Craft Matters

The Final Curtain Falls....

2010-09-01T00:05:00.000+01:00

....on the Craft Matters blog. It's been fun, but I've decided it's time to move on...

It's a new month tomorrow (oopsie, today!), and I'm getting a new name and a new blog for the new season....

Here it is: Very Berry Handmade

Come round and say hello! There's a Housewarming Giveaway happening very soon...

Long time no see...

2010-08-30T20:58:00.000+01:00

I've been really absent recently because I have big plans in progress....

This Craft Matters blog is coming to the end of its life.... Soon Very Berry Handmade will be born! In preparation of my big revamp I am having a sale in my Etsy shop. All prices have been reduced by 20%. Pop round and grab a bargain!

A Big Pink Project/Work-in-Progress Basket

2010-08-02T20:33:00.001+01:00

Here's what I've been working on in quieter moments amidst the great wedding outfit crisis that I've been having for the last 6 weeks... (sob). The yarn is the lovely Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed, which comes in some gorgeous colours, as you can see here. I don't think I could wear anything made with it (except maybe a big winter scarf) because it would be far too itchy for me, but it is lovely to use for this kind of housewares project, because it has so much body and texture.

I am dithering about selling the finished article because I like it so much, and I badly need the storage (most of my stash, yarn and fabric, is in plastic carrier bags...). I am definitely going to sell the pattern though - as soon as I've got it written up, that is.

The wedding is on Saturday, so just 4 days to go, but I think I have something to wear... wish me luck as I finish it all off.

Quite a bit on my plate..

2010-07-29T20:59:00.001+01:00

I've got a lot to do over the next week! I am still in pursuit of a lovely dress to wear for my brother's wedding... I've been dithering about this for days now, and in spite of my plans weeks ago now, I am as disorganised as ever... So, rushing around at the last minute, I went ahead and bought some absolutely glorious fabric from Ray-Stitch. I am so delighted with it - it's an organic crossweave cotton in a shade called rust. I think I am going to pair it with some of this lovely Amy Butler fabric (Martini in grey) - they do look fairly scrumptious together, in fact they look so scrumptious that I am afraid to start in case I mess it up. Fingers crossed I get it right.

I'm also crocheting a little cardigan to go with the dress - that's a bit easier because it's a fairly straightforward pattern. But I have to go and really crack on with it this evening or I am going to be in a serious panic because I have to do all this by next Saturday... And worse than that next week is a really busy one because we have family visiting on Monday, and then we are off up to London for the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) on Thursday. This will be my boys' 5th GBBF I think - it's a very civilised festival with an ace family area with lots of toys and games for them to play with. An excuse to include a cute picture of them at the the festival in 2005 - aged around 20 months. Lovely boys!

I'm also got a swap to do - I couldn't resist Meridien Ariel's Bookish Craft swap. I haven't really got the time but absolutely couldn't resist this one - books are so important in my life. My partner is Melanie who likes The Hollows series by Kim Harrison and other urban paranormal books. Urban paranormal is a totally new phrase to me, so you can see how far this is out of my comfort range! But that's what these swaps are all about - it's fun to have a challenge. I have an idea of what I am going to make for her - I just hope it works out ok and that she likes it. And that I get it finished somewhere even close to the deadline!

And on top of all that, today, I get an order for one of my crochet bunnies... I am delighted to get it - especially as it's from someone who has bought from me before - I love a repeat customer. My gosh, it couldn't have come at a busier time - but hey! I can take crochet to the beer festival can't I? I've breastfed twins there in the past, and no one batted an eyelid - so crochet's not going to cause a stir!

Right, I have to go and tuck my boys in, and then it's time to get to work!

Fabric News

2010-07-22T21:03:00.003+01:00

Alexander Henry - Around the World

I've added a couple of new sellers to the Great Big List of UK-based Online Fabric Shops. First up is Fancy Moon. Fancy Moon used to be an Ebay seller (I think called Fancy Nancy) and I was really disappointed when the Ebay shop closed because I'd be a huge fan of their selection - especially of very funky Christmas fabrics. They've now launched as a stand alone shop and I'm just as impressed. Having a look round at the moment the main strengths are Alexander Henry and Etsuko Furuya for Kokka (including a brilliant selection of Kokka interior weight fabrics). You can browse the fabrics in stock by designer, manufacturer or by theme (and there's a great choice of themes!) which makes finding just what you need very easy.To celebrate the launch of the new shop there is a 10% discount available on all fabrics until 31 July - just use 'launch' (without the inverted commas) as the coupon code.

Another fantastic new shop is The Cloth Seller, which specialises in organic and fair trade fabric, and as such, is offering something rather different and new to the UK - ethical fabrics where colour and style are the priority. The Cloth Seller states that all their fabrics ' have been grown and harvested using sustainable, organic farming practices' and that 'they are woven and dyed without the aid of dangerous chemicals'. Good news and definitely to be applauded and supported (an excellent excuse for buying!).

Geo Grand by Daisy Jainie

They are the UK distributor for a new organic fabric supplier called Daisy Janie Fabrics - the brain child of designer Jan DiCinto, who has produced a lovely graphic collection in very strong colours called Geo Grand. The Cloth Seller also stocks the lovely, and very practical Westfalenstoffe medium weight cottons and gorgeous heavyweight interior fabrics by Mod Green Pod.

Finally some news about one of my favourite sellers - Julia of Gone to Earth. The Gone to Earth blog has moved house and you can now find it just here! So don't forget to pop round there and make sure that you are up to date with all the news. To celebrate (not sure if that is the right word!) the move, Julia is having a brilliant giveaway of a fab book called Small Stash Sewing... really, what more reason do you need to go and take a peek?

Space Invader!

2010-07-20T11:49:00.000+01:00

Our rather precipitous return from our camping holiday meant that I had time to put together an entry for the Crafteroo Forum Summer Challenge (there's still time if you can get something made by Friday!). The theme is Space Invaders - which I've interpreted very loosely as anything vaguely alien! I used Tom's (my youngest twin by 2 minutes) drawing of an alien as my starting point. Here's the drawing - cute isn't it?! Tom has just started drawing obsessively after barely picking up a pencil or felt tip before. We are quite astounded and feeling very proud of him - we love his pictures - they are so full of imagination and verve. I've been wondering if I could try and get them printed up onto T-shirts and maybe even on some fabric. I'm definitely going to look into that... my son the designer!

I thought about creating a softy with some felt, but in the end decided to turn to my trusty crochet hook, especially as I have lots of lovely new colours of yarn, picked up in the sale at my local wool shop. Here's the finished article - I dithered about adding a trunk-like mouth, but in the end decided I like it how it is.. poor alien is going to have to take in sustenance in some other way! I also can't decide if it's a male or female, which is hampering any attempt to think of a name.. any suggestions gratefully accepted. Maybe I should ask Tom...

Holiday Drama!

2010-07-18T20:17:00.000+01:00

Well, we have had such a week in our tent in Wales... Ned and I are pretty seasoned campers by now - we've been camping as a couple since the early 90s, and with the boys since they were 9 months old. As you can seen from our lovely camping set up - we take it all pretty seriously! We're particularly proud of our tarpaulin... but maybe that's something that only fellow campers will appreciate...

In all our years of camping though, we've never experienced weather as bad as we had last week. We coped ok in the rain - in fact we rather like sitting in a cosy tent, with hot cups of tea, just spending time with the boys. And we had some lovely sunny spells too, when we spent time exploring the hills and rivers nearby, and taking a ride on the local narrow gauge steam railway. It was all going pretty well, in spite of the very damp conditions.

However, on Thursday night at about 11pm, the wind started to get up very strongly. We rushed outside and cleared away what we could and then went off to bed, hoping that all would be ok. I don't know about Ned, but I spent the next 2 hours praying that the tent would not collapse on top of us! It's hard to describe how scary it is to be inside a tent that is being violently wrenched about in the wind...

Sadly, at about 1am, a guy rope was ripped away from the tent causing one of the main tent poles to collapse. All of this was totally fixable, but not in pitch darkness in a howling gale, with rather upset children to sort out. We dived out of the tent and spent the rest of the night squeezed into our car, trying to get a bit of sleep.

The next day saw us waking early to more torrential rain and a lot of very wet stuff... For the first time ever we decided to give up on a holiday and come home... So here we are, back early, but glad to be safe and sound. We had lovely fish and chips last night and I've made scrumptious Victoria sponge today to cheer us up.

Some good things on our return:

An Etsy order from from someone who had actually been waiting for me to turn off my Vacation Mode setting - what a compliment!

The crochet project that I took with me to work on during the holiday survived all the trauma, and is looking pretty good so far.

Our garden is looking very pretty after some much needed rain.. tomatoes are growing to epic proportions and I harvested 4 courgettes for our pizza tonight.

So it's not too bad to be home (and we are planning to go camping again in September...).

Off on my holidays...

2010-07-11T19:46:00.000+01:00

Bye for a bit!

Finished this one today

2010-07-08T21:41:00.010+01:00

I'm trying to finish a couple projects off before we go off on our camping trip to Wales on Monday. Now that the World Cup has finished we are free to leave the house! I'm really looking forward to getting away and living the outdoor life for a few days. Nothing beats cooking and eating in the open air - I love it. And I can't wait to be sitting by the campfire with Ned, drinking single malt and looking at the stars.. just the World Cup Final, the 3rd place play-off match (why?), oh yeah, and the packing to do first...

So, back to the bag.... It's shoulder bag size, fully lined with an internal pocket (more zips!) AND I made bias binding, so I'm feeling most pleased with myself. As usual when I make something just out of my head, I am feeling slightly panicky now that I wont remember how to make it again. And as usual, if I say this to Ned, he'll just say - "didn't you write it down?". Well durrrr! Doesn't he know that writing it down would just interrupt my creative flow?!

A Big List of Fabric Sellers in the UK

2010-07-06T21:57:00.007+01:00

I'm leaving this here for the time being - but the most up to date version of this list can be found on my new blog at Very Berry Handmade. Please come round and say hello.

A couple of friends, who know about my fabric addiction, have recently asked me to send links to good online sellers. It made me realise that when you're starting out with sewing, it's difficult to know what the best fabric places are - and of course there seems to be new places opening up all the time. I've also seen lots of interesting sounding shops advertised recently in Sew Hip and Selvedge magazines that I'd love to investigate in the future (hope my other half isn't reading this...), so I'd make a big list of UK based fabric sellers who have a good selection of cottons for patchwork, dressmaking and accessory-making. Feel free to get in touch and recommend others if you know of them - and if you've used any of the shops listed here and have feedback, then I'd love to hear from you - then I can update the list with your experiences. Btw, the fabric images are for decoration only, and not an indication that they're available in the shops listed...

I've tried to limit this list to those shops with really good user interface, really good stock and/or unusual fabrics. Some sites haven't made it because I'm not particularly into their fabrics or the website is just too dreadful to use. Sites in bold are those that I've actually bought from myself.

Abakahn
Masses of 100% cotton to choose from - but mostly fairly traditional choices. Huge variety of other craft and dressmaking fabrics available too.

African Fabric Shop
A fabulous shop with a lovely range of fabrics that could never be described a run of the mill. Gorgeous beads and some really good kits too.

Backstitch
Not an enormous selection of fabric, but very well chosen (Kaffe Fassett, Valori Wells, Amy Butler etc.). There is a really excellent selection of patterns including Oliver + S and Colette.

Celtic Fusion Fabrics
Another very well chosen range with some designers & manufacturers that you don't see everywhere else, such as Saffron Craig, Naomi Ito (Nano Iro fabrics) & Westfalenstoffe. The pictures on the website are lovely, but I find the white on blue text a little difficult to read.

The Cloth Seller
The Cloth Seller specialises in organic and fair trade fabrics. This is a revelation if you're used to the standard organic and fair trade fabrics that are out there... They have cottons, jerseys, lawn and velvet & furnishing fabrics in stock, and manufacturers/designers include Westfalenstoffe, Daisy Janie (they are the UK distributor for Daisy Jainie) and Mod Green Pod.

Clothaholics.com
Kimono, Genshodo and indigo fabrics.

Cotton Patch
I really like Cotton Patch - because of their enormous range of fabric, notions, patchwork and quilting gadgets, books, patterns, fabric bundles & threads they are an essential destination for quilters in the UK. You could spend hours (and a fortune!) on this website. If you think you are going to be a regular, it is well worth joining one of their clubs which entitles you to discounts. There are some downsides - if you order a 1/4 metre you seem to get a skinny quarter rather than a fat quarter, the site is a bit catalogue-ish (lots of long lists), and delivery can be slow unless you pay for the expensive Express option.

Croft Mill
Lots of fun fabrics from people who are clearly very enthusiastic about their work. Really excellent prices too.

Ditto
A lovely range of dressmaking fabrics (and some cottons that would be great for patchwork and other sewing) at good prices. You can order online but payment is taken over the phone.

Doughty's Online
A new site to me, but has a wonderful selection of fabric at some GREAT prices. A really big range of Kaffe Fassett (always a draw for me) & other Rowan designers, and some very tempting batiks too. They also have lots of other fabrics, yarns, threads and craft materials. The website is also very easy to navigate, and they have a pricematch feature. I shall definitely be testing them out very soon.

Emma Garry Designs
Amy Butler, Heather Bailey and more. Not masses to choose from, but some good stuff here. There are also patterns, kits, and some beautiful handmade items.

The Eternal Maker
There are huge quantities of lovely fabrics here (lots & lots of gorgeous Kokka stuff for example), but it's quite to find them because the menus are quite hard to locate. 11/10 for stock, but it would be so fantastic if it was just a little bit easier to navigate the site.

Fancy Moon
A really excellent range of fabric - specialising in Alexander Henry amongst others. You can browse by designer, manufacturer and theme, which makes finding what you want very easy. The fabrics from the various designers are very well chosen. A real bonus is a big range of interior fabrics by Etsuko Furuya for Kokka.

Fabric*Garden (on Ebay)
Nice selection, including some lovely Japanese fabrics such as Sunny Place and Kokka. Seller has a 100% feedback rating.

Fabric Inspirations
I love the range of fabrics here, but I have to say I find the menu options on the website very limiting (thematic search only, very useful in itself, but what if you are after a particular designer or colour?), so I find it rather frustrating.

Fabric Land
This website is a total blast from the past and exhausting to use, but the prices mean that it can't be left out. No designer fabrics here, but lots of useful stuff at good prices (if you can find them...).

Fabric Rehab
Really lovely selection of more unusual contemporary fabrics, with the emphasis on retro and funky. A deservedly popular site, with a great design, but I would love more non-thematic menu options for browsing.

Fabrics Plus
A selection from Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Heather Bailey, Dena Designs, Makower and Moda.

Gaga Fabrics
Funky and retro fabrics with a lovely clear interface. Not a vast selection, but some very tempting things here, and the selection is a bit different.

Gone to Earth
I'm a regular at Gone to Earth - the customer service is second to none, and there is a very well chosen range of fabrics, patterns and notions which means that you're very likely to find almost everything you want. Delivery is always incredibly fast too.

Gossypium
Organic and fair trade fabric - not much choice at the moment but included because it's fair trade and organic.

Liberty
Lucky you if you can afford it! But always worth a look for a bit of inspiration if nothing else. The new season stuff at the moment is absolutely delicious.

LucyLovesFabric
Some of the standard designers here - Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, but also some really lovely vintage fabric finds. Definitely worth a look.

Lymington Fabrics
They have a very good range including Moda and Freedom Fabric. They have lots of fabric bundles, jelly rolls, charm packs on offer - which look fantastic. They also offer free delivery, which is always good.

MacCulloch & Wallis
Masses to choose from with the added bonus of huge quantities of gorgeous haberdashery.

Millie Moon
Not an enormous selection but some good fabrics including Amy Butler, Alexander Henry and Tilda.

Nerybeth Fabric and Crafts
Stocks Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Anna Maria Horner, Heather Bailey and Moda. Seems to have a very good range - sells sewing accessories & patterns too so this is a bit of a one stop shop.

Patch Fabrics
Very nice site with a good selection of fabrics, including a fair few from Michael Miller. I particularly like the lovely fabric bundles and inspiration packs. If you are nervous about choosing fabrics then bundles are a good way to find stuff that go together.

Quality Fabrics 4U (on Ebay)
This Ebay shop has one of the widest selections I have seen in this survey - majoring in Michael Miller and Alexander Henry, with some good prices too.

Quilters Cloth
A lovely site, with a really excellent menu to allow easy browsing. There appears to be an absolutely excellent range here, including gorgeous batiks. They have some lovely fabric bundles too.

The Quilt Room
A strangely impersonal website, but there's some lovely fabrics here, including the gorgeous French General Rouenneries, and some lovely heritage and reproduction fabrics.

Ray Stitch
A really lovely new site with a gorgeous and very different selection of fabrics including Cloud 9, Kokka, and plain organic cottons.

Saints and Pinners
A very representative collection of all the current fave designers like Heather Bailey, Tanya Whelan, Amy Butler & Erin McMorris. Very useful browsing menu too.

Seamstar
Another shop with a really imaginative selection of fabrics, including sproutdesign from Australia, Hoodie and Lauren & Jessie Jung. They've got some really great free project patterns on the site too - very inspirational.

So there you go - hope you find it useful.

So, the dress is all finished...

2010-07-04T17:06:00.003+01:00

Here it is.. not a terribly exciting photo I'm afraid, but at least it proves I tackled the dressmaking and survived. Actually, it was pretty straightforward and unstressful in the end. The pattern was a very easy one, and my sewing skills have significantly improved since I last did any proper clothes making. I really enjoyed doing it, and am pleased with how it's turned out. It's lovely and comfy to wear, and I think quite flattering too. Having said all that, after nearly reducing myself to tears of frustration trying to find some fabric I liked to make the 'proper' version of the dress, I've decided to wear something else for the wedding. And to cheer myself up I have bought a pair of these gorgeous red sandals as my starting point... Well, a girl can change her mind (and buy shoes) can't she?!

I was tempted to just wear this dress, but there is a weird stripe on one side, because I bought it from a remnant shop. It was quite liberating working with such cheap fabric - it was great not to have to worry too much about cutting in the wrong place on some expensive stuff - I think that was partly what I was stressing about when it came to buying more fabric. The upside of all this is that I have a lovely new casual summer dress, which I think will look great later on in the year too, with a long-sleeve top underneath, or a cardie on top. Result!

Now, I'm off back to lie on the sofa and digest my gooseberry fool.. ahh, Sunday afternoon bliss...

Dressmaking...

2010-06-25T21:04:00.002+01:00

My little brother is getting married this summer, and rather than traipse round the shops looking for, and not finding, something good to wear I have decided to make something for myself... I want to do something a little bit different so I had a look at all the wonderful vintage patterns that are available on Etsy. There are tons sellers of vintage patterns available on Etsy - I used Goofing Off, and was really impressed with the quick delivery from the USA.
Here's the one I bought:

I'm making the sleeveless version, and am planning to crochet a little shrug or spencer to wear with it (maybe whilst we're on holiday next month), just in case! Rather than rush straight in there with the final version, I am making a prototype with some cheap grey fabric. It's going really well so far, but I wont speak too soon!

As usual Flickr is a brilliant resource for inspirational dressmaking. Mame*'s Clothes I Made is an incredible line-up of gorgeous clothes, many made with vintage fabrics. This dress is my favourite, I think, but it's hard to decide!

Yesterday I listed a few new things on Etsy too - here they are in all their glory:

I had such a busy day, because I also managed to squeeze in a bit of domesticity. I made a sourdough, some rhubarb compote and a new batch of our addictive House Granola. It's so good, I've written up the recipe for you on our Seasonal Matters blog - give it a try!

It's a start..!

2010-06-16T22:15:00.001+01:00

The bags of fabric bits are oppressing me... And in spite of wanting to get going with some patchwork projects, at this time of year (busy in the garden), I haven't got time to experiment with anything too complicated. So thinking of lovely strippy quilts that I've seen on Flickr and at the V&A exhibition, I decided to just start sewing little pieces of fabric into strips and think about what to do with them later. It was lovely to sit and sew in straight lines, and not worry too much about colour and design! So once I had my strip, what to do with it? Here's what I came up with..

Yes... it's another zippered pouch... Now I've worked out how to do this kind of zipper I can't stay away from them. This time I've made the zip look even neater by covering the ends in this lovely tidy way. The other thing to know about this colourful little pouch is that the lovely grey linen used to be a skirt and that sophisticated grey and white lining fabric is an ex-shirt. I do like to recycle - it gives me a real buzz not to throw things away.... but it does, of course, mean a lot more bags of fabric. Oh dear!

9 Patch Perfection

2010-06-13T16:40:00.001+01:00

We've been talking about the attractions and problems of hoarding on At A Kitchen Table (the lovely parenting forum where I hang out). I'm not really a hoarder because I really don't like clutter, but you wouldn't know it if you saw my house! It's overflowing with fabric, yarn, craft books, magazines, buttons, and all sorts of crafting ephemera. Partly it's because our storage is really limited, but it's also because I really can't bear to throw away anything that is bigger than absolutely tiny! So I am hugely keen to get going with some patchwork to use up some of the masses amounts of scraps that I have 'stored' in carrier bags... I'd quite like to make some 9 patch and log cabin pin cushions, and maybe, if I have some bigger pieces, I could try some proper-sized cushions...

I've been browsing on Flickr for some 9 patch inspiration... Look at these beauties!

1. 1930's 9-patch quilt, 2. Nine-Patch Quilt, 3. crazy9patch11, 4. Hugs & Kisses, 5. 9 errrr.....10 Patch Baby Quilt, 6. 9 A Day Quilt Along, 7. scrap 9 patch close, 8. crazy nine patch quilt

So, what are you guilty of hoarding? Tell me all about it! I was actually thinking of doing a hoard-busting challenge (with a prize of course - maybe I could declutter some of my craft books!) - if you're interested in playing along, please do say (you're not committing yourself - just expressing an interest!), and I'll try and think of some rules...

Getting all prepared!

2010-06-11T16:01:00.000+01:00

I'm off to the Creative Open Workshops Handmade Fair tomorrow, so I'm getting myself sorted today - finishing off a few bits of pieces, doing some ironing (yawnnnnnn....) and making price labels. I've also taken advantage of the sudden appearance of the sun to dash out and put a net over my French beans - now they've finally germinated, something (wood pigeons maybe?) wants to nibble them.

I've just this minute finished this fab market trader apron so that I can keep my huge stash of cash nice and safe:

I used this ace tutorial by KitschyKoo (yes, I copied her spotty fabric choice too - what can I say, I'm easily influenced). The floral fabric is some groovy Free Spirit stuff that I picked up cheap at Abakhan (genius shop). Feeling a bit nervous about tomorrow because I've decided to go on the train - hopefully there wont be any hold ups and my bags wont be too heavy! Wish me luck!

Conquered the Zipper...

2010-06-07T20:41:00.001+01:00

I have really really struggled today to get to grips with making a lined, zippered pouch. Most people who have a go (judging from all the tutorials that are out there) seem to struggle with the outer fabric, zip, inner fabric sandwich that you make (doesn't that sound delicious) when you are starting to assemble fabrics plus zip, but I got my head round that ok. My big problem was that after sewing round all the edges and turning the complete purse the right way, the zipper didn't seem to sit quite right - no one goes into much detail about this bit, so I had no hints to help me on my way. I wont go into detail because it's very hard to explain if you haven't made one of these yourself (and, errr, a bit boring!), but the good news is I finally worked out where I was going wrong.. What a relief... So now I've mastered buttonholes and zips and I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. Here's the finished pouch. I love these fabrics - the floral stuff is Geranium Leaf in Taupe (good grief taupe is a truly horrible word) by Philip Jacobs for Rowan. Cottonpatch have this in a few colours at the moment in their bargains section at £1.85 per 1/4 metre. The other fabric is Cotton Shot in Sludge (!!) by Kaffe Fassett - it's absolutely lovely and not at all like sludge!

Mastering the pouch was a complete distraction from the great wallet search, but I needed something to give my brain a rest (I didn't plan on struggling with the zip!). I am hoping to make a few more of these before the weekend, using other fabrics too, to take along to Creative Open Workshops Handmade Market that I'm doing this weekend (look - there's my needle book on the poster!). I'm really looking forward to this market, once I've got over the logistics of getting down to Birmingham. I've had a look at the things that the other sellers make and I really have to remember NOT to take too much money with me otherwise I'll be in great danger of spending more money than I make.

Wallet 1.0

2010-06-01T19:21:00.005+01:00

So after a bit of time thinking, drawing and sewing, here's my 1st attempt at a wallet. Don't look too closely or you'll spot a few mistakes. Put it this way - it wont be appearing in my shop any time soon! I've found that it's very rare for me to hit upon a design that you're happy with the first time round, and this time is no exception. There's quite a few slightly dodgy sections here!

The positives: I'm really happy with the outer section - it looks very simple and (I hope) sophisticated - although I must say it's really hard to go wrong with this yummy Amy Butler fabric. I also like the layout - 3 card pockets, a little section for change, another pocket for receipts, shopping lists, stamps and all that other ephemeral I seem to collect in my wallet, and a section for paper money (that you can't see - it's in between the outer fabric and all the inner pockets.

The negatives: in my enthusiasm to get it all finished I forgot to topstitch the pockets, which means they look a bit wonky and a bit home-made rather than handmade... There's also a bit too much clumsy stitching and bumpy seams for me to be completely happy with it - that was mainly because I miscalculated the seam allowance, so had to squeeze everything a bit too much so that it would fold up right. The main design problem is that seam down the middle of the inner section - it makes everything far too bulky and hard to sew and fold. So, I'm off to have a rethink... By the way - if you want to leave a comment, I would love to knwow what you look for in a wallet..

New Facebook Store

2010-05-29T22:07:00.002+01:00

I'm proud to announce the launch of my new store on Facebook! Here's the link:

Craft Matters on Facebook.

For the next couple of days (until the end of May), to celebrate the launch and because we're all in holiday mode, all Facebook Fans will get a 5% discount. So pop along now to have a look.

Quilts 1700-2010 at the V&A

2010-05-28T20:19:00.006+01:00

I had a wonderful time in London last weekend - and have been trying to catch up with myself every since which is why I haven't updated recently.

The Quilt exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum was an absolute joy - I spent a good couple of hours having a look at the wonderful quilts that they have collected together. The only down side was the poor quality of the information provided alongside the pieces - I assume that was an attempt to encourage you to buy the book linked to the exhibition... I would have loved to read more information about the practicalities of putting together quilts, but that was sadly lacking. However, the quality of the items on display more than made up for that.

I could probably go on at length about almost ever piece in the exhibition, but as I don't have any photographs (not allowed) I'll just mention my favourite piece a coverlet (i.e. it is not wadded) created in 1820 by Ann West, who it seems, was probably a tailor in the Somerset area. It is created on a wool background with masses of wool applique and is a very early example of this kind of work as well as being the only known example of work like this created by a woman (they were often created by male tailors to advertise their work).

The pieces of fabric have been manipulated and sewn so that the pictures she has made are incredibly textured, full of life and absolutely captivating. She has intertwined biblical scene and every day domestic vignettes - the central panel is a well loved biblical image of Adam naming the animals - the animals pictured include a squirrel, a robin, a goose, a peacock, a hedgehog, a turkey and a monkey, and the whole thing is adorned with very modern-looking wool flowers. In this detail you can see a little band of performers and street sellers - one playing a little violin, and others with masks. I have thought about this coverlet loads since I saw it - and always with a smile. Can you believe that it was discovered a few years ago, folded in a trunk in someone's garage. The owner used the money he got from its sale to fund a trip to the Football World Cup!

Since I've been home I've been working on my Facebook Store, putting the final touches for a VW Campervan ATC for a swap, and working on my design for a wallet, as well as trying to get our garden into some kind of order. It's been such a cold winter and spring, but with the recent warmer weather all the plants of gone completely crazy, trying to make up for lost time! It's lovely to be out there though - I don't think I'll be working on any huge quilts any time soon - definitely a winter activity.

What I made today...

2010-05-21T20:04:00.005+01:00

I've been catching up with all the blogs I follow and popped round to Handmade at Home - a lovely blog written by Kelly in West Sussex. First I was drawn to the lovely heathery colours of the Noro shawl that she's recently completed, and then I spotted a lovely bag she'd made too...

To make her fab bag Kelly had used a tutorial and pattern from the VeryPurplePerson blog. It's a brilliant blog and a very wonderful pattern - quick to do, and the has a lovely shape. Here's my first attempt - I actually made it a little bit wider because I need to get a fair bit of stuff in it! It still looks good, but I think in future I'll stick to the pattern! I'm looking forward to making lots more. A good excuse to stock up on yet more fabric! The fabric I've used for this one is some vintageLaura Ashley fabric that I remember mum buying at a sale back in the mid-80s! I really love it... The buttons are Oxfam finds - I think they are glass and they are utterly fabulous. This one is definitely a me me me project! Novita the blogger from VeryPurplePerson, has some lovely patterns and tutorials, it's definitely worth popping round to take a look - there's lots of inspiration there.

I'll be getting lots more inspiration tomorrow because I am off to London... partly I am catching up with old friends, but I'm also taking the opportunity to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see Quilts: 1700-2010 - a major exhibition that they have on at the moment. Can't wait!

Some New Needle Books

2010-05-17T21:55:00.003+01:00

Here are some of the needle books I made in preparation for the craft fair the other week. Some pretty green ones:

The 1st uses some cute spotty fabric from Amy Butler called Sunspots, and the other is Floating Flowers by Kaffe Fassett, which is one of my all time favourite fabrics. Isn't that green button cute? I picked it up on ebay as part of a set of vintage buttons - I love it!

Here are some very BRIGHT needle books:

I love that combination of pink cord and blue button with the Free Spirit sewing-themed fabric. The heart fabric is thrifted - it's part of a blouse I bought last summer - partly re-purposed for a sun hat (which was very cute!), and now I've used this last bit for a needle book. It's very vibrant - you'd certainly struggle to lose this needle book amongst all your crafty bits and pieces! These are all up for sale on Etsy now, and will be coming to my in-development Facebook store soon. Facebook fans will get a 5% discount during the first couple of days of my shop opening so sign up as a fan now! I'll be adding some more needle books over the next couple of days too.

Inspiring Wallets

2010-05-14T16:47:00.006+01:00

1. upcycled vintage leaf pocket wallet, 2. handmade wallet in designer fabrics, 3. Embroidered Wallet Plum Zinnia on Seafoam, 4. Tomboy Wallet, 5. plaid and fern purses, 6. crochet/sewn purse !, 7. 3 Pocket Flip Wallet-Lollipop Forest, 8. big wallet . ziazia., 9. Wallet - Flower outlines

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Other half and I both woke up feeling a bit under the weather today, so we've taken a long weekend (we home-school our boys and work from home so we get to do that kind of thing!) and we've tried to have a relaxing (if shivery) day.

I've not been feeling like doing any proper crafting, so I've had a really enjoyable time browsing on Flickr for inspiration. A lot of people have mentioned how much they like the style of my needle books, but they don't sew... so I've been thinking that I'd like to design a wallet along similar lines.

I'm trying to work out how I want to structure my design, and it's always worth having a look at how other people have approached the challenge. Aren't these examples really yummy? I'm sitting here now trying to work out which one is my favourite, but it's very difficult - number 3 and number 8 are extra wonderful, but really I love all of them. Which ones do you like best?

I love this lovely flickr mosaic tool! It's great to play with - here's a mosaic of the knitting needle and crochet hook rolls that I've listed on Etsy this week.

I was hoping to get more of my wares listed on Etsy this week and set up my planned new Facebook Store... but the weather has been terrible for taking photos - it's been so cold and rainy here - so I'm hoping for a bit more brightness next week and some motivation to get through the long slog of listing everything. In the mean time - have a great weekend everyone!

Craft Fair Essentials

2010-05-11T15:54:00.014+01:00

I thought it would be really helpful to record all the helpful information I got from my fellow crafters when I was getting myself sorted for the fair last week.... yes, it's a craft fair tutorial..! I couldn't think of a good way of illustrating this one so here's a picture of a pin cushion which was the first thing that I sold at my first ever fair..

What you need to take:

Stuff to sell (well of course!) - take as much as you can, and don't forget to practice your stall arrangement if it's your first time. Seeing my 'practice table' helped me feel a lot more confident about the whole thing.

Price labels - I grouped my items and used general labels so as not to clutter up my small table too much.

Wrapping stuff - I used pre-cut tissue paper - and sticky tape in a dispenser.

Carrier bags/other bags/your packaging of choice - I just grabbed a load of bags we have saved at home.

Cover for your table - I chose a cream throw so that all my colourful fabrics stood out beautifully. I also spent aeons ironing the thing - which is very important! In future I am going to try and find something that doesn't crease...

Large bulldog clips - or something similar to hold yor table cover in place - I didn't have these and could definitely have done with them, to make sure nothing slipped. I expect that they would be absolutely essential at an outside fair on a windy day.

Large sign or banner - to tell the world who you are.

Lots of lovely business cards - and remember to give them out! I totally failed here - but next time will try a lot harder. I got so busy chatting to people that I forgot all about giving them my cards.

Small sign telling people more about your work and your inspiration - I used an old photo frame that stood up nicely on my table without taking too much space. I found it really useful because it acted as a conversation starter with customers.

Display stands of your choice - to create more space and some different levels on your table. I used boxes under my table cover which worked pretty well, but hope to invest in some more fabulous display stands when I can.

Props to dress your table - if you've got a large table then I think it's really worth while using a few bits and pieces to create a stronger brand image. I used crochet hooks, knitting needles and lovely colourful pins, vintage thread and buttons to add to the crafty vibe.

Paperwork - basically whatever you need! For this particular fair I needed just my insurance details, but if you're using electrical stuff you need your safety certificates and you may need your table booking information too.

Receipt book and/or sales book - to record your transactions. Pens and paper and a visitors book/mailing list for people to sign is also a really good idea.

Box or money belt (!) for your cash - a money belt would be particularly useful if you are doing a fair by yourself - that way you know where your money is at all time. If a money belt sounds like a really unattractive idea, pop over to Kitschy Coo's blog - she has a fantastic tutorial for a Craft Vendor Apron. I would have made one if I'd had the time before the fair.

Float - how much you need really depends on the price of your goods - it helps to have prices with whole numbers! I took about £50 in loose change and a few £5 - in the event I barely needed any of it, but it was good to feel confident that I had enough.

Something crafty to do during quiet moments - this can be a great conversation starter too. I had several conversations about crocheting flowers.

Refreshments - your hot drink of choice in a flask, a bottle of water, some non-messy sarnies (Jane of Hooked Yarn shared her experience of a very messy coronation chicken sandwich!) and biscuits to share with your fellow vendors. Don't waste your profits on buying food and drink at the fair!

Trolley/case on wheels - to get your stuff from your car to the venue. I used the one that came free with my sewing machine - the 1st time I've used it!

Tissues, wet wipes, first aid stuff and make-up.

Bin bags - for any mess you create - this is also useful if you're outside and you need to keep your stuff protected when it rains.

And:

Research cheap convenient parking - and print out a local map to get you there easily, if you don't have satnav.

Dress in lots of layers - that way you're prepared for whatever the weather - even though we were inside on Saturday I was pretty cold and wished I'd worn thicker tights!

So, I hope that's useful to you, I'm sure I'll be referring back to it now I've caught the craft fair bug... I've compiled all this information with a huge amount of input from:

Toadybobbins (blog and Folksy shop)

Big Blue Bed (etsy shop, folksy shop and blog)

Gloria (dichro-findings shop and blog)

Hooked Yarn (blog and shop)

So a great big THANK YOU! goes to them.

The Craft Fair!

2010-05-10T14:32:00.004+01:00

So, I really enjoyed my first craft fair...! I did lots of preparation and everything ran very smoothly - thanks to lots of really useful advice from my friends at Crafteroo. Unfortunately it was an incredibly cold and rainy day and so customers were very thin on the ground - I would estimate that only about 30 or 40 people came through the doors, but in spite of that I made 5 sales - which is about 4 more than most... It was also really useful to chat with other sellers, do some networking and get some recommendations for good events to go to. Here's some photos of my packed up goodies:

One of the best things about the day is the lovely feedback I got from some of the buyers and other sellers. It was such a boost, and their kindness really helped me to ignore the buyers who clearly didn't share my taste... Can't wait to do my next fair now!

Claire's Pin Cushion Swap

2010-05-02T15:40:00.003+01:00

I'm so busy doing tons of creating in preparation for my 1st ever craft fair (have I mentioned this before??!!) next week, that this blog has been severely neglected. But, even though I feel quite panicky to be separated from my sewing machine just now, I really do need to do a little round up of the swaps I participated in during April - especially now that May is here!

First up is Claire's Pin Cushion Swap... My swap partner was Jessica of Frosted Treats. She was really quick of the mark in getting my swap gift to me (a swap swot indeed!) - look at the dinky little pin cushion she made:

It's so pretty and such a great idea to use a pretty cup as the base of the cushion. It's already seen plenty of use - it's very useful to have such a stable pin cushion to shove pins into when I'm feeling full of sewing frustrations...! She also sent me loads of lovely extra goodies (yarn, pretty buttons, trims and more!), all with a blue theme. What a treat!

My return gift was sent at almost the very last minute - no change there then! - and I'm afraid that DISASTER STRUCK... (I may be overstating this a little)... it got caught up in all the volcanic ash delays and so Jessica had to wait very patiently for her swap goodies to arrive. Here's what I sent...

Jessica makes gorgeous cupcake beads for her Etsy shop, so I thought a cupcake theme was the obvious choice. I think she liked it - I certainly enjoyed making it. A very successful swap all round. You can see all the other pin cushions that were swapped over at the Flickr pool. Thanks to the very talented Claire for setting it up.

Working Through My Stash

2010-04-06T19:51:00.006+01:00

I'm busily preparing for my first ever craft fair at the moment & haven't got much time for blogging - but this place is seriously in need of an update! I'm trying hard to make use of the fabrics in my stash to create lots of loveliness to wow the public with (ha ha), and these coasters are one of the things I've come up with. I bought a charm pack of the Rouenneries collection from French General quite a while ago now - I was totally seduced by all those beautiful reds and faded creams and browns - it's a gorgeous collection. I wondered about making a bag or two, using the squares in decorative strips (an idea I'm definitely going to use at some point), but time being rather limited, I decided to do something a little more straightforward.

These coasters were huge fun to make, so much so that I'm just completing some more using Amy Butler fabrics. What worries me about them is whether people buy coasters any more, and what on earth to charge for them! They take a fair bit of time to make, and I have a feeling that if I charge a realistic price for them no one will be interested. But that's so often the trouble with handmade. Ho hum - I guess all I can do is give it a go.

First Ever Artist Trading Card

2010-03-21T15:57:00.003Z

Over at UK Handmade, Kella of Creative Wishes has set up an ATC Swap group. The 1st swap is now underway and the theme is Trees. Here's what I've come up with. I'm pretty satisfied with it for a first attempt and I hugely enjoyed the process of thinking up what to make. I am looking forward to it as an opportunity to learn lots of new techniques and to experiment within the limits of the form. If you want to get involved then pop over to UK Handmade and sign up to the ATC swap group - swaps are going to be taking place every month.

Before and After...

2010-03-15T14:43:00.004Z

I came downstairs this morning to this terrible sight in my living room.... I've only used a tiny photo in an attempt to cover up my shame, but it's still pretty terrifying isn't it ?!

This is pretty much what happens every time I put together a patchwork block. For this particular block - a Log Cabin pattern - I needed 4 co-ordinating lights & 4 co-ordinating darks, and first I had to decide which shades I had to use. Blues and greens maybe? Purples and greens? Reds & purples? Then I had to come up with enough fabric each of my chosen colours. And that, of course, meant getting out practically my entire fabric stash, unfolding it, trying different combinations, then trying more different combinations..... well, you get the picture.

It's all tidied away now and, best of all - it came out happily in the end:

The Etsy Midlanders Giveaway is Here!

2010-03-14T18:31:00.002Z

Get round to the Etsy Midlanders blog to be in with a chance of winning one of 6 mystery prizes. Good Luck!

A Large To Do List..

2010-03-11T20:25:00.005Z

I don't expect anyone to read this post really. It's mostly just a reminder to myself of the stuff that I've signed up for/volunteered for over the next few weeks... First, and of most interest to you, dear reader, is the Great Big Etsy Midlanders Giveaway Competition. I can't tell you just how Big and how Great this giveaway is going to be. Put Sunday in your diary and get ready to sign up for the 1st round of prizes.

Over at UKHandmade I'm taking part in their 1st ever Artist Trading Card swap. I had no idea what ATCs were (learning all the time!) but as soon as I had a look at some of the ATC groups on Flickr I had to sign up. Just take a look at some of the brilliant work in the Fabric and Textile ATC group. Our 1st theme is Trees - and my 1st ever ATC is just about complete - I'm looking forward to seeing what other people have made, especially as some of my favourite crafters have also signed up.

I've also signed up for Claire's Pin Cushion swap. As I've really got an enthusiasm for pin cushions at the moment (a brilliant opportunity to mix crochet and fabric), this hopefully isn't going to be too stressful. Just to make this a less tedious list of stuff I have to do - here's a pic of one of my recent pin repositories.

Finally I've just this minute decided to take part in Kitschy Coo's Design-It-Yourself Clothes Sew-Along. The group is using Cal Patch's book, Design-It Yourself Clothes, which is an introduction to making your own patterns. I bought it last week but definitely need some motivation at having a go - so here's the kick up the arse that I need. My dream is to own a pair of trousers that fit... But we are starting simple with the skirt. As I appear to only have 10 days, I better get ON....

The Etsy Midlanders Giveaway is Coming!

2010-03-05T19:05:00.008Z

I'm a member of the Etsy Midlanders team - it's brilliant to be able to chat and support other crafters who are local to me. I'm currently organising 2 great big MYSTERY GIVEAWAYS with 9 other members of the team, so that means that there are going to be 10 lucky winners over the next few months. I thought I'd give you a sneak preview of the work (not necessarily the prizes!!!) of Etsy sellers who are going to be contributing to the giveaway... There'll be more information on the Etsy Midlanders blog really soon so call back here or there soon!

PepperPi

Collectible plush characters...

Sarah Myatt Glass

Gorgeous jewellery...

Jacksknits

Cute knits..

Vintage Finds

Fun vintage....

Anna Clifton Jewellery

Fabulous contemporary and eco-friendly jewellery...

Brimborion

One of a kind brooches, dolls and more...

Lewesia Glass

Beautiful hand-painted glass...

Vintage Wants Not Needs

Lovely vintage finds...

kjmakes

More amazing handmade jewellery...

Craft Matters

My crocheted and hand-sewn accessories:

Mind the Gap - A Granny Square Pattern

2010-02-25T15:34:00.015Z

You can now find this pattern on my new blog - Very Berry Handmade.

Misi Makers for Monday

2010-02-22T15:45:00.004Z

Here are some of the items that have caught my eye on Misi lately. There are some very talented people selling there.

I love Lydia Meiying's gorgeous card designs - aren't these owls really sweet?

I think this would make a great Mother's Day card - well, I'm a mother and I'd love it!

The combination of colours in this granny square scarf by Squeaky Elliot are very striking (love the bench too!). And I do like a granny square...

Because it's cotton it would be great for spring time.

It was hard to decide what to include from Bonbi Forest - I like the t-shirts and the scarves especially. So I decided to keep with the owl/scarf theme and include this fabulous green hand printed scarf:

Isn't it lovely? I really love hand printed fabric. I'd love to have a go myself but I don't feel at all confident in my artistic ability - so in the mean time I'll just have to admire other people's work.

Swapping Synchronicity!

2010-02-17T10:06:00.006Z

At the moment I've got lots of ideas for future posts - coming soon are:

- A granny square pattern

- Lovely pictures of the new knitting needle rolls I've been making

- A pick of some of my favourite sellers on Misi

- EtsyMidlanders - a focus on my fellow Etsy makers in the Midlands

So that should keep me busy for a while! In the mean time I want to say a huge thank you to Elaine of Inki Handmade who sent me these brilliant stamps as part of Juanita Tortilla's White Elephant Swap. What a great package to get... It was a bit of synchronicity because just recently I had decided to buy a few stamps to brighten up my Craft Matters packaging. I've only got one so far (!), so it was fantastic to get 4 more to add to my very small collection.

One of the great things about these swaps is that you get to meet so many talented crafters - Elaine has some fab things in her Etsy shop - and at the moment one of her lovely creations is up for grabs in The Lost Earring's Mystery Prize Giveaway. Pop round there straight away to be in with a chance of winning!

Crochet is for (Granny) Squares

2010-02-03T14:03:00.005Z

Although I do try and make a bit of money out of my crafting (haha) it's always good to be able to make something for yourself too - otherwise I find resentment builds up very quickly.. It's also really nice to have an easy, long-term, project to be getting on with in times when inspiration fails, or when you just need something to do whilst you're watching Mad Men (it's back - hooray!). So when I spotted the Granny a Day Challenge at Meet Me at Mike's, it didn't take me a minute to decide to join in.

The aim is to crochet a Granny Square every day, for as many days as you like during 2010. I signed up sometime in mid-January and I have managed to finish quite a few squares, although definitely not one a day. It's more like none for 5 days then 3 on the next 2 days!

Granny squares are great for beginners to crochet because they come along very quickly, they're very straightforward to make (some more than others though, so make sure you choose a simple pattern!) and they can look absolutely brilliant. Have a look at the Granny a Day Flickr group for inspiration - it's fabulous.

If you haven't learned to crochet yet then I highly recommend it - it's one of the most rewarding & gratifying of crafts, and so versatile too. There's lots of fantastic resources to help you on the web - here are just some of my favourite places:

A Little Bit of Crochet Inspiration

Meet Me at Mike's Crochet School - with lots of lovely video clips to help you with your skills - and it goes very very slowly so you never feel out of your depth.

Planet June - masses of tips here with loads of inspiration and patterns to make amigurumi (tiny yarn creatures)

Attic24 - a wonderful blog by Lucy who has provided the inspiration for my Granny Square colour scheme - a great place to go if you need a cheer up..

Ravelry - a brilliant online community with 1000s of patterns and people to inspire crocheters and those other people

What Not to Crochet - if you need a break from your experiments in crochet... there's a truly terrifying selection of items here

*******

Back to my squares... This is what I've done so far. Pretty colours aren't they? I'm using some leftover Mirasol T'ika 100% Cotton, and although this is supposed to be a stash-busting project I expect I will end up buying more Mirasol cotton because it's so lovely to work with and the colours are great. For most of the squares (which are just 6") I've used the Summer Garden Granny Square from Attic24. The others are mostly versions of squares from Beyond the Square Crochet by Edie Eckman. I've also used a pattern of my own which I am hoping to post on here if I can remember exactly what I did... My plan is not very original - I want to make a great big blanket for our bed. As I type this I'm looking at snow falling again, and thinking that this time next year, I will have a lovely bright blanket to snuggle up in on days like these. Can't wait!

And the Winner is....

2010-01-18T15:47:00.005Z

Big fanfare and round of applause for the winner of my 100th blog post celebratory giveaway who is........

Louise Carswell!

Congratulations Louise, it will be coming to you very soon. Louise is a fellow MISI shop proprietor. Her venture is called Loubie Jewels and she sells very pretty handmade jewellery. After considering using random number technology, as used in other blog giveaways, I did as recommended by Kitty Ballistic and used husband-power to make the draw instead... more lo-tech, but effective all the same (most of the time...).

Thanks everyone who took the time to write a lovely comment or become a Fan on Facebook (or both!) - I feel very excited to have 61 fans, and am just hoping you don't all de-fan me now the chance of winning a bag is over!

And while we're here, I thought I'd include a little picture of what I've been working on over the weekend. A couple of friends have requested knitting needle storage rolls from me, and I have been thinking about making one for myself for a while, so I thought I'd get going with a prototype that I could make use of even if it didn't work out! I wanted to have 2 sets of pockets, one for my knitting needles and the other for crochet hooks. I also needed some wider pockets for scissors, stitch markers etc. I've used some grey wool suiting material, which I hope will make it good and sturdy. The accent fabric is a Liberty print called Bourton, which long time readers of my blog might remember is my favourite fabric. Although since I have seen it used on a pair of wellies I have slightly gone off it. They are the most ugly thing I have ever seen - why would Liberty allow such a thing???! (....and breathe.....). On a brighter note - my potential customers are keen on the design, so I'm now going to try and make versions using some yummy big florals and batiks. Lucky me - more fabric buying...

Thanks again everyone!

Lots of Progress

2010-01-15T14:13:00.004Z

It really is about time that I reported on my patchwork progress. I now have 8 12" square completed (please excused crumpled appearance - it's been rolled up in my bag over Christmas!). It's been brilliant fun so far - working with the other women in my class has been very inspirational and it's been great to see the colours and patterns that other people have come up with. It is fascinating that the same block can be made to look so different by the use of colour and arrangement. We are about to start our new term and I'm very enthusiastic - just hoping that enough people join up again to keep the class going. It seems a shame that there aren't more people out there who want to learn this amazing craft.

This week I've also been working on a needle/crochet hook roll to store some of my crafting clutter. By complete coincidence, a couple of my crafting friends both approached me with a request to make one for them, so I thought I'd do one for myself first to work out a pattern - it's going well - just need to finish sewing up the binding and then I'm all done with that. I also have a commission to make a card wallet and a bag, so I've been buying gorgeous fabric and boring stuff like interfacing from the brillant Gone to Earth (ordered yesterday morning, received today!) and Cotton Patch.

What a busy few days it has been - I've got lots of new followers on Facebook and great comments on my blog so it looks as if there's going to be quite a competition for the bag on Monday. That's all hugely exciting and it's certainly helped me to feel very enthusiastic about moving on with lots of new crafting projects. I've signed up for a crochet challenge - A Granny A Day over at Meet Me at Mike's. The aim is to commit to crocheting one granny square a day in 2010 - well there's no way I am going to achieve that, but I might manage 1 every other day. That would certainly be good for my yarn stash and also I'm hoping to end up with a groovy throw that would brighten up our newly decorated front room. Then there's also a very cool White Elephant swap at Juanita Tortilla. This is a great idea because it doesn't actually involve any crafting at all... go check it out and sign up if you have some crafty bits and bobs that you can't think what to do with! And in amongst all of this activity I've also managed to list a few things for sale on MISI and Etsy (phew!) - here they are, for your delectation.

Who would have thought it?

2010-01-10T15:09:00.006Z

When I set out on blogging a couple of years ago I never would have imagined that I'd get to 100 posts. It's been tough at times - the last 2 years have been full of changes for me. I've grown tremendously as a crafter too - it's really interesting to look back on the earlier offerings to see how much more confident I've become in my crafting choices. Who for instance would have thought I would make a bag in this particular colour combination? It's a bit pink...and green...and purple (I've used this cute pattern from Melly and Me).

But I love it, and I hope you do too, because it's going to be the main part of my Celebratory One-hundredth Post Giveaway.. All you have to do to get a chance of winning this cute little number (it's just 20cm high and frivolous rather than practical!) is to leave a comment here or sign up as a fan of Craft Matters on Facebook. If you are exceptionally keen then you can do both and I will give you 2 entries in the draw (assuming that I can connect your ID here with your ID there). There'll be some other goodies, and maybe a sweet treat or two, in the parcel too. Hopefully it will cheer up the lucky winner in this chilly new year. I'll do the draw 1st thing next Monday (18th) so get your comments in/get joining my FB fan page before then.

I wish I could send all my visitors a little gift to say a huge thank you for all the kind and thoughtful comments that you've left on my blog over the last 100 posts. It's all the friendliness in the crafting world, and the general fabulousness of people who support crafters by buying handmade, that keeps me going when my confidence has taken a knock or I'm feeling depressed about progress. So a huge thanks to everyone & I wish everyone a very fulfilling 2010.

Looking back to Christmas & a big yay for 100 posts!

2010-01-03T15:34:00.007Z

Wow, Christmas was a busy time here at Craft Matters Towers! I've been absolutely shattered since Christmas and it's been hard to pick up a crochet hook or plug in the sewing machine. But all the hard work was definitely worthwhile. Another Christmas project I signed up for was the Crafteroo Secret Santa Craft Swap organised by Vonnie of Blotted Copy Book. I stalked my Secret Santa partner - Helen from Kitty Ballistics Creations - for a little while and managed to work out that she liked the colour teal (which made life easier because it's one of my faves), and she needed a new pin cushion. So, in my ever-literal way, I made her a teal pin cushion! The base of the pin cushion is crochet and the top is foundation pieced patchwork (you see, I have learned something on my patchwork course..). I also made a sort-of-matching needle book and sent some lovely pins in a cute tin, some pieces of wool felt (Kitty Ballistics creates lots of very witty felt creatures like these...), some vintage thread, and some choc & posh tea bags. It was great fun putting it all together, and I think I am going to make more of the pin cushions - they combine two of my favourite crafts, which has got to be good.

From my Secret Santa (Jane at Hooked Yarn) I got some fabulous goodies... She made this wonderful bauble which I absolutely love, as well as a very pretty red crochet angel, a handmade notebook, some choc (yes!), teabags, and a star-shaped cookie cutter. Judging by the great appropriateness of these gifts I know that Jane has been paying very close attention to my various posts and online activities! It was lovely to receive such a beautifully wrapped, thoughtful gift. So thank you Jane, Helen, Vonnie and Crafteroo for all the Christmassy fun and inspiration.

And YAY! this is my 100th post. It's taken me a long time, but I got there in the end... It's amazing to think how much my crafting has changed and developed since I started blogging. I would never have believed that I would be writing my own crochet patterns for a start. Post number 101 will be the BIG CELEBRATORY GIVEAWAY! So don't forget to check back very soon.

Craft Neutral Christmas Bauble Swap

2009-12-28T20:50:00.010Z

Slightly crazily, a little while before Christmas, I signed up to the Food of Love's Craft Neutral Christmas Bauble Swap. It was a bit crazy because I didn't really have time available to do it, but I couldn't resist - I'm always after more decs for my Christmas celebrations! And of course swaps are a great opportunity to experiment with new ideas - as you try to make things that you think will appeal to your swap partner.

My partner was Caroline of Seawood Designs. She sent these brilliant ami reindeer for my 2 boys (they never made it on to the tree!). Caroline tells me that she used a free pattern that is available on the Lion Brand Yarn website if you want to have a go next year. As if that wasn't enough, she also very kindly sent these very pretty and delicate beaded snowflakes. I am sure that she put masses of work into these - they look very starry and shiny on our tree in amongst all the lights. I also got some rather scrummy G&B chocolate - although I nearly lost the chocolate to the boys and had to hide it in the bread bin! So a huge thank you to Caroline for being such a generous swap partner.

For my part of the bargain I did some experimenting with crazy patchwork to make a little tree, and had a go at making yoyo hearts for a wreath. Here they are:

I was pleased with both of these - particularly the wreath. It was fun to make the yoyo hearts and I love the way the colours are Christmassy without being too obviously 'green, red and gold for Christmas'. The fabrics are all from a Kaffe Fassett charm pack that I got from Cotton Patch. I used this excellent tutorial at Penny Sanford Designs for the hearts. The wreath is made with a circle of twisted wire which I single crocheted round in order to form a good base to sew on the hearts. I sewed the buttons on at the same time as sewing the hearts to the base, if you see what I mean! All in all it was a hugely satisfying swap, so huge thanks to Eileen at Food of Love for organising it.

This is my 99th blog post! Look out for a 100th post giveaway coming your way soon.

Three More Stockings..

2009-12-12T20:35:00.008Z

I'm back and I'm blogging! Only a short post today because I'm absolutely cream-crackered and need to go and have a sit down and a cup of cocoa (with a gap*, of course). I had a fantastic time down in London catching up with old friends from student days and with some of my old workmates. We realised yesterday that it's 9 years or so since we all worked together at Senate House in London (designed by one of my heroes, Charles Holden). It's great that we've managed to stay in touch for so long - something to do with being thrown together by adversity I think...

Before I went off to catch my train I sped round to the Post Office to send these 3 stockings off on their way to their new owners. I can't take credit for the design, but I am happy that I managed to embody the customer's design idea pretty successfully. It can be quite tough to translate someone else's pictures into a 3D form - and what's more, with this project I had to do it 3 times! I really hope they bring a lot of Christmas cheer to the recipients, and of course that they get filled with presents from Father Christmas.

While I was in London I decided to spend some time at the craft stalls at Spitalfields market. I was quite amazed at how much the market had changed since we used to visit regularly a decade ago. It's all spruced up, less Bohemian, and the people you see browsing around are a bit different too. However there was still some really inspirational crafters doing their thing (but maybe not as many as I remember) - will post about what I bought very soon.

*with a gap - means leave a gap that you can fill with alcohol of your choice, e.g. cointreau, rum, brandy...

UK Handmade Winter 2009

2009-12-09T20:02:00.006Z

I'm rushing around trying to get everything ready before I go off on a bit of pre-Christmas partying in London tomorrow, so I haven't had much time for posting. But I'd really like to point people in the direction of new winter edition of the fantastic online magazine for UK Handmade. The editors' mission statement begins:

"UK Handmade is a design led online magazine committed to showcasing and promoting the best creative talent the UK has to offer. Artists and designers from across all of the art disciplines have a place here including photography, feltmaking, jewellery, fashion and art."

A really worthwhile aim!

I'm lucky enough to have a tutorial in it for these cute little elves' hats (page 86), and there are loads more brilliant seasonal craft ideas and articles. There's a wonderful sounding recipe for Christmas cupcakes, and article about all the goings on at Rothley Craft Farm, instructions on how to make a beautiful Christmas flower arrangement, some reviews of Christmas craft and baking books, an article on the Bloomsbury group, and more.... It really is a fantastic read. UK crafters are a talented lot - take a look at the inspiring UK Handmade Flickr group if you need any evidence! It's a great place to look if you are short of a few Christmas presents.

Misi Faves: Purple

2009-12-02T19:16:00.004Z

I'm struggling to craft today due to a horribly injured thumb! So to cheer myself up I thought I'd do a Misi Faves post with lots of lovely purple... Purple is a colour I'm drawn to it again and again, especially when it comes to my clothes and my crafting. I think it's something to do with the fact that the very first piece of clothing I bought for myself, as a teenager, was a fabulous purple shirt... Oh I loved that shirt!

So when I was thinking of a Misi Faves theme today, I decided to go with my old favourite. Here are some yummy things currently on sale. It's not too late to buy for Christmas (well I hope not, I've still got loads to buy and make...).

First up is this lovely hat and corsage combo, available at MaisieLu:

And then there's this lovely scarf from SqueakyElliot:

And to get away from winter woollies (must be the cold weather the last couple of days), here are some lovely earrings from Gama:

I'm in awe of anyone who can do needle felting. I think this purple flower by Pixie Doodles is very pretty:

Purple rules!

Finished Another Christmas Stocking!

2009-11-29T15:57:00.003Z

Here's another Christmas commission all done and ready to be posted, as soon as I've finished another one for Daisy's big sister!

Working from my friend's specification I've used pink corduroy in the main body and Michael Miller's Yule Trees fabric to form the lining and the cuff. The name and the Christmas tree applique are made using wool felt, embellished with vintage buttons. There's also medium interfacing in the body of the stocking & the cuff also has a layer of fusible fleece to give it structure when the stocking is hanging.

I've really enjoyed making this, it worked out almost entirely how I'd hoped, although rather different from the original design. And I was pleased that the method I used for putting the stocking together worked too! I'm now just hoping that Daisy Rose and her mum like it.

I'm still here, crafting away!

2009-11-26T20:22:00.005Z

I haven't had a lot of time to blog here over the last few days, so I thought I'd just do a quick 5 minute post on what I've been up to. I've just finished this cute little hippo as a commission for a Christmas gift. I am pleased with the result - although I'm not sure whether hippos would make the best health professionals...

I'm also busy making 5 Christmas stockings and 2 ami bunnies, all sales/commission pieces - I'm really delighted that people have been making orders, and I am feeling very satisfyingly busy. Otherwise I have a couple of Secret Santas and a Christmas ornament swap to do. The ornament swap should be fun - it has to be using material that you already have in your stash. This should be interesting because I haven't got anything hugely Christmassy left after all these stockings! I've been looking at this really great Handmade Christmas Ornament group on Flickr for some inspiration.

My final project at the moment is our Christmas Matters blog. It's a record of all that we are doing to prepare for Christmas, along with recipes, crafts, music and book reviews. We've made a pact to try and blog every day, which is quite hard work, but I think we've only missed a day so far. I'm really enjoying all the anticipation!

Christmas Stocking Prototype

2009-11-20T21:09:00.007Z

I've been working hard on this prototype Christmas stocking today (with a little break when we had an unscheduled power cut!) and am now nearly done. As I've already mentioned I've got a commission from Celia to make stockings for her 2 lovely girls, and before I started cutting fabric and sewing applique I really wanted to have a go at making a trial version.

I realised I was being handed the perfect opportunity to make stockings for my 2 lovely boys! I have been meaning to do this for 3 years now, and even have some fabric cut out ready to go, but they've never got finished in the Christmas rush. Poor things are always getting prototypes and rejected experiments (a misshapen owl and a turtle with no eyes are quite popular..) but this time I think they are going to pretty pleased, because this has gone really well.

The main body of the stocking is lovely orange (Danny's favourite colour) corduroy which I got from Ditto Fabrics. It's the 1st time I've used this shop and I am very impressed with their selection - especially with the lovely corduroys in lots of beautiful colours - the staff were very friendly too. The fabric trim on the stocking cuff is Laurel Burch Bountiful Blessings Tress in Ivory (from a very helpful ebay retailer called Quilted Mouse Fabrics). All the applique is in 100% wool felt from my favourite Handmade Presents - not cheap, but in my opinion it's fantastic value because it's top quality. I'm pretty pleased with how it's all worked out - the only thing I'd change is the colour of thread I used for the name applique - it's too light I think.

It's a bit of a work in progress photo because I haven't sewn the final seam - so you also get to see my workspace, and today's number 1 distraction - Selvedge magazine - which arrived this morning. As usual I'm totally gobsmacked by all the gorgeous work and photos of beautiful things. As someone else said - even the adverts are lovely to look at. I've already been through it twice and will have another browse tonight. It's such a treat to receive that it really was a no-brainer to fork out for a 3 year subscription recently.

Some Commissions!

2009-11-11T19:36:00.012Z

I've had some commissions lately which is really great - it's good to be working on something that you've already sold! Far better for your confidence, although it can be more stressful, especially as you have a customer's expectations to worry about too. But my customers have all been lovely so far, so fingers crossed.

It's a real mixed bag of projects. Gill wanted a hat... it's just been finished, and this is me wearing it - excuse the crazed smile (see below, I'm very tired). The yarn is Colinette Point 5 in a shade called Velvet Damson. It really is lovely and a real pleasure to work with. I've also crocheted up another in a shade called Bright Charcoal (I couldn't go to the shop for just one thing could I?) - can't decide whether to sell or keep that one! I am becoming slightly obsessed by Colinette yarns, they are such blissful colours and I love the different textures and structures that they produce.

I've had some requests for proper full-sized stockings, so I've been having fun working on designs. I thought it might be interesting/scary to post a picture of my initial design so that you can compare it to the final result. So, here's my design.... The customer requested pink and wanted the stocking personalised, and I suggested the applique. I think the one thing that this tells everyone is that my artistic skills are extremely limited. And don't you like the use of the pink gummed paper I pinched from my sons' craft box?!

I'm going to be using pink corduroy for the main body of the stocking, and felt for the tree and the letters. The stocking is going to be lined with some gorgeous Michael Miller fabric called Yule Trees (the link will take you to Hancock's of Paducah - I warn you not to click on it if you suffer from fabric issues). We tracked down a UK supplier of this fabric on Ebay - it's been a very helpful service so far from Quilted Mouse Fabrics.

Another item I've been asked for is a blue hippo amigurumi with a nurse's hat and apron. I'm thinking felt for the hat and apron - I'm hoping it's going to look pretty cute. Other stuff I have almost finished at the moment are: business card wallets made with some really funky Free Spirit fabric, 2 or 3 crochet brooches and a patchwork bag. Phew! And of course there's just the small matter of my lads' 6th birthday party at the weekend and finishing decorating the front room by Christmas. See, I told you there was a reason I look tired...

Treats for the Domestic Goddess

2009-11-06T11:36:00.007Z

It's time for another look round MISI for some fabulous handcrafted goodies. This time I thought I'd go with a kitchen theme (perhaps because I spent yesterday evening writing a post about Christmas Baking on our Christmas Matters blog). I think these are practically irresistible and would make fantastic gifts for the cooks/bakers in your house (me, me, me...).

First up are the gorgeous 50s style trays, chopping boards and mugs produced by Eskil Designs. These are at the top of my Christmas wishlist. You can read more about Eskil Designs and designer Emilia Ljungberg at the Print and Design blog. The lovely colours she uses in this design say frosty morning to me. Wouldn't it be nice to prepare your Christmas lunch on this lovely chopping board?

There are lots of lovely kitchenwares at Charlotte Macey's Textiles. This tea cosy is a favourite of mine. I like her use of natural materials and her embroidery is very stylish. The photography used in her shop is great too - I urge you to pop round and have a look at the aprons and tea towels, some with a fab beach hut design.

I love typography (must come from my days of working a newspaper archive..), and so would find it very hard to actually use this tea towel designed by Taylors Typographical Art Posters. The good news is that the designer has a similar version (with lots of lovely colours) on a poster. When I get my new kitchen...

And finally, something a bit different - I think this platter would make a wonderful cheese board. Bodrighy Wood also has some lovely honey dippers, bowls, goblets and pestle & mortars. And if things get a bit much for you with all that Christmas cooking - there's always the rolling pin...

Winter hats

2009-11-04T12:30:00.005Z

I've had some Rowan Ribbon Twist hanging around in my stash for absolutely ages, and I've experimented with it several times, but whatever I've tried has never turned out quite right. The other day I had the sudden inspiration (must have been the sudden drop in the temperature here!) to try and crochet a beanie hat with it. This is what I came up with. As I crocheted I realised that it was going to turn out kid-sized and I tried it on one of my little boys for size. He seemed to like it, and I think I am going to have to track down some more Ribbon Twist to make another one. I really enjoyed doing the hat and I had some nice feedback about it, so I thought I would make a few to see how they go in the shop.

My 2nd attempt (purple again!) is in Rowan Plaid - another discontinued yarn, and is adult-sized this time. I am very pleased with this - I think the yarn really suits the project and I am totally in love with the black button at the centre of the flower. The good news is that I've got a commission to make a hat for my friend Gill and I am going to be using the supremely gorgeous Colinette Point 5 in Velvet Damson. I love Colinette!!

I was feeling super-positive about my crafting over the weekend - the hats turned out well, I have had a lovely crop of sales during my first week on MISI, and excitement of excitements, my lovely amigurumi bunny currently has pride of place on the MISI front page. There he is, in the top right hand corner...

Thanks to Kerry for the inspiration and the original commission to make bunnies for her kids.

A Frothy Flower - Crochet Pattern

2009-10-31T14:13:00.009Z

You can now find this pattern on my new blog at Very Berry Handmade.

I'm a MISI maker now...

2009-10-27T19:50:00.007Z

For a while now I've been wanting to open a shop using a web site based in the UK - most of my customers seem to be UK based, and I was finding it annoying having to work in dollars all the time. It's also frustrating having to change prices to reflect the ups and downs of the pound versus the dollar... I've looked around a bit and decided to go with MISI. I don't know if it's the biggest UK craft market place (not yet!), but I like the fact that it's been set up by a work-at-home mum (like me!) - the forums also seem really friendly, and I like the way the place looks. I think my shop is looking pretty good (and not as full as it was, because I've already made a few sales - hurrah!). I am wondering about listing on other sites too, but have had enough of getting used to a new system for a while...

So I've been looking around MISI to see what other people are up to, and as my contribution to marketing the place I've decided to do a regular MISI Matters post. And this time round I'm going to feature embroidery & needlework. Here are some of my faves:

This pleasingly witty bookmark is by Lorraine of Hippywitch Gifts. She makes some great stuff, including some lovely cross stitch hearts in my favourite Nordic style. I like to buy some new handcrafted Christmas decorations every year, and these are definitely on my list.

I love the button brooches and keyrings in the teasemade store. It's hard to pick out a favourite, but I really like this little keyring. If only that was my home sweet home! There's some lovely knitting themed button brooches that would make great gifts for knitting fiends...

I love this little Russian doll brooch with machine embroidered details. It's by Sam of incy wincy stitches. I wish I could get my machine embroidery so neat and tidy - and like a lot of people, I love a matryoshka doll. Sam makes some smashing covered buttons too.

Finally, I've been bowled over by this beautiful hand embroidery designs from the Hand Embroidery Network. If I had about 6 months to spare, and my hand embroidery skills were a bit better, I would be very tempted to buy this pattern - it would look so lovely on a cushion, or maybe even framed (after all, I would have worked so hard on it!). There are some simpler designs there too and some great Halloween themed patterns at the moment.

First steps in patchwork...

2009-10-05T15:11:00.015+01:00

I confess I have made patchwork bits and pieces before - the log cabin needle books for example, but I pretty much made it up as I went along. I've been wanting to do a course to learn how to do it properly for ages, so I was really pleased to find a Beginners Patchwork course at my local college. It started a couple of weeks back now and this is the beginning of my first block. The plan is that we are going to do 9 blocks in all - all of them taking us through the basics of different kids of patchwork. I am hoping that my finished article will look good enough for me to give to someone as a Christmas present. Or maybe I should make it the prize for my 100th post giveaway, which is coming along very soon...! I'm using mostly scraps and fabric from local charity shops, although I have bought a couple of new fat quarters and some background fabric from Abakahn.

I was quite stressed making this up this morning - I was a bit scared that I wouldn't be able to get the corners to match up and that it would all come out too small / too large / too cockeyed, but it worked pretty well (I really concentrated - I am not known for my accuracy!), and everything pretty much matched up, and it measures the right size. The fabric consists of an old pillowcase, a thrifted baby dress from Gap, a bit of vintage Laura Ashley, a thrifted shirt, and 2 bits of new FQs. Can you guess which is which?

The really disappointing thing is that it's possible that our last patchwork class will be tonight, because although there are 8 enthusiastic pupils, the College has a policy that self-funded classes need a class size of 12 to make them viable. We spent a lot of time last week trying to work out how we could keep the class going - so fingers crossed there will be better news tonight. Otherwise I will just try and keep teaching myself - I hope I can motivate myself as well as the class would have done!

I've been doing a lot of experimenting with applique lately. I want to make lots more wallets and needle books to sell, and I think a bit of applique will make a nice change from the ordinary. It's also a great way of jazzing up the plainer upcycled fabrics that I like to use. Here's a couple of examples of what I've been working on. The background fabric for both of them is from an old pair of Boden cords. The bird applique is made using a little bit of Kaffe Fassett fabric (Striped Vase in Lavender), and some yellow felt. The applique stitch is up and down buttonhole stitch, which I think looks good, a bit more showy than standard buttonhole stitch / blanket stitch, and so works better with this rather dramatic fabric. I'm using it for the front of a proper purse / wallet (with a zip and everything!) which will be in my Etsy shop very soon. I just need to take some good photos..

The owl decorates a business card / credit card wallet, which just needs a press stud to finish it off (I am so not a finisher...). I put it together pretty quickly last week - I like it but I'm not sure if the fuzzy fabric isn't a bit too fuzzy, and I'm worried that those bead eyes might make him look a bit too scary. He might well go in the shop at a 'prototype' price!

A Couple of Crochet Projects

2009-10-01T19:00:00.004+01:00

I realised recently that I've never crocheted anything much bigger than my tawashi pot scrubbers, so I've been feeling ambitious to work on something a bit larger - whilst feeling a bit concerned that following a complicated pattern might be a bit outside my comfort zone right now. I am not up to complicated at the moment! I decided to have a go at creating a wrap / stole /scarf (I'm not sure how big it's going to be yet!) made up of smaller motifs which I would join together.

So here's what I've been working on...

I'm using yarn that was an impulse buy on my last Saturday trip to the Co-op (why is Cucumber Patch right next door??). It's made by Araucania yarns (from Chile) and is called Ranco Multi - the shade is 301, which I gather is now discontinued. It's hand painted in a beautiful combination of sea green, pale raspberry and very muted orange. Lovely to work with and it's very nice to see the way that the colours work in the flower pattern. I'm really enjoying making it, although darning in the ends is extremely tedious.

For a bit of a change, and now that I feel a bit more up to the challenge, I decided to have a go at following someone else's pattern. Mostly I make up my own designs so I am still a real beginner at following crochet pattern instructions - especially those without a helpful diagram. I picked up a copy of Rowan Classic Babies (Book 4) at one of our local charity shops recently. Mostly I got it for the designs and ideas, because I don't really knit, but flicking through it I realised that the bootee pattern was actually crochet, so I thought I'd have a go. I've only made one so far, I need to have another daytime session of crochet to do the other one (I can't do complicated in the evening!). It doesn't look too bad (please bear in mind I haven't blocked it yet) - I've used a Sublime Organic DK Wool in a shade called, bizarrely, asparagus.

An update after a long long break...

2009-09-15T14:16:00.009+01:00

It's been so long since I've blogged that I actually had to think to remember my blogger password. It's been been a tough couple of months in our household, with illness and a very very sad bereavement. As a result I've just got utterly behind with blogs & forums, and my online life in general. What I have managed to do is a bit of crafting - it's been so good to sit down with a hook and a bit of yarn - crochet and reading have been my saviours at times like this...

So, I'm just to try and get back in the swing of things for now & post a few pics of the things I've been working on. In the mean time, to all my friends in the craft blog world - I am so sorry to have been out of the loop for such a long time, but will be back reading, admiring and commenting very soon.

A couple of log cabin-style patchwork needle books. Made with Kaffe Fassett fabrics, vintage buttons and crochet closures.

A couple of new designs for brooches/corsages, based on my tiny crochet flower pattern. The yarns I've used here are Debbie Bliss Cashmere Cotton in the 1st pic, and some of my favourite Mirasol T'ika 100% cotton in the 2nd pic. I love those colours, and I've actually made something that isn't purple..

An old favourite brooch/pin design that's always sold well for me on Etsy (thanks to all my lovely buyers!). I think the yarn in the 1st picture is Debbie Bliss Rialto, and the 2nd is some RYC yarn, but I have no idea which one... I really need to get more organised with my stash storing!

There's a few other things to come, but that will do for now.

Lovely crochet!

2009-08-01T19:19:00.004+01:00

I've been beavering away to complete my 6 granny squares for Hannah's Granny Square Swap, and get them sent off by the end of July. After a lot of last minute faffing around (why do I always forget things need washing and blocking?), I managed to get them in the post just in time. What I failed to do was take a picture of them before I packed them up - can't believe I forgot! Hopefully Jane and Izabela might take a pic or two and I'll be able to link to them another time. I'm so excited to have received one and a half of my swap gifts in return. Look at all these lovely goodies from Marie (woollyholic):

The squares are great - in lovely funky colours, and Marie made me a cute little brooch and a drawstring bag (with teabags - hurrah!) as well. Lucky me eh? The only thing missing from this pic is the lovely little mini Green & Blacks collection - they all disappeared very quickly - I promise I DID share!! I am receiving my other granny squares from Amy in instalments, which makes it even more exciting! I'll post a pic of them when I've had them all. By the way, don't visit Amy's blog if you are on a diet - she makes and decorates the most unbelievably gorgeous cakes! Good luck with your new business Amy.

Whilst I've been crocheting I've been wondering what to do with the 6 granny squares that I'll eventually end up with. I wondered about using them to make pot holders - - as you can see from these pics on Flickr, it's a pretty standard use of a granny square. All I'd need to do is perhaps crochet 2 squares together and add a loop. But now I am thinking - bags! All the brilliant crafters on Flickr are providing me with lots of inspiration.

The other bit of crochet I've been doing recently is making these coasters for my friend's birthday.

The pattern is based on a round motif pattern from Beyond The Square Crochet Motifs by Edie Eckman. I would really recommend this book - there's hardly a duff pattern design-wise, and they're all written very clearly. She also includes some really great hints and tips that I have already benefitted from - like how to do invisible joins. I bought the book with the Amazon voucher that I got for winning The Duelling Crafters challenge, so I should take this opportunity to say a really big thanks to Vonnie of the always-readable and inspirational Blotted Copy Book. It was a real treat to be able to browse and choose from all those lovely craft books.

I really like the way the coasters have turned out. I was a bit concerned about the way in which machine sewing the fabric layer would affect the crochet, but it's actually worked pretty well. Sadly, I was so rushed to get something together that I only managed to crochet 3! Not much of a set really is it...? So Becky, I owe you!

A new top for me!

2009-07-21T14:27:00.006+01:00

I had the fantastic opportunity to go to the first day of England's second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's last week. I love cricket, so this was as a wonderful treat for me, and I felt like I needed something new to wear for the occasion. My summer wardrobe is so boring, and I didn't have anything that seemed quite right for such a fantastic event. I didn't really have the cash to go shopping, but a few weeks back I bought a Japanese pattern book - Beginner's Dress and Tunic book - from the fab Etsy seller Pomadour24, and I've been dying to have a go at one of the patterns, so it seemed like a good opportunity. I didn't really have the time to do it either, but the patterns are very straightforward (in spite of being in Japanese of course), so I thought I would give it a go. I wanted something comfy but reasonably flattering, and I also wanted to use this gorgeous Michael Miller fabric called Boho Blossoms, which I had in my stash. So here's a picture of what I came up with. It's actually nothing much like the pattern, which doesn't have the contrasting high waisted panel or the belt, and is considerably longer. But it was great to have the pattern to help me with the fitted bodice, the neckline and the arms. I really enjoyed wearing it, and thought it looked ok - the arms especially have a really flattering kimono-style fit. It's the 1st piece of clothing I have made for myself in years and it was fun to do. I started thinking about getting myself a dressmaker's dummy - a very bad sign!

Whilst I was in London I made my poor friend accompany me on my craft-related shopping activities. I couldn't buy too much because I knew that I would have to take it with me to the cricket, and wouldn't have much space for a picnic and yards of new fabric. But I wanted to get some pink ribbon for drawstring bags I'm making, and so took the opportunity to visit the brilliant VV Rouleaux in Marylebone. What a shop - it has the most fabulous array of trimmings, ribbons, cords, tassels...etc. etc.. I could have spent a fortune. I also happened upon the Button Queen, also in Marylebone Lane, which has a fantastic array of antique and vintage buttons, as well as lots of fashion buttons to buy. I hope I get to London again soon - with more bag room this time. As for the Test match? It was fabulous and, WE WON! Roll on the 3rd Test.

Finally got a few new things into my Etsy shop

2009-07-03T19:38:00.006+01:00

Gosh my Etsy shop was looking sad and dusty. The online equivalent of one of those sad shop windows with displays of kitchen roll and dead flies...! I've finally had a chance to list a few new things, so I hope you'll forgive a little promotional post.

Here are the new things:

A toddler (12-24 month) sunhat using gorgeous Michael Miller Zoology fabric.

A toddler (12-24 month) sunhat using funky Kaffe Fassett Fan Flowers fabric.

Some tawashi veg scrubbing / dishwashing cloths.

There's more to come, but that's enough advertising for today!

Actually that's not quite true because I also wanted to write about some brilliant yarn that I'm using for my granny square swap gifts. I am a huge fan of the yarns and the ethos of The Mirasol Project. I've used their Miski baby llama yarn before - it's gorgeously soft and fluffy and comes in a great range of colours. This time I've invested in some of their T'ika 100% cotton. Again, there are some great colours, and it is an absolute joy to crochet with. And great to feel that by buying the yarns I am supporting the textile heritage of Peru. You can read more about the Mirasol Project and their yarns on the project blog. It makes really interesting reading.

Hats, hats, hats...

2009-06-20T18:32:00.007+01:00

I've been horribly absent lately, but for a good reason, I promise. I have had an order for lots (well, lots for me!)of sunhats via my Etsy shop. They are off to the Aardvark Tea Room and Craft Gallery in St Leonard's on Sea, here in the UK. It looks like a fabulous place (I wish I lived closer) and I am very excited that they wanted to order from me. It seemed like such a great opportunity that I agreed to come up with half the order before I go camping tomorrow. So I have been working very hard to get 5 hats made (including working out a smaller pattern for a different size hat) in the last week. And here they are! I feel pretty proud of them. They're all made with preloved fabric from a pattern I developed myself. It's a real lesson in not giving up hope - I developed the pattern and did all the work early last year and haven't had any interest until now. I apologise for the rubbish picture by the way... I was rushing to get these into the post this morning and couldn't come up with anywhere tidy or with good light. I had really hoped to get a pic of them all hanging on our washing line - I think it would have looked really cool - but sadly it was chucking it down here this morning!

The other exciting news is that I won Blotted Copy Book's Duelling Crafters competition! It really means a lot that so many people liked what I made with my dad's tie. I've blogged my business card holder before, but I also made a needle book for my sister's birthday. She was so pleased with it that she had to call me from a rehearsal to tell me about it. There's still quite a bit of fabric left (they made ties big back in the olden days!) so I am going to try and come up with something else too. Thanks Vonnie for running such an ace competition - I look forward to the next one. And am now trying to avoid your Bake Swap, which sounds fab, but not good for my diet!

PennyDog's Garden Swap

2009-06-03T20:38:00.006+01:00

PennyDog's Garden Swap has been such a great experience - I feel lucky that I got paired with Chrissy - it's been great to get to know her better (she goes dolphin watching! she lives in Aberdeen! she is considerably cooler than me!) and she has been so generous. Her parcel of goodies arrived here yesterday and as you can see I got some fabulous things - a lovely hand-printed tote bag (that I have decided to use for current crochet projects), a fabulous hand made ring and fridge magnets, a very stylish b&w rose picture, a japanese lantern, some chocolate (that didn't last long) and some incredible fabric. I also got a 10% off voucher for her brilliant shop. See, I told you I did well! There's been some other great swap parcels - you can take a look at the Garden Swap Flickr group. A huge THANK YOU to Chrissy for all the lovely thoughtful goodies you sent - can't wait to make something fabulous with that fabric!

While we're on the subject of the swap I thought I'd blog the bag I made to go in to Chrissy's parcel. It's a small bag (about 20cm x 20cm) made with navy cotton twill with a handsewn, wool felt, flower garden applique. I have to say that I am pretty much more proud of this than anything I have ever made, and it was VERY hard to send it off to Aberdeen. Doing the applique was a real challenge (I always like to set myself a bit of a challenge when I'm doing swaps!) but I think it worked well and I got the slightly retro feel I was going for. I'm also very pleased with the colour combination, because I'm never confident about how colours go together. The handles are recycled from an charity shop bag find, and I used that bag as a template for this one. That's my bag making top tip actually... You can find some ace bags in charity shops - I like to use them to make a pattern and reuse all the bits and bobs (handles, zips, buttons, beads, etc), that come with them. I am really hoping Mary Portas' ideas to revamp charity shops don't catch on - I'm worried I wont be able to find bargains any more...

A pattern for a tiny flower

2009-06-01T20:25:00.005+01:00

You can now find this pattern over at my new blog - Very Berry Handmade.

A Fancy Card Wallet

2009-05-30T19:12:00.010+01:00

Duelling Crafters' Challenge

The last couple of days, when I haven't been busy in the garden, I've been working hard on my project for Blotted Copy Book's Duelling Crafters' Challenge. I decided to use my dad's old tie to make a wallet to hold my business cards, and the cards I get from other crafters. It will be great to have somewhere to keep the safe and easily findable amongst all the rubbish in my bag! I got it finished four hours before the deadline and managed to upload the photos on to the Duelling Crafters' Flickr Group with a couple of hours to spare.

The wallet has a very simple design with 2 business card-sized pockets inside, made using turquoise cotton fabric, which is also used for the lining. There is a little bit of fusible fleece between the lining and outer fabric, just to give the whole thing a bit of structure.

I was quite pleased with the result and was going to submit the wallet at that stage, entirely unadorned. However, having slept on it, I decided that, much as I love the tweedy wool fabric, it needing prettying up a bit. So I added a tiny crochet flower, complete with some recycled, bright red beads. The final touch is a little bit of red stitching - just because I think red and turquoise go so well together. I still have some of the tie fabric left so I've just cut out another piece so I can make a needle book for my sister's birthday next week. It's going to be really nice to use something every day that brings back such great memories of my dad.

Bright and Breezy Crochet Tawashi

2009-05-19T12:35:00.005+01:00

Whilst browsing a (very useful) list of lovely Japanese craft books the other day, I noticed one for crochet 'tawashi'. I was intrigued and on further investigation realised that I had been using a traditional style Kamenoko Tawashi to scrub my veggies for a while now, although I no idea what it was called! It's extremely effective and has an excellent name which translates as 'tawashi (bundle) like a larva of a turtle'. So, a plan began to form. I like my tawashi, I love to crochet, I have lots of brightly coloured acrylic yarn (the ideal stuff because it's usefully scratchy)... it had to be time to make some eco-tawashi! Although there are, as far as I can tell, lots & lots of patterns available - just Google crochet tawashi or magic scrubber and you will find loads of links and books - I decided to have a go at my own. The pattern I've used on one side (pictured) consists of rows of double crochet interspersed with lovely lumpy bobbles which are very effective in getting the dirt off your pans. Also great fun to see hanging around your kitchen sink too. The other side is just double crochet stripes in the same eye-wateringly bright colours. I crocheted up the 2 sides separately then crocheted them together, creating a loop to hang it with at the same time. It was hugely fun to do and I've already started another one in slightly more subtle colours. I'm hoping to write up the pattern and blog it here very soon. The other thing that I'm working on at the moment (and in fact is finished apart from it's final press!) is my Garden Swap project. It has taken quite a lot of time, but as far as I am concerned the finished product is absolutely worth it. I hope Chrissy (of the brilliant Spoilt Pig) likes it...

A Cuddly Little Owl - Pattern

2009-04-30T11:30:00.014+01:00

You can now find this pattern at my new blog - Very Berry Handmade.