Fibre Flurry 2010

Yesterday I had a fantastic time at Fibre Flurry in King's Norton, Birmingham.  The show took place at St Nicholas' Grammar School, which was featured on the BBC Restoration programme. There were about 25 exhibitors, all displaying fantastic things, I went over budget and had to pop to the local cash machine so that I could treat myself to Erica Knight's new book!
It was so nice to visit this type of event and not be stuck in a characterless exhibition hall. After my lunch I had a wonder around the grounds and took some photographs. It was also a lovely sunny day!


  

As well as my new book I bought heaps of buttons (from Textile Garden), and some wonderful yarns ...
This 'Hannah' double knit by Yarn To Knit, made from 100% Bluefaced Leicester Wool.

'Olivia' Merino Sock Yarn by BabyLongLegs, think i'm going to knit a lacy scarf with this.

'Salty Dog' 100% Merino by Colinette, bought from First 4 Yarns. Think i'm going to do some felting with this one.

I'm so pleased I went to Fibre Flurry, there were some lovely people there, and I really hope there will be another one next year.

Doodle Words - Orange

This one is inspired by the 'Leon' logo, 'Eat Me' dates and those garish wooden boxes that I see stacked up by the fruit and veg stall on our local market. I used and orange poster-paint marker and a blue fineliner, going for a high contrast of colour.

Not Photoshopped!

I thought i'd have to take a picture of this Rowan tree in our street ... such an amazing colour! I only put it on Photoshop to crop the image, that is all, everything else is down to nature!

Doorway Details

We've had a lovely day out in Lichfield today. Although mainly a shopping trip, I did sneak my camera into my handbag and took a few detail shots around the cathedral. I've taken so many pictures over the years of the three spires and the saints on the entrance wall, but today I concentrated on the details around the doorways - wonderful stonework and decorative hinges ...

Crochet

After an online conversation with Tracey from TopCat's Corner, I was persuaded to pick up my hook and start crocheting ... it had been a long time. Most of my crochet for the last few years has been the odd scalloped edge on a piece of knitting. I realised that i'd never made an item using crochet.

I taught myself how to crochet from a Ladybird book when I was eight, everyone else in my family is a knitter. I'm left-handed and use a strange combination of picking up the loops with my left hand and then swapping and making the stitch with my right. To anyone else to probably looks very bizarre, but it's my technique, it works for me and the results are the same as anyone else's!

Photograph from PrintUnion (Amazon)

So anyway, here is the start of a scarf I am making for my daughter in chunky purple yarn. There is actally lots more of it now, but the pictures were taken earlier today.

I'll post another picture on here or on Flickr of the finished scarf.
I may try some Amigurumi next. I bought a book, purely because it was a lovely book, but perhaps now I have the confidence to do more that just look at the pictures ... we'll see!

Tuesday Treasury - Mittens

Bonfire Night is not far away ... I don't usually go to a display, but can't resist a 'bonfire supper of hotdogs and jacket potatoes, and a few sparklers! Sparkers call for mittens, so i've searched on Folksy and found some fab ones ...


Bright Green This Way That Way Mittens, well, green is my favourite colour
http://www.folksy.com/shops/creativeknits



Cut My Heart Out Mittens, fantastic crochet design -http://www.folksy.com/shops/Badschnoodles

Lingonberry Mittens, a wonderful repeat pattern knitted using merino wool -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/HattiesHeritageHandknits

Cheeky Emoticon Fingerless Mittens, one of many fantastic designs, lots of cute coffee cup cosies too -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/MouthyMitts

IKEA - Additions to my fabric stash!

I've been to IKEA today (to get a laptop table), but you can't go there without buying a few metres of fabric, right?
I've bought some of this Monalis fabric (designed by Kristine Mandsberg) which i'm going to put on a canvas stretcher and hang in my daughter's room. The print size is huge, but i'll have three birds left, so I could make some cushion covers for her sofa bed too.

I've also been able to buy some fabric for the Christmas tree decorations i'm making, Snoa Flinga, designed by S Edholm and L Ullenius. I love this traditional Scandinavian design. I think I will save some to make placemats too.
  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 






And finally, I discovered this wonderful ribbon, called Snovita. I bought the hearts and the angels. It will be perfect for adding hanging tags to my Christmas tree decorations, and also for making drawstring ties for present bags.
 

 
All photographs from the IKEA website.

Autumn Leaf Craft Swap - Who's swapping with who ...

As promised here is the list of who will be paired with who for the Autumn Leaf Craft Swap. There were an even swappers which has meant that I have been able to pair people up directly with each other. The UK swappers have been paired at random, but I paired up the US swappers with each other to keep postage costs to a minimum. So here goes ...

BEAR's Mom paired with Michele's Tumbling Treasures, Teacups and Tumbling Rose Cottage

Lesley Purcell paired with Amanda

Two for Joy Design paired with Confessions of A Crafty Mummy

Mad About Bags paired with Joy

Winnibriggs paired with OddSox aka TheSockGarden

giddystuff paired with TopCat76

theothermousie paired with April Is Forever

Sarah D Ashworth paired with WellyDog

Michelle paired with Painted Ghost

Get in touch with your swap partner via their website, blog, shop or twitter, i've tried to put links wherever possible. If there are any problems with this contact me with a direct message on Twitter.
If everyone could aim to make contact with their partner by this time next week (31st October 2010) that would be great.
It is worth getting in touch with your partner to find out their likes/dislikes, the crafts they are involved with (this may be useful when sorting out the stash item), and colours they like.
I hope everyone is going to enjoy doing this swap, please remember to blog about what you are up to, and add any images to the Flickr page.
I think it is realistic to aim to have your item made and in the post to your swap partner (together with the other goodies) by 30th November 2010.
Just in case you need the info, here are the items to include in your swap ...

•A handmade item inspired by autumn leaves – it could be an Artist Trading Card, an embroidered brooch, a purse, or any other item of your choice.

•Something in an autumnal colour from your stash – a fat quarter, some buttons or a ball of yarn for instance.

•A sweet treat to enjoy after an cosy afternoon’s crafting.

Happy crafting!

xxx

Doodle Words - Bump

My latest offering for the DoodleWords challenge - 'Bump', inspired by those bumps you find that shouldn't be there ... the tree root lifting the pavement, the random object that got trapped under the carpet when you were laying it ...

I've used one of my favourite colour schemes, grey and yellow, and i've included three 'suns' - all buttons, of course!

A new list ...

I've got a week off work, so an ideal opportunity to write a 'To Do' list ...

• Complete my last few 'Doodle Schmoodle' pictures. Only about half a dozen left to upload, mostly unfinished at the moment, but i'm determined to complete this challenge.
• Finish my October ATC Swap 'Teapots' and send it off.
• Complete all the tasks on my Autumn Leaf Craft Swap. I'll be sorting out all the swap partners this weekend too!
• 'Rediscover' Crochet - I can crochet, but I never actually make anything. Perhaps I should start with a phone sock!
• Make Christmas Tree decorations, all the ideas are in my sketchbook, I just need some festive fabric (That will be fun to buy, exploring all those gorgeous fabric sites!) before I begin.

There are probably lots of other projects dotted about that are half finished, but that's a start! Hopefully i'll be blogging about some of these projects during the week as and when they are completed.

Making Mandalas - Name Mandala

I've been doodling again - this time mandalas. A mandala is a sacred circle used in meditation and healing. They are a way of expressing yourself through visual language.
 I had been contacted by another 'doodler', Nadine Lucas, who is a school counsellor, to join her Making Mandalas group on Flickr, which I did, then it took me ages to complete my first mandala ... based on my name.

I have two other mandalas which i've partially finished. I hope to upload those images in the next week. Nadine is asking for people to add to this group, the mandalas will be shown to the children she works with, and in turn the children will create their own mandalas.
I'm also looking forward to Nadine posting some more mandala themes on this Flickr page very soon.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1474283@N20/

A walk to the bus stop

Walking to the bus stop this afternoon ... I decided to take my camera with me. The light was just starting to fade, it was cold and a bit breezy, but I managed to get some nice images to help me withn my Autumn Leaf Craft Swap ideas ...

Tuesday Treasury - Yarn

I love knitting now it's getting colder. I just sit in front of the TV clicking away, it's just bliss.I've been looking on Folksy this week to find some lovely knitting yarns for this week's treasury ...

Top Row:-
"Tomayto Tomarto" Merino Sock Yarn by The Bear Necessities-
http://www.folksy.com/shops/Bearium
"Conkered" Superwash Bluefaced Leicester Sock Yarn -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/AbstractCat
Bottom Row:-
'Moondust' - Merino Silk -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/WharfedaleWoolworks
"Meadows" Merino DK -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/zulaxia

Threads

This week I am working on my October ATC swap. Always a difficult thing to blog about without 'giving' away what you are making. The theme is Teapots and I think i'vesorted out my ideas, i've even bought some new Coton A Broder threads.

I love Coton A Broder, it's like embroidering with a pencil, the line it gives is so crisp.

The swap does not close until Wednesday 20th October 2010, so it's not too late if you're interested in taking part.

http://ukhandmade.ning.com/group/ukhandmadeatcswapgroup

Creating for Christmas

I've been sketching out ideas for Christmas Tree decorations this weekend. These will be made for family, i'm hoping to start a tradition of making a new tree decoration every year. I will reveal more when i've made some samples ...

I've also (finally) ordered some of my Heart fabric from Spoonflower, in a Christmas colour scheme. I'll to make some bunting for the living room. The repeat is quite tiny, and i'm going to combine this fabric with plain fabrics in the same colours.

Now i've just got to sit back and wait for my yard of fabric to be printed and shipped, meanwhile i'll be stitching those tree decoration samples ...

Autumn Leaf Craft Swap Update

Thank you to all those people who have already joined in my Autumn Leaf Craft Swap, and to those who haven't joined but want to, there is still a week left until swap partners are announced, just click on the link below ...
http://giddystuff.blogspot.com/2010/10/autumn-leaf-craft-swap.html

Remember, you can start making your item before you know your swap partner, or you may want to wait until you know who you're swapping with so that you can 'customise' your swap.

I've also added an 'Autumn Leaf Craft Swap' page on Flickr. The page is there purely for swappers so you'll probably have to join the page before you can post your crafty pics there.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/autumn_leaf_craft_swap/

More swap news next weekend ...

Doodle Words - Moonshine

Another Doodle Words drawing, this time 'Moonshine'. I knew I wanted to include a fox on this doodle, and I tried out my new silver marker pen too!

Big Knit 2010 - and they're off ...

Yesterday I sent off my tiny smoothie hats for the Big Knit 2010. There weren't as many as i'd hoped to knit, but the deadline crept up really quickly, so I thought i'd better get them in the post.

I've really enjoyed doing this little project, and i'm already thinking about how I could design my hats for next years Big Knit ...

Prints Charming

I’ve discovered yet another amazing Australian craft book – Prints Charming by Cath Derksema and Kirsten Junor. It’s made in the format I love, spiral bound with a pattern pocket at the back, and deals with a combination of textile techniques – embroidery, print-making, quilting and basic sewing.

The book begins with a basics guide to introduce all the different techniques, and there are chapters concentrating on nursery, girl’s room, boy’s room, adult’s room, living room, kitchen and outdoor living.
There are lots of ideas for motifs, including patterns you can trace or copy, and there is information about how to combine them in repeat patterns. If I had a criticism, it would be that the book assumes you have access to screen printing equipment, although i’m sure you could make stencils and use them instead.
The projects are easily explained, but not so prescriptive that you couldn’t grab colour and motifs from other projects and freestyle things a bit!
I love this project - ‘Fly Away Birdy’

It reminds me of the sort of projects my needlework teacher used to get us to do at primary school. Imagine a few of these birds made in red and green hanging from your Christmas tree!
There are also inspiration pages dotted throughout the book, a bit like mini ‘mood boards’.

This is a good basic textile book, ideal for anyone wanting to make an item from scratch. There are little projects like brooches, items of clothing, and large scale quilting projects,lots to keep me busy during the colder months of the year!
www.printscharming.com.au
Photographs by Julie Renouf

Tuesday Treasury - Ochre

Ochre is that lovely shade of yellow that seems to surround us at this time of year. I’ve collected together some lovely ochre goodies for this weeks mini-treasury …

Print ‘Cartwheel Bird’ -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/BirdAndBridge


Ochre Yellow Rose Corsage Made in Scottish Lambswool -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/RebeccaSurgey


Set Of Six Ochre Rosette Tags -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/teaandceremony


Toadstool fabric buttons -
http://www.folksy.com/shops/cwtch


Another mini-treasury next Tuesday.

A Sunday favourite …

When there are lots of apples, I tend to make this recipe Railway Pudding, taken from ‘Favourite Cornish Recipes’ – one of those little J.Salmon recipe books that you find in gifts shops by the seaside and in cathedrals!



















It’s not the world’s prettiest cake, but it doesn’t seem to last very long in our house. I can’t eat raw apples because i’m allergic to them, but this seems to suit me fine …
You will need:-

• 450g cooking apples (or a mixture of cooking and eating apples)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 55g softened unsalted butter
• 115g self raising flour
• 55g caster sugar
• half a teacup of milk

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c (Gas Mark 4) and grease a pie dish or cake tin.
2. Peel and cut up the apples, then stew them for a short time in the minimum amount of water.
3. In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg.
4. Stir in the flour and mix in the milk to make a batter.
5. Pour a layer of batter into the dish or tin, cover with the apples and then pour over the rest of the batter.
6. Bake for about thirty minutes until golden brown.
7. Serve with custard, clotted cream or creme fraiche.

Nest

Look at this little ‘sculpture’ I found when I was putting some chairs in the old playhouse …























I think it’s the beginnings of a wasp nest. Unfortunately it fell apart because it was so fragile, but that did reveal the amazing hexagonal chambers inside. It was quite small ,about as big as a satsuma. At the back of the chambers there were lots of thin concentric layers.
It looked really beautiful, but i’m sure I wouldn’t think that if there were still tennants!

Autumn Leaf Craft Swap

Ok, i’ve never organised one of these before, I could fall flat on my face, but here goes …
I love Autumn (I’ve said that so many times during the past month), and i’ve really enjoyed every craft swap that i’ve taken part in, so I decided to put my own together.

I want this swap to be the sort where you create a ‘parcel’ rather than a single item, so these are the things that should be in a swap parcel …

• A handmade item inspired by autumn leaves – it could be an Artist Trading Card, an embroidered brooch, a purse, or any other item of your choice.
• Something in an autumnal colour from your stash – a fat quarter, some buttons or a ball of yarn for instance.
• A sweet treat to enjoy after an cosy afternoon’s crafting.

If you are interested, please leave a comment here on my blog. You can leave comments until Saturday 23rd October 2010. After this date I will organise who is swapping with who and post further information.
Let's just hope I get some takers …

Doodle Words - Lovebug

Another chance to take photographs, so another Doodle Word to reveal ...

Originally I was going to doodle a VW, but I love typography and when I thought of the famous 'Love' sculpture by Robert Indiana I knew I wanted to use it as my starting point. So, the 'O' became a ladybird, and the other letters were treated to doodle spots and stripes.

More doodles soon ...

September ATC Swap - Space

The ATC that I made for the September swap has finally arrived at it's destination, so I can reveal what I have made. The 'Space' theme was a gift for me, I love Science Fiction and astronomy so I probably could have made a whole deck of cards. I am proud of my geekiness!
I settled on making a TARDIS card, hand stitched felt tied together with ribbon ...

Then there is the reveal ...
Open the TARDIS, and in true timelord fashion it  is bigger on the inside, giving me lots of space for embroidery.


I have really enjoyed making this ATC, especially all the embroidered lettering, so I think this is a technique I think i'll explore again. In the meantime I need to start thinking about the October ATC swap ... teapots ...