Glitter and felt and thread, oh my

I'm becoming a tad obsessed with these little felty pictures.

Some days I think I'm seeing double.


Or triple.


But then I realise that all these little mushroom houses are actually slightly different - a bit like a modern housing estate perhaps?

These three are for commissions/presents and I have requests for more but really needed to do something different otherwise they were in danger of ending up with duplicates which seems pointless. So I doodled and fiddled and snipped and ended up with a tiny fairy castle.


I even had the chance to use some of the stitches I learned at a course at the Make Lounge recently - maybe Ali, Tracy, Monica or Karen recognise bullion knots, French knots, satin stitch and feather stitch?!

The daffodils are finally blooming

More evidence (if any were needed) that I am slightly deranged ...

Today the girls have another non uniform day, this time a fundraiser for Marie Curie Cancer Care. You'll have seen the little daffodil badges on sale all over everywhere if you're in the UK; it's a great cause we're happy to support. Anyway, the theme for the day was "yellow and green" - two colours that don't appear in our wardrobe. I had said, "Well, we'll dye a white T-shirt and you can wear your jeans and green and yellow ribbons in your hair." Oh no. That wouldn't do
At All.

It's entirely my own fault but my children know that if they ask me to make them a skirt, I am never going to say no. And given the chance to go and browse in John Lewis and stroke all their new Amy Butler* and Tanya Whelan - well, would you have turned it down?


These skirts made me love my overlocker all over again - even if I did run out of cotton and have to rethread it. Like me, my tiddlers love a long swirly skirt, and who can blame them?

*(yes, I know I said I didn't like Amy Butler fabrics. I was WRONG.)

Hasn't got the sense she was born with

Any sensible mum, faced with the prospect of a Roald Dahl themed non uniform day, would suggest Matilda, or Violet Beauregarde, or Miss Honey, or one of The Witches. A craft obsessed mum makes the mistake of asking her children what they would like to be.

A sensible mum, on hearing the response "We want to be baby foxes!" would then think, "Ah yes, a bit of face paint, a few whiskers, easy peasy!" A crafty mum starts to dream of fake fur and little furry ears and big bushy tails.


A sensible mum would have got to bed at a reasonable hour last night. A crafty mum stays up sewing till the small hours and still finds herself attaching poppers to belts for tails at breakfast time.

But then, a sensible mum isn't greeted by this:


and isn't serenaded on the way to school by fox barks.

I know which I'd rather be.

A grand day out

You know what? You're fab, you lot. The lovely good luck comments spurred me on through a week of stupidly late nights and a sinus infection and sewing my finger more than once (only a machine sewer can know the pain of being whacked by the needle holder when you fail to get your foot off the pedal at 1am. Still, at least it wasn't the overlocker.)


The sale day went better than I could have ever hoped. We had a sunny day, a hall full of daffs, GORGEOUS stalls (and I somehow didn't spend all my takings - yet), delicious Boden clothes, and a steady stream of visitors.

My stall came together, and I managed not to spike anyone with bamboo canes or stab anyone with a needle. I even made some custom requests for hair elastics and clips on the spot which was a very special feeling, and I have a couple of orders to fill. Yay!


So, to say thank you to everyone who left me good luck wishes, and to say sorry for not replying to everyone individually, I'm having a retrospective giveaway. I've drawn a random name from the people who commented on the last post, and I'll make for you one of my covered notebooks with a little picture of your choice on the front. To remind you of the sorts of things I make, here's a reminder:



And the winner is ....

Lucy Locket!

Lucy, I'll be in touch to find out what you'd like on your notebook.

Now it'd back to the reality of a neglected house and a pile of ironing. Ah, well!

Uncharted territory

I'm feeling a bit wobbly, a bit nervous, but at the same time very excited at the moment. On Saturday I'll be having my very first stall, here:

Thanks to Celia for making the poster bloggable!

If you're anywhere near the northern side of Cambridge on Saturday, it should be a worthwhile way to spend an hour or so! Google Maps knows where Swaffham Prior is if you're not sure.

In case the clothes alone are insufficient to tempt you, you should know that the lovely and talented Emma Silverpebble will be there selling her irresistible jewellery, as she and her friend Andrea are the brains behind the venture. Also coming along will be Celia with her gorgeous prints, a local basketmaker, a ceramic artist, and more.

Mind you, there is the issue of what to sell. I'm in the middle of a sewing frenzy. This is about a third of my in progress pile - the house is in a state and the worst part is I can't shout at anyone else about it because it's all my mess.


I've been doing lots and lots of little felt appliques - which I shall photograph and show at some point, but this is one of the simpler projects I've completed, to give you an idea.


*I* like what I'm making, so I guess that's a start; I just hope someone else likes it too or my friends and family will be receiving books and purses for years to come ...