Would anybody like the chance to sponsor me?

Hi all,

I'm busily training for the London Marathon still - only 7 weeks to go now! I'm running for Breakthrough Breast Cancer and if anybody would like to sponsor me, the site is www.virginmoneygiving.com/nykieruns

If I raise over £300, I'm running it dressed as Lara Croft - easier to spot me on the TV to point and laugh!

A duvet for a doll

I made this before Christmas for my niece (my niece and fleece seem to feature heavily on this blog!). I bought the doll cot from a carboot for the princely sum of £1 and my OH sanded it down and painted it (man stuff) whilst I made the Peppa Pig duvet and pillow (woman stuff).

It was made entirely from scratch and I'm really pleased with it, although it could do with being a bit bigger, to keep Dolly warm in this cold weather ;o) 

My reason for not sewing or blogging...

Hi all,

I've not been sewing much (apart from some repair jobs for people) or blogging, simply because I've started training for the London Marathon next April. Training four nights a week and then having a shower, then dinner, doesn't leave me much time to myself!

I'm not yet at the stage where I'll run in daylight, so even the weekend sessions are at night!

I'm slowly starting to get used to it, which will mean more me time, although I've also just started to make a latch-hook rug for my niece for Christmas.

Nykie xox

PS If anybody would like to sponsor me, I'm running for Breakthrough Breast Cancer (having just been given the all-clear after numerous related operations in 2006, I thought it was appropriate), my sponsorship site is www.virginmoneygiving.com/nykieruns

An update - at last!

Okay, okay, I'm super sorry. I've obviously neglected my blog in favour of actually sewing and for that, I apologise... But I'm going to be updating this blog with things I have made, so don't worry, you haven't missed out, 'all' my loyal followers ;o)

The first item I'm going to share with you is a bag I made. It's an unusual bag, but it was made to go with a fancy dress pirate outfit on a recent hen weekend in Newcastle.

I adapted a pattern for a stuffed soft toy, put a lining in, a zipper and put some straps on it. It's a parrot, despite the massive nose! Apparently, doubling the pattern size doesn't work for all the pieces...

I realise that someone looking at the picture might think, 'Whoa, Nykie has really manly hands!' but I can assure you, I was the one holding the camera!

I enjoyed making it and I got so many great comments when I was out - I was amazed at the response I got - it made me really proud :o)

I'm going to put it on ebay and see if I get the same response...

A hat for my beautiful niece!

Last weekend, my parents were coming to see me, along with my sister and her daughter. I'd decided to make my niece, Evie, a fleecy hat from this tutorial by Rae so I bought some lovely fleece the weekend before and decided to start making the hat.

Making the hat was my first mistake. My second mistake was the fleece that I'd bought. I bought ordinary pink fleece for the inside (the hat's reversible) and a beautiful patterned fleece for the outside. Only it wasn't fleece. It was a shedding, fraying fabric that calls itself 'patterned fleece'.

So, after three attempts I gave up and made the hat out of some red and yellow fleece that I'd got from a charity shop (in the shape of a bed cover). It turned out okay but I'd much rather have had the lovely patterned fleece.

The moral of the story? Check that fleece really is fleece before you start chopping it up!

PS Any ideas of what I can make from some patterned fleece, where I can oversew the seams so it doesn't fray?? ;o)

My very first bag!

I made a bag this weekend - my very first one. Want to see it?

I'll post a better picture of it, as this one was taken with just artificial light and so it's not the best. I used batting instead of fusible fleece (the shop I got the fabric from doesn't sell it) and I thought I'd need quite thick fabric for the outside, but having sewn it, next time I'd use a normal thickness of fabric and find somewhere that sells fusible fleece.

It was fairly easy to do, and this great tutorial explained everything step by step.

My family was over today and they were all suitably impressed, so that's a win in my book!

Last night I cut out all the pieces to make a bag. Big mistake, as now I'm sat at work on a Friday afternoon absolutely dying to get home and get started!