Mājiņu paveidi :))))))))))))) ar shēmu

I've been really busy, um, well, procrastinating lately, so I haven't got any of the handmade Christmas gifts to show you yet. Instead, here's a fabric barn I made a few weeks back.I made this one for these people (I can't wait for this book to come out - I have a bad habit of buying wee bits of sale fabric...). There are some people who have been busy, though. There have been lots of fabric dollhouses added to the UK lass in US flickr group lately: 1. Home Sweet Home, 2. Fabric Barn, 3. farmhouse front, 4. Travel Doll House with People
1. Fabric Dollhouse, 2. Fabric playhouse, 3. fronthouse, 4. Inside
1. Dollhouse, 2. Fabric dollhouses 3. Country cottage, 4. Dollhouse
1. Dollhouse, 2. casinha, 3. Fabric barn, 4. Open the door......
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Wow. Please post a picture there if you do make one using the tutorial. I am loving seeing all of the different ideas.
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Here are a couple of links to other ones that aren't in the flickr group:
Tiny pink cottage
Spotty dollhouse
Little yellow house
Blue cottage
Yellow dollhouse
Fairy garden
Rally the troops
Barn
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A couple of people have asked how long they take to make. Well, I'm pretty slow at sewing and they tend to take me about 2 evenings (ie. after the kids go to bed). I prep and cut the first evening, then sew it the second. The size is pretty compact, so you might want to enlarge the pattern. As long as the height is shorter than the width, you will be able to construct it the same way. Otherwise you'll have to make it in one piece (ie. sew the cross shape out of a single piece of fabric). Hmm, I can't remember what other questions have been asked, but feel free to email me at UKLassInUS@gmail.com if you do have any questions - or if you want to make them to sell to others.
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Translation of the day:
UK English: sultana = golden raisin (larger than currants, but smaller than normal raisins) in US English
There probably isn't a great distinction between the 3 types of dried grapes, but that didn't stop me from searching my supermarket shelf in vain for sultanas. Nope, didn't get around to baking my Christmas Cake yet...

Lazy crayon roll tutorial

I made this crayon roll in the hopes of giving a little cheer to my friend's son, who has just started up with chemo again. I'm hoping that he still likes dinosaurs...
I have seen lots of crayon and pencil rolls on blogs and always thought that one would make a nice wee gift for a young child. . .nb. for some reason I tend to search for tutorials after I have made something, to see if I have made it correctly, rather than before, which would make far more sense... I did decide to make it a little different from the ones that I have seen so far, though. If you take a look at this photo, you'll notice that you can't see the stitched lines separating the crayon pockets. I do like the look of the stitched lines, but this way I can make it a little quicker, as I don't have to be so careful about making the stitched lines even and neat. Hence, this isn't a new idea, by any means, but this is the lazy version of the crayon roll.
I made this one for the triangular crayons, which are a little larger than normal crayons. I sandwiched one between two scraps of material and decided that 1" wide pockets would be a good fit. Normal crayons would probably need just ¾" wide pockets. I'll use the measurements for 16 larger crayons in the tutorial, but at the end you will find the approximate measurements for a crayon roll of 24 crayons (see italics).
For 16 large triangular crayons:
1. Cut out
...........1 18½" by 5½" rectangle of the exterior fabric
...........1 18½" by 5½" rectangle of interfacing or flannel
...........1 18½" by 12½" rectangle of the interior fabric

2. Measure 5½" down from the top of interior fabric rectangle and draw a horizontal line (A to B). Fold the fabric along this line so that the right sides are facing. The slightly larger side should be on top.
.3. Mark a horizontal line (C to D) 3½" up from the fold (A to B), then mark parallel vertical lines from this line to the fold every inch along the rectangle (shown by red dotted lines). Sew along these lines.
4. Fold the front half of the fabric down along line C to D, covering the lines that you have just sewn.
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5. (Iron on the interfacing to the wrong side of a fabric rectangle if you are using interfacing. If using flannel place the exterior and interior fabrics right sides facing on top of the flannel) Line up the interior and exterior rectangles right sides facing, pinning a small elastic hairband to one of the short sides. Sew around the edges using a ¼" seam allowance (as shown by the red dotted lines), leaving a gap on the final short side for turning. Make sure that you catch the edge of the elastic loop when you sew that end.
6. Turn it right sides out, press, then top stitch around the edge. This will close the opening.
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7. Put the crayons in their pockets, roll it up, then sew on a button at the point that the elastic loop reaches. Done.

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For 24 regular crayons:
The smaller rectangle will be about 20½" by 5" (24 crayons multiplied by ¾" pocket width, plus an additional inch for either end plus ½" seam allowance)
The larger rectangle will be approximately 20½" by 11½" . Measure 5" down to make line A to B, then measure 3 ¼" up from that fold to mark line C to D. To mark the parallel pocket lines, start one inch from the left edge, then mark every ¾" across, until you have 1" left.
You can use a ribbon to tie it, instead of a button and loop - just catch the ends of the ribbons as you sew the edge.
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Tell me if you have any questions or if you notice any glaring errors. The friend that I attempted to teach algebra to can attest to the fact that I am not any good at explaining things. I'd have taken pictures as I made it, but I thought, 'oh, that's an easy thing to explain', apparently forgetting that it would be me attempting to explain it...
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Translation of the day:
UK English: revise = study (usually before an exam) in US English
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As in, I think I might be dragging out my old maths books and doing some revising soon, if my 5 year old son is already bringing home geometry homework...

More ideas

Ever have one of those conversations that starts with 'a light bulb has broken off in the socket', which leads to 'we ought to replace half the light fixtures in the house and add a couple of ceiling fans', which leads to 'we need to call a plumber to fix the kitchen sink, too', which somehow led to 'let's replace the sink, rip out the cupboard and re-do the floor in the old bathroom, while we have the electrician and plumber in the house'. That's the conversation I've been having while my in-box was filling with all your lovely comments about my fabric dollhouse tutorial. Thank you so much.

I am so glad that you like it. It really is simple to make. I haven't been sewing long and am not very good at sewing terminology, so please let me know if you see any glaring errors / improvements that could be made to the tutorial. I now wish I had put a great big disclaimer on the bottom saying 'I'm self-taught, just making things up as I go along and take no responsibility for any confusion caused by these instructions'. Don't hesitate to ask me if you do have any questions.

One of the comments suggested making a version that looks like a garage, another suggested a Noah's Ark. That set me off to thinking of all the different types of building that you could make: fire station, police station, jail, shop, school, doctor's office, vet office, bank, dog kennel (switch the opening to an end panel) etc. etc. If you do make one from my tutorial, please post it to my flickr group as I'd love to see what you come up with!
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Well, I had better get going and tidy up a bit before the workmen arrive to give us an estimate. I don't want them to see the disaster that is my house and get all excited thinking they have a whole house remodel to do...

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Translation of the day:

UK English: Chuffed = happy, really pleased, gratified, delighted in US English

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As in: I am chuffed to bits that you liked my tutorial. Thank you.

Fabric dollhouse tutorial

I made my daughter a fabric barn for Christmas and several people asked me for a tutorial. So, um, 8 months later (yes, I'm hanging my head in shame) I'm finally getting around to it. This was the barn:

This time around I wanted a smaller, lighter version, that my kids could carry around. The barn was made of plywood, covered in batting and fabric. For this version I'm replacing the wood with plastic canvas (the plastic sheets sold at craft stores for doing cross-stitch on) .

What you will need:

..........:: Fabric for the interior: 9 inches by 21 inches and two pieces 6 inches by 9 inches (I'm being generous with the seam allowances here, as the actual size needed will depend on which batting you use)

..........:: Fabric for the exterior: (same as interior) 9" x 21" and two pieces 6" x 9"

..........:: 2 10.5"x 13.5" sheets of plastic canvas (I used #10 mesh)

..........:: Batting / wadding

..........:: Duct tape / insulation tape (optional)

..........:: Buttons and elastic cord (I used tiny hairbands) or velcro or 2 zips (if you do not have my fear of sewing zippers) or some ribbon

..........:: 2 Sewn fabric strips for handles (optional)

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How to:
(nb. sorry about the diagrams - my bloomin' husband has managed to unload my scanner software, most likely while messing around loading and unloading things for the computer game he is obsessed with... Anyway, I just did these quickly on the computer, so please use your imagination when trying to decipher them!)
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1. From the plastic canvas cut out
..........three 4" by 6" rectangles
..........two 2¾" by 6" rectangles
..........and 2 house-shaped pieces with 4" base, 4" sides and 2¾" roof (see diagram) The pieces should fit together like this:2. Wrap the plastic canvas with the batting (nb. When making the barn, I wrapped duct tape around the batting to keep it in place, so that the sharp points of the wood were safely padded. I found that the duct tape made the shaped pieces nice and easy to handle, so this time around, I wrapped the batting covered plastic canvas with insulation tape).
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3. Using the 6" x 9" pieces, place an interior fabric piece right sides facing an exterior fabric piece, with a house-shaped batting-covered end panel sandwiched between them. Pin the fabric snugly around the end panel, leaving the bottom end open. Slide out the batting-covered end panel. Sew along the lines you have pinned, marked by the red dotted line on the above diagram (The dimensions on the diagram show the dimensions I used, but yours may differ, depending on the thickness of the batting that you used, so I suggest using this pinning method to ensure a good fit). Turn right side out and slide the batting covered end panel back in. Repeat for the other end panel.
4. Using the 9" x 21" pieces, place the fabric right sides facing. The following should then be sandwiched between the fabrics, so that their edges / ends will be caught when you sew along the side edge of the fabrics:
..........one of the end panels
..........elastic loops (or flap for velcro or zip or ribbons for ties at both ends - whichever you chose)
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Again, I like to first sandwich the batting covered panels between the fabrics - in the order shown in the 2nd diagram above - and pin the fabrics around them, including a pin between each panel, to ensure that I will have a good fit and also to mark the correct placement of the end panel and the loops for the buttons. I place the button loops at the corners of the roof panel (the 2 3/4" x 6" panel). After I have marked the edges and the correct placement, I then remove the panels, leaving just the end panel and the button loops sandwiched, ready to be sewn on.
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I used contrasting fabric for the roof panels and the garden panel, but you can use just a solid piece of material. I sew them like patchwork strips onto the main interior or exterior panels, using the pinning method to ensure correct positioning.

Sew along line A to B, catching the bottom of the end panel and the edge of the button loops.
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5. Pin the handle between the fabrics, with ends facing outwards (optional). Sew along line C to D, catching the ends of the handle.
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6. Repeat step 4 for the other long side of the rectangle. Turn it right side out and slide in the batting covered panels in the order shown in the second diagram (roof panel - 2 3/4" x 6", then wall panel - 4" x 6", then floor panel - 4" x 6", then wall panel - 4" x 6", then roof panel - 2 3/4" x 6") . Pin between each panel to keep the panels in place.

Turn the edges of the opening over and pin closed - pinning the ends of the other handle and an additional button loop (optional). It should now look like this:
7. Sew the opening closed, catching the ends of the handle and button loop, if used.
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8. Add a couple of stitches between panels to keep the panels in place and remove the pins.
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9. Hand sew the edge of the end panel to the wall and roof panel on each side, so that it forms this shape:
10. If using the button loop closure, sew buttons onto end panels and roof panel to match the loops.
I appliqué the exterior decor on at this point (the window and door, in this example) as it is easier to position them correctly at this point.You're done. I know I'm not very good at explaining things clearly, so let me know if I've confused you. Really, they are very simple to make.