Shabby Chick

CRAFT REVIEW: Clothkits doll's kimono and hat

Reviewed by Jennie Hughes

The Clothkits doll’s outfit arrived the day after I ordered it on the internet – very speedy service! It was nicely packaged (in two colours of tissue paper and tied with a pretty ribbon) and was good quality cotton drill with generous amounts of thread and bias binding included.

The instructions are very basic, so you’d need to know a bit about sewing before you start. There was no mention of tacking things, just pin and go – even on the slightly tricky bit of attaching the brim to the crown of the hat. Also, there was no mention that you might want to check that patterns were alternating before you stitched the 4 quarters of the hat together. Okay, this was only a dolly’s hat, but if the instructions are similar in the child’s hat kit, it could prove a tad annoying.

CRAFT REVIEW: The Glass Connection Beading Kit

Reviewed by Jennie Hughes

There we were at the Scottish Bead Fair, looking at all the lovely gorgeous things, when we came across The Glass Connection’s stall where I was persuaded to have a go at something I’ve never dared to try before – beading using those scary teensy-tiny beads that you thread into spirals, flowers and other pretty patterned jewellery.

The ladies in this company teach beading, and having got some packs of materials ready for a class one day, they thought, 'Why don’t we market these as DIY kits?'