Fraying a pair of Jeans

I don't know if I was upset or amused that my daughter did not know how to fray a pair of jeans the other day.  She wanted her jeans cut off to make long shorts, which I did for her, then told her to fray them.

I mean, who does not know how to fray a pair of jeans?  

Unless it is people of a certain age that used to fray their jeans.

I remember many a summer getting hot, chopping the legs off my jeans, then fraying them so they didn't look as though they had just been cut.

Well, just in case you do not know how to fray your jeans, here is a very simple guide for you  :)

Cut your jeans to your desired length, whether it be 3/4 length, knee length, or even 'cheeky' length. 

You will have a cut edge like this...

Get a thick needle, a sewing up needle for wool is perfect for this.

Poke it into the material about 2mm from edge and pull towards the end.

It should take a few cross-ways fibres out with the pull.  

Continue this right across the length, then go and trim off all those fibres that you have just pulled out.

If you need a deeper fray, just repeat until you have your chosen fluffyness.

Now, all I have to do is show her how to hang them on the washing line and chuck bleach at them  :)

Home-made Sweetcorn Relish

I love sweetcorn relish, it is so easy to make and it just makes that boring tin of sweetcorn into something special and extra tasty.  I had it the other evening and shared it as part of my #ShareYourTeaTuesday threads.  I promised the recipe, so here it is  :)

What you need:

• Tin of Sweetcorn
• Sundried tomatoes (from a jar) or cherry tomatoes
• Red wine vinegar, or cidar vinegar
• Teaspoon of dark brown sugar
• Dried chilli flakes
• Fresh coriander

What you do:

• Drain the sweetcorn and plop it into a bowl.

• Chop up the sun-dried tomatoes, or you can use fresh cherry tomatoes if you prefer.

• Add about a table spoon of your chosen flavoured vinegar.  Balsamic would be nice in this too.

• Chop up your coriander so it is nice and fine.

• Chuck it all in with the dried chilli flakes.

• Mix it all up.   Easy huh?

• Serve with almost anything, but especially good with sausage, burgers etc....

In fact, the following day I had a nice brown baguette with sausage and sweetcorn relish in it - oh it was yummy!

A year ago....

One year ago today, 23rd June 2013, I blogged about some tie-dyed bags that I had made  :)



Two years ago, nearly to the day, on the 24th June 2012, I blogged about Needlefelted Birds that I had made at Higham Hall along with my Mum.



Three years ago today I didn't blog at all for the whole of June, but I did blog in May about some Lampworked beads from rod ends.



Four years ago today on 23rd June 2010, I wrote about a piece of Beadweaving that I made - Africana Twist.  I really need to make another of these I think  :)



Five years ago, the nearest blog to the 23rd was the 28th, where I told you all about a recyled rocking chair project, which was loads of fun to do.



Not sure where the years go...... how fast they seem to whip on by.

(if you want to see those projects, just click on the linked words)

Sample strip for Cushion Cardi's

A few days ago I blogged about a new kit going on sale - cushion cardi's.

I decided, rather than lugging a load of bulky cushions to shows and fairs, I would take one and a sample piece of colour choices.

Six panels, one of each colour.  Five with button holes in - one without.... but why?

Well, if you flip it over you will find that that section has the button options sewn on it.

Would you choose cream or brown for this colour?

And what you can do is fold the sample over and button those buttons into the button-holes to show what the different coloured buttons look like with each shade of yarn.

I was a bit too chuffed with my idea - in fact, if I knew how to play a trumpet, I would blow it rather hard right now.

Makes a nice scarf too  :)...........   oooooooh, now there's an idea forming.....

Crystal Bracelet Kit Giveaway.

I am doing a little giveaway over on my Facebook page.

It is to celebrate a new kit going on sale - that kit is a crystal bracelet kit made using the Beadweaving technique Right Angle Weave, or RAW for short.

Czech crystals, glass seed beads and a crystal button makes up a very pretty bracelet, and you can have one in the colour of your choice if you enter my giveaway and are lucky enough to win.

What you have to do is either comment on the Facebook post, it is pinned to the top of my page, or comment here on this blog.  If you cannot comment on either then you can email me your entry to soozintheshed@gmail.com

To enter, what you have to do is comment, somewhere, with the words "Gimme the Bling" and you will be entered into a draw.  I will use a random name generator to pick the winner, sometime on Sunday (22/06/14) afternoon.

Good luck.

Doll's Pram Quilt & Pillow

Do you remember a little while ago when I made crochet pram blankets for my great niece's pram?  If not you can find them HERE.

Well, I promised to also make her some sheets and a pillow, but true to form, I have never got around to it until now.  

The reason I did it today was I was given some baby sheets - vintage, must be 40 year old, and I thought it would be super-cute to make little ones for Grace's pram out of them.

First I started with a pillow.  The pram measures 7" across so it needed to be a little pillow.

This little in fact - cute huh?

I stuffed it with polyfibre and sewed it shut.

Then out of the vintage fabric I made a little pillow case for it.

Complete with an envelope fastening!

Next I sandwiched a piece of wadding inbetween some plain white sheet and the patterned fabric and sewed it all together, then I decided to do some machine quilting, of which I have never attempted before. 

I just wiggled and swirled the machine and made squiggly wiggly lines all over it.

I also made a single sheet, one that will go underneath and over the bottom liner of the pram.

Job done at last, sometimes it is just worth waiting for that perfect material.

Dolly Parton in Newcastle

For my birthday Hubster bought me Dolly Parton tickets.  Now I am not a massive Country & Western fan - my musical tastes are very eclectic to say the least, but I do like her music a lot.  It's great to sing along to.

So, Saturday afternoon, once we had a puppy sitter, we set of down the A69 to Newcastle.  It's only an hour or so away from Carlisle, so not a long trip.

When we passed the Metro Centre we decided we would need to eat and there would probably be something in there suitable.  I've not visited the Metro for about 3 years and there was loads of new restaurants and shops.

We found a nice looking place called the Handmade Burger Co, which offered some good veggie options.

I went for a Sweet Potato and Bean burger with mango & ginger salsa.   

DEE - LISH - USS!

With home-made cajun fries too  :)   One portion between two of us would have done as it was rather generous.

Then a quick stop at the Travelodge before scooting off to see the show.   The show had a start time on the tickets of 8.00pm, but usually, whenever I have been to a show, they have a support act and the main act comes on later, usually 9.00pm - or 9.30pm.

Not Dolly!  Bang on 8.00pm she walked on, and we didn't get there until 8.15pm  :/

Still, it was a blooming good show.  And she personally played TEN instruments!  Yep, ten, I counted.  That's talent for you.

A really noisy night in the Travelodge, thanks to a group of young men who decided that 'Oz' should not be sleeping and should wake up.  This was all through the night, the shouted and hammered on his door and made a right racket.   Apparently though, Hubster slept through it and only woke when I shouted "Shut up for f***s sake!!"  (I get angry when I get no sleep).

The next day we decided to return to the Metro for a bit of retail therapy.  I bought some bits, he bought some bits, and we went to Chiquitos for a spot of Mexican for lunch  (and wine, as it would be most rude not to have wine)

A bit more shopping and it was time to head home.  Now, anytime we are over in that neck of the woods we like to stop at an Indian restaurant in Corbridge on the way home, it is called The Valley and the restaurant is actually the old station building, and of course, still sits on a working platform.  So you see trains whizzing by the window as you eat your curry.

But, alas, it was shut!  Shut on Sundays, what a bummer.

So we drove into Hexham, which is just a few miles away and found an Indian there called Zyka.   What a lovely place, very modern and contemporary and what a delicious meal we had.  

 I had some potato and cheese dumplings in a creamy spiced sauce.

It was so nice that we might have to serve in that direction next time too   :)

I just love weekends away - well not even a weekend, just a day and a night will do, it really helps you recharge your batteries and take some time for yourself (and to drink copious amounts of wine!)

Cheers!  Hic!

Cushion Cardi's

One of my new kits - available now  :)

Cushion Cardi's.  A rustic mega-chunky acrylic/wool blend yarn which knits up very quickly on large needles.  Finished off with some chunky wooden buttons to fasten, so no fiddling with fitting zips etc..

I have written this pattern up with step-by-step photo instructions, so it is suitable for an absolute beginner to knitting.  There is no shaping to to, just some button-holes to incorporate  (also shown in step-by-step photos)

It will be available in a variety of colours, along with two sizes.  One with 4 buttons to fit an 18" cushion pad, and one with 3 buttons to fit a 16" cushion pad.  (Cushion pads can also be provided if needed.)

Don't you just want to bury your face into one of these when watching a scary movie?  ;)  (I hate scary movies by the way)

You can find the kit HERE, if you wish to have a go and make one for yourself.