Panel bag

A friend passed on to me some place mats which came from Singapore.  She was rather apologetic, fearing that she was just passing on things which were of no use.  However, by cutting each place mat in half horizontally and teaming it with strips of denim, I created a set of bags which I think came out beautifully.

The mats were all different colours, and so produced bags which look quite different.

New style of pocket purse

 These came from my growing collection of chldren's jeans.  I found the back pockets on these did not always lend themselves to cutting to squares.  So I came up with these little purses.  I will create a tutorial for them at some later point.

Fleur Flamingo in pink

I have begun keeping "interesting" colours of jeans separately, and found that I had acquired two pairs of pink jeans. These lent themselves very clearly to making Fleur Flamingo, from the fabulous Funky Friends Factory pattern.  These are all doorstops, and two Fleurs have already been sold.  Hopefully the two which remain will find homes soon.

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Updates at last

I have really neglected this page recently - I can only blame a very busy school year and a summer spent recovering.  Along with the recovering I have, of course, been sewing, and have a number of updates to share.
My first update is that I have been branching out into new areas.  This includes making denim quilts.  I began this enterprise as a development of quilt making, using traditional fabrics.  It seems fitting that I am returning to quilt making but with denim.  Here is the first of those quilts.  It is a double bed size.  I think it may have been over ambitious for a first venture into quilt making, as it did take a very long time to complete.  I didn't use a pattern of any sort and started it as a way of using up some of the many back pockets I had.

The sashing is made from some very heavy old cotton sheets I was given, which I dyed in the blue and yellow you can see.  I backed the quilt with some more sheeting, and fastened the layers together with a variety of white buttons, again given to me.  I am very pleased with the overall effect.

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First uniforms

The ladies who have set up their business to make Utange Primary School their uniforms have called themselves "Soft landing".  Susan, the computer teacher at the school who has been so instrumental in getting this group going, has today sent me these photos.  They show the first two uniforms produced by the group.  It must be such a thrill for the ladies (and is certainly a thrill for me) to see these pictures. 

The ladies are employing a tailor to teach them how to make the uniforms efficiently.  I am sure this is a really good investment for their future work. 
I now have the leaflets to hand out to schools to try to persuade them to hold a non-uniform day to raise money for sponsored uniforms at the school; these photos contrast so much with those showing the uniforms sported currently by many pupils.

Jeans donation

Many thanks to the pupils, parents and staff of Gothic Mede Academy in Arlesey. They have been collecting jeans for me and on Monday I picked up two huge sacks full.

This update came a while ago, but I haven't got round to posting it! One of the schools I provided help to was St Peter the Rock. This is a school for pupils with mental disabilities, run by the amazing Gladys. Another visitor provided her with funding to rebuild the chicken shed she has on her current school site (more friends are fundraising to build a new, more suitable school at a much better site away from the busy street) and I provided the money for Gladys to buy chickens. These will provide eggs for the children at the school to eat. It was so exciting to get these photos!

 

Flying in....

Flying back into stock are these owl phone cases. I have now made them in larger sizes, to accommodate the smart phones everyone seems to have. I suspect they will sell well - I hope so.

 

Furniture again

This was another of the pieces of furniture I created at the end of last year. These folding storage boxes seemed to be all over the discount-type stores, and I picked up three of them with the intention of covering them. The covers they came with were plastic and unispiring, but once covered I was very pleased with them.

 

Uniforms appeal

Can your school help? I wrote previously about the new business I have helped to set up at Utange Primary School. A group of four ladies will be making uniforms for the children there. Susan, my contact at the school, tells me that there are about 200 children whose families are unable to provide a uniform because of the poverty in which they live. I would love to find sponsorship so that all of the children at the school can have a smart uniform, even those whose families cannot afford to buy one. This will cost about £400, and I am hoping that schools would consider holding a non-uniform day, making a small charge to those pupils who choose not to wear uniform, and donating the proceeds to this appeal. If you are interested in helping, please contact me through this page.