Transferring images onto fabric

Transferring the images that you want to stitch onto fabric can often give you problems. 

There are many different ways of doing it - each way seems to have its plus and minus points.  I thought I'd share a few here with you over the coming weeks. 

The first method -  using the Hot Iron Transfer Pencil. 

The one I bought was from Hemline and was £2.89 from my local sewing shop but you can buy it on Amazon here. 

First thing to do is find the image you want to transfer onto fabric. I chose a robin design taken from a photograph of a gorgeous little chap who comes into our house (and kitchen!) every day. 

You then need to get some tracing paper and trace over the original image. I used regular tracing paper that I had already but you can buy heat transfer tracing paper - not sure what the difference is. You need to remember at this point that the image you transfer will be mirror image so remember to flip any writing you might be adding. 

Robin is now traced and ready to transfer. Try not to make your lines too thick (like I have here in a couple of places) as your thread might not cover thick transfer lines. 

Now take your tracing paper and place it image side down onto your fabric and iron. Make sure your steam is switched off. Hold the iron on the image for a few seconds and...

.. hey presto - there is your image ready to stitch!

Pros - really quick and simple. You can transfer any image onto fabric really easily with this method and it's cheap.

Cons - I find the line that you get can be quite thick. It's permanent so you have to be really accurate with your tracing.

I'll show you Robbie when he's all stitched up!

I've also in the past carved a lino print from this image and printed him onto fabric - I just can't get enough of him :) 

This is him printed onto fabric - 

A Country Postbox

I love having a postbox over the road from our cottage. I love even more just how cute it is!

I don't know what it is about this humble postbox but it gladdens my heart every time I pass it. 

A little gift - starting early.

Every year I have a dear wish of making as many Christmas (aaargh- sorry to use that word so early) gifts as possible by hand. I love to wrap something that I've spent many an evening stitching- content in the knowledge that I've put love and thought into it.

That's the plan. 

Every year, the mad rush of Christmas orders and the general December mania that seems to descend on us all, renders that grand plan impossible to carry out. 

This year I'm starting early and this is my first completed gift - a wall hanging for a little sweetie in the family.

Have you started on your Christmas gifts yet?

Obviously a little bit of Liberty print bunting!

 I decided on a simple chain stitch for the letters

French knots in abundance..

Hope she likes it . 

Have a wonderful Friday wherever you are x

Swapping little stitches..

I recently took part in the ATC swap organised by Ali over at Very Berry Handmade.

My first thoughts on the theme of My Favourite... were organised into a mind map, which I then plainly disregarded and went off on another tangent!

Sitting out in the back garden on a fairly rare, warm and sunny afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I realised just how very much I love Summer. Ahhh, now there's an idea - my favourite time of the year!

I love all the seasons - and a list of my favourite things about each of the seasons showed this. But it's the warmth of a Summer's day, the carefree days of holidays, swimming in the sea, seeing the garden in full bloom and events like Wimbledon that seem to epitomise the few weeks that make up Summer. 

Selecting the things that represent Summer was easy, it was just the stitching of them that was a little tricky! Anyway, here's the finished card...

Strawberries, Wimbledon, harvesting lavender, and swimming in the sea - all represented under some cheery bunting. 

It went to Jo who loved the itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikini the most! I stitched it all on a pale green linen and thoroughly enjoyed making it.

Today, through the post I received my ATC from Simi. Look at this....

I just love it - the textures, the colour and the obvious fun my swap partner had in stitching it. It will make me smile every day as I look at it sitting on my desk. Such a clever lady. 

That Friday Feeling

It's Friday!! We always used to have a Friday shout out when our boys were young - Iiiiiiiiiiits Friday! would signal that the weekend had begun. I still do a little dance when Friday comes around and we still exchange an 'It's Friday!' text :)

This time last week we attended a family wedding - it was a wonderful day full of smiles and love. It's been a while since we went to a wedding. The bride arrived in an orange beribboned VW Campervan. We giggled and were dewy eyed through a wonderful service presided over by a very modern vicar who made us all laugh and focused in on what it means to be married. A hog roast and music, speeches and spending time with family we don't see enough of. A good day.

Memories of a good week. It may be raining today but the sun did shine for some of it. 

Happy Friday and I hope you enjoy the weekend wherever you are :)

Harvest!

It's that time again! I love harvest - the sound of the combines and tractors working in the fields, huge containers going past the cottage filled with the bounty of the land. Headlights blazing in the fields as the farmers work late into the night to get the harvest in.

We wandered down our lane to watch the wheat being harvested Sunday evening. There's something a little bit magical about watching a crop that we have watched grow over these months, being harvested and baled. 

There's something even more magical about being asked if you'd like a ride on the combine! Here's my close-up view of harvest this year :)

There's something quite intimidating about seeing one of these thundering towards you!

Job done :)

A few of my favourite things...

Monday-itus struck today. 

I've never particularly liked Mondays. Today I needed a pick-me-up. Cue a walk with the dogs, a bit of stitching and having my boys at home.

So, here are a few things that made me smile today..

A favourite blouse, some vintage notions, a glorious cow that the picture can't quite capture, my favourite scissors (why do I love these scissors so much?), a busy bee, scratching chickens and my dogs :)

Now that's better.