Day 17,18 and 19- So naughty

I know, I know....3 days and no update. I have been contemplating where things have been going. I have decided to stick with making canvases. This is for a few reasons but mainly because of all the confusion surrounding CE marking and EN71 testing. There are so many rules and regulations that its just not worth it for me. 
Although baby bibs and burp cloths do not need to be tested I do not feel comfortable in selling an item for a baby that has had no toxicity testing. This is personal choice and you may feel different. 
I have some massive plans for canvases and I cannot wait to start them. I have bought some items today and I am so excited for them to arrive. I really need to get a sketch book.......


Anyway, I have had a really chilled weekend and have only made one thing and that was only a practice run. So I will share but also tell you I am aware of changes that need to be made. 

I also washed some fabric today, not the best idea I have had. Really should have checked with the chicks before doing so. This is what happened 

This is how it came out of the machine 

 Note the massive knot of tangled thread......

I was so worried I had ruined a lot of fabric but below is all 

I had lost...thankfully!! 

See you tomorrow 

Mother Hen

x

Day 16- Burp cloth tutorial

Hello everyone, can't believe that I have managed to do a tutorial and finish a make before 5pm with 4 girls in the house!! As promised a burp cloth tutorial. I hope its easy to understand. This is perfect for beginners (like me) as they are just straight lines. Let me know how you get on. 

Step 1 

What you need

*Cotton/Polly cotton (a fat quarter is plenty) 

* Absorbent fabric eg fleece or towelling (I have used soft towelling) 

*Pins

*Scissors 

*Tape measure

*Needle

* Coordinating thread

Optional 

*Sewing machine, a lot faster but I don't get on with mine!! 

             Step 2 

 Cut out a piece of fabric and towelling measuring 18"x8" and pin them face together. I used lots of pins to keep it all in place. Sew around the edge. I used a back stitch. You can see a tutorial for this stitch here

Step 3

Make sure to leave a section not sewn. This is where you will turn the cloth the right way around. I like to leave 4"-5" gap.

Step 4

Turn your cloth the right way and poke out the corners carefully with a pencil if you need too. Use a simple ladder stitch to close the gap which you can learn here

Roll the cloth up and tie with some nice ribbon and they make lovely gifts 

See you tomorrow Chicks, 

Mother Hen

x

Day 15- Matching accessories

A very late blog for me tonight. Half an hour before its tomorrow!! I haven't done much crafting today as I am poorly and so is little miss Abby. So I have only done a quick make which I am going to do a tutorial for tomorrow. A burp cloth that matches the MegaBib I made the other day

Really proud of my first attempt at these, looking forward to seeing what people think on my page too. 
Sorry for yet another short blog. I will do a tutorial tomorrow 


See you tomorrow 
Mother Hen
x

Day 14 & 15...A new baby!!

I have been naughty!! I did not write a blog last night, the first time I have missed a day but I do have a good excuse. My sister went into labour and baby Sienna was born last night. I had been at the hospital all day and I didn't get home until 10pm. I did however, make some bibs in between her contractions (hehe) and that's what I have been doing today. Abby is about to go to bed and I am going to photograph all my stock and also open an etsy shop!! I don't yet have any pictures to post of them but I wanted to show you something I had made for Megan's doll that I love the feel of, a mini minky blanket. The only one I have ever made backed in soft fleece. I am proud of it 

Tomorrow I am going to try and do something a bit different but I can't promise as I have plans to cuddle Sienna a little more. 


See you tomorrow 
Mother Hen
x

Day 13- MegaBibs

Hello all, how you have had a lovely Sunday. It's been lovely here. The only crafting I have done today is making bibs. Yesterday I informed you that they were called Bibble Bibs but I was informed that the name had already been taken and although it is not registered I didn't want to use someone else name idea. My lovely chicks put their heads together and Sarah came up with MegaBibs (Megabibs, MEGABIBS...not sure which way to write it yet) named after my 2 daughters Megan and Abby. Thank you Sarah, for an awesome name. Here are my first 7 bibs, made and nearly ready to go. Please let me know what you think of these.

I promise that some time this week I will do something other than bibs but I am trying to build up my stock and as these are all hand stitched it takes a bit of time. 


See you tomorrow 
Mother Hen
x

Day 12- Babababa baby bandana bib collection

Hello everyone, hope your Saturday has been lovely. The sun has been shining here in Wales most of the day, although its a tad chilly now. I decided that I would start my new range of baby wear today. It's something I have wanted to do for so long. I am fed up of seeing the same old stuff year in year out. I have some big plans, some I am not ready to share until they are perfect. I would like to show you the first in my bandana bib range which at the moment are called Bibble Bibs. I am so pleased with it. It's the first time I have ever done a ladder stitch and I am so proud. 

I am going to sell these on my facebook page for £3 each or 2 for £5. I really enjoyed making this bib and will spend tonight cutting out more. Let me know what you think 


See you tomorrow 
Mother Hen 
x

Day 11- Exciting stuff!!

Evening all. (every time I start a blog like that I think of an old bobby on the beat!!) I hope you have all had a great week and are now chilling out with a glass of wine (bottle) and looking forward to the weekend. Today has been quite exciting for me, I have had my lovely canvas's approved to go into a local shop and will also get some free business training too. I quote 'your stuff is really unique, you're very talented' eeekkkk talk about confidence boost! We are looking to get it in the shop next month which means I have a lot of work to get done between now and then as I have 2 new lines I want to add before June, one of which is below. 


I have taken A Little Tweet™ from canvas block to canvas bags. This is my first attempt and I have learnt A LOT and will not be making the same mistakes next time!! I quite like this though, what about you? 

I also had a lovely chat with trading standards today regarding some soft toys I make and they have put me in touch with a local tester to have them CE marked which I am also a little bit excited about. Really hope they pass!! 


I am also going to feature a very special crafter on tonight's blog. My beautiful daughter Megan, who after school headed up to my craft room only to appear half an hour later with her very own Olympic torch. I am very proud of her attempt. She also up-cycled some paper napkins to give it the British look. Please leave a message for Megan so she can read them 

And a close up of Megan's headband that I made for her, she loves it 

Will be back tomorrow with hopefully a totally new idea. Fingers crossed it works.

See you tomorrow

Mother Hen

x

Day 10- 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1...BLAST OFF

Hello all, Hope you have all had a lovely Thursday. The weekend is not too far away now (yay). I had a lot of time to think last night after my blog had been written and with the help of some crafty chicks came to a decision. I am going to stick with my canvas designs. As one of my friends said 'you're on to something there'.
 I have mainly been doing owls or Little Tweets™ as I call them but I have wanted to expand and do other things. I was given loads of ideas last night so today I have been sourcing and sketching ideas/templates etc I found that most were girlie but one idea was a rocket (Thank you Jemma) which I really wanted to try, so glad I did. This is the only one I have managed to make today, hoping to get some more done once my babies are in bed. Let me know what you think.

9x7cm rocket canvas 

picture © Amy Anderton 2012

Now, I know I was also supposed to do a tutorial on making the nappy strap today but in all honesty I just haven't had time. So I will just post the link to the one I used.(I know, so lazy!!)  They are so simple to make and I would love to see yours. 

Nappy strap tutorial 

See you all tomorrow 

Mother Hen

x

Day 9- Not so crafty

Arghhhh today has just been one of those days to be honest. I went to my second sewing class and half made a cushion. Next week I am learning to close them properly. I feel its missing something, a name maybe? 

WARNING MAJOR MOAN ALERT
I have been really thinking today about where my crafting is going. I set up a page on facebook a few weeks ago called A Little Tweet when I started to make canvas's. Which I love doing, they are my babies. They got such a good reception, people really loved them and thought they were really unique. Then I met a bunch of amazing, lovely, beautiful crafty chicks who introduced me to the world of sewing. I wanted to try everything out and I have, I have my fair share of cushions, soft toys, thread, needles and pins. I have loved every minute of it. 


Today I sat down and spoke with Jim about where I seen this going. I love sewing and crafting but I set out on this path for business and it turned into so much more. It turned into a passion. I log onto facebook and the first thing I do is check the updates on the crafty chicks page. I love the support and encouragement everyone gives, I love to see everyone's new projects and ideas but as I said, this was supposed to be business. 


I have put more time into my hobby than my page and I need to really divide the time between them but with 2 children that can be hard. I have always loved the thought of working from home and being able to be Mummy and boss without having to leave my house but this is a competitive world, I have tried many things in my time and there was always someone else out there doing the same. As most of you know, you need to work hard, build a good customer base and be top of the business/product food chain. I have scoured the internet looking for ideas to make something unique and I really believe my canvas's are just that. What do you think? Can I make this work or am I just kidding myself? Everyone has been so supportive. Even my mother in law has placed an order, that my chicks means something!! 

Help me out here, I am having a crisis........opinions? I will be back tomorrow with a tutorial for you all to try 


See you tomorrow 
Mother Hen 
x

Day 8- Happy, Nappy, Strappy!!

Hello everyone, hope you have had a lovely Tuesday. Only a quick blog today, having an early night. I have really enjoyed today's make. Its something I have wanted to try for ages but just thought it would be complicated, I was so wrong!! I am hoping to do a tutorial for this soon

This fab nappy strap keeps everything together in your bag. I cannot be the only mum that has to rummage through my bag getting tangled in nappies and wipe packs, this is brilliant for me!! Let me know what you think. 

See you tomorrow 

Mother Hen 

x