I am doing a giveaway on my Instagram for a gorgeous cat cushion
All you have to do is follow my Instagram and tag three friends:)
Please enter!!!
https://www.instagram.com/gembobs_crafts/
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Tag: making
Back from Paris!
Well I’m back in the lovely York now, it’s been an amazing two weeks I have enjoyed it so much and havnt stopped! My favourite things that I did in Paris were:
- National History Museum, just beautiful grounds and the zoo is fab
- Centre of Pompidou, saw amazing works by Kandinsky and Klee!!
- The Louvre, obviously amazing but the outside grounds and the funky pyramid glass statues are gorgeous
- Wondering around all the pretty streets, walking along the river and seeing the Notre dame and other pretty buildings.
So that’s my favourite things that I did but obviously everyone is different and likes different things etc.
I’m quite glad I’m going back because I havnt been able to do anything crafty in TWO WEEKS. I am actually getting withdrawals now because I normally sew everyday. I don’t know what other people do? On the evening like what do you do when you havnt got any crafts to do???
I’ve got five orders from etsy to make, a bag to send, and two people have requested some handmade curtains for me to make so I’m gonna get straight into the orders. I’ve been updating my SEO on my etsy site so hopefully that will help as well.
Kind of want to make other animals but not sure which ones? What are you favourite cushions in my shop and what would you like to see more of?
Bye bye bloggers!!
How to make a quick and easy apron dress for Dolls
Is your make-along doll underdressed and you’re pressed for time? With the risk of being captain obvious, here’s a quick photo tutorial for how to make a super cute, easy apron dress for your doll.
this blog post is from the wonderful weewonderfuls … check out her blog for more tutorials etc!!
Gembobs.
Pillow/Cushion with a Pom Pom Trim!
I am currently in the process of moving into my new flat (Yey) So i will be making lots of beautiful things to fill my home with… So the next few posts are dedicated to home decor…
Enjoy!
How to make a cushion with a pom pom trim
Gather your supplies:
– 2.5 yards pom pom tassel
– fabric of your choice
– 18″ pillow form
– straight pins, marking pen, needle and thread, scissors, sewing machine
Step 1:
Cut your fabric. Cut the back panel to 19″ x 19″ and 4 front pieces to 10″ x 10″ each.
For the front, place two 10″ x 10″ pieces on top of each other right sides together and sew a 1/2″ seam down one side. (If your print is a directional print, make sure you pay attention to which way your fabric is facing, so it will be correct once the pillow is finished) Do the same to the other two 10″ x 10″ pieces. Iron the seams open.
Now you have 2 front pieces. Place one on top of the other (right sides together) and sew a 1/2″ seam down one side. Again, make sure your fabric is facing the right direction. Iron the seams open. You now have one ‘front’ piece’. Set aside.
Step 2:
Take your pom pom tassel and pin it around all 4 sides of the back panel. Make sure you pin it with the pom poms facing in. Sew or baste the tassel in place using a 1/4″ seam allowance, making sure to back stitch at each end. I like to do this so when you sew the two panels together, you don’t have to worry too much about the tassel moving around.
Step 3:
Once your tassel is in place, you are almost done! Lay the front patchwork panel on top of the back panel (right sides together) matching up all 4 sides. Pin in place leaving about a 6″-7″ opening at the bottom of the pillowcase for flipping and stuffing. Sew all around (except for the opening) with a 1/2″ seam allowance, making sure to backstitch at each end.
Step 4:
Once your panels are sewn together, trim all 4 corners making sure not to cut the stitching. Flip the pillow right side out and poke out the corners with something pointy, like a turning tool. I use a knitting needle, works great! Stuff your pillow form through the opening.
Step 5:
Fold in the opening and pin closed. Using a needle and thread, sew the opening closed.
With Thanks to http://www.annkelle.com/diy-pom-pom-pillow/
How to turn up a dress quickly
This is my little sister dress her mum bought for her the other day but it is very long, and long dresses are not good for small children! Lots of tripping over involved. So i turned it up for her. So here is a simple demonstration on how to do it. 🙂
Step 1: Decide on what length you would like the dress to be and cut the remainder of the fabric off. I use crimping scissors to make sure the fabric doesn’t fray.
(Keep the leftover fabric, i used this to make a little headband to match the dress using elastic)
Step 2:Turn the rim up and press. Make sure it has the same thickness all the way along.
Step 3: Repeat the same process as before,
Pin the fabric in place once pressed so it doesn’t move whilst sewing!!
Step 4: Sew all the way along making sure its straight. Easy peasy!! Your probably didn’t need a tutorial but hey.. i thought i’d do one anyway!!
🙂 Happy Sewing!!
Diy Horses!!
Many of us can remember back to a time in our life when we had a stick horse laying around. They are classic toys and classic for a reason! To this day, stick horses are great toy to spark a child’s imagination!
1. Supplies: fabric, stuffing, yarn, long wooden dowels, styrofoam balls, felt. 2. Carve out a portion of the styrofoam ball and glue the stick into the ball. 3. Cut out your horse head from your fabric. Cut yarn (about 30 inches) and double over. 4. Sew around the perimeter of the horse head, adding the yarn in as you go. Make sure to leave the bottom or “neck” open. This is where you will add your stuffing. 5. Turn the horse head inside out and begin stuffing. 6. Once you have the horse head mostly stuffed, insert the ball into the neck and finish stuffing around the ball. Hand-stitch the opening closed. 7. Cut out the horse’s ears and stitch around the perimeter. Turn right-side out and hand-stitch in place. 8. Add details such as a bridle and eyes. For these horses, I cut eyelashes from black felt and used fabric glue to glue them into place. I used the sewing machine to sew strips of scrap leather together to create the bridle and reins.
Im going to make these horses for my little sister. I have already bought all the things you need so i cant wait to get started!!! I’m hoping these will be fun toys they will cherish for years to come.
Happy!!
Been very productive these past couple of days.
*Took new photos with a white background of all the crafts i have got in stock. Uploaded them on my Etsy Site!! 🙂
*Been thinking of new ideas.. what to make next.. starting to make funky cushions to sell
*Bought some very expensive pinking shears for my crafts.. i like to know that my items will not wear away and fray so i think it is a good investment
*got a knock on my door earlier for a massive order of elephants and babygrow elephants which i LOVE to make 🙂
Yey so things are going good in the world of crafts.
If you have any suggestions on what to make next.. please email me and have a look at my website..
http://www.gembobs.co.uk
thanks for reading guys!!!
Mala Making
The Buddhist centre that i live in had a day course on Saturday on Mala Beads! Then we all made our own Malas at the end.. It was fab and my little sister came and made a bracelet!! 🙂 Im quite proud of my Mala im definitely going to use it in the next meditation i do 😀
Here’s a bit of information on how Malas are used.
A mala is a set of beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists. Malas are used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a deity. This practice is known in Sanskrit as japa. Malas are typically made with 16, 27, 54 or 108 beads.
In Tibetan Buddhism, traditionally malas of 108 beads are used. Some practitioners use malas of 21 or 28 beads for doingprostrations. Doing one 108-bead mala counts as 100 mantra recitations; the extra repetitions are done to amend any mistakes.
Malas are mainly used to count mantras. These mantras can be recited for different purposes linked to working with mind. The material used to make the beads can vary according to the purpose of the mantras used. Some beads can be used for all purposes and all kinds of mantras. These beads can be made from the wood of the Bodhi tree (ficus religiosa), or from ‘Bodhi seeds,’ which come from the Rudraksha (Elaeocarpus ganitrus) and not the Bodhi tree. Another general-purpose mala is made from rattan seeds (Calamus Arecaceae), the beads themselves called ‘Moon and Stars’ by Tibetans, and variously called ‘lotus root’, ‘lotus seed’ and ‘linden nut’ by various retailers. The bead itself is very hard and dense, ivory coloured (which gradually turns a deep golden brown with long use), and has small holes (moons) and tiny black dots (stars) covering its surface.
Pacifying mantras should be recited using white colored malas. Materials such as crystal, pearl, shell/conch or mother of pearl are preferable. These are said to purify the mind and clear away obstacles like illness, bad karma and mental disturbances. Using pearls is not practical however, as repeated use will destroy their iridescent layer. Most often pearl malas are used for showing off or ‘Dharma jewelry’.
Increasing mantras should be recited using malas of gold, silver, copper and amber. The mantras counted on these can “serve to increase life span, knowledge and merit.”
Mantras for magnetizing should be recited using malas made of saffron, lotus seed, sandalwood, or other forms of wood includingelm wood, peach wood, and rosewood. However, it is said the most effective is made of Mediterranean oxblood coral, which, due to a ban on harvesting, is now very rare and expensive.
Mantras to tame by forceful means should be recited using malas made of Rudraksha beads or bone. Reciting mantras with this kind of mala is said to tame others, but with the motivation to unselfishly to help other sentient beings. Malas to tame by forceful means or subdue harmful energies, such as “extremely malicious spirits, or general afflictions”, are made from Rudraksha seeds, or even human bones, with 108 beads on the string. It is said that only a person that is motivated by great compassion for all beings, including those they try to tame, can do this.
The mala string should be composed of three, five or nine threads, symbolizing the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), the five Dhyani Buddhas (Vairocana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi) and their wisdoms or the nine yanas or Buddha Vajradhara and eight Bodhisattvas. The large main bead, called the Guru bead, symbolizes the Guru, from whom one has received the mantra one is reciting. It is usually recommended that there be three vertical beads in decreasing size at this point: one white (Nirmanakaya) one red (Sambhogakaya) and one blue (Dharmakaya), or enlightened body, speech and mind.
Mantras are typically repeated hundreds or even thousands of times. The mala is used so that one can focus on the meaning or sound of the mantra rather than counting its repetitions One repetition is usually said for each bead while turning the thumb clockwise around each bead, though some traditions or practices may call for counterclockwise motion or specific hand and finger usage. When arriving at the Guru bead, both Hindus and Buddhists traditionally turn the mala around and then go back in the opposing direction. Within the Buddhist tradition, this reversing of the beads serves to remind practitioners of the teaching that it is possible to break the cycle of birth and death. If more than 108 repetitions are to be done, then sometimes in Tibetan traditions grains of rice are counted out before the chanting begins and one grain is placed in a bowl for each 108 repetitions. Each time a full mala of repetitions has been completed, one grain of rice is removed from the bowl. Many Tibetan Buddhists have bell and dorje counters (a short string of ten beads, usually silver, with a bell or dorje at the bottom), the dorje counter used to count each round of 100, and the bell counter to count 1,000 mantras per bead. These counters are placed at different points on the mala depending on tradition, sometimes at the 10th, 21st or 25th bead from the Guru bead. Traditionally, one begins the mala in the direction of the dorje (skillful means) proceeding on to the bell (wisdom) with each round. A ‘bhum’ counter, often a small brass or silver clasp in the shape of a jewel or wheel, is used to count 10,000 repetitions, and is moved forward between the main beads of the mala, starting at the Guru bead, with each accumulation of 10,000
