More Harley Things

Because a girl can never have too many Harley Quinn themed accessories:-

A little ornament featuring Harley and Mister J (chart from Wee Little Stitches),

backed with a piece of Joker fabric left from the jacket makeover in the last blog post

A messenger bag, based on a picture I saw on Pinterest,

and complete with "Arkham Assylum" patch on the inside (you can just see a little of the star patterned lining as well)

And a pair of cushions, which aren't even a little bit Harley, but I fell in love with the fabric when my friend Karen from Just Bunting got some in, and I just had to make them (the backs are plain chambray with a narrow strip of the script)

Na Na Na Na Na Na

Bat-Jacket!

and not a post about sodium at all.
Remember the sad denim jacket from this post? Here it is with a whole new lease of
life, ready for the Geek Girl About Town

This was so easy to do.
Step 1. Using your Patent Denim-Ripping-Bat-Shears (no utility belt is complete without them), chop sleeves off an ugly denim jacket
Step 2. Make a paper template the size and shape of each panel you want to cover
Step 3. Cut pieces fabric about 1/2" larger all round than templates, and press under raw edges to fit
Step 4. Stitch in place

In non Bat related news, I seem to have missed marking the occasions of both my Blogoversary and my 300th post, so I've decided to do a giveway when I hit 200 followers. Watch this space

Recycled Sari Bracelets

Do you ever buy craft supplies on a whim, just because they are so pretty and even though you've got no idea what you are going to do with them?
Thought so. Me too. Just such a whim struck me at a craft show earlier this year and I bought a skein of multi-coloured recycled sari ribbon yarn.  I can't remember the name of the company I bought it from, but it was similar to this one.

Fast forward a few weeks and I was browsing on Pinterest when I came across these. "How lovely", I thought, followed quickly by "I could do that"
Here is my version:-

Do you want a tutorial ~ honestly, you hardly need one, but anyway here is what I did:-
You'll need: sari ribbon yarn, ribbon clamps, jump rings, clasps, pliers and glue. Optional extras: bead chain, diamante chain, charms and charm carriers

Step 1. Select lengths from the sari yarn.
Step 2. Cut into lengths. You'll need them longer than your wrist as you'll be plaiting them and so they'll end up shorter than the cut length. I cut mine to about 30cm long, which is a little more than necessary, but better to have too much than too little. I also trimmed mine widthwise to about 1cm wide.

Step 3. Select three lengths. Holding all three ends together, dip them in a little strong craft glue and then squeeze into a ribbon clamp

Step 4. Plait them together, pulling quite tightly, until plait is desired length

Step 5. Holding all three ends together trim straight across

Step 6. Glue and attach a 2nd ribbon clamp as before
Step 7. Use jump rings to attach clasp to ribbon clamps

Step 8.  Repeat with different colours until you have an armful
And you're done.
To vary them up a bit I've squeezed a length of ball chain or diamante chain into the ribbon clamps with the centre ribbon on some of them, and plaited it along with them. You'll need to attach it right in the centre of the ribbon clamp so it will close around it, and make sure it has a drop of glue on it too. With one of them I slipped a diamante charm carrier onto the plait before I placed the 2nd ribbon clamp, then attached a small bead dangle
I'm thinking they'd look really pretty made from strips cut from liberty print cottons with pearls worked in too.
Linking this up to Think Pink Sundays at Flamingo Toes and Make it Wear it at The Train to Crazy

Gifts, A Challenge, and Upcycling Denims

I got two lovely gifts through the post this week. The first was this adorable little pocket from Jo, a prize from last year's Easter blog hop. It is just gorgeous, and as you can see, full of chocolate. Thank you Jo, it's just beautiful.

The second was an exchange gift from the Needlecraft Haven Easter exchange. We had to stitch an egg shaped ornament for this exchange, it was  anonymous so I don't yet know who to thank for this sweet little Easter Chick, but whoever you are, thank you anyway. It was accompanied by a really pretty beaded bracelet in spring colours, but that has already migrated upstairs to the jewellery box and missed the photo shoot. I can't show you the ornament I sent out as I forgot to take its picture. Perhaps I'll be able to add one later if the recipient posts one.

It is also reveal day for the Needlecraft Haven monthly challenge. This month we stitched Souvenir de France from Blackbird Designs.  I stitched mine on raw linen using a blue and beige overdyed floss from The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe, and used some French chambray fabric to make it up into a cushion, then trimmed it with some gingham ribbon and a couple of vintage buttons.
The gallery of  other finishes is here.

Eloise picked up these rather sad denims in a charity shop and we've been working on customising them.

Here are the finished shorts, shorter than they were and decorated with a horror print fabric and ric rac,

and here's the back view.
The jacket is still a work in progress. Watch this space...

Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop

Happy Easter

and welcome if you have just arrived here via Jo's Easter Blog Hop. 

Please stay and have a look around if you like stitchy, crafty, geeky things. You can stay and look if you don't like them too, but you might not enjoy it as much ;D

Here are some lovely fresh Cornish Daffodils for you. I made the little Hardanger runner many years ago, I think it's a perfect colour for spring.

Your letter for the Blog Hop is 

And your next stop is Linda at Such is Life

Have Fun!

Of Dolphins, Captains and General Geekiness

Look what were playing in the surf when we went down to the beach on Wednesday! I thought they may have been orcas, but my friend who knows more about these things than I do says they are Atlantic white sided dolphins. Whatever they are, they are gorgeous.

You are probably aware that Capt. Jean-Luc Picard is one of my very favourite Captains. Definitely Number One in my All Time Top Five Captains list.

The other four are, in no particular order:-
Captains Sparrow,

.

Scarlet

Harkness,

and a recent newcomer to the top five here, Hook.


I digress.

I discovered a cross stitch chart for an adorable mini Jean-Luc by Black Lupin on Deviant Art, and had to stitch him right away, but what to do with him then? I thought of putting "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot" underneath and making a coaster, in fact I may stitch him again and do just that, but then inspiration struck, and I added the little insignia and collar pips, some snowflakes and a caption, and made a little snowglobe ornament, backed with the fabric shown and edged in gold ric rac, because gold ric rac just screams Star Trek.
I can hang him on my increasingly geeky Christmas tree with my TARDIS, Golden Snitch, and LoKitty ornaments.
If you check the link you'll find the entire crew. Lt. Worf is particularly stinking cute, and I shall be making one of him just as soon as I learn how to write Happy Christmas in Klingon

Bringing a Little of That Spring Indoors

Since the garden was feeling all "springified" I figured the house could do with it too. This is my beautiful Sylvac jug full of tulips. There is a story relating to the jug. Many years ago, when my Mum was unmarried and still living at home (probably around 1948) my Grandad happened to go into the big department store in Sheffield, where they had a large and carefully arranged pile of jugs on display with a sign advertising "any jug" at some cheap price. All the jugs were plain white except for a tiny number of coloured ones at the very bottom of the pile. Yes, you've guessed it. Grandad dismantled the entire display to get to the coloured ones and bought three, one for Grandma, and one each for my Mum and my Aunt for their bottom drawers.
I love that jug.

I made this spring runner after seeing an idea on Flamingo Toes. Mine is made from pieces from a couple of vintage sheets and some 60s or 70s fabric from my Mum's extensive stash, the only thing I bought was the pompom trim. I have decided that I LOVE pompom trim, but I hate sewing it.

And finally, my spring mantelpiece, very simple with a felt flower garland (bought, shame on me!) and a few little eggs