Last year I entered Hillarys Blogger Crafting competition and it inspired me so much it created a whole project which has taken me (and still is) over a year to complete.... more HERE
So this year I was more than ever up for the challenge and I really gave it some thought as to what I could make that not only really shows off the wonderful print but uses the color and is practical for me!
A tough task - but I think I have cracked it and I hope you agree!
So the rules are simple - You choose your fabric from these choices and request a sample. Every blogger is sent the same amount 1m x 1m and then, well the only constraints are those you give yourself! Craft away and come up with your idea, blog the post and then not only have you had fun with the concept but you are in with a chance of winning £1000! Yes you did read that right!
You can read all about it HERE.
Fabric Choices
If you were too late this year make sure you Follow/Like and subscribe to Hillarys Blind social media and you will be notified or see posts when next years competition goes live (assuming they will run this again, I HOPE so - I may picket their office if not!)
As you may or may not know I have been working REALLY hard restoring my patio furniture and turning a awful mess into a lovely summer space that looks and feels fit for lounging and entertaining and that costs as little as possible (still part of the Peacock project).
I really wanted to incorporate this fabric into my patio makeover!
The Rayna Apple fabric was my choice - for the green shade to go with my outside space and the slightly retro feel to the print design. I remember these large style prints that were around in the 1970s when I was a child. They are as fresh now as they were then - coming out of the dowdy interiors of the 50/60s and in to the bright, colourful 70s!
I love the feel of this design and I wanted my craft to show off the earthy feel and yet still be practical.
I am slightly obsessed with solar lights, I just love them (I actually just LOVE renewable energy full stop) the array of colours now available in LED is astonishing and so beautiful!
I was trying to think a bit differently this year, I wanted something to add dimension but I'm slightly over bunting so I was thinking about light shades and wether it would be possible to make Chinese Origami balloons out of fabric! They were always a favorite to make with Evan and I used to try myself as a child although I was not ever very good at it! It seems though that I have improved with age and they turned out better than I could imagine!
Fabric Light Covers - Origami Style!
I wanted to also do some craft without any sewing as I know so many really do not like to do it so I promise NO NEEDLE & THREAD required! (well maybe for 1 very ickle part!)
So here is the PDF for the paper version
Obviously my first problem was to stiffen the fabric well enough - I bought spray starch which failed miserably and then I thought about Plasti-Kote spray and it is amazing! It lets you hold shape in fabric and it does your bidding without any tantrums at all! (should I coat my son in this stuff?)
Make sure you use it outside as the fumes are awful!
So once you have your pre-cut pieces (for how many lights you want to cover) I made 20 of various sizes.
The smallest 12cm squares and the largest (and best all round size that I found) is 18.5cm squares.
I sprayed them with 2 coats of clear spray and allowed to dry thouroughly before starting.
You will need:
Fabric of choice
Pinking shears
Good fabric scissors
Needle and cotton
Steam Iron
Watch the very simple video guide HERE
I think they look amazing and I can't really capture the ambience they give off, but it is so relaxing! Choose green every time for evening lighting.
I then cut out the motif with pinking shears so it wouldn't fray and used fabric spray adhesive to attach them to my cushions I made (Fabric was a beautiful duvet set I bought at a booty for £5) and the remaining material was used to make photo place mats!
I am quite astonished myself with just how super it is!
If you think 4 weeks ago it looked like this
More on the whole make over SOON!Now it looks like this!!
