As you may, or may not know (you probably will if you follow me on Twitter) I was bridesmaid at my good friends wedding on Sunday, and beforehand she taught me a quick craft (and I made two for her wedding) and that is making string balloons.

Now this is one of the more messier and stressful crafts I have ever tried, and while I didn't dislike it, I don't know if its something I will do often, although I am considering making a few for my bedroom...so we'll see!

To start, blow up a balloon to the size you desire.

Get a lot of a string (and I mean a lot - you can always use less than you've cut, but would be difficult to add more - but not impossible!) and find a pot that you can use to fill with glue.

Pour a decent amount of PVA glue into the pot, add the string, and make sure all the string is well covered in glue (you're going to need to get your hands messy from here on in!) but be careful not to create knots in the string.

Grab the end of the string (ideally leave it hanging over the edge of the pot when you cover the string in glue) and take hold of your balloon. Hold the balloon by the knot, and hold onto the end of the string, and then haphazardly wind the string around the balloon, until you've got the desired effect.

Peg up by the knot to dry for 24 hours.

When dry the string will have hardened, burst the balloon and you will be left with a wonderful decoration. You can make small ones for balls to put in a bowl, add string to make hanging decorations, you can spray paint them...anything you can think of.

This is how they were used in the wedding...

Read More »

Good evening crafty folk!

Tonight I have a little blog post about Kindles, and if you're anything like me, these cold winter nights are just perfect for snuggling up with a hot chocolate (a dairy free one for me of course!) and reading a good book on the Kindle.

However, if you are like me you're constantly worried about the screen on your Kindle. They are well known to have a delicate screen and the last thing you want is to crack and ruin your screen (especially if you don't have the insurance - eeeek)!

So that is where Blanket Stitch comes in. Why not buy your delicate little Kindle a cosy little case to keep him (or her!) warm.

Our Kindle sleeves are designed with you Kindle in mind, to keep it safe and warm. With inner padding your Kindle will be a lot more protected. All you need to do is slide your Kindle in and let the sleeve do the rest.

You can buy our Kindle cases from our Folksy shop in a variety of colours and patterns.

They make a great gift, especially with Christmas just around the corner, so why not pick up one today!

Read More »

After making our vintage bunting for the recent wedding, I think all three of us who took part would all agree that we had seen our fair share of bunting and were happy to give it a wide berth for a while.

However, enough time seems to have passed us by and we were itching to get back to our bunting ways. After making so much for the wedding we felt like pro's, and it wasn't long before we were experimenting again.

(Picture of a section of our bunting for the wedding)

Amy started the bunting task, with a little something for herself. Having decorated her room and wanting a little something different instead of a border, Amy decided to make some bunting.

This bunting was just single sided, and was made out of three different materials to make the different flags.

What do you think?

Carol got back into bunting next, and with Christmas fast approaching she tried her hand at some decorative bunting for the festive season.

Do you like her Christmas bunting?

What other types of bunting would you like to see in our Folky Shop?

Read More »

Some of you who have been following Blanket Stitch for a while, might recognise the technique I have used here, and to those of you who are newbies, you might be wondering how exactly I have managed to capture this wonderful image and turned it into a coaster.

Read on, and all will be revealed!

I made these coasters a few months ago, after deciding I really ought to get on the Christmas bandwagon early, and knowing how these went down last year as presents for relatives I knew they would come out well.

For those of you unfamiliar with this, the technique used here is called Servietten Technique. Its a craft where  using the top, patterned layer of a napkin/serviette you place the image/pattern on to anything*

(*so far in my tests anything includes the following: Crockery, Tiles, Glass, Wood, Cloth bags, Candle and Plastic)

Using the image extracted from the napkin, glue, a paintbrush and A LOT of patience you can press and glue to image down.

Then using varnish (not on cloth!) you seal the image and also waterproof it at the same time!

These coasters come in a set of four, and have a beautiful Christmas scene covering them. They have been sealed and varnished, and are therefore waterproofed against any little spills that might come from your cup!

They are backed with green felt, giving them a soft backing, and stopping any scratches from the hard tiles on your furniture.

All coasters are wrapped in beautiful ribbon making a small stack.

These coasters are a wonderful present and can be found for just £10.00 on our Folksy Store.

Click the link above to buy it for yourself (or for a gift!)

Read More »

Having an interest in all things vintage and with memories of my childhood, where women always wore a pinny, I decided to make some vintage pinnies of my very own!

Sorting through my fabric stash I found the vintage look material, and the pinnies became a reality!

 I think every woman should have one!

Read More »

Everyone loves a squishy cushion - and this one covered in love fits the bill exactly.

Made by Carol, using two of our favourite materials, this cute little cushion would look wonderful in any room, we keep ours in our summer house!

Read More »

The re-doing of my room is a constant, ongoing process... I am always looking for ways to make my room look more cute and more creative.

My latest idea was to stencil onto some boxes to pack away my beauty stuff, so its not all over the place!

I have some old white boxes (the theme of my room is white and a raspberry pink colour) which I got from Ikea that used to hold DVDs. I decided to stencil on what I would be keeping inside, and they would be stacked on a shelf in my beauty 'room'.

All I needed was a suitable stencil, some acrylic paint, which I used straight from the tube, a paintbrush, and the white boxes.

Remember: Let each of the previous letter dry before starting the next one to ensure you don't smudge the paint. It only takes around 5-10 minutes for the paint to dry, and if you do several boxes at a time, the others can be drying while you do the next one.

I think you'll agree, they look quite effective!
Read More »

If you're looking for another craft to keep the children entertained through the summer holidays how about egg cosy's?

Egg cosy's are a cute way to keep your boiled eggs warm in their egg cups, and children (and Adults) can customise their egg cosy however they like, making this a fun craft for the whole family.

First work out roughly the size you will need your felt to cover the egg and top of the egg cup.

Next you will need to cut out two half moon shapes out of felt in relation to the above.

Decide on how you would like to decorate your egg cosy. I have just decorated the front, but you can decorate both sides if you wish. You can use felt, buttons, material...literally anything you want! This is a craft you really can be creative with!

When you've decorated your egg cosy, its time to sew it together.

Sew, using blanket stitch, around the top of your egg cosy, leaving the bottom open, so you can pop it over your egg!

We'd love to see your creations!
Read More »

Working with felt is one of the easiest ways to create gorgeous pieces to scatter around your home, and something that is super easy to get children or beginners to try out!

Takes these hearts we've been making, they are easy to make and look gorgeous hung around the home.

All you need:
Felt
Thread
Buttons (to decorate)
Stuffing

How to make a felt heart:
1. Cut out 2 identical shaped hearts out of the felt you are using (you can use the same colour or two different colours - it is entirely up to you!)

2. Line them up together, and using blanket stitch, stitch around the outside of the heart, binding both sides together.

3. Leave a small gap towards the end of stitching, and stuff heart with a small amount of stuffing to pad it out.

4. Finish stitching and close up the hole.

5. Decorate the front of the heart however you wish.

6. Attach some thread to the top of the heart.

Let me know if you try this, it really is a great, fun way to make cute little bits to decorate your home!
Read More »

Just a quick on today... you may or may not know (depending on whether you follow me on Twitter or not (I am FizziPop25 FYI) ) that I have a teenie tiny baby kitten. 

She's four months old now and we've had her for almost 2 months already, she's the light of our lives and keeps us constantly on our toes. 

While busily crafting for Blanket Stitch the other day, she was determined to get involved, pulling bits of thread, climbing through the material, attacking felt, climbing in our draw unit and trying to get her nose (and paws) in some paint. If she can get involved, she will! 

So, I thought, what can I do to make her leave us alone to craft in peace?

So I made her a toy mouse...to go along with the other 40,000 mice that are littered around the house!

It was so easy to make, and the little toad is now always wandering around the house with her little pink mouse in her mouth (thats when she's not creating havoc or sleeping).

1. Decide on the size mouse you want to make, nothing to small and fiddly.

2. Cut out a shape (double it up so you only have to sew one side) out of the colour of felt you wish.

3. Cut out some felt for the tail and choose a different colour for the ears.

4. Using thread sew in some eyes and then attach the ears.

5. Using blanket stitch, sew the top together, almost all the way to the end, just leaving enough of a gap to stuff it.

6. Using some thread sew in a nose on the front.

7. Using a child safe stuffing (like you would get for Teddy Bears).

8. Sew up the end, sewing in the tail as you go.

So there you go, in eight easy steps you can make a cute toy for your pet!

Do you have any pets you have made toys for? Leave me comments about what pets you have, what toys they love and maybe I can feature them all in a blog post at a later date!

Read More »

When I started this project I was going to be making a corsage to wear in my hair for my good friends wedding. As it turns out she then made me bridesmaid so I won't be wearing it for this event, but I am sure I will be wearing it in the future!

I wanted something elegant, fancy, wedding-esque and to match the gorgeous dress (which by the way, Carol made for me).

I picked three different materials, a soft silky (but not actual silk) cream material, the polka dot material that the dress is made from, and some cream lace.

The making of the corsage was easy, for each of the materials I cut out 3 squares. I then folded each square into quarters and cut it as if I was making a flower shape.

I then layered them over each other, at different angles, so as when gathered it would show off all the materials.

I gathered it underneath and then stitched it to make sure it was tight,

Next I attached a kirby grip to it so it would fit easily in my hair.

Lastly, I added some little accessories, some clear, cute buttons, pearls and diamante sparkle.

I loved the end result so much, I decided to make a smaller version and wear it as a corsage on the cream jacket that would go with the dress.

I did everything the same, except added a badge pin instead of a kirby grip.

What do you think? Do you like the corsage?

Let me know in the comments!


Read More »

When I saw an idea for a product in a magazine (I think it was 'Sew' but I can't be certain...) I decided to give it a go and see how I did with my own variation.

As usual I plowed in head first, not really thinking too much about how I would do it, and sort of had to develop it further as I went along, and despite taking the best part of the afternoon I couldn't really fault the way it turned out!

I started by cutting out some squares in felt to the desired size. I decided my wallhanging would contain three squares, all centred around a pink theme, yet all different in colour, yet corresponding with each other.

For each square I cut out two squares, the one that I would sew on to and one to use as backing to hide all the horrible stitching that you would be able to see.

I decided 'Home Sweet Home' was a good slogan for all a wall hanging and quickly decided that I would have the image of a house, a heart and flower, to represent nice things about the home.

So I got to work...

I started by sewing a border on each one, so I knew what area I could work within, and I then got to work cutting out the house, heart and flower to fit.

I stitched each one to their square, using blanket stitch, and also using threads which correspond to the colour theme of the piece.

I then set to work sewing "Home Sweet Home" in freehand.


Next I attached the ribbons to the help it 'hang' and threaded in some buttons to make it look pretty.


Last of all, I attached the backs, to hide all the ugly stitching, and sewed them to the front, using blanket stitch.


Although the whole thing from start to finish was very easy, it was time consuming, but I overall I am very pleased with the end result!
Read More »

Not my usual form of craft I must say, but when my friend mentioned about buying a cupcake class from Groupon I couldn't say no - who could! An afternoon of sugary goodness and cupcakes to bring home! Lush!

I took the class with my friend at Sweet and Floral Sugarcraft School in Enfield.

First things first, we separated our fondant into different shaped balls, following a chart, for the things we were going to make.

Next we learn how to colour our fondant, not using the usual shop bought liquid colours (this makes the icing too watery and difficult to work with) but gel colours. We were taught how to add the colour and work it through. We then got on with colouring each of our balls of icing.

The first thing we started doing was the bow cupcake. When I looked at this I thought 'eeeek' how am I ever going to be able to do it, but I think you'll agree it worked out pretty well! We were talked through everything step by step and although I felt too heavy handed, it worked out ok! And I thought the colours looked cute together too!

Next it was on to making roses, this is what I was scared about! Knowing that when it comes to delicate work I often feel very heavy handed I was concerned if I would be able to be delicate enough to do well. Well, I don't know what happened, because how the hell did I produce two amazing looking roses. It must have been a total fluke!

And last but not least, we made doves, using little cutters.

Then we piped the buttercream onto two of the cakes, two different ways, and competed our cakes.

I honestly thought I would struggle more than I did, and was pleasantly surprised with the results!

Below is how my friends cupcakes turned out too!

It was a brilliant day and you totally need to check out Sweet and Floral Sugarcraft School for more information on different classes!
Read More »

It was a little warmer this time, but the idea was still the same, it was time for another wonderful Servietten Technique workshop. Having enjoyed the last one so much, me and Carol popped along to learn new things and make some wonderful new items. 

I, of course, having built up a little production line of coasters last time, started right where I left off. The first napkin I came across was the one seen below, which had pictures of Strawberry's and flowers, and even a recipe for Strawberry Jam on one part...suddenly a plan was forming in my brain.

Wouldn't it be awesome to make a tiny set, aimed at possibly the single person (in my head I was thinking me, in my own flat for the first time would love something like this). A big coaster to stand your teapot for one on and a smaller coaster to stand you cup on. Perfect. 

So I set to work, using a large tile for the teapot stand and a smaller tile for the coaster.

I thought it was a nice idea to put the recipe on the larger tile, it gave it a quirky effect and thought it would be a brilliant addition to any kitchen, doubling up as a recipe as and when it is needed.

I don't know about you, but I think they ended up looking brilliant, and would give any kitchen that country cottage feel!

Another two coasters I made are the two above, I just loved the hearts & music, would be a brilliant present for a music fan and I thought it was just a beautiful pattern.

The herb one, I also thought would be a wonderful addition to a kitchen, you could even stand some of your pots on it on the work surface!


Below are two of Carol's coasters she made on the day, I love the top, nautical themed one and feel that might end up in her nautical themed bathroom!

Hope you enjoyed part two of the Servietten Technique workshop, and should there be a part three, you'll be the first to know about it!
Read More »