Sewing is for girls

The further adventures of Big Ted

2012-01-24T15:35:00.003Z

Remember Big Ted? He's over two years old now and is getting a bit mischievous. Earlier this afternoon I went to my desk to study and found him snoring noisily on my journalism folder:

I nudged his leg slightly but he must have been in deep REM sleep and wasn't to be woken up.

Eventually I had to bang around the room a bit and do some printing. My printer is sooo noisy so he woke up pretty pronto when he heard it. Here he is still sitting on my folder.

Naughty Big Ted!

Sweet Cottage Cross Stitch

2012-01-11T17:18:00.004Z

OK. So you may not get this.

I tried to do my own version of alternative cross stitch. You can view a page of it on Pinterest.

When I began stitching this a couple of months ago now I had no idea where I was going with it. I made no chart, I just copied the little cottage pattern and did my own thing with it.

So that's it really. No practical use. Just several hours of stitching in front of the telly. Sometimes that's all you want. Right?

Things to do this weekend

2012-01-06T15:34:00.008Z

Photo source

The first week in January can be the worst for motivation. Two weeks of chocolate, TV and family chats are good at the time and a break from the normality of your routine, but if you're anything like me I couldn't wait to get going again.

I have fallen into a rough routine in my 9-5 weekdays and I get more done when I try really hard to switch off and do something completely different at the weekend. Avoiding my bedroom where I study, write, and create during the day helps me do this.

I find spending time in the kitchen helps me to stop thinking about articles, what to make next for my shop or what the latest rejection letter means.

This weekend to rejuvenate after a four-day stint back at 'work' after Christmas I will mostly be:

Seeing if I can find citric acid and heart shaped moulds to make the bath bombs featured above!

Photo source

Making bread! This looks utterly delicious and I haven't made any bread for ages. I love the process of kneading the dough. It's a repetitive action which I find satisfying!

Photo source

Watching new Danish drama Borgen. It's from the same producers as 'The Killing' which I enjoyed when it was repeated on BBC4 and I began to watch back through series one on iPlayer. It was compelling and I found the political side fitted well with the criminal plotlines. I hope Borgen is as good. I'm sure it will be as it has good reviews. It's on BBC4 at 9pm tomorrow if you're in the UK.

Catching up on podcasts such as 'Electric Sheep' as my iTunes has broken again after installing an update! This is the third time this has happened and when it works again, if it ever does, I won't be installing any more updates ever again!

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Eat Vegan this Christmas!

2011-12-20T14:31:00.006Z

I've put together some yummy recipes which are freely available on the web. I have tried the mince pies and the Chestnut Paté en Crôute and they are both lovely. I'll be trying the boozy ice cream soon...

Vegan Mince Pies

If you would like to make your own mincemeat this makes enough for four mince pies:

50g (2oz) Mixed Dried Fruit
100g (4oz) Dessert Apples, peeled and chopped (coxes are ideal)
Quarter of a teaspoon each of Ground ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves
2 teaspoons of brandy

Cook the apple in a very little water until soft. Remove from heat and stir in dried fruit, spices and brandy. Leave to cool. (Recipe from Solihull Animal Aid).

I'll be having this on Christmas Day! We tried it and it blew me away it was so delicious! I love Chestnuts!

Chestnut Paté en Crôute

Big Boozy Yule Cake

Boozy Vegan Ice Cream More booze! Red wine and brandy this time.

If you see something you like and the temperature is for a gas oven and you have electric click here to convert.

Meditate your way to Christmas calm

2011-12-19T16:57:00.006Z

During the festive season or holidays we all need to take time out to relax. We should do this anyway as relaxation is what Christmas is about, but many of us will spend the time running after our families, wrapping presents, shopping and cooking. It’s sometimes hard to remember to keep calm when it’s Christmas Eve and you haven’t managed to find time to shop for presents or buy the Turkey.

While all this is going on and you’re switching off from work it’s the best time to try to meditate. The best time to meditate is officially when you are fully dressed and able to sit on a chair with no distractions, but I don’t think this suits everyone. Trying to switch off during the day actually meant relaxation didn’t come to me easily and I became frustrated as a result.

Then I tried it last thing at night before I went to sleep. It was also difficult at first but I listened to a man guide me through the Alexander Technique of tensing all your muscles one by one and letting go. I focussed on an image of a wall of colourful wool in bookshelves. I noticed how I felt after taking deep breaths. I felt amazing.

To be honest I didn’t expect it to work so I tried this a few times and then forgot about it. I thought I would just remember to breathe deeply whenever I was stressed. Which was wrong of course.

Then I was lucky to meet someone who gave me her meditation CD. It was brilliant and I found it worked fantastically well on me. It took me a few attempts to get over the feeling that I was doing something weird, then I was away. I remember the first time I felt a heightened sense of calmness. I felt high but without the sense I was out of control of my body, and of course I hadn’t used any substances.

If you are new to meditation I would suggest trying The Meditation Podcast. The voices in it are incredibly soothing and lull you into relaxation mode just before you begin the meditation. There is a wide choice of podcasts but I found the ‘positive thoughts’ one to be most beneficial to me. When I first listened to it two years ago I found myself imagining myself walking with a book under my arm in a wonderful tree-lined park. I wondered whether I desired reading or to write a book. In any case I resolved to write more and read which led me to a writing residential where I made my decision to become a journalist indirectly.

Self-actualisation is a very powerful process. When you listen to this podcast you will imagine yourself as you want to be. In the following years you will find yourself subconsciously taking little steps along the pathway to get to where you want to be.

Powerful and relaxing at the same time. So choose a time in the day which suits you (take your iPod in the bath if you have to) and practice meditating. It’ll come after a while and you’ll feel amazing when it does.

Book Review: Make me I'm yours...Christmas

2011-12-16T12:52:00.003Z

It's a week before Christmas. You're shopping for presents after maybe making for your shop/s, fulfilling Christmas orders with one hand while talking to your Aunt Maude on the phone with the other. It's probably manic. I know this. But.

This book is so cute and amazing I just had to tell you about it. If you popped into a shop you could buy it full price if you are too late to order from Amazon or look for it in your local library. There is plenty of time to just squeeze in some making for yourself or for personal presents. You could make snowflakes out of white tissue paper to stick on tealight holders for example. Your children could even do this.

There is a nice mixture of last minute small baking projects such as cupcakes and biscuits which are beautifully decorated and would be lovely to make on Christmas eve. There are a couple of cards in there which are very simple and look great. It's a small book but the quality of the projects more than make up for this.

On the long term project side there is a quite simply stunning white stocking covered in gold beads which would work well as an adult stocking to put at the end of your bed! There is also a felt version for the kids.

The instructions at the end of the book are very concise but simple and easy-to-follow. I love the style of this book. It was a real gem waiting for me in the library and thought I would share with you.

You can buy it here from Amazon. But hurry!

Lavender Hearts

2011-12-13T13:01:00.007Z

It's been a few weeks since I blogged here. There has been a lot going on. Studying journalism at home means there is always something challenging on my 'to do' list so I've made sure I've made time to relax and sew:

I started these lavender hearts on my birthday at the start of October then November happened with flu and a cold and plenty of minor illnesses getting in my way! December is feeling like a much more positive month and despite RSI in my right shoulder from tweeting too much on my blackberry I've managed to knit too! It's a good job I'm ambidextrous! (You will need to alter the knife and fork round if you ever lay the table for me!) This is the man hot water bottle cover version of my pink one here.

(All my photos are smaller than usual in an attempt to disguise the rain induced darkness!)

I will post before New Year I'm sure but I will closing my shops in about a week or so and won't open them again until Tuesday 3rd January 2012.

I've had a wonderful year craft-wise. I've finally sold quite well this year although of course I want to up the stakes next year and identify the handmade side of my shop which has sold and make more of it.

This is the year I made the first steps along the road to becoming a journalist. It's been scary at times and I'm sure the road ahead will bend sharply sometimes but I have no regrets after investing what felt like a lot of money in a journalism diploma. It's always a risk when you are struggling financially to do that.

It's been a year of conflicting demands at home and disappointments. Happiness and hard work. Recognition and sometimes ignorance of how hard I'm working. The downside of working at home is, of course, that when you're offline no-one knows just how hard you are working. But I hope you recognise that work and enjoy my blog/s and shops!

There will be more blog posts on here over the festive period. But for now Peace and love. Enjoy your christmas!

Book Review: Crafting with Cat Hair

2011-11-25T12:38:00.006Z

OK. So I admit I had a few preconceptions about this book when I was asked to review it by Quirk Books. I am not a cat owner so my view is somewhat skewed here as I can't try out any of the projects nor does any of the cat care advice appeal to me personally. So I have had to try and imagine I'm a cat owner. Lets call my imaginary cat Rhubarb.

If I did have a cat called Rhubarb I would be thrilled by this book. As a vegan I quarrelled with myself for a few months on whether I would continue to use wool and felt. In the end I decided I would. But for those vegans who have an issue with using wool due to the sheep taking part in the same industry as that which produces meat I wonder if this would provide a good alternative? Taking fur from your cat after brushing doesn't hurt it in anyway. I would be interested to hear from any vegans on this.

The amount of projects are amazing. I had no idea cat fur would felt in the same way as wool roving. The projects are really well thought out and easy-to-follow.

These mittens are so cute!

There are no patterns as such, just the pattern for the cat motif which you trace and felt with.

To top it all off you get a whole section which contains advice for cat care (which of course will come in useful when grooming Rhubarb!) and lots of lovely pictures of cats...What more could you want?

Crafting with Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya is available on Amazon UK here or Amazon US here

I was sent this book to review by Quirk Books.

Christmas Postal Dates

2011-11-25T12:05:00.008Z

Christmas is almost upon us and the month countdown has begun!

Cross Stitch decorations available in my shop

For those of you who are international readers/buyers who may be buying online for the first time or for those of you who have forgotten how soon the postal deadlines are here is a reminder:

Mon 5th December (In just 10 days!)

South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand

Fri 9th December (Just two weeks left)

Eastern Europe, USA and Canada

Mon 12th December

Western Europe (France, Germany)

Sat 17th December

UK Second Class and Recorded Signed For™

Tue 20th December

UK First Class and Recorded Signed For™

So if you live in Australia, France, Germany or the US get shopping if you want something from the UK!

A finished Refuge Blanket!

2011-11-20T12:09:00.007Z

Hooray! I finally have a blanket to send to Refuge! What a great feeling!

Refuge and domestic violence charities are the subject of severe cuts to their work which will have a huge impact on an already slim service. Needless to say without putting too much of my personal life up on the blogosphere the charity is very close to my heart and it was a nice feeling when I felt very motivated to crochet the blanket.

I know there are a lot of knitters and crocheters out there who probably knit blankets all the time for charity and wouldn't dream of writing a whole blog post about it but as this is the first time I've made anything for charity or indeed knitted or crocheted a blanket I thought I would mark the occasion!

If you have never done it before I would highly recommend it. What a lovely warm feeling to know a child will be comforted by the bright colours of my blanket while staying in a refuge with their mother.

Finishing the Refuge blanket

2011-11-16T14:06:00.003Z

Yes! I've finished the 30th square for the Refuge Comfort Blanket. It's a good job I didn't attempt an adult blanket as I am still quite a slow crocheter!

I've steam pressed the squares and tied all the threads in. I started to crochet all the squares together with single crochet yesterday afternoon and was amazed at how easy it was. It's so much easier than knitting a blanket and then sewing it all together. I'm satisfied at the way the squares look when together as it was supposed to be a completely random patchwork of bright colours and bits and bobs which I had left over in my stash.

It's been living inside my Ravelry knitting bag but will soon be sent off to Refuge which is just as well as the deadline for receipt of them is in around two weeks' time! Phew!

A frothy coffee with crochet

2011-11-05T13:56:00.004Z

I've had a bit of an unfortunate fortnight. There was a shock two mondays ago, also last sunday, I caught very bad flu on sunday too and there has now sadly been a severe motorway crash next to the town where I live. It's shocked me and my thoughts are with the families and friends of those lost and injured.

I made myself these vegan scones this morning as an elevensy treat with a cup of decaf coffee which I whisked to make it frothy. It cheered me up on a drab day!

I've been so ill I wasn't able to leave bed from sunday through to wednesday so I feel as if the week has been lost. With a very high temperature, a foggy head and severe fatigue I was only too happy to close my eyes and sleep it off but when I opened them again I indulged myself in some Ravelry time.

I opened a Ravelry account a few months after I fell ill in 2009. Since then it has grown hugely in size and now even has its own shop full of merchandise which sells out so much I literally had to run two weeks ago to purchase a Ravelry knitting bag!

It's great for reading what other people are obsessed with in terms of knitting and crochet. Also, now I'm into crochet as well as knitting I'm finding it twice as enjoyable. I browsed the free patterns and found a really bright crocheted paper chain idea to use up any remnants of the lovely acrylic I bought last week. Wow! So amazingly colourful! I'm looking forward to draping mine on our christmas tree to brighten up our room!

I also found a beautiful new crochet blog to read. Alice lives in Wellington, New Zealand which is a stunning part of the world and I'm very much enjoying reading her posts about balancing studying with crafting and pictures of Alpacas! I will talk more about balancing studying with crafting in another post but it can be challenging at times! Also her pictures of yummy bright yarn make me want more bright acrylics to be mad with! Perfect.

Refuge Comfort Blanket

2011-10-29T15:56:00.004+01:00

Well, what a odd collection of colours and yarn! This is half the squares (15) needed for a child's comfort blanket for the Refuge/Simply Knitting fundraising campaign.

I think pretty much every colour in the rainbow is going to be in my blanket. I have used up every last bit of my stash. All the odds and ends from other projects have been randomly crocheted in in no particular order or pattern. I hope the fact that is completely odd will help when I sew it together and it looks like a complete mish mash of colours and textures!

I used the blanket as an excuse to buy some yarn yesterday. We have had a new shop open in Taunton which sells a wide selection of colours in acrylic so I bought six bright florescent colours (Stylecraft DK 'Special') for under a tenner.

Let me know if you have crocheted/knitted a blanket for Refuge.

Vegan Carob Cupcakes

2011-10-25T20:03:00.004+01:00

I got the ache to bake this afternoon. I haven't made any cakes in the oven for a while, preferring to make a little cake just for one serving in the microwave in an attempt to cut down my intake of...well, cake.

I found this recipe online for vegan cupcakes as, strangely, I haven't baked a batch of vegan cakes in the 18 months I've been vegan.

I halved the recipe and found that in our fan-assisted oven on 150C they were done in 12 minutes. Also I found the mixture to be a little on the salty side what with the baking soda *and* salt. I very rarely add salt to anything and can always taste it when told to add. So next time I will leave the salt out. Also, I'm growing a little tired of carob cake as this is what I make for myself as a dessert. So next time I will try orange cakes (the WikiHow recipe tells you how to make the cakes with fruit puree) with orange icing just for a change.

If you aren't vegan I would recommend trying this recipe. You wouldn't need anything particularly 'vegan' as such, just soya milk and it would give you the chance to try it in your tea.

Yum!

Book Review: Pattern Magic 2

2011-10-19T12:19:00.008+01:00

I do not make clothes. I will freely admit this. I'm not afraid to make this admission publicly to the world. However I enthusiastically accepted a book on clothes-making from Laurence King Publishing as I am a) curious and b) wish I was more inclined to use my sewing machine and sew my own clothes.

I must also admit that I was a little intimidated as a novice to see the unusual but highly impressive creations on display in this book, 'Pattern Magic 2' by Tomoko Nakamichi. Originally published in Japan but translated into English, this book is amazing. It's origami for clothes.

This 'disappearing tie' is fantastic and would completely solve the problem of ties leaping up to whack men in the face in the wind, thus defeating the object of a tie, which is of course to look smart and tidy. Or, it would just look cool on a woman. The book has lots of easy-to-understand instructions and a basic pattern which needs enlarging at the back of the book. You use the same pattern to adapt for all the projects in the book.

This is a ball-shaped accordion (a jabara). What a fantastic shape for a sleeve!

This project is comprised of knotting fabric. The author says 'By bringing together several knots that resemble tiny bells I have created a unique garment that evokes the sound of bells ringing'. How poetic!

Overall this is a hugely inspirational book to look at if you are a beginner with clothes making from patterns. If you have been making clothes for a few years I would say definitely buy this book if you haven't got it already!

You can buy it here on Amazon.

A trip to Bath

2011-10-13T13:46:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I made a trip to Bath to relax before my new job begins on Monday.

I made my way to the Fashion Museum eagerly after it was highly recommended by someone I follow on twitter. I wasn't disappointed. What a treasure trove of dresses and history!

There are all sorts of dresses and fashion on show, from the 18th century to the present day. The text by the dresses used literature to illustrate the era. Fanny Price from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen was called upon to show how a dress-shaped jacket was seen as the must-have fashion accessory of its day and Fanny was cast out of her class due to not owning one!

My eyes came to rest on an Alexander McQueen dress in the wedding dress section. Queen Victoria's dress was very black and well worn as one would have expected.

This was my second favourite display after the wedding dress section! It was focused on the 1940's and I loved each and every dress in it. My only complaint was that there wasn't more in each section. It reaffirmed my feelings that I'm glad I didn't grow up in the sixties with all the mini skirts and fluorescent colours! It was certainly based on the idea of a very very skinny girl!

Afterwards we had a wander round the city centre and looked around the Victoria Art Gallery. I stood before the large Gainsborough paintings in awe.

Sadly my enjoyment of Bath was (only slightly) hindered by not having much spending money. Last time I went there I certainly splashed the cash, but then that should change in the near future! If you find yourself in Bath I would definitely recommend the Fashion Museum!

Lavender Sachets

2011-10-06T18:32:00.004+01:00

It's been a long day today. After an interview this morning I have finally made it back into full-time employment!

So I took some time this afternoon to chill and use some of my 'Tilda' charm pack up by making some lavender sachets.

I have a huge bag of lavender lurking away after a former colleague kindly donated some a few years back. I never got round to making any lavender sachets with it as I got distracted by felt! I'm going to have another practice session with the sewing machine on some scrap material to see if I can go round corners and curves.

The sachets will have a 'patchwork' feel as the fronts will be different from the backs. I love the smell of lavender and may keep a couple for myself/presents.

Very traditional like bunting and so easy to make : )

Book Review: Print & Pattern

2011-10-03T19:00:00.006+01:00

This is such a wonderful book. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was when I unpacked the bundle of review copies from Laurence King Publishing. My excited fingers opened the book and unleashed a feast for my eyes.

'Print and Pattern 2', released on Monday 10th October, is absorbing and relaxing to delve into. A sensory romp through an encyclopedia of print. Divine.

Marie Perkins started the 'Print and Pattern' blog when she was a textile designer compiling mood boards. It's a fantastic blog which you should check out and read along with buying this book.

The above pattern is a design by Lotta Glave, a Swedish designer, who is inspired by folk art and her children. These patterns were used on cards, trays, napkins and dishcloths.

This fantastic design bursting with a rainbow of colour is by Alys Paterson, a Bristol-based artist in the UK. Her clients have included Waterstones, Habitat and John Lewis. The designs were all used as greetings cards.

Another couple of pages bursting with a rainbow, these are designs by Belly Button Designs, a card designer. This time they're based in Manchester with their own retail shop.

Becky Carr is the talented lady behind the company 'Owaboo'. Inspired by Japanese designs and retro patterns her designs have been used as greetings cards. She is an 'old school' designer who draws out her patterns then scans them into photoshop.

Rebecca Elfast is another Swedish designer who has studied architecture. She is inspired by nature and would like to see her designs on fabric as well as paper.

Rob Ryan may be better know to readers as 'MisterRob' on etsy. Based in London, he is known for screenprinting and paper-based craft. Rob's clients include Liberty and Urban Outfitters.

Silvia Dekker is a Dutch freelance illustrator with a very cute portfolio! Her work has been featured on tableware, bedding and a range of fabric.

Cosmo Cricket are an American couple who design sheets for scrapbooking.

There are well over 60 designers in this pleasingly-heavy book. They are all available for commissions and they're websites are often heavenly to look at too. I was delighted and thrilled with this book. I know you will be too.

**I was sent this book to review by Laurence King Publishers.

Win Digital Scrapbooking Software

2011-09-25T11:22:00.010+01:00

MyMemories approached me to ask if I would like a review copy of their digital scrapbooking software along with another copy for one lucky reader of this blog.

There is so much you can do with this software package. There are a certain amount of free backgrounds you can 'purchase' from the store but there is also a huge array of brilliant scrapbooking backgrounds for just $2 or $3. You can create a calendar with your own photos, gift tags, cards, or create your own picture using all the wonderful embellishments which come with the software. It's only taken me a few days to get to grips with the layout and buttons. I even managed to compose a demonstration page or two!

[Click on image to enlarge it]

You could create a beautiful journal of your time spent with that special person or fond memories of your children. It's so versatile you could really get creative and create a stunning keepsake for future generations of your family.

[Click on image to enlarge it]

To enter:

Go to the MyMemories website and tell me in a comment on this blog which digital scrapbooking kit is your favourite.

For extra entries:

* Follow the MyMemories blog.

* Like MyMemories on Facebook.

* Follow MyMemories on Twitter.

Please leave an extra comment each time you follow the blog, follow the twitter feed and like on facebook otherwise I won't recognise your extra entries when I come to draw a number randomly : )

$10 off for every customer:

MyMemories are also offering $10 off any purchase you make in their store, or off the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software.

Use your $10 off code here when you purchase the digital scrapbooking software.

Use this coupon also for $10 off any item in the MyMemories store.

Copy and paste this code:

STMMMS57017

Feel free to give this code to family and friends too!

The giveaway winner will be chosen at random. The more comments you leave the more of a chance you have of winning. The deadline is 5pm GMT, 12pm EST on Thursday 12th October. It's open to international readers and the winner will receive downloading instructions in an email.

GOOD LUCK! : )

25% Etsy discount ends friday

2011-09-24T15:12:00.008+01:00

It's the last few days of my etsy sale!

Just enter the code SEP11 in the space for a coupon code when you checkout an item in etsy.

You can get 25% off these christmas decorations:

or how about some fabulous felted balls or felt letters?

I won't be having another sale anywhere this side of Christmas so this is your last chance to grab any felt you want before prices go back up on etsy!

Book Review: Indie Craft

2011-09-24T13:08:00.007+01:00

'Indie Craft' is a book by Jo Waterhouse. It's pure entertainment. I don't think I could have had more entertainment walking into an alternative craft exhibition.

It features the work of 29 artists working with a range of materials. There is crochet in here, felting, embroidery, sewing, knitting, cross stitch and paper. Projects often combine two or more of these and look amazing as a result.

Each section features an interview with the artist and some excellent photographs of their work. It took my breathe away when I opened the book due to the depth of colour and quality of the art/craft.

Also the work challenged me as I love alternative crafting but haven't come across some of the methods used in this book before.

This is my favourite section of the book! Artist Patricia Waller works in crochet and adds materials such as wire, wood and metal to create alternative works. Her work is a display of violence with dark humour.

This photo below is also a favourite. This struck me as being in the vein of Tracey Emin who also draws on real-life experiences of relationships and emotions. Joetta Maue is an American artist who sews the most amazing embroidery. I have featured one photo of her work but the others in the book are simply phenomenal.

Kate Westerholt works in cross stitch with a definite indie twist!

Shauna Richardson is an Irish artist crocheting with mohair wool.

This book is a must have if you love novelty, alternative, indie, call-it-what-you-want crafting. Projects such as 'Knit the City' have put a spring in the step of alternative crafting. It's a lovely book to keep on the coffee table and you will find yourself staring at it in amazement!

You can buy 'Indie Craft' here on Amazon.

*This book was sent to me to review by Laurence King Publishing.

Refuge Comfort Blanket

2011-09-23T11:52:00.004+01:00

I haven't been crocheting for very long (my shrug has crashed temporarily due to either me or the pattern...more in a few days) so I need all the practice I can possibly get. I opened up my emails a few days ago and came across this Refuge fundraising campaign to get people to knit or crochet blankets. There is a wonderful e-book available after a suggested donation of £5 or more which contains 25 designs for mostly knitted squares, although there is a pattern for a crocheted square too. They have already raised £1,362 which I think is truly amazing alongside all the child and adult blankets which will flood their offices soon!

Here's my effort, using up leftover bits of DK stash:

You need 30 squares for a child's blanket or 63 for an adult's blanket. You can't post individual blanket squares but you can take just one or two to The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace on 6-9 October to sew them onto a blanket yourself.

This is such a cathartic thing to spend your time doing. There is never enough money to help the victims of domestic violence, and I don't know why, but people don't always see the issue as a matter of urgency. It's an issue close to my heart and I hope you will, as readers of my blog, pick up your crochet hook or knitting needles for a brilliant cause with me.

Result of Microcrafts Giveaway

2011-09-13T17:51:00.009+01:00

The result of the giveaway I launched in August is finally here. It's comment number 10, which I picked using Random.org. It's Michelle C!

A lovely copy of Microcrafts will be winging its way to Michelle this week!

Stay tuned for more book reviews : )

Creepy Book Reviews

2011-09-07T19:59:00.012+01:00

These books are a must buy if you want to celebrate with your family this Halloween.

This is called 'Witch Craft' by Margaret McGuire and Alicia Kachmar and is crammed full of brilliant projects for children and adults alike. If you like making accessories, fun objects to decorate the house, cakes for children's parties or knitting and crochet then this is definitely for you! Many of the projects are very cheap to make and quick to rustle up. A lot of them can be geared towards children. The patterns don't need enlarging and there are a few hidden PDFs to look up online if you want more.

These ruby red slippers are fab for dressing up for a Halloween party:

This tutu rocks!

This witch is so sweet! I can't wait to put my new-found crochet skills to good use to make her:

Creepy Cute Crochet is also an amazing book and one I will treasure! If you haven't already bought this, love crochet and love the look of it from the pictures below I urge you to click this link and buy it this minute! Full of the most wonderful crocheted creatures from zombies to ninjas, from vampires to aliens, from robots to vikings, its very contents ooze creepiness.
The author, Christen Haden, has included very easy-to-follow instructions at the back. The two pages contain the basic crochet pattern for all the figures so if you wanted to crochet a lot you would probably learn the pattern off by heart. Amigurumi are great as you only need basic DK yarn such as cotton which can be bought very cheaply in bright colours.

I love this corporate zombie so much - he looks quite dazed and confused...is it Friday yet?

And OMG this happy couple are so cute!

And last but not least is the big Grim Reaper himself, a must at Halloween:

Do buy these books and enjoy!

* These books were kindly sent to me to review on this blog by Quirk Books.

Anna Shrug: Part Two

2011-09-01T15:14:00.003+01:00

Well, I've finally finished unravelling the cream cardigan which I lost interest in/didn't suit me/was above my knitting skills. I wound all the cotton into about six large balls of yarn and have completed the 84cm of triple crochet needed for the shrug.

I'm now crocheting the sleeve edging which I hope I'm getting right. It looks OK anyway and is very pretty. Crochet is much more relaxing to do in the evenings as you don't have a crisis when you drop a stitch or your mind wanders. It's really simple to unravel if you make a mistake.

It's certainly quicker to crochet in 4-ply than knit it, and whisper it gently, is more enjoyable and funkier looking than knitting!

Microcrafts review & giveaway

2011-08-19T13:31:00.009+01:00

This book is highly unusual. Compiled by a large group of etsy sellers and designers it contains a very wide range of innovative craft projects all united by being micro, hence the title.

Margaret McGuire, Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz, Tamara Barker, Claudia Cormier, Elizabeth Duke, Sarah Goldschadt, Larissa Holland, Melissa Jacobson, Len and Melanie Kachmar, Holly Keller, Colleen Lemons, Mei Pak, Mel Sparkles, Jessica Trail, Hope Wattanaphand, Nadia Marks Wojcik have all contributed to a very entertaining and amusing book. Please check out their shops. They rock.

The essence of the book, we are told, is not just to craft small but to use up odds and ends. Recycling is something I'm very passionate about so this appealed to me. Leafing through the book you could definitely use up scraps of yarn, material, felt and paper to your hearts galore.

There is enough to satisfy the alternative indie crafter within you and also enough mainstream projects like these books:

and this felt dog:

If you would like to win this copy of Microcrafts leave a comment below telling me about the smallest item of craftiness you've ever made. If you like me on facebook and/or follow me on twitter while telling me about it in a comment you'll be in with another chance. Please leave a link or sign in with your blogger username so I can get in touch in two weeks when I pick the winner. The closing date is 2pm (GMT) 9am (EST) on Saturday 10th September. Good luck.

The book is available to pre-order here in the UK and here in the US.

NB I was sent this book to review by Quirk Books, the publishers.

Crocheted Shrug

2011-08-13T16:05:00.005+01:00

The cream cardigan I was laboriously knitting in 4 ply last year has finally met its sad demise. It was on a life support machine for over 12 months in a 'picking up the stitches' coma until I finally decided I couldn't be bothered to make it up. I had gone off the cardigan at this point and thought it looked considerably stranger in my world than on the stunningly beautiful rowan model with her fantastic clothes next to it. Odd that.

So I've decided to shoot the cardigan and remould it into a crocheted shrug. I'm a bit nervous as this will be the first garment, aside from basic mittens, I've crocheted. It won't be as daunting as knitting as my mum crochets so I will be able to easily ask for help if things go wrong. I like the design of this Anna Shrug, sadly no longer available for free on the Rowan website, as it's much more my style. Something to throw on with jeans which won't look too posh!

Watch this space for updates!

Making, making, making

2011-08-04T23:06:00.004+01:00

Lots of lovely things have been going on craft-wise in the last two weeks which is why there has been a brief hiatus on this blog.

I've been coming up with new ideas for christmas decorations as well as making plenty of existing stock in antipation of the holiday season sales. Learning from last year I am aiming to be about a month earlier with all my deadlines as I found by the time I had my stock in my shops the christmas international posting deadlines were well upon us. This resulted in customer queries after the deadlines, even though they were well advertised in my shops. I've also been stocking up on christmas ribbons (which were sold out at the start of December last year), christmas coloured thread and felt.

I'm trying to remember the advice I picked up somewhere that a sizable chunk of your crafting from July onwards should be christmas-orientated, such is the seasonal emphasis on handmade shops. I have had to nag myself not to make anything new but channel my creative energy into christmas. Sometimes I haven't felt like doing this in the middle of a sweltering heatwave here in the UK but mostly I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course 20 or 30% of your time should still be spent maintaining existing non-christmas stock but I've made a conscious decision to concentrate on christmas.

Are you doing the same?

The Cosiest Hot Water Bottle Cover...

2011-07-21T13:30:00.005+01:00

OK - so I know it's not even autumn/fall/the season when the leaves fall/whatever you want to call it yet but here's my finished cabled hottie!

It's so beautifully thick and cosy...your hands could get lost in the cashmere...I'm going to list this in my shops this weekend.

I'm planning to knit another one in grey too so watch out for that if you like this one but are looking for a present for the man in your life : )

Phone Cosy

2011-07-12T16:38:00.003+01:00

Just popping in to show you my phone cosy which has been sewn up and is being proudly worn by my new phone.

You can find the pattern for this, if you really want it, here. If you have cabled before and have some yarn in it should only take an evening to finish.

I'm starting another one in cream, this time with one large cable going down the middle...it could become an addiction : )

Giveaway result!

2011-07-11T13:07:00.005+01:00

I entered the amount of entries to my giveaway last month into the Random Number Service and it threw the number 5 back at me : )

Lorna May is the lucky winner of the two fabric books!

She left this comment:

I will be getting in touch with Lorna to arrange delivery this afternoon via her blogger profile/email.

Thanks to everyone who entered : )

Reviving a winter coat

2011-07-08T13:15:00.003+01:00

I've been inspired by the books I was sent on upcycling which you can win here until 5pm GMT today or midday EST. I haven't attempted anything major as you will see but thought I would start small. I don't like anything fussy on my clothes and often buy plain colours with no pattern, so I thought I would use some fabric to create some buttons for an old coat I have hanging in the wardrobe.

The buttons were 2 mm bigger than the nearest size of plastic button I could find but they fit through the buttonhole firmly. The buttons are also dry cleanable, as is my coat so they should withstand cleaning.

Just in case I change my mind I thought I would keep the 13 buttons for a while! They are such gorgeous red plastic buttons already on the coat.

Red doesn't tend to photograph well so apologies for the blurry picture! I'm going to finish the first few of them today as I only have a 5" sample from a charm pack, then wait until my fabric needs are sizable enough to do another online order.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway here if you haven't already!

Free Knitted Phone Cosy Pattern

2011-07-07T14:41:00.005+01:00

So I have finished the cabled hot water bottle cover as a result of all the tennis on the TV. I relieved the tension of all those Murray matches by knitting for hours on end and I have reaped the benefits...I will blog on the finished product soon! It looks good and very pretty for those winter nights!

I must have got used to cables as I immediately picked up the needles again and cast on some stitches ready to knit a cosy for a new smart phone I have. This is my own pattern. This cosy is knitted in aran weight on 4.5mm needles and the pattern is:

Cast on 20 stitches:

Row 1: P2, K6, P4, K6, P2
Row 2: K2, P6, K4, P6, K2
Row 3: P2, C6F, P4, C6F, P2
Row 4: K2, P6, K4, K6, P2

Keep repeating this until the cosy is as long as you want so you can just sew up the sides once you have finished. I have a Blackberry so I'm not sure if this will fit any other phones at the moment although if you send me your iPhone or iPad I'm sure I'll work one out (he he!)

Seriously, I will design some cosies for other gadgets by looking up the measurements online...so look out for that soon. : )

P.S. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in cream in the picture.
P.P.S. C6F = Slip next 3 stitches onto a cable needle held at front of work, K3, then K3 from the cable needle.
P.P.P.S If you don't have a cable needle in your collection of needles you can always use a crochet hook. If you don't know how to cable look here for a video.

*Big breath* Also - a final point. Please only use my pattern to knit up cosies for your own use. Please don't sell my pattern or cosy without making significant changes of your own. Thx : )

Red Wine Treasury

2011-07-05T12:15:00.003+01:00

I love creating treasuries on etsy. There was a time last year when I collated a few a week. Sadly those days are gone as I have slightly more to fill my day...this has made them more of a pleasure for me when I get a spare moment to sit down and really thoroughly browse through the site.

I have always been strongly drawn to the colour burgendy. To me it signifies autumn and the leaves falling so my treasury turned out to be geared towards September, but I suppose when you're thinking a lot about christmas crafting September thoughts don't seem so strange!

Book Review & Giveaway!

2011-06-25T15:40:00.002+01:00

Well here's a book which is right on my level! I couldn't believe my luck when I was sent this book to review. I have a ton of clothing hidden away in my wardrobe which I am bored of wearing but no idea of how to revive...and now here is the answer!

Split into four sections, 'Boho', 'Jet Set', 'Retro' and 'Diva', it has an exhaustive 32 different ways of reviving and upcycling those ordinary clothes you have which Jane next door also delights in wearing.

If you want to learn how to stand out from the crowd on a tight budget or if you just want to experiment or learn how to make your own clothes this book is a must for you.

The photos and instructions are very clear to understand and it includes full shots of the clothes in sections before telling you how to make them so you can see how they are worn and with what.

I love this skirt which has been embellished with beads and paint...something I would never imagine you could do to a skirt yourself.

Sometimes when clothes have been upcycled they can look handmade or a bit amateurish no matter what you wear them with. I find this off-putting about crocheted or knitted jumpers and cardigans. This seems like less effort for more of a smart tidy impact.

You can read more about Custom Couture: 32 Ways to Transform Your Wardrobe with Needle and Thread here.

You can buy it here.

The Simplicity Fabric Guide is aimed at the novice shopper or fashion student who needs to know where to start when shopping for fabric. This is also completely exhaustive. By the time you have read this book you will know the exact properties of all the fabric in the world, how to determine what a fabric is by burning it, and exactly which pins to use for what fabric. All you could ever dream of knowing about fabric is in this book.

You can read more about the Simplicity Fabric Guide: The Ultimate Fiber Resource here.

You can buy it here.

Soho Publishing have kindly sent me another copy of each book to giveaway to one of my lucky readers!

I will pick one winner who will receive the two books at 5pm (GMT) on Friday 8th July. To enter please say what your favourite type of fabric is and why. (It could be anything from felt to hemp!)

Please comment under your blogger username or leave your email address and remember to check back in July to see if you have won. You can enter wherever you are in the world but be aware there are serious issues with post from the UK to Canada and the USA at the moment and your books may take a month or more to arrive with you.

Good luck!

Fabric Charm Packs

2011-06-16T15:07:00.003+01:00

Wow! Isn't this beautiful? A whole array of cute little squares in a pack. So pretty!

I've been making lots of fabric buttons (yes I have become addicted to them!) lately and wanted to show you my fabric bits and bobs which arrived last week to cheer me up in the cold grey showery June rain...

I know a few crafters who seem to have an obsession with tins : ) This one is the middle tin from a collection of three which I picked up in a sale. It's so fab! Every time I open the tin and all my pretty fabric is there I get such a lovely feeling...so much fabric and not enough time...

Knitting with tennis

2011-06-10T13:18:00.006+01:00

I have been knitting away in front of various tennis tournaments in the last few weeks so I have nearly finished knitting my hot water bottle cover. Isn't it pretty?

I went shopping in town for some ribbon and trimmings to thread through the top when it's finished the other day. I can't wait to show them to you!

Folksy Friday

2011-06-03T15:43:00.003+01:00

With the festival season in swing what better way to celebrate than with these gems from folksy:

"Bubble Shirred Hitch Up Dress" by 'La Costurera'

"Glasto necklace" by 'Miss Cake'

"Wellington Boots" by 'all made with passion and love'

"Matryoshka Jute Bag - Red" by 'Beaky'

Have fun x

Vegan Chocolate Orange Sponge Cake

2011-06-02T16:00:00.003+01:00

I made this wonderful vegan chocolate orange sponge cake today after picking up a leaflet from Viva! at a recent vegan fayre.

I didn't have two sponge cake tins so made do with just one (but you could make it with two tins if you have them). I know it's probably not necessary to line tins with greaseproof paper anymore but I get really irritated when cakes stick so I go to great lengths to stick paper on with margarine now...

You'll need a 18cm/7 inch cake tin which has been greased with dairy-free margarine.

For the sponge weigh out 300 grams of white self raising flour (I always do 50% white and 50% wholemeal, although if you do this make sure you add 4 teaspoons of extra water at the end).

Add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to the bowl. Add 2 generous tablespoons of cocoa powder. Put the bowl aside.

Mix 180 ml of water with 175 grams of brown sugar and 100 ml sunflower oil in a pan and heat gently. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Leave it to cool then add to the dry ingredients in the bowl, folding the mixture gently. Pour into the tin(s) and bake on 180C/350F/Gas 4/Fan oven 160C for 30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake.

For the icing (if you make two cakes instead of one double the amounts here and spread half the mixture in between the cakes, then use the rest for the top) beat 55 grams of dairy free margarine in a bowl until soft, then add 85 grams of icing sugar and 30 grams of cocoa. Grate the zest of a small orange and mix it with its juice. Add a a couple of teaspoons of this orange juice mixture to the icing until it falls off the spoon when you lift it up. It shouldn't be too runny as you want it to be sturdy enough to stay on the cake!

Enjoy with a lovely cup of coffee with soya milk : )

Folksy Friday - Animals

2011-05-27T11:21:00.003+01:00

I've found a wonderful selection of animals on folksy...just right for the half term which I hope will be full of walks and wildlife...

"Fox Art Print 8x10 - Trusting Eyes" by 'eastwitching'

"Springer Spaniel Canvas Shopper" by 'Red Rabbit Arts'

"Bunny Rabbit Fabric Cover Notebook" by 'Dab and a Dash'

"Fabric Badge Set - Woodland Animals" by 'Owl loves Panda'

Vegan Bags

2011-05-26T13:14:00.004+01:00

I recently got this book, Easy Crochet Bags, out of the library as a lot of the patterns were based around cotton bags for shopping, something I am thinking of creating myself.

I thought it would distract me from crocheting with wool. As you can see I've managed to crochet a star... : )

As many of you know I went vegan in my diet around this time last year but decided to continue crafting with wool. It is difficult to contemplate giving up wool as I also use a great deal of felt in my crafting. Many non-vegans will question why vegans have a problem with wool as the sheep doesn't die in the process. However, veganism means not using any animal products at all in life, so it includes buying special vegan candles, soap, not using animal manure on the garden, and not wearing leather or wool. I must admit my conscience is suffering a lot while knitting with wool and I do feel as if I'm running out of arguments for using wool as a vegan when it involves taking part in an industry which is inherently cruel towards animals.

I have a stack of wool to get rid of in my shop, and I am thinking when that's gone I won't be re-making it or buying any new stock.

So I thought I would take a look through my stash and see if there is anything I knitted out of cotton when I first started crafting a few years ago that I can unwind and crochet up into a bag.

These projects look fab. I love these two bags. They sound really easy to crochet in the round with no sewing - what heaven! And of course they fold down into a really small space to fit into your handbag.

Knitting Magazine June Issue

2011-05-24T13:40:00.004+01:00

Regular readers of this blog will know I never stick to just one crafty magazine every month. I can do a wide variety of different crafts and can't find one to completely satisfy me enough to stick with it or subscribe to it. I wonder if magazine publishers have any plans to let you mix and match subscriptions on their titles? That would be truly great and I'm sure it would increase sales. If I could do that I would happily subscribe to 'Making Magazine', the Debbie Bliss Magazine and this one, Knitting Magazine, all published by the GMC Group, so every issue would be different.

This month's issue of Knitting Magazine is beautiful. Stunning. The photography and clothes are as aesthetically pleasing as Rowan Magazine, but often without the price tag. The book reviews in the current issue are fantastic. There are the usual craft books, but also they have included a fiction selection too.

The letters page is brilliant and I learnt of a very useful website within seconds of reading it. Jeanette Sloan is extremely knowledgable and doesn't give up if she can't give a straightforward answer to a question. The advice she gives is very technical and informative.

OK - so I admit it, I'm not planning to knit any of the patterns in the immediate future, but I'm a sucker for beautiful photography and useful hints...

Fabric Buttons

2011-05-14T13:02:00.005+01:00

I've started to list my new collection of fabric buttons in my etsy and folksy shops:

Blue Rose Fabric Buttons

Fabric Rose Buttons

Pink Rose Fabric Buttons

I love the way they have worked out - the motifs on quite a few of my fabrics fit the buttons perfectly. I hope you like them too!

Cabled hottie & knitted tote bag

2011-05-08T15:58:00.005+01:00

Well, you may have noticed I've not been blogging an awful lot lately. At least I'm hoping you noticed...

I've been busy with politics but had been getting on with a few projects just before the chaos of the local election campaign began. I've been knitting my cable hottie. I love picking this up when I'm on the sofa as I know the pattern off by heart now.

I also undid a horrible v-neck jumper I knitted a couple of years ago in big wool. I finally decided I would never wear it so undid the four balls (good job too as that's worth £32). I've knitted it into a tote bag from a pattern by Kim Hargreaves:

It looks a bit of a mess at the moment as I had to improvise with the handles. I extended the pattern so the bag would be exactly A4 sized. I have a thing for A4 bags that you can slip a folder in. Don't ask me why! Perhaps it's because handbags are rarely big enough for my demands...

So anyway I ran out of dark blue wool for the handles after doing that so I had to undo a hat (which again I've never worn) for the green/blue colour to alternate for the handles. I think it should look ok. The green/blue colour will be a break from all that blue.

I can't wait to sew it together : )

Crochet Baby Hat

2011-04-14T17:55:00.003+01:00

I've been testing my crochet skills after buying the latest issue of 'Inside Crochet'. It seems they still need honing after spending an hour crocheting a premature baby hat from a pattern. The hat seemed to be working out with a beautiful shell pattern...

...but I forgot to put the hook through the two loops and instead kept putting it through one. Apparently this is why there are ridges around the hat when there aren't supposed to be. I managed the intermediate pattern but have got into a very bad habit which I can't seem to nudge myself out of!

So I'll be 'frogging' the hat and starting again...: )

Fabric Rose Buttons

2011-04-12T18:01:00.005+01:00

In the last of my crafty spending splurges after my recent flurry of sales I bought a fabric pack from 'my fabric house'. As you can see it's the roses and dots selection.

Given the choice of roses or any other pattern I think I would always choose the rose...

Just right to start making the fabric buttons I bought yesterday in what really really is my last crafty purchase for a while now!

You'll see a selection in my shops soon...

Bugs

2011-04-09T22:54:00.002+01:00

I found this beautiful insect by the river and had to photograph it. I wonder if anyone knows what it is?

It looked quite beautiful with its luminous green jacket glinting in the glaring sun...

Etsy Treats

2011-04-01T14:23:00.002+01:00

The postman brought my etsy treat to my door this week.

A set of five ribboned necklaces for me to play with from 'The Mymble's Daughter'. The packaging was adorable as you can see and I can't wait to make some necklaces...

Felted Jumpers

2011-03-29T14:42:00.003+01:00

I bought these lovely jumpers in my local British Red Cross shop on friday. What finds! The blue one is 100% lambswool which felts very well. The pattern on the other one is lovely. It was so huge I could fit into it even after felting!

Having thought what I could do with it I came to the conclusion that I would sell squares of it in my shop. So look out for them soon.

Sweets and cakes

2011-03-26T11:54:00.002Z

Another couple of packages to the post office this morning. More opportunities to use the tape I bought a few months ago from Charmstore:

Isn't it cute? The chocolate made my mouth water : )

Folksy Friday - PDFs

2011-03-25T11:29:00.005Z

Things are going well in my folksy shop these last couple of weeks. I've decided to focus on patterns and downloads for my folksy friday this week to celebrate. Hope you enjoy:

'Norwood Monkey and Bananas Knitting Pattern PDF' by "fluff and fuzz"

'Bookmark, Kokeshi Girl, Print and Make' by "Papercake Print and Make"

'Kawaii Japan PDF Zine - travel writing, photography and illustration' by "Asking For Trouble" ***Marceline is donating £4 from every sale of her travel zine to the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Fund until April 9th***

'Make your own Sock Hopper, PDF instructions' by "Made by Kate"

Rainbow felt shapes

2011-03-23T14:31:00.004Z

I've been cutting more felt shapes this week and I have finally achieved a good level of stock again.

I have this dream where four people order all my felt shapes in one day so I need to be prepared for this lovely occasion (!) and still have more leftover for other customers for the next day when that rare occurance could happen again...

Felt Grab Bags

2011-03-22T16:44:00.000Z

I'm cutting so many numbers and letters at the moment I'm left with lots of offcuts of felt which aren't quite big enough to cut anything else from. I'm filling 9 by 6 inch bags full of the offcuts which I will be selling in my shops in a week or so.

It's very colourful as you can see. I'm hoping someone can make use of them!

Homemade Hugs for Japan

2011-03-22T13:23:00.004Z

I've finished my first square for the 'Homemade Hugs' project to knit blankets for those families caught up in the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

As you can see my square is a bit wonky but it is 20cm x 20cm so should be fine. Also I started in grey before I saw that they prefer colour. Grey will be okay but I will delve into my old stash where I am sure I have some acrylic pink (acrylic is ok). Apparently grey is "A colour that represents 'helpfulness' in the East."

This is a fantastic project to start off with if you are new to knitting. I stayed with garter stitch for ages and there is no better motivation than knitting to help keep someone warm in a crisis.

Felted Eggs

2011-03-21T23:04:00.003Z

I've added my felted eggs to my folksy shop this week. They remain my most favourited items in my etsy shop and always get commented on when I tweet about them or facebook them!

They are so enjoyable and fun to make!

Recycling a tote bag: Part Two

2011-03-20T15:48:00.002Z

The tote bag I'm recovering with a piece of black fabric and some pink yo-yo's is coming along nicely. I've finished sewing them all up and have cut the black fabric and tacked it ready for the sewing machine.

Those readers who have been with me a while now will know I have a bit of a sewing machine phobia but I can manage short bursts if I have to.

I'm planning to buy a bit of interfacing to iron the fabric to the bag to finish it. I'm going to so much trouble as the bag is unusually thick and has a large phone pocket inside. I haven't been able to find another like it....

Discount cards

2011-03-19T16:56:00.003Z

From now on whenever you order from either of my shops I'll include a discount card with your order:

If you buy from my folksy shop you'll receive a code that you will be able to use in the 'message to seller' box in paypal and if you buy from my etsy shop you will be able to type the code into the box at etsy checkout.

New felted items

2011-03-18T13:50:00.004Z

I've decided to expand my range of 'pick your own' felted balls. I've listed a 'thirty felted balls' item for £15 in my folksy shop and etsy shop:

I love the colours of these as I felt them - and the texture : )

Recycling a tote bag

2011-03-17T11:48:00.002Z

I get a wonderful dose of inspiration from reading my daily craft magazine emails. There is such an ecletic mix of projects and art. One of the projects featured, by Kat Roberts, has inspired me to get on with a recycling project I had planned:

I really enjoyed making these. More Tilda fabric scraps were employed and a lovely purple/pink craft fabric came in useful too. As you will see in the tutorial by Kat they are so simple to make. You just cut a circle, sew up in long stitch around the edge then you draw it up and fasten off. So useful if you have a lot of scraps you don't know what to do with.

This is the bag I'm recycling. I don't know quite what possessed me as a 24-year-old to buy a bag with 'Meet the Ramones' scrawled on the front. I have used it a lot, lately turning the bag round so the writing is hidden by my side! I decided to cover it in black fabric but couldn't decide what to sew on that would look very neat.

I will post a finished photo up in a few weeks...

Rainbow Felted Balls

2011-03-14T15:56:00.003Z

I had a large order for felted balls last night in my folksy shop:

I really enjoyed packaging them all up and making them look good in a cool rainbow way:

I couldn't resist a moo card in each packet...the more the merrier...

Japan Tsunami Relief

2011-03-13T16:53:00.002Z

I've decided to donate £4 from every sale of my strawberry pincushion on etsy to the Red Cross Tsunami Relief, that's 50% of the price.

This will last until the end of March so hopefully it will raise a fair bit for the Red Cross. At the end of March I will put all my receipts to the Red Cross on this blog : )

Gift Guide Feature

2011-03-09T22:55:00.004Z

It was wonderful during a busy start to the week to be greeted with news of a lovely Mother's Day gift guide featuring my pick your own felted balls by Viv on Inspired Celebration:

I know my mum doesn't read my blogs so I can tell you I'm planning to buy her a bilberry bush which can grow in a container. Lets hope it's as productive as it looks in my gardening catalogue!

Etsy Ten Day Sale

2011-03-04T13:35:00.006Z

I'm having a sale in my etsy shop to celebrate introducing shipping to the US again!

You can have 10% off all my items using the code 'MARCH' until Monday 14th March.

I have received some lovely feedback from my first customer in my folksy shop which I thought I would share with you:

"The butterfiles are perfect for my project and the seller was extremely helpful with my additional requests, plus offering me my choice of colour. They arrived very quickly, and were safely packaged; thank you!"

Isn't that great?

Here are some of my items:

My beautiful cabled purple armwarmers, or

lovely array of felt hearts which you can order in any colours - just message me via etsy first and I'll see what I can do, or

a cute selection of 100% merino wool roving to get started, or

a collection of lovely blue felted balls to thread on a necklace, sew onto a scarf or just admire! You can decorate fabric by stabbing the ball onto it with a felting needle and it will lock itself. Fab!

Welsh Folksy Friday

2011-03-04T13:00:00.002Z

Today the outcome of the welsh referendum is declared. If the result is 'yes' the welsh assembly will have more power on issues such as education. This is vital for the people of Wales and I thought I would celebrate. The polls are looking good for a 'yes' vote!

'Hand Printed Organic Welsh Tote Bag' by "Peris & Corr"

'Sunset Canvas Print' by "laurajaynedesign"

'Hand Printed Welsh Thank You Card' also by "Peris & Corr"

'Custom Made Appliqued Welsh Dragon Cushion' by "Molly Moo and Jessica Too"

Go Wales!

Felt Brooches galore

2011-03-02T14:02:00.003Z

I've become addicted to making these felt brooches. I have all the colours of felt I could ever ask for thanks to a grant so I'm in heaven being able to put colours together nicely.

It's so much lighter now during the day with the blazing sun making a welcome return. There's a definite sense of spring in the air even though it's gone temporarily cold again before the spring showers in April and May.

I've been digging over my allotment which I got last August. It's been a very different place over the winter with everything looking quite forlorn and barren. When I first saw the allotments last September everything was still in full bloom and I even ate an apple from the communal apple trees. I'm looking forward to it looking like that once more...

My Cabled Hottie

2011-02-22T14:53:00.004Z

I've been tidying up a lot lately and have found a use for my cath kidston bag which came with the book 'Sew!'

I have perfected my organisation lately. I have two pairs of scissors now, one upstairs at my desk for when I work with felt and one pair downstairs near the sofa for when I knit. I have a pincushion near the sofa and one on my desk. I have all the wool I need for two projects I'm working on in this bag and a selection of knitting needles by the sofa too. Whenever I sit down now I'm ready to go!

I'm working on a hot water bottle cover and so far my cabled pattern seems to working well. The width of the water bottle was 21cm and my cable pattern worked out to be 25cm. As I started to knit the cable pattern I realised I had forgotten to allow for the cable to bunch up making the width smaller. So now it's perfect!

My other project isn't working out so well. The start of my grey bag was ok but I'm having to really concentrate so hard on the chart that it isn't at all relaxing.

Which I need it to be at the moment unfortunately. I will go back to it and write out the chart in symbols!

New felt brooch range

2011-02-22T14:14:00.003Z

I've uploaded the first few brooches in a new flower felt brooch range in my new folksy shop.

I hope you like them : )

Folksy Friday - Books

2011-02-18T11:30:00.008Z

I've been selling on Folksy for about 4 weeks now. It's a growing market place with lots of unusual quirky items. Here are just a few of them:

'Books 12 x 8" Print' by "Lola's Room"

'Together - a bigger wooden book' by "Mrs Eliot Books"

'Shakespeare's Hamlet 'To Be Or Not To Be' Brass Cuff' by "Jezebel Charms"

"Be My Valentine" Folksy Friday

2011-02-11T12:42:00.001Z

Here are my Valentine choices for my Folksy Friday selection this week:

'Dickie Bow' by "Dolly Knits" - £15

'Quatre Necklace - sterling silver' by "Lazy Giraffe Jewellery" - £31

'Dainty Branch Bracelet in Smoky Grey' by "The Blue Starfish" - £12

'Silver Threads Cufflinks' by "SilverSynergy" - £65

'Prom Evening Gown - Rouched' by "La Costurera" - £95

Extreme Knitting

2011-02-09T14:16:00.001Z

I love this video. I watch it every so often just to look at all the colours of the yarns! If you haven't seen it yet it's quite an oddity:

It's great visually but looks like a lot of hard work...is that a definition of arts and crafts?

Folksy Friday

2011-02-04T10:30:00.001Z

I've had my first sale over in my folksy shop this week, so I thought I would share some more of my favourites with you...

I love baking and I can't get enough red and white patterns as you know so I have combined my two passions in the items below:

'Doris Apron - Retro' by "Audrey's Cat"

'Nom nom nom tea towel' by "Max and Molly Designs"

'Red Heart Jugs Tea Towel' by "Linen Prints"

'Cupcake Tea Towel' by "Bubs Bears"

Recycling Present Packaging

2011-02-02T14:26:00.003Z

It seems strange writing about Christmas presents in February but I found a use for a lovely sock box I got from my sister! It was one half of her present to me and the socks were rather groovy with the penguin on. The perfect present for a bookworm sister like me. Once I had taken the socks out I was left with this box which is perfect for little craft supplies so I can put it neatly on my shelf.

I re-used quite a lot of the containers that my presents came in. Just in the picture behind the box is a cool bucket which had lots of gardening goodies in. I redecorated it with Cath Kidston stickers and it now holds my pens and pencils on my desk.

Have you re-used any containers you got with your presents? I know the boxes and bags Boots use are sometimes presents in themselves.

Folksy Friday

2011-01-28T10:42:00.002Z

My new shop on Folksy has been going for a couple of weeks now so I thought I would celebrate by collecting together some lovely handmade goodies for a folksy friday. All three of the following bags are super-clever. They all reverse completely so you get two bags for the price of one. I've had a bag like this before and it was awesome to have the option of a totally different coloured bag to go with different outfits.

'Reversible Tote Bag' by "Betty P"

'Reversible Shoulder Bag in Pink, Green' by "milliemishmash"

'Petrol and Pink Reversible Bag' by "Pidgeonstitch"

Grey Cabled Bag

2011-01-27T14:06:00.003Z

I'm knitting a cabled bag for myself with some beautiful grey wool. I decided this could be another signature item that I could wear to advertise something I've made when out and about possibly talking about my shop with people I meet. I've managed a few cabled knits now and it's almost become easy and second nature. *Touch wood*.

The pattern is for a DK wool but my wool is aran. This won't matter as tension is irrelevant to bags as the worse thing that can happen is that it may be a few inches bigger. I've used 3mm needle for the garter stitch top instead of 3.25mm and I will use 3.75mm instead of the recommended 4mm to try and counter this.

There is only a chart to show you the 16 row pattern which is repeated so I am planning to sit down with some coloured pencils and colour code which squares are knit and which are purl. Of course they are coded already but you have to switch the symbol which is knit on a right side to mean a purl on the wrong side. I'm anticipating my head getting in a tangled mess so coloured pencils definitely need to be employed to aid my chart reading skills!

There are a lot of lovely patterns over on the Rowan website which are free to download.

You can download the pattern for the bag here.

Knitting Magazine

2011-01-26T15:57:00.002Z

I wanted to tell you about a lovely magazine I recently found amongst the sea of craft magazines in the shops. I've been buying this for the past 3 issues and think it's absolutely brilliant.

What sets Knitting Magazine apart from others in the same sector is the photography and projects. They are simply stunning and rival the beautiful Rowan Magazine. There are great book reviews in there along with very helpful letters and a tutorial which is quite advanced but the photos make me want to have a go as they are very easy to follow. In this month's issue there is an article about famous women who knit and also a free booklet about holidays and courses which I've found helpful too.

If, like me, you had struggled to find a knitting magazine which is a bit more advanced and will stretch you then I would highly recommend this one.

Organic wool & Folksy

2011-01-19T14:31:00.003Z

I finished these organic cabled wristwarmers just before christmas but wasn't able to list them in my etsy shop until now due to the complete absence of any sun!

You may remember that back in October I treated myself to some lovely hand dyed organic wool from Cornwall for UK wool week and it's knitted up brilliantly. Now they are knitted into a garment I can see the subtle shades of pink that glint through the purple...just beautiful...

In other news I've opened a new shop on folksy. I did have a folksy shop last year but shut it so I could focus my limited resources on etsy. Since then I have been challenged about this decision thankfully. Folksy is of course a UK market which makes it much more local and feels less distant. I hope if you are a UK customer you will feel like you are supporting a UK website when you buy from me there...

Supplies on etsy

2011-01-14T13:49:00.002Z

'Anna Brooch' by 'yalipaz' on etsy

Just popping in to take a break from a week of spending afternoons on my tax return. It's nearly finished, but as it's still 2 weeks off the deadline I thought I would take a break and look at it with fresh monday morning eyes after the weekend.

The recent terrorist package sent to the US has also caused major problems with normal post going into America for the past few weeks so I have been dealing with various customers obviously wondering where their packages are. They will get there eventually but I'm hearing that packages can be opened and at the very least screened at customs on their way so do bear this in mind if you are in america and have your eye on something from a shop overseas : )

In the meantime I thought I would share some purchases I've been making on etsy:

Kawaii tape from an assorment by 'Charmstore' on etsy

and finally:

'Blush buttons' by 'BigFish'

Such cool supplies and items from around the world...I do love etsy!

Cut and Paste

2011-01-08T15:32:00.003Z

I have finally finished all my cutting and gluing! I didn't want to stop recycling my moo cards as I was sure once I put half of them away I wouldn't get them out again. So I have cut and pasted 80 times over. What hard work it is!

I've also created a colour chart of my felted balls so that customers can make up a bag of colours of their own choosing. I used to love pick and mix in sweet shops and I feel just the same way when I shop for beads or other items you can select when shopping. It's so much fun to be in charge of your purchase that way.

What a colourful week!

Recycled Moo Cards

2011-01-06T17:10:00.003Z

I've spent an hour or two re-using my moo cards which have all my old contact details on from my old shop.

I used to be into papercraft before I came off work so have an extensive collection to pick from. I had only just got business cards in September and had ordered 100 so I was left with 80 after handing them out to people and putting a couple in sale envelopes for people to keep and give away to friends or family.

It feels better now I have done this as my first 3 sales in my new etsy shop took me by surprise! Which is nice but I hadn't figured out what to use. I used up some notelets with a row of brightly coloured doughnuts on with a handwritten note up until now but type always looks more professional I feel...

It's one of those tasks which aren't that creatively stimulating but which have to be done...along with my tax return! The tax return may not be so pretty to look at though : )

What have you done with Moo cards which is slightly different to the norm?

Felting with podcasts

2011-01-05T22:01:00.002Z

I've been busy making lots of felted balls while listening to lots and lots of crafty podcasts. I find the podcasts useful as they help me switch the world of the internet off for a while to concentrate and learn while making. One of the new podcasts I've found is 'iMake'. The last two podcasts I've listened to have been packed full of interesting stuff like interviews with local crafty business owners on the island of Guernsey and suggestions for makes and projects. I have also heard all about the history of Guernsey and the odd fact that Guernsey is the only place in the UK that doesn't get their christmas lights paid for by their local authority! I was particularly amused to learn that Martine is listening to the entire 100+ archive of CraftyPod podcasts just like me! A woman of taste obviously.

Expertly produced and well worth a listen...

New Year. New Creativity.

2011-01-03T14:15:00.004Z

'How Resolved Are You?' Art Print by thedreamygiraffe on etsy

We're three days into 2011 and already I feel inspired creatively. I have been felting away happily over the New Year Bank Holiday Weekend. There have been lots of scribblings about how long I need to work every day to attempt to make a little bit more money on etsy...more commonly known as a business plan. Now that I know to the minute how long I need to spend making each day I can relax when I finish safe in the knowledge it's all done. I've found it to be one of the most useful resolutions I've made already. This was how I organised my degree study at university...I would read so many pages a day or write so many words of an essay. If you stick to it it's fantastic and helps you meet deadlines. I've already made loads, and that's inspiring me even more (and helping me to tweet and blog guilt free!).

Happy new year and happy new creativity...

Open for business

2010-12-27T19:06:00.004Z

'I would like the cookie' by ara133photography on etsy

Just popping in to let you know that I have opened my shop after my christmas break. I hope you had a lovely christmas wherever you were and are looking forward to the New Year. I have a sale on my christmas decorations with 25% off until Tuesday 4th January. I have already adjusted the prices so you won't need a code.

The post in the UK is back to normal apart from a few exceptions so I can post items on:

Wednesday 29th December
Thursday 30th December
Friday 31st December before noon
Tuesday 4th January onwards

I will post items by Airmail or First Class post as soon as I can when you place your order.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T20:18:00.003Z

Photo by SweetBlue on Etsy

Just dropping in to wish all my readers a very merry christmas this weekend. I've had a wonderful year craft wise with such a sense of fulfilment even when things haven't gone my way and such a thrill when they have!

I've learnt to listen to harsh criticism and to persevere. I've learnt that the outcome of a project is absolutely proportional to the effort put in. I've also been constantly reminded of what a beautiful place the craft web community is. The novelty of being surrounded by wonderful people who understand my love of handmade never wears off.

I'm looking forward to a year which will hopefully be more financially productive as well as spiritually and intellectually fulfilling.

I hope you are too...x

Snow falls in Somerset

2010-12-18T13:41:00.002Z

I've been ankle deep in snow on a long walk this morning...hope you like this picture taken at firepool lock. Have fun if you are out and about in the snow!

Paper Chains

2010-12-17T14:05:00.002Z

Here is what I have made with the free downloads from Bonnie's magazine ...lots of paper chains to decorate all our rooms. Printed on recycled printer paper and reused next year, of course!

Sale in my etsy shop!

2010-12-16T22:34:00.004Z

I'm having a sale in my new shop! I'm offering 15% off in my etsy shop when you type the code 'LASTMINUTE' in at checkout. The offer will be on until next Thursday 23rd December when I will close. I will then re-open on Tuesday 28th December. I am not expecting any problems or issues with the post even with the snow forecast as I live two streets away from a post office in a large town. However, if you order now your package may not arrive in time for December 25th.

Also, if you need any last minute crafty ideas I've found a lovely free magazine from Bonnie at 'Going home to roost'. Lots of ideas from free wrapping paper to print to how to make bath bombs...my kind of magazine, and I hope, yours : )

Christmas shopping on etsy

2010-12-14T21:46:00.002Z

I recently finished this christmas pudding which is crocheted with acrylic yarn. I am still in the process of learning crochet and the other week I read about the official way to increase and decrease stitches, but I had made it up myself and stuck to my own method...it seems to work just fine so who cares huh?

I bought a huge ball of brown and white acrylic yarn over the summer and didn't think I would ever reach the end of them! So much cheaper than making mittens or hats and infinitely more fun...

Here are a few other christmas decorations in my shop which you can buy before christmas if you are in the UK and order before Saturday 18th December (this saturday). Unfortunately all other christmas postal deadlines for postage from the UK globally have now passed if you want items in time for December 25th. If you don't want them before xmas then feel free to shop away...

Gifts for men on etsy

2010-12-11T20:27:00.002Z

I had my first two sales today after opening my new shop 'SweetCuteHandmade' on etsy and so to celebrate I've rounded up a mini selection of gifts for men which have been handmade in the UK just in case you can't decide what to buy the men in your life:

'Dandelion with silver chain' by "AliBaliJewellery" from Scotland.

'Handmade soap gift box' by "SoapDragon" from Kent.

'Snowflakes Pure Silk Hand Painted Silk Tie' by "Julieriis" from Derby.

'Bedroom set cushion cover and hot water bottle sweater' by "ACrookedSixpence" from County Durham.

My new shop!

2010-12-02T22:20:00.002Z

It seems like a month has passed since my last blog post...I've been doing so much on etsy! I was in a virtual lab one night last week and finally made the decision to change my shop/business name. I felt I had learnt enough to make starting over completely worth while so took the plunge. The advice you get in etsy virtual labs is fab and I definitely recommend them. As you can see there are some new items in with my 'Celia Sews' stock and there will be plenty of new supplies being loaded over the coming weeks. It's called 'SweetCuteHandmade' if you want to take a look : )

I will blog soon on some knitted and crocheted items which I have finished...

Etsy sale

2010-11-27T14:31:00.003Z

Just thought I'd write a post to let you know that I am having a 10% off sale in my etsy shop . The sale will end at midnight EST Monday (5am Tues GMT) so you have three whole days to work out what you would like. Just enter the word 'SNOWMEN' when checking out : )

You will also receive 12 felt butterflies as a free gift with every order...happy browsing!

Taunton Christmas Lights

2010-11-21T19:39:00.004Z

Just popping in to show you a video I recorded after seeing a brilliant peformance at my local town christmas light switch on. The sound isn't perfect but enjoy...

Deliveries & Packaging

2010-11-20T12:30:00.003Z

I've been busy unpacking numerous packages in the last two weeks. This week my huge delivery of felting wool arrived in beautiful colours. I couldn't believe how soft the merino wool was...my heart leapt when I felt it and my hand glided over the surface. It was just like stroking the softest cat...

Once my heart stopped leaping and I calmed down I managed to start felting with my new sharp needles. I have been surprised at how many balls I have made this week. I am getting into a rhythm. I have been designing some packaging for them too to make them look professionally finished off : )

A big decision

2010-11-15T21:28:00.004Z

Just popping in to let you know that you still have about 36 hours left to enter my giveaway here. If you have entered before do remember to leave your comment underneath the blog post otherwise I cannot enter you for the prize. Thanks very much to those who have completed my survey. It's great to get some data to guide me as I can't hear what you say when you look at my shop or read my blog and I love any feedback!

I thought I would update you with how I'm getting on with my Prince's Trust offline venture....I've decided to wait until I am a more experienced maker to sell at a craft fair as it takes a lot of confidence which is something that has taken a severe knock since losing my job. What I do have is lots of determination, so I am looking at a 'consignment' option which means I am looking for somewhere to place my best products at no cost in someone else's shop who will then earn commission on my work if or when I sell...a lot like etsy really. I've decided this is a gentler way to come offline and won't involve any risk as I don't lose anything if I don't sell.

Do you have any experience of consignment? Did you sell a lot through another shop?

Christmas on Etsy

2010-11-11T20:16:00.004Z

Here are a few of my finds on etsy this week. This weekend marks the beginning of the six week shopping period for christmas. Don't forget that if you live outside the UK you will need to get thinking now as the postal deadline from the UK to outside is generally 6th December to guarantee delivery for the holidays. If you live in the UK it's 21st December...

"Decorative Christmas Snowflake Pillow Single Crochet" by 'KETCHIE'

"Holly Red Pearl Cluster Bracelet" by 'AMIdesigns'

"Little Angel stained glass Christmas tree ornament" by 'Rainbow Stained Glass'

"Dot-to-dot Letterpress Christmas cards, set of six" by 'wildinkpress'

Rainbow felt

2010-11-09T13:03:00.002Z

Just dropping in to excitedly tell you I now have 150 felt squares paid for with my business grant! The entire rainbow from titchables! What a delivery...it certainly was a needed rainbow on such a dull day : )

The Italian Artist

2010-11-08T21:09:00.002Z

I created a treasury today for the Treasury League Team on etsy. It features work from other members of the team and I think you'll agree when I say they are very talented indeed. I'm a huge fan of photography so always put two or three photos in. Heaven!

My first year on Etsy: Giveaway

2010-11-05T15:36:00.002Z

I'm celebrating my first year on etsy this week with a giveaway. I've had a nice first year settling into the large world of etsy and have just started to sell. I'm looking forward to what the second year will bring!

I've recently started reading 'Sew Hip' Magazine as it features a wide range of independent crafters and sellers. December's edition features designs by Laura Howard amongst many others. You can win this issue of 'Sew Hip', along with 12 felt butterflies and hearts, which I'm giving away free with every item in my shop, by taking my survey below:

Click here to take survey

Please be assured the survey is anonymous and your details will be completely separated from the survey. If you are concerned about this you could always take the survey then leave a comment a few days later.

The survey is mandatory if you are to be entered. Please take the survey then leave a comment saying you have taken it in the comments section with either your blogger address, email address or somewhere else to contact you such as twitter or facebook. Also mandatory is to tweet the words: "I've just entered the giveaway on Sewing is for girls to win the latest copy of Sew Hip Magazine: http://bit.ly/CwGXL!"

The winner will be picked in a random draw.

You can gain extra entries to this competition by doing one or more of the following, although you must remember to notify me of your actions in the comments section.

1. Become my fan on facebook

2. Become friends with me on facebook

3. Follow this blog either on networked blogs or on google reader - you will find the links on the right hand side of this blog

4. Follow me on twitter

This is available to anyone entering in the world. The giveaway closes at midday GMT on Wednesday 17th November 2010.

UPDATED: Thanks to everyone who took my survey and read this post. There was only one entrant so that person automatically wins! : )

Felting heaven

2010-10-29T19:41:00.002+01:00

This is my latest addition to my etsy shop. I managed to remember to pick up felting needles when I was out shopping recently. The first needle I had bought a few months ago had suddenly gone blunt and I hasn't realised. My new ones came in a pack of three so that should keep me going for a while. Apparently they go blunt quite quickly which is understandable with the amount of use they get when stabbing wool repeatedly...or perhaps I am just heavy handed?!

Either way I found some keychains I bought last year and finally thought of something to attach to them. I felted three balls from some pink wool roving and attached some sequins on with some (very useful) invisible thread. I love the look of felted balls...they are so soft yet so firm. I hope to progress with needle felting as I really love the feeling that you can mould the wool into any shape imaginable.

Pumpkin delight

2010-10-26T22:04:00.005+01:00

Photo source

With Halloween at the weekend I thought I would round up some vegan/vegetarian recipes available for free on the web. I think my favourite has to be the curry...it sounds delicious but the other two vegan ones are very tempting. Unfortunately if you are a meat eater you will have to do your own google search - it's my way of gently admonishing you...in the politest possible way of course. If you're not vegan or veggie why not try one of the recipes out, you may be surprised.

Vegan Pumpkin Soup from The Vegan Family

Vegan Pumpkin and Poppy Seed Muffins

Vegan Pumpkin Curry

Vegetarian Pumpkin Pie

Dark Horse

2010-10-25T21:05:00.004+01:00

Yesterday I bought this lovely horse from cross stitch queen 'sewingseed' on etsy. I was in heaven when I came across her shop! Such funky animals and designs. I don't cross stitch as much as I used to but still indulge occasionally. You can also buy the actual designs made up. It's now in my top 10 favourite shops on etsy!