Sew been absent for too long

Hmmm, it has been a while my friends.  The delay of spring and continued very dull chilly weather has kept me in hybernation mode for longer than I would like.  Bring on some sunshine please!  I did venture away from my cosy lounge the other evening.  Had this immediate urge that I needed to make something, to be creative.  

My new sewing machine which was purchased from John Lewis back in January hasn't had much action lately and it was about time I put it to good use.  You can read about it here, Janome Sewing Machine.  Flicking through some of my Tilda books for inspiration I decided to try one of Tone Finnanger's large folk hearts.  The thing I love about Tilda books are the patterns at the back of the book are full size making my life so much easier.

The fabric was purchased a while back from Ikea and has been waiting for me to use it.  Ikea fabrics are very well priced, £5.99 per metre, and this is a medium weight cotton canvas with a lovely soft feel to it.  These hearts are quite large, measures 7.5 inches long and they take a lot of stuffing.  I like to use the insides of old cushions or I buy cheap cushion pads for their stuffing.  Much cheaper than purchasing the toy stuffing from haberdashers.

Pale blue gingham ribbon is a sale purchase from the Tilda range at John Lewis haberdashery and the ruffle was the hem I cut off from a pair of Ikea curtains.  

I have to say the Janome sewing machine is a dream to use.  It has the ability to stop with the needle either up or down which is so very handy when you are sewing curves and turning corners.  I couldn't be without that function now.  The machine also has an electronic speed control which keeps me from veering off the fabric when sewing detail.

Since making this heart the sewing bug has taken hold of me and I have been happily experimenting with some iPad covers and a needle book which I will post about soon.

Look out for that sunshine!

Love  Lolo