Sunday Stitching and stitching recommendations

Today I wanted to share with you a few recent stitchy discoveries and recommendations!

My first recommendation is Tilly Walnes's book Love At First Stitch, which I treated myself to last week and today I have made the Brigitte scarf, which is the first project in the book.

I'm no seamstress- Although I spend my time immersed in all things knitting, at the back of my mind I have always wanted to sew clothes too, but a few less than brilliant attempts have deterred me. I do own several "Learn  to make your own clothes" type books, but have found them too technical and not really geared to the beginner. So, having read and enjoyed the Tilly and the Buttons blog for some time now, I was so pleased to discover Tilly was writing this book! It's bright, fun and jargon free, which is perfect for the beginner, yet appealing to the more advanced dressmaker too. The uncomplicated style of the book, guiding you through projects with step by step photographs has given me confidence and having enjoyed making the scarf I'm intending to make my way through the projects in the book. Next up it's pyjama trousers! There are several full sized patterns included in the book too, so no photocopying or printing out hundreds of sheets of paper, which is a real bonus! I'd definitely recommend grabbing yourself a copy if you're keen to make your own clothes.

You could wear the Brigitte scarf in a variety of ways, but you'll find me wearing mine wrapped around my messy bun!

Something that has held me back when it comes to dressmaking and machine stitching in general is that I find it hard to accurately measure and stitch the seam allowance. Some machines come with seam allowances inscribed on the plate under the presser foot, but mine doesn't have this detail, but a lovely friend recommended I try one of these magnetic stitch guides- you measure your seam allowance from the needle and the magnetic guide marks this measurement and also helps you stitch straight seams, as you butt your fabric up against it as you sew. So simple but so effective! I would definitely recommend getting one, find them in good craft shops. 

Another genius sewing aid I've recently discovered is the Frixion pen! In the past I have used the fabric markers that  fade after use, however I've found them a bit hit and miss- more often than not they don't fade, leaving lines over your fabric, which completely defeats the object. Handily though, I was recently introduced to the brilliant Frixion pens- you can use them to write on paper and then rub the lines out using the other end of the pen, or you can use them to mark your fabric and then remove the lines by hovering over them with a hot iron. Magic! A great addition to your sewing kit, you can find Frixion pens in craft shops and supermarkets

What are your crafty recommendations? Share them in the comments below!

Happy Sunday and happy stitching everyone!

A thank you gift- 20% off in my Etsy shop!

By way of a very big thank you for reading my Blog, you can now get 20% off all purchases in my Etsy shop until 5th May- Just enter the code Thankyou20 at the checkout and treat yourself or a loved one to some unique handmade jewellery and accessories!

How to... Make a D.I.Y Fabric Pin Board

One of my goals for the blog this year is to start featuring regular tutorials, so welcome to the very first in my "How to..." series... How to make a D.I.Y Fabric Pinboard! 

This is a great way to jazz up that boring cork pin board you may have in your study/studio/kitchen and is also a good way to use up any odd bits of fabric and wadding you may have. You could even use the fabric from an old dress or jumper, so it's a handy recycling project and you get something useful (and pretty) at the end!

1). You will need...

You will need a cork notice board, scissors, a staple gun and staples, wadding in your chosen thickness (I used 4oz) and a piece of fabric large enough to cover your board

 2). Cut wadding to size

Cut your wadding to size, allowing aprox. 3 inches extra all the way around your board. If you'd like a thicker padded board you could use a double thick layer of wadding

3). Staple your wadding to the board 

Staple your wadding to the board, taking care to only staple onto the wooden frame. Carefully pull the wadding taught to avoid a saggy finish

4). Cut your corners

You may need to trim some excess wadding away from your corners to avoid a bulky finish

5). Cut away excess wadding

Trim away any excess wadding

 6). Attach your fabric

Now your pin board starts to take shape! Cut your fabric to fit around your board and allow aprox. 3 inches extra all the way around your board. Staple into place over the top of the wadding, still taking care to only staple into the wooden frame

7). Neaten your corners

Trim the excess corners of your fabric in the same way as you did your wadding and fold into a neat shape. Staple a couple of time to keep secure

8). The final trim!

Trim away any excess fabric to neaten the back

9). Yay, it's finished!

Use your board to hold shopping lists and notes, or images and drawings, photos, magazine clippings, jewellery, or anything else you like! I'm using this one as part of my jewellery display and I've found map pins really useful for holding pieces in place.

Decorate your board with strips of ribbon, lace, mini bunting, the possibilities are endless! You could also attach ribbon or a hook to hang the board, or sit it on canvas display stands, as I will do with this board.

I'd love to see photos of your pin boards if you give it a go and I'd love to know what you're using them to display!

Happy 2014!

For my last blog post of 2013 I want to say thank you to all of you who have supported me throughout the year, I love being able to meet so many lovely people doing this. Hearing your comments and feedback is very helpful to me and it's much appreciated.

Harris Tweed Brooch from the 2013 collection

To give you an insight into what's to come, there'll be some new products and themes to my work in 2014. I'm currently just starting work on a new collection, the first experiments for which I hope to share with you very soon! I don't believe that you ever stop learning in craft, as in life, and I'd like 2014 to be a year of learning, and challenge- the theme of the new collection certainly offers both, I'll keep you posted!

I am also aiming to develop my Etsy shop in 2014- I'd like this to be a major focus, to get Louise Dawson Design out there and introduce handmade craft into peoples lives!

A big goal is to develop the Make Do and Mend/recycling themes within the work I'm making and to reflect this ethos much more strongly through my blog. Working as a Designer/Maker, by the very nature of my work I'm always creating new objects, but I don't want this to be at the expense of the planet! I'm currently sourcing more pieces to up-cycle and re-purpose into my work.

Another aim of 2014 is to get you more involved- I'm excited about the idea of developing tutorials for the blog based on the Make Do and Mend/recycled textile theme- watch this space! If there's anything you'd like to see, do let me know!

So there we have it, I've put it into writing now so I had better get cracking!

Wishing you all a very happy and creative 2014!