The Lion Purse

Surely there’s nothing better than seeing a lion-shaped purse with a zip for its mouth?No, I thought not. Presented to you by the June 2011 edition of Sew Hip magazine, this little feline was an absolute treat to sink my own (zip-free) teeth into.

The lion’s face is made up of a circular, interfacing-backed piece of ‘lion-coloured’ material, complete with contrasting snout and felt eyes and nose, which I attached using iron-on bondaweb. Easy. I then folded a long strip of contrasting, lion-coloured material in half and created little gathers in it for the mane. I made the ears, sandwiched all the layers together and sewed all the way around the edges to create the end result.

The zip mouth was slightly trickier to pull off. A rectangular hole was cut in the main fabric, the zip was placed behind and then stitched in place. I used a contrasting colour to make it stand out (and also because I didn’t have a short white zip!). In the pattern, the face is sewn onto a back piece to create a purse with the mouth-zip as the opening. Instead I stitched my design onto a blank pencil case using the same pattern I used previously, which I think looks just as cute!

Overall a roaring success. Sorry, couldn’t resist that one.

Pencil Full of Lead

Today is my day off. I have at least a million other things I should be doing (writing about Disney and job hunting spring to mind) but it’s been so long since I did some good and proper sewing… I decided I’d begin a new project. And here it is: an applique pencil case. At first glance it’s possibly one of the most professional looking things I’ve ever made (except perhaps my Union Jack cushion or even the oven gloves I whipped up for my sister).

The pattern I used came from Sew Hip! magazine (Nov 2010, issue 22) and was super easy to follow – 2 rectangular lining pieces, 2 linen pieces, 1 zip and 3 applique pencils. I used bondaweb (for the first time) to do the applique and was surprised by how easy it was! It saves a lot of time being able to literally glue the pieces of fabric together. Saying that, I then went over each picture with several rows of straight stitch to give the pencils that ‘drawn myself’ look.

I used a mixture of pink and floral material for both the lining and the applique to give it that country-cottage feel. The overall result is quite impressive, even if I do say so myself. Oh and if your birthday’s coming up soon then consider yourself very lucky…

Check out my other applique attempts – including birds and flowers – here!

Basket Case

I got the latest issue of Sew Hip! magazine the other day, in hope that in being the November edition, it would contain some Christmas-sy patterns. Unfortunately it didn’t, which I was a little disappointed about, but I did find a pattern for this cute little hamper basket.

It’s made up of 2 long pieces of fabric for the sides, 4 strips for the handles and 2 round circles for the base. The outer and lining layers are sandwiched around corresponding lengths of wadding to give it some structure. I decided to have a go because the pattern looked simple, and I figured it’d be a nice container for my grandparents’ Christmas presents when I’d finished!

As expected, the pattern was easy to follow, but I did have a few issues with the thickness of the material and trying to fit it under the sewing machine foot. I had to hand-stitch the base onto the sides because it was just too bulky. All in all, a good little project that passed a morning. And the perfect size for a Christmas hamper too.

Of Mice and Men

Two weeks ago I regrettably found myself heartbroken and in tatters. After three and a half years my relationship came to an end, leaving me distraught and upset to say the least. Fortunately I have my sewing to keep me company and keep my mind occupied. I found a pattern for this cute patchwork mouse in the Sew Hip magazine I bought (purchased because I fancied making the skirt featured on the cover!).

The mouse is made up of about 18 individual pieces – fantastic therapy for an aching mind. It took me a while to cut them all out and stitch them together, but the lenghty distraction time was well worth it. I found it quite fiddly to sew on the machine at times because the stuffing can get a bit bulky and that’s without taking into consideration the many layers of fabric around the arm and leg joints. Being the not-very-practiced seamstress I am, the limbs didn’t catch in the seams in all places, so it looks a little rag-dollish. I guess it adds to the homemade look!

I do love the mix of fabrics though – I used a Cath Kidston star print for the body, plain pink for the limbs, and a floral cotton for the front, chin and ears. The face and whiskers are stitched on with blue embroidery thread. So far he is a nameless mouse. Suggestions are most welcome.