Spring Knitting and Stitching Show Tickets Giveaway 2019

January 21, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Spring Knitting and Stitching Show Tickets Giveaway 2019

The Spring Knitting and Stitching Show is returning to Olympia, London from 28th February to the 3rd March 2019, and you could win one of 5 pairs of tickets in a tickets giveaway!

It’s the UK’s biggest textile craft event with workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions and specialist retailers.

This year there’s a special focus on dressmaking. Included is a dressmaking competition and the Spring Sewing School with top tutors hosting full and half-day dressmaking technique and upcycling workshops.

There will be live dressmaking competitions too and a show theatre featuring handmade fashion.

There’s also going to be a taster of a forthcoming exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum celebrating Zandra Rhode’s 50th anniversary.

The show will also be offering an extensive programme of workshops and demonstrations, gallery exhibitions by leading textile artists and drop-in knitting and crochet lessons.

There will be a display of the latest sewing and knitting equipment, a Bag4Life competition and an display entitled The Enchanted Wood which is entirely knitted!

If you’re thirsty while you’re there, there will be a prosecco bar (I’m hoping they’ll be serving tea as well!), and over 150 specialist retailers.

For the second year running, the show will be hosting the National Needlecraft Awards with Sew and So.

More information about the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show 2019 can be found here on their website.

If you fancy going along too, I have 5 pairs of tickets to give away! The tickets giveaway will run from today (20th January 2019) until 11.59 pm on Sunday 10th February 2019. The winners will be notified by email.

***Please note that the tickets are only redeemable on the 28th February and the 1st and 3rd March 2019. You won’t be able to use them on Saturday 2nd March, so you would need to be free to go on one of those days.***

The tickets usually cost £14 for advance bookings and £13 for concessions plus £1.75 booking fee.

If you don’t win the giveaway, or if you want to go on the Saturday, you can get £2 off the full adult price and £1 off concessions by using the code TEAANDSEW19 at the checkout.

If you’d like to enter the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show 2019 tickets giveaway, please enter your email address in the form below.

Please be aware that by doing this, you will be added to the Tea and a Sewing Machine email list. This means that you will receive emails from me, usually on a Saturday. These contain links to things I think you might like, updates and the occasional freebie. Your email address will not be shared with anyone else.

30 Minute Storage Basket

January 11, 2019 · Leave a Comment

30 Minute Storage Basket

One of the things I’ve discovered since I began home educating my 3 younger boys a few months ago is just how much more stuff there is!

A while ago I posted this photo in a home ed Facebook group.

Obviously the boys had been very busy, but unfortunately we also use that table for eating! Quite aside from the fact that I don’t especially want to eat my dinner with Barnabas’ eyeball for company, the stuff takes up so much space, there was hardly any room for the plates!

In December I cleared all the stuff off the sideboard and rehomed things. This was so that I had a decent space to put out the Lego Christmas village.

Since Christmas, the Lego has gone away but I haven’t got round to collecting up all the stuff that used to live there and putting it back.

So I decided to make some storage baskets that can live on the sideboard. Hopefully they will help to keep the table clear enough so that we can eat there without eyeballs and science projects.

Whatever stage of life you are at, a storage basket is always useful. There’s always stuff that needs a home, especially after Christmas!

About The Storage Basket

Size. The baskets can be made whatever size you like. I cut the outer sections of the 2 larger baskets so that they were about the same size as a tea towel. I made the third storage basket smaller because the piece of fabric was smaller.

Fabric. I used ticking and a cotton/ linen blend that I had left over from another project. Medium weight fabrics will work well. Cotton or polycotton is fine too as long as you use interfacing.

Storage baskets are a great way of using up bits and pieces from your fabric hoard, so just see what you have. You could even use actual tea towels!

Interfacing. I made one basket with fusible synthetic buckram, and 2 with firm interfacing. Both worked, but I think on balance that the interfacing was better.

The fusible buckram was great, nice and stiff, and the basket holds its shape well. The problem was that synthetic buckram has no give at all. If your lining is not exactly the right size, you can’t stretch it to make it fit. It was also difficult to press the seams properly.

The interfacing made a storage basket that was less rigid but it was much easier to sew.

Lining. Cotton or polycotton is fine for lining the baskets. Just see what you have already!

To cut the lining, use the outer piece as a template. Find the longer edge and add about 8-10 cm (3-4 inches). You need enough to fold it over the edge of the outer then tuck the raw edge underneath.

Timing. I’ve called this a 30 minute storage basket. To be honest, I didn’t time myself making them. I usually do a bit, then sort kids out/ make dinner/ drink tea etc, so I don’t actually know how long it took me.

The point is that they didn’t take me very long! It might even have been less than half an hour. I have made storage baskets like this before, and things often take a bit longer the first time you do them. Once you’ve made a couple, you’ll be knocking them out like nobody’s business!

How To Make 30 Minute Storage Baskets

You Will Need

Fabric for the outer (cotton, polycotton, canvas, ticking, oilcloth will all work well).
Fabric for the lining (Cotton, polycotton or something else lightish, although medium weight fabrics might work too. Try it and see!).
Firm interfacing, fusible buckram or similar.
A teatowel for measurements.
Usual sewing supplies.

Cutting Out

Using the teatowel as a guide, cut a piece the same size from the outer and the interfacing.

For the lining, use the teatowel as a guide again. Find one of the longer edges and instead of cutting along the edge of the teatowel, move 8-10 cm (3-4 inches) away, then cut it. You should end up with a piece that is as long as the tea towel, but a little bit wider.

Sewing the Storage Boxes

If you are using fusible interfacing, fuse it to the wrong side of the outer.

Fold the outer in half lengthways with the right sides together. Pin the short edges together, then sew. Trim the seams and press them open.

Take one of the corners. Open the box out then squish the corner flat so that the side seam is next to the fold at the bottom.

Measure about 8 cm (3 inches) up from the corner. Pin so that the pins are at right angles to the side seam. Pin the other corner in the same way.

Sew across where you have pinned. Cut the corner off. Do the same with the other corner.

Repeat steps 1-5 with the lining.

Turn the basket outer the right way out. Pop the lining inside the outer so that the wrong sides are together. You might find it helpful to pin the corners.

Fold the lining over the outer. Tuck the raw edge of the lining underneath. Pin, then sew around the outside of the basket, keeping close to the folded edge.

Tips For Making Several Storage Baskets At The Same Time

Choose fabrics that go well together. Try stripes or spots for the outer with a neutral lining, or quilting cottons from the same collection.

Batch the jobs. Do all your cutting out, then all your interfacing fusing, then all the side seams. As well as being more efficient than making each basket separately, it also means that if you have to move your sewing machine so that people can eat dinner, you’re more likely to get a whole stage done. This also works better for those of us with short attention spans!

Use a rotary cutter and pattern weights for cutting out. There’s a tutorial for pattern weights here if you need one! Doing it this way is much quicker because you don’t have to faff about pinning everything and you can cut out several bits at once.

If you make some I’d love to see! Please share them on social media, or you can email me :). And let me know how long they took you!

2019 The Year of Bunting: Why Bunting is Best

January 1, 2019 · 6 Comments

I’ve decided that 2019 will be the Year of Bunting.

This time last year I wrote a post about what I learnt in 2017. For various reasons I don’t want to write a similar post at the moment. I learnt plenty of things, but not all of them good or related to sewing and making stuff!

2018 was an odd year at Tea and a Sewing Machine HQ. Although nobody here died, got divorced or became seriously ill, I’m still quite glad to see the end of it and I’m looking forward to 2019.

In the words of my favourite folk singer, “Just take with you what makes your heart glad,” and bunting makes my heart glad.

Here are some reasons why bunting is best.

1. It’s impossible to look at a row of little flags fluttering cheerfully in the breeze and not feel at least a little bit happy.

Bunting has never solved anybody’s problems. But one thing I have learnt is that sometimes, simple things make you happy. If you’re not happy, then things that otherwise would make you happy at least make things less bad.

2. Bunting turns any occasion into a special day.

A bit of advice that comes up time and again is that we shouldn’t hang around waiting for a special occasion. If you have nice perfume or bath stuff, just use it. And any little thing can be turned into a reason for a celebration with bunting and cake!

3. Making basic bunting is very easy and quick.

Just cut some triangles from cotton or polycotton, then sew them to some bias binding. If you have more time, you can make 2 of each triangle and sew them together. For a special occasion (or just because you want to), you can add appliqued letters or shapes, embroidery, fabric flowers or whatever you like!

4. It’s a good way to use up fabric from other projects.

You can also use fat quarter packs you bought but couldn’t decide what to do with!

So as well as making something cheery that makes other people and yourself feel happy, it makes your fabric mountain a bit smaller.

5. You can go all out and hang yards and yards of it out in your garden, or you can make a bit and hang it up indoors.

Or if that’s still too much, you can just make a little bit of mini bunting and put it on a dresser, a bookcase or a fireplace.

6. Although usually made from triangles of cotton or polycotton, it can also be made from ribbon, felt, lace, doilies or paper.

The flags don’t have to be triangles either. They can be any shape you like!

how to make paper bunting tutorial easy instructions template bunting is best

7. It’s easy to add appliqued bunting to a cushion or a bag.

Just cut some triangles, sew them on, then sew ribbon or bias binding over the top of the triangles to join them together.

8. You can make bunting for any season.

Choose appropriate colours and add appliqued letters or shapes if you want to.

I made autumn bunting once with trees in autumn colours. I’ve also made some with a spring theme for the garden, and summer and Christmas bunting for the front of my house.

12 tips for making bunting 12 things to sew in the autumn bunting is best

So this year I’m going to be making lots of bunting themed things. Will you join me?

DIY Embroidered Christmas Star

December 19, 2018 · 2 Comments

DIY Embroidered Christmas Star

When I was younger, I did a lot of Christmas crafting. I used to make cards and decorations and bake stuff.

Then I had kids and everything changed! I’d plan to make lots of things, then feel frustrated and annoyed that I hadn’t managed to get them done.

One year I tried to get round the fact that I had several tiny children by starting early. I was making stuff from August onwards. But because I’d been thinking about Christmas for so long, by the time it eventually came round I was sick of it!

So a couple of years ago, I made the decision to not worry too much. I’d do a bit if I had time and if I felt like it, and not attempt anything too ambitious. There is a limit to how many decorations I can hang off the tree anyway and I don’t send that many Christmas cards.

This year has been different again. Home educating my younger three means that I have boys at home in the day again. As they were showing signs of needing a break from the academic stuff, we spent most of last week doing Christmas crafts while listening to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. It was lovely!

One “grown up” thing that I’ve been working on recently is an diy embroidered Christmas star.

It’s made from felt with a snowflake design embroidered in the centre. The stars are sewn together using blanket stitch.

It’s a perfect project for a busy person who’s left things a bit late! It doesn’t take long to make. You can do a bit when you have a minute. You can make one, or a few and string them together. And to make things easier, you can download a template with the snowflake design at the bottom of the post.