Woo-hoot! What a pair...

Aww... they really are quite quick to make... here's girly...

And what a pair they make! Don't forget the pattern is over in the PATTERNS section, let me know if you have any trouble with it so I can adjust it.x

Have fun!!

What a Hoot..y!

I spent yesterday at the Bluebird Indoor Market in Dover, and while we weren't selling we were chatting away... one lady, who makes gorgeous plush fabric doorstops was crocheting an owl from a magazine pattern and having a bit of trouble making sense of it... some just don't make sense! Anyway, it piqued my interest so this morning I decided to make my own... and try to write an easy pattern to go with... so here's the first one, wasn't too hard to plan and he looks great! The instructions are over in my PATTERNS section.

  

What do you think? Sweet or not? I'm going to do a girly version now which I'll probably get finished in the morning...

Why not gather some wool up, it doesn't take very much and you can use scraps for a funky version, pop over to the tute and have a go, promise you'll get hooked and want to do more! 

Who's for coffee?

For those of you that know me you will understand how irresistable it was to buy a certain selection of prints that featured coffee..  mmmmmm...... Kona....

and what did I decide to do with them? Well, patchwork of course! I thought that using my patchwork batik bag would be a suitable pattern for this collection. I do have two other designs, but they have more colours in them and didn't look right together, so they'll be a later project.

I spent a very happy weekend cutting squares, sewing them together... all in the same fashion as my tutorial...  quilting them to wadding and then hours of fraying the edges, I much prefer this look to a straight seam, much more character, but it does take some time!

By Monday I could get going on the actual bag... by Tuesday I could add the finishing touches, like cording, charm and matching keyfob. Oh, and this time I added quilted pads on the straps, as per my daughters suggestion.

Would you like to see how it turned out? 

I love how it turned out... and to feel it, thick and quilted, it's lovely, I'll be sad to sell it really, but to Etsy it will go. On to a gothy skull bag next, as soon as the prints arrive! 

A little pressy... for you!

Time has gotten by me again! Busy, busy, busy! Lots to be blogging about, but little time to blog- oh the irony. A sneak peek at what I'm making this week following shortly...

 In the meantime, a little present to all my friends, both old and new, 

type

LOVEMUM2013

in the checkout at my Etsy store for a 15% discount on all my OOAK items and gifts, until March 9th.

 ENJOY!!!

 

 

 PS- I've also started adding items to my shop page on Facebook, some very special pieces, many never to be repeated, a few at a very reduced price- pop over for a bargain designer item.

So, who got a pressie today?

You did?  Lucky you! A thoughtful partner-hubby who had time to go shopping... give him a super big hug later.

If, like me, you don't really "do" Valentine's day ( preferring a 365 day affair)  and your hubby works so hard he doesn't get time to search out a special treat for you, here's a little message...

Mixed media on canvas-  The Rough and the Smooth of it...

 In the wider universe we are all unique and we are all loved! 

  You too!

And if you haven't got a hubby, then Woohoo! Go girl and have a spa day, lunch in bed,  mani-ped, whitewater-rafting... or anything that you want to treat yourself with... well, why not?

Just as a little sub-note... isn't it typical, a woman came into the studio asking to buy this canvas before Valentine's day, and even though it was reduced because I created it several years ago and wanted to clear out a few old paintings, I went to the studio today to find it had been stolen! I knew it was gone several days ago, but assumed the chap who looks comes in mostly had seen her a second time and taken the payment for it. No! Doesn't it make you seeth!  It was 1/3 of the original price, and still someone had to sneak around to steal it while no-one was looking, appalling. I hope her hubby enjoys it!

Market and make its...

Where does the time go? I keep planning to do a new post, then get caught up making listings or liking some great shops on Facebook... That's not to say I spend all day on the laptop- nooo! I do get a little bit of work done too!

I'm halfway through a selection of items in my collaged textiles so I thought I'd show you my process... As I've mentioned before I make each piece on a 12 x 14" base, so once it's used up, that's it- totally unique and utterly limited. 

It takes a good few hours to cut and layer scraps of fabrics, plastics, punchinella, wool, or whatever feels right, and interweave it with embroidery and machining in different stitches and colours. Once it's finished the hardest thing is to decide what to use it for... if  I'm planning a backpack I need to take that first because it takes most of the piece, from there I choose items according to what I can squeeze out of it.. a needlecase, pincushion, and if there's any left, maybe a dongle cover or keyring...

I spent yesterday at the Dover Bluebird Market, and as usual I took along some pieces to work on, all cut, prepped and ribbons, buttons and pages chosen.

Here's what I  managed to get done...

 

So here they are,2 new needlecases, 7 keyrings and a pincushion...  2 more cases to go, sew in the pages and they'll be ready. Next I have to finish  a waistcoat... watch this space!

January and February B & CQ JP blocks

Woohoo!

Well they happened much quicker than I expected, but my eyes are telling me off! On Saturday I put my fabrics together for January and February blocks, then yesterday and today were spent adding the details.

I'll admit now, I was so keen to get going I've messed up my plan already! These beautiful tear-drop shapes were supposed to be orange/yellow, the red/orange were supposed to be the pointy top shapes... oh well, too late now- I'm not starting over, like last year! They kinda look like birds heads, which follows the flying theme, so I chose to add a couple of round mirrors to the stitching...

 Here's how they turned out... 

For the whole design and  more detailed pics pop over to the B & CQ JP 2013 section
I can't wait now to do the March block... I have one extra block- the body, so I could get on and do that early...

13 days to go...if you do Valentine's Day

  If you celebrate Valentine's Day, that is!  We don't at my house, but I still get caught up in the flow with everybody else's creative exploits in a red and hearty fashion...

  My very obliging friend Mary sent me some die cut hearts to show me what sizes were available for cutting grey board... and of course I had to do something hearty and romantic- not my strong point, so be gentle!

  Mary cut from corrugated board, so I thought I'd tissue and gesso it up to give it a bit of support and to add some texture. Using a technique that I've been playing with alot lately I added flowers, butterflies and sequins with gesso, and heated it to bubble it.

  Once it was suitably dried out I painted it up to give depth and shadow  and highlighted it with those gorgeous Golden irridescent acrylics- you can't see it in the pic, but when you twist the books they shimmer with 2 colours in places. 

  When my Cinch arrived I'd already bought a pair of wires but not used them, so I cut them down to use for these... not sure I've got the hang of the squashing yet... I was expecting grooves or something to show how to place the book/ wires so they folded correctly. I think I need to play more... or carry on with the coils that I have an abundance of.

  I spent this morning cutting pages and lightly inked the edges before punching  with my Big Bite. That's both new xmas toys being put to good use already, I'm sure they're going to get a serious workout over the year!

  So, thankyou Mary for your help, and the next lot winging their way to me... now I know which die to save up for.

Oh, and while I was distracted on another hearty woolly project I had theses sitting in latex so I can make some hanging plaques in plaster. It's all about developing... so you'll see them soon!