Denim, a hen and lots of tulips

 

One more thing finally crossed off my 'still need to finish' list.  Yesterday I added the rest of the red ties to this lap sized quilt, and embroidered 'Val made this' on the reverse.  It's probably going to end up as a present for someone as I don't need yet more quilts strewn across my bed or sofa.  I did like working with the upcycled denim, and especially how you get a variation in shades of blue, often depending on how many times the original garment had been laundered.  Here's a glimpse of the backing fabric, with my purple clogs getting in the picture.  

I also plumped for a hen as the next bird I'd make from the Corinne Lapierre book, having dithered over what to choose.  I realised I'd got just enough of the fudge coloured felt to make the hen's body.  So I spent yesterday evening dutifully following the instructions.  Step 1 completed, step 2, step 3.  It was only when I reached step 9 that I realised my mistake.  

Step 9's where you sew the back of the body to the front and ... oh!  I made two front pieces, didn't I?  Sweary words were muttered.  Never mind, I'll simply have to make two birds instead of one.  Luckily I had only-just-enough felt to cut out one back piece, and this morning I finished assembling my first hen.  

The image in the book has a pair of wire legs covered in florist tape (which I don't have) but I might skip that and attach a ribbon hanging loop instead.  

As today's Thursday I'm off to slimming club this afternoon, which is a shame in a way as it's a really nice spring day.  Bright and breezy, so I ought to be schlepping down to the allotment to work on that.  Weirdly, for someone who usually has a conservatory overflowing with seed trays and spindly seedlings by the end of March, I'm not in the gardening mood yet.  Too many wet and cold days so far this year, but Easter is going to mark the start of the gardening year for me.  

My back garden's resplendent with tulips and daffodils, as well as plenty of hyacinths.  The small flower beds are stuffed with 'em.  

I've even got cowslips growing in the front garden, from a Sarah Raven wild flower seed mix I threw down a few years ago.  Love seeing those.  

Well, what else can I tell you?  Not much really.  I've signed up for another free stitching workshop at Leeds art gallery, I think that's next week.  I noticed a lino printing workshop they were running had been cancelled, and I wonder if that was because of the cost.  It'd jumped from a fiver for a previous workshop to fifteen pounds.  There's only so much money going spare in peoples pockets right now, and a craft class is more of an extra treat than a sheer necessity.  Especially if you have to factor in the cost of a bus journey or car parking on the day.  

Okay, I'll stop my blathering and leave you with a final image of the felt embroidered hen, lurking on the mantelpiece among the clutter.  Bye!

Birds and butterflies

 

No, you're not seeing double.  I made a second owl, following (with a few minor variations) the pattern from Corinne Lapierre's 'Folk Embroidered Felt Birds'  Then I had a go at a blue tit.  Unlike the owl where the embroidery's only on the front facing part, the blue tit's got embroidered wings on back and front.  

This design was a little trickier than the owl, though the actual piecing together of the bird is easy enough.  It's the details on the head that I wasn't so good at.  

Here's the image from the book of what my bird ought to look like.  The black lines on the head aren't made of black felt, but dense stitching with black thread.

I'm not entirely sure I got the placement of the eye right, and my black stitching's a mite clumsy.  But at least my blue tit's recognisable!

Note how my fly stitch is going in the opposite direction to that in the book's image.  I put that down to me being left handed, it's just easier to form the stitches in that way for me.  I'm deciding what bird to try sewing next.  I haven't all the colours of felt needed to sew a pheasant or a pigeon - they'll have to wait till I've made my next visit to Hobbycraft - but I've a square of white felt so maybe I'll try making a swan or a goose.   

There's another idea for a project I've got, but it's being put to one side until my embroidery skills are a lot better.  I picked up this handsome hardback book today, a 50p bargain from a charity shop.  Originally retailing for a penny short of twenty quid.  It's full of the most beautiful butterflies.  

Wouldn't they be great to recreate in a piece of textile art?  

That blue one's a beauty, as is the green butterfly underneath it.  

I'll have to watch closely 'Marion's World' videos on YouTube as she did a series on embroidering moths which, after all, are simply nocturnal butterflies and often just as pretty.               

That's all for now.  I'm going to read a few more chapters of 'The Rebel Daughter' and see how the Cromwell family are coping with Civil War England.   

The benefit of a light, bright early morning

Spring days start early.  The sun rises and the dawn chorus breaks into song, and I unearth myself from underneath the duvet.  My Sunday's been productive so far, and I'm typing this at about a quarter to eight in the morning.  Laundry's already washed and pegged out on the line, and I'm already washed and full of porridge.  I thought I'd begin with a round-up of what crafty things I've been up to.  First of all, this piece of slow stitching.  I'd a grand idea about making a frame for it, covering sturdy cardboard with papier mache and white paint, then gluing on sea shells.  Only I've had a change of heart.  I've got so many works-in-progress that I need to get things finished before they get totally out of hand.  So I added a backing fabric to this stitched piece, and used embroidery thread to blanket stitch around the edges. 

All it needs now is a couple of loops sewn on to hang it by.  Plus, maybe a few weighty beads added to the base so it doesn't flap around if there's a breeze wafting through the room where it's displayed.  I also started and finished yesterday evening a bird from Corinne Lapierre's 'Folk Embroidered Felt Birds' book.  It's the first I've made from the book, and is an easy one to begin with.  You need only small amounts of felt in four colours.  I didn't have exactly the shades described in the book, but I improvised.  

The templates for the birds are printed in the book, and you can either photocopy or trace them.  The instructions are simple to follow, and clearly explained.  I varied my owl a little, using dark brown felt circles for eyes instead of large french knots, and my embroidery on the wings isn't as detailed as Corinne's.  But I'm happy with how he's turned out.  

I've used a loop of narrow yellow ribbon to hang him from, and he's lightly padded with fabric scraps.  

I believe the collective noun for these beautiful birds are a parliament of owls, so I may need to make a few more members of parliament.  

The next photo covers two topics in one.  

I made a mini rice bag.  Here's its bottom!  I love this method of constructing bags, and it's lying on my smaller cutting mat.  It's the mat that's distorted, and which I mentioned the other day as I was intending to try and get it back into shape.  Well, I had a go and it's definitely better than it was.  Not entirely flat, but getting there.  I poured boiling water over the mat, then dried it and laid it on the kitchen counter top, adding a trio of heavy books on top.  The heat and weight helped, but I need to have a second go, maybe leaving the mat in hot water for longer, to make it even more pliable before I weigh it down.  Back to the mini rice bag.  

The outer sides and base were all well stitched into, which I liked but I didn't take that into account enough when I made the lining.  Because the extensive stitching meant the sides shrank a little, but I'd cut the lining the same size as the sides originally were.  So my lining was a tad too big, but it's fine, I'm not a perfectionist.  'Better done than perfect' as the motto goes.  

I might change the decorative string that acts as a fastening, but otherwise it's complete.

That's all from me for now.  Hope you enjoy the rest of your day, I'm off to make another felt bird.  Well, why not!  Bye.  






 
 

Any colour as long as it's blue

 

IN THE MORNING:  Greetings from my particular corner of Yorkshire.  The garden's beginning to come to life.  Daffodils are doing their gaudy thing, tulips are just about opening and there're masses of blue hyacinths and muscari (also known as grape hyacinths).  There're clumps of russet and gold coloured wallflowers and the bird feeders are in constant demand from various long tailed and blue tits, starlings and blackbirds, plus the occasional stunning goldfinch.  A jaunty little robin bobs underneath the feeders to catch the scraps that fall their way.  Because it's spring my thoughts turn to spring cleaning.  Then my thoughts turn away from dreary housework and back to sewing ...

I made this recently, intended as a journal wrap but turned out a wee bit too small for that purpose.  So I've been turning it into something to keep sewing odds & ends in.  

I've folded over one end and stitched in place, to form two pockets.  As you can see below, with reels of thread in one side and a tin of beads in the other.  (Empty lip balm tins come in very handy for storing beads, buttons, sequins.)

Then I patched on a square of felt covered in two different materials to make more pockets.  I still need to find a suitable length of ribbon or cord for the tie that'll act as a closure.  I don't know exactly what I want that ribbon or whatever to look like, but I'll know it when I see it.  If that makes any sense.  

I added an Etsy listing for a few scrap packs themed around the colour blue.  Most of the fabric included in the packs is cotton, though there is the occasional polycotton.  I've tried to pick a decent mix of patterns and shades.  It's all come from my fabric stash, so includes brand new material - like the novelty sheep print - as well as upcycled material, like some from a Jigsaw dress and a Monsoon skirt.  

I'm so plagued with self doubt about these kind of things.  One minute I'm thinking 'yeah, this is fine, it's a good selection'.  A minute later and I'm all dejected and convinced my choices are awful.  Well, no one can ever accuse me of over-confidence!  The way I see it, it's inexpensive to list items on Etsy, and if I'm lucky they'll sell, and if not - at least I gave it a go.  Anyway, here's the link if you want to see the listing.  

IN THE EVENING:  It's been an odd kind of day today.  I've been busy, but I don't feel like I've done much.  Do you ever have those days where you feel it's slipped away from you?  Maybe because I was getting small tasks done rather than any one particular achievement I could point to and get a sense of satisfaction from.  I'm also a little out of sorts because I've been eating too many sugary snacks and not enough sensible, well balanced meals.  Bad habits are easy to slip into, and snacking's a temptation I shouldn't give in to quite so much.  Right, tomorrow it's back to healthy eating.  Out goes the crisps and chocolate, in comes the Granny Smiths.  

Hope your week's going well, and you're eating your greens!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.  

What's on the list?

As I'm the Queen of Procrastination and I irritate myself by having so many unfinished crafty projects lurking in corners, I've written a 'To Do List' and am gradually working through it.  Two items crossed off - I finished the embroidery started at Saturday's workshop, and I've finished what I've been calling my boho style bunting.  I could've sewn a few more of the triangles, but this work-in-progress has been in-progress for far too long so I assembled it and added a couple of ribbon loops to hang it from.  

Each triangle's backed with yellow cotton.  

I suppose I could add a beaded tassel to each pointy bit.  What do you think?  Too much?  

Apart from that, I finished reading 'The Thief on the Winged Horse' which - after a very promising start - seemed to go off the boil about two thirds of the way through.  So I've picked a historic novel for my next read, 'The Rebel Daughter' by Miranda Malins.  It's set during the English Civil War, 1643 and concerns the daughter of Oliver Cromwell.  That's an interesting period of history I don't know much about, so fingers crossed the novel's well written.  

Okay, so what else can I tell you?  I'm going to attempt tomorrow to 'repair' my small cutting mat.  I mistakenly used it as a flat base on which to spread a towel and then iron something.  Not realising the iron's heat would make the cutting board buckle.  Doh!  Sweary words were muttered when I saw what I'd done.

You can see from this sideways view how badly distorted the surface is.  But apparently this can be fixed by using very hot water.  Submerge your mat in the water and let the heat smooth it out, and lay your cutting mat on a flat surface to dry.  I'm told it'll flatten out perfectly.  Will let you know if the trick works.     

The only other thing to mention is I was making up fabric packs this morning, choosing material themed around the colour blue.  They're destined for my Etsy shop.  The idea is they're for anyone who's getting into slow stitching but doesn't have a stash of fabric scraps to delve into.  I'll add a link tomorrow when I've got around to listing them.   

Anyhow, that's all for now.  Not the world's most interesting blog post, but I'm typing this on a short break between episodes of a gripping 'Storyville' on the BBC iplayer.  Episode one was about the Reverend Jim Jones and the People's Temple, the church he set up.  It showed him as charismatic, charming, manipulative, running a church that was initially a joyous and enlightened place, where churchgoers found a much needed sense of community and belonging.  However, episode two, which I'm about to dive into, shows the church's move to Guyana in South America where Jones becomes increasingly unhinged and drug addled, and eventually leads about 900 people to commit mass suicide.  The story's horrifying and fascinating in equal measure, and it's jaw dropping to realise it's truth not fiction.  

On that grim note I'll go ... bye! 

Surely it can't be Sunday already?

Don't the weeks roll by at speed?  It only seems like five minutes ago we were at the start of 2024, making New Year resolutions and eating the last of the Christmas sweet treats.  It's a grey rainy morning in Yorkshire and I slept particularly badly last night, so I'm intending to have a cat nap this afternoon.  But in the meantime, I'll do some half-hearted cleaning & tidying, and write a blog post.  Yesterday was an embroidery workshop based at Leeds Art Gallery.  I've decided that this year's the one where I learn basic embroidery skills, so I happily signed up for this two hour beginners class.  It was run by Hayley Mills-Styles, and attended mainly - as is always the way - by middle aged women.  Plus one solitary man.  Bless him!  We learnt how to 'hoop up', about different needle sizes, what fabric to embroider on to, and several beginner-friendly stitches.  I knew a few already (running stitch, chain and lazy daisies, back stitch, seed stitch and blanket stitch).  But I wasn't confident about French knots or stem stitch.  There really is nothing like someone sitting next to you and patiently explaining and demonstrating.  I can now do both! 

We sewed our own design on to unbleached calico, and even received a free hoop as part of the £10 class fee.  I'd already popped into Hobbycraft before the class and actually bought a same sized hoop, but never mind, it's always good to have a spare.  I also treated myself - slap on the wrist for me, shouldn't be frittering away money on yet more crafty supplies - to squares of felt and a couple of reels of beautifully shiny coloured wire in copper and emerald green.

The wire's to be used for when I make boho style beads, and also because I've make beaded stars every so often and the coloured wire will look nicer than the silver I've previously used.   Here are a couple of the beaded stars I made ages ago, and keep intending to make more.  

The felt squares I mentioned are for making a felt bird, from this book by Corinne Lapierre which I bought but haven't yet got stuck into.

Anyway, I meander ... back to the embroidery class.  I'm not the fastest stitcher, so I continued adding to my piece in the evening.  I did a whipped running stitch on the tulip shaped flower, and was wondering whether to use the Inktense paints to carefully add colour to the background.  I don't want the embroidery thread to take on the paint though, so I'm still wavering about that.  

One more thing to mention about yesterday's class.  Hayley recommended something that I think will prove really useful.  The needle manufacturers John James produce a free guide to the different types of sewing needles, their uses and sizes.  You can print the guide off and place any of your needles directly on it, to identify the size and type of it.  So if you've randomly come across a needle stuck in your pincushion that feels the perfect fit, you can identify it and know what to purchase next time you're buying needles.  The link's here if you want to save/print your own copy.  

SOME HOURS LATER .... it's late in the afternoon and I haven't managed a cat nap, but I did a little pottering about in the garden, clearing mossy paths and pulling up weeds.  I've also finished my embroidery.  It's sort of bonkers, but what the heck!  I had fun, and I've definitely caught the embroidery bug.  Let's see what other weird & wonderful-ish creations I can conjure up, using my newly learnt French knots and stem stitch.  Bye for now.  

Tsundoku and slow stitching

I learnt a new word today/  Tsundoku.  Apparently it's when you buy lots of books and pile 'em up with the intention that one day you'll get around to reading them.  Yup, I know that feeling.  I've books that've been patiently waiting their turn for ages, while others get consumed straightaway.  I'm currently reading and really enjoying a bit of magical realism.  'The Thief on the Winged Horse' by Kate Mascarenhas. 

Sometimes stories based around magical realism can be way too cutesy and 'ooh, look at me, aren't I quirky?!' but this author's judged the tone just right.  

I spent some of this morning packaging up sari/boho style fabric for my Etsy shop - link here - then felt  at a loose end.  I wanted to do something crafty, but couldn't settle and get stuck into any one particular thing.  I took a second look at this fabric postcard which I wasn't totally satisfied with, so I pulled the cardboard off the back and added some detail.  

I'm still not 100% happy with it, but it's better than it was.  I think I'll just send it to someone as a postcard and then I don't have to see it anymore!  Yesterday evening I also added more stitching to this slow stitched piece.  

Finally, here's the blue fabric postcard I completed yesterday, and the first I'm entirely happy with.  

The silk was beautiful to stitch into, and I wish I'd more of the batik.  If I was ever lucky enough to come into money - not that I ever play the Lottery or have rich relatives about to pop their clogs and leave me a massive inheritance - I wouldn't waste the cash on a flashy car or a top-of-the-range designer kitchen.  I'd buy fabric.  A whole roomful of it.  Silk and batik and Kaffe Fassett and Liberty Tana Lawn, Anna Maria Horner and all the other material I covet.  I'd hoard Chinese brocade and Indian block prints.  Oh, and wool.  Mohair, angora, Rowan kid silk, nubbly tweedy yarns, handspun yarn in sumptuous colours.  

Oh well, we can all dream, can't we?