Tuesday 4 March 2014

By Request

Our son and his wife moved into a new flat recently, and on their first visit back home they had a couple of requests for their mum and her sewing machine!

First up, could I make one of those key holder things that I had made before for their brother?


Completed Coin Tidy

Well, of course I could!

I upcycled some denim from an old pair of jeans (possibly belonging to the same son!) and some scraps of fabric. I quilted this with an Aurifil thread from a pack that I won in the December Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day.

I did think that the thread was a bit thicker than normal, but the variegation, no 4669 if you are interested, was perfect against the denim. Only later did I discover that 12wt Aurifil thread, which this was, is recommended for hand-sewing, oops! It still worked a treat though :)

The second request was more substantial. Apparently a draught of North wind proportions blows through their back door, so a draught excluder was called for.

Given the need, a quick make was also on the cards, so cutting into my cast-off denims again I came up with this for them.


Completed Draught Excluder


The last draught excluder I made for our youngest son, when he was living in a draughty flat North of the Border, had embroidered fire-breathing dragons to ward away the cold. This time I decided to invoke a summer beach scene to chase away those cold North winds.

The beach huts are free-machine appliqued to the denim along with a yellow felt sun and, because we are in the North East of Britain, a couple of clouds for realism :)

Thankfully they are delighted with both of the makes and the draught excluder is doing sterling service already keeping their toes warm.

Isn't it nice when family have such faith in your abilities to deliver just what they need? If only all requests were so easily met :)

(Edited to add: you can find a tutorial for the draught excluder here )

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37 comments:

  1. I love your draught excluder! The scene makes me think of a beach, in early spring, before the season. Maybe on a partly cloudy day. Beautiful appliqués!

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  2. Both are beautiful! Great ideas for using embroidery out of the norm. I need to move away from the bibs and towel embroidering into some fun things like these.

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  3. What beautiful work..thanks for sharing :)

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  4. Hi!!!! They are both very cute and useful!!!!

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  5. I did a double take at first, thinking your son walked around with beach huts on his jeans! Such a lovely set, nice and sunny for the lovely nice and sunny days we get over here.

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  6. How lovely to be asked to make something....it's great when you can create something both beautiful and useful.

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  7. Neat! I like those beach huts. It makes the whole things looks soooo pretty. Well done!

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  8. Absolutely brillliant - those little beach huts and your appliqued clouds and sun are so cheery and make me want a bolster cushion just like it!

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  9. It's really pretty nice that they asked you make these beautiful items for their new home! I love draught excluder. The beach huts are so cute and the sun and the puffy white clouds add lovely details :)

    -Soma

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  10. Love the draught excluder and the beach houses on it, and I love it when people Up-cycle!

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  11. Both projects look wonderful and very useful. I love how you have up-cycled old jeans.

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  12. Those are great projects - both of them would be very useful here, especially the draft dodger. You're lucky your sons asked for normal and doable projects - our oldest lad, upon moving to his new house this winter, asked me to make him a sign for the guest bathroom. It's to read something like ... "By order of the owner of the house, you are hereby required to leave the toilet seat UP.". I'm thinking thats due to 2+ decades of being told to leave it DOWN here in my house, LOLOL!

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  13. Very cute, he's lucky to have a sewist on demand!

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  14. These are beautiful and practical! I'm not surprised you're in such demand. Great upcycling too :)

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  15. The draught excluder looks fantastic, I need one for my own house, but to ward off the southerly winds, not the northerly ones!

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  16. Oooh, these are so lovely ... and useful too! Or 'useful' and 'beautiful' as Morris would have it! It's nice that your sons appreciate your talents in such a way! Not sure mine do!! xCathy

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  17. Well how handy is that, having a mother that can just whip these things up ;o) Love the draught excluder though, I think I really need one for my front door. Wish I knew who could whip me up one though...

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  18. Absolutely great and useful gifts. I just made a draft cover for every window this week. One more to go and then I can start on ones for the sliders. They are good at keeping the air condition cold in.

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  19. I love the idea of the fire-breathing dragons! I think we need some here in Canada! Your key holder is fabulous, and the beach scene is sure to chase away the cold.

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  20. Wonderful housewarming gifts! I love them both.

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  21. the beach houses are too cute! Isn't it nice to be asked to make something - shows they really love what you do :-)

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  22. great makes Fiona!! you have raised smart boys who know where to go for the best quality makes!!! it is nice to get sewing requests!!

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  23. the basket is what caught my eye, is it just a flat piece of fabric that you lifted the corners and press studed together, if so it has worked a treat. Draft excluder so cheerful, good to see beach huts on a cold winter day, will lift and cheer you son and hs wife in the midst of winter

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  24. The beach huts fabric looks really great against the denim on both the basket and draught excluder.

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  25. Very nice projects. and unique. I haven't seen those houses before. Thanks for sharing.

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  26. As always, everything you make is wonderful, Fiona!

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  27. Love them.Both are goorgeous!

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  28. I think these are both fabulous, and there's nothing like some handmade gifts to get a new home started!

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth, I really enjoyed making them too.

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  29. Great house warming present Fiona. I absolutely love the row of houses with the sun. I'm sure just by looking a them it makes them forget about the draft in the room.

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  30. They're both beautiful, but I particularly love the beach huts. Especially fabulous as they are for loved ones and they're upcycled. Brilliant!

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    1. Thanks Josie, it is nice to be asked and even nicer to be able to upcycle to meet the request too!

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  31. Lovely to be asked! And you've done them proud!

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  32. What a useful mum you are! I've used exactly the same thread (won in a giveaway) to machine quilt too and loved the effect - I've tried hand quilting with it too and wasn't as impressed!

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  33. Very practical and how lovely they ask you to make them. I love the draught excluder. It looks like an Australian scene. The Brighton beach huts in Melbourne are quite famous.

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  34. That draught stopped is adorable. Thank you for sharing it at Shabbilicious Friday this week.

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  35. Lovely - I love a good denim upcycle! The beach hut scene is so cute :) I found you via Threadingmyway.com
    Vicky @ ShabbyShe

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