NCFE level 2 unit 3 Final work

I was really struggling with a starting point for my final piece, I knew I had to just choose something so when my tutor mentioned a competition in a naff craft magazine, well it seemed as good as anything else. They were offering a whole assortment of Madera threads to the winning submission of hand or machine embroidered piece using China as the inspiration.

After a couple of hours on the computer doing some brainstorming I started sketching




My first thought was the typical "Chinese Junk" Here you see it in Victoria Harbour Hong Kong.
I Have to say that I quickly tired of boats but had some fun with the Harbour buildings and mountains



Its at this point that I started looking at firecrackers within and without their packaging. I played around with using the city and its reflection as firecrackers but did not really like the outcome.




OK time to get serious no more mucking about with city scapes...
On to the Fire crackers seriously and I have designed a cushion cover.
Charcoal Grey felted wool with red handmade felt firecracker panel appliqued
embroidered.




All thats left now is to show my finished item


I am presenting this work tomorrow and submitting it for grading.
Cross fingers.
I'm off to bed now.
night night

Kiss me quick seaside traditions II

Here, finally, is the second half of the work I did for my NCFE textile course brief.

I chose Kiss Me Quick Seaside Traditions.

I couldn't decide between the lovely retro caravan image that I love so much and the Big Wheel which is a classic of the seaside and seems to be a very popular image lately. I have done a little market re-search and found the big wheel used in all sorts of items.



This was my first idea. Its a Wristlet/Purse Caravan in hand made felt with cut out windows, lovely stripy lining and a zip close.





I decided in the end that the Big Wheel was the stronger image. So here is my black velvet change purse with red satin lining and a delicate and quite spidery (in a good way) Big Wheel
free hand machine embroidered on the front.

Kiss me quick seaside traditions

Thats the brief that I chose to work from for my NCFE level 2 textiles course: module 2. So first I did some research on the internet and pasted the results into my source book.



Next: do some sketches







And then to the sewing machine to start some textile samples.







The next part is to narrow it down to one subject and translate that into ;
A Fashion accessory : think scarf, bag, hat, jewellery, belt........................

That is my next step and I will post it here when I have finished it

So Please stay tuned.

t

Easy Peasy Gingerbread Cookies

This morning Ella, Maisy and I made gingerbread cookies. These are the easiest gingerbread cookies ever and are perfect for making with children.

Ingredients
2oz butter
2oz sugar
1 1/2 tbsp golden syrup
6oz self raising flour (I use wholewheat self raising)
1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarb of soda)
1 rounded tsp ground ginger

Pre-heat oven to gas mark 5, 375 f (190 c)

Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan stirring occasionally. When melted remove from heat. Meanwhile sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger into a large bowl. Stir the melted ingredients into the dry ingredients until you have a fairly stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.

Cut out the gingerbread men using a cutter which has its edge dipped in flour. You may find you have to roll out the dough a couple of times to get four or five biscuits. The biscuits will be fairly soft so its a good idea to use a palette knife to lift them on to a lightly greased baking tray. Use raisins to make the eyes and buttons of your gingerbread men and then bake in the oven for eight to ten minutes until a lovely golden brown. Let them cool until hard on the baking tray and then remove onto a cooling rack.

Once the biscuits are really cold you can decorate them however you like .
This recipe was given to me at the sure start center in Bodmin and came from www.parents.org.uk

TAG-now I am it

I have been tagged by MooCow who makes most wonderous knitted creations.

Here's the rules:

Rules are:1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

so here we go!

1. Here is MooCows blog
http://moocowhandknits.blogspot.com/

2. My small facts

a) I have 3.5 year old identical twin girls.

b) I was born in the 1960s in a house on Haight St in San Francisco

c)I grew up in a houseboat that was part of a hippie commune on the San Francisco Bay.

d)My husband works in the music industry and I was naive enough not to realise that would mean he would be constantly away from home on tour.

e)I am in a band called The Siamese Twin (named before I was pregnant)

f)We have never played live. The only other person in the band is my husband-see fact d)

e)I am learning to Knit. My first finished piece will be a grey scarf for my mother in law for her birthday.

Pheew that wasn't too painful.

whats next? Oh yes

I tag
Racer Girl
http://racergirl1313.blogspot.com/

kooky boutique
http://kooky-boutique.blogspot.com/

Cloud 9 Design
http://cloud9design.wordpress.com

Royal Coquette
http://royalcoquette.wordpress.com/

Cute Designs
http://cutedesigns.blogspot.com/

Bizzy Bees Trinkets
http://beesingsthemoon.blogspot.com/

Octavine Illustration
http://octavineillustration.blogspot.com/

tea cosy? headgear?

"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy doesn't try it on"-Billy Connolly