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Posts Tagged ‘Christine Leech’

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SPARE POM-PEAR


2016
04.11

Tags: Christine Leech, free project, how-to, Pompomania, Quadrille books, SewYeah.co.uk, sneak-peak
Posted in love'it&covet, needle&thread | 1 Comment »

A free project from the new craftastic Pompomania!

Sneak-peak-pear-banner

As promised in our last post, the lovely folks at Quadrille and craft author Christine Leech have kindly provided a wonderful sneak-peak at one of my favourite projects from the book: the beautiful blush-kissed pear!

Pompomania Pears Project

NICE PEAR
This pompom pear is unbelievably tactile. It looks best when trimmed hard, so do not be afraid to go at it with the scissors.

YOU WILL NEED
– DK-weight acrylic yarn in the following colours: pomegranate, shrimp, meadow, lime, walnut;
– 7cm (2 ¾ in) and 9cm  (3 ½ in) diameter pompom makers;
– Scissors;
– Glue gun;

STEP ONE: For lower part, using a 9cm (3 ½ in) maker, wind 100 wraps of pomegranate in a wedge, leaving one quarter of maker empty at both RHE and LHE.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 2: Wind 20 wraps of pomegranate and shrimp together over previous layer, covering wedge.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 3: Wind 30 wraps of shrimp and meadow together over previous layer.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 4: Wind 15 wraps of shrimp, meadow and lime together over previous layer.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 5: Wind 20 wraps of meadow and lime to fill gaps at each edge, then 50 of meadow and lime to fill maker.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 6: To finish, fill other half of maker with meadow and lime. Complete pompom and remove it from maker.

STEP 7: For top, using a 7cm (2 ¾ in) maker, wind 40 wraps of shrimp, meadow and lime across three quarters.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 8: Fill maker with 120 wraps of meadow and lime. To finish, fill other half of maker with meadow and lime.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 9: Complete pompom using three strands of walnut to tie it together. Remove it from maker.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 10: Trim flat base of smaller and top and base of larger pompom. Fix together, matching speckled areas.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 11: Trim the pompoms into a neat pear shape. Keep trimming until you are happy with the shape.

Pompomania Pears Project HOW-TO
STEP 12: For the stalk, plait the three walnut strands together for 3–4cm (1 ¼ – 1 ½ in). Knot and trim.

This is so easy and such a knockout addition to any fruit bowl!

Pompomania Pears Project

Thanks again to Christine and Quadrille for letting us share this!

For more fabulous pomprojects, order (UK) or pre-order (USA & Canada):
Pompomania: how to make over 20 cute and characterful pompoms, by Christine Leech, shot by Joanna Henderson. Published by Quadrille

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OUR MAIN MANIA OF LATE


2016
04.07

Tags: Christine Leech, Craft book, Pompomania, Pompoms
Posted in love'it&covet, paper&ink | 1 Comment »

The high priestess of craft sets her sights on world pompomination…

Pompomania-banner
Social Nesting superfriend, craft diva and all-round ace Christine Leech is at it again with yet another tome to add to our craft library.

Pompomania by Christine Leech

Get your cheer on for Pompomania: how to make over 20 cute and characterful pompoms.
Shot by the talented Joanna Henderson and published by craft champions Quadrille, it is currently available in the UK, and available to pre-order in the US and Canada.

Pompomania by Christine Leech

Christine provides her usual thorough basic principles, fun alternatives and great tips to make these projects even a novice could tackle with some confidence…

Pompomania by Christine Leech

…and the finished projects are a fantastic mix of simple techniques that produce stunning effects, to more advanced and dramatic takes on pompoming. Just check out the pear and sushi above to be blown away.

Christine and the folks at Quadrille have kindly provided a sneak-peek how-to which I will be sharing on Monday, so get your pompoming arm in shape this weekend!

And if the cover doesn’t make you want to get pompoming, nothing ever will.

Pompomania by Christine Leech

Pompomania: how to make over 20 cute and characterful pompoms, by Christine Leech, shot by Joanna Henderson. Published by Quadrille
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CRAFTING AT PORT ELIOT IS SEW YEAH!


2014
07.19

Tags: Christine Leech, craft festival, Port Eliot Festival, Ros Badger, SewYeah!
Posted in love'it&covet | Comments Off on CRAFTING AT PORT ELIOT IS SEW YEAH!

For those of you who enjoy the outdoors, crafting, and hob-knobbing with the likeminded creativerati, strap on your craft belt join the Badger’s Sett at the Port Eliot Festival.

PE-Festival-banner

The Badger’s Sett crafstravaganza tent (actually, it’s a yurt – but I don’t really know what that means) is where you will find innovative craft authors/doers/makers/too-many-ways-to-describe-these-talented-ladies Christine Leech and Ros Badger running the finest of makery events that their craft-soaked brains could imagine over three days.

TBS-Festival-banner

From garland- and pom pom-making to a creating a paper boat regatta (BYO tiny paper champagne bottles for christening your creation), it is set to be the perfect accompaniment to this iconic festival of ideas.

Badgers Sett felt-flowers-and-paper-garlands

Badgers-Sett-paper-boat

Check out all the details on Christine’s website, Sewyeah.co.uk, and if you are fast enough to get a spot at any of the events, then lucky you!

Just don’t mistake your PVA for sunscreen.

Comments Off on featherweight fabulous

featherweight fabulous


2014
05.15

Tags: Christine Leech, custom stamp, sugru, textile printing
Posted in needle&thread, update&decorate | Comments Off on featherweight fabulous

craft-in-ten-banner-stamp

There is nothing more beautiful than the coming together of innovation, talent and a simple idea. Deliver it in gold package and, well, I am head-over-heels in heaven.

A few weeks back, when I went to interview Christine Leech, aside from my trusty reporters cap and pen, I also took a piece of balsa wood, some Sugru and a challenge: design a stamp.

Feather stamp project

As we were there to talk all things printing (including her new book Fresh Prints), I figured I could ask her to use the Sugru – my new favourite craft compound – to make a one-of-a-kind original stamp.

For those who don’t remember Sugru, it’s the amazing self-setting rubber that I talked about here. It’s a hackers dream and I figured it was versatile enough for Christine to add yet another item to her list of easy printing tools.

So off we set, starting with a design. I secretly knew what I wanted so despite playing along with a brainstorm, I just kept saying “a feather?.. what about a feather?.. howsa’bout feather?..” until she gave in.

CLandSugru1

Christine was an amazing sport, and she drew a kick-ass feather that she quickly started to replicate in Sugru straight on to the balsa wood.

CLandSugru3

It was brilliant to watch her work at it, especially as Sugru has around a 30-minute window before it begins to set, so she was like lightening, shaping, cutting and poking…

CLandSugru4

until she ended up with this. WooHOO!

Feather stamp

Over to me and back at home with some white cotton fabric and a pot of metallic gold textile paint…

Feather stamp

The idea is to eventually cover a white shirt in gold feathers, but a test is always a worthwhile endeavour.
So with high hopes and a little cheating (via the use of a sponge and cotton buds and repeated tries), I managed a test that worked.

Sugru feather stamp

And now I plan to just add shirt.

Comments Off on talking fresh prints with the craft queen

talking fresh prints with the craft queen


2014
04.25

Tags: Christine Leech, craft books, Fresh Prints, interview
Posted in love'it&covet, paper&ink, update&decorate | Comments Off on talking fresh prints with the craft queen

With her fourth solo book (seventh when you add three collabs), a busy career as fashion-bible designer and a house in transition towards craft wonderland, Christine Leech takes time to talk to Social Nesting about getting fresh, her favourite kit and channeling Snow White, South-London style…

Hi Christine. How are you?
I’m well, thank you.
I’m trying to impress you with the one and only posh salad I can make but failing miserably as I don’t know how to make this salad dressing.

Forget dressing. You are not allowed to be good at everything.
Now, did you ever dream that you would be the reason that people are getting busy with their hands? Not in a rude way, of course, but with glue and scissors and ink…
Not at all! It’s so lovely that I have been able to share my ideas with people. If I wasn’t writing my books I would be making all these things anyway.
It just so nice that they are getting a wider audience and I have a greater reason for doing them.

Your latest book, Fresh Prints, is deceptively not about how Will Smith’s life got flipped (turned upside-down), but about tackling printing at home. Did you purposely set out to fool the public? (I am kidding, of course)
I think that is my most favourite title for
a book yet. It makes me smile (and sing
the Fresh Prince theme tune) every time
I see the cover.

You have done a great job of making contemporary crafting approachable. Who did that for you?
My original inspiration for the Simple Makes books were Japanese craft books and catalogues, especially by homeware/clothing/crafty brand Felissimo. I love their clean and crisp Scandi-Japanese aesthetic.
I wanted to make home made things that didn’t look home made, just simple and stylish.

(Felissimo handicraft products, books and more.)

If you were stuck in a deserted car park in Norwich with only five things from your kit bag, what would they be?

– Bondaweb, for joining two pieces of fabric together;
– Scallop-edged scissors;
– Scapel/10a blades and metal ruler for no-nonsense cutting;
– Glue dots and sheets for no-mess gluing;
– My jar of  bits and bobs – a collection from my mum and my nan’s button boxes, plus sequins, beads, tiny bits of things that-will-come-in-useful-one-day-I’m-sure. (Keep telling yourself that.)(Christine has printed hares on her stairs – just imagine what she would do to a car park.)

Now, what companies/designers/people do you most admire?
Anyone who has made a living from their hobby/blog is an inspiration to me. Oh Joy! now has a party range for Target… How did that happen? I wanna do that!  I also really admire my parents for their ‘just go for it’ attitude to my crafting and career. They are very supportive and encouraging.

(Oh Joy! for Target – if you are lucky enough to be Target-adjascent.)

What hasn’t been designed yet that would make your life easier?
Self-sweeping floors… There are always loose threads, fabric fluff and scattered sequins all over my floor. Maybe I could try and befriend the animals as Snow White does to help me clear up after projects, though living in South London, the wildlife would be a bit more like the ones in Enchanted.

You are so productive. Do you ever just eat peanut-butter out of a jar with your fingers while watching TOWIE?
Er no. But I do eat ice cream from the tub using Kit Kat fingers as spoons whilst watching Nashville. Does that count?
That’s even better! Thanks Christine – you are great.

Fresh Prints, published by Quadrille, is available to order now on Amazon or at bookstores smart enough to have snapped it up. Or, if you want to WIN a copy (wooHOOO!) or just see what Christine is up to on a regular basis, visit her blog, SewYeah.co.uk.

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