(I made the stripped patchwork a while back over here)

Today I made this oilcloth tote bag…

lined with blue gingham,

Thanks to some welcomed time without my littlest person around:)

Dianna

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Retail $41.00  $15.00

Find it on etsy.

New House Textiles’ collection of homewares includes Belle Amie, a small-scale cheerful flower print, by iconic Swedish designer Marianne Westman. It is now available in a vibrant orange/bright white combination which gives this classic design a look that is right on trend.

Marianne Westman, now in her 80’s, has always created decorative designs and products inspired by her immediate surroundings and Belle Amie was one of her first designs, drawn from wild flowers near her home.

Also available in blue, Belle Amie brings a vintage look to the kitchen and the collection includes trays, oilcloth, paper napkins, tea towels and a trivet.

www.newhousetextiles.co.uk

What do you have to do to win this:

Head over to my Facebook page for details on how to enter. And if you haven’t ‘liked’ my page yet, please do so!

Thank you for your support!

To continue my love-affair with mexican oilcloth I’ve been umming and ahhhing for some time now about what my next project would be. Well, when the zipper broke on my existing nappy bag I decided I’d try to make myself a new one. Here it is!

I’ve had a couple of nappy bags but neither have been quite right in terms of functionality or aesthetics so I was careful to think through exactly what I wanted and didn’t want. For example, I wanted something light-weight, waterproof and roomy with a zipper along the length of the main opening, an adjustable strap to wear it over my shoulder or diagonally across my body, and with some internal pockets for storing nappies, wipes and bottles.

I headed down to Me Too Please in Annandale and purchased two types of oilcloth: ’Eden Gold on Black’ as the main fabric and ’Polka Dots White on Beige’ for the interior.

I began with the lining of the bag (shown below). I sewed in two pockets on each side as well as larger compartments for drink bottles and snack containers. After making the side seams, I sewed perpendicular triangles across each of the bottom corners so that the bag would have a rectangular base.

Once the lining was complete I made the outer shell of the bag. I then put the two pieces together, folded over the top and sewed around the opening before adding the zipper and strap. Here it is all loaded up:

I’ve been using the bag for a couple of months now and as much as I’d like to say it’s the perfect bag, I must concede that it could definitely be improved. The base of the bag could do with some reinforcement as it’s not handling the rough-and-tumble of daily use. It would also be useful to have a couple of exterior pockets for drink bottles and personal items like my keys and phone to reduce the time spent fossicking around inside the main section of the bag looking for them!

Not bad for a first attempt though. I do love the look of it, even if it isn’t entirely functional. I guess that’s always the challenge: finding that perfect blend of aesthetics and function. Maybe next time!

I cut strips anything between one and a half inch to three and a half inches wide and 18″ long.

I sewed all the strips together.

Here is my completed piece so far -

I think I might cut it up some more so the piecing is more broken up.

Further steps will happen over the next few days.

Looking forward till then,

Dianna

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Here are some of our items. We are making new things all the time and they are alwaays different.

If you have had the patience to keep up with My Green Velvet Life, you have no doubt figured out I am completely unreliable. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed and inadequate these past few weeks. We recently got our carpet replaced and wood floors refinished. Since this required us to move everything touching the floors, I couldn’t resist getting some major painting and cleaning done as well.  Still a lot to do, but overall it feels nice to have a somewhat spiffy house again.

But the next time so much work is involved, it will be a downsize to an easier to maintain home. As I start strolling through my 50′s I am seeing the wisdom in living with less space and stuff.  (Dear God, please help me be brave when the time comes.)

Lately I have tried to be content with the simple pleasures of people and home.  A person can’t always be everything, have everything, or share everything. Trust me. I’ve tried. (And I’ll keep trying. Just not right now.)

But a person can buy a fabulous new oilcloth for her beat-up kitchen table which makes her feel like a legendary-English-novel character.  She doesn’t have to worry about the wrinkles. They can be part of her story.

Spot of tea anyone?

Left outside to fend for himself in a Maine winter, this small table looked tired and worn out today.  Nothing terminal was ailing this brave backyard friend of mine, other than perhaps some little lonelies, and maybe a small case of the why bothers?.  He looked disinterested as I scanned his element-related injuries.  Surviving a fair bit of weathering, some dry parts, and a touch of mold, he shyly requested a quick treatment of spring fancying and with a little of my time and pampering, got just that.

We first began by bringing him indoors.  He was washed down, and given a generous coat of stain.

Once dry, his top was measured and a piece of quilt batting was cut to the dimensions.

Next, a piece of waterproof oilcloth brought to you by Dear Stella Design in Tear Drop by Anna Maria Horner, was cut to approximately 2 inches bigger than the top measurements.  Flipping him over the oil cloth, with the batting placed between he and the work surface, I began to staple the oil cloth to the bottom of the table.  The oil cloth was folded over one inch to create a clean hem prior to pulling over the table for stapling.  Methodically moving around the table and stapling a few inches apart, the oil cloth was pulled taut to ensure a snug cover on the top.

Looking quite dashing with some bright spring garb and donning a sassy attitude for backyard soirees, this little table is ready for more wind, sun, and rain.

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I like design with a twist. Using the pattern in a way that might not be expected and gives a flat product a depth, like this apron.

Instead of having the pattern of the pocket in the same direction as the actual apron (horizontal) I decided to do an 180 turn and have the pattern of the pocket in a vertical direction. I hope you understand what I mean. In using the fabric and the pattern in this way,  you almost give the eye a subtle surprise. Something you might not see before you get up close. Keeps the design fun and interesting.

Interested in this product? Contact me here or go to my Etsy site! Can be sewn in fabric of your choice =)

I love the huge range of colours and patterns you can get, here are a few of my favourites from Wipe Easy Tablecloths

I fancied something total different this year and decided on using electrical tape to create a striped effect.  Bare with me, I know it sounds awful, but I love it.  What do you think??

Love Sam xx

When you are living in the same decor for a long period of time, it’s hard to see what changes need to be made to give your decor a bit of a lift.  The kitchen is especially guilty of this.  That dirty wall or worn out worktop just blend in with the decor, never identifying themselves as the problem.  The best thing to do is to break down your decor and pick out the offenders and see how you can best change them economically.

Paint Your Kitchen

Walls, architraves, doors and even furniture can all be painted.  Paint is the quickest update tool out there.  You can paint all walls or can mix colours by painting one wall a different colour to the rest.  Pantry Green from Dulux is a particular favourite of mine for kitchens. 

When painting kitchen presses, get good advice or leave it to the professionals.  There is a bit of work in it and it does have to be done right to look great.  You can think outside the box here too and not stick to traditional cream.  There are gorgeous shades of greens, blues and greys that will really impress.

The Dulux images above are a great example of h0w different paint colours can totally change the look of the same room.

Change Your Tiles

You can change all the tiles in your kitchen or just the backsplash.  This can be a very inexpensive way of updating your kitchen.

You can see how the options above and below really brighten up the space.

Change The Door Knobs On Your Presses

Kitchen door knobs are often the first sign of age in a kitchen but they are so easy to change.  Bring your old ones with you to the shop and pick a similar size option.  I would advise buying one and bringing it home and trying it out on one press before investing in door knobs for the whole kitchen.  Leave it on the door for a day or two before finalising your decision.

Change Your Counter Top

If your worktop has seen better days, change it or paint it.  I came across a new product recently called Giani Granite which is a granite paint for countertops and is a very cost effecient way of achieving that longed for granite look without breaking the bank.  It seems to come in a DIY kit and can be used on most countertops including formica.  I have not tried it but would love to hear if anybody has.  You can check out the website at www.gianigranite.com for information and stockists.  The below images are from their webite so it looks fairly impressive.

Create A Blackboard Wall Or Door

I love this idea.  If you have a fairly bright kitchen and have a small spare wall or door you can always paint it with blackboard paint.  It is a fun and practical way to update your kitchen and the kids will love it too.  Blackboard paint is available in most good DIY stores or online.  You can also buy magnetic blackboard paint which allows you to affix notes with magnets also.

Wallpaper The Back Of Display Presses

I have tried this option and it is so easy yet so impressive.  Use some left over wallpaper or invest in a roll and stick to the back of your display press with bluetack or any sticky material.  It really brightens up the look of the press and makes the items inside stand out more also.

Change Your Accessories

Possibly the easiest way to update your kithen is to invest in some new accessories. A new kettle, toaster, bread bin, clock or even picture can make all the difference.  You could also invest in a new shelf to display some existing or new accessories or storage jars.  This will add a new dimension to your kitchen and will bring life to a bare wall.

Quick Kitchen Updates At The Home Barn (click on images for more details)

Until next time….happy updating!!

Kind regards,

Olive:-)

and started patching this together yesterday for another one completed today:

Tomorrow there will be another London Modern Quilt Guild meeting where we’ll all get to show and tell our crazy blocks or wonky log cabins and one of our members,  Danielle, will be showing us how to do some English Paper Piecing - I look forward to it:)

Happy weekend

Dianna

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• on the starting blocks (stitchinglife.com)
• Oilcloth (oneshabbychick.typepad.com)
• Oil Cloth and all the Fun Things to do with it (Good luck finding it) (butterscotchtabby.wordpress.com)
• Wonky Log Cabin Block (diannajessie.wordpress.com)
• Blue Polka in Oilcloth (diannajessie.wordpress.com)

The best thing to do is evaluate your space. What have you got?
For many of you there’s a table, chairs, some flower pots, even a decorative bench or two!
Deal with these items individually rather than hoping for a great interior design idea to pop to mind and you’ll soon find yourself with a beautifully intimate space, overflowing with character and that vintage taste.

Some idea’s ;

1) Many of you know that the oilcloth that draped our mothers tables all those years ago is slowly but surely coming back into fashion for just about everything. From lining drawers to covering kitchen tables, its safe to say that oilcloth is back with a vengeance!
So why not take advantage of its sudden availability and bring this wonderful trend to your own garden?
A piece of brightly patterned oilcloth on your patio table is not only pleasing to the eye, but functional. It protects the table from the wear and tear of children, those casual bbq’s and sometimes the elements.
If it’s a case that your table is a good few years old, than the oilcloth is perfect for covering up those marks you’d rather people didn’t see!
So wear can I find this magical piece of interior heaven you ask?
Well as I’m dealing mainly with the UK and Ireland I will be recommending retailers that operate in Europe, but never fear American readers! Online shopping is your friend!
An array of eye catching and utterly vintage prints in oilcloth can be purchased from the wonderful Cath Kidston brand, designer yet affordable at the same time!
Some popular prints for the summer include Picnic Flowers, Spray Flowers (blue) , and Strawberry!
Savy Shopper Tips! ; If you’re close enough to visit a store it’s very worth while as Cath Kidston have two outlet stores in Kildare Village Ireland, and Bicester Village in the UK. In these stores oilcloth is sold at half it’s original price simply for being previous collection! Excellent for a bargain!

Prices start at full price at £22/€26/ $38 per metre.
In outlet stores previous collection oilcloth begins at £12/€14/$18 per metre.

http://www.cathkidston.co.uk

Avoca stores also supply a beautiful range of oilcloth prints with a distinctly vintage feel to them. Avoca is a little more expensive than other places for oilcloth but the quality of what you’re buying is second to none on the grand scale of things.
Savy Shopper Tips! ; What to remember when buying oilcloth here is to purchase something with a timeless as quality as possible, because you are investing your money into something that will last quite a long time.
Avoca have a number of stores across the UK and Ireland and a website with oilcloth purchasable online.
Prices start at

http://www.avoca.ie

Just a lil’ something ; While oilcloth is a beautiful and easy way to begin redecorating it is worth nothing that it does not tolerate any tomato based stains, nor red wine. These are one stain that unfortunately does not come out again.

2) Something that has become increasingly popular over the past few months to decorate patio space is the use of the vintage jug. The use of tin, enamel and even for those really trying to achieve a certain look, porcelain, have all been used to brighten up outside spaces.
This is a unique way for storing plants, beautiful flowers, garden tools, etc.
Depending on what style and shape you go for there can be a vast arry of designs.
There can be plain jugs, patterned jugs, brand new jugs or chipped and faded jugs.
In my own personal opinion I prefer to repair the chips and touch up the paint work. Sometimes you can find matching bowls that make a delightful set!

Some idea’s ;

Image via http://www.decorativecountryliving.com

Image via http://www.dibor.co.uk

Image via http://www.marleyandlockyer.com

The average price for one of these beautiful pieces is £24/€28/£34.

3) Another touch that could easily brighten up the darkest of garden space is some outdoor furniture.
Finding something that is both stylish, vintage, timeless, and comfortable for your poor bottom can be something of a task, but here is my advice.
Wicker armchairs and loveseats can be bought at any garden centre or furniture shop and to add a really vintage touch they can be painted white, or a duckegg blue. Team them up with some seat cushions covered in some kitsch, vintage fabric and you have yourself the perfect perch to sit on during those warm summer nights reading that favourite book with a bottle of wine.

I’ll leave here for now lads and lassies and I hope that my little mutterings might help brighten up those summer days with a little bit of vintage.

Keeping it Beautifully Vintage ;

Lola.

(I’ve updated the original post to reflect these observations.)

The first few rides with the pannier were odd, but mostly because I’d never used one before. I was actually late out of the house the first day because I spent an extra 5 minutes trying to figure out what I was forgetting before realizing that thing was my backpack, and that I could leave without it.

Once I got used to how the bike handled, however, I relished the sense of freedom I got from not being tied down with a backpack. It made it easier to check behind me, it made my shoulders and lady bits less sore. Overall, I’m hooked.

There are things I love, things I could have done differently, and one thing that went very, sadly wrong. But overall I’m thrilled with how this pannier turned out, and I’m already scheming about new oilcloth projects for the bike. Stay tuned.

What I love about this design:

I’m really glad I added the “laptop sleeve” pocket. It’s great for tucking in all the notebooks, papers, books, etc. which I always cart around with me. I’ve yet to put my laptop in it yet, since I’m just generally super paranoid about it.

Organization overall is nice, since the front pockets are really helpful for smaller stuff in the main compartment, and the front zipper pouch is awesome for things you need on your ride (it’s hard to get into the main compartment when the handles are Velcroed shut.

I’m really glad I put D rings on the side for attach a shoulder strap. So crucial.

What I would do differently next time:

I’d add a key hook in the main compartment, since I lose my keys there all the time, and once I stuff it full of clothes and lunch I can’t always get to the little pockets.

Speaking of, in the future I’d the pockets higher up, rather than even with the bottom. I’d also add a slim pen/pencil pocket to help me keep track of those, as well.

I’d add a stiffener panel in front as well as the back to keep the bag from slumping and make it easier to fill when it’s sitting on the ground.

I’d also add a little place to attach a light in the back. One of my brightest rear lights attaches to my backpack, and now I feel a bit underlit without it. It can hook onto the D ring there, but it flops around a lot.

Attachment strap

The attachment hooks are awkward, but doable. I’m not actually sure what I’d do differently with these, since they work just admirably once they’re attached to the bike, but they’re difficult to attach in the first place. I finally figured out that if you rest your bag perpendicularly on the rack with the straps dangling through the rack, it’s easy enough to hook them.

So awkward to attach it this way!

But trying to hold your bag in an upright position whilst simultaneously fastening the hooks requires three hands minimum. Here are photos, hope that explains what I’m talking about.

Lower the straps in with the pannier held perpendicularly.

Rest the pannier on your rack--now it should be easy to attach the straps.

And you're good to go!

And, Oops!

One major thing I learned is that oilcloth isn’t really so tough. After about 10 trips, my pannier had ripped where the straps connect to the back piece. Grrr. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have happened if I had secured the straps through all layers, including the stiffener piece, though I can’t say for certain at this point.

I’ve fixed mine by wiring it through all layers, and it seems really solid now. I’ve thought about reinforcing the back piece by stitching a strap that travels from one side to the other horizontally over the point where the straps attach, thus spreading out the area that’s affected, but I’d love suggestions if anyone has them.

Go forth and experiment!

Thanks for stopping by.  This is my second post of the day – if you are looking for my Folksy Friday post please go here … it’s not usual I know, but I just realised this was the day I needed to enter my give away for the blog hop party on Quilting Gallery and didn’t want to miss out.  I had lots of fun blog hopping with the ‘bloghop party’ last December and so thought it would be a good opportunity to host another Give Away.  So much has happened in the past few months and I would like to welcome all my new readers and thank all my readers for taking the time to look at my blog.  It gives me encouragement with my creative work and motivates me to keep on making:)

Enjoy the blog party – here is my give away

A lovely roomy shopper in brown floral oilcloth

Dates: Starting 16th March – Ending 23rd March midnight GMT

I ship internationally, all comments welcome

Pleas leave a valid email so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner

All you have to do is tell me what your favourite song is and why:)

THe winner will be picked by the random number generator and announced on this blog on Saturday 24th March.

Happy St Patrick’s Day.

Enjoy Blog Hopping and thanks for visiting.

Dianna

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I was given some fantastic oilcloth fabric and had no idea what to do with it until one day it hit me – coasters!

One my first attempt I cut the shape too small…second attempt too closely…and third attempt just right.

And you don’t want to know the mess I got into trying to glue the whole thing together first time!

But now I’m so happy with them I had to keep a few for myself!

So here they are:

No poisoned apples here, Snow White, just scrumptious red apple coasters!

And they’re available in my shop now!

Karen x

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I have always been drawn to the colorful and whimsical patterns of oilcloth,  both the vintage kind ( originally made from a thick fabric, coated in Linseed oil and then painted to make it waterproof) and current amazing fabrics (vinyl over a cotton mesh). 

Okay, like many people, I thought it was just for outdoor BBQ’s to cover up old tables and to make an easily wiped surface to clean up the potato salad that spilled out of the serving bowl.

But as I started seeing more interesting patterns and shapes being created, oilcloth started being my first choice for eye-catching fun and beautiful decor for my dining room and beyond.  Beautiful shopping bags with  pockets, backpacks with fancy zippers and stitching and even hanging cosmetic travel bags are made out of this gorgeous sturdy fabric.  Check out www.etsy.com for some handmade unique designs.

Who wouldn’t want a picnic lunch in their own color coded lunch sack, complete with velcro strip to keep the bag closed.  Never wrinkles, easy to clean and puts a smile on your face when you look at it.

Try some of the new placemats with contrasting trim for your next brunch, lunch or dinner party!

  Dress it up with china plates ,crystal glasses and linen napkins or dress it down with paper napkins, and your everyday cutlery and plates.

Once you try it you won’t go back to plain !