A Stitch in Time

Magic

2011-02-28T14:44:00.000Z

I love my new loom and I love weaving - its so magical to turn miles and miles of (potentially) tangly yarn into, well, fabric. Especially when it comes off the loom so stiff and unyielding and becomes like proper cloth when its washed and dried.

This warp has created nearly 4 metres of cloth! This is destined to become 5 cushions (1 or 2 of which will be belated Christmas presents), and three iphone holders. I chose a charcoal grey cotton since this colour worked well with my colour choices on Margo's course, and I'm really pleased with the richness of some of the colours.

Next time, I will take (more) care to avoid threading errors - correcting errors is all very well if you happen to have a spare heddle in the right place - I had to create two new heddles from thread, which meant that two threads were permanently a little higher than the rest and sometimes got missed. Oh well, its a learning curve...

Here is a section on the loom, a nice zigzag in recycled silk, cotton and viscose:

Here is the bundle that came off the loom, a jumble of different colours and textures

This one shows three pieces - the green twill and the multi-coloured bands are going to be iphone cosies; the trellis you can just see in the back top left corner is the end of a cushion.

I can't wait to get these sewn up and in my folksy shop - my first two sold this weekend, so I'm dead chuffed.

Now, what to weave next....

Kxx

exciting news! (and a plea for help)

2011-01-24T12:23:00.000Z

I had a quick look at my folksy hit count earlier this morning, and couldn't quite believe my eyes as one of my items (my tweedy phone holder) had jumped considerably. I scratched my head, and had a look at the folksy featured items section (just in case) and there it was! I'm so excited as to me it means my business has finally taken off and achieved some 'recognition' if that makes any sense.

The only problemo I have is that I have run out of the tweed and the place it came from no longer sells it - can anybody help? Its a lightweight wool tweed with a very narrow pattern repeat, and has little yellow and orange flecks in it. I'm obviously very keen to get my hands on some more so I can start making them again, so if you know of any, or can sell me some, I would be soooo very grateful!

Katie x

weaving projects

2011-01-19T08:39:00.000Z

Since going on my weaving course I have been busy experimenting with my small four-shaft table loom (with varying degrees of success). Almost as soon as I got back, I got my first warp properly wound and beamed on - a white herdwick wool and started playing with some luxury yarns - bamboo, recycled silk, and tweedy wool.

My first warp (3.5m) produced enough to make 2 or 3 cushions and an iphone holder (which has now sold, woo hoo!) though it took some nerve to actually cut it up to make something out of it!

Here is one of my cushions - currently for sale over at folksy

My next warp, I wanted to be charcoal grey, and to be used to make Christmas presents. I struggled to find a yarn that was strong enough, so had the bright idea of using sock wool, which has nylon in it to make it more durable. £20 later, I had some that looked the business.... wound it and attempted to get it onto the loom.

BIG mistake...

The wool was IMPOSSIBLE - after spending hours getting it into the raddle etc, beaming it on turned into a complete nightmare - the yarn had a lot of static in it, and worse still, the fibres rubbing together as they ran through the cross sticks made them stick together in big clumps. After the second attempt I abandoned it, and turned my attention to another project. I will go back to my original idea, but will probably use a mercerised cotton for the warp instead.

My latest project was to make a scarf using the tencel I bought earlier last year. I got it all warped up - it moves through the cross sticks really easily - but again I had problems. This time I had got one section of the warp tighter than the other, so the pattern took more easily in that section - but I got a 'sticky shed' (where the shed doesn't clear properly as the threads aren't tight enough). I quickly abandoned my first twill pattern as this was happening underneath:

This is a mixed twill of 2/2, 1/3 and 3/1 and it was having difficulty with the 3/1 twill.

So I decided to go for a broken 2/2 twill instead and got this pattern, which I rather like

This was fine, apart from the fact that the threads in the tightest part of the warp then began to snap... one by one. Argh!

So, I decided to cut these two bits off and keep them as samples, and I am hoping that I can keep the warp on the loom, but just rewind it so that it has an even tension all the way across.

I wet finished the samples and the cloth feels lovely - drapey and soft - so all being well I will one day be able to weave a lovely scarf out of it :-)

They both got a bit creased in my bag, but you get the general idea!

Next step is to get myself a better loom - I have my eye on an Ashford 8 shaft table loom, so I think I will wait until I get that to do my next warp. Here's hoping!

Katie x

weaving workshop

2010-11-01T12:28:00.000Z

This weekend I took the plunge and did something I have been wanting to do for ages and went on a weaving course with the lovely Margo Selby in her very posh studios in Bloomsbury, London. I really enjoyed the course and learnt an awful lot about weaving and what works well together in terms of colour and texture. It was also really nice to see what everyone else was creating - no two were alike :-)

The first day we experimented with different weave structures, on point threaded (wool) and straight threaded (bi-colour cotton) warps.

I started off on the wool warp and had a great time trying out different patterns and types of yarn for the weft

Here you can see lots of different structures - extra weft circles, a chequerboard formed by using a satin next to a twill, goose eye, rib, etc. I fell in love with the colours!

In the afternoon it was time to switch to the much brighter cotton warp, in my case a yellow and red mix. I found this really challenging as the first few stripes blended in too much with the warp colours.

You can just about see that the blue strip is a herringbone design... so, in theory are the two below it!

But I persevered and managed to weave a sample which I'm relatively happy with. I much prefer the wool colour palette though. In real life this is much more garish!

Day 2 was our chance to weave an item, and I decided to try and weave enough for a cushion, using the structures I had best liked from Day 1. I chose a palette of blues, greens, reds, oranges and pinks in a mixture of wool, feltable wool and silk.

This is part way through

I didn't get much chance to take photos on day 2 as I was frantically trying to get my 14 inches woven by 4pm ;-) but here is my piece coming off the loom

And here is the finished piece!

The next part of the process was the scary bit - I needed to wet finish it and felt the long woollen floats of the circles so that they don't catch. I made the cushion cover first to help stabilise the shape, then washed it with mild detergent in hot water, rubbing the woolly bits to help them felt.

And this is the finished result, which I am very happy with... now to get my own loom(s) set up... gulp!

Katie xx

folksy friday - weaving

2010-10-28T22:53:00.001+01:00

It's been a while since I've done a Folksy Friday post, and as I'm set to do a weaving workshop this weekend I thought I might take weaving as a theme.

My own item is a herringbone tweed woven sleep pillow

Here are some treasures I found on Folksy

Handwoven silk cushion by Maxemilia

Handwoven notebook case by Sue Wright Handknits

Handwoven Rug by Agnis Smallwood

Handwoven Scarf by Studio Thirty8

Wonder what I will come home with this weekend???

October Folk Fest

2010-10-06T17:49:00.000+01:00

This month's folksy listing club is the October Folk Fest - I haven't managed to list everyday so far, but have finished off a few knitted items: my cowl of course, some fairisle style leg warmers and some fun boho fingerless mitts

Here is a selection of nice things from the folk festers today:

Heart by Pants and Paper

Mistletoe by Court & Spark

Mummy by Mudmeddling

Earrings by Flo Nightingale

Bracelet by Mirribeads

Gift Tags by VintageDreams

Enjoy!

Katie x

Autumn Basketweave Cowl

2010-10-06T16:20:00.000+01:00

My most recent knitting project has been to design a cosy cowl for those cool autumn days. I chose autumnal coloured yarn and included a stripe across the centre. I decided to go for shingle stitch to create the texture, which makes for a nice basket weave effect.

Here is the finished result: the buttons are vintage bone buttons with a lovely patina

Hope you like it! I'm offering it for sale on folksy, but if you fancy having a go at knitting it yourself, you can download the pattern for FREE :-) on Ravelry

Keep toasty...
Katie x

folksy friday - hens

2010-09-17T14:33:00.000+01:00

My first folksy friday is going to feature hens! Now my three are up and listed I thought it would be appropriate:

Hetty - mini hen

Myrtle - medium hen decoration/doorstop

Betsy - large hen doorstop

Now for the fellow folksters!

Felt Hen picture by Oosie

felt hen tea cosy

Vintage Style Pull-Along Hattie The Hen Primitive

-Swirlyarts-bandit-chicken-doorstop

Hope you like them!

Katie x

September Stars

2010-09-14T16:08:00.000+01:00

Over at my folksy shop I have been joining in the September Stars listing club. The aim is to list something every day and I have been busy doing just that - often a couple of things each day, hooray!

Here are some of the items:

Sitting Hen Linen Tea Cosy

Customisable money belt

Cocoon Netbook cover

But I'm not the only one who's been busy! Here are some of my favourite items from the group from today:

Card by Cheerymishmash

Dragonfly by Jesselu

Brooch by Pantsandpaper

Bag by Moody Cow Designs

Katie x

knitting on the beach...

2010-08-23T15:13:00.000+01:00

Well I'm back home now, with just the memories of sunny Cornwall (which rapidly turned into rainy Cornwall, but never mind).

We had a lovely time, lots of pretty coastal walks to do around the western side of the county.

Watched some birds of prey circling on the thermals - this one is a sparrowhawk I think:

And did some swimming in the beautiful blue-green sea:

I even managed to find some time to do some outdoor knitting :-) whilst camping... and on the beach. If you were wondering what the creation is, its a sock!

Well it beats reading...

quick post - kind words

2010-07-30T21:46:00.000+01:00

Just a very quick update (I promise I will catch up with blogging next week as I've been a busy bee lately and got lots of sewing done)... but I wanted to share with you some kind words said about my work by Snapdragon Jane today :-)

http://snapdragongarden.typepad.com/snapdragons_garden/2010/07/a-lesson.html

I'm really glad I posted that plea for advice on twitter a couple of days ago! Thanks Jane :-) x

new photography website

2010-06-29T08:44:00.001+01:00

I'm a bit disillusioned with folksy at the moment - lots of hits but no sales, and I don't like that you have to announce to the world that you haven't sold anything yet... which I'm sure must put people off, so I have set up a website to showcase my photography. Any feedback would be gratefully received - I'm sure there will be some tweaking needed, and a whole of lot of tagging to get it compatible with Google.

Anyway, here it is: www.flemyngdesign.co.uk. I went for a site hosted by Clikpic, which is designed with photographers in mind, and so far I am pleased with the result.

So, please come and visit, and if you like what you see, tell all your friends!

busy bee

2010-06-18T13:51:00.000+01:00

Don't you just love it when you can get up early on a day off work and get cracking with your own creations? Today has been such a day.

Two hen doorstops:

Two standard sized hens:

I'm really loving the new colourways!

Last, and least... I needed to make a little bag for my soapods (soap nuts) for washing:

Here is the 'flock' as it stands (or rather sits) so far:

Aren't they a colourful bunch? Terrible photo, but its pouring down outside so the light is frankly pants today.

Now, what to do this afternoon...

lovely, lovely post

2010-06-17T09:41:00.000+01:00

Look what I received in the post this morning - squee!

Carefully wrapped with a nice note:

And the lovely contents:

Good enough to eat I reckon! Some of this is destined for more hens, some of it for unknown loveliness :-)

Thanks Alice at Backstitch Shop!

another award :-)

2010-06-14T12:34:00.001+01:00

Thanks to Alison over at Yarnscape/Yarn in my Pocket for my latest award - Life is Good (really not sure I deserve any of them, but thank you muchly all the same!). OK, so some Q&A:

1. What would your perfect day consist of?
Lots of sunshine, something productive to do and the prospect of good company!

2. How would you describe yourself if you were an item of clothing?
Err.... pass.

3. What hobbies are you currently working on?
Erm, which hobbies am I currently not working on might be easier to answer! Currently I am dabbling in: photography, sewing hens and other lovely small things, dressmaking, patchwork, knitting, setting up loom for weaving.... never a dull moment!

4. Walking in the woods in wellies or barefoot on the beach?
Difficult choice. I miss the sea (living as I do about as far away from the sea as you can possibly get), but I do love the dappled light you get in woods, and I can never resist photographing a pretty flower or three.

5. Have you ever hugged or sang to a tree?
Only in jest. I do love the texture of bark though.

6. Growing your own veggies or nipping to the supermarket.
Growing my own, definitely. Though my poor allotment has suffered this year (much to the disgust of my neighbours, no doubt) I have managed to grow most of our salads.

7. Have you found anyone exciting in your family tree?
Boatmen, weavers, farm workers... mostly in the Lincolnshire Fens. Which is odd in some ways, because I can't cope with the Fens for long - too much sky!

8. Slap up meal in a posh restaurant or fish ‘n’ chips from the wrapper?
Chips, curry sauce, cheese and a cob generally does me nicely.

9. Which element do you most resonate with, Earth, Wind, Fire or Water?
As a Cancerian, it would probably have to be water, though earth and fire come into it too. Not a big fan of the wind.

10. Do you believe in fairies?
Not really...

Passing it on!Oh, dear, this bit is more difficult! I would love to see answers from:

Pennycones

Jane from Snapdragon

Lizzet from The Fabric Loft

Cally from T'Katch

Annabelle at Three Red Apples

Don't worry if you don't have the time folks!

a lovely gift

2010-06-14T12:14:00.000+01:00

Just catching up with some blogging, and thought I would mention the gorgeous notebook cover I received from the lovely Jane at Snapdragon. She was giving away some of her old stock and I managed to bag this!

Cow parsley is such a beautiful sculptural form it makes for a great embroidery subject - so thanks Jane, I shall enjoy your gift for many years to come I suspect!

recent sewing projects

2010-06-08T10:12:00.000+01:00

My brave old Elna sewing machine has been kept very busy over the last couple of weeks! Here are just a few pics of some recent projects... more on the way as I have a couple of days off work booked in the next week or two... hooray!

The first is a pair of linen trousers which I had to employ some forensic techniques to make. My favourite pair of trousers gave up the ghost by the end of last summer - lovely big holes in the inside leg - and rather than trawling the shops in the hope I would find something similar I decided to remake them using the old trousers as a pattern. After what seemed like years of unpicking, I managed to get the waistband, fly and one of the legs dismantled, keeping one leg intact as a guide. It wasn't easy (I've only made one pair of trousers before and that was to an easy easy Burda pattern)... and I had tricksy things like proper pockets to negotiate... but I'm fairly happy with the finished result. I think it needs a bit of remedial work around the fly - the zipper sticks out which is annoying me - but hopefully that will be fairly simple.

My favourite part of the trousers is that the waistband and the pocket linings are in Amy Butler fabric, tres funky!

Ok, so what else have I done? Well, I sold my spotted owl and striped iphone holders I made a while ago, so I've made another and cut out cloth for another two - I have finally run out of interfacing, so think I will probably have to go and buy 5m or something next time!

The fabric for this one is a gorgeous olive green linen which I plundered from one of my skirts which I know will never, ever fit me again, so it was good to be able to reinvent it. The contrast fabric is Amy Butler Daisy Chain in Sweet Jasmine which I think I have fallen in love with.

The iphone holders I have sold so far have all sold on ebay rather than etsy or folksy, so think I will stick with that, and pop it on folksy to keep my shop looking nice :-)

The other thing I experimented with at the weekend was machine embroidery, something I've been meaning to try for a while, but have been a bit scared to do, to tell the truth. Am now totally hooked, so will have to think of some things to embroider! Here is an aquilegia, or columbine:

And this is my favourite - a pecking hen, based on one of my own lovelies:

Happy sewing!

new etsy and folksy shops - flemyng design

2010-06-01T11:00:00.000+01:00

Alongside my sewing I have always been a keen photographer, particularly of birds and flowers. I've discovered a good online photo printing company and have opened two new shops, one on Etsy and one on Folksy, under my other name Flemyng Design which I use for cards and publishing. The main idea is to produce vintage inspired prints using the through the viewfinder style of finishing, though there will be more conventional prints available too.

Please stop by and let me know what you think :-)

summer embroidery

2010-05-24T09:30:00.000+01:00

I was so inspired yesterday evening, sitting in the garden and looking at all the pretty flowers to get out some linen and some embroidery thread and sew some flowers. I haven't really done any/much freehand embroidery as such before (I used to do a lot of cross stitch), but I think this works. No marks were made on the linen!

Aquilegias are definitely one of my favourite flowers from this time of year :-)

my first treasury appearance...

2010-05-23T18:00:00.000+01:00

Hoorah for Etsy's Treasury East! Spot my vintage appliqued embroidered cloth in this sweet treasury on Etsy :-)

Embroidery and Old Lace

Vintage Embroidered Nap...
marcher88
$18.00 USD
Neskat's Embroidere...
Neskat
$8.00 USD
COFFEE and CREAM-HAND E...
CutieGoodie
$26.00 USD
Floral Lace Indented Sq...
renarossner
$24.00 USD
Fleur De Paris - Hand e...
LaCamelot
$115.50 USD
Choose your own Initial...
EmenGeeDesigns
$25.00 USD
1 Pair - Pastel Color -...
lynnsworkshop
$6.90 USD
Momma Teapot and Her Li...
melysbaby
$20.00 USD
Vintage embroidered/app...
kateepie
$12.00 USD
Rescued Vintage embroid...
CarnivalMoon
$38.50 USD
VEST LIZWEAR VINTAGE EM...
SuziBoutique
$8.95 USD
Vintage, Handmade Embri...
Betterintime
$5.00 USD
Butterflies Are Free Vi...
VixVintage
$28.00 USD
Vintage Floral Pansy Ha...
VintageLinenA...
$15.00 USD
Crewel Embroidered Flor...
bythewayside
$20.00 USD
Copper and Turquoise Vi...
bohemiancrochet
$24.00 USD

warping frame

2010-05-20T11:03:00.001+01:00

I'm really proud of myself, as I, not being very good generally at making things square (thank goodness for big perspex thingies with lines on), have actually managed to make myself a warping frame.

I looked at several on the internet, but they seemed pretty expensive for what they were - so, a trip to B&Q and I had timber, two lengths of dowel, some metal plates and a pretty big drill bit.

Lots of sawing and sanding later, here it is! I'm really pleased at how robust and sturdy it is... and square... which is the main thing!

I've ordered some texsolv heddles for my table loom, so hopefully once they arrive I can start work on warping up and getting some samples done.

Kx

wordless wednesday - bluebell heaven

2010-05-12T14:18:00.001+01:00

Ancient bluebell woodland at Keele University 12 May 2010

yummy yarns

2010-05-12T12:16:00.000+01:00

My yarn arrived this morning from the Handweavers Studio unfortunately I must have messed up the order, so only got 25g of each - so I've just had to ring them to order 200g of each.

But, aren't the colours yummy? The extra yarn will be slightly different - straw instead of gold and blue ming instead of dark teal, but hopefully they will still work...

Now I just need to work out some designs! Can you tell I'm excited??

sewing and weaving update

2010-05-11T13:58:00.001+01:00

Argh its been one of those busy weeks where everyday I have thought 'I must post some more stuff on the blog' and then haven't had access to my pictures, or the time to compose my thoughts.

I had a productive day's sewing over the bank holiday weekend. I bought myself a SciPhone (the Chinese version of the iphone) so thought I would sew myself a cosy for it in the meantime whilst I was waiting for it to arrive in the post. I am really pleased with the phone cosy... I was a little less pleased with the phone (in fact I have sent it back as its rubbish), so the holder is now up for grabs on Etsy.... I do love the Alexander Henry spotted owl print :-)

I also thought I would have a go at customising the phone holder for a small laptop or netbook. Here is the finished result, I think it works quite well, and matches a camera or small phone holder I made a while ago.

Next on the list was a peg bag, as ours is a horrible brown thing from the dreaded Tesco and has been left out in the rain a few too many times. I need a better pattern for this - I think the bag bit that holds the pegs needs to be a lot deeper and I had to fudge the edges. However, I do like the fabric, and was even inspired to embroider a peg on the front! Excuse the fuzzy photo, I need to take better ones :-s.

Last, but not least, I would like to introduce Lucy - my pretty hen doorstop or paperweight. I was inspired by my own hens and wanted something which was decorative, but also functional in some ways. The material is from an old top that no longer fits me (ooh how liberating it was to cut into!) and she now happily sits on my desk. I'm really, really pleased with her, so hopefully there will be some more in the pipeline soon for sale :-)

On the loom front, it has arrived! She's now called Millicent (aptly meaning hard worker) and was taken to pieces and put together again in our top room. She is a 4 shaft counterbalance floor loom, made locally in the 1970s from solid beams of mahogany. I spent the day on Sunday cleaning her up and linseed oiling her, and she now looks a beauty. Hopefully, if my yarn arrives on time I will be threading her up and starting to weave some samples later this week... hoorah!

This photo was taken pre-cleaning and oiling, I hasten to add ;-)

Bye for now,

Kx

WINNIBRIGGSHOUSE 1st Giveaway

2010-05-04T10:59:00.000+01:00

WINNIBRIGGSHOUSE 1st Giveaway

If you want to get your hands on some of the gorgeous goodies above, Jenny over at Winnibriggshouse is holding a giveaway to celebrate reaching 100 blog followers.

Might think about doing the same when I get to 50 followers... :-)

blog badges

2010-04-28T15:39:00.001+01:00

Following the advice of the lovely Haptree I have been busy making some badges to go in her new Craft Directory. If you would be kind enough to put a badge or two on your own blog or website that would be lovely :-) One is for my Etsy shop, the other is for this 'ere blog.

The badges are available in the sidebar, or below, just grab the code and go!

Kx

loom update

2010-04-27T16:35:00.000+01:00

Well, I've taken the plunge and accepted... so will be taking delivery of the loom within the next couple of weeks - thanks Joan and Steve! Really looking forward to getting my teeth into sorting it out and having a go. My mum just gave me a book about it, so have been scaring myself half to death!

Will post more photos once the loom has arrived :-)

weaving loom - to go for or not to go for?

2010-04-21T21:34:00.000+01:00

As some of you may know I have signed up to do a weaving course with the magnificent Margo Selby down in London later this year. As luck would have it, I managed to buy a couple of small table looms from my local auction room (I know, serendipity or what?). One is a simple plainweave loom which I plan to pass on somehow.

The other is more interesting. Needs a bit of work doing to it to get it workable, but should be ok. Its a four shaft table loom, not sure who by as the label has disappeared.

Ok, so the serendipity keeps on going... we got a phonecall from a friend saying that they had a loom in the garage which had been sitting there for years and hadn't been used in all that time and would I like it. So, question is, do I take them up on their incredibly kind and generous offer?

The loom is a six shaft floor loom, measures about 4ft by 3ft and appears to have all if not most of the bits there.

I know it all needs a good clean and a certain amount of reassembly. But I would appreciate some advice as to whether this would be a good thing to go for?

New banner for etsy and folksy shops

2010-04-21T11:16:00.000+01:00

Well, here it is, I can finally unveil the new design for my etsy and folksy shop banners! Thanks to all who made suggestions, it was very helpful in making my final decision.

The fish is made from my favourite Japanese cotton and the bubbles are from a salvaged pearl necklace!

Hopefully this will now give my shops more of a professional feel and a recognisable 'look'.

Kx

Some Etsy favourites - stripes and birdies

2010-04-20T13:11:00.002+01:00

Here are some of my favourites from Etsy - mostly with a theme of stripes (you can't beat them) and pretty little birdies...

Hope you like them too x

7 things you didn't know about me... and an award!

2010-04-20T09:53:00.002+01:00

Toniann over at KnotJustJigs very kindly sent me the Kreativ Blogger award yesterday, and tagged me to offer 7 facts about myself. Very proud about the award, but just a little bemused about what to say about me. But, without further ado... here goes.

I am an historian by training and have just finished writing my PhD about 18th and 19th century church music in the East Midlands.
I have a scar between two of my fingers from when I ran into a radiator, aged three.
I once tried to learn the violin, and the guitar, not very successfully.
I am a cheesaholic.
My pets as a child were two cockerels, Earpie and Humphrey.
I love growing things (I guess you knew that already), but only found that love when I had a first floor flat... with no garden.
I am passionate about animal welfare issues and the environment.

Phew, all done! So... I now have to pass this award on to seven other bloggers. If they want, they can also take up the challenge, which is:

1.Copy the award to your blog
2.Insert a link to the person who nominated you
3.Tell seven things about yourself that you haven’t told before
4.Nominate seven other bloggers for the award
5.Link to their blogs
6.Tell the nominees about their award

Cally over at T'Katch
Abbi at Edwina Simone
Tif at Dottie Angel
Nerys at Crafty Jemima
Florence at Flossie Teacakes
Nikki at Pinnikity
Jaime at Sewshesews

cosy sewing and sewing cosies...

2010-04-18T00:00:00.001+01:00

I bought the Lis iphone holder pattern from Flossie Teacakes' site last week and after going and raiding the fabric shop for some nice linen-y stuff and interfacing I settled down to some sewing.

It took me a while to get all the pieces cut out as I decided to make two in tande-m rather than going through the whole process again after I'd finished one. It took rather longer when I realised I had my perspex cutting guide the wrong way up so I had cut some of the pieces out too long (which can obviously easily be rectified) and some pieces too narrow (which can't).

The instructions were really clearly written and the photos were helpful. The only trouble I had was that on one of the holders the accent fabric didn't come down quite far enough, so I ended up having to make it all a bit smaller when it came to sewing the whole thing up... but it is the perfect size for a small camera, so can't complain really! I think when I make the next one I will make that piece a little bit longer to compensate (its probably just my sewing...).

So here are the finished holders... only took me 3 or 4 hours, so not bad going!

I'm really pleased with how they've turned out: the pattern is really nice, and I like the way the fabrics contrast. I'll definitely be making more of these, thanks Florence!

Branding

2010-04-15T16:16:00.002+01:00

A long time ago I had an ebay account which I called eklectikfish - I wanted a name that was quirky and summed up the randomness of the things I was selling at the time. Whilst casting around for a name for my folksy shop, I remembered the name and thought it might be a go-er. Following SheDraws advice on UK Handmade about the importance of having a 'brand' I thought this might be one of the reasons why I haven't had any sales yet - the shops are just not distinctive enough at the moment.

So, here is my initial thought for a brand look. Any feedback gratefully received, I'm still pretty new to this game! This is sort of intended for a label... but could also be part of a banner too.

I need to redraw the fish to make it my own, but the concept will be similar. So, what do you think?

it's the little things...: "Brown paper packages, tied up with string..."

2010-04-15T09:36:00.003+01:00

it's the little things...: "Brown paper packages, tied up with string..."

Well my little package was well received! I hope this post will prove that the craft swap *is* genuine - I know some of you out there are convinced it is a pyramid scheme - but it will only work if people sign up (I won't get anything back until anyone I recruit has recruited someone). It was a really nice feeling to get such a positive response to my little gift, so, even if I don't get anything back I will be happy to have shared.

Patchwork quilt progress report

2010-04-14T10:25:00.002+01:00

Just thought I would post some pics of the first section of my patchwork quilt, as I managed to get the whole top portion of it finished last night. Sorry if the pics are a bit crummy, the light isn't very good in the bedroom - I'll try and take some better ones at the weekend.

The structure of the whole quilt will be the same throughout - 9 sections of three 6 cm 60 degree diamonds fitted together, but the pattern will change in each section. This one is tumbling boxes:

I have all the material cut for this section now, and have been stolidly sewing the pieces around stiff paper on the train to work - I tried machine sewing pieces together, but it was actually less stressful to hand sew the lot...

I blogged about the fabric I received for some of the other sections yesterday, but here is one I got a while back. I only bought a small piece because it was *very* expensive (gulp), but hopefully I can work it in somewhere. It reminds me of Japanese kimonos.

Happy sewing!

Fabric delivery

2010-04-13T09:55:00.000+01:00

Just received my next lot of fabric for the patchwork quilt I'm making. I'm making it in 9 sections, with a border in between them all. One of sections uses the Amy Butler Martini fabric I used for the passport covers I blogged yesterday, along with a soft solid green oxford cotton.

These are the fabrics I received today:

Two by Alexander Henry:

This one is Spotted owl and I think is my favourite.

Then there is Starling:

And finally Charm Bracelet Flowers by Windham Fabrics:

Not sure if I will use them all together yet, or mix them with more solid colour fabrics. Excited though!

Weekend sewing

2010-04-12T10:54:00.001+01:00

It was a good weekend, this weekend, lots of time in the garden, and an equal amount of time at the sewing machine.

This is what I came up with for my swap item - a passport holder/cover in Amy Butler's Martini fabric.

And the inside:

Hopefully the recipient will like it! I have still had no takers for my part of the swap - so if you fancy receiving some random crafty goodness (you only have to make one item to send off) then please contact me. It would be a nice to keep the thing going :-)

I made a couple of other passport covers too, one for me (the trial version) in my japanese rooster and tulips fabric:

And another in the reverse colorway of the Amy Butler material, which is destined for my Etsy shop.

The other job I managed to get done, which has been hanging around for a while, was to make a bag to transport my clothes in to work (I cycle part of the way). I had been using cotton shop bags, but wanted something a bit more personal and a bit more cheerful to hang up in my office. I got some lovely striped material from John Lewis:

And simply made a lined version of the bag I had been using - much prettier though :-)

And with the rather dramatic black lining:

All in all, a good weekend I think!

Spring Bouquet

2010-04-09T15:25:00.001+01:00

Walking around the garden today I spotted some Euphorbias which were sooo zingy I had to cut some to bring them in the house. Thought I would share them with you :-)

I also thought the hellebores were looking particularly fine today

Hurrah for spring and the warm sunshine!

International swap shop

2010-04-07T11:58:00.001+01:00

Thanks to Yvonne at Sketchstitch I am taking part in an international arts and crafts swap and am now on the look out for six people to take part with me and become the next links in the chain.

So what does it involve? You need to make one item to post out - any craft you like: paper, textile, etc. etc. - then, in return you should receive 36 items from around the globe...

If you would like to take part (and it sounds like a good deal to me), contact me below and I will send further details. Send me a link to your folksy or etsy shop if you would prefer me to contact you that way.

Chair makeover

2010-04-04T15:53:00.000+01:00

Its been a busy Easter weekend so far! One of the projects I got stuck into was helping Robert's mum, Rosemary, to revamp a chair I had bought for her from our local auction. Actually we bought two chairs as one lot (for the princely sum of £4), the other will need to be reupholstered... another day! They are both very dainty Edwardian bedroom chairs.

The one that didn't need reupholstering (above) did need a new seat, and we choose twisted rush as the material.

It was quite tricky as neither of us had done it before, and the pretwisted rush had a tendency to unravel itself at the most inopportune moments... but, we were getting somewhere.

Here it is in the fairly early stages. As the seat is wider at the front than the back we needed to do the front first, tying each length of rush to the side rail.

A bit further forward. It got really difficult near the end as we kept having to squish the rush bands that were already on to get the next ones in the gap.

Here is the finished (bar neatening up when dry) article!

It's probably not what you would call a *professional* finish, but pretty good for a first attempt we reckon - certainly it is now a functioning chair, just right for an old bear :-)

cake walk socks - pattern now online!

2010-03-31T10:59:00.000+01:00

I have just published my first ever knitting pattern! Its for the socks I featured last week - and the pattern is now available on Ravelry for £3.50 or $5.00.

So, if you fancy a new project, perhaps you might consider these socks ;o)

tutorial: convert a rucksack into a pannier (part 1)

2010-03-26T11:53:00.003Z

I set myself a challenge last week. I'm starting a new job in the next week which will involve cycling to the station and then taking two trains and a bus to get there. I have panniers for my bike, but they are awkward to carry around, and I don't like cycling with a rucksack on my back because I get hot at the best of times. So, the challenge: to create a means of converting a rucksack into a pannier which can then be swiftly turned back into a rucksack. Simple!

Here is my trusty vintage Raleigh Stratos bike, smart isn't she? I think she is about as old as I am!

This is the sort of thing I am trying to replicate

So, the idea I came up with was to create a sleeve or pocket on the back with something stiff to which I could attach hooks, and a bungee at the bottom.

To create your own converter you will need the following:

A rucksack (old or new).

Fat quarter of cloth, with some of a different colour for the inside of the pocket.

A thin plastic chopping board, preferably with a handle.

Some appropriate sized hooks/with bolts to connect them - I got my hooks from Ikea.

An old bungee.

Some velcro. I used a bit of ordinary sew on velcro, and also salvaged a velcro loop from another bag.

A length of strap (again, I salvaged mine).

First of all you need to cut your fabric. I folded the fat quarter in half lengthways and then tore it into shape so that it was just over 3cm wider than the chopping board, keeping it double thickness. I then cut a piece of black cotton fabric to match (single thickness) for the inside of the pocket.

With right sides together, sew around the sides and bottom, keeping the folded edge to the top.

Cut off the corners, turn right side out and press. Turn down the top to the back and stitch. This will create the front of your pocket.

We now need to add some gussets to make enough space for the board to fit. Cut two pieces from the remnants of your fat quarter, each about 20cm wide. Right sides together fold each in half to create strips and press the ends over so that the fabric will be the same height as your pocket. Sew down the fold lines, trim the excess and turn rightside out. Roughly serge or oversew the edges so that they don't fray.

Pin these two pieces onto the back of the pocket with the folded edge outermost and stitch close to the edge of the pocket. I also stitched along the bottom, for extra strength.

Now comes the tricky part. Attach the board to the top carrying handle of the rucksack with the velcro loop so that you know where to put the pocket. Pin one edge on.

Now, unless you are a genius or have a very flexible sewing machine, we are going to need to do a bit of hand sewing in order to attach the pocket to the rucksack. I used a overcast or whip stitch. The first side is easy!

Repeat with the second edge, but you will have to sew inside the tube as it were, which is hard when you get to the middle, but persevere!

You could sew the bottom of the pocket in the same way, but I just sewed a small piece of velcro, bottom centre, to keep it closed. Not very neatly sewn, but its hidden!

Pop your board back in, and you will then be ready for Part 2 of the tutorial (attaching the hooks and the bungee... coming soon!).

The bungee will be attached to the bottom of the rucksack; the board will be drilled for the hooks.

easter card to share

2010-03-25T17:08:00.003Z

Here is a free Easter card to print out and share... enjoy :-)

Here is the link to download it from: Happy Easter. The image is a photograph I took in a Northamptonshire church, couldn't resist those gorgeous flowers.

sneaky peek I: new socks

2010-03-25T12:03:00.000Z

Time for a sneak peek of the new socks I just designed - my first sock pattern, so a bit scary. I've knitted up the first one, and it seems to have worked!

I've decided to call them cakewalk socks as the textured stripe goes up and down :-)

Here is the heel, and the sock actually on:

Any feedback gratefully received... do all the elements work?

Katie xoxox

the weekend

2010-03-22T10:47:00.000Z

Not much to report from the weekend as we were busy entertaining. But, lunch went down well (leek & potato pie, with pastry snowdrops on the top, roast taters and parsnips, followed by rhubarb and raspberry crumble) - and managed to get some homegrown produce in there which is always satisfying. The lion and tiger were hits with the boys (and parents!) with lots of loud roaring going on.

I went down to the allotment afterwards as it was such a beautiful day it would have been a shame to miss it, despite a full tummy. Got a bit of gentle digging done, sowed swiss chard, rainbow chard, beetroot and spinach, and got my shallots and onion sets planted. I'm going to go for a more permaculture approach this year as I'm not going to have as much time to spend down there, so I'm planning to grow more things in mixed patches (the two lots of chard and spinach were all sown together), much closer together so the weeds don't win out, and plenty of flowers like calendula in between. Hopefully this will mean that the allotment looks pretty rather than messy, which it usually does!

This is my 'raised bed' system for carrots: my carrots were rubbish last year, so hoping that this dismantled compost bin will help - and thwart the dreaded carrot root fly.

I've filled it with compost from my ungainly compost heap.

And last, but not least, here is a little froggy that nearly gave me a heart attack last time I was down there by jumping when I least expected it! The frogs are getting busy in ours and next door's ponds, so we may have frogspawn soon :-)

The garden is looking greener than ever, I really enjoy the anticipation of things coming up and getting ready to flower. The snowdrops are still looking pretty.

Our garden goes up a hill so is very shady and steep. The lower bit is terraced and is a mixture of cottage garden (well, that's the plan) and veg and chickens. The upper bit is becoming a wild garden. We had to clear mountains of ivy and bramble, but it is now grassed over and has loads of wild flowers like campion, self heal, toadflax etc dotted around - and bluebells of course!

Then:

And now:

Here are some wild arums (lords and ladies) just poking up:

Let's just hope the sunshine keeps up!

introducing tim the tiger and leo the lion

2010-03-19T11:13:00.000Z

We've got two lots of friends coming over on Sunday, bringing their two little boys, Luke (3 in Sept) and Ben (2 in June). When I found this vintage knitting pattern on the Victoria and Albert Museum site I couldn't resist - particularly as Luke is blonde and Ben is distinctly red headed. No prizes for guessing then who's getting what!

I did the tiger first, and didn't get chance to take any pictures of the work in progress - but here are some pictures of the lion in bits before I sewed it up.

1. Parts before sewing, 2. Lion's side, 3. Lion's mane

The mane was interesting - basically a loop stitch, which seemed to go on for ever and was really hard to keep neat. It ended up looking a bit like a wig on the underside - maybe I have a new career ahead of me!?

Here is the finished lion, I think he looks kind of cute frolicking in amongst the crocuses!

Here is Tim the Tiger, having a snooze on the bench after having frightened next-door's rather macho cat, Gizmo:

And finally the two playing nicely together:

I really hope Ben and Luke love them as much as I do - thinking I may have to make a lion for myself!;o)

crochet triumph!

2010-03-19T10:25:00.000Z

Now I have always been slightly scared/wary of crochet - give me two, four or five needles and I'm happy - show me a needle with a hook in one end and I start to panic. A great-aunt did try to teach me the basics when I was little, but I don't think I ever got any further than chaining.

Having commenced a project to knit a couple of toys (to be blogged later today), I realised I would need to crochet the ears. Oh dear. The pattern seemed to be utterly incomprehensible (1 d.c, tr into next stitch, long tr into third stitch, etc), so I called on my mum for help and she gallantly did them for me. I had a go under her guidance but got into a bit of a mess.

I'm usually up for a challenge, so I decided to teach myself using an online tutorial over at Meet Me at Mike's which seemed pretty clear. Here are my first and second attempts (following lots of pulling down and starting over):

I think the second attempt is actually worse than the first (what happened to the lower corner???).

Anyway, I persevered this morning, and this is the final attempt, which I'm pretty happy with, it's not perfect, but not bad for a learner I reckon :o):

And the whole ensemble:

The pretty buttons and backgrounds I purchased from Jessica Sprague the other day - the backgrounds (and cameras, to be seen in the next post) are by Kitschy Digitals, the buttons by Crystal Wilkerson. Thought they might jazz things up a bit on here!

stash enhancement!

2010-03-16T13:58:00.000Z

As it was Mothering Sunday last weekend I went to visit my mum over in Newark, Nottinghamshire. We decided to do a trawl of one of the local antique centres and then went on to a local antiques fair. It ended up being a useful stash enhancement exercise - the antique centre had lots of stalls with baskets full of buttons (how did I walk past them all in ignorance for so many years I ask myself?) - and this is what I ended up with:

I think these blue ones are some of my favourites - so bold.

You will also notice some beads in there - mostly pearls which I plan to either restring or use to make a project or two more pretty.

I also bought the scarf they are all sitting on - a rather funky orange and yellow 70s number I picked up cheaply. Unfortunately it has a cigarette burn at one end, so if anyone has any suggestions as to how I could disguise it... I would be grateful.

But the best finds were to come at the antiques fair... on a stall with old tools I came across this beauty and couldn't resist!

I know it looks a bit like a lopsided boomerang, but this is what it actually is - something a lot more useful ;o)

The guy asked me what I was going to do with it, and seemed quite pleased when I said I was going to use it for dressmaking. I suppose so many old tools just end up on people's walls as interior design. It has a lovely brass bit on the corner to hold the two pieces together, and I think the wood is boxwood - its a great colour.

Last but not least I also managed to pick up a pair of old, but still sharp scissors which will replace my blunt plasticky snips.

They have a nice detail on the handles which attracted me to them - they used to make things properly in the old days didn't they?

bond jumper

2010-03-16T13:38:00.000Z

I started knitting a jumper for me in November, hoping I would get in done in time to wear it before the winter is out. I got the pattern out of an old Rowan knitting magazine and liked its simplicity. Its called 'Bond' and was designed by Kim Hargreaves. Since finishing it a week or two ago I have worn it almost constantly, its sooo warm and cosy! Here it is, the finished item...

The pattern called for Rowan DK soft, which I think has now been discontinued. I had found some soft wool in Hobbycraft of all places - Eco wool by Sirdar - which is an undyed 100% wool. Not sure what the breed is (they helpfully just describe it as 'earth'), but it might be something like Castlemilk. Its thicker than the DK soft, and, as I later out, only has around half the yardage - so I kept having to go back and buy a couple more balls, and then a couple more! The pattern called for 5 50g balls, I used nearly 11 - so let that be a warning!!

It has a simple slash neck and set in sleeves, so was a good beginner jumper project.

Here is is on, photo taken on a sunny morning this weekend - excuse my double chin!

I guess I will probably get more wear out of it next winter (though I could have done with it a few weeks ago!)... its getting a little bit tooo warm out there now.

new twirly socks!

2010-03-11T12:30:00.000Z

I got my pair of 'nine-to-five' socks finished last night - as ever I ended up sitting up in bed doing the grafting... can never wait till the morning! Here is a link to the Ravelry page for the pattern info - and here is my Ravelry page.

The spiral twisty pattern was a lot simpler than I thought it was going to be - no cable needles in sight, fortunately.

Here are the finished socks:

Heel detail (half linen stitch):

I like the way the twirls come down as part of the clock:

Toe:

All in all I'm very pleased with how they've come out. Next project is to knit some to my own pattern - wish me luck!

a celebration of nature's bounty

2010-03-10T12:20:00.000Z

The University of Nottingham has a Go Greener week this week (visit their site here), so I thought I would have a look through my photos to see what I had of stuff I've grown or made over the past year. Here is a selection. We have yet to try the wine, which needs a year to mature properly, but the jams and jellies have been a hit! I made sloe, damson and wild plum gins in time for Christmas (all subtly different), and its nearly all gone now, so I'm hoping for a good crop again this year. The sloe gin is definitely my favourite, all creamy and vanilla tasting, yum!

1. homemade and homegrown!, 2. rowan, redcurrant and crabapple jelly, 3. wild plum gin, 4. homegrown parsnips, 5. raspberry vinegar and elderberry syrup - for colds and flu, 6. rowan wine and redcurrant and raspberry wine, 7. Bums in the air, 8. glowing crabapple jelly, 9. beans saved from last year's harvest, 10. apple and ginger, raspberry, hedgerow and berry jams, 11. allotment is haven for wildlife, 12. freshly harvested strawberries and redcurrants, 13. windowsill propogation

how to prepare your raised beds... with a little help from the chickens!

2010-03-06T23:21:00.000Z

With spring coming on stream I thought that the preparation of the raised beds was an ideal job to tackle today. One of the beds already has some garlic and a few onions in, but the other has been empty over the winter and needed to have last year's leafmould digging in and a bit of weeding. As the beds tend to be havens for millions of slugs (who happily munch through anything that isn't a weed, grrr) I gave the job to our three rescue hens who had a fabulous time scratching around and looking for tasty grubs.

Don't they look like they are having fun?

1. Helping in the raised beds, 2. Bums in the air, 3. Happy hens, 4. Jalfrezi in the raised bed, 5. Jemima looking for worms, 6. Jinny slug hunting, 7. Exploring compost, 8. More exploration, 9. The 3 Js happily scattering compost in their run

To introduce the hens, affectionally known as 'The 3 Js', they are Jinny, Jalfrezi and Jemima, three ex battery hens we got from the Battery Hen Welfare Trust in September 2008 - and they couldn't have looked much different!

1. Jinny and Jalfrezi, day 1, 2. Jemima, day 1, 3. Jinny, day 1, 4. Jalfrezi, day 1, 5. Jalfrezi, day 1: with overgrown beak

I think we are probably more shocked at how awful their condition was now than we were at the time, perhaps because we were plunged headlong into chicken-keeping! Jemima, though having the most feathers, was actually very ill when we got her. She weighed virtually nothing and wouldn't eat anything for days so she had to be taken to the vet - and had a week convalescing in our front room!

The amazing thing about them is their instinct - they were 24 hours out of a life in a battery farm (should be enough to convert anyone to free range...), had never seen the sky, or grass, or tasted a worm, and within seconds of coming out of the basket they were scratching about as if they had been doing it all their lives. Jalfrezi and Jinny both had problems with overgrown beaks caused by not having anything to wear them down on. Fortunately they wore down naturally after a couple of weeks and soon looked pretty normal.

Some before and after pics to show their transformations:

Jemima (a.k.a Jimjams)

Jinny (a.k.a. Jinny Hen)

Jalfrezi (a.k.a Jaffles)

Though it might seem daunting, the rewards for seeing our little scrawny, scraggy hens blossom into the beauties they are today make it well worth it - and I would heartily recommend that if anyone is thinking about keeping hens that they consider going for ex-batts. They are so quirky and funny and very entertaining and we feel very privileged to have them :o)

spring is on it's sweet way

2010-03-05T12:53:00.000Z

I love spring, and every year I look forward to it even more. At the moment the first few crocuses are out in my garden, the bulbs are pushing their way through the cold earth and growing bigger and stronger day by day. I love watching the progress of the leaves on hawthorn trees, too - they are such a zingy green when they emerge - and they are tasty too!

Here is a mosaic of what I have to look forward to - photos of flowers in the garden I took last spring - not to mention the many new bulbs we planted over the summer :o)

1. Crocus, 2. Hellebore, 3. Crocus, 4. Aquilegia, 5. Aquilegia, 6. Aquilegia, 7. Aquilegia, 8. Pink hellebore, 9. Celandine, 10. Alliums, 11. New hawthorn leaves, 12. Primrose

downloadable greetings cards

2010-02-26T11:24:00.000Z

I have a new page up. As an experiment I am trialling some free greetings cards you can download in PDF format and print out at home. Perfect for birthdays, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, weddings etc. etc! Please do let me know what you think of the idea!

downloadable greetings cards

knitting needle roll

2010-02-18T16:33:00.000Z

I was in need of more avoidance tactics this week, so decided that it was a good time to tackle the knitting needle roll, which helpfully took up a couple of mornings ;)

I think it's come out pretty well, I like the bold colours of the Japanese cloth and the contrast with the scarlet bias binding I used.

I started following the instructions on the wiki website I was going to use, but eventually abandoned them in favour of a few modifications that seemed to work quite well.

For a start, the piece of material I had for the outside of the roll was shorter from top to bottom than the recommended length, so I had to think quite carefully about where things should go. I settled in the end on having a foldover at the top to stop the needles from coming out when it was all rolled up. I also created an additional pocket by finishing the lining material at the top with bias binding so that it could be used for long needles.

The ribbons were made by cutting out two lines of the rooster and finishing the edge with the bias binding - cute huh?

The individual pockets for the needles were formed by stitching at 1" intervals. It wasn't too bad, but I did have trouble with the yellow material ruckling up underneath, so it isn't quite as neat as I would like. Lots of room for expansion though!

new projects - fat quarters

2010-02-11T18:06:00.000Z

Having several fat quarters of rainbow-hued spotty cotton to use up I decided to make some baby stuff with them. So far I have made a skirt out of the red cotton, and some cute little shoes out of the blue, lined with some of the pink. The results are for sale in my Etsy shop.

The skirt was dead easy - you just cut the quarter in half, sew down the two short ends, make a casing for the elastic and simply hem and its done!

The shoes were a little more tricky, but are made of only three parts, so its just a case of making a few edges, assembling and stitching the whole thing together and adding some elastic to help the fit. I think they look kinda sweet.

etsy shop

2010-02-10T14:41:00.000Z

My new Etsy shop can be found here - come and pay me a visit!

gorgeous new fabric

2010-02-10T14:00:00.000Z

My gorgeous new fabric arrived from Etsy yesterday and I can't wait to get started on the project I have in mind for it - a roll to keep my errant and escapist knitting needles in! Its Japanese fabric - the yellow will be for the outside and the green with the roosters on for the lining - should be funky :)

The roll I am planning to make can be found here.

Hello world!

2010-02-09T15:31:00.000Z

Having read quite a few knitting and stitching blogs recently, I thought it was high time to start my own. I hope to be able to update this regularly with news of new works in progress and finished objects, but bear with me to start with! :) Katie x