handmade Archives - tippytupps

Quick Makes – Pom Poms!

13th March 2017

Did anyone see This Morning, well….this morning!!

Phil and Holly (don’t you just love them!!) were learning to make pom poms either using the old school method of cardboard circles or using a proper pom pom maker. I was really impressed by how quick and easy these were to use regardless of how complicated they look so if you fancy having a go I would definately recommend one (see link at the bottom of this page for my recommendation from Amazon).

However, seeing that this morning I wanted to go one step further and share a little knowledge: more specifically share my method of pom pom which takes about 2 minutes and uses nothing but your hand and a pair of scissors. This is the method I use to make the pom poms on my Rainbow Bobble Hat.

Suitably curious?? I should think so!

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Little Finishing Touches

7th July 2016

We have a lovely ladder shelving unit in the beans room that I have been trying to slowly fill with little bits to finish it all off and one of the things we are missing are little places to keep the random little things which come with having a baby. Last week I fell in love with some super duper chunky yarn in a lovely grey so this morning I crochet my first every little storage pot.

I’m actually pretty pleased with how it came out – it’s not followed any particular pattern: I just kept going until it was roughly the size and shape that I wanted!

Another thing added today was a framed card; this is one given by a close work friend when I went on maternity leave and the choice she made due to what I call the bean and the theme of his / her nursery was so perfect it made a frame to become a permanent addition. Little bits like this are so cheap and easy to do, it amazing what a £3 Ikea frame can add to a room by simply framing a favourite card or picture:

A few more gaps to fill but it’s slowly getting there.

mid-week sewing bee

5th May 2016

Last night I went to another sewing workshop, this time to make this cute little elasticated toddler skirt:

I can’t believe how quick and easy it was to do and I’m so pleased with how it came out. I’m already thinking about all the different versions I can do at home with funky fabrics!

A quick unsolicited plug I can’t recommend the Sew Me How school of sewing enough. This is the second time I’ve done a workshop with them and the tutor is so friendly and goes at a speed that everyone can follow at. It’s great fun for us crafty types or anyone looking to find a new skill for that matter! I mean surely meeting new people while learning a new skill and getting something you can take home and you can immediately use is win win all round?! I’m already looking for more workshops to squeeze in before bean arrives!!

This post has not been endorsed and views are purely my own.

Make your own…Ikea seat cushion cover!

15th April 2016

We had the standard Ikea chair when we did the bears nursery and it was amazing. It worked so well and it was so comfortable that we knew we wanted to use the same / similar chair again but the existing ‘jungle’ theme just wouldn’t work, so we looked for an updated version. Unfortunately when we hit Ikea all the other available colour options wouldn’t suit the theme for the new nursery.

So….time for a challenge to cover the existing one and I have to say it was sooooooo easy! PicsArt_04-15-03.22.06.jpg

Materials needed:

Ikea ‘Polarvide’ fleece = £3
Pins
Scissors
Sewing machine – though optional as it can be done by hand

With hindsight I should have taken pictures as I went along, but as usual when I am playing around and don’t have a pattern to follow, I got too absorbed in what I was doing and simply forgot…oops! Therefore I’ve done a quick mock up using an A4 piece of paper.

Step 1: lay the fleece out flat – you will be working the piece by folding it length ways and working to sew the top and side seams. You should at this stage have a long oblong.

I should have probably ironed it at this stage but I didn’t. Therefore if you have more patience than me maybe give it a quick iron so the finished result is nice and pressed.

Step 2: place the material on top of the cushion you are covering and mark where the cushion ends making sure you leave sewing allowance for the seams. You then want to cut a section out from where the bottom of the cushion ends on one side of the folded material only. When laid back out flat the material should look something like this:

Step 3: you are now going to pin the material ready for sewing. Fold the material back in half length ways. You should have a piece of material that is longer on the bottom and shorter on top on one side. You now want to lift the longer section and fold it over the top. This should look a little like how a pillowcase works.

Pin along the top open edge and along the side making sure to include the folded over section (it will be three layers thick on this folded section). TIP: make sure the folded over section is laid on top so when you turn it the right way around this bit is hidden and the longer piece is showing which will cover the entire length of the cushion.

Step 4: sew!! I used a sewing machine and it was super quick but this can be done by hand too using a standard running stitch. As it’s two long lines to sew, it’s not difficult but it will take a lot longer by hand.

Step 5: turn it right side around and cover your cushion! Make sure the folded section is at the bottom and at the back so it is easily hidden underneath the part you sit on.

You will notice that the shorter side of the folded section is on the inside and is hidden. However this is only attached by the one side you have sewn therefore you will need to smooth this out so it lays flat against the cushion.

Ta-da!! You’re all done.

If you have a go it would be great to see how you got on so please share 🙂

What Sundays are all about…..

9th August 2015

What else do you do on a Sunday morning other than craft. Lie in you say??? Yeah I wish, those day are over!

However, one benefit to being up and out by 7:30am is the ability to crack on and get some jobs done while the bear played with her toys.

Stamping was first on the agenda as I still wasn’t happy with the layout of Darcie’s first birthday invitations. Hubby can vouch for a stroppy wife last night when nothing was going right!! Drama over though and all were finished by lunchtime. Though it is at times like this I wished we had a child born in May!! That’s a lot of s’s and e’s…

Love love love this patterned paper that I used for the back, personal details plus our address was written around the edges – however that bit isn’t for Internet consumption!!

The party itself is going to be a really small one, just a couple of babies she sees all the time plus their parents and a few family. We’d love to invite everyone but before you know it we have a party of 100 adults so we’ve decided less is more for her first birthday while she’s so young and to keep it small and (hopefully) fun.

The rest of the day held a lovely surprise as some friends popped in for a catch up and a roast on their way back home with their gorgeous little girl. M is only 7 weeks older than the bear so it’s awesome the they’re going to grow up together.

However, these little ones move so fast nowadays its so hard to get a picture of them together!!