Making It More Me

Making It More Me

Making it more me was the key to doing up my IKEA bookcase.

Deep down I'm a girly girl, i love my pastels pink and Teals, these are my go to colours normally.

Before i did this bookcase up, this bookcase was boring and just a mess, no organization what so ever. So with a image in mind i set to doing up my Bookcase.

I wish i took some before photos but i was that set in changing it, i just got right to it.

So after deciding what are my go to craft things, i then ordered 4 storage 12 x 12 inches organization boxes, from Creations by Rod . Which i found over on Facebook.

I needed to organize my colour pencils/ art basic's things and my sewing things.

So i ordered the 5 draws box, the pencil 10 draw box, the 10 draw box and the bobbin thread spool box.

Then to add to my colourway, i went a head and order from Amazon 4 pastel pink fabric boxes and 4 plastic baskets.

When the Creations by Rob boxes turned up, they where MDF brown i needed to give then a light white colour lick of paint to blend into the colour of the bookcase, which ive had to do it stages as business picked.

I also knew i didn't need all the draws in the bobbin spool box to have all the dividers in, so i took the dividers out of 3 draws to make then just normal draws.

Over all i'm more happy now with how this bookcase looks, its what I've been meaning to do for a while but just didn't have the time with running R.j.A.f.MAKES my business. But with Lock down i knew that it was the time to do it.

If you get a chance why not pop over to Creations by Rods page over on Facebook.

B

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My Therapy Quilt

My Therapy Quilt

Hey Everyone, I Hope your all Well and staying safe?

I want to show you what I’ve called My Therapy Quilt and how this quilt has helped me out.

The story behind the quilt and why it’s called My Therapy Quilt is because making this quilt has either helped me or is helping me get through some horrible times of my life.

Where the quilt began.

Back in late August 2018 my mom wasn’t herself she was sleeping loads and wasn’t 100%. She wasn’t eating much and what I called at the time “That’s not my mom” (even though she was my mom, it was just her character wasn’t there)

In Late September while we were in our local supermarket, I was looking at my mom and the lights are brighter in the supermarkets than what we have in our homes. I remember looking at my mom as saying your eyes and skin are going yellow. My Mom said I know I’m having tests at the moment via the doctors to see what is happening.

Early October 2018 my mom was in and out of hospital having tests. We found out she had cancer of the liver and it was that big they didn’t know how to operate, because normally the tumors grow on the outside of the liver and not very often in what they call the bio tube. However, and like mom always says She must be different lol.

By late October 2018 mom was admitted into hospital RSH Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as her levels were dropping and they needed to get drains into her to help take away the bad stuff the liver was producing. They said chemo wasn’t going to help at this stage as they needed to operate fast. Unfortunately, no one in that hospital Knew what they needed to do as the tube leading to the liver was the major thing for the body. So, and we thank them as a family for admitting to this because this was out of their depth for that field. However, they kept mom in as they knew they couldn’t send her home in the state she was in. They were trying to get a bed at the leading hospital Queen Elizabeth (QE) in Birmingham which has a Liver ward and the leading specialist in the country for the type of cancer mom had. However, waiting for a bed was a long wait the longest wait ever.

Mid November mom came very ill while still in hospital at RSH and as a family was told to expect the worst. That’s when me and my father asked if it was ok to be with her through the whole day and can someone stay with her at night so she would always have someone with her. My Mom didn’t know what was happening bless her and still to this day can’t remember these few months in this one hospital. So, as we were waiting for my sister from Australia to fly in, we came up with a plan. So, I slept most nights at the hospital and my father stayed during the day. The hospital at the time thanked us as they come attached to mom and knew they couldn’t always be there for her because they had a lot of other patients to look after as well. So, between me, my dad and my older sister we stayed with mom. My middle sister who worked full time did her bit by helping dad with keeping him and my older sister feed. We pulled together as a family and this went on for around 3 weeks. Which like I have said to my mom and dad I will do it all over again if needed family means everything to me.  In the space of 3 weeks we were prepared by the hospital twice that my mom may not make it.

The 2^nd week of December my mom started picking up again and then out of nowhere a bed came available at QE Birmingham. We were so happy as we knew something could be done. Mom got transferred to the new hospital and we followed too. However, they are a Military Hospital where leading Army, Navy and RAF personnel train up so the staying overnight wasn’t allowed. There was one good thing though that their visiting hours during the day were a lot longer because they had a vision of family helps you heal etc. So, my dad travelled every day bless him to Birmingham to be with my mom, I went 3 times a week and my sisters did too. However mid-December my older sister needed to travel back home as she had family herself to get back to.

A couple of days before Christmas day mom was told there is no possible chance, they could operate this side of Christmas. The hospital did say though that my mom’s levels were ok, and she could go home if you take care of the drains that are coming out of your body. Mom was all for coming home for a few weeks as she had enough of the hospitals. They did promise her by the 2^nd week of January 2019 we will have you back in for the operation.

I bet you’re wondering where the quilt comes in, so in October I was still on Sewing Quarter TV channel and doing my demos on the latest bag pattern I designed. However, in late October I wasn’t feeling anything and needed something new to take my mind off everything. I used to find quilting a therapy, So I finally decided to get out the Liberty of London Fabric I had been saving up from all the visits to the Liberty of London Shop over the years with hubby. So, I didn’t know what design I was going to make but I decided to just cut 2 ½ inch wide strips and see what I come up with. After cutting them out I found a triangle 12-inch rule which I had never used in my tools. A plan was formed, I was to sew all the strips together in sets of four strips, then cut out all the triangles. That’s as far as I got in October and the 1^st week in November 2018. Then mom got worse and that’s where we decided to be with her 24hours a day. I stopped working on the quilt after that for a while as my thoughts were all over the place and all I wanted to do was make my mom better.

So, In January 2019 my mom’s operation came around. I went back to the TV and started back on the Sewing Quarter because mom made me promise to go back. The day I went back on the TV in January was the day before her Operation. The next day was her operation and it took 11 hours; my mom and dad didn’t want us girls there. So, I remember this day I picked up the quilt blocks and started sewing them together. I remember checking my phone every 5 to 10 mins waiting to see if there was any news. By the 2^nd row of sewing all the triangles together, I had enough I was melting down and so worried I had to stop. By the 11^th hour I had heard from dad and mom was out. We were told mom has just over 80% of her liver removed and some new tubes put into her body. The most common amount of liver removed is normally around 65%, so this was one of the biggest amounts the hospital said they had ever done.

My dad said its best you don’t come in for a few days after the operation as she won’t be awake, she will be on a support machine. I stayed home another day, but what followed was a phone call from my dad that day saying my mom had a stroke over night. So, the next few days my mom was having tests to see the extent of the damage that was caused by the stroke. I still don’t understand half the things dad was telling me as I was mentally preparing for a life a change for mom. However, my mom woke up, she knew who my dad was and knew she had 3 girls and a lot of grandbabies as she calls them. She knew her age and she knew most of everyone’s names in the family.

The next few weeks I carried on working on the quilt but after sewing a few triangles each time my heart wasn’t in it. So, I put it away in a posh poker dot box for another day as I needed to write some new patterns for the Sewing Quarter as it was back then.

My mom surprised the hospital, we were told that mom wouldn’t make a full recovery and it would be around 14 months before mom would take her 1^st steps. I laugh at this every time, they don’t know my mom (she thinks she is Supergirl or wonder women) She was taking her 1^st steps in Mid-February with help with the hospital and my dad. By the start of March my mom was being transferred to a GP hospital Local to us in Bridgnorth and they were helping us get the house ready for my mom to come home.

Mom has surprised us all and the hospital, she can walk without help OK steps and stairs are still a NO go, but she can walk for ages until she gets tired and needs her walking frame aid or wheel chair.

Her memory is about 95% back, she is our Rockstar. She proved she needed less than 14 months. She is now back to 95% of herself, but still gets sleepy and tired. But every day I see my mom getting back to her usual self.

So, the quilt got put to one side after this event as work picked up and time flew by until recently well let’s just say the last few weeks.

 

Present time year 2020

As you know the whole world is going through a bad time now. At this present moment we are on lockdown (I’m writing this 4^th April 2020). There is ¾ of the world on lockdown due to a deadly virus (Called COVID 19) which is killing thousands upon thousands of people worldwide. In the UK alone we have lost 4313 and this is still rising. When lock down started on March 23^rd 2020 my anxiety went out the roof as I wasn’t understanding what was going on and how the hell to come to terms with a lockdown life. We have been ordered by the Government to Keep 2 metres apart outside our houses and not to mix with family outside our own household. To only go out for essentials such as shopping (that of basic food) and only to exercise once a day. If you have a cough or high fever plus other symptoms you are advised to not leave your house and to self-isolate away from others. That’s what me and my hubby have been doing since the 24^th March as we developed a cough, a sting in the eyes, my Temperature went up and I was finding at one point hard to breath these are classed as mild symptoms so the government have ruled that if you have any of these to self-isolate away from others for at least 14 days until it clears up. So, guess what I picked up my Quilt from back when mom was in hospital and now it’s finished. It’s helped me out loads while we are getting over whatever this flu like thing. This has not helped my anxiety at all and its right what they say sewing is a therapy, my quilt is proof of that.

So, if you are feeling down pick up that needle and thread and sew. Turn on your machine and sew, get those thoughts out of your head and create something new for you.

We are still in lockdown, but I have faith in the world to make this right and we will get through this. Just remember we are one day closer to this all being over, so our life’s can go back to normal.

Stay home and stay safe everyone

B

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Shoulder Pad Sew Along

OK! Who admits you over fill your bag? I know I do! And most of the bags I use are crossbody ones, which means they dig into my shoulder.

So I’m doing this mini tutorial to help you out with how to make a padded cushion for your strap.

What you will need.

1x Fat Quarter or ¼ metre (Main Fabric)

1x Fat Quarter of the Medium Weight Interfacing iron on.

1x 4 inch by 10 inch of Sew In Foam

1x piece of ½ inch wide x 26 inch long double fold Bias Binding tape (or make your own by cutting a 26 inch by 2 inch strip on the bias, making sure you cut your strips on the 45 degree angle.

Making your own Paper Template.

I’m making a 3 inch wide by 7 inch long pad (this is ideal for a 1 inch to 1 ½ inch wide strap).

Now, you can make yours as wide or as long as you want. You will need to work out your own measurements to make a different size one.

Step 1

Take an A4 piece of paper and fold it in half horizontally and crease the fold. Then open and repeat the half fold vertically and crease. So you have now quartered the piece of paper into 4.

 Step 2

On the creases, draw each line so you can visually see them. Then on either side of the vertical centre crease, measure 3 ½ inches on the right-hand side and draw a line, and then measure 3 ½ inches on the left hand side and draw a line.

 Step 3

From the horizontal centre crease, measure up 1 ½ inches and draw a line, then measure down 1 ½ inches and draw a line.

Step 4

From the 3 ½ inches marks, measure 1 inch on the outer edges and draw lines. By now you should have 8 drawn lines.

Step 5

Now, starting at the 1 ½ inch horizontal line, draw a curved line from one 3 ½ inch vertical line to the outer 1 inch vertical line, all the way up to the centre crease (see photo). This will become the master curve for all the other curves.

Step 6

Fold your paper vertically on the centre crease, with your marks on the outer side.

Step 7

Starting on the curve, cut around the curve to the 1 ½ inch marked line.

Step 8

Now cut along the 1 ½ inch marked line to the vertical centre crease. Then cut down the centre crease to the bottom of your paper.

Step 9

Open up the paper and now fold it on the horizontal line with the cut out on top. Draw around the curved shape onto the other half of the paper then open it out.

Step 10

Now cut around the new curved lines.

Step 11

This will be your cutting out template.

This template can also be used for an 1 inch wide strap too.

Cutting out

So your template is now effectively 2 templates.

The first template is the over all piece which we will call the Main Body.

The second part of the template is the rectangular shape you will get by folding in both 1-inch lines. This we will call the Tube.

Cut out from your Main Fabric the following pieces:

The Main Body - cut 2 pieces.

The Tube - cut 2 pieces.

Cut out of the Medium Weight Interfacing the following pieces:

The Main Body - cut 2 pieces.

The Tube - cut 2 pieces.

Preparing your fabric

Fuse the iron on Medium Weight Interfacing to the wrong side of all the corresponding pieces.

Making the Shoulder Pad

WS = Wrong Side

RS = Right Side

Step 1

Take one of the Main Body pieces and pop it WS facing down on the Sew In Foam. Pin it into place and baste stitch ¼ inch away from the edge, all the way around.

Step 2

Trim back the excess Sew In Foam to the Main Body piece.

Step 3

Flip the now attached Main Body piece over so the foam side is facing up. Pin/clip the other Main Body piece WS facing the foam.

Step 4

Baste stitch ¼ inch away from the edge, so the foam is now sandwiched between the 2 Main Body pieces.

Step 5

Take both the Tube pieces and pop them RS together. Then pin the 2 short edges together. Sew both together using a ¼ inch seam allowance.

Step 6

Turn the Tube RS facing out and press well. Then top stitch 1/8 inch away from the 2 short edges.

Step 7

Take the Main Body piece and find the centre top and bottom of the 2 long edges. Then find the centre top and bottom of the 2 long edges on the Tube.

Step 8

Matching up the centres on the Tube and Main Body piece, pop the tube onto the Main Body and then pin the Tube into place down the 2 long edges. Baste stitch the Tube within the seam allowance down those 2 edges.

Step 9

Open out the Bias Binding and down one long edge, using clips attach the raw edge of the binding to the edge of the pad. You will need to leave a large amount of Bias Binding over hanging and use a clip to hold it into place.

Step 10

At your machine sew the Bias Binding on to the pad. You will be sewing on the crease nearest the edge. Start sewing just after the halfway mark on one long edge.

Step 11

Sew all the way around but stop after you’ve sewn the last curve of the main pad.

Step 12

Trim the start of the Bias Binding back so you have an inch overhang.

Step 13

Now, get the end of the Bias Binding strip (which is the side you finished sewing at), and lay that on top of the start of the binding. Trim it where its 1 inch over the start of the Bias Binding.

Step 14

Take the now trimmed back end Bias Binding piece and fold the edge to the WS by ½ inch and press.

Step 15

Place the start of the Bias Binding piece on top of the fold of the end binding piece, and clip the rest of the binding to the raw edge of the shoulder pad.

Step 16

Carry on sewing the rest of the Bias Binding onto the main pad.

Step 17

Peel back the Bias Binding closest to the raw edge and now trim back the Main Body by at least 1/8 inch but no more than ¼ inch. Do not touch the Bias Binding.

Step 18

Now bring the Bias Binding over to the back of the pad and clip the binding into place.

Step 19

You can hand sew the binding or machine the binding, to finish off the pad.

You are done!!

Making The Just SEW Happy Machine Cover

Sew Along No 3: The “Just Sew Happy" collection - The Sewing Machine Cover

 

Welcome back to the blog. So if you are joining me on this series of Sew Alongs, this is the place to be.

This blog post is all about what you need to know for the Sewing Machine Cover.

By now you will already know what is needed for the Sewing Machine Cover. But, for those of you who missed it or would like a reminder, here is the blog post of what you will need to be able to make it. http://rjafmakes.blogspot.com/2020/02/normal-0-false-false-false-en-gb-x-none.html

There is a Sew Along YouTube video for this Sew Along. Click here to watch the video

The video will start from what I’ve cut out, to prepping your fabric and making the complete finished cover.

I will explain everything I’ve used, as in tool wise within the video too. But if you get stuck, please just ask any questions either by visiting the Facebook group, here on the blog, on my YouTube channel or via my social media Facebook and Instagram. I'm here to help you out and to make this an amazing sewing experience.

This is where you need to measure your machine. So using the formula will help you with the cutting out.

For the height measure up from the table your machine sits on. So measure up from the bottom to the top of the machine, then times that by 2 (this will be your front and back of the machine measurement for now). 

Now measure the width of the top of the machine,

so now you will have 2 measurements. The complete height measurement for front and back, and the width of the top of the machine. Add these 2 together. Let’s call this measurement A.

For the width use the width measurement of the top of the machine. Now let’s call this measurement B.

The final overall measurement so you will need to add some extra allowance (more inches) to your measurements. So take measurement A add (+)  2 inches = (this will be your final height measurement for cutting out)

Now with measurement B add (+) 2 inches = (this will be your final width measurement for cutting out)

Make a note of your two measurements.

So here is everything you need to know for the cutting out of the Sewing Machine Cover.

(So if you have bought the panel from the “Just SEW Happy” range and your two measurements are less than the actual panel, you will need to cut down your panel to your 2 measurements)

Outer Fabric cut 1 piece using measurement A x measurement B out of your panel or stash fabric.

Lining Fabric cut 1 piece using measurement A x measurement B out of your Lining Fabric.

Interfacing cut 2 pieces using measurement  A x measurement B out of the Medium Weight Interfacing.

Fusible fleece cut 1 piece using measurement A x measurement B out of Fusible Fleece.

Quilt Binding for binding and ties cut 5 strips measuring 2 ¼ inches by 44 inches on the straight grain (selvedge to selvedge), out of stash fabric.

You may need less binding than 5 strips, as these 5 strips are for the overall panel.

Fuse all Interfacing pieces to the wrong side of the corresponding pieces of fabric, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Then fuse the Fusible Fleece to the Outer Fabric piece on the wrong side.

Thanks ever so much for joining in the fun. Please do show your makes within my Facebook group or tag me within your post on social media.

Happy sewing everyone.

B

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