I've been making..

Bracelets!

It all started when I read this tutorial on making friendship bracelets by Honestly WTF DIY. I loved making friendship bracelets when I was young, but this particular pattern was one I'd always wanted to make but had never managed to get my head around, so I really wanted to try it.

The tutorial was simple and easy to follow, and although I didn't have quite the right thread to do this, I decided to substitute for a different thread and try it anyway. Getting started was a bit tricky and I think the different thread being too thin didn't help, but here are some photos of the finished bracelets. I am going to give them another try when I get hold of the right thread.

The other pattern is one that I loved making when I was younger and made ALL the time! It's very quick and easy (the chevron one takes quite a long time, let me warn you!) and gives wonderful results! Here is a video of how to make the twisted bracelet, or if you prefer a written tutorial click here.

After making friendship bracelets I decided to try something I have wanted to try for a while now, plaited/braided fabric bracelets. I didn't follow a tutorial for this, but I just used approx 1.5cm wide strips of fabric and plaited them together. I finished it off with a button on one end and a loop on the other to make a simple clasp.

I started experimenting with different colours and lengths, I've only stopped so that I can get on with some dissertation and packing!

Also experimented using denim, which gives a large knot at one end and a rough chunky texture through the plait. The denim was too thick to sew a button onto and make a loop, so the knot at one end and an added cord at the other make up the clasp.

You can now buy the single or double wrap braided fabric bracelet from my Etsy store iheartrosie!

Today I made..

Customised tees!

A family friend in Australia is due to have a baby in just a few weeks and I wanted to make something to send over for the new baby, so I customised some bodysuits! I don't know what sex the baby is so I wanted to create things that could be worn by a boy or a girl, but then my girlyness took over and I made a really girly one with a flower on!

(Please excuse the awful photos they were taken in a hurry!)

I cut out shapes from patterned fabric and sewed them on using a close zigzag stitch. This holds them on well, stops them fraying and looks nice too! I made a star using blue and white polka dot fabric, a heart using purple and white polka dot fabric and a flower using mocha floral, pink polka dot and purple polka dot fabrics.

I didn't want the older kids to feel left out so I decided I would customise some tshirts for them! I bought a grey tshirt for the boy and a purple vest for for the girl (both from h&m, the only place I could find individually sold plain kids tshirts!)

I used the same technique as with the body suits, sewing fabric shapes onto the tees. For the girls tee I chose to sew 9 hearts, all cut from different pink and purple fabrics, and for the boys tee I made 'big bro' from demin, blue polka and blue stripes!

They have come out quite well but jersey material of fabrics is hard to sew onto as it stretches a lot, hoping with a wash and an iron they will straighten out a bit!

Etsy Treasuries.. Again!

I just love making treasuries! I have found so much good stuff over the past few weeks making treasuries!

Today I was inspired to make one about knitted called 'Lets get knitting' (yes still on that obsessive knit phase!) Etsy UK are looking for treasuries to go on the UK Etsy homepage, so I made one that fitted to their guidelines in the hope of making it on the homepage! You can read up about the Etsy UK treasuries guidelines here.

UPDATE: Today 29th September, my 'lets get knitting' treasury is on the Etsy UK homepage! If you live in the UK and want to set your homepage to the UK homepage, at the bottom of the page select English (UK) and United Kingdom.

Lets get knitting

Beautiful Bows

International Rabbit Day

Wintery Whites

The holidays are coming..

Somewhere over the rainbow..

Pink and Orange

Brilliant Bunting

The quick red fox..

Kraft is Key

You can see all my treasury lists here.

Etsy UK Meetup

Last night I attended the Etsy UK meetup at Grand Union in Farringdon. It was great to meet the Etsy UK staff members and also Etsy's CEO, European Director and 2 girls from the Brooklyn office, but also great to meet other sellers, buyers and just general Etsy enthusiasts! I've met quite a few of the Etsy staff before at the Etsy Holiday Party in Brooklyn last winter, but it was great to be able to meet everyone again, this time minus the jetlag and major confusion!


Etsy UK have meetups a few times a year all around the country, and they are open to all to attend! The best way to keep up to date with Etsy UK and meetup and events news is to follow them on Twitter or Facebook. It's such a fantastic feeling to be in a room filled with such hardworking, creative, determined and kind people!


Below are a few photos from the night! (© Etsy Labs) 


Etsy UK flying the flag!

Chad (CEO) and Matt (European Director) make a speech

Look like I'm part of the speech here stood next to Chad and Matt

Question time where people could ask about what's coming next to Etsy and make suggestions of things they would like to see on the site

Chatting with other sellers

Some postcards from the Etsy look book.. There were tote bags too!

All in all a fantastic night (with free wine and pizza!) If you're interested in Etsy or even just meeting other creative people I would definitely advice attending one of these events! 

Cable Knit Obsession

I seem to have developed an obsession with cable knit items.


Last winter when in NYC and it was -15ºc I purchased a cable knit beanie from The North Face.

Now the autumn is setting in my cable knit obsession is growing.. Last week I purchased some brown suede boots with fold over cable knit ankles from Sainsburys.. unfortunately I don't have a picture to share, but they have a chunky button on the side and are just adorable! They are fleece lined and cannot wait to wear them! 


I also purchased 2 cable knit cushions from Tesco, I have been looking for some for ages but they also cost a fortune and as much as I would love to be crafty and make my own, I just don't have the time. These were just £10 each and are lovely and soft and cuddly!

You'd hope that by this point I would have fulfilled by cable knit urges, but no, I'm still going! On Sunday morning I was browsing amazon and it suggested I take a look a some cable knit hunter welly boot socks.. dangerous territory as I have wanted hunter welly socks for ages now, and added with the cable knit they became a 'please can I have these for my birthday' request!

Now I have just discovered that they do matching mittens to my north face hat, which I think I need to survive the winter! I'm a massive mitten fan, especially when they are knitted and lined with fleece like these!

So maybe I will allow myself to buy the mittens to stop my fingers falling off in the cold and hope that they put an end to my obsessive cable knit item buying!

A quick trip to Cornwall..

Last week I went down to Cornwall for a quick break before returning to uni for what is going to be a crazy busy 3rd year. We have a holiday house in St Ives so it's almost like my second home, I have spent so much time there over the years with many happy memories!

We didn't take the camera out much as it was raining a lot of the time we were there but here are a few photos from the occassion we did actually take it out!

I just LOVE Cornwall in the Autumn! Rough seas, brisk winds, rain, snuggling up inside, costal walks.. just perfect.

Today I made..

A tablet case!

This is similar to the phone case I made a few months back but this time using 2 layers of fabric, one either side of a piece of wadding. 

It is a simple sew, just made slightly trickier by the stretchy fabric I had chosen to use!

I know it looks very plain and boring, but it's soft, plain and practical which was the brief given to me and the owner is very pleased with the outcome! 

Here are a few pictures of the finished result