More fabric cards

Last  week was my birthday, so as part of the BQL postcard swap I received 13 cards. You could easily get used to so much attention.

By Jacquie, the white fabric is folded.

By Avril, you can use the felted flower as a brooch, it has a pin at the back. So clever.

By Carole

By Barbara G, I love the birthday ribbon.

By Janet B

By Rosemary

By Lois, I am so sorry this one got damaged in the post.

By Irene, I love the edging.

By Jan S, hand embroidery.

By Lesley, another one damaged by the post.

By Sandra, each stamp is on a separate piece of fabric, and appliqued.

By Sue W, I don't know how she managed to sew all these shapes together.

By Plum, I wish it had not been damaged.

The theme I had chosen for my cards was red and white as you must have guessed. There is a lot of inspiration in all of these. So I am saying a big THANK YOU.

As there was also Valentine's Day this week I made a card for my DH, well 2 in fact.

There are some beads around the heart on the right.

That's a lot of cards.

Crochet holder

 For some time I have followed the blog of Cecile Franconie, she is french and writes in french but don't let that stop you from visiting and having a look. She uses embroidery to the maximum, adding ribbons and beads. Her choice of fabrics is different and opens new doors.
Her blog is "Facile Cecile", and she also has some projects published in magazines, like Magic Patch, which is translated in English, and books like this one "rangements a coudre". Her next one is coming in March.

Let's come back to my crochet holder. I've used some liberty fabric inside, a piece of ribbon to close it, and some crochet along the top edge. This makes all the difference from other crochet holders, and is in the style of Cecile. Why make simple things when you can make beautiful things.

She admits to spending a lot of time sewing, crocheting or knitting, as well as having a big family.

  So I hope to have inspired you to discover somebody new, or maybe you already knew about her work.

 Have a good Sunday.

How to make a Kindle sleeve

My husband received a Kindle for Christmas, and is using it quite a lot. Naturally he would like to protect it with a sleeve, and asked me to make him one, with my fabric figuring some writing.
The explanation does not include size so that you can adapt this idea to any device you want to cover.

First I went around the Kindle with a pencil held straight vertically, to have a pattern . Then I added 3/4" in width and length, to allow for the seam allowance and the  volume of the fabric and wadding all around. I can tell you that it fitted snugly.

Here you can see my 2 paper patterns. I added a little flap at the top, to attach the Velcro for the closure.

 Now we are cutting the fabric. Using the biggest paper pattern, you need 2 fabric pieces for the front and back, same with the lining. You also need to cut a rectangle for the flap, and a piece of Velcro. Fold the rectangle of fabric in 2 to find the middle, and stitch down one part of the Velcro.

 You also need to cut the wadding, and I used the smaller paper pattern, to limit the volume in the seams. Quilt it down on the front and back. If you have some stiff wadding, you can use that, especially to protect the screen.

 Here you can see the reverse of the Velcro flap, I have sewn the sides and cut the corners near the centre fold. You just need to turn it out.

 I have attached the outside and the lining together, trying to follow the round shape around the corners. On the piece that is to become the back, I have inserted the Velcro flap.

 The last stage is to attach the 2 final parts together, and I haven't got the photos. I suppose I must have forgotten.
You will put the outside parts right sides together, pin them, and do the same with the lining parts, leaving a gap on the side or the bottom to turn everything out. Follow the curves with your sewing machine.
The tricky bit is the middle. You might need to finish that by hand to have a very neat result, or try it by machine.

When you have finished sewing, turn everything right side out, and slip stitch the opening closed.

 I chose to have a bigger opening at the top, so that you can pull the Kindle out.

 Nice finish !
So here we are.

I am happy that I don't need to buy the sleeves offered in shops. They are all the same, overpriced and not original for a penny.
And I am proud that my work is deemed worth it by my family. Love it.
Now it's your turn.