Instagram - a learning curve

I joined Instagram ages ago but have to be honest I never quite got to grips with it for ages. My daughter would have to step me through how to post things and then by the time I decided to have another go I'd have forgotten what I was doing and she would have to step me through it all over again.

I never got it and couldn't figure out why so many people were enamoured with it and some podcasters (ok Stephanie at Modern Sewciety mostly) would rave about it. I just didn't get it.

When I opened the Etsy shop for Handmade With Love I figured I should get serious about it as it seems that it was one way that I could promote the shop and hopefully drive some activity and sales. Another crash course by Fangirl, in how to work it and I was away. I changed the name to reflect the fact that it was connected with Handmade With Love and started to try to post stuff on there about the shop. I had to learn a lot about hashtags (they used to really annoy me to be honest) and I am still learning. My account probably needs a lot of polishing but I guess like me, its a work in progress. 

Trying to attract more followers has been interesting. I joined an Australian loop - where you post a certain post and then are encouraged to follow other people that like it etc... that has worked to an extent although to be honest I have ended up following and having followers that aren't really my demographic... lots of mummy instagramers - especially ones who are promoting their child and trying to get "brand reps" etc. So I am rather ambivalent about it. Yes I have attracted more followers (up to 680)but it hasn't had a corresponding increase in people liking or commenting on my posts or visiting my Etsy shop. And some how it feels a bit icky to me... mothers pimping out their kids for free stuff. I'm thinking of culling who I follow... but then I do like to see my numbers growing. If they are prolific posters that end up clogging my feed with posts I am not interested in I may well give them the flick. Sigh. Its hard to know

Something that I have been joining in and really enjoying since the beginning of March has been a hashtag called March Meet the Maker (#marchmeetthemaker). Set up by Joanne Hawker its a month long challenge where each day the makers on Instagram have a topic to engage in on their Instagram account.

I'm finding it really interesting learning about lots of other makers out there on Instagram. Boy there are a lot of them. Its also challenging to come up with the photos and content for my own posts. It was extra challenging to start with as I was away from home so couldn't take more photos - had to rely on the photos I had with me - what fun!

I also am taking part in #igquiltfest run by Amy Ellis. Again there is a month long list of prompts for posts.

 I am not really enjoying this one as much although it is also interesting. Its all quilts so not so much variety and maybe at the moment I am not so into quilting.


Anyway - so are you on Instagram? My handle is handmadewithloveorh if you want to find me and follow me. I'm there a bit more often than I am here these days.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year - yes a bit late but well... its still January at any rate. I haven't blogged much since April last year. All sorts of reasons for that mostly I have been incredibly busy.

With the new year I am hoping that I can get myself motivated and back into it.

I have been on Instagram a fair bit (going over to the dark side?) My handle there is @Handmadewithloveorh so if you Instagram why not check me out and start following me.

In September last year Handmade With Love had a stall at Brisbane Comic Con. It was lots of work and lots of fun too. I shared the table with Earthyyu, my son's partner (formerly known on this blog as Gamer Girl). I was selling zipper pouches and bags made from a range of licensed geeky fabrics. Check out her Instagram account here and her online shop at Store Envy

Earthyyu sold prints, stickers and charms which she had designed and produced. We worked hard and enjoyed the amazing spectacle that is Cosplay. 

We did it all again in November at Brisbane Supanova. We've signed up for Gold Coast Supanova in April, (super excited cause Peter Capaldi the 12th Doctor from Doctor Who is going to be there.) We have also applied for Brisbane Comic Con in September. Currently sewing madly to get my stock up - especially lots of Doctor Who fabrics.

Loved meeting this friendly dalek at Brisbane. He was pretty cheeky though.

I have also, with the help of my daughter, Fangirl (from Fangirl Stitches) set up an Etsy shop for Handmade With Love. So far it has only got the stuff that I have sewn in it - the things I make to sell at Comic Con and Supanova but I am planning to also put some of the other "non geeky" products we have sewn....when I get some time. The shop is https://www.etsy.com/shop/handmadewithloveorh. I'd love you to check it out... maybe favourite a few items... or buy something! All profits go to support Our Rainbow House

The Hiatus Continues

I seem to have lost my will to blog... not my will to live but my will to blog. I can't believe that in 2 months this is only my 2nd blog post. Not sure why and I am sorry for my loyal followers who will now have given up on me and gone to places else where for their blog fix. 

In the month since I last wrote my main creative input has been in scanning, editing, labelling and posting on Facebook my mother's negatives. She was an avid photographer although not necessarily proficient she was prolific. We children were the main subject for her photography as she documented our growing up.

My Uncle's family (on left) and our family on right. I am the little one in the pram near my dad. Its my siblings up to the tallest girl and the other side is my Uncle Jack's family. They lived a hour or so away from us at this time. 

I have now scanned all the negatives. It was quite a process. The 35mm ones were simple enough as I had a small scanner, given to me by my daughter several years ago. It scanned the photo and converted it to a positive digital image that I was able to edit quite easily. The black and white negatives from before she acquired the 35mm camera were harder. I had to scan them on our flat bed scanner, then use another program to convert the negative scan to a positive image, and then edit and enhance the picture using one of a number of programs. The flat bed scanner didn't always do a great job and I am seriously considering getting a special photographic scanner to redo the negatives to get a clearer image. but that won't be till Christmas. Anyway - its been an interesting going over the photos and trying to work out where they were taken and why and sometimes who.

My dad and me. I was named after him so it Philipa and Philip

My main way of identify the people and the occassion has to been to put them on facebook where my siblings and cousins can see them and work with me. I am the youngest in my family of 8 children as well as being  the youngest of the cousins on Dad's side and the 4th youngest on mum's. 

This photo really amused our family. Its the 5 youngest children. There was obviously a litter of kittens and puppies at this point on the farm but some how my youngest brother (near dad) only got a cut apple to hold. He looks somewhat bemused by this

It has illicted a lot of discussion amongst us all which has been great.

Our small community used to have a Fancy Dress ball for the kids each year. With very little money but lots of imagination mum would manufacture costumes for us all. This year (the earliest one I can find photos for) I was about 3 and went as Old King Cole. One of my sisters was  the pipers that he called for (mum didn't realise that the pipe he called for was his smoking pipe.)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and
he called for his fiddlers three

This has taken up a lot of my time - time I would usually spend sewing. I haven't missed my sewing time which is really weird for me. I feel like I am still in a bit of a hiatus or waiting time. I wonder if my excessive sewing over the last year or so has burnt me out. I have finished off a lot of quilts and other projects and thoroughly enjoyed my time. Now might be just a time of rest and recuperation.

My 2nd eldest sister Joy holding me when I was about 5 months old

I have done some projects. The Twilter group (on Facebook and Twitter) has been working on a QAL using a pattern called Layer Cake Explosion by Angela Gross from Quilts Bayou. The pattern is a free one from Craftsy but the instructions are fairly minimal as it was designed to be a class pattern, that she explained in the lesson. Daisy (from Laisy Daisy Quilts and Reads blog and podcast) is running the QAL on Facebook and she is writing the more detailed instructions for us. I happened to go on a retreat a couple of weeks ago and took it with me. I hadn't really started the QAL up till then and went from the beginning right through all the steps, using the pattern and managed to get in a muddle at one point as... well I was ahead of the game. Daisy kindly helped me along but the putting together clue is not being explained till the proper time.

So yes... I went on a retreat. I have been going to this particular retreat since 2002 (I think it is) I've missed a couple of years for various reason but have attended 11 or 12 times by my reckoning. The retreat itself celebrated its 30th birthday this year. Our theme was Pearls (for 30th anniversary) and the dinner theme was Pearls or T for thirty. This is the first year I have taken a friend with me and it was extra fun because of that. In the past, whilst people are always friendly and many of them I have known for the 15 years I have been going and some from before that even, it was nice to have someone who was MINE so to speak. We shared our accommodation, shared the same table group, sat together at meals mostly etc. It was lovely.

I made a couple of mug rugs for the swap we did on the weekend, worked on the mystery quilt and made a heap of hanging towels for Handmade With Love. It was productive.

I really need to get on with my Comic Con sewing as I have just over a month till we leave home to go on our trip to Japan, Europe and the UK. Once back from there it is just 10 days till the event. (I thought it was going to be 3 days and had timed it perfectly but Comic Con is a week later than I thought. Glad its not a week earlier) So I will have a bit of time to sew once we get back but not much.

Since the retreat I have cut out about 25 Easy Cosmetic zipper bags (from the pattern by So Sew Easy) The stiffening has been ironed on and I have started inserting the zips. Hopefully I will get them all done in the next few weeks. I have scraps and can sew more of the ear bud pounches and the teeny tiny zipper bags too. I am not sure if I will make any more of the laptop or iPad bags at this point. Will see.

I am sorry that I have been missing in action. I am trying to get myself motivated and back on track but its a bit of a hard slog. When I am travelling I will try to use my blog as my travel diary and so will be more prolific... which is great if you like travel stuff but for those looking for Sewing inspiration... yeah not so great.

WIP Whoopsday -

I'm running late again with my WIP post but its still Wednesday somewhere in the world.

Having been away for part of the week and travelling for 2 full days I haven't accomplished as much sewing this week as I would have liked. I did take my smaller sewing machine with me to Brisbane (and have left it there to use when I am down in a couple of weeks time). I had planned to do the March clue in Charlotte Hawks mystery quilt which had been due to be released the day before we left. However due to severe storms taking out power and cable services in the area she lives in she was late in getting it posted. It was released the day we left to come home.

I did work on the backing for the A to Z quilt, getting the 3 blocks (2 remade and the Z block) pieced together with left over fabric from the second border and lots of letter/school/writing related fabric from my stash.

I bought some word fabric to complete the backing 

and have realised that I didn't get enough so more fiddling about to get it big enough

I made 3 items for the Comic Con stall - 2 Easy Cosmetic Bags and a boxy zipper bag. The boxy bag looked so bad it didn't rate a photo.

Once home I was able to get the March Clue completed in Charlotte's Mystery quilt. All the units are now assembled and next month we are to be told how to assemble the units into blocks. They are looking really great and I am looking forward to seeing the completed blocks and quilt.

Its midway through the month so its time to review the monthly goals I set myself.

  1 Complete my secret project I've made good progress on this
  2  Make 20 items for Comic Con Stall I've made good progress here too. The 8 teeny tiny pouches, one ear bud pouch, a large messenger bag and 2 easy cosmetic purses. So I've made 12 items - over half way. I am now awaiting delivery of more of the lobster swivel clips and zippers so the small pouches are on hold but I can get on with more messenger bags cause the magnetic clips are here.

 

3 Complete March clue of Charlotte's mystery Quilt.I got this done over the last 2 days Yay

                     

4 A to Z Challenge quilt I've started work on it (as detailed above) The top is completed and I'm working on the back. 

5 Work on En Provence. I have organised to quilt this on Friday using our club long arm. Lorraine is going to help me load it on the frame and then I am going to try to do a pantogram for the first time 

So - I'm making good progress with all 5 of my goals 

Linking up with 

Smunday Stash Report - late again this week

My week can be divided into 2 distinct parts - productive and not so much. LOL. At the beginning of the week I was able to get stuck into a variety of projects, all for Handmade With Love, particularly for the Comic Con stall we will have. Its not till September but since I will be out of the country from the end of July and have some other travel before then I am trying to get as much as I can made before I then.

This month I have set myself a challenge to make 20 things for the stall (I managed 12 last month) but had done nothing in the first week or so.

This week I got my act into gear and I made 8 Teeny Tiny Zipper Purses, using this pattern by So Sew Easy. .41m

 I made one ear bud pouch - Tardis fabric is so cool .07m

  and I tried out this new messenger bag pattern by Crazy Little Projects. 1.87m

Its big enough to carry a full size laptop (mine pictured is 15" and there is heaps of room for a bigger one) I talked about the hassles I had with it (all stemming from me assuming I knew what to do.. hint. I didn't ) on my Wip Wednesday blog post 

No purchases this week so all profit!

Week 10
Fabric used          2.35
Fabric added        0.00
Net usage            2.35m

Year to Date     
Fabric used       61.03
Fabric Added     21.60
Net Usage        39.43m

linking up with Patchwork Times

WIP Wednesday

How has your week been? Have you been making progress on your WIPs? I've been busy and very happy with the progress I have made on a number of fronts.

I unpicked the dog cushion that I had mentioned last week that I felt was over stuffed and removed some of the stuffing and it was then much more suitable for the dog to snuggle onto... he no longer looked like he was going to bounce straight off it. I got 2 more completed as well so Jack and Digby have new beds in the laundry where they sleep at night as well as 2 cushions in the rumpus room/sewing area. That is all that they need so future dog beds will be given away as they get stuffed.

I have finished off 2 more secret project quilt tops and have made the backings for them so I have somewhat of a quilting pile up....4 quilts and backs ready to be quilted and one more that I am making the backing for now.

Today at Patchwork I put the borders on A to Z Challenge Quilt.

 Its ended up much bigger than anticipated (90" square). adding 3 borders does that too a quilt! Sorry I have no photos of the completed quilt top... but its supposed to be a secret till A to Z blog challenge starts 1st April. This is the 3rd border fabric

I am working on the backing for it (as mentioned above) I have 3 blocks left over from the front to incorporate - the Z block plus the 2 blocks that got replaced on the front. I have a little of the border fabric left over to go on the back as well but I am going to have to work out what to do with the rest of it.

At Handmade With Love yesterday Peggy had cut out a couple of little dresses and some rompers. I am not big on clothes sewing, but its cutting things out that causes me the most angst. With them already cut and Peggy on hand to say what to sew when and where I was able to get stuck in and between us we got the 2 dresses made in the morning and they looked really lovely. I forgot to photograph them too (not doing too well here am I)

I have been busy with a some other HWL projects. One of my goals this month is to get 20 items sewn for the Comic Con stall I am having in September. Over the last 2 days I managed to sew 8 of the Teeny Tiny zipper pouches. (pattern is here on Sew So Easy)

 and one ear buds pouch. (no photo of it either... I forgot) So 9 things down and 11 to go!

I started working on a different Messenger bag tonight. I did a number of major stuff ups because instead of reading the instructions properly I made some assumptions and they were WRONG. I had a lot of unpicking to do.... I'd assumed that the big piece I cut was the front and back of the bag and the small piece I cut was the flap cause that is what they had been on the kids messenger bags I've been making. (despite them being called front and back) The big piece was actually the back and the flap. I had stitched the pockets on incorrectly and also when I'd cut the one way fabric in half and sewed it so that the pieces would be the right way when folded... yeah they were both upside down. I managed to get them all fixed up but have had to call it a night with only a little more stitching done. The pattern looks good though and works well. You can find it here on Crazy Little Projects.

I've also restarted my crotcheting. Last October I offered to make 12 water bottle carriers for a Kyros Outside walk that is being held in North Queensland (Its part of the Emmaus movement we belong to) I got 8 made pretty quickly but it has languished somewhat but I found the stuff a few days ago and have since made one more and nearly finished a second. I have a return car trip to Brisbane this coming weekend which is about 20 hours driving - only some of which I will be driving for so hopefully I will get a few done then.

Linking up with 

WIP Wednesday on Thursday

I was flicking through my Pinterest feed (as you do) and checked out a link to "20 Great Ideas to Do with Denim" or something similar. As I have a box full of denim bits left over from my Jean's Jeans quilt from a few years ago, I clicked on it and fell down that rabbit hole and came across a raggy denim quilt tutorial. Now I would do the right thing and link to it BUT I didn't save it so I can't. But... it was pretty basic. Cut a piece of denim and a piece of colourful fabric to whatever dimension you want (I chose 8") and cut a piece of batting 1" smaller, sew an X to secure the 3 pieces together 

then sew these units, denim sides together into a quilt of whatever size you want, clip the exposed raw edges, 

wash and dry 

and clean your machine out and the filter on the dryer

and voila - a picnic rug.

Digby gave it the doggy seal of approval but Jack stayed clear. He's been in trouble for getting on quilts before.

Can you see the pockets and seams? I love those bits the most

The tutorial writer encouraged the maker to use all parts of the jeans including the pockets, seams and zips. I had a heap of pockets left over from my previous jeans project (called Jean's Jeans)* as it needed straight denim, no extra bits. Unfortunately the pieces I had with zippers in them weren't big enough to be used in this project.

I did have a few hassles. My machine had "no sew" spots at different times, some of which I picked up on at the times, others I found whilst clipping the seam allowance and others afters I had washed and dried it. I am not sure why it was playing up. I kept finding more spots that had to be resewn whilst showing the quilt to friends at Patchwork. That aside it was a great project.

It was fun to get a quilt started and finished in the same week - basically over the weekend.

I got 2 other finishes this week (as reported in my Stash Report) I finished off my club mystery quilt, now known as "Chillingworth Mystery" named after the fabric line it was mostly made from. 

I also finished Sparkle, the last of the Sparkle baby quilts I have had on the go for almost a year.

At Handmade With Love yesterday Peggy, our glorious leader had me on signature bear production! The other ladies present were working on cushion covers and a personal project. I finished cutting out 2 more bears and got the legs and arms sewed and stuffed and the body and ears sewn! I have done the head before but Peggy already had these done. I don't do features - I leave that to her to do as she is a bit more creative than me. Faces of stuffed animals and dolls I have made end up looking like the toy is a little demented or a sandwhich short of a picnic!

Two finished signature bears, which I helped work on last week and which Peggy finished off. They are now waiting delivery to our minister on Sunday for use at baptismal services.

Usually when I come home from HWL I spend the rest of the day sewing other projects for the group - recently I have been concentrating on things for Comic Con but yesterday I started cutting up my flannels to make a backing for a quilt. I have had the  this flannel for years and years but not used them so decided to make a backing out of them. 

They are a pretty mixed bag and to be honest the resulting strips are pretty hodge podge and not very attractive. Having cut them up I am determined to press on but... to be honest... its ugly. Luckily its just the back. Oh and I don't have enough. Maybe I will make a lap quilt out of what I have cut up and make something else (or eh gad buy something) for the backing. I was going to finish working on it today and see what a mess I have ended up with and decide then.

My A to Z quilt is at a standstill as I need to buy fabric for the borders and maybe backing, although I do have some stuff in my stash that would do for the backing. We are going to be going to Rocky this weekend so I will visit Spotlight then and hopefully find something not too expensive that will do.

I worked on a Secret Project at Patchwork. Got lots of blocks made, came home and starting sashing and arranging them. I am still a couple of blocks short. I could change the layout from 5x5 and put the extra blocks I have on the back or I could come up with the blocks that I need for the front. I have come up with 2 more (still need to be finished off but I know what they are) but am one short. I am prowling the house seeing if I can find just one more to complete the quilt

I have sewn up a pile of plastic backed curtain off cuts into cushions to be stuffed with fabric off cuts and made into dog beds. I got one finished this week which I've put into the laundry where our dog sleeps at night but I think its over stuffed and I am going to have to do some unpicking to remove some of the fabric and batting off cuts. I collected another full grocery bag of scraps from Patchwork yesterday so will have the stuffing for another cushion or two before long. The dogs don't really need more beds but I can always give them away.

see what I mean... its a bit too full to be comfy

And that has basically been it for the week. 

Linking up with 

* for some reason quite a few of the photos I used have disappeared off the post. I am not really sure why nor how to fix it but there are enough photos for you to get the idea.

Sunday Stash Report - a couple of finishes!

Its been a fabulous week for finishes. I managed to get the 2 quilts I had pinned quilted over a couple of days.

Sparkle Baby quilt, based on the Sparkle design from Missouri Star I did a swirl and loop pattern on all over. It has become my go to design these days. Its not all the same as I change direction periodically and its not all even. The loops change size but whatever - I like doing it and it worked.

For the backing I used a really big bright and cheerful jungle print with some strips down the side to make it bigger. As is my want it wasn't centred in the end but whatever. Its cool

The baby quilt is destined for either a niece having a baby soon or a friend. Not sure who will get this one and then who will get the next one I make.  3.27m


The second one I finished off I have finally named Chillingworth Mystery since it was the club mystery quilt from last year and the fat quarter pack that made up most of the fabric in it was Chillingworth Bicycle (or something like that) 

The backing for this one was pieced. First of all I used up the excess blocks I had made that didn't fit with the pattern on the front, plus some of the leftover fabrics from the fat quarter bundle and then lots of other strips from my scrap stash that kind of toned in with the front... sort of.

When I was putting on the binding I found I was about 18" short. I had used up all the orange tones in my scrap stash so I used a strip from the batik jelly roll I had busted open to use in it. The piece I chose was the orangiest I had but it was a bit pinky... you can see it at the bottom of the picture. But I don't sweat the small stuff and it doesn't really worry me. It might annoy you from now on looking at the photo but you get that. 4.01m

There were 4 smaller finishes earlier in the week - 4 zipper pouches in pop culture fabric, items for the Comic Con stall I am having later in the year. These ones were in TARDIS, My Little Pony and Ninja Turtle fabric. I have more cut out ready to go but am awaiting either zippers or stiffening fabric. .61m

No fabric purchases this week... so its all straight profit.

Week 8
Fabric used          9.34
Fabric added        0.00
Net usage            9.34m

Year to Date     
Fabric used       45.99
Fabric Added     11.74
Net Usage        34.25m

linking up with Patchwork Times