Will it ever rain again?

Another sunny day, and it's amazing the countryside's so green & lush when we've not had more than the merest sprinkle of raindrops for the best part of two months. I was hoping for a bumper crop of strawberries on my allotment, but the plants are desperately thirsty and I don't reckon I'll be scoffing bowlfuls of plump, juicy berries this year.

But at least the foxgloves are almost ready to flower, and they've self-seeded everywhere. It should be quite a show.

A couple of years ago, at least, I planted a packet of red clover seeds, and not a single one germinated. Then, low and behold, look what's popped up. The seeds must've been lying dormant until conditions suited them.

A patch of this also appeared. I know it's a plant classed as a 'green manure' as it's good for the soil, but can't recall it's actual name. However, it's a bee magnet. They absolutely love it, and we've all got to do our bit to help the pollinators, haven't we?

Back at home, I've been happily crafting. I used a piece of acrylic painted material from Wednesday's StitchArt class, embroidering and slow-stitching this fabric tag. I've added seed beads, tiny gold sequins and a few scraps of sari silk and ribbon too.

Today I put my needle and threads aside, and instead took up the scissors and glue stick. Look at this mess! I was having fun with making and decorating junk journals, using lots of the food packaging and plastic clothing labels I'd squirrelled away.

I made a whole stack of tags and journal cards, covering many in gell prints.

It's amazing how engrossed you can become in cutting and pasting and finding ingenious ways to add interest to a page.

One final photo before I go. I nipped into my local charity shop on Saturday, and for the princely sum of 50 pence picked up this handsome hardback. A book that's been on my 'must read' list for ages.

Not that I'll read it anytime soon. It can wait until the dark nights and frosts make their reappearance much later in the year. Blazing sunny days just aren't suitable for ghost stories, are they?

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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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