Shameless plug of my Etsy shop!

As the title says, this is literally just a shameless plug of my updated Etsy shop 😁

My shop is also called Invisible Duck Crafts and can be found right here. I used to sell hand painted bags and a few other bits and pieces, but I wasn't massively enthusiastic about it. So I closed the shop down for a few months while I thought about what I really wanted to do and decided to revamp it and sell cross stitch patterns of my favourite things (mostly tv and films tbh!)

The patterns are only £3 each and can be instantly downloaded from Etsy so you can start stitching straight away! Here is a selection of the patterns that are currently for sale and keep an eye out as I'll be continuing to add more and I also accept commission work :)

All sales will help me buy food and nappies for Juliana as statutory maternity pay is not that great 😂

Cross stitch is a great hobby that requires minimal space and money to get started and you can stitch anything that you want 😁 If you want to get started cross stitching but don't know where to begin then drop me a wee message and I'll help you out :)

The accidental 6 month break...

I'm baaaaaaack!!!

Ok so, since my last post at the new year (I mean that was only 6 months ago!) A lot has been going on. In January I changed jobs (but stayed within the same company) and moved back to sunny Scotland!! After a couple of weeks on my Mum's couch due to me having to start my new job before we could move into our flat, we got the keys and got all of our stuff packed up (again!) and took it from the Midlands to Glasgow and unpacked it all (again!) We were finally settled in and I got my sewing stuff all unpacked and ready to go and cracked on with some time sensitive sewing including making a Winnie the Pooh quilt for our beautiful wee niece that was born in February 👶

So literally days after cuddling my niece for the very first time I discovered that we were expecting our own little offspring! So cue me being completely exhausted for the next couple of months and barely even looking at my sewing machine let alone do anything that wasn't sitting in bed half asleep wishing I could have loads of caffeine 😂

Baby Stormageddon gracing our fridge

 I'm now at 24 weeks so my sew-jo has returned to make thing for my self and baby and even some things for my best friend who's just had her beautiful wee baby 💖

So hopefully normal blogging service will resume soon with lots of lovely makes!

2019 - Good Luck, and don't fuck it up!

Ok so, I have literally no idea how 2018 is over already, but here we are! So Happy New Year and all that jazz! Last year I wrote a post about all the craft related goals I wanted to achieve and specific that I wanted to sew, which was all very well and good, but plans change and I didn't do quite a lot of them.

On the plus side I did do a lot of things that weren't on my plans for 2018. I made lots of baby items or my colleague, my favourite cousin and my sister in law, multiple dresses, tops, pyjama trousers, a skirt, pair of jeans and even a couple of Scottish Sock Puppets 😂 Let's have a wee look at some of this year's makes 😁

It's nice to look back and see all the things that you've accomplished over the year, I didn't realise I had made so much!

For 2019, I don't want to make big, long lists of plans because that clearly didn't work last year 😂 This year I'm just going to sew whatever I want, whenever I feel like it and keep any lists in my bullet journal so that even if I don't accomplish my goals, then at least my lists look pretty!

My inspiration for 2019 come straight from the fabulous RuPaul...

Baby Crafts Round 2!

So it would appear that 2018 is the year of babies as not long after I started making the baby basket for my colleague, my favourite cousin told me that she was pregnant 😁👶 Of course, I started planning what I could make straight away (like literally went straight to Hobbycraft after work for supplies 😂)

I knew that she wasn't going to find out the gender before the birth so I had to think gender neutral. I went straight to Ravelry to see what patterns were on offer, and I found some ADORRRRRABLE crochet patterns. Before I show you all the pictures, I want to state that I'm not just strangely obsessed with sheep, my cousin's partner is a sheep farmer which is why I went for the sheep theme 😂

So on with the show!

I got the yarn for these from Wool Warehouse and used Aran weight for the sheep hat and Chunky for the pompom hat, and as we all know the bigger the pompom, the cuter the baby!

While shopping at Wool Warehouse I also got some Bernat Blanket Yarn for this sweet little sheep sleep sack! 😍

I will note that as cute as this is, it was such a pain in the arse to make and I vow to never make another one! 😂 The bobbles on the front are easy enough to stitch, but when the yarn is that thick, it really kills your hands!

I also had some sweet, grey, cat print cotton in my stash so I put together a little bib and burp cloth set and a sleeping bag (all of which could have done with being ironed before taking pictures) for when the baby is a bit older.

I just used a towel to back the bib and burp cloth because good quality towelling is stupidly expensive 😖 And some paw print fleece for inside the sleeping bag.

I wanted to present the whole thing in a basket, but my cousin lives in Ireland and unfortunately we weren't able to meet up before the birth so it had to be squeezed into a large postage bag which really wasn't photo worthy😂

I didn't want to put pictures of other people's children on the internet, but you can take it from me that baby Sophie is just so cute!!! 💓

Anyway, see you all next week for my round up of 2018 and plans for 2019! 👋

Simplicity 1314 Leatherette Dress

Once upon a time I worked in a fabric shop and I had access to great fabric and patterns 5 days a week so I always had lots of grand plans to make things that I just didn't have time to do. This pattern is a prime example of that! I bought it maybe 2 years ago and I kept thinking about making it but had neither the time or the fabric and quite frankly I didn't have a place to wear it to! So when I came across it when rummaging in my patterns a couple of months ago I thought that now is the time to actually make it. I still had the scraps from my leatherette skirt which was thankfully enough to make the front panels so I only needed to buy 1.4m for the rest of the dress.

Once again, this project was on my Sew Brum shopping list and I was thinking about possibly getting scuba, but when I was in Barry's Fabrics (which, by the way is AMAZING) I came across this great jersey crepe, which gave me the weight and the stretch that I wanted and it was only £4.99/m 😎

The construction was actually easier than I had anticipated. There are two leatherette panels in the front (the pattern suggests doing the back centre panels in the contrast fabric as well, but I wasn't feeling that) the front side panels and all of the back panels are in the jersey crepe.

I didn't anticipate how much ease there is in this pattern and to be honest, I could have made it in a smaller size as it is a bit too much on the baggy side.

Don't know what the resting bitch face is about 😂

I've worn this a few times now and I'm still going back and forth over whether to shorten it as well. However, a major plus of using leatherette and jersey crepe is that there is no need to hem it! Although it did need a facing on the neckline, but I kept the bulk to a minimum.

Overall, I really like this dress. I probably will alter it and I would also like to make another one in regular fabric rather than leatherette and definitely make it in a smaller size so that it's a bit more fitted. 

So because I used scraps of leatherette from a previous project and only 1.4m of jersey crepe, it only cost me £6.98. I can't remember exactly how much the pattern was, but I do remember that it was in the sale, because I hate paying full price for them 😂

Hello Tiger - SOI Cora Top

The perfect woven top pattern is something that I've really struggled to find. I always see people on Instagram looking effortlessly chic with their woven tops, but every time I made one it would get as far as my boobs and then fall straight down, making me look all boxy and stiff which is just not a good look. I really wanted the Scout Tee to work for me because it's one that so many people rave about, but I just can't get it to look flattering on me!

When I saw that Sew Over It had released a new woven top pattern I thought, "Could this be it? Is this the pattern I've been searching for?" My head went for 'maybe' which is good enough for me! 😂 It has a V neck which is always a winner for me so I bought the pdf, printed and assembled it and went on the hunt for the perfect fabric.

I was at the Birmingham Rag Market during sew Brum (this seems to be a theme in my posts recently😂) and as I floated between the stalls, I saw some fabric hanging up at the back of a stall and I became the literal heart eyes emoji! It was perfect! But how did I get it?! I started rummaging through the piles of bolts of fabric on the stall until I saw a little tiger poking out, I FOUND IT! I immediately hauled it out of the pile and got straight in the queue to get it cut.

Isn't it just glorious?!

I got cracking on the construction and the theory is pretty simple, but the slippery fabric did test my patience a few times. The front has a kind of folded pleat at the point of the neckline which gave it a bit more floatiness (if that's even a word?) Like most woven tops, it's still on the boxy side but because the fabric is so soft and floaty it wasn't as bad and I went for a little partial tuck in when styling it which I think made all the difference.

I am the Tiger Raptor!!

I didn't stitch the pleat as it stated in the instructions because I felt that the fabric was a bit to lightweight to stitch right across it so I just hand stitched it in place.

I don't know if the perfect woven top pattern exists for me, but I think this is pretty close. I reckon I would make it again as long as I could get the same weight of fabric (and another amazing print wouldn't hurt!)

And she emerges from her cocoon like a beautiful butterfly!

A proper slouchy comfy cardigan is something that I've been looking for a quite a while and as didn't really want to rely on the high street because inevitably I would find the right shape but the wrong colour or worse, I could find the perfect cardigan and it gets discontinued and I can't get any more. So I searched far and wide across the internet for the perfect pattern and I just couldn't find the right thing until I came across a free pattern (yeah, you heard me, FREE!) from True Bias.

I decided to use the instructions to make a paper pattern rather than just measuring and cutting straight into the fabric and I had some fabric leftover from a previous project so I used that to make a trial run of the cardigan. I loved the trial run so much that I needed more!

I was going to Sew Brum so I put this cardigan on my fabric list. I knew that I needed 2m for it, but I didn't want to spend too much money on it and as luck would have it I found the perfect fabric in the rag market for a mere £2 per meter! 👏👏👏 I also didn't realise when I bought it that the fabric is almost the exact same as the fabric in the tutorial 😂

Once I got my head around which bits of the pattern go where, it was really easy to make and I will definitely be making more of them in different colours.

It's a great length for covering up without looking like a big bag of frump and can just be thrown on top of your outfit and can be dressed up or down depending on the rest of your clothes, accessories etc.

It's cosy...

...and fun!

Overall I'm very happy with how it turned out and even happier with the fact that it only cost £4 to make 😂 If you want to make yourself a cocoon cardi (or 10) to get yourself through the winter then head over to True Bias for the tutorial.

Jingle ALL the way! Nobody likes a half-assed jingler! - A simple Christmas stocking tutorial

It's Christmaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssss!!!!

 Well no, it's actually November, but in the crafting world November is actually quite late to start Christmas projects 😂 But this simple Christmas stocking project can be whipped up super quickly, I promise!

You will need:

0.5m of your outer fabric

0.5m of your inner fabric (I just used plain calico)

Matching thread

Scissors

Sewing machine or the patience to hand sew it!

Here’s what you need to do!

Draw out your basic stocking shape or just Google stocking template like I did 😂

Draw out a rectangle that is as wide as the top of your stocking and as tall as you want the cuff to be (mine is 18cm x 10cm)

Take your stocking template and cut out 2 of the outer fabric and 2 of the inner fabric

Take your cuff template and cut 2 on the fold of your outer fabric

I've shown the cuffs with one folded and one unfolded just so you can see it :)

Take 1 of your outer stocking pieces and pin it right sides together to one side of your cuff and pin 1 of your inner stocking pieces to the other side of your cuff with right sides together making sure that your stocking toes are both facing the same way. Sew them together, press your seams open and do the same for the other pieces.

Pin your pieces together with right sides facing ensuring that the seams at the cuff match up. Sew around the stocking ensuring that you leave a gap at the bottom of the inner stocking to turn them the right way out.

Don't forget to leave a gap!

How many pins is too many pins?

Trim your seam and turn the stocking the right way out through the gap in your lining. Fold the raw edges under and either zig zag stitch them together on your machine or if you’re feeling fancy, you could hand sew it closed using a ladder stitch.

I ain't fancy :)

Stuff your stocking lining into the outer shell and turn the cuff down.

Et voila! You now have a beautiful stocking to give as a gift to family and friends, donate to charity or just keep it for yourself (Mine has festive daschunds on it!)

Alternatively, if you love these stockings but have neither the time or the inclination to make one, then pop on over to my Etsy shop to buy one that’s already made!

New Look 6217 Kimono Jacket

The pattern for this cheeky wee jacket up came with one of the first patterns I ever attempted which was the top that I made in a really cheap floral polycotton and was too big all over, the neck was all stretched out and the seams left a lot to be desired 😂 but even though the top is long gone, I held onto the pattern in the hope that I would go back to it one day and that day has finally come!

So I picked up the fabric about 6 months ago in Glasgow without any concrete plans for it (quelle surprise!) I had a wee flick through my pattern stash and came across the New Look pattern and decided to make the kimono style jacket as the weather was still quite hot.

It was super easy to construct! Literally just a back, a couple of front pieces and the band for the edge. It needed a jolly good press before wearing, but since it was still about a million degrees at the time, I left it hanging on the back of the chair until the following weekend when it was cool enough in the morning to break out the iron.

 I think its casual enough to just wear about the house, but still dressy enough to wear to work or dinner, or whatever it is that adults do.

Obviously the weather cooled down as soon as I'd got this together, so hopefully the kimono style doesn't become incredibly unfashionable by next summer 😂

Tessuti Lois Dress - A tale of desperation

Recently the UK (and most of the rest of the planet) was in the midst of a mental heatwave that I, as a pasty Scot, was totally unprepared for. I have very little in the way of summer clothes, mainly because I don't have the legs for shorts, I don't like to have my upper arms exposed too much and I ALWAYS have tights on under my dresses. So all of these problems combined with not liking many RTW clothes these days, meant that I had to really think about what I would actually be happy wearing.

I came across the Tessuti Lois Dress and thought this is the pattern for me! It's got enough of a sleeve that I wouldn't be uncomfortable having my arms out, and loose and long enough for me to not be too hot or too exposed. I had the pink fabric in my stash from when I attended the Hobbycrafts show in Glasgow in March and it was the perfect weight for this pattern.

I managed to get the PDF pattern printed and stuck together and the fabric cut out before the room got too hot so I had to leave the actual sewing until the next morning when it was cool enough again. The construction was pretty straight forward, I found the darts a bit unusual because you actually cut them as a V before sewing them together. The only real issue I had was the insertion of the side zip. I had never done one before and it had to be inserted within the side dart of the skirt which I really struggled with and ended up with the bottom of the zip making the skirt stick out.

 But even with the dodgy zip, I really liked this dress. It's soft and floaty and shows off my best assets 😂😂 It kept me cool and comfortable while having a nice wee wander round Glasgow Fort with my wee maw 💖

 And now that I have something in my wardrobe that's actually suitable for summer, the sun has now of course, gone away again 😂 Ah well, there's always next year!