tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53853033846328468732024-03-13T18:11:29.229+00:00Chris Makes Things - aka. Lazy Crafternoonsthis craft blog is inspired by the joys and comforts that come from an afternoon of creative crafting... whether its the things we make, the treats that fuel our creativity, or the excitement of exchanging skills and talents with friends, check in here for posts about all things crafternoony.
<br>Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-8909501447586482732018-08-01T10:30:00.000+01:002018-08-07T01:44:23.912+01:00Don't Read the Comments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In recent years I’ve been struck by the power the internet has to bring quilters together. Yes, quilters have always had social circles and guilds, but the virtual world has allowed us to make global connections, transforming what can sometimes be a solitary craft into something that is hugely connected - for better or for worse.</div>
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I’m active in a lot of social circles on social media. For example the Men Who Quilt Facebook group, another group called UK Quilters United, and of course the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/52quilters/" target="_blank">52Quilters</a> project I run on Instagram. Recently I have been thinking more and more about the power that the internet has in our creative work. It holds the power to connect us, but also it has the power to cause much misunderstanding and division among us.</div>
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I’ve experienced this as the organiser of 52Quilters where comments have occasionally spun out of control, but thankfully I do not have to moderate this feed very often. Still, behind the scenes emails are often misinterpreted or people who work hard to promote a social, warm and aspirational tone on Instagram turn out to have a surprisingly different tone or attitude behind the scenes. There are inevitably problems, misunderstanding and communication barriers when you are organising a project that connects 52 participants across a year to a channel with many followers.</div>
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Rather than just think and stew about this, I've started taking on projects that explore the impact of technology in my life. One is a series of works I’ve stared called “Don’t Read The Comments” another is my “I quilt for...” project, which responded to a call out I shared via 52 Quilters.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BepkH-PBIXQ/?utm_source=ig_embed" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">I’ve been over at @52quilters this month hosting the wellbeing theme as the first theme of the year... one of my new projects for 2018 is a response to asking quilters to finish the sentence “I quilt for...” - I’ve collected many words and will be improv piecing them throughout the year as part of a new project - #iquiltfor</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chrismakesthings/?utm_source=ig_embed" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Chris Webb</a> (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2018-02-01T09:42:36+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 1, 2018 at 1:42am PST</time></div>
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In advance of this year’s Festival of Quilts I was anxious about sharing a mini quilt I created that features the face of radio presenter Chris Evans. Last Summer I had taken a day off work and was planning on going to the Festival of Quilts, but woke up to a fury of comments on the UK Quilters United group that were spurned by some coverage Chris Evans gave to the festival on his radio show.</div>
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Some of the comments were fair and considered but some were very strong and I found it interesting to see how divided the comments were among a community that seeks to be united. Some of the comments were personal views on Chris Evans but as the tangents split off there were also comments about how crowded the festival gets, that it shouldn’t be promoted to new people, and many other unrelated complaints. The seemingly light-hearted coverage, opened a pandora's box of complaints including a unfortunate rant about the presence of mobility scooters and wheeled shopping bags/trolleys. The moderators had their hands full on what for many quilters is already one of the biggest days of the year - the opening of the Festival of Quilts.</div>
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I see the online quoting community like family - UKQU in particular is a wonderful group that I value being a part of - I think of it a bit like a family, sometimes things are lovely and smooth and other times people clash, but ultimately there is love and support... b<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">ut as I sat in bed reading the mix of comments, I decided not to travel to the FOQ that day. I was already feeling run down and the comments I were reading made me feel less and less like making the journey. </span></div>
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I totally own that decision and know that it was the best one for me - I’m not blaming anyone for me missing the show, I’m just saying that if how I felt in the moment and that is what got me thinking about the power that social media has over me and others.</div>
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I decided to turn this into a project and have begun making mini quilts that reflect some of my online experiences. The ‘Don’t Read The Comments: Chris Evans' piece is the first of a few that I will share when I’m ready.</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The quilt is a mini quilt featuring a foundation paper pieced graphic of Chris Evans, and the fabric features anonymised quotes from the Chris Evans discussions that took place on the Facebook group. I've submitted it to the Festival of Quilts, and sheepishly shared with the Facebook group in fear that it might start a fury of comments - but the feedback has been largely positive. Proving that much like family, the online community can also reflect and laugh about their falling outs and flare ups... as long as a bit of time has passed!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ultimately I don't see this as an entirely negative piece, it’s just an exploration of one of the many sides of online interaction. I do understand that not everyone will like it - but hope you’ll appreciate me sharing it and hope you'll share your thoughts with me.</span></div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-28664367077214643562017-11-30T22:48:00.000+00:002017-12-11T18:32:58.690+00:00Vinyls Quilt <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Amidst full-time work, other projects and life stuff, it is often hard to find time to sew. Projects that I'm making for fun or for the sake of making, are easy enough to dip in and out of (I currently have two quilt tops in the queue to be quilted, and a few more unfinished projects to catch up on) - but projects with a deadline like a wedding or baby arriving have to be planned and managed - otherwise I'd always be giving baby quilts to toddlers.<br />
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One of my favourite things is making gifts for people. I understand that not everyone appreciates a hand made gift, but when I think of a special occasion and plan to make a quilt for someone, it is a process that I really savour and enjoy from start to finish, despite the fact that it often comes with a deadline. </div>
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When I was growing up my great aunt was an epic quilter, and often made us quilts for Christmas, birthdays or other life events and so it is a tradition I happily carry on - making gifts for my family, and extended squad in Canada and the UK.</div>
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This summer some dear friends of ours were getting married, and I was determined to make them a 'festival' style quilt, inspired by their love of music and festivals. I selected a number of fabrics that I felt had a real festival vibe, but something in the planning just didn't fit right and I couldn't quite work out how to execute a patchwork that reflected the vibe I wanted. I went around in circles, unable to decide what to do before packing it in completely.<br />
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I was only when I was on the verge of giving up that I looked more closely at one of the fabrics that had reminded me of vinyl records, that I started to look at the fabrics differently and instead of going for a folky/festival vibe - decided to take a much more graphic approach and create a quilt covered in iconic album covers.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTgayKBhcOG/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Colour scheming this morning. Festival vibes. #menwhoquilt</a></div>
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A post shared by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2017-04-30T10:42:28+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Apr 30, 2017 at 3:42am PDT</time></div>
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A few weeks later, I had shortlisted a few album covers to try and decided to have a go at creating a patchwork version of David Bowie's Alladin Sane cover, by sketching out and testing a foundation pieced design.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BapBODyhPwl/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Still going 😬... #vinylsquilt album 6 of 7 - can't have these classics without a touch of #Bowie. This was the first album cover I did, as a way to testing out the idea... each one got more complicated, but I still love the simplicity of this one.</a></div>
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A post shared by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2017-10-24T18:32:01+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 24, 2017 at 11:32am PDT</time></div>
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My first one was a success, and from there I went on to do album covers my our friends' other favourite artists including Prince, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, Grace Jones and Bruce Springsteen.<br />
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The process of creating six album covers worked well around my other commitments, instead of working on a massive project - I was able to focus my attention in one one 12 inch cover at a time, sketching and making each cover individually as mini project.<br />
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Of all the blocks I made my favourite was the cover of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. It was a slightly more complicated design with the body shapes and took a bit of consideration in terms of interpreting the many shades of black/grey/white so that the design wouldn't become too muddled, but I'm really pleased with the result.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BX-UWiTBWOs/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">My favourite cover from the album quilt I made, only because I listened to the bands while making the covers and it's been tooooo long since I've listed to #FleetwoodMac - it was also one of the most challenging blocks to work out the piecing on and I wanted to do Stevie justice... 🙌🙌🙌#menwhoquilt #foundationpiecing #vinylsquilt</a></div>
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A post shared by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2017-08-19T11:29:04+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 19, 2017 at 4:29am PDT</time></div>
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When it came time to fit my six album covers into a layout, I felt I needed one more - and opted for a playful modern twist by including Taylor Swift - an artist who is a slight anomaly in this musical roll call, but totally appropriate for the gift I was making. I'd also realised that all the album covers featured the artist in one way or another, so Taylor Swift's 1989 serendipitously fit with this unintended theme.<br />
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As the album covers came together, so did my playlist - going through the back catalogues of each artist and adding to a growing playlist as I worked on each cover.<br />
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In the end I think I was able to capture the literal references to music as well as the festival vibe I'd originally intended. Looking back this quilt is not unlike my <a href="http://www.lazycrafternoons.co.uk/2014/01/on-to-new-things.html" target="_blank">Canadian Wild</a> quilt I made a few years ago, with just a different subject and colour scheme - but this one is more my own because I used entirely my own foundation pieced designs, and adapted the overall plan as I went.<br />
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I now have a bank of foundation pieced designs which I'm tempted to digitise and share, but I don't want to take away the uniqueness of this project and that time I savoured working on the quilt my friends in mind. Music and memory are strongly linked for me, and so making this quilt has added a new layer for me - I know I'll never be able to listen to Rumours again without thinking about the quilt and my friends.<br />
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-43687337043172544942017-04-05T11:41:00.002+01:002017-04-05T11:41:25.065+01:00Craft Club tutorial - stop and stitch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was recently invited by <a href="http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/craft-club" target="_blank">Craft Club UK</a> to create a step-by-step mini quilt tutorial as their spring tutorial and newsletter. For those who don't know Craft Club is a national campaign that champions craft groups in schools, galleries, libraries and any where else you can bring people together to share craft skills. An ethos that is very near and dear to my heart!<br />
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I'm all about making and sharing, and so I jumped at the chance to make a modern mini quilt and photography and film the process for my pals at Craft Club.<br />
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For years I resisted the idea of hand-sewing, hand-quilting and slow craft - my time-saving mind thought "why waste my time?" - but the truth is that you can not only do completely different things when you stitch by hand, but you also get a completely different experience.... I've learned to savour my slow crafting time, and encourage you to try it out and do the same.<br />
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I hope you'll enjoy the tutorial and have fun making your mini-quilts. I've been doing a lot more slow-making and hand stitching lately, will be sharing more of my projects on the blog over the course of 2017.<br />
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-62785331073082039922017-03-16T09:23:00.000+00:002017-03-16T15:03:52.310+00:00Is sewing a sport?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I have posted before about how making is
much more than just a hobby for me, it's something that is important to help me
find balance, focus and <a href="http://www.lazycrafternoons.co.uk/2012/02/labour-of-loss.html" target="_blank">maintain my resilience in life</a>. It has taken me many years to really unpick
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I've recently been
thinking about it more and more, and my train of thought for this post has come
from one of the most earnest (and peculiar) questions I've ever been asking in
a workshop: 'Is sewing a sport?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Last year I
delivered a series of workshops in the <a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/readingroom" target="_blank">Wellcome Collection Reading Room</a>, which focused
on visitors sharing their experience of sleep and literally stitching them into
a '<a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/sleepstories" target="_blank">Sleep Quilt</a>' - this was a wonderful opportunity for me, and an exciting
proposition that married my earliest experience of museum work at the <a href="http://www.museumofhealthcare.ca/" target="_blank">Museum of Healthcare at Kingston</a> with my life-long love of craft and quilting. Following
on from this experience I wanted to do more work in the Reading Room, so I
pitched a new series of workshops called 'Heart on My Sleeve' where visitors
were encouraged to take inspiration from anatomical drawings and the books in
the Reading Room and create carefully stitches brooches. The results were a range of beautifully hand made accessories, alongside some very interesting discussion about our relationships with our bodies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--axY7IGbP-M/WMpSvJN25dI/AAAAAAAAC5I/lZV5GQj8CjAz-F7NjHsNTi7dN4Soywc8ACLcB/s1600/IMG_7850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--axY7IGbP-M/WMpSvJN25dI/AAAAAAAAC5I/lZV5GQj8CjAz-F7NjHsNTi7dN4Soywc8ACLcB/s400/IMG_7850.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A heart brooch inspired by the drawings in Gray's Anatomy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I planned this quite consciously
as a slow craft activity, suited to the Reading Room which feels like
a welcoming haven for thoughtfulness in the busy heart of central London. I was a bit
nervous about asking visitors to embellish their work sequin by sequin, but
despite being asked for glue or a stapler a few times I won the participants
over by engaging them in slow and thoughtful stitching one stitch at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">People who have never sewn anything by hand tend to be quite nervous
and easily frustrated – for many people the idea of picking up a needle and thread is anxiety-inducing. Although the first few stitches can feel a bit clumsy I
always try to draw people’s attention to their process and progress. The
beauty of the relationship between the mind and body, is that by the time you have completed ten to fifteen stitches, the sewing process quickly shifts from conscious
movement to automatic muscle memory. I find it particularly effective to explore this
with people in the Reading Room, which actively explores the mind and body
across a range of themes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">You might think the design process would be the most interesting part for visitors, but when the making happens and muscle memory
is doing most of the work is when the best discussions emerge.
Once you get your head around what your hands are doing, your mind moves into
this wonderful place where it is just occupied enough, but not overly
focused. This is a space where the mind can wander without distraction – the act
of sewing anchors you enough to a task, and the bustling physical and online worlds
that constantly pull our attention nicely fade away.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fLw8szySo-w/WMpW-twRl5I/AAAAAAAAC5c/Xhth0lbmspUZIQKf0aidzfdZYN4LaDwrgCLcB/s1600/IMG_7915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fLw8szySo-w/WMpW-twRl5I/AAAAAAAAC5c/Xhth0lbmspUZIQKf0aidzfdZYN4LaDwrgCLcB/s400/IMG_7915.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sewing excercises the connections between mind and body</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">It was in one of these moments of focus and discussion that a
young boy turned and asked me “Is sewing a sport?” – he had joined the session
excitedly but was quite reluctant when it came to the sewing, like many young
children he initially felt limited (and frustrated) by his hand-eye coordination, but he quickly
got a handle on his project and then ask to make a second, and then third
brooch. I’m sure that he was in this
mindful making space when he asked this question – which really made me stop and
think. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Aside from
competitive aspects (which many sewists and quilters would argue are the ways
sewing is <i>MOST </i>like sport), it occurred to me that from the mind and body perspective, sewing is just like a sport in many ways. Many people sew in groups or gather in guilds to challenge themselves and experience a sort of camaraderie from fellow makers - just like in sport. Makers practice and train their bodies and minds to work together to achieve quite precise processes - just like in sport - it may not be as athletic but the process is very much the same. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v1quzYfX2Ok/WMpWekBv2wI/AAAAAAAAC5U/EcYuysRBemocaP94FyI55b_bUTGw1sStQCLcB/s1600/IMG_7940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v1quzYfX2Ok/WMpWekBv2wI/AAAAAAAAC5U/EcYuysRBemocaP94FyI55b_bUTGw1sStQCLcB/s400/IMG_7940.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sewing is like a sport, perhaps with less impact on the respiratory system</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">For many, playing sports, swimming, running and active exercise provides </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">stress-relief and relieves tension. Sport balances a satisfying mix of repetitive motions that are driven by muscle memory and reactive movements and problem solving on the go. So with that in mind, could craft be considered a slow sport?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">For some it may be a stretch, but for me what they have in common is that wonderful headspace I described earlier. Whether you are dancing, running, stretching or sewing, your mind moves into a place of focus, with just enough room to wander without distraction. It's no wonder that the most interesting conversations and philosophical questions came as participants were finishing their work - the process of slowing down, making and thinking allowed us to think about our bodies in a different way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The mind-body process of stitching led that young curious mind to ask if sewing was a
sport, is the same thing that keeps me picking up a needle day after day after so many years. The basic movements might seem repetitive, but the creative process and the journey of the mind is unique every time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">* * * * * *</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i style="background-color: white;">The<a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/readingroom" target="_blank"> Wellcome Reading Room </a> is an innovative hybrid of gallery, library and events space, the Reading Room is designed to encourage you to indulge your curiosity and explore more than ever before.</i></span>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-26753060044544688182016-09-26T23:15:00.003+01:002016-09-26T23:15:31.778+01:00Not so recent project...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
With all the fun I've been having behind the scenes at <a href="http://www.52quilters.com/" target="_blank">52Quilters</a> things have been pretty quiet here in my little corner of the world wide weberverse. Well I say quiet, but I have been making behind the scenes and working on a few new projects, including a plan to spruce things up around here.<br />
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For now, I'm catching up with a share of a make I finished earlier this year. A gift for a mother and father-to-be which I had a really fun time making. After drowning myself in pinterest inspiration for bold geometric patterns, I decided to play more with stripes than shape and developed this off-centre broken stripe pattern, and created some foundation pieced templates for myself so I could keep things as precise as possible.<br />
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From there I played a bit with colour and rotation to create the quilt below. On the back, I played with light and dark blues and carried the broken stripe motif but cut out the random angles.<br />
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I'm really happy with the pattern, and am thinking of developing it into a free resource or tutorial, once I get my new and improved site up and running! Obviously, I'm a bit behind in my to-do list - I actually finished this project in MARCH - hence the title of this post.</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-16514384528809202582016-08-06T14:30:00.000+01:002016-09-26T23:23:24.398+01:00Curious Fractals - part two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm continuing to work on my Curious Fractals quilt, paused only slightly by a combination of fabric miscalculation and mishap. First I underestimated how much I would need of a certain colour, and the secondly I cut out a few framing pieces using the wrong-side of the template, meaning they are backwards.<br />
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I could piece a replacement piece together with scraps, but with my points so on fleek (see post below) - I've decided to hunt for a few extra fat quarters so I can finish it off properly. After much searching fabric is on its way, so I hope to finish this quilt by Christmas.<br />
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I've been posting progress as I go on instagram. Follow along #CuriousFractals #WillThisEverEnd?<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDgMjvPic-G/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">More points on fleek today. Finally getting to my Easter weekend sewing with my #curiousfractals project. #quiltonfleek #menwhoquilt</a></div>
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2016-03-28T16:15:52+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 28, 2016 at 9:15am PDT</time></div>
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Another shot with some of my pieces laid out.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BCC6-e5CcwL/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Feels like I painted (quilted?) myself into a corner a bit with my #curiousfractals project. Deciding how best to square off my icositetragon (24 sided patchwork) - 5 of the 24 fragments seen here... #menwhoquilt #parsongray</a></div>
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2016-02-21T10:52:51+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 21, 2016 at 2:52am PST</time></div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-44714641688061526792016-01-18T18:38:00.001+00:002016-01-18T18:45:24.476+00:00Curious Fractals - part one<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This year I have a few projects I want to work on, and spending my first week of the year over on <a href="http://www.52quilters.com/" target="_blank">52Quilters </a>was a great year to help me sort out my ideas and draw up a proper work list.<br />
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I've written a lot about craft as a kind of sustenance for me, something that helps me focus, keep balance, and save time for myself, but I've always been careful to categorise it as play and not "work".... My approach for 2016 is to do the opposite, not categorise it as work in the sense that it's going be to major source of income, but to acknowledge the need to develop myself and just generally do more. It's work in the same way that going to the gym, read a challenging book, or forcing myself to go to the dentist is work: sometimes a pain, but mostly very good for me!</div>
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So my first project of 2016 is my Curious Fractals quilt. Quite a few years ago I broke my own <a href="http://www.52quilters.com/2015/01/well-well-well-it-seems-that-52quilters.html" target="_blank">stash rules</a> and bought up a good selection of fabrics from David Butler's Curious Nature collection, and I've been sitting on them, failing to <a href="http://www.52quilters.com/2016/01/week-1-2016-getting-off-my-stash.html" target="_blank">get off my stash</a> ever since.</div>
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After trying a few different ideas, and building up anxiety over cutting into my stash, I've decided to revisit my fractals pattern from the Mini Rainbow Swap last year. To enlarge my colour rainbow mini that had 8 colours repeating three times, and create a much larger and squared off version using 12 colours of Curious Nature repeating twice.</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/07DJF8Cc_n/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Last look before its off in the post to my partner - I hope you like it! #rainbowminiswap #rainbowteamYELLOW</a></div>
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2015-04-01T06:42:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 31, 2015 at 11:42pm PDT</time></div>
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I'm using paper piecing for this project, the quilter is divided into 24 fragments, each made up of three paper pieced pieces. I haven't decided how I'm going to frame/square off the work, but I've started on the fragments. </div>
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I know per piecing is a fast and straightforward way to piece, but I forgot how much prep there is: cutting out the 72 fragments, numbering fabrics and laying out what fabric corresponds which each piece. I spent most of the first weekend of January planning instead of sewing, but progress is slowly underway.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BApkRLzCc6A/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">The first cut is the deepest.... Finally cutting into my stash of #curiousnature to make my #curiousfractals quilt. #menwhoquilt</a></div>
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2016-01-17T18:02:02+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 17, 2016 at 10:02am PST</time></div>
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I've made my first cuts and will be updating on here and Instagram as Curious Fractals comes together!</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-51007270521539203442015-03-03T22:32:00.000+00:002015-03-03T22:45:39.313+00:00slow and measured steps...Well true to what they say, 2015 came in like a Lion! Life has been keeping me busy, with lots of travel for work and the ticking along of 52 Quilters... but I'm pleased to report that I have been maintaining my 'focus' and staying true to that as my word for the year!<br />
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My first exercise in focus was working on my project for the Rainbow Mini Swap - my second ever swap, and so I set out to do a few things on my list and really focus and force myself to do more with this mini project. I wanted to created something entirely new, and work from my own pattern so I designed a geometric foundation pieced design in Illustrator and then had a go and piecing it together.<br />
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Above: my first two test pieces for the project - and - Below: my many segments in the stages of piecing things together.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">This has been a really great project for me because it has basically served as a big heavy-handed metaphor for 'focus': with all the lines and segments shooting out in a fractal-like pattern, but all anchoring in a single point of focus in the centre. It's a lot like my life right now - lots of wonderful distractions in the big picture, but I'm learning to prioritise, focus (get ready for a year of overusing that word!) and not just deal with things one at a time, but really be in that moment of dealing with things instead of half-completing something while my mind is wondering about everything else.</span></div>
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And Tad-dah! The final project (front and back) - well final-ish, I still have to quilt and bind it (must remind myself that it is not finished!)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ii3cPeGoCoU/VPYzwjh5nsI/AAAAAAAAB8w/Ypzf5_3l0ss/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ii3cPeGoCoU/VPYzwjh5nsI/AAAAAAAAB8w/Ypzf5_3l0ss/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Still a little bit of work to do, but I'm really pleased with the project. <br />
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My next step in focusing my attention has been to try my hand at english paper piecing (having sworn several time that hand-sewing was "Just not for me") and so far its going so good. Stay tuned to the blog and my instagram for updates with how that challenge goes... Right now I'm still very much in the honeymoon phase, so we'll see how I feel a few rosettes in.<br />
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My optimistic start to Rosette #1:<br />
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2015-03-01T12:13:45+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 1, 2015 at 4:13am PST</time></div>
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Thanks for stopping in as always, if you have the time to comment I'd love to hear about what you are working on and what your biggest hurdles have been - whether it is specific projects you had trouble finished, or the more general hurdle of patience like me!<br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-52209603789166809872015-01-21T22:30:00.000+00:002015-01-21T22:30:19.337+00:002015: Focus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to 2015! Regular readers might notice a few changes around here, but not necessarily obvious or cosmetic ones: This year I'm trying to do more blogging, make my blog a bit more personal and post on a wider, more dynamic range of topics. So as a kick start to this new journey, I'm sharing my first major project of the year (second quilt) along with my elected word of the year:'Focus'.</div>
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At the end of my week on 52 Quilters, I <a href="http://www.52quilters.com/2015/01/week-1-round-up.html" target="_blank">posted over on the '52</a> about lessons learned in 2014 and my plan to apply the word focus to my work and life throughout 2015. Focus on my work, focus on my practice and what inspires me and keeping focus in the moments I want to savour, enjoy and remember. </div>
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So my first personal project: my Rainbow Mini Swap quilt is bringing my focus together in lots of ways.</div>
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1) I'm really thinking about my design and taking measured plans to create something and really enjoy the process of making, instead of just speeding towards the finished product. Here I am working on my sketches and planning my pattern.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-joCwpCYbVXg/VMAkcuKVkLI/AAAAAAAAB4o/BA9-rETEqek/s1600/IMG_1275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-joCwpCYbVXg/VMAkcuKVkLI/AAAAAAAAB4o/BA9-rETEqek/s1600/IMG_1275.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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2) I'm trying to hone my digital skills by creating my own digital paper-piecing blocks. Here is one step of my design in Illustrator, and the final version printed and ready to start piecing.</div>
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3) I've created a design that embodies the idea focus - a geometric pattern where all the lines and colours draw to one single point in the middle: a point of focus (I know, I know... maybe a bit too literal? but I like it!)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NeEkdCvAeKA/VMAkdexZBCI/AAAAAAAAB4s/jDbVoDpoMv8/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NeEkdCvAeKA/VMAkdexZBCI/AAAAAAAAB4s/jDbVoDpoMv8/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Part of this new reign of focus is accepting patience. Something I am going to need when it comes to piecing together this 12-sided quilt made up of 24 segments. Each segment has three paper pieced pieces, which I've cut out and written letters to help me know my colour layouts...<br />
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You can see my pieces grouped and ready to go. I've made two out of 24 segments about, and here are the other 22 segments waiting to become patchwork!<br />
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I'm not really into new year's resolutions or introducing sweeping changing into my life just because of the calendar, but I do think its nice to think and nominate some words or principles to guide me year-to-year. What are you New Year's rituals? Do you have any words of inspiration for 2015?<br />
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Check back for more updates on my #rainbowminiswap project and more! Lots ahead for 2015 including new projects and my first quilting bee!<br />
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Thank you for reading!<br />
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-91878421272733614662015-01-11T17:21:00.004+00:002015-01-11T17:27:13.401+00:0052 Quilters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi folks,<br />
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In case you were stopping by and didn't find out through the bajillion other channels I've been shamelessly self-promoting it on, this past week I've been posting as a part of my new project called <a href="http://www.52quilters.com/" target="_blank">'52 Quilters'</a>. 52 Quilters is a project inspired by some of the other '52 twitter accounts out there, but extending that to instagram and blogger by inviting a new quilter to take over the 52 Quilter accounts each week.<br />
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Last week I was the first quilter and you can <a href="http://www.52quilters.com/2015/01/week-1-round-up.html" target="_blank">read all about my week here</a>, with my round up post. Soon I'll be back to Lazy Crafternoons, but will be making a few changes to how I write and work this year (don't worry all fun, positive and very me!)... so stay tuned for updates.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-igu0j8dMwlw/VLKwozVsAMI/AAAAAAAAB3g/qtQHd3z2bnE/s1600/IMG_1982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-igu0j8dMwlw/VLKwozVsAMI/AAAAAAAAB3g/qtQHd3z2bnE/s1600/IMG_1982.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new baby quilt I made as a part of my week on the '52</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3501631/?claim=h9hwgsj379c">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
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</div>Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-17467749795389878862014-12-01T21:05:00.002+00:002015-01-11T18:08:28.813+00:00Christmas Giveaway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Christmas is a time for giving (and for some, shameless self-promotion!) so I'm hosting a little festive Giveaway from today through to December 10th.<br />
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To celebrate the opening of my <a href="https://folksy.com/shops/lazycrafternoons" target="_blank">Folksy Shop</a><br />
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<a href="http://folksy.com/shops/lazycrafternoons"><img alt="Find Me On Folksy" src="http://folksy.com/images/badges/folksy_findmeon.jpg" /></a><br />
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I'm giving away this stocking full of Lazy Crafternoons goodies.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0WHirrZmzY/VHzUvjJh4RI/AAAAAAAABxM/-Vf7Te0vpWs/s1600/GiveawayFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0WHirrZmzY/VHzUvjJh4RI/AAAAAAAABxM/-Vf7Te0vpWs/s1600/GiveawayFinal.png" height="400" width="400" /></a><br />
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The rules are simple all you have to do is follow me on <a href="http://instagram.com/chrismakesthings" target="_blank">instagram (ChrisMakesThings)</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/chriswhomakes" target="_blank">Twitter (@ChrisWhoMakes)</a> and share your holiday spirit with me any way you like using #LCXmasGiveaway<br />
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Repost and Retweet the image above, show me what you are making or tell me what is on the top of your Christmas list this year!<br />
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A winner will be drawn at 7pm GMT on December 10th - enter as many times as you like! I'll do my best to ship to my winner no matter where you live, but if you live in a place that hates contests or you are so far you may not receive your post by Christmas then please only enter if you are patient!<br />
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After many years away, the call of London proved too strong and at the start of October we found ourselves picking up our sticks and moving back to the big smoke. I had a wonderful three years in Bristol, and will always love Bristol as my first home-across-the-pond, but when the right opportunities presented themselves we decided it was time for us to do London again.<br />
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It's a very strange feeling to leave somewhere that feels like home and return to another place that was once home. This move was both a departure and a homecoming.<br />
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In the spirit of London life which is as hustling, bustling and busy as I remember it, I'm posting an efficiently quick and easy update to the blog. Now I know instagram photos do not a blog post make, but I thought it would be a nice and easy way to catch up on things to share what I've been up to and encourage readers to follow me on instagram.<br />
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Just a few shots from my first month back in town.<br />
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2014-10-10T10:13:32+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 10, 2014 at 3:13am PDT</time></div>
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2014-10-25T10:19:31+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 10, 2014 at 3:19am PDT</time></div>
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2014-10-30T08:12:07+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 10, 2014 at 1:12am PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/u0yHqcCc2x/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Cake is a good reward for four weeks completed in the new job!</a></div>
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A photo posted by Chris Webb (@chrismakesthings) on <time datetime="2014-10-31T17:09:37+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 10, 2014 at 10:09am PDT</time></div>
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In reality, not much has changed in London. It's still the same place and it still excites and exhausts me in the same old ways... the one thing that's changed in the six years I've been away is the rise of apps and their impact on the efficiency of urban life. We can document our lives through apps, find places to eat, find things to do, book taxis and generally explore the city with more efficiency and less need to speak to the people around us than ever - how strange and (and in odd way) wonderfully London.<br />
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More updates to come soon, with lots of new things to share and changes coming to my world of crafternoons.</div>
Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-52940365514686054262014-09-02T09:36:00.001+01:002014-09-02T17:16:13.709+01:00Written in the stars - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now the time has come for the big reveal of my "Written in the Stars" quilt which <a href="http://lazycrafternoons.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/written-in-stars-part-1.html" target="_blank">I posted about last week</a>. It was such a challenging project for me because it brought in some new techniques that I had probably not practiced or mastered enough to start working with! I went from practising one basic new york beauty block, to drawing my own and adapting it to place one of my stars in the middle.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CEtNv-a4gYs/VAVuEsiyr7I/AAAAAAAABr4/ARZybZiQ4z0/s1600/IMG_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CEtNv-a4gYs/VAVuEsiyr7I/AAAAAAAABr4/ARZybZiQ4z0/s1600/IMG_0198.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting the New York Beauty inspired block</td></tr>
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To make matters more complicated I also decided that I wanted inset the block into the piano-key border I set out around the edge of the quilt... and I <i>just </i>about managed it. Sewing with curves in Patchwork is not that new to me, but what I've never done is quilted a patchwork with curves in it. It was not too much of a struggle to get the patchwork together, but as I quilted through this block the fabric behaved in all kinds of strange ways I'd never expected... pulling and stretching in odd places, and resulting in much unpicking.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IwrILunwQWY/VAV0md4dMlI/AAAAAAAABsQ/H8_uomo1_jg/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IwrILunwQWY/VAV0md4dMlI/AAAAAAAABsQ/H8_uomo1_jg/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New York Beauty with inset start and inset into border of the quilt.</td></tr>
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With a few cheats, I just about managed it but I will have to be more patient with curves the next time I tackle them.<br />
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I quilted using tight parallel straight lines running across the quilt and tracing some of the stars, and then filled the remaining space with randomly angled intersecting lines. Not my neatest quilting job, but I was happy with the overall effect.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Go8Y8dc71Q/VAV1GzDg_aI/AAAAAAAABsc/5Ghc9ATNDBU/s1600/IMG_0952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Go8Y8dc71Q/VAV1GzDg_aI/AAAAAAAABsc/5Ghc9ATNDBU/s1600/IMG_0952.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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And for the finished product? My hope is that you'll be inspired by the quilt, but forgive my photo composition! Sadly, I live in a small urban flat and don't have fields of wheat or rolling green hills to use as a backdrop for my quilts: Instead you get a crowded floor space between an ikea desk and a laundry rack and my very dingy garden!<br />
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But here it is:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8lLU9DML2yE/VAWAzfznbFI/AAAAAAAABtA/fP5BgHAQWJY/s1600/IMG_0958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8lLU9DML2yE/VAWAzfznbFI/AAAAAAAABtA/fP5BgHAQWJY/s1600/IMG_0958.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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And my wonderful friend (of 10 years now!) showing it off her gift. Not the greatest photo, but I hope it shows off the overall look. The lighting makes the puckering look a bit worse than it was, but it does at least show off the mix of textures between the tight straight line quilting and the more random lines that run through the rest of the quilt. Plus the smile on her face is the most important thing to me!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-qEPNR08x8/VAV1vhqQrMI/AAAAAAAABsk/Dkch5RJ5_Ys/s1600/AnjaliQuilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-qEPNR08x8/VAV1vhqQrMI/AAAAAAAABsk/Dkch5RJ5_Ys/s1600/AnjaliQuilt.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Excited to see what the next 10 years brings our way!</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-3962815384123993782014-08-23T09:48:00.001+01:002014-08-23T09:54:40.404+01:00Written in the stars - Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In follow up to my <a href="http://lazycrafternoons.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/always-secret-crafting.html" target="_blank">always secret crafting post</a> the "big reveal" on my most recent project has now come and gone, but because I haven't had a chance to blog-as-I-quilt, I thought I'd just post a little teaser with the online reveal to follow shortly. So this will be part one of a two-part-post - I promise not to drag it on too long! Remember: good things come to those who wait.<br />
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The gift quilt I've been working on came about as a way to celebrate a 10-year "friendiversary"with one of my best pals. We met at uni when fate rolled the dice and we ended up working in offices next to one another and we became friends in July 2004 when, barely knowing each other, we ended up travelling to and sharing a tent at Hillside Music Festival in Guelph, Canada. <br />
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This first friendezvous came about somewhat unplanned, and we awkwardly shared a tent and shivered through the weekend's unexpectedly cold nights, while enjoying food, good music, and a few workshops each day. The rest was written in the stars. <br />
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Nine months later we moved to different cities and have never since lived in the same place (or for that matter the same country). Despite this distance we've sustained the friendship, via emails, skype, visits and meeting up in a host of amazing places. So as our 10 year friendiversary approached, I knew I had to find a way to mark the occasion!<br />
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Thinking about the theme of "written in the stars" I knew I wanted to create a constellation themed quilt using paper pieced stars and an adapted new york beauty block. I wanted to weave in lots of hidden stories and themes related to our friendship, but I struggled with finding a way to tell the story through the quilt so despite starting work on it with this initial star block in March 2012, the project sat on the back burner until I had my lightbulb moment earlier this year.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SNFLtosndFE/U_hNqwi5F1I/AAAAAAAABqc/Uhujh-7Vz6E/s1600/starblock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SNFLtosndFE/U_hNqwi5F1I/AAAAAAAABqc/Uhujh-7Vz6E/s1600/starblock.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first attempt at a star block.</td></tr>
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The slow and sluggish thought process that went on over two years on the back-burner of my mind went something like this:<br />
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<i>I love the star and definitely want to work with stars...</i><br />
<i>... but what can I do with stars, how can I arrange them?</i><br />
<i>Hmmm.. constellations, I could make it a constellation quilt...</i><br />
<i>... I wonder if there is a constellation of a unicorn? (we share a joke/affirmation about unicorns) </i><i>*rushes to google*... Oh yes! There is a monoceros constellation...</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Sidney_Hall_-_Urania's_Mirror_-_Monoceros%2C_Canis_Minor%2C_and_Atelier_Typographique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Sidney_Hall_-_Urania's_Mirror_-_Monoceros%2C_Canis_Minor%2C_and_Atelier_Typographique.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Monoceros, Canis Minor, and Atelier Typographique" by Sidney Hall</td></tr>
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<i>... but what do I do with this now... and how do I work in the rest of the stories... Am I taking on too much? Can I really tell a story in a quilt?</i><i>... *excited but totally overwhelmed*</i><br />
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Then one day it hit me: I had reached a point where I knew I wanted to lay out the constellation across the main body of the quilt and had chosen <a href="http://www.westminsterfabrics.com/pub/singlecollection.jsp?designer=Dan%20Bennett&image=&collection=Premier+Lord&category=0&catname=&newitem=0&new_desc=null" target="_blank">Dan Bennett's Premier Lord</a> collection as my fabrics for the stars... but I was struggling to find fabric in the right deep and dark blue tones to form the contrasting background which I wanted to be the sky. I even searched for constellation fabrics, but struggled to find the right balance of dark, muted blues that I wanted.<br />
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So I decided to take the plunge and make my own fabrics via Spoonflower! This allowed me to challenge myself to do some design work and get exactly what I wanted, in the right colours, and gave me a way to literally sew the story of our friendship into the fabric of the quilt.<br />
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I designed a pattern of constellations inspired by our friendship, the things we love and the places we have been together and had them printed in three different shades of blue. I also used the placement of the stars in this constellation design, to create a secondary <a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/3045355" target="_blank">connected constellation fabric</a> (now for sale on Spoonflower!) where the stars were all joined together differently to create a geo-metric fabric.<br />
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Here are the three main fabrics:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XzQF1pAJoFM/U_hSJuvzBGI/AAAAAAAABq0/s0CWPO_6eUw/s1600/IMG_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XzQF1pAJoFM/U_hSJuvzBGI/AAAAAAAABq0/s0CWPO_6eUw/s1600/IMG_0163.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here I'm piecing my fabrics alongside Dan Bennett's fabrics</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eMhVFuVWaE8/U_hSIqX1eAI/AAAAAAAABqo/Q13KfTU8_cM/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eMhVFuVWaE8/U_hSIqX1eAI/AAAAAAAABqo/Q13KfTU8_cM/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here you can see the supplementary connected constellation fabric bringing in a geo-metric design that breaks up the more graphic designs of the other fabrics.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hZmp7F5iw-I/U_hSJcA9LiI/AAAAAAAABqw/_IS1Mx9av84/s1600/IMG_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hZmp7F5iw-I/U_hSJcA9LiI/AAAAAAAABqw/_IS1Mx9av84/s1600/IMG_0176.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">And here is your sneak-peek taste of the quilt - my first completed star block ready to go into the quilt. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yz-CHv94o0/U_hSND8WXmI/AAAAAAAABrA/m3E0wKt6mcI/s1600/IMG_0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yz-CHv94o0/U_hSND8WXmI/AAAAAAAABrA/m3E0wKt6mcI/s1600/IMG_0196.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was really happy with the contrast of the colours I'd chosen to print my fabrics in and felt that the designs I made and the scale I printed them at worked really well to achieve the look I was going for. I wanted the stars to stand out against a very blue background, but didn't want that background to be flat or dull... I think these fabrics work just right to give a defined but not lacklustre backdrop for the stars which are the real focus of the quilt.<br />
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Part two is coming soon!<br />
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-78203661566543673992014-08-06T20:11:00.000+01:002014-08-06T20:32:43.228+01:00always secret crafting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here we go again, I'm writing one of many secret crafting blog posts, only this time I'm writing <em>before </em><a href="http://lazycrafternoons.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/more-secret-crafting.html" target="_blank">the big reveal</a>. <br />
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When you quilt, you constantly come up against a tension between the traditional and modern, and although it's a tension I love to embrace and explore in my work, when it comes to quilting and blogging, the tension is quite hard to balance. Bloggers need things to blog about, but very special, long-term projects don't produce the kind of exciting tidbits and progress updates that suit a blog. Inside you are dying to share all those little things and anecdotes about your work, but because you are working on a gift it is all top secret!<br />
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It can also be very hard to remember to share my many thoughts and ideas when I'm working hard and purposefully keeping my head down so as not to arise the suspicion of the soon-to-be recipient of the project I am working on. <br />
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So without giving it all away, I've been busy working on a very special project the last few months. Really it is a project that has been 10 years in the making, but I've only been properly working out my ideas in the last six months.<br />
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The project has been a tough one that has introduced a few new things into my repertoire:<br />
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1. Mastering curves (yikes!)<br />
2. Completing some <a href="http://www.lenzula.de/en/pattern/free-pattern/new-york-beauty.html" target="_blank">New York Beauty</a> blocks (double yikes!!)<br />
3. Designing my own fabric (what the what!?!)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.canoeridgecreations.com/2012/03/new-your-beauty-quilt-along-block-1.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6056/6848860772_501bc458d5_z.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.canoeridgecreations.com/2012/03/new-your-beauty-quilt-along-block-1.html" target="_blank">Am I up to the challenge? A new york beauty piece from Canoe Ridge Creations</a></td></tr>
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Number three really hits the "traditional meets modern" nail on the head. Get me - I've had a go and digital fabric design! I've designed with illustrator before with my own laser-cut patterns for my Bristol Cityscape coasters and mobile designs, but I felt very overwhelmed at the task of taking my skills further design fabrics.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P-araL-gzM0/U-J7uTbKyWI/AAAAAAAABpw/lp8Qw6hZDn8/s1600/coasters01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P-araL-gzM0/U-J7uTbKyWI/AAAAAAAABpw/lp8Qw6hZDn8/s1600/coasters01.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-101fS9ZLn1o/T_mrBOXyLyI/AAAAAAAABmE/8zKxtZfQZXM/s1600/IMG_5645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-101fS9ZLn1o/T_mrBOXyLyI/AAAAAAAABmE/8zKxtZfQZXM/s1600/IMG_5645.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Fabrics are so much more layered, colourful and complex than simple line drawings, but to ease myself into it, I kept it simple - using my experience with line design to draw some constellations and create some custom fabric. I am desperate to show it off to on the blog, but the design would be a dead giveaway for the person I am creating the quilt for, so for now I'm going to have to be a textual tease.<br />
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I ordered my fabric through Spoonflower, but have since discovered that there is a range of fabric printers here in the uk: <a href="http://www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/design-your-own-fabric/" target="_blank">check out these listings at the Sewing Directory</a>. <br />
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Have you designed your own and had any fab or tragic experiences? If yes, I would love to hear about them. Comment or drop me a line or two and I'll work them into my "big reveal" post which should be coming in about two-weeks time!<br />
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-10797950935944398562014-06-09T23:01:00.002+01:002014-06-09T23:04:52.592+01:00Craft fuel: Coffee - DIY Nespresso Capsule Holder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been a very long time since I did a 'craft fuel' post and as I write this it has occurred to me how strange it is I have never posted about the most important craft fuel of all: coffee.<br />
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Those who know me well (and anyone else who has seen me before 8:30 on any given morning) know that coffee is a big part of my life. I'll admit it is not the healthiest part of my daily routine, but given that it is my only true vice I give myself a pass and allow myself to indulge in a few cups a day.<br />
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Sometimes I have a treat with it, some cake or a nice piece of dark chocolate, but even on it's own it is a delightful little indulgence and comes with a perfect little pick me up that when tempered correctly lends a bit of oomph and focus to my crafting.<br />
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Now I've been through all the coffee machines out there: I have my toddy for deliciously smooth iced coffees in the summer, I have a siphon for a strong but sweet brew and more recently I set myself up with a Nespresso Machine so that I can enjoy the full range of lattes, cappuccinos and on my last rockstar-of-a-new-year's-eve: boozy frangelico macchiatos! <br />
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I love my machine, so much that I've upgraded to a 'Latissima' and at my old job I conspired with colleagues to establish an at-work machine as well. As much as I love the sweet brown nectar that flows from those capsules, I've always been foiled when it comes to storing them. Yes, there are boxes and racks and containers and lovely glass jars out there designed for them but they all come at a high price and none of them have ever really appealed to me that much, so I set out to make my own. Check it out:<br />
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DIY Nespresso Capsule Holder<br />
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Materials:<br />
- 7 strips of balsa wood (15mm x 5mm)<br />
- thick double-sided foam tape<br />
- magnetic tape<br />
- 1 magnetic note board (IKEA)<br />
- washi tape for decorating<br />
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Here's how I did it:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTJgyOgQX8g/U5YqNDukzlI/AAAAAAAABk4/RCASjALHQPI/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTJgyOgQX8g/U5YqNDukzlI/AAAAAAAABk4/RCASjALHQPI/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing my layout and cut balsa to size with craft knife.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-on8ykxqMUMY/U5YqNCBRZGI/AAAAAAAABk8/h-XpJ51gycI/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-on8ykxqMUMY/U5YqNCBRZGI/AAAAAAAABk8/h-XpJ51gycI/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trimming magnetic tape to 1/2 width.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0INTaNbriOg/U5YqQOht9UI/AAAAAAAABlQ/HQgAG7Vbm3o/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0INTaNbriOg/U5YqQOht9UI/AAAAAAAABlQ/HQgAG7Vbm3o/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Attaching magnet strip to wood with double sided tape. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VaxfLOtPx0U/U5YqS3rdriI/AAAAAAAABlY/jqPWV1gBY3A/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VaxfLOtPx0U/U5YqS3rdriI/AAAAAAAABlY/jqPWV1gBY3A/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover each strip with Washi Tape</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUCewIvFZOXbDNNAkD3antgIsG0sMqFTLE7Bru0DMmXDn2uFipTrA45ZRQSyeSELgGvBQeF2w1saTg6V3Bkx0gpOXr1o_R04f6d8YPiNeeczqwXvvZiERrp6Yp1MpJQVvbipn-c1rbSA/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUCewIvFZOXbDNNAkD3antgIsG0sMqFTLE7Bru0DMmXDn2uFipTrA45ZRQSyeSELgGvBQeF2w1saTg6V3Bkx0gpOXr1o_R04f6d8YPiNeeczqwXvvZiERrp6Yp1MpJQVvbipn-c1rbSA/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assemble, and Ta-da!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNT2YRo1STI/U5YqUHIHS-I/AAAAAAAABlo/LwD0HsGwy_s/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VNT2YRo1STI/U5YqUHIHS-I/AAAAAAAABlo/LwD0HsGwy_s/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The capsule holder in situ at my coffee corner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R9H0DOQA_RQ/U5YqVdFtMKI/AAAAAAAABlw/3em28JAQjlk/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R9H0DOQA_RQ/U5YqVdFtMKI/AAAAAAAABlw/3em28JAQjlk/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm double latte!</td></tr>
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So there it is. After a long time of juggling with capsules, I've made my own capsule holder. The nice thing is that it was very cheap (all materials under £15), and it is completely changeable! I can create a new layout or change the colour of my washi tape and create a new look whenever I want... but for now, I'll just admire it while I sip my coffee.<br />
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-35028644901335955222014-04-01T22:52:00.000+01:002014-04-01T22:55:24.374+01:00Creative inspiration: Ken Stradling Collection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As a part of my resolution to get back to blogging, I'm hoping to document some of the creative places I come across in hopes that I might share a bit of what gets me inspired! Last weekend I found a little creative refuge in Bristol when I attended the opening of the Ken Stradling Collection, a new collection and study library that is now open to the public every Wednesday in Bristol.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new (but seasoned) addition to the Bristol design scene</td></tr>
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With links to his professional history with the Bristol Guild, Ken Stradling has built up a very personal collection of 20th and 21st century ceramics, furniture, glass and more. Now with thanks to Heritage Lottery Funding and the Gane Trust this remarkable private collection is open to the public.</div>
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Tucked away on Park Row, this eclectic collection is displayed over three floors. Because it is so varied, with everything from large pieces of original furniture to charming little one-of-kind ceramic works, the collection will appeal to a broad range of visitors. From designophiles to one-off browsers, the collection boasts plenty of design eye-candy for everyone... and if the objects aren't enough, it also hosts a design study centre for visitors to pursue their interests further.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zDvoWKvv1l8/Uzsyu9wfY5I/AAAAAAAABiU/QZlT2AXr9Pk/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zDvoWKvv1l8/Uzsyu9wfY5I/AAAAAAAABiU/QZlT2AXr9Pk/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fellow opening attendees - getting serious about design<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QPlqfIUiI5s/UzsyyKPjAZI/AAAAAAAABic/LGh9w-6sbjo/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QPlqfIUiI5s/UzsyyKPjAZI/AAAAAAAABic/LGh9w-6sbjo/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A busy opening!</td></tr>
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Though Ken Stradling has been collecting since the late 1940s, the collection is very much in its infancy as a display. It is refreshing to see that there is room for such interesting and personal collections in the Bristol scene and though the works on display are so varied, his passion for design visibly ties them all together. I expect that this very personal angle will make the collection accessible to a wide range of people, from those unaware that home design has a fascinating story to seasoned design aficionados whose work has shaped the history reflected in the collections.<br />
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The photos show off the wonderful range of the collection:<br />
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The collection promises to display a regularly changing selection of work and also boasts a digital catalogue of significant items <a href="http://www.stradlingcollection.org/">on their website</a>. You can now visit the Ken Stradling Collection Wednesdays from 10 until 4, at 48 Park Row in Bristol... do pop in and check it out!</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-3859306270032845292014-01-30T08:09:00.002+00:002014-01-30T09:59:13.478+00:00on to new things!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm not sure if you noticed, but there was a bit of a post '52 weeks 52 crafts' lull here at Lazy Crafternoons. I have been quite busy behind the scenes, but my 2012 challenge must have really knackered my blogging skills because 2013 was consequentially quite a quiet one in my little corner of the world wide weberverse.<br />
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2014 will be all about balance for me. Trying to find a way to juggle my craft life and work life (a new full time job at the end of 2012 may or may not have also been keeping me quite busy). </div>
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Total blog posts in 2012: 79</div>
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Total blog posts in 2013: 1</div>
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I'll aim for something in the middle this year. Hoping to post more patterns, updates, and pieces on what inspires me to get crafting. I think 40 posts is reasonable, don't you?<br />
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In the mean time I'll post a few pictures of the projects I have been working on quietly this past year. A few major projects including two quilts: one for my friend's wonderful summer wedding (which I had the joy and privilege of officiating!) and another for my beautiful newborn niece in Canada.</div>
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Wedding Quilt.</div>
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I made this using some very bold fabrics from Tula Pink (<a href="http://tulapink.com/collections/limited-availability/the-birds-and-the-bees/">Birds and the Bees collection</a>). If you look closely, it starts with 1 inch half-square triangles in the middle and then the squares gradually increase, doubling in size towards the edges of the quilt until pieces make up 8 inch squares. I like the way the fabrics draw inspiration from nature, with bold coloured fabrics which subtly work birds and bees in the patterns - both classic and modern, ordered and chaotic! Sort of the perfect fabric for my good friends who are getting married: bright and cheerful, outrageous and also structured - I knew it was the right choice for the project. I didn't want to dilute the bright fabrics with other collections or solids and pale fabrics, so I chose a pattern that matched what I liked about the fabric. A patchwork that is seemingly unstructured, but when you look closely is actually quite orderly.<br />
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Canadian Wild quilt.<br />
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I made this quilt using a mix of jewel and autumnal toned fabrics... and it represents my first foray into paper piecing. The quilt features Canadian animals, starting with a stag pattern in the middle which I bought and downloaded on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/65145313/white-tailed-deer-paper-piecing-quilt?ref=v1_other_1">Etsy</a> and then using my experience piecing that together, I gradually drew my own paper piecing patterns to create the goose, beaver, racoon, fox, moose and bear.</div>
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I've also had some smaller projects on the go and have started selling some small quilts and projects in my own Etsy shop, so go ahead and check those out. </div>
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I'll be posting some new tutorials, tips and ideas soon! Happy (belated) New Year!</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-73377388229767570922013-02-20T18:00:00.000+00:002013-02-27T07:54:08.364+00:00a little update and a sneak peek...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You may have noticed that it's all gone a bit quiet here at Lazy Crafternoons... Sorry about the lack of updates, I am still working towards the completion of my 52 week challenge but have had to delay the final updates due to a few life issues that unexpectedly got in the way over December and January.<br />
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Never fear, the last 5 projects are one their way and they are going to be really fun to show off!<br />
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I've decided to jump on board the patchwork solids trend and have been working on a few projects that I finished before Christmas, but haven't had time to post!<br />
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Here's a little sneak peak at my patchwork solid success...<br />
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Any thoughts or comments?</div>
Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-51866690659570891462012-12-20T22:01:00.000+00:002013-01-03T22:01:41.770+00:00Week #47 awash with washi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just doing a little bit of catching up as Christmas approaches, and wanted to show off these cute little cards I've been making.<br />
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As a true crafty hoarder I have been stockpiling washi tape while telling myself "someday I'll know what to do with this!" Well, Christmas comes around and I did notice that I happened to have lots of lovely red, greens, golds and silvers and so, who could resist using them for a few cards and pressies?<br />
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Aren't they sweet? These little gems are so sweet and simple, which I love because making them is easy and doesn't over complicate the awesome simplicity of the washi tape itself!</div>
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These little gems are on sale in the <a href="http://www.makingthingsclub.co.uk/">Making Things Club</a> pop up shop I've been organising, and I'm going to donate all the money from their sales to my 52 weeks : 52 crafts running total!</div>
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What have you been doing with your washi? please comment and share your ideas!</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-59081324320358996082012-12-14T23:29:00.000+00:002013-11-17T11:07:43.491+00:00Keep Calm and Carry on... working, crafting, selling, etc...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, if you have noticed its all gone a bit quiet here its because I'm in "keep my head down and plow through" mode until Christmas! December has dropped a bunch of new things on my plate including <a href="http://www.makingthingsclub.co.uk/">opening a pop-up shop,</a> starting a new full-time job, as well as my other commitments and its just been a tad busy, that's all!<br />
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Never fear, I have re-listed a few items in a 'last chance before Christmas' to help bring the 52 weeks : 52 crafts challenge total higher, and I have some fantastic plans to complete my six (six?) (SIX!) final projects of the year to bring my total to 52 items.<br />
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What will they be? We'll you'll just have to wait a bit to see. I will be crafting through the holidays and posting as I craft.<br />
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In the meantime you can check out some of the items which have yet to find homes and check them against your Christmas list to see if they suit anyone you have yet to buy for~!<br />
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You have until Sunday to bid for them, and I will guarantee posting by Christmas if it is bought from someone in the U.K. and do my absolute best to get it anywhere else in the world by January 1st!<br />
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More soon!!!!</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-24870705255785309202012-11-28T20:53:00.000+00:002013-11-17T11:07:55.105+00:0052 weeks Round Up - Part 4 - Crafts just for you!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The focus of Part 4 of the crafty round up is 'Crafts just for you!'... or alternatively 'Crafts just because!'... I'm showing off a bunch of lovely things are don't necessarily fill a need, but are nice to have, make great gifts and are great for 'just having'.<br />
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Have a look at what's on show and click on the images to be taken to the auctions, or check out my little auction widget below.<br />
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The first is this sweet little pair of Matryoshka badges I made back in Week #30.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251191272992"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Matryoshka-Felted-Badges-Brooches-Lazy-Crafternoons-Charity-Auction-/00/s/MTA2NlgxNjAw/$(KGrHqF,!hsFCv6iDKSbBQtQ3Uf!Ww~~60_12.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next are these bum-soak-saving one-size-fits all bicycle seat caps, which I made back in Week #33.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251191268237"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Bike-Seat-Cover-Cozy-Shower-Cap-Lazy-Crafternoons-Charity-Auction-/00/s/MTQxNFgxNTky/$T2eC16dHJF0E9nmFS0!CBQZKHV1olw~~60_12.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251191267608"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Bike-Seat-Cover-Cozy-Shower-Cap-Lazy-Crafternoons-Charity-Auction-/00/s/MTM3NlgxNjAw/$(KGrHqJHJCgE+QgnqW0JBQZKB!WJ-!~~60_12.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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For those crafty, but organised types I made this Embroidery Hoop Organiser in week #36.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251191266953"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4pLBQUqK-Ko/UHG_2e20b6I/AAAAAAAABKM/-swiGctHPdk/s320/IMG_8569.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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... and finally to add a little fun, this classic Purple Thread Designs framed embroidery kit which is just right for the chocolate lover on your holiday list! I made this back in Week #31.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251191266416"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fYebhK-2bw0/UDoLlIgEXGI/AAAAAAAABEg/xk-wsZkCv6M/s320/IMG_6684.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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These items, plus another bonus item are all on ebay this week with 100% going to Macmillan Cancer. Please check out the auctions below and share, post and comment away to help more people find out about my craft challenge!</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-18169642313806920932012-11-23T08:11:00.001+00:002013-11-17T11:08:42.282+00:00Week #45 & #46 - Festive Flair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been busy this week gearing up for a busy Christmas season! This week's bonus items which are added to the pool of Crafts for Christmas are a gorgeous wrapped yarn wreath (Week#45) and some image transfer wooden festive bunting (Week#46).<br />
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The bunting is not quite ready to show, but I'll tell you all about my simple wrapped wreath and how you could go about making your own!<br />
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You'll need<br />
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- 1 Styrofoam/Polystyrene Ring (I used a 32 cm ring, but you can use any size you like!)<br />
- Felt to roughly match your yarn<br />
- 2 lots of yarn for wrapping<br />
- Pom poms, decorations, etc for embellishment<br />
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Step. 1 Cut felt and wrap your wreath (glue it down with hot glue)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQng8RrCdT0/UK8thYSJ7ZI/AAAAAAAABVs/rG5G0sN3AoQ/s1600/IMG_8950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQng8RrCdT0/UK8thYSJ7ZI/AAAAAAAABVs/rG5G0sN3AoQ/s320/IMG_8950.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I found that wrapping with a matching felt, made it easier to wrap the yarn and softened the edges of the wreath a bit - but this is optional depending on the look you want to achieve.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UYNSSkdMQ0E/UK8tk_kX5mI/AAAAAAAABV0/6XR31GGJGL8/s1600/IMG_8951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UYNSSkdMQ0E/UK8tk_kX5mI/AAAAAAAABV0/6XR31GGJGL8/s320/IMG_8951.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step. 2 - Glue one end of the yarn down, and being to wrap!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxJ5WHNlV-U/UK8toBAshcI/AAAAAAAABV8/cVOUL3HBOKY/s1600/IMG_8953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxJ5WHNlV-U/UK8toBAshcI/AAAAAAAABV8/cVOUL3HBOKY/s320/IMG_8953.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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... and wrap...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0a4EYx-BwA/UK8tr78YyjI/AAAAAAAABWM/1OejTacsJwY/s1600/IMG_8955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v0a4EYx-BwA/UK8tr78YyjI/AAAAAAAABWM/1OejTacsJwY/s320/IMG_8955.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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... and wrap...</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5rClVKvxWDM/UK8twOFjwGI/AAAAAAAABWU/9CKYMNee6yA/s1600/IMG_8957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5rClVKvxWDM/UK8twOFjwGI/AAAAAAAABWU/9CKYMNee6yA/s320/IMG_8957.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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until you are all wrapped up!</div>
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Step 3: Make a pompon or ball of yarn, and add some decorations (I used some of my own laser-cut bauble decorations)... hang and enjoy!</div>
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<a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251188564000"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XM9reJv29u0/UK8t0ivplfI/AAAAAAAABWc/NKAQkcGmNMs/s320/IMG_8965.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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How easy was that?</div>
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This little gorgeous wreath was made with some leftover wool form a scarf I made myself with wool from my <a href="http://lazycrafternoons.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/a-crafter-abroad-buenos-aires.html">Buenos Aires Yarn District adventures</a>.</div>
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Of course this little gem will be for auction with 100% going to Macmillan Cancer Support and stay tuned for the unveiling of Craft #46 this evening, my wooden bunting with a retro look image transfer... here's a preview to get you excited!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKOymRUliDg/UK8va4zJVwI/AAAAAAAABWk/wwobvQMW0Lc/s1600/IMG_8968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKOymRUliDg/UK8va4zJVwI/AAAAAAAABWk/wwobvQMW0Lc/s320/IMG_8968.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<script src="http://www.auctionnudge.com/item_build/js/SellerID/chris23232uk/siteid/3/theme/columns/MaxEntries/16/grid_cols/2/grid_width/100%25/show_logo/1" type="text/javascript">
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***Update*** my wood bunting is finished. Check it out the finished results and feel free to bid on the auction below!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S8H73GQCevA/ULEVb7R_xvI/AAAAAAAABWs/CuOQydTGvyk/s1600/bunting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S8H73GQCevA/ULEVb7R_xvI/AAAAAAAABWs/CuOQydTGvyk/s320/bunting.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-57125010038485268982012-11-20T23:50:00.000+00:002013-11-17T11:08:51.893+00:00Week #42 and then some! Round Up Part 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As promised, things are getting a little Christmassy in here and since November and December are my favourite months on the craft calendar, I've been hoarding up some crafty ideas and getting making to up those numbers, up those totals and give you lots of Christmas cheer!<br />
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In the Crafty Round Up Part 3 - I'm focusing in on Crafts for Christmas, with three little numbers I've pulled out of my back catalogue and made for Christmas 2012.<br />
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The first is my 'award winning' Jingle Bell Reindeer (which won my a subscription to Cloth Magazine last year in the Sewing Directory's Christmas Competition), which is Craft #42 in the challenge.<br />
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Check this little guy you and visit the <a href="http://lazycrafternoons.blogspot.co.uk/p/tutorials.html">tutorials page</a> to see how you can make one for yourself<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251187727340"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-no53S2jbxxs/UKwVjc6v9QI/AAAAAAAABVU/b18We2bc-f0/s320/IMG_5052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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(or simply just visit the auction below to buy one and have 100% of your payment go to Macmillan Cancer Support).<br />
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It's also that time of year that things get to be a bit tweedy and woolly... so I cracked open my woolens box and got to making new stock for my Christmas Pop-Up Shop and upcoming events...<br />
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but these Tweedy Stockings and warm and cozy hot water bottle covers are just too nice to pass up, so I'm throwing them in as Crafts #43 and #44.<br />
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The winner of each auction will get be able to select the colour of their choice!<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251187742055"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wBLoXCkvqWA/UKwVyKSzMtI/AAAAAAAABVc/amIskO4EwMM/s320/stockings02.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251187738322"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-baA2W2zP5F4/UKwV2yU-U2I/AAAAAAAABVk/XIBMsReDc8E/s320/IMG_8799.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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(hot water bottle included)</div>
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... and in case that's not enough Christmas for you, there is more to come as there will be TWO more bonus items this week appearing on the blog on Thursday to take the year-long total up to 46 crafts.</div>
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Suddenly 52 is starting to look a whole lot closer!</div>
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5385303384632846873.post-42238049025270945792012-11-16T17:07:00.001+00:002013-11-17T11:09:03.012+00:00Week #41 - I Spy Bunting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Earlier in my <a href="http://lazycrafternoons.blogspot.co.uk/p/52-weeks-52-crafts.html" target="_blank">52 weeks : 52 crafts</a> challenge, I showed that a few scraps can go a long way with my <span id="goog_1254720743"></span><a href="http://lazycrafternoons.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/week-20-i-spy-with-my-little-eye.html">I Spy Quillow</a> and now I'm showing another variation on that theme... check out my I Spy Bunting!<span id="goog_1254720744"></span><br />
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A fun little way to decorate your little one's bedroom - hang them up in the window or from the ceiling over the bed, and you'll have a great decoration as well as a fun game to play. This bunting measures 4.5 meters in length, and has 28, 4"inch triangles hanging from it, each made up with 2 different fabrics... that means 56 different patterns and things to spy!<br />
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Check it out...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9b8s_o6Z9Gg/UKZx2yst_QI/AAAAAAAABVI/02LgJPaX81A/s1600/ispybunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9b8s_o6Z9Gg/UKZx2yst_QI/AAAAAAAABVI/02LgJPaX81A/s320/ispybunting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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what do you think? When the light is a little better I'll take some photos of the bunting all hung up so you can see it from a few different angles.<br />
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This item is my 41st item in my 52 weeks : 52 crafts challenge, and it the bonus item which is a part of my <a href="http://lazycrafternoons.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/52-crafts-round-up-part-2-crafts-for.html">'Crafts for Young Ones' - round up Part 2</a> - where there are lots of other great items to buy!<br />
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Check out the auctions here - they all end this Sunday night in the two hour period ending 8:00 pm GMT. Just remember, that the widget only updates once an hour, so if its Sunday night you might have less time to bid than you think!<br />
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Lazy Crafternoonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241300048059283355noreply@blogger.com0