How to be an earth Angel!!.........  I'm getting a little bit obsessed with feathers at the moment as I'm making a totally gorge feathered corset. However this is taking me some time (!) and I'm the impatient sort so I came up with these super-easy-to-make feathered heart hairslides. Burlesque in style, they could also look ethereal and romantic, perfect for a wedding. The possibilties are endless depending on the style of materials you choose to use.  Now there's no need to go catch a pigeon as craft shops and ebay sell all sorts of feathers designed for this sort of project!  Materials Required - A cheap clippy hair-slide (See photo) - Feathers! I used a peacock feather for one slide and 3 blue-grey Marabou for the other - Leather/Leatherette/PVC fabric (must look pretty as for the exterior heart, must not fray) 7 x 7cm square - Old pretty light-weight earring/jewel/brooch (something cheap from the flea market is ideal) - Fabric Glue - A stiff fabric to back the heart, eg heavy-weight interfacing 7 x 7cm  Heart Template to print Instructions 1) Copy and paste the heart template to the left (actual size) into a Word document and print out. Cut round the outline - this will be your pattern. 2) Pin the template to the stiff fabric and cut round it. Do the same for the non-fray external fabric. 3) Apply fabric glue all over the stiff fabric and place the feather(s) of your choice on top of this at the angle you desire. 4) Place the exteriror non-fray fabric on top of this right-side up, and ensure both hearts line-up. Using your fingers, press the hearts together.  5) Take your chosen earring/jewel/brooch and apply as needed: i.e. to apply an earring with a 'stem', poke the stem through the fabric and bend the stem back so it lies flat at the back of the fabric.To apply a flat jewel or brooch use fabric glue. 6) Leave for a while so the glue can dry  7) Turn the heart over so the back is facing you and with a needle and thread, make a stitch through the stiff fabric only, and tie a knot to secure this thread. Then sew round and round each prong of the un-fastened hair slide ensuring you are only stitiching the upper part of the hairslide to the fabric. Do this as many times as needed to secure the hair-slide to the heart and trim ends. 8) Put in your hair, get out there and WOW!   Add Comment  Seconds later, she had fallen over. Knew those skates were a bad idea! So it's here at last! The bag for my little girl is done! It's called 'Your Trendy Heart' as a) at the age of 3 she is already waaaaaaaaaaaay trendier than me, and b) I've designed it 70's in style (see previous blog post here!). It's fully lined and made from leatherette and is super squishy squashy with a big squidgey, silver heart outlined in rainbow piping.  The pattern is now available to buy if you so wish, in my little olde shoppe. (I've GOT to stop reading Jane Austen!).Anyway, as we all know my daughter is looking forward to Valentine's Day as it means she will get her sparkly heart bag. 'Valentine's Day is when we give people a present to show them that we love them' 'Do you love me Mummy?' 'Of course darling' 'Can I have a present then?' I've taught her well.  One Hour Wrap! Tutorial..... 01/16/2012
 This is an easy-peasy tute to make a faux fur wrap, great as a present or for yourself. You only need minimal sewing machine skills. It's glam, it's animal-friendly and it's very SJP in SATC! Real fur? Schmeal fur!  I got this end of roll faux fur a while back from my local fabric shop (isn't it gorgeous? I only went in for a zipper!. I have a night out coming up and really fancied making a coat but there just isn't enough fabric there. Lightbulb! A wrap. With armholes. So easy it's untrue and less bulky than a coat so more flattering. Follow my instructions below: Materials needed Faux fur 0.5 metres x 1.5 metres (0.55 yards x 1.64 yards) Equally lovely fabric for the lining - same size (I used poly velvet) Instructions: 1.) Place the fabrics right-sides together, and pin, then baste the 2 long sides and 1 short side together. Machine stitch where you have basted with a 5/8 inch seam allowance. Ensure one of the short sides is left un-stitched. Remove basting stitches. 2.) Turn out the wrap so that it is the right way round (as you would wear it). On the remaining short side, fold in a seam allowance of 5/8 inch by hand for both pieces of fabric. Pin together, baste, then either sew hemming stitches by hand or machine stitch (the great thing about faux fur is that the stitching won't be that noticeable anyway!) Remove basting stitches. 3.) Time for the arm holes (if desired: you could just stop now and have a fab wrap!). Fold the wrap around you and see roughly where your hands come to when wearing it.  4.) Measure the distance up and in where your hands come to: For instance I measured up 3.5 inches from the bottom and 5 inches in from the side. Then place 2 pins like an 'x' to mark this spot. Make sure you pin through both pieces of fabric. From here measure directly upwards 5 or 6 inches and place 2 more pins to mark this spot (See photo above). 5.) Now here is the clever short-cut bit that I wouldn't usually recommend but it works on this kind of fabric, so hey-ho! Cut from the first marked point to the second marked point with scissors through both pieces of fabric.  6.) On each piece of fabric turn in about 3/8 inch seam allowance. Pin through both pieces of fabric, then baste together. Hand stitch where you have basted using discreet hemming stitch. Remove basting stitches. 7.) Put on: look amazing! Feel smug!  Roll on Valentine's! 01/12/2012
I am getting this--------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------excited about the sparkly heart bag I'm making for my daughter for Valentine's Day. It's a 70s inspired messenger bag for kids, perfect for the roller disco (keep your plasters in it!). The pattern will be available to purchase from the Boutique if you so wish! In the mean time I'm listening to lots of funk music to get in the mood. Esp loving 'Sun is here' by Sun (click to listen on You Tube). In fact, I am almost at the point of buying these little lovelies: 
For my US (and London) readers, I know Roller Derby's are big news there but here in the wilds of North Yorkshire this is pretty much the funky scene we have going on: 
To the right, my 30 something husband falling over on skates. To the left, the Girl running over the Cat with her bike followed by my sister. Ho hum
Sooooooooooooo anyway, back to the bag! Pics to follow folks! A Woman's Work...... 01/10/2012
So the 3 year old asked me: 'Mummy, when you grow up, will you go to work like Daddy?' AArggh! 3 years, I have been bringing the girl up to know men and women are equal. Is this a sad indictment of a post-feminist society or the confused ramblings of a pre-schooler?! Oh, I know it's the latter but it did strike at the heart of me. Im lucky enough to be passionate about my work and I enjoy it (who wouldn't love sitting at home in their pants, designing handbags and listening to Barry Manilow?) but I have done my fair share of naff jobs too, I've been there........ 
My previous job. Almost.
 Loving this for the bag lining I want my children to have a strong work ethic and to understand that even if you're working at something you love, you still have to put the effort in to make it happen. After a short discussion about what i do for a living, the Girl asked me to make her a sparkly bag with hearts on it. It's nearly Valentine's Day so I'm working on something rather snazzy. The Girl has high expectations and I wouldn't want it any other way! All life is here, in this art 01/05/2012
Happy New Year! Do you remember the fabric i chose for my baby's Christmas stocking? Well there's a story behind it that i can't quite get my head around yet. An acquaintance of my Mum's, became a widower last year. His wife was a keen embroiderer and crafter and had accumulated lots of fabric (including the Christmas fabric), notions and so on. Very generously the acquaintance passed all of the collection on to my Mum and myself. To our amazement when we sorted through it there were absolutely stunning completed embroidery pieces. The widower did not want them back. It feels a little strange and very intimate to be in possession of such carefully crafted pieces woven with such effort, time and care by someone I never knew. As if I've invaded their privacy...... I need to honour the work of my Sewing 'Friend' but I'm not sure how yet - perhaps an online exhibition? Any ideas are most welcome. To add to my melancholy I have just finished an amazing novel 'The Ghost of Lily Painter' by Caitlin Davies. It's set in London and spans Victorian times through to present day exploring in a wonderfully romantic way how the past is always a part of our present, and by making peace with the past we can feel rooted. Find more about it here Read it! You will weep Yuletide Chaos! 12/21/2011
 The Inside of my brain (actually a lovely pic by my darling daughter) My first Post! I'm positively shaking! Panic today as realized that my baby (known as The New Boy) hasn't a Christmas stocking as he wasn't here last Christmas. Seeings as I'd made my daughters myself I've got to do the same for him. Just another thing to add to the list of gifts to make for other people (4 days to go, what was I thinking!). This is the fabric I'm using:  Unadventurous fabric but it was free! Also have got into a bit of a pickle regarding the lack of snow. Have spent 6 months teaching my pre-schooler about the seasons and now I can't convince her its Winter yet, as there's no snow. Since her Pre-School Nativity play she's been asking big questions such as 'why can't i see God's hair?' She wants to know the colour of God's hair. I said brunette but Hubby said white. Poor kid is learning quickly not to listen to her parents! Anyway need to get cracking on this stocking, whilst trying to steer The New Boy away from the cat food and the Christmas tree. Such fun! Thank you for joining me! | 
AuthorCazzy Young here! Dressmaker and Pattern Designer based in North Yorkshire, UK. ArchivesFebruary 2012 CategoriesAll Grab my lovely button here!!!
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