My Keepsake Making Diary Plan...

I have finally decided that I am going pull my finger out and attempt to blog a lot more.  I know that I've said it before but this time I really mean it!

I've decided that each time I create a keepsake I will share it here along with, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot of the story behind the making of the keepsake.

I may even show you the work in progress pictures and if my customer allows me, a picture of the keepsake when it has arrved at it's forever home.  I'll also share the feedback that I get from my customers.

It will almost be like a keepsake diary.  What do you think and is there anything else that you would like me to include?  I'd love to hear your feedback.

Jayne <3

Fred the Valentine Bulldog...

For quite a while now my fiance has been asking me if I could make him something using some t-shirts that have meant a lot to him in the past.  He has a bag full of old band t-shirts from some of the gigs that he went to years ago that I am going to use to make a keepsake memory quilt.

He also had a vintage style Fred Perry polo shirt that is a little snug for him now but he couldn't bear to send it to charity or to the recycling bin.  This is when the idea came to me.  Why not recycle it in my own special way and create something for him as a gift?

Fred Perry Polo Shirt

I wanted it to be something masculine that suited the bold colours and design of the shirt.  I toyed (excuse the pun!) with making a classic style teddy bear but me being me wanted more of a challenge.  

That's when I found a fabulous pattern for a bulldog over on the Funky Friends Factory website.  I love Pauline's patterns and use them quite a lot.  They always seem to work so well and are worded so that they are easy to understand.

I must admit that this pattern was a little harder than some of the other patterns that I have used and a little softie/plush pattern experience is advantageous if you want to have a go at making one.

Having said that, I must admit that I enjoyed every minute of making Fred the Bulldog!

Initially, Fred was just going to be plain black with the logo used somewhere on his body but as I started the design I realised that the logo fitted perfectly on his ear.

Fred's Ear

This left the rest of him a bit too plain so I added the fabric from a plain white t-shirt to give him a bit of contrast.

Fred's Face

I then thought incorporating the sleeve detail would work well but how?  I played around with a few options but eventually thought, why not make Fred look like he is wearing little tracksuit bottoms! I've got to admit that this idea is my favourite part of  Fred.

Fred's Trackies

It took a fair few hours to create him but I hope that you agree he was totally worth every minute. 

Fred The Bulldog

Now all I have to do is find the time to make a band t-shirt memory quilt!

Jayne

xxx

A Keepsake, From Start to Finish...

It's been quite a while since my last real blog post.  I haven't had much spare time lately to actually sit down and write but I thought it was about time that I found that spare time!

One of the main questions that I get asked by my customers is how the process works and how to go about ordering a keepsake so I thought I would put it all into a blog post for you.

The first thing to decide is what type of keepsake you would like your loved one's or child's clothes to be transformed into.  My product list is always growing as my customers ask for different animals and products.  You can find a full up to date list (at the time of publishing) here along with current prices and the number of items needed to make your keepsake.

Once you have chosen the design it's time to choose the clothes that you would like me to use.  The amount of items depends on the keepsake design and the size of the garments.  Generally, I base one item on the size of a 0-3 month baby grow but keepsakes can be made out of most types of clothing.  If the fabric is knitted or too thick it doesn't tend to work well. Also, if the clothes are particularly tiny it is worth including a few extra items.  The more embellishments the better but bear in mind if they are too big they may not fit on the keepsake.

Ambreen's Little Clothes

The next stage is to fill out the order form.  If there are certain items of clothing that you would like to appear more prominent on the keepsake please feel free to make a note of this on the order form.  Also if you have any special delivery information, eg. leave with neighbour etc. add this to the form too.  When you parcel up your clothes, please make sure that they are in waterproof packaging.  I recommend that you use a recorded delivery service.  Please let me know when you have sent your parcel so that I can try to make sure that I am in when they are delivered.  I will let you know as soon as I have received your parcel safely.

Time to start the designing!  For each of the keepsakes that I create I start by sketching the keepsake and plan where each clothing item will work best.  I also start to plan where the embellishments will be placed although this often changes later in the design process.  I then carefully cut each clothing item ready to be made into the pattern pieces.  I then line each piece using interfacing to add to your keepsakes strength and durability.

The Design Sketch

At this stage I do as much of the hand embroidery as possible.  This often is quite a lengthy process as lots of care and patience is needed to get the best result.

Adding The Hand Embroidery

I then prepare any personalisation that is to be added ready to be hand stitched on once the keepsake is constructed.  The constrution is mainly done using my lovely Janome sewing machine (soon to be upgraded to a brand new industrial machine!). 

As I like to stuff my keepsakes firmly I often double stitch seams and they are also sealed with a waterproof fabric glue.  

Personalisation

As I add the stuffing your keepsake starts to almost come to life and show it's true personality!

Ambreen's Kepsake Cat

As soon as I have finished your keepsake I like to take photographs to share with others so that they can see examples of the work that I have done in the past.

When the mini photo shoot is completed I will message you to let you know that your keepsake is ready and ask how you would like make your payment.  I will then send you an invoice.  Once your payment is made your keepsake is carefully packaged up ready to be taken to the courier service.  You should receive an email with all the tracking details.

It's always lovely to see pictures of your keepsakes in situ so feel free to send me them.

If you would like more information and an order form please send me a message along your email address either to pinksweeheart@hotmail.co.uk or via my Facebook page.

Jayne 

xxx

Silent Star Wars Sunday...

Yoda

If you would like a custom made Yoda please do not hesitate to message me.  More Star Wars characters will be available very soon.


Pattern by Lucy Ravenscar

Valentine, Kids, Craft and Fun...

A few months ago I had a lovely opportunity to have a very special Christmas craft day with one of my best friends, Amy and her gorgeous son Alfie.  It was great to just create, make a mess and have fun at the same time.  Not sure who enjoyed it more, Alfie or Amy and I! 

I loved it so much that I thought it would be nice to share a few little projects that you may like to try out with your little ones in the run up to Valentine's Day.

They are mainly pages that I have stumbled across while browsing on Pinterest and I have tried to include different projects to suit a range of ages.

1.  Paper Heart Garland

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/paper-heart-garland.html

2.   Valentine Jelly Pops

http://jelly-shot-test-kitchen.blogspot.ie/2012/01/valentine-jelly-pops.html 

3.  My Little Valentine Matchboxes

http://inchmark.squarespace.com/inchmark/2009/2/10/my-little-valentine.html

 4.  Love Bug Valentines Card

http://www.bellasavvy.net/archives/19074 

5.  Felt Heart Monster

http://www.dosmallthingswithlove.com/2013/02/felt-heart-monster.html 

6.  Molly's Sketchbook: Felt Candy Hearts

http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2012/2/3/mollys-sketchbook-felt-candy-hearts.html 

7.  Valentine Paper Roll Owls

http://www.happyclippings.com/2013/01/diy-valentine-paper-roll-owls.html

 8.  Egg Carton Heart

http://krokotak.com/2012/11/egg-carton-heart 

9.  Long Distance Hug 

http://thepartyevent.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/valentines-crafts-for-kids-a-long-distance-hug-a-beautiful-present-for-someone-special-diy/ 

10.  Valentine Bookmark

http://www.education.com/activity/article/valentine-bookmark-craft/

Thank you to all the blogs/websites above for sharing their lovely work and creativity.  

Have a great Valentine's Day and lots of fun too!

Jayne

xxx

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Amigurumi - Ami what?

As you will probably know, if you have read my blog before or follow me on Facebook or Twitter, I like to try my hand at anything creative.  One craft that I had never been able to master up until recent years was crochet.  Only about three years ago I started to learn the basics so to be sharing my latest Amigurumi project with you makes me feel quite proud of myself.  I finished her earlier this week and I love her to bits. This is "Kira" the Kangaroo!

 

I found a link to the pattern for "Kira", one day while browsing Pinterest, on a lovely french blog called, Tournicote... à cloche-pied.

My love for crocheting began at a 17th century reenactment weekend (don't ask, that's for another blog post!) when my good friend Charlie got out a crochet hook and a ball of wool.  I instantly wanted to learn.  She started by showing me how to do a basic chain and we then went on to make a rose.  I loved it and was 'hooked'!  Since then there has hardly been day when i haven't picked up a hook!

I really wanted to develop my new skill so I turned to good old You Tube.  I started on small, simple projects and learnt new stitches and techniques.  I gradually improved after a lot of hard work and a few mistakes along the way!

One branch of crochet that I could never seem to master was Amigurumi.  Ami what, you say?

For those of you that have never heard of it, Amigurumi originated in Japan around about 2003 and has steadily grown in popularity over the years.  In fact, in 2006 it was reported to be one of the most popular items on Etsy.  The word, Amigurumi (pronounced, 'Ah - mee - goo - roo - mee) is derived from a combination of ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll.

My first attempts at Amigurumi were a bit embarrassing.  I was rubbish at working with smaller hooks, typically used to keep the stitches small and tight.  My stitches always ended up baggy and the stuffing showed through.  I wasn't going to post a picture of my first little project but here it is anyway. No laughing, we all have to start somewhere!

I eventually got frustrated and gave it up as a bad job.

It all changed just before Christmas.  I wanted to make a Kokeshi doll for my fiancé's Sister-In-Law but the pattern called for a knowledge of Amigurumi.  I was annoyed that I'd failed at my first attempt at Amigurumi so this time I was determined that I was going to master it.

And this was the result...

A cute little Kokeshi doll complete with beaded chopsticks in her hair.  I found the pattern over at the wonderful blog, All About Ami.

I then went onto to create a new Kokeshi doll that also serves as a little trinket box designed by HandmadeKitty.  She was a lot more challenging but I got there in the end and learnt a few new tricks along the way!

So it just goes to show that you are never too old to learn a new skill even if learning it didn't work out first time around!

“Everything is hard before it is easy”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Crochet is such a great art to learn.  There are so many different styles that I truly believe that there is something to appeal to all tastes.  

If you fancy having a go and need any advice about where to start please do not hesitate in contacting me.  I'm not perfect at it but I would always attempt to help if I can.

Jayne

xxx

P.S. Happy Birthday to Charlie, the wonderful friend that gave me my passion for crochet.