Why Hello Long Time No Post

Good morning everyone.  No particular reason for not posting I suppose I lost a little of my blogging mojo and the longer you leave it the more difficult it is.  Anyhow here I am all fine and dandy and hoping you are too.  I have been busy being a 'craft sod' as my husband says and have been busy sewing and stitching  I have also been working both in my role as Nursery Nurse on a supply basis which I love and also at the Studio with Louise.  All good stuff.  The girl's are all plodding along with uni and school and K is training for the Sheffield half marathon and a trip to Wembly to see The Blades in yet another play off final.  Hope they win as if they don't he says he is not ever ever spending another penny on footie at The Lane.  Oh dear that means no money for me on crafty stuff as I equate - in my head - football money K spends = knitting wool, fabric etc.  Shame he hasn't been very much this season.  Any way look what I bought yesterday.  I popped to Elsecarr Heritage Centre as I was working nearby.  I got the magazine from a unit within the Antique Centre and the fabric and brooch from Heritage Re-loved.  The lady who runs it is lovely and we had a great chat about all things vintage, where to look for 'stuff' and our general love of making and re-using old fabrics, blankets, buttons etc. 

Fabulous graphics and the wool brooch albeit a little moth eaten - still beautiful

It has a wire edge and I think it has a woven base with embroidery over the top.

The finely worked one on the right and my clumpy effort on the left.  I still like it though and will have a bash at some more maybe using finer wool.

I used the wools from this box - a recent find at a car boot - you will be shocked at how much it cost.  At first I thought it was an empty box £1 - complete with wool.  Wowzer.

lots and lots

the box is fabulous a little water damaged because it was raining at the car boot. 

Rosy posy fabric from Heritage Re-loved.

Just to keep it real this is just a little of my fabric stash laying around in the living room.

and lastly this made Nellie and me laugh out loud.  I know we have a 'funny' sense of humour.  Its the same brand as my box of wool.  The ads in the magazine are brilliant.

Just for Miss Janey who should be reading this whilst in her office - I read Farmer Duck about 7 times yesterday and each time I thought of you. 

If anyone is interested pop over to my new Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Once-Was-/136260773164209?ref=tn_tnmn I will probably post on here a little more often and you can have a look at my recent makes which is the reason behind my untidy piles of stuff.

Oh I enjoyed typing this - note to self - post more often.

Name Badge

I am working with Louise tomorrow.  It is Open Studio day at Welbeck and I am being a helpful assistant.  I thought I would make myself a name badge so I can remind myself who I am.  Here it is.  It is all hand stitched and I have enjoyed making it amongst the chaos of my home.  Boy oh boy do I need to get stuck into cleaning sorting mode I just can't.  Anyhow here it is - Miss Debs is Louise's pet name for me and it makes me laugh.

Louise's studio hopeandelvis.com is open from 10 am to 4 pm.  There are free activities on offer for both children and adults so if you fancy a day out where you browse around and have a sit, stitch and a natter then come along.  I will be the one wearing the above.  Lol.

Ten Things

Time is flying by so quickly.  This is just a quick post nothing swish just ten things I have done this week.

1.  Been to the studio to help Louise make samples for upcoming workshops.
2.  Picked up my nephew from school and made him tea.
3.  Spent time with Betty and Nellie as they were not at school/uni.
4.  Added finishing touches to Belle's newly decorated room.  Nearly there now it's taken ages.
5.  Washed, dried and put away too many pots - need bigger kitchen and dishwasher - please.
6.  Chatted a little with Mum.
7.  Had a few bad nights with a rubbish tickly cough.  Boo.
8.  Been to Car Boot - it was a good one. 
9.  Made 5 bags, some pincushions and cushions.
10.  Made a big awful mess whilst doing no 9.  It was soooo worth it.

This is just a little bit of the mess.  Do i clean or go to car boot.  Erm car boot.  There's treasure there.

TTFN

Julie's Shoes

Those super duper red clogs belonged to no other than Miss Julie Arkell.  Julie was teaching at hopeandelvis.com and on Saturday I attended in the guise of Louise's helper.  Tee Hee.  As usual it was lovely to see Julie again who brought with her beautiful artwork.  Some of which I had seen befoe but some new.  All beautiful. 

This was Julie's own collection which were beautifully displayed on a vintage French baby blouse still in its original box.

Make a Scene.

Flippy floppy flowers with dingly dangly stalks.

Suffolk puff bracelents and tic toc watches

Julie uses the most interesting trinkets in her work.

Buzz

I love toadstools.

Make a Scene - my Mum used to say this to be when I was little.  As in 'do no't have a trantrum/strop.

Old hat boxes of beautiful stuff and yes you can use anything you like on one of Louise's workshops - no limits - really.  Once described as a craft buffet where you can help yourself to a little of everything.

More goodies all beautifully displayed.  See the Queens Silver Jubilee Tin I sourced that for Louise on one of my shopping trips along with a china Corgi.  Louise just loves the Queen. 

Oh I Spy a roundie that I made - I also made the Cathedral Window cushion which although quite small took me a loooooong time.  It was worth it though and a great learning curve.  I made it wth the instructions from the CK Patch book and did find a few flaws in the instructions. 

Fabric daisy chain which actually links together just like the real thing.  To wear in your hair or around your neck.  It must have taken Julie hours.  Lots of hand stitched button holes.

Oh look inbetween making tea/coffee, cleaning the iron, chatting, washing drying the pots I managed to sneek in a little making.

This brooch was inspired by the old watch face I found.  I was going to stitch a cat but when I started sewing the eyes I thought they looked like eyebrows and then this little man appeared.  He made me laugh.  I would have liked to have stitched 'watch it kid' as this is what Dad used to say to us if we were about to get in  trouble but that would have taken too long so I stitched Hi underneath the watch.

Daisy Moon did lots of super stitching.  She made a scene.  She bought the creature fron Julie which says 'leaving Wales' on her pinny and Daisy stitched the rest.  Really lovely. 

All in all a super day at work. 

Whose Shoes?

Any ideas?

Shiny, red and very clippy clopppy. 

Go on have a guess.

Just for fun.

I wonder if anyone will get it right?

Hoot!

Hoot - I have finally finished my owl jumper.  Just in time for my holiday to Cornwall.  This is actually my second owl as the first one was huge.  All entirely my fault as I didn't do a gauge swatch or any of that malarkey so I Percy Vera'd (persevered) ripped it back and started again.  Second time round took longer but I am really pleased with the finished result.  It fits and I like it.  Success.  I have struggled to get good photos but here they are.

A parliment of owls

Hoot

I might add button eyes but only to one owl not all of them

Poor photos sorry the light is just fading and grey on beige is rather bland

One last Hoot Hoot

Details

Owls - by Kate Davies

Wool - Katia Alaska from Heaths Country Store, Ollerton

I am really please with the result and SHOULD have learned my lesson to always do a tension square.

A baby hoot - how cute!

Whilst I knitted my jumper Nellie knitted this for Betty's friends baby Isla.  Isn't it cute.  I am not sure what the pattern was called but I do know it was a free one from Ravelry which Nellie modified a little.

Off to pack now going away to Cornwall - yipee - nearly all clothes slung into IKEA bags just got one more sleep then we are off.  I will be wearing my owls jumper so say hi if you are in the St Ives area next week. 

Round and Round

Yesterday I nipped across to see Louise at the Studio.  I haven't been far the last few days as I have had a stinky cold.  Actually we all have.  K started the day he broke up from school in typical teacher style.  Well all term - feeling yukky for half term hols.  Never mind we are all on the mend and looking forward to going to Cornwall at the weekend.  We are all going including Betty's BF Antanon and Dyl the dog.  Yeah we can't wait.  Anyhow I have digressed I nipped to see Louise for a natter, a cuppa and a spot of sewing.  We decided that I would have a bash at the Roundie cushion from the Liberty Sewing Book.  Because Lou likes me (haha) she let me look in her precious stash of fabrics from THE BACK ROOM.  This is Louise's inner sanctum where she keeps all her treasures and her own works of art.  I/We chose some vintage eiderdown fabrics and a splash of vintage Sanderson fabric.  I followed the instructions in the book very carefully.  I am rubbish at following precise instructions and tend to rush in but not this time.  I read carefully and measured carefully.  The cover was too big and too full.  I took out a couple of sections from the cushion and reduced the length of the strips by 10cm.  Now I do know that I am not alone in this because the lovely Mandy had previously made the roundie and found it worked up too big for the size of cushion pad recommended. Boo Mr Liberty check out your patterns please.  This wasn't the first pattern I have made up recently to find a few anomalies I made the Cathedral Window Cushion from the CK book and found a few flaws although when it was finished it was really petty albeit mega time consuming.  .Anyhow I was delighted with the finished roundie and was positively giddy when it was all stuffed and primped and preened and buttoned.  Want to see.  Ok.

swoon

so pretty.  vintage eidy, sandersons and vyella

what a little cutie a roundie pin cushion

Ah roundie love.

Louise and I proclaimed it to be a success.  Lou made the baby one to match. 

So if you are going to have a go at the roundie and want to use the cushion pad recommended I would make the strips 45 cm long and not 55 cm.  I also took out some of the width from the fabric as it seemed too full and didn't show off the fabric so well but I suppose this is personal preference. Have a go though its great fun and I can honestly say it did take a little while to get it just right and I didn't think I was going to like it much but I did I was positively giddy. By the way I made my own inner.  Two circles of lining fabric with a gusset to give the cushion depth (which I think is essential) quickly whizzed together and stuffed with light poly filling.  I find a cheap way to buy stuffing is to buy the cheapest bed pillows from Ikea.  Its light and fluffy and cheap as chips - about £1.75.

If you would like to have a go at making whether you are a proficient maker or someone who has never used a machine before do pop along to the Studio and have a go - I promise you will love it.  Louise is a very friendly talented lady who has everything you could ask for at hand and guess what, more often than not, I am there too and I make a mean cup of tea! I'm not bad on the old sewing machine either.

Hope to see you soon!

Oh and if there happens to be anyone out there that would like me to test their patterns then let me know - I love a challenge!