Bow Tutorial

I'm sorry it has been quite a while since I've posted! I have been working on lots of other projects and of course looking after my two little girls who are now nearly 4 and 2 years old! Time has flown by but I'm still doing lots of making, although not so much clothing. Instead I've been working on some small accessories and children's toys but I hope to continue sewing clothing some time in the future.

Today I want to share a hair bow tutorial with you which is easy, quick and would make lovely little presents for family or friends. Anyone can do it so why not give it a try? It's a great way to use up the scraps of fabric you have and it would even make a great activity to do with your children (perhaps aged 6+) during the summer holidays or indeed at anytime!

You will need:

Hot glue gun
Fabric scraps (at least 14cm x 9.5cm)
Ribbon (10cm but you'll only be using about 4cm)
Thread and needle
Sewing machine (optional)
Crocodile clips



Measure and cut a piece of fabric measuring 14cm x 9.5cm. The seam allowance is 1cm and you won't be sewing on the folded edge so your finished bow will roughly measure 6cm x 7.5cm.

Fold the right sides together and pin the fabric in place. Starting from one corner sew around to the other leaving 3cm before the end. Make sure you secure the beginning and end of your sewn line by sewing forward then backwards, then forwards again to reinforce the sewn line.

Clip your corners like so. This is so you don't get bulky corners when you turn the fabric the right side out. You can also trim a little of your seam allowance, maybe up to 5mm.

 Turn the bow right side out and clip any stray threads

To make the bow all you need to do is pinch the middle, and then the sides together. This might be a good point to turn your hot glue gun on so it's ready for use in the next couple of minutes.

Sew a stitch through the middle to hold the bow in place.

Your bow should look something like this.

Ok this is the fiddly part but don't worry, all you need to do is make sure you have everything you need to hand as you'll need to work fast before the hot glue dries. 

Put your glue gun on some newspaper and your crocodile clip close by.

- Place your ribbon on the newspaper and put your bow roughly 2cm below the top.
- Put some glue on the top half and quickly but gently fold it over the middle part of your bow.

Quickly put some glue on the part you have just folded over and on the lower part of the ribbon, maybe until you reach about 2cm from the bow.

Place your crocodile clip down and with one hand hold the side of your bow and the crocodile clip open, while with the other you carefully hold the lower part of the ribbon and bring it in-between the crocodile clip teeth.

 

Close the crocodile clip and gently press the part of the ribbon which you put the glue on. make any quick adjustments to the ends of the bow before the glue dries and then snip off the excess ribbon.

Now all you need to do is hand sew up the small gap and voila! You have your bow! 

I have made some for the girls which they love and I couldn't resist making one for myself too from this lovely african print fabric.

Note: If you're wondering where to buy a glue gun from I bought mine from amazon here for only £5.99 with 50 free glue sticks. The clips I used I bought from an ebay shop here.

Happy making!

Mini Cooper

Hello! (many apologies for the belated update) Just a quick update for everyone to say that I gave birth to a baby girl on the 7th July! She weighed a petite 6lb 13oz. We are both doing well- just doing a lot of adjusting! The labour lasted just under 4 hours which a lot less than with Coniah (18 hours!) so I was really thankful for that. (The photo above was taken a couple of weeks ago)

My shop is temporarily closed until further notice. I hope I'll be able to get a few items out for this winter season, even if it's just accessories, but we'll have to see. There seems to be a lot less time for sewing when you've got two children under 2! Hope everyone else had a good summer!

Unravel- Beautiful new haberdashery shop..

I just had to do a post about Unravel- the brand new haberdashery shop which has just opened in Denby Dale.

There are so few good wool and sewing shops opening especially up here in West Yorkshire so it's quite a treat to have one open your doorstep!

As well as having some of your usual acrylic knitting wools, Unravel also stocks lovely unusual wools which contain other natural fibres such as linen, silk and cotton, these are available in a great range of natural shades. Some of the wool brands stocked are Shilasdair, Debbie Bliss, Louisa Harding, Artesano, Elvincraft yarns and many more.

Towards the back of the store there are sewing notions and beautiful Indian trims and tassels.

On the first floor there is a charming room called The Shawl Room which houses vibrant scarves, cushions, fabrics and much more from India.

There's also a smaller room next door which contains a nice little range of quilting fabrics. The owner Mary, has also utilised the top and ground floors. The top floor being a gallery space for local designers and artists to exhibit in, while various craft classes will be held on the ground floor. Unravel's website should be up and running this week you can check it out here (there may also be an opportunity to buy from the website in the not so distant future).

Mary has gone for a clean look and layout for the store which I really like, and I think enhances the warming colours of all the wools, threads and trims she stocks in the main area of the shop.

Just seeing all the lovely wools in this shop makes me want to take up hand knitting again, I'll definitely have to try out some of their wools on my knitting machine when the winter comes...I can't wait!

Long time no post! general update...

Long time no post! Sorry for the time it has taken to update the blog. We've been in the process of moving house and preparing for baby number two which is due in a couple weeks! I had mentioned beforehand that I was hoping to get a spring/summer collection out for 2011 but it's looking very unlikely. I have designs ready and waiting to be sewn up and photographed but with all that's been going on it hasn't been possible to commit the time needed to the work. Hopefully I can work on a few pieces for autumn/winter 2011.

On another note I was pleased to receive an update on the Burdastyle Sewing Handbook which I was able to contribute to last year. It's due to be released on November 1st 2011 and I noticed that my bag features on the front cover! I'm really looking forward to seeing all the great projects that the members of the burdastyle website have worked on.

3D Type Book

Today I received my copy of the 3D Type Book by FL@33! Last year some of my Graphic design work was chosen to be included in this book published by Laurence King. It features lots of interesting ways various designers have constructed handmade typefaces and letter forms and it is described as "the most comprehensive showcase of three-dimensional letter forms ever written, featuring over 1,300 images of more than 300 projects by more than 160 emerging talents and established individuals and studios".



I designed a typeface using cress plants I had grown in paper I handmade. I then screen printed them onto cardboard cards and made other recycled pieces which all went towards trying to promote and bring awareness to the recycling of paper.


Even though most of the work I do now is sewing based it's still nice to see design work I made a while back, shown in such a way. Oh, how I would love to do some screen printing on fabric someday soon!

Spring Archive Sale continues...

I've just set up a new facebook page for the shop here http://www.facebook.com/Bolaclothing and i've continued the spring sale there with many spring/summer archive skirts there starting from £10! (2010 winter items are also featured there) Please do check it out if you can and also follow the shop there too, latest news/info will be posted there first!

Spring Heart Giveaway! - Winner!

Thank you all for your great comments! The websites and blogs that were mentioned were really interesting sources for inspiration and ideas. The winner of the heart was chosen at random yesterday, and the winner is Anna! Well done Anna, the navy spotted heart will be in the post today! Stay tuned, as I'll be having another giveaway in the not so distance future...

Spring Heart Giveaway!

I have only but a few of these hearts for home left in stock and I would love to give one away for this spring! This is a lovely cotton/linen navy heart with a removable cover, so you can pour scented oils on the main heart piece- a perfect mother's day present or something for yourself!
All you need to do is leave a comment below with the website or blog which you draw inspiration from for your creative projects (and also your own email address). You have until Tuesday 29th March, 11.59pm GMT!

2 hour Maternity top

As many of you will know I'm expecting our second baby in a few months. I'm at that stage where I need proper maternity clothing, tops more than bottoms. I love many of the items for sale at Isabella Oliver as they are stylish as well as wearable. I also like the range of jersey tops they have which are fitted under the bump area instead of gaping, which in my opinion makes me look 5 times bigger! However, as usual I don't have the budget to fork out £49.00 on a plain jersey top so I set myself a challenge. As I'm busy with the summer collection, I don't have heaps of time so the challenge was to design, draft and make a simple, versatile maternity top which could be made in a couple of hours. Yesterday afternoon I managed to do just that!

I started off my altering an existing basic jersey top pattern. You can get the Lydia pattern from burdastyle for a dollar (or free if you email me, I'll send it to you).
I created ruching by cutting and spreading the tummy area, roughly the length of my bump.



For detail I altered the neckline so it was more of a bateau shape and also inserted a gathered shoulder yoke.

Then to finish it off I drafted some very simple grow on cap sleeves.
Voila! A simple jersey top which can be worn as it is or layered in colder weather.



The length and fitted hem is perfect for wearing as a gathered top (allowing you to wear your usual trousers with the fly undone) or a tunic. For this first top I used up some spare petrol coloured fine jersey I had in storage and it's incredibly comfortable, but I think I'll try using some jersey which is a little thicker but still very stretchy. I hope to be making a few more of these in the coming weeks and maybe try out a few other styles too.

Spring Sale..

Our Spring sale has now started! Do check it out! Up to 30% Off selected items, only a few items are left! (the Liberty print ties are also included in the sale but are not currently featured in my etsy shop. For any inquires please drop me an email!)

Bloom

I often take a lot of inspiration from nature when designing clothing or with other projects I have on the go. As I'm currently designing the summer collection I've found a great deal of inspiring images from one of my favourite magazines, Bloom - a unique forecasting magazine which includes a lovely blend of fashion, horticulture and design.






The photography is edgy and exciting, and there are countless depictions of the beauty we see around us in nature. I would love to own more copies of this magazine but with a price tag of £55 per copy I think I'll settle for gazing at their amazing online photo library for free!