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

A Pink Collection

Oh my goodness.. I hadn't realised just how long it has been since I last blogged! Things have been super hectic here with starting a new job and trying to find a new flat too.

Anyway, just a few days ago I discovered a wonderful fabric shop right on my doorstep. It sells mainly upholstery and home-dec weight fabrics, which in my opinion are perfect for bag making. And to my absolute delight I found they have bolts of Cath Kidston prints for just £10 per metre! I literally could not believe my eyes! Of course I snapped some up as soon as I saw it. The print I chose had a cream background with dusky pink spots. I also found some other pretties including some cream colour fabric with little cherubs on it and some sort of imitation silk. It looks like silk, it feels like silk but at £10 per metre it is definitely not silk! So combining these with some pink polka dot cotton and liberty print cotton cord I made a collection of four pink bags soon to be on Etsy so watch this space!

Oversized polka dot clutch with cherub lining

Inside of the oversized clutch

Imitation silk clutch bag

Cherub lining again :)

Liberty print cotton cord clutch

Little polka dot clutch

Makers Boutique - Valentines edition

Today was the first Makers Boutique fair of the New Year. I love Makers Boutique for many reasons – the location, which ensures plenty of footfall, the organisers who are so helpful and friendly and of course, the other regulars who are all delightful to be around. I usually do quite well at these events and today was no exception, I was especially pleased that I managed to get rid of the rest of my mug cosies too. I sold so many in the run up to Christmas and only had a few left, that I wanted to sell the remaining ones as they just seem like a winter item to me, and I know that the weather in March won’t really be cold enough to merit buying a knitted mug cosy! I had a lovely time chatting to a lady named Sarah who I hadn’t met before (and who had THE MOST adorable little felt otters) though unfortunately I didn’t remember to pick up her card so hopefully she will be at the next event!

I also had a fantastic beetroot and chocolate brownie made by Purple Sprouting Broccoli – I know, chocolate and beetroot? It was so delicious. The beetroot in it isn’t a strong flavour but it has an earthiness that wonderfully compliments the chocolate element. I just wish I had bought a couple more to bring home with me! The company that make them always come to MB and always have the most deliciously different flavour combinations. Today, besides the brownies, there was red pepper red velvet cake and a chocolate and aubergine torte alongside a selection of savoury options which I didn’t really get a chance to look at – alright, I admit it, I went straight for the desserts!

Anyway, having stood at my stall freezing all day (I didn’t wear enough layers – as usual) I am off for a well-deserved bath!

xo

P.s. you can follow this link to the Makers Boutique site if you want to know more!

My lovely mug cosies on the right which have now all gone!

Lovely Valentines bunting

More Hello Kitty and a Talented Mama

Hello all,

I just wanted to share with you how very talented my lovely mama is – she made me this Hello Kitty inspired hat for Christmas.

I totally love it and have been wearing it quite a bit these last few days as the temperature here in (still) sunny Brighton has dropped considerably! However I do feel a little odd about wearing it sometimes as my youngest cousin – who will be 6 next month – received an identical but smaller version, also for Christmas... I guess it shows I’m still young at heart!

Anyway, the talented mama doesn’t just knit, oh no, she sews, paints, draws, makes the best chocolate birthday cake ever and works with clay, though the latter is her preferred activity and source of income. Her work can be found all around Cornwall (where she lives) and one day, hopefully, I’ll be able to persuade her that having an online shop is not too technological for her to do! I’ll leave you with some pictures of her work, some of my favourite pieces, and should you want to buy or commission a piece, please contact me (amy_woodward (at) hotmail (dot) co (dot) uk) and I’ll put you in contact with her.

Enjoy xo

Little boat

3 chickens

Clown dogs

Circus dog

Hare on a hill

Love birds

Woman in a boat

I Love IKEA

On a recent trip to IKEA I found a book, which has inspired me creatively more than pretty much any other book I have owned. The photography is stunning and the staging of the actual photos is just so beautiful it makes me wish I could get into the pictures themselves and become part of the scenery. I never thought I would get so mushy about a book, but here it is, just a quick flick through the pages makes me feel calm and inspired and full of ideas.

Another recent IKEA discovery is their fabric. So cheap and so pretty and oddly, I just love that you get to cut it yourself!

So off I go to my land of fabric induced dreams... (here’s the link to the book, though you can’t actually buy it online)

xo

P.s. Please note that this is NOT a sponsored post

The first of many..

Yes, that’s right, today was the first craft fair of the year – Art Junky at the Phoenix Brighton. Until a couple of days ago, I knew nothing abut the Phoenix or where it was and when I saw I was a little worried as it seems a bit out of the way. But as it turns out I had nothing to worry about, as the overall footfall was high. Unfortunately, it seemed to be mainly people browsing and not many people splashing the cash (not good news for us crafters). That said I did make a little bit of money and I met some lovely new people (which is always a bonus!). The Phoenix is a massive venue and there were over 50 stalls and a café there today, so plenty of variety and so many beautiful things that I had to stop myself from wondering off and spending all the money I had earned! I did cave in towards the end though, and bought 2 metres of 2 different hand painted ribbons, which are just stunning and an absolute steal at £2.00 each!

I had lots of new things with me today – most of which aren’t even on Etsy yet – including a patch work tote bag, packs of printed gift tags, heart bunting, cafetière covers and a mini quilt.

Other new things in the works include a commission that I’m not allowed to share just yet and a wall hanging for my boyfriend’s sister’s wedding – I’ll share pictures once I’ve got more than just scruffy sketches! But for now, I’ll leave you with the photos of my stall today.

xo

My lovely stall

cafetiere covers and my 'brighton' fabric cushions - which sold!

Bunting and the mini quilt - you can't see it too well but the quilt has applique clouds ad rain drops

SALE SALE SALE!!!

Get 20% off in my Etsy shop! Just use code 'jansale'

xo