Mule makeover

I have had these mules for years - and it shows. It doesn't show up as clearly on the photo, but they are looking rather grey and creased in places. So I decided to give them a makeover. I considered various fabrics from my stash.

But eventually settled for this

This is probably some of the oldest fabric in my stash. When I was 12, all the girls had a term of sewing lessons (the boys did woodwork or metalwork or something like that) and we all had to make ourselves a wrap-around skirt. This is the fabric my skirt was made from.

I ironed it.

Then I cut out a piece of kitchen paper to the size of the top of the shoe. I thought of using paper, but found the kitchen paper easier to fit around the shoe to get the shape.

Then I cut out two pieces of fabric allowing about 5 mm extra all round, put glue over the surface of the shoes, stuck the fabric on, smoothing it as much as possible (I had my foot in the shoe for this to keep the shape) and left them to dry.

Then I folded under the front and back edges and glued them down, and trimmed the side edges.

What do you think? I'm going out for lunch tomorrow, so may give them a test run walk then.

I'm toying with the idea of adding a bow ...

... or maybe a strip of ribbon ...

... but I've not decided yet.

Socks

A closer (slightly unfocused) look at the pattern

Spur of the moment

I think I must have seen some necklaces when I was wandering around the Internet yesterday. I can't recall where, but I guess that was what inspired me in the evening, when I suddenly thought that I could use one of these ...

... and one of these

... to make one of these

The little flowers have a spongy adhesive circle on the back, so I found the centre of the necklace, stuck it on, then cut circle out of some scrap fabric and stuck it over the back of it to make it look neat and, more importantly, stop it from sticking to the wearer.

Actually, I ended up making four of them.

They are so simple and took hardly any time at all to make - certainly far less time that it's taken to blog about them!

Making good use of things

I have this beautiful, large oval dish, which a friend of mine gave me when she was having a clear out. At first I used it, then gradually it got buried under piles of things in the kitchen and ended up with the vegetable basket on top of it, while it contained numerous bag twists, a bit of ginger root, a couple of pens, scraps of paper with ingredients on and some general grot.

So yesterday, I rescued it from under the vegetable basket, cleared out the other bits and gave it a wash - isn't it shameful that this was hidden under all that junk (no before photo)!?

Then I loaded it with our fresh fruit, which was lurking on the worktop (some of it still in bags) taking up valuable space.

Et voila! The bowl is in use without being completely hidden, and the fruit is somewhere visible and accessible so it is more likely to be eaten. In fact, the grapes, a banana and a couple of pears have already gone.

A couple of things I've made lately

This was a birthday present for my friend's daughter's 3rd birthday.

I have to say, when I finished it, I was kind of wishing it would fit me.

This one, however, does fit me

 (I need to find better ways to take photos.) I love that the yarn I used for this (Rowan pure revive) is made out of recycled fibres.I mean it's just virtuous to buy lots and knit with it - right?