their new lighting is fantastic for stitching. So, this is where I'm up to on Nature's Beauty . . .



I'm sorry the pictures are not great, I really need some practise I think.
We're starting to really knuckle down at school now. We leave at the end of May and then June is exam month. I know I won't be blogging around that time, but I certainly will be stitching, probably to calm my nerves! :) But that's a little while away yet, so I can still stitch and enjoy the Spring sunshine.
Have a lovely week,
Posted by Picasa

9 comments:

Bertie said...

Beautifully finished Becka, and yes the sun is shining but it's still so cold here:))
Love the bunnies, they do remind me of spring when they eat all my flowers LOL.

Unknown said...

The ornaments look lovely. I've never sewn anything stuffed before, so I have no idea, but I'm going to have to find out soon if I ever get my biscornu bits done.

robindefender said...

Your ornaments look great! I always hand sew my finishes, but maybe this method will help you with finishing that final side (if I can explain it properly): When you finish with your stitching, make a back stitched border around your finished piece (make the back stitches exactly where you want the edge of your piece to be). I then use those back stitches to join the two pieces of fabric together... I do a ladder stitch under the backstitches pulling the two sides together. Hmm, that's much easier to show in person than it is to explain in writing. So if this didn't make any sense, please disregard. When you do it that way, you also have to 'stuff as you go', meaning that as you get more and more of the last side sewn up, you need to pause in your sewing and shove more and more stuffing in to make sure it fills out.
Look forward to seeing more of your finishes soon!

Jules said...

Your finishes are cute! I think most stitchers stitch Christmas/winter themes all year long, lol! As to closing up the final side after stuffing, I try to whip-stitch closed. The trick is to be patient with the fabric as it will be tough. Also, you can always "google" finishing pillows to get ideas. And Vonna over at The Twisted Stitcher has some excellent tutorials: http://tts-learntofinish.blogspot.com/.

TeresaB said...

Your two finishes look lovely! You've already gotten some good advise on finishing, plus you can always do what I do...cover it up with cording or a pretty ribbon hand sewn on.

Lesleyanne said...

Two lovely ornaments. Can't help with the finishing as it is not something I am any good at.

Lynn said...

Cute ornaments! I'm not very good at finishing myself so I always follow Vonna's finishing instructions. I see Jules has given you the link already.

Dani - tkdchick said...

Great job on the finishing, and lovely progress on nature's beauty!

I wish spring was here, we got more snow today.

Carol said...

Hi Bekca! I've been so busy with work last week and all weekend that I'm just now getting around to commenting on this post. Your ornaments are darling :) Finishing these little pieces takes a lot longer than most people would think.

I use my sewing machine to sew the two right sides together leaving about two inches unstitched at the bottom of the ornament. Then turn the ornament inside out, poking out the corners with a small rounded object (like the end of a small paintbrush). Then stuff the ornament very well. I like a nice plump ornament myself, but that is a matter of personal taste. To sew the two-inch unstitched piece I usually use invisible thread or a matching thread if available. Take tiny stitches close to the edge. I often use cording on my ornaments as you've probably noticed. It hides any poorly stitched areas quite well.

For a really pretty finish, you may want to try a beaded edge. Staci has an excellent tutorial right here: http://snippetsandstash.blogspot.com/2009/11/about-those-edgings.html

Good luck--ornament making is fussy work, but they're so cute that they're worth all the effort in the end :)