The Story So Far....

Now you may wonder why there is such a big gap between posts in the blog. Last August my husband and I moved from our small home town in leafy Hertfordshire, England to up-state New York USA. Why the big move? Hubby got a job transfer. We had anticipated that we would be moving in March of 2010 but due to the economic downturn his company started making cutbacks. So the move was delayed till the dust had settled. You don't want to be walking into a new office where people have just lost colleagues due to the depression.

Us in Times Square in December

So we were stuck for 5 months living at my parents, in my sisters old bedroom (we had given up our apartment as we thought we were going in March). We used this time to get rid of more possessions. We figured that it would be cheaper to sell our furniture and buy new stuff in the US rather than ship it across. Some of the prices quoted were crazy! We only had a few items not a mansion full of things.

So after 5 months of living in a shoebox room and trying not to kill everyone around me, we finally flew mid August. This was the thing I most feared. I hate flying, I feel ill thinking about getting on a plane. Luckily I saw my doctor before I went and she kindly prescribed me Valium. My word, it did the trick. It was the quickest flight I've ever been on.

Being here in the States has been interesting. I have never been here before, so I didn't know what to expect. What I've found is how even though we both speak English, we have a totally different language.

I find myself sometimes talking to people, and realise by the perplexed look on their faces that they only understood half the conversation. I now think that when we go home i'll be saying all these American words, because I had to say them in order to be understood here. I also don't understand how we keep getting mistaken for Irish?!

Dexter our 6 month old Beagle.

We have experienced amazing weather (boiling hot summer, gorgeous autumn, and a proper snowy winter) which is now becoming laborious. I haven't seen grass since Boxing Day (26th Dec) and my face hurts from the cold every time I take the dog out to the toilet. I can't wait to see what the spring is like. By the way one of the first things I bought when we got here was a sewing machine! I need my fix of cotton and thread.

Well hopefully I can get back to writing more blog posts and step by step guides now that i'm settled... for now.

New Items Made!

I have started making iphone cases thanks to the inspiration of my husbands iphone. Its his precious and so this quilted case will protect from knocks and scraps and greasy fingers!

Unfortunately he won't be parading around promoting them anytime soon, as the ones I tend to make are a bit to feminine. He'll just have to stick to the his manly one I made him.

Spirrel Monkey is now on Etsy!

You can now get your hands on Spirrel Monkey made items! I now have a shop on Etsy which is a site where artist/makers can share and sell their handmade goods. Check it out today!

www.spirrelmonkey.etsy.com

New Items Made!

New Purses and Bag:

Above left made from some charity shop material, I've added a button detail.

Above right Alexander Henry Material 'Calaveras'.

Below left 'Paris' Purse made from materials found in a remnants bin at the local market.

Below right 'Strawberries and Cream' shopper bag, to match purse made previously.

Recycling at its Best!

One of my latest creations that is 100% (well I bought the zip so 95%) recycled is this funky little make-up bag.

Made from the same material as the purse in an earlier post, this material is an old 70's bed cover. The make-up bag is lined with a waterproof material, so it can be easily wiped cleaned, this material is an old shower curtain (very well cleaned). If you haven't got an old shower curtain hanging around, just pop down to a big supermarket's home-ware section, where you'll probably find a new shower curtain for a couple of pounds.

The appliqué on the front was made out of scraps of fabric I just have in my scrap-fabric bin at home. A good source of scrap-fabric for your own collection at home is the remnants bin at fabric stores or market stalls. Usually you can pick up a decent size piece for around 50p. All scraps come in useful for things like appliqué.

I just bought a zip for 50p and whipped up this little bag, ideal for a young teen or friend who likes to be different from the crowd.

Enjoy!

How to Look Like a Domestic Goddess!

There are a couple of fabrics I purchased recently that I didn't quite know what to do with. The motifs on them were large and not necessarily appropriate for making into cushions or bags. They were food themed fabrics, that were quite tough wearing. So I decided to combine them with my other love, cooking. The number of times I've baked or cooked something messy and it ends up mostly on my clothes (and I always seem to be wearing white when this happens, when will I learn), inspired me to make an apron.

So I will show you how I made myself a very pretty simple apron with a handy front pocket.

1. I made up my pattern from an old apron of my mums, pinned it on my fabric and cut out.

2. Unfold the cut out piece. Now you must hem the edges. Fold the edge over 0.5cm then turn over again 1cm and pin in place. I like to make sure the edges are symmetrical, so the sides are done first. then the top and bottom of the apron. Sew.

3. When you had cut out the fabric at the beginning, there would of been two scooped out pieces where the arm holes were. Re-use these for the apron pocket by joining them together at the straight edge and then level the bottom as you don't want a pointy bottom pocket.

4. I like to use some really bright bias to edge the top of the pocket. Before that overlock or zig-zag the edge of the pocket.

5. Turn under the overlocked edge and pin the pocket to the front of the apron just below the line of where you will put the apron ties. Sew

6. Now to attach the apron ties. Take some twill tape 1" wide, measure up how much you will need to get over your head comfortably. Double turn over the ends and pin to both sides of the neckline. Sew a square with diagonals through it like we did for the bag but slightly smaller. Measure up how much twill tape you will need to tie around yourself. Double turn over the ends and sew. Cut the length in half, then double turn over the ends and pin to the waistline edge. Sew a square with diagonals again.

7. So there we have the end result. I have also used PVC to make easy clean aprons for the kids. Useful for when they are cooking or painting.

New Purses by Spirrel Monkey

I've been a busy little monkey and produced these two purses today amongst other things. I am quite pleased with them, and it takes a lot to please me, very critical normally.

I hope you like them too!