More waffling on about stitchy stuff ...

Friday's here before you know it, and I'm starting to think about Christmassy stuff. Compiling lists of presents to buy, that sort of thing. I won't put the decorations up yet though, despite lots of homes and shops near me already being decked out in twinkly lights and baubles. The artificial tree will stay in its cupboard for another week at least. I'd love a real tree as they smell so good, but I can't be doing with hoovering up pine needles for most of January. On the crafty front I've been playing about with my Jessie Chorley style 'doodle cloth', and really enjoying seeing where my needle and thread takes me.

I've finished a couple of these Christmas tags, which are made of calico. I might try making more on a different coloured background as otherwise the names don't stand out enough. I was trying for a homespun vintage-y look, but maybe I should go for shiny and sequins instead?

Speaking of shiny ... I also made a little coin purse in a boho kind of style. It's lacking a closure, so that's why there's a dressmaking pin stuck in it. I'll burrow around and see if I can find a snap fastener or hook & eye to sew on.

It's a calico base, on to which I've stitched scraps of material and decorative braid. I've then embroidered and added a few seed beads.

It's lined with a printed cotton from an upcycled top. By the way, the black floral fabric you can see was from an Accessorize handbag. I wasn't using it as a bag, but it was too pretty to discard, so it ended up in my fabric stash. The flowers and leaves would've been machine embroidered, probably in a factory, but I've added my lines of simple running stitch.

This sort of purse is so easy to make, and you can enlarge the pattern to turn it into a clutch bag. I can see a version of it being made in dark blues and white with lines of sashiko stitching, for those who appreciate Japanese style boro textiles.

Well, I need to crack on with my online shopping, in order to allow Santa and his reindeer (a.k.a. the Amazon and Evri delivery drivers) the time to deliver my parcels before the festivities start. Happy stitching, or drawing or painting or wherever your creative urge takes you. Have fun!

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Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out....

In praise of wool

Just a quick post today. I'm offering you a short but peaceful break from the overwhelmingness (is that a word?) of Christmas. By now you've probably eaten your bodyweight in sweets//roast potatoes/pigs in blankets/cake/After Eights ... whatever your festive indulgences are. You're under-exericsed, over-stimulated, feeling broke and possibly guilty about an argument with a relative or friend you've never entirely got on with. So, here's something to take your mind off all that. I've two videos to refresh and revive, and they both concern wool. Interesting fact. Well, I found it interesting. About 1% - yup, one per cent - of the world's textiles are made of wool. Out of curiosity, I also googled how much is made of cotton. That's higher, but it's only about 24% and that's heading downward instead of up. Synthetic fibres are the bulk of all textile manufacture. Anyway, back to woolly wonders. My firs...

HOW TO MAKE: these decorative birds

I suggested yesterday that I'd run through how to make a fabric bird wall or window hanging (can't think of a snappier title for it than that!) so here goes. I'll start with the first decorative hanging I made. It's something you could make in any colour combination you want, and would look good hanging at a window with translucent beads that'd catch the light I used five birds for this, but you could make it longer if you prefer. (Incidentally, if you're wondering about what's hanging off the bottom on this, it's a metal Christmas decoration, shaped like a lantern. For some reason I thought it looked appropriate to leave it there, looped over the end.) WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER: Assorted scraps of fabric for the front of the birds - aim for a mix of colours and textures. Silk looks good, as does anything with embroidery or intricate patterns. You might aim for a hippy-ish boho look, or maybe you're ...

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