New Patchwork Colourway Name: Part 2!

Done the blues, now on to the pinks and reds and oranges...

Well, you gorgeous lot, you responded in force to help us choose a new name for our blues, greens and purples vintage patchwork colourway - thank you!  Hooorah and have a big kiss from us.

The most thumbs up out of our choices went to Seabreeze, but we had loads of really stonking name suggestions, which we then further struggled into narrowing down to.....

Aqua Flora
Azure Bloom
Blue Abandon
Cerulean Blue
Teal Appeal

Thanks to Karen, Sally, James and Valerie for those!

We didn't choose the name 'Steve' which was one of the suggestions, although I nearly fell off my chair laughing.  I should point out that the person who suggested it is a friend of mine, and it's a man-person; so clearly he had a little moment of fun in his day there, bless him.  Another man-person, James, was amongst our shortlist suggestees, so come on you man-persons, if you think you're 'ard enough, and have a crack at this competition.

Anyway, we will add these lovely names to Seabreeze now, and mull them over...

Patchwork Fabric Colourway: Reds, Pinks and Oranges

But in the meantime....you didn't think that was all did you?!  Oh no, no, no....you have shown yourselves to have such brilliant minds that we're going to get you to do it all again!  Check out this gorgeous feast for the eyes - it's our second brand new colourway - and again this patchwork fabric will be available in all our products.  Pretty patchwork apron anyone?!  Or a patchwork pegbag, ooh, imagine that....

So come on over to the survey, and tell us what you think.  Again, don't forget to include your email address because we'll be adding all the names to the Prize Hat (if you vote twice, we'll add your name in twice, so you get another chance to win!)


We cannot wait to hear your ideas, it's been such a thrill, you gorgeous devils you.


So come on over to the survey now, and vote for your favourite, or make a suggestion!

Help us Choose a Name for our new Colourway!

Well, Amanda and I, between us, and friends and family, have thought of 15 names for this, one of the upcoming colourways for our 2012 vintage patchwork look. You'll be able to choose any of our eco-friendly products to be made in it (nice tea cosy for summer tea parties, anyone?).

Which is all very well, but we are going to have to decide on ONE name.  Which apparently we can't do. Which is a bit silly. 

So please, would you do us the honour of helping us choose a name?  We've scribbled down the 10 names that made it onto the shortlist, and we'd like you to plump for one.
And in return for your hallowed opinion, we'll lob your name in a hat, and pull out a lucky winner, who will be able to choose one of our OriginalStitch eco-friendly products to be made in our new patchwork styles, with our usual love and happiness, and sent to you!

Also, if you think of a waaaaay better name than any of the ones that are there, you can add your suggestion and others can vote for it too.  Of course, if your suggestion wins the day, not only will we pull a random name out of the hat - but you'll get something too!

Get your thinking caps on - and come and vote!  Keep your eyes peeled for more too - you didn't think we just had ONE colourway we couldn't decide on, did you?

Click here to take survey

Which bit of fabric grabs you? For me - the teal flowery!

Personalised Stockings Special - 12 Months of Christmas Deals!

Customer pic of little Tomaso getting ready for Father Christmas!

We are launching our ridiculous but like-honest-guv'nor-for-reals
12 Months of Christmas Promotion!  To help us plan the Stockings better, and give you all a stonking good deal, we are offering silly prices on Stockings made throughout the year.

A personalised patchwork stocking is normally £36.50, but we are offering them starting at £25 in January!
Every month, the price will go up by £1 until normal pricing resumes in December.  This is a great way to get one for all the family - as one of our customers, Claire said "They are so beautiful, and I love that we will be getting them out year after year after year; they are a real investment."

We were hyper-super-majormongously busy with our lovely Christmas stocking orders in the weeks before Christmas - but we still had time for one of our favourite games - texting photo updates to the customers awaiting them.  Time to share - here's a montage of those pics, and the happy responses.  To order your stockings for £25, simply head over to the website now - but hurry - this is the all-time lowest price!

I Heart Wall Art: Make a Noticeboard With Scarves

Now then, if like me, you prefer to make your life difficult via the means of:
a) Trying to not ever buy things new, unless they're full-on proper eco-friendly produced
b) Always wanting very pretentiously to do something a little bit 'different' but not actually having any ideas jump into your head easily
c) getting a bit cross and bothered and wishing you were a really creative 'blank canvas' person who just goes "Ooh, ooh, how about we twist some twigs into a giant pepperpot shape, interthread tin-can shards in it and then invent a whole new peg system made from old cotton reels and make a noticeboard that way!"

Yes, sound like you?  Then what the heck, my love - just steal this idea.  Honestly, do.  It looks awful purrdee and is a proper good scavenging project.  Plus of course, it's got hearts in it, and like it or lump it my good people, hearts are a nice shape, aren't they.

Deely-boppers. Key to our business. Ahem.

Stuff and Things You'll Need

• Scarves from t'charity shop.  Also good - silky tops you've kept to re-use for something.  Best is silky things because they will not be bulky and will insinuate themselves nicely through rings and round nails etc
• Rings - I found a bedillion inch diameter or so metal curtain rings in a charity shop once, and I used those.  Failing that, use whatever rings you can lay your hands on.  Can't find any?  Don't worry - leave 'em out!
• Magnets if your rings are metal - ideally little craft magnets (strong ones), but you could just round up all the magnets yer kids have abandoned
• Paper clips, curtain cafe clips, bulldog clips - anything clippy or hangy or holdy or grabby.  And yes, they are the proper technical terms.
• Hammer and Nails
• Tape measure, Pencil, Rubber

   
Ready?  Hop to it!

We gave our workroom wall a good clean to rid it of dust and, ahem, pencil drawings, and removed bits of blu-tack and sellotape.  A nice clean blank canvas for you to whack your scarf art onto.

Poke through, bring round, poke through again.

1. Tie/sew your scarves and silky bits together, and measure how long it is.  You'll need this figure in your head to give you an idea of how big or small your outline is going to be in the next step
2. Put the curtain rings, if you are using them, at regular intervals.  Simply poke through once, bring round and poke through again, as you can see here, so that the rings are 'caught' on the scarf.
3. Next you need to sketch your heart-shape on the wall (or hey - any shape, it doesn't matter!  Go crazy you creative loons, you) using your pencil.  Start lightly - it took us a while to get the heart shape

   

   The mighty dustpan and brush

   right, let me tell you, and involved lots of standing back and viewing it askance and squinty-eyed before we got it right, which in turn involved a lot of drawing, rubbing out and re-drawing.  
4. When you're happy with the shape, start hammering the nails in to the wall.  Now listen here - you have to angle them slightly, and the angle will differ depending on the shape the scarves will make.  For example, the downward 'dip point' at the top ofthe heart needs a nail which is angled downwards so that the scarves don't just slip off, upwards....think tent pegs and guy ropes and you'll know what I mean!  If in doubt, just hammer them in a little, so that you can manoeuvre them once the scarves are tied on.  You'll soon see what we mean.
5. Next - begin placing your scarves round the nails - if you're on your own, you may need to tie the first bit to a nail, or it'll keep slidin' awff.   Amanda and I were doing this together so one was holding the first bit in place while the other looped and curled the scarves into place.  If you found the whole nail angling thing tricky, you can always 'loop the loop' the scarves round each nail.

   

   Get cafe clips from curtain hardware suppliers

6. Tie the two scarf-length ends together when you've created your shape, or if you prefer, tie them to a nail. Don't worry if you have too much - just let it hang down, or cut it, or wind it round some more.  Don't get hung up with measuring, no, no.
7. Now's where you get busy hanging things off your hearts!  Now, I'll leave this to your imagination - we had all sorts of funny bits and bobs - we've got some things stuck on with two magnets, some things jammed into paperclips just hanging off scarves; we've got cafe clips holding stuff, and of course we used the nails too - see the dustpan and brush there?!  Basically, use whatever you think might work!

A lot more interesting than a boring old noticeboard, eh?  We shove things we love, reminders, our sewing patterns all hole-punched and hanging on a nail, ready to whip down and use when we get orders; we stick receipts on nails, hang works in progress, even coat-hangers sometimes, with other things hanging off them.

Take part in some heart wall art!

What will you do?  Ooh, and what shapes are you thinking of using?  A cat? An owl?  Kisses?  Tell me!

Reinvintage: Revamp your Chairs with Scarves

I'm very happy to be guest blogging over Eco Age's blog this week, with a piece on quirky chic recycling - using, yes, you guessed it - scarves.  I do seem to have a bit of a thing about scarves.  Well, they're just so easy to get yer hands on!

Go and have a little read - it'll tart up your chairs beautifully!

Christen-Me Fabric Competition

We come across some amazing fabrics in our work here; not just because we rummage and scavenge and hunt and scour, but because of course now friends and relatives belch up their attics and cupboards into our laps.

This is a bright, full, tangerine - with a gentle patterned weave in it

We'll soon be launching Material World - a new section on the website with this month's selection of 3 gorgeous fabrics - order any of our products to be made in those fabrics and you're entitled to get a big fat discount of 30% off usual prices, while stocks last of course. But first, we want a name for the collection!

What's the prize?

Enter our competition and you could win either

a) 3 fat quarters, one in each of these fabrics (a fat quarter is 18" x 22", or approx 46cm x 56cm) so you can run up summink fancy all by yourself
b) A wha-hopping 50% discount off any product from the website you like, which we'll make ourselves, personally using those fabrics.  *A-curtsey-to-you*

So, if you fancy yourself in an Apron of those colours, or you'd like a Laundry Bag to brighten up washday, here's your chance.

Capturing an era - this fantastic floral is gentle yellows and dusky oranges

Christen Me!

First up for August Material World are these 3 brights - we think they're just perfect for jellybean interiors and picnic colours!  They would certainly brighten up any room you put them in.

But what's their story?  My sister often turns up, says "All right Sis?" and heads straight for the workroom with old shirts, remnants and scraps of fabric.  There's many a Mairi blouse in our makes!  But this time she and husband turned up with mighty great bags of the stuff.

Mairi's husb is helping gradually de-fabrickise (yes, that is a word, I think you'll find. In my land.) his lovely old grandma's house; she used to do a lot of dressmaking.  Some of the fabric, like many of our groaning cupboards of stash, never got round to being made into anything, however, and so we have virgin vintage - and even the receipt!

Look closely - yes, you're right, that says 7/6! I literally don't even know what that means, coz it's old money, folks!  It was bought in Albert Street in Birmingham, in a store called the Beehive Warehouse.  The date there, is the 11th July 1963.  So, how fitting that this lovely bunch of beautiful, zany, vintage fabrics kicks of our Christen Me Competition.

Christen-Me Competition for August 2011 Material World

So, what do you think this collection should be called?  What springs to mind when you drink in the colours and patterns?  

Answers below in the comments, or over at the OriginalStitch Facebook page - scroll till you see the related post on this topic.  Or at Twitter, using hashtag #mwaugust - we don't mind where you find us!  But please add something in your entry that relates in some way to this competition, or we'll be all, eh? Do what? Hm? Pardon?

How about "I think you should call the Material World August fabrics Zippity Dippity Doo Dah"

Oh, darn it. Sorry, have I stolen your idea?! Do make sure also we can trace you, wherever you leave your comment.

And how about this for a crazy, zany, fabulously contrasting checked greens?!

 We'll choose a winner on Monday 25th July, so stay tuned!  The fabrics will then be featured in Material World during the whole of August, where you can order any product to be made in them, and get a 30% discount.

We can't wait to hear your ideas!

In the Making: The Men's Shirt & Tie Bag

Now where did I put those pi...oh yes, in my cakehole

We are in love with our Fortune-Teller Bag, it's super simple to make and bags of fun to wear.  You can run one up in 3 minutes flat. Nearly.  Well, maybe half an hour, but that's how quick and simple it is if you do our scarf tutorial, residing for now over at Mrs Thrifty's, where we proudly guest-blogged.  However, that's strictly for friends or for meself, but transferring the design to our product range means a little more quality control.  So here is one, a custom make for my good friend, who saw mine and ordered her own.  She stole her husband's shirt and sneaked it down the Post Office.  She could have stuck some of his ties in too - so the handles are old ties, but for now, we used some lovely old vintage lining fabric so the handles slide smoothly inside the bag casings.

When the shirt arrived I got my grubby, shoddy benailed mitts (aren't they a disgrace, my nails?  My four-year-old painted those on for me 3 weeks ago.  I'm just waiting for them to grow off because I've run out of nail varnish remover).

Um, as I was saying, I got my shoddy benailed mitts all over the shirt and cut it to smithereens before reconstructing it into a bag. 
Naked.  No, I'm kidding, I just happen to have a strapless top thingy on, but I admit it does look a little dodgy.  Unless we want to start up a naked sewing club?  Hm?

Hang on...pins, needles, rotary blades....I'm thinking casualty, embarrassing potential for ending up on the medics' facebook page entitled OMG You'll Never Guess What Injury Came Into Casualty Today

I'm thinking maybe we stick with clothes.  Let's leave naturism to beach volleyball.

Anyhoo, here it is; from shirt to bag.  It's where all shirts dream of ending up....

Grabbing buttons...

Cutting off cuffs...

Lopping off collars...

Cutting out the big shapes....

Sewing 'em together...

Adding lining pieces...

Piecing the structure...

Is it a cuff, or is it a pocket?

Stitching it all up...

Giving it legs - got to have your brand in there

Not wasting the breast pocket!

Putting buttons back on...it looks like tiny knitting!

Give it a little security with a button-up tab...

Re-using the buttons and button placket for a little detail...

Rouche up the handles....

And voila - one Men's Shirt Bag.

Coming soon to the website!  So if there's one of yer man's shirts you've had your eye on, stick a balaclava over your head and sneak into his wardrobe to half-inch it, nabbing a couple of ties while you're at it, and bob's yer uncle, a truly unique Men's Shirt Fortune-Teller Bag.

These will be available as a product to buy on the website very soon, but you know you can just get in touch with us anyway, right?
Here, at Facebook...
Here, at Twitter...
Here at the website...
and Here on the Blog!

Life's Just Better With Jam

Of course, it's taken me so long, their feet no longer fit.  Ahem.

We discover, Dormouse Moneybags and me, that all of a sudden a half-term or an Easter or a Christmas holidays is slap bang sitting right on top of us.  Wham!  Just like that.  We're all, what the, how the, where the heck did the time go?  Are our children ever in school?

I like how it looks as if they've signed their feet...

And in those weeks of course there's little point trying to do anything involving the following high falutin' thinky activities - planning, strategy, website editing, product design, image editing.
You know, just the stuff in our jobs.  No way.  Forget it.  And certainly not making products for our lovely (we're curtsying right now, curtsying) customers, who deserve only the highest quality products we can muster.

Add one gorgeous bright red giant bathmat!

But we're addicted to sewing, so we do both attack little projects for our own home, since it doesn't remotely matter if we cock those up.  Yes, I like to make a right old scruffbag of a thing for my gaff.  I don't care about loose threads, scruffy edges, double-stitching, linings, neat hems, market trends, on-trend colourways or nuffink.  No, I just grab some scraps, cut 'em up, hoop up, throw a sausage at the kids, stitch something to something else, lob some squash at the kids, stitch some more bits to some other bits, cut, snip, stitch, say "Yeeees!" to whatever thing they've just asked for (crisps was it? Tequila? Tree-climbing? Fire-starting? No idea, just can't stop in the middle of machine-embroidery), stitch a bit more, pinking shear some edges, bob's your uncle and here's a bowl of ice-cream with chocolate sauce and yes, of course, help yourself to too much telly.

Enter me for Mother of the Year Award, you say?  Oh yes please, do, do.

Machine-embroidered scraps for a picnic blanket

Anyway, so here are the things I'd been meaning to make for donkeys' years, and scruffy though they are, I'm glad I've done them.  They are the very things I love - they inject creativity into the fabric of this house.  They are there to please no-one but me (and if they please other people, hooorah!); they are spontaneous; vintage; sustainable; re-used; and best of all, being used, so I get to have a little cock-eyed smile at them each time I see them.  Slightly smug.  You know that smile.
I must tell you that the bathmat idea is not mine, no - I saw it in passing at a nice blog once, and always meant to do it.  You can find a smashing tute for it here if you're not confident about tackling it freestyleeee....

The picnic blanket idea has been germinating for a while in my bonce.

 

These are all machine-embroidered squares with daft phrases on them, like our Piece & Jam Collection.  Ok, it's going to take me a while, but once I've done 12 or so, I'll throw them together with some other squares to make a picnic blanket - whack an old shower curtain on the back and hey presto, all ready for an English picnic, for which waterproofing is always advisable. A load of foody phrases, coz life is just better with Jam.

Whose voice can you hear now?  Yep.  That's right.  Homer Simpson.

Yes, that is Eddie Izzard, most beloved of this Isle.  There'll be a few more of his by the time this picnic has finished.  Cake or death?

So, now then - I'd like to know any of the following in your comments please...either here or on our Facebook page....

a) What did you make in the holidays, and on a scale of 1-10, how scruffy was it?
b) What were your most shameful hands-off childcare tactics?  Share.  Seriously - I need some tips!
c) More Eddie Izzard phrases for the picnic blanket please.  And by the way, these are for everyone - please make a picnic blanket using them!  Could you pass me the idioms please.  Thank you.

The Piece & Jam Collection Launches!

Well, we are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new, hard fought, hard won, 'Piece and Jam' and 'Stratford' Collections!

Now then, when Amanda and I decided it was time our Kids' Collection got some company on the site, we wanted to get back to basics and sew something from our hearts.  We agreed to go off and pursue our own stitchy little agendas and come up with a collection each, that we would then market.  This allowed each of us to do her own thing, and remain faithful to it.  Teamwork is essential in business, but sometimes you also have to let your own creativity spark fully into a great big fire too!

Piece and Jam is my fire, and Amanda's burning desire is Stratford.


When I was a nipper, I and my several other nipper siblings used to play outside. Of course, then we'd get hungry and hassle that lady who lived in the kitchen.  That's right, Mum, her name was.  Or rather "Mu-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-ummm....." which is what all self-respecting children call their mother.  Even when they're grownups with children of their own and want their mother to take up a hem or design a whole product for their vintage and recycled fabric homewares company.  Ahem.


Wanyhoo.....so, she would lob at us what she called a 'piece'n'jam' to shut us up and keep us outside.  I believe it is a Scottish phrase, or at least, that's where she found it, her parents being Scots.  A piece'n'jam is just bread and jam.  No butter or anything fancypants like that, oh no.  Just a piece of bread.

With jam on.

Now, although our Piece and Jam Collection is sort of, essentially, my baby - in the end it was actually Amanda who has made the products.  Lazy aren't I?  So I was sitting here with my free-motion embroidery head on, sketching vintage sewing machines or radios or socks or pants or shoes (well, go and look!) and thinking up phrases, and fiddling with embroidery threads and having enormous fun 'writing' in thread on bits of vintage fabric, and then I'd turn up in the school playground, and shove my makes at Amanda.  Kind of drop them at her feet, like a cat with a dead frog.
And say things like - "Um, fancy putting that on a pegbag?" or "Hey, you know how good you are at making Tea Cosies?" or "Oh you're so pretty and clever at making great big laundry bags.....ooooh look at this, wouldn't that look nice on one?" and then I'd run, run like the wind....
Poor woman.

So, in the end - Amanda pieces together the fabrics, linings, straps and templates to make the actual product and I supply the 'Jam'! Of course, our lovely stitchers will make them once we have sent them the patterns and they're ready for the jammin', and so when you order, you must still have a look at your OriginalStitch Tag to see which of our stitchers made your product.

What's great about Piece and Jam is that you can choose your piece, and your can choose your jam.  Want wholemeal with raspberry?  No problem.  Rye and Stoneground with Gooseberry?  Ciabatta with Fruits of the Forest you say?  Done.
Oh, no, hang on - that's actual bread and jam, sorry....

Let's try again, yes?
Want an Apron with a Radio on?  We're on your wavelength.
Want a Shoe-Bag with a Sewing Machine on? We're sew with you on that.
A Tea-Cosy with Bunting on? Just flag it up when you order.
A Laundry-Bag with Shoes on?  We'll toe the line...

Am I having a little too much fun with this?  Well, why not.  This is a fun collection of iconic shapes and phrases turned into mini-artworks on everyday things.

Coz why should your laundry bag be boring?  Get jammin'!