Monthly Archive: May 2008

Oh Deer

I finally got around to making a little something for those lovely people at Ardlussa on Jura who helped us out when our car got stuck in a muddy field. Went off in search of help with the little fella in tow, leaving the big fella behind me swearing like a trooper, when round the corner arrived our goddess saviour with kiddies in tow and one on the way. Since Jura’s nickname is ‘The Island of Deer’, I thought this might be appropriate … a small stuffed embroidered deer for the new arrival. Also just happens to be a good way of carrying on my Doodle stitch odyssey.

It felt like a really nice, compact and tactile thing and I’ve got a few similar animal projects in mind currently keeping me awake at night.

Button Geek

God it’s official, I’m a craft geek. Found myself in a quilting shop in the Needlemakers last week getting all hot and bothered about buttons, of all things. Half an hour later and a few quid lighter I was still sufficiently excited about the whole experience to take a picture of purchased buttons and write a post about them – AREN’T THEY GREAT? Put it down to retail euphoria …

Thanks for your presence

Embroidered cushionStill enjoying the delights of embroidery at the moment, and in my quieter moments in the shop I’m managing to sort some little presents out. A friend’s getting married next week so I’ve made them this little momento pillow, stuffed with lavender. The theme’s meant to be seeds, putting down roots – geddit? Not really sure what earthly use it is to them, but I had a lot of fun doing it!

Handbags at Dawn

Wow, an imaginative, creative and yet useful promo download from a commercial website for once … in a tribute to the blonde icy legend, Hermes have got a ‘Download Your Kelly‘ section on their website where you can choose a cutout handbag design, print it, fold it, glue it et voila. I’m thinking with a bit of trickery these could be printed onto fabric for a beautiful and more permanent solution … okay on my printer it would only be A4 size, but big enough to keep my make-up in right? (only just)

Trug dealing

TrugWhat better way to hail the start of summer than building a good old Sussex trug to store all that garden produce in. I went on this great course last week organised by Plumpton College at the Netherfield Centre, where they show you how to build a trug from start to finish. I’ve been laughing about it with friends since I booked it … it’s like I’ve picked the most obscure course I could find, and I’ll admit to a brief ‘what was I thinking of?’ moment when I entered the barn at 10am last Friday, but I can’t recommend it enough! Lovely way to spend the day, really meditative as you wittle away at the willow and build the shape. It helped that we had a fantastic tutor, a real craftsman who takes great pride in what he does, loves keeping his craft alive, and hasn’t even hit 40 yet.

Now if I could just stop those damn slugs from eating my tomato plants, I might have something to put in it – you didn’t think that was all homegrown in the photo did you?

Pattern Sales

Unfortunately I haven't been able to spend so much time on pattern sales recently and the site has suffered as a result, so sadly I've decided not to continue with selling vintage knitting patterns. read more ...

About Me

I've been knitting and crocheting since the age of seven, taught by my mum and nans who instilled in me a love of the patterns they knitted from originally. Over the years I developed a style of my own, adapting these wonderful designs for a modern fit and yarn choice. read more ...

Vintage Tips

If you're new to the vintage knitting pattern game, have a look at these useful tips first - they'll help you decide which wool to use and if the pattern needs adapting ...

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