Share your current makes

summerspring

Oh, I'm loving the patchwork above ^^

gayleygoo wrote: »

Flumina, your soaps are beautiful! I'm currently loving looking at handmade soaps, as I'm slowly acquiring the bits and bobs to make my own. Got oils, safety goggles, buckets, lye etc, just need a hand blender now (I know you can do it with a spoon, but a value blender is £4 so it's not a big outlay). I'm hoping my soaps will come out well enough to be xmas pressies, I know quite a few people with sensitive skin so they might appreciate a natural soap.

Good luck with your soapmaking, I'm sure it'll turn out fine. I got a cheap blender from ASDA which I use just for making soap.

It's a bit scary the first time you do it, but there are instruction videos on the internet which show you what to look out for.

Are you using olive oil for your soaps?

Kevie192

Thought you might appreciate this guide I typed up for another thread on the forum

Thank you very much for your compliments on my coasters. I've typed up my method below, it's based on a Kirsty Allsopp TV programme where she made similar coasters

Handmade Coasters
by Kevie192

These coasters look so lovely and they are made from tiles and napkins! Here's how I made them...

Materials
White 4x4" tiles
Pretty napkins (I used Cath Kidston)
PVA glue
Strong craft glue
Sheets of felt or cork, for backing

Tools
Paintbrush
Surface to dry coasters on (I used another big tile)

Method
1. Open up your napkin and cut into 4 along the creases
2. Paint a layer of PVA onto the front and the side of the tile
3. Decide which part of your napkin you want to use as the 'image' on your tile, but remember to leave enough overhang to go over the edge of the tile and glue to the reverse. Apply this confidently to the tile, smoothing all over to minimise big wrinkles
4. Lay the tile on its front, then apply PVA to the back of the tile
5. Fold each side over, keeping the napkin taught but being very careful - wet napkins are fragile!!! One you've done one side, start to snip off some of the excess in the corners as you approach each of the other sides, to minimise bulk on the back of the tile. Be sure to apply more glue in the corners to make them stick.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 until you've done all of your coasters.
7. Apply a thin layer of PVA to the whole of the back of the tile. This is just to tidy up the back and adhere it to the tile completely. Leave to dry completely.
8. Apply 3 layers of PVA to the face and sides of the coasters, making sure you leave the coasters to dry completely between coats (overnight is ideal, but all day will be sufficient).
9. Using a strong craft glue, stick a square of felt or cork to the back then leave overnight to dry.
10. Enjoy your finished coasters!

NOTE: The napkins WILL get wrinkles in them. I don't mind that and I actually think it adds a lovely texture to the finished coasters. Learn to embrace those wrinkles

mrs-moneypenny

morning everyone
Nichelette your pachwork looks lovely
Kevie love your coasters, and thank you for posting the instructions

got asked to knit a snail by someone so found this little chap on ravelry


this is the latest baby jacket i did for a friend

Willowpop

The_Cre8tor wrote: »

Ohhh, Flumina, they're incredible! I like the flower soaps - they'd be brilliant as gifts and guest soaps, - .

Soap and bath bombs etc are expensive as gifts as legally you have to be assessed before you give/sell anything like this and it's not cheap!
http://www.cosmeticsafetyassessment.com/index.php?p=1_50

I emailed them to check and they advised me that legally I would need to do this even to give stuff away!

jap200

Willowpop wrote: »

Soap and bath bombs etc are expensive as gifts as legally you have to be assessed before you give/sell anything like this and it's not cheap!
http://www.cosmeticsafetyassessment.com/index.php?p=1_50

I emailed them to check and they advised me that legally I would need to do this even to give stuff away!

While I agree that this is necessary if you are selling them, giving them as gifts is another matter. It would be like saying that you can't give a jar of homemade jam or a cake as a gift without having a food safety certificate.

I think that homemade soap and bathbombs make lovely gifts to give and receive and yours look particularly lovely. I for one would not be looking for a safety assessment on such a lovely gift!

Willowpop

jap200 wrote: »

While I agree that this is necessary if you are selling them, giving them as gifts is another matter. It would be like saying that you can't give a jar of homemade jam or a cake as a gift without having a food safety certificate.

I think that homemade soap and bathbombs make lovely gifts to give and receive and yours look particularly lovely. I for one would not be looking for a safety assessment on such a lovely gift!

I would have agreed with you about not needing assessing if I was giving as a gift, until I asked directly at the place in the link in my previous post. They informed me that assessments were needed in the eyes of the law even if they were being given as a gift.
I also agree that soap and bathbombs make lovely gifts ( mine were not in the photo you saw as I haven't made any) but to do it legally you habe to have been assessed. Don't take my word for it, by all means, contact the people in the link.

jap200

Willowpop wrote: »

I would have agreed with you about not needing assessing if I was giving as a gift, until I asked directly at the place in the link in my previous post. They informed me that assessments were needed in the eyes of the law even if they were being given as a gift.
I also agree that soap and bathbombs make lovely gifts ( mine were not in the photo you saw as I haven't made any) but to do it legally you habe to have been assessed. Don't take my word for it, by all means, contact the people in the link.

I wasn't disputing what you were told, but rather saying that although that might well be the official line, I would personally 'take it with a pinch of salt'.

Willowpop

jap200 wrote: »

I wasn't disputing what you were told, but rather saying that although that might well be the official line, I would personally 'take it with a pinch of salt'.

And I agree with you again and it is up to the individual as to what they do...but I thought it should be mentioned as I'd seen posts about bathbombs with no mention of the legalities.

pateroo

Nichelette wrote: »

There are some lovely bits on here . I've been ill all weekend so I haven't been able to do any sewing, but these are a couple of patchwork blankets I've made recently. The Staw Wars one was for a friend of mine to give as a gift - I said his friends had better have a good sense of humour! To be fair it did turn out better than I'd expected though.

Gorgeous!!

mrs-moneypenny

latest bag that ive finished


i started it on holiday and finally got round to finishing today

editted
going through my stash of WIPs finding projects that need completing




knitted this needlecase last week and spent this afternoon putting it together. ive got a couple more to do in different colours