Handcrafted by Paula

Handcrafted by Paula Handcrafted by Paula - beauitfully handmade cards, sewn clothes and other bits and bobs!

I haven’t really got much of anything done the last few weeks, but I have convinced both daughters to help sew something...
13/04/2020

I haven’t really got much of anything done the last few weeks, but I have convinced both daughters to help sew something for themselves . . . First my youngest wanted a Frozen skirt, so we made a simple design using as many of the fat quarters in the pack as possible. Then my oldest found my old denim jacket and wanted to upcycle it with Harry Potter fabric and patches. So we did 🙂
Two happy girls (for the time being! 😉)

I managed to sew something!!!! I say I did, but really my youngest was in charge so it was quite a dictatorial operation...
28/03/2020

I managed to sew something!!!! I say I did, but really my youngest was in charge so it was quite a dictatorial operation 😉
After a student made a ballet shoe bag a couple of weeks, my youngest was desperate to make one for her shoes. So this morning we did. She chose the fabrics for the outside and lining of the bag and then decided it need her initial on the front. An initial that also needed edging in lace (I did that bit it was rather tricky).
She is now busy being a Prima Ballerina in the living room whilst we all applaud copiously and shout ‘encore encore!’ 🤣

24/03/2020

So I haven’t managed to get near the sewing machine, let alone do any sewing what so ever since last Wednesday (this closely correlated since my youngest as been home from school 🙃) But the girls and I have made our own board game - SEWOPOLY!!! Their idea and they instigated the making of it. We have just had our inaugural game and I beat the lot of them!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Seriously though, it has kept them quiet for ages by helping to make the cards, money, counters etc. I wonder how many other -opoly’s we might have made by the time school is back?!

I thought me and the smallest would get to sew this afternoon (for starters she wants to make a ballet shoe bag). But ac...
20/03/2020

I thought me and the smallest would get to sew this afternoon (for starters she wants to make a ballet shoe bag). But actually I spent the time ‘buying’ supplies at my *very* local Fabric and Button Shop. Who knew that 19 pieces of fabric and 8 buttons would cost £2?! 😉

Youngest has been at home today (her class has been shut due to staff shortages) so this is the only sewing I have manag...
18/03/2020

Youngest has been at home today (her class has been shut due to staff shortages) so this is the only sewing I have managed today. I say me, I didn’t get much of a looking at it to be honest, I was just on hand to undo any big knots in the wool/thread. She didn’t even let me stick on the sticky bits! 🤣

Just seen my Tuesday pupil, which I have to say was an absolute tonic. I was finding it very difficult to get motivated ...
17/03/2020

Just seen my Tuesday pupil, which I have to say was an absolute tonic. I was finding it very difficult to get motivated today, but the fact that she whipped up this beautiful ballet shoe bag (and then a little earphone clip as well!) whilst we chatted about all sorts has made the sun shine for me ☀️

It’s clever student time again! This young lady has mastered sewing French seams whilst constructing this light floaty t...
14/03/2020

It’s clever student time again!
This young lady has mastered sewing French seams whilst constructing this light floaty top already for the beach this summer. She has also learnt how to use bias binding in two ways: firstly to enclose an edge and secondly to use it as a channel for elastic or ties to be threaded through.
This fabric is such a pretty pattern and beautiful to press, but does like to slip about everywhere whilst you sew with it! Not easy, but my student has coped exceedingly well.
This was this afternoon’s lesson. This morning was lots of bag handle making and trying out topstitching for the first time. Not to mention bag construction too! Now time for a little lie down 🙂

Whipped up a quick summery top 🙂 I wasn’t entirely sure the frill, which goes up the back, was me but my style consultan...
11/03/2020

Whipped up a quick summery top 🙂 I wasn’t entirely sure the frill, which goes up the back, was me but my style consultant (the eldest daughter) convinced me otherwise! I added some contrast top stitching because I do like making things my own.
Best bit was that this has used up fabric and thread from my haberdashery stash 👍🤣

My clever student finished off her Tilly and the Buttons Stella hoodie this morning. This is the first time she has sewn...
10/03/2020

My clever student finished off her Tilly and the Buttons Stella hoodie this morning. This is the first time she has sewn with a stretch fabric, and even though parts of it were a learning curve she has done really, really well. Overlocking the edges of seams and topstitching were just two of the new skills she has learnt on this project.
And I for one am very jealous of it - I love pandas so a warm snuggly hoodie with them all over it is my idea of hoodie heaven! 🐼🐼🐼

Busy morning back teaching at Habbydays today. First my beginners were using a pattern to cut out the pieces of their ro...
07/03/2020

Busy morning back teaching at Habbydays today. First my beginners were using a pattern to cut out the pieces of their roll up shopping bag, and then some excellent topstitching and zip insertion into a zippy coin purse in my confident beginners class.
Then this afternoon I got to draw and colour in with my youngest 🙂 we practised drawing cute kittens (some of which were jumping on a striped bed!) 🐱

I had help this year for World Book Day - my big girl’s Character of Wish from The Wizards Of Once, by Cressida Cowell, ...
05/03/2020

I had help this year for World Book Day - my big girl’s Character of Wish from The Wizards Of Once, by Cressida Cowell, needed side kicks of a magic key, spoon and fork. So 50m of tin foil , google eyes and lots of frustrated tears later she finally constructed her own props, which are brilliant. The only bit I made for her was the red velvet doublet which I drafted from scratch. I added hook and eyes for the front fastening and lots of brass looking buttons which I have had in my Button box for years.

Luckily I didn’t get help from The youngest in the fabric painting of her tights so she could ‘exactly match’ Sophie from The Tiger who came to Tea by Judith Kerr. I quickly ran up the purple pinafore dress and blue long sleeved T-shirt.

I have been instructed to go and buy a big tin of tiger food from the shops today, just in case we get a visitor after school today 😉

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Based In Godmanchester
Cambridgeshire

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