You’ve probably cottoned-on by now that I hate to throw things out. When my Gran sadly passed away in August this year, I struggled to put her beautiful liberty print shirts and dresses into a garbage bag destined for the opportunity shop.
Gran was extremely fond of Heidi (my chief helper), and had said to me before she passed that she wished she could take Heidi with her, because she was going to miss her dearly.
I was clear to me that I had to make something from Gran’s Liberty garments that would mean she could be with Heidi in Spirit if not in person.
It’s taken me a few months to willingly pull out the garments and chop them up to produce the pieces of material I needed. Once I had done that, I was lacking inspiration around what to make with it.
In the time I pondering my ideas Heidi (who is now 21 months old) was showing a very keen interest in cooking… which translates to stirring the ingredients, pressing the buttons on the food processor, holding the measuring cups for me… and tasting the mixture with a (very deep and enthusiastic) plunge of her finger, when I would turn my back! Despite her limited involvement in the cooking process, she still managed to get filthy!
An Apron….. that was the obvious use for Gran’s liberty prints.
I didn’t have a pattern, so I took to Pinterest to gather some inspiration on styles, shapes, tying options…
You can view my ‘Kids’ Pinterest board here.
And then set about making something simple for my little Heidi….
Because the liberty fabric is so fine/thin, I lined the back of the skirt and chest piece with some white fabric (recycled cotton sheets actually!).
I made a tube of material for the waist tie, and neck strap.
Heidi is going to grow so quickly, which is why I decided to use a button and adjustable neck strap (allowing for more button holes to be added over time – if needed!).
I had even kept the liberty covered buttons from Gran’s shirts, so I put them to good use too.
Here’s the finished product…
I will be combining this new apron with a set of miniature cooking utensils for my budding chef’s Christmas present in a few weeks time..
If only Gran could see my little helper putting her beautiful liberty prints to good use.
With the new baby due in about 6 weeks time there will be lots of posts coming your way about my nursery decorating exploits, and out-of-control nesting urges!! In the week before I had Heidi I went on a cooking frenzy – so look out!
As you well know I have been known to stumble across a lot of (what many would refer to as ‘junk’) items for my up-cycling projects from the footpath.
I stooped to a new low for this one. They were found in the skip at our block, where the builders toss all their house building remnants (that sounds a lot better then rubbish – doesn’t it!). Actually, if the truth be known, I personally didn’t rummage around in the skip to find these – my mother-in-law did! What hope has our little Heidi got with the foraging genes on both sides of the family!!!
We were showing the progress of the house to my husband’s parents one weekend, when I hear a muffled voice from a head diving into the skip “Hey Bernice, look at these… you could make them into little stools for Heidi”. I didn’t need time to consider this – I was sold. They were in the boot of the car as my (very understanding and often perplexed) husband lets out another sigh!
I have been sticking to a ‘touch of red’ theme for Heidi’s nursery, so I knew the base of the stools were going to have to be painted red. I then went on the hunt for some ‘fun’ but not too girly material to cover the seat/top.
I found this really cute forest and owl fabric at Spotlight… which tied in the red beautifully. I got the paint shop to match up the red in the fabric (it turned out to be Geranium Red) with a high gloss, water based sample paint pot.
I cleaned up the spindles with the sander (mainly around the edges of the wood – the outside bits). The piece down the middle is actually made of heavy duty cardboard tubes! I carefully chose which end I wanted sitting on the floor. Knowing we have floorboards in our new house I didn’t want the metal fasteners scratching the floor. One end seemed to have flatter fasteners than the other (although I planned to cover the base with felt anyway, I didn’t want any metal protruding).
I gave both spindles two coats of the Geranium Red paint (leaving them to dry overnight between each coat)
To ensure a comfy seat for Heidi and her buddies I bought some stuffing. I chose one that comes in sheets, so I could cut it to the right sized circle, and layer it several times to give a bit more cushioning.
I placed the stools on the fabric and traced around the top, allowing about 7cm extra material to fasten the fabric underneath the stool top with a staple gun.
With all my pieces measured and cut, it was time to put it all together.
Placing the stuffing onto the stool, then the material on top of that, I carefully turned it all upside down to start stapling the material in place. When securing the material start with four staples evening spaced around the circle to get the tension right and material spaced evenly to avoid gathers. Fold the material under as you staple for a neater finish, and to avoid the material fraying down the track.
Once all the stapling is complete you will need to staple and/or glue your felt to the bottom (I chose a felt to match the red paint). This is not absolutely necessary, but will stop any scratches on wooden floors when the little monsters drag the stools across the room!
Voila – two tiny stools for my little strudel!
The challenge now is to find yourself a wooden and cardboard spindle to have your way with – good luck!
Have you ever stopped to notice that almost everything we put on our walls is either square or rectangular?
I love these wall discs, simply because they’re something different – circles … and also because you can change the material if you get sick of it (which is perfect for me – I update my decor with the changing seasons).
These are ideal for all ages – I gave a set to my two nieces for Christmas, one is 6 months old and the other is a teenager.
Depending on the material chosen you can change the feeling and mood of the discs. The red, black and green are very bold patterns and striking colours, and look perfect with the white background.
The others I made were a little softer, using floral patterned material with subtle tones – very fitting for a nursery or a young girl’s room.
The key item for making these pieces is the wooden embroidery ring. As the name suggests they’re made to assist with embroidery – not for decorating your walls (we all know there are no embroidery police – so we will continue to use these for an alternative purpose!). A wooden embroidery ring consists of solid inner ring and split outer ring with tension screw). I used rings with a 30cm diameter (to save those that were going to google ‘diameter’ for a little reminder … the diameter is the distance across the middle of the circle, from one side to the other). You can buy these rings at an art and craft shop (see the links to some of these stores down the right of the page).
Before you walk out of the store make sure the rings you buy have the 2 circular parts to it. Also make sure that all your rings are the same size (many shoppers return the rings to the wrong spot, and mix up the sizes). There may be a sticker on the outside making the check easier, otherwise you can hold them all together and test with your eye (you could almost use this exercise as a drunk driving test …you will know what I mean when you to do it!).
Here’s how you can make your own: Wall Discs
You will need 3 wooden embroidery rings (or as many as you have decided to make)
Material (thicker material holds better in the ring)
Scissors
Needle and Thread
Once you have decided on your ring size you can choose your material – the fun part!
It helps to have an idea about who you are making them for, or where the rings will be displayed eg. baby’s nursery, spare room, lounge room, beach house. Knowing this when choosing your material will make it a lot easier. When making the softer pink ones I knew they were for females, and that they would like these tones. When choosing the material for the red, black and green ones I had my spare room in mind, which is white (walls and bed sheets) with wooden furniture and bed frame. I needed bold material to give the room some life and personality. You could even choose material printed with a child’s favourite cartoon character eg. Dora, Thomas the tank engine. And don’t stop there, buttons, tassels and all sorts of colourful items can be sewn/glued on the material (but wait until the material is secured tightly in the ring to do all this) – I will say it again, there are no rules, just let yourself be creative!
To know how much material you will need check the diameter of your rings, you will need at least this length, plus another 5 – 10cm each side (so add 10- 20cm on the diameter length). Even though the material is quoted as a price per meter you can buy less than a meter at a time. You don’t need to change the material for each ring – they can all be the same, it’s up to you. Another option (for some unique and cheaper material) is to visit opportunity shops, you can cut up some old dresses, curtains, sheets – whatever material patterns catch your eye.
When you get home, lay your material out on the table (pattern face down).
If you have a particular direction you want to pattern run, make sure the ’top’ of the pattern is closest to you.
Slide the outside ring under the material (the ring with the tension screw).
The screw will sit at the top of the ring, so also make sure the screw is closest to you.
Ensure the ring is evenly positioned with enough material surrounding the perimeter.
Take the remaining ring and push it into the ring sitting under the material. As you do this the material will tighten within the ring.
Place your hand under the material and tighten the screw as much as you can.
Once the screw is tight and the material is secure pull on the material slightly from all sides of the circle to tighten the material even more (be careful not the distort the pattern by pulling too hard).
Take your scissors and trim the material around the edge of the ring, leaving about 3cm of material.
To secure the material within the ring, and to make sure it won’t be seen, take a needle and thread and roughly sew the remaining material tightly around the back of the circle. The tighter you pull the thread, the less likely the material will cause the disc to sit away from the wall when you hang it.
You can hang the disc to the wall from the tension screw at the top (a nail will slot into the gap), or thread some ribbon through the gap where the screw is positioned and hang it from that.
As I mentioned before, you can change the material at any time when you are ready something different. You can also hang the discs vertically for a different look, or mix up the ring sizes. You could even get a little adventurous and choose smaller discs, and make a mobile with them (glueing 2 back-to-back so you don’t see the back with no pattern).
If you have a go at making some discs, please email me a photo so I can share your creativeness, and new ideas with other Hey Bernice! fans. Happy discing.
You’ve probably cottoned-on by now that I hate to throw things out. When my Gran sadly passed away in August this year, I struggled to put her beautiful liberty print shirts and dresses into a garbage bag destined for the opportunity shop.
Another option (for some unique and cheaper material) is to visit opportunity shops, you can cut up some old dresses, curtains, sheets – whatever material patterns catch your eye. 
