Just a quick one..

Hello all,

Just popping in to say that my Folksy shop is now open! And its here. 

Happy shopping 

xo

New Obsessions: 1 of 3

          I don’t know about any of you but I seem to find myself going through cycles of obsessions, where I’ll practice a particular technique over and over and in different ways until something new catches my eye. This time, however, I’ve been doing several new things at once and I guess you could put them all under the term ‘embellishments’. The first of the new obsessions, (although none of them are really new, just rediscovered) is printing; more specifically, lino cutting. My father taught me to lino cut many, many years ago, and until recently I hadn’t thought much more about it. That was until I considered printing my own fabric to get a more unique product.

         I started off with a basic lino cutting kit like this one, just a couple of handles with some interchangeable blades, (until my dad very kindly sent me a Japanese set, which are ridiculously sharp. I can tell you this from experience as I seem to have one cutting accident each time I do I new lino cut, unfortunate but luckily , not serious) and some soft cut lino. It’s important if you’re starting out lino cutting to use the soft cut lino, not just any old kitchen lino, because, as the name suggests, it’s softer and therefore easier to cut. You can buy this type of lino from most good art shops. From there, it’s just a matter of drawing your design, reversing it, and transferring it to your lino; which can be done easily with tracing paper, and then using your tools to cut away the excess lino so your design can be printed! It’s a delightfully simple technique with lovely results. If you want to know more about lino cutting and printing, this site is really good!

Here are a few of my designs:

New Years Resolutions..

I can't believe I've been off blogger for nearly 2 years.. That time has gone so quickly and has been filled with a great many things, both good and bad. I know bloggers have a tendency to apologise for unscheduled absence from the blogging world, but I'm not here to do that. I think everyone understands that sometimes life gets in the way of the things we feel we should be doing, at no fault of our own, and that's what happened here. I do have a resolution though, to blog more frequently. Back in October, I reduced my hours at my day job to give me more time to do things I am passionate about, like sewing. In the run up to Christmas, I had so much work to do that I didn't get a spare moment to think about my online shop or blog, and so, now that everything has calmed down a bit, I fully intend to show you more of what I get up to in my studio.

For the time being, please visit my Facebook page found here, and my Etsy shop, found here. if you get in there quickly, there are a few remaining bags and things which you can use the discount code 'CLEARANCE14' to get a MASSIVE 50% off everything there!

Until next time,

xo

Shruggles..

Aha! I knew I had something to tell you about...This completely slipped my mind until the lovely CharlieBear reminded me about it by posting on my facebook page the other day.

When at the last Makers Boutique fair (posted about previously) I was lucky enough to be sat next to CharlieBear (or at least her glamorous assistant) for the day and spent the best part of the afternoon wearing one of her gorgeous hoods with ears. When it came to the end of the day I couldn’t bear to take the ears off so I decided to buy them – these later got given to a friend as I found something better.. A shruggle! It’s a shrug with a hood and ears. A-mazing.

Now, I don’t know about you but I find that wearing ears has the effect of making you regress ever so slightly to a former more childish self.

This shruggle is so warm and cosy (and just a teeny bit silly) that it’s found a place in my regular wardrobe, and once I discovered I could wrap it round my neck to form a hooded snood, I’ve not really taken it off!

Here’s a photo of me looking very pleased with myself wearing the shruggle, an please go check out CharlieBear’s blog, her creations are just fantastic!

xo

Makers Boutique again...

ooof! I'm sure you're all sick to death of seeing pictures of my stalls at craft fairs but what with moving house and starting a new job I'm afraid they're the only photos I have to show you! I promise I'll post something a bit longer/more interesting once I'm settled and have some time to sew. That's what I've missed most about all this upheaval.. My poor sewing machine is sat neglected in the corner of my room and I know I'm not going to have a chance to get her out for a few more weeks until I've restored some order into my room! Never mind, it'll be all the more satisfying when I do.

Take care lovelies xo

Love it Local Spring Fair

Today was the eagerly anticipated Love it Local spring fair. I attended the Christmas fair back in November (it feels like so long ago now) and it was fantastic. It’s held in a little community centre in Hanover in the heart of the steep streets in the back of Brighton and has such a wonderful atmosphere that people tend to stick around for most of the day which is lovely. The weather today was beautiful and we were expecting a high footfall, however, the sunshine worked against us in this way, as it seems most people went to the beach. None of the stallholders did particularly well but as everyone was so nice, it’s almost impossible to be disappointed! Anyway, here are some photos of my stall.

Until next time, xo

Blossom by Amy Butler

Right now I’m just in the middle of cooking a yummy roast dinner for my housemates and me, but whilst everything is in the oven and I have just a few minutes to myself, I wanted to show you something I made recently.

I love love love this pattern. It’s called ‘Blossom’ and was designed by the very talented Amy Butler and has been sitting in my pattern box for more months than I care to admit, merely because I thought it looked too complicated to make myself. Now, some of you may remember my warning in this post about not scaring yourself with pattern instructions because everything becomes clear when you are actually making it. Clearly, I do not take my own advice! Once I had cut out the pieces and taken a few deep breaths I realised that Miss Butler really has a fantastic way of explaining the necessary steps and techniques so that once you’re making, the pattern isn’t too complicated at all. The first one of these that I made was a birthday present for a close friend of mine (and she loves it!) that I made with just cotton batting to help hold the shape and it turned out as quite a soft bag. For the second one I made (pictured) I used a heavy weight interfacing instead, and although it was a complete pain in the arse to turn the right way out/manoeuvre through my sewing machine, you can clearly see that it is sturdy and holds its beautiful shape really very well. I love this bag and made a second for myself, as I couldn’t bear to sell the only one on Etsy and not have another! The outer fabric is a heavy curtain/upholstery fabric with a cute strawberry print cotton lining.

Anyway, dinner is nearly ready so I’ll leave you with some photos!

Until next time xo