work table and other bits

busy busy at the moment, being more orderly than I would usually be (which is not at all orderly!)

sewing and drawing up patterns

and the beginnings of a new embroidery

pink, blue and green, labels and postage

A friend commissioned me to make a little bag for a very pink little girl she knows, so off I went and made a pretty pink wrist pouch without realizing (entirely my own fault) that she meant a shoulder bag so I have just listed the lovely pouch and spent today making a little shoulder bag (which unfortunately I couldn't photograph)

I have become quite enamoured of pink while I was sewing, in particular the lecien dot pink fabric from here 

I have also resolved my label dilemma, I simply couldn't find labels that I like so I thought I could just embroider my name onto the items.  I discovered that it took about the same time as sewing a label on and I think I prefer it.

I've also started with some scraps of the lovely VandA fabric on this blue and green rabbit

I am especially pleased with his little embroidered heart.

Now I am thinking about postage.  Is it better to have postage and packing included in the price of the item or is it better to add it on after.  I am thinking of changing my prices to include postage.  Which do you prefer?

One of those days

Oh I'm sure I shouldn't put a cup full of coffee on my wonky ironing board but today has just been one of those days!

a rabbit pattern that doesn't want to get any smaller

too cold outside to stay out for long...

stir crazy children

and now coffee all over my ironing board cover

on the positive side

 I managed to miss all the embroideries I had stacked precariously on the end of the ironing board

I've made quite a nice large rabbit

hmmm the children are still stir crazy!

I'd better go wash my ironing board cover

crosspatch, she's in my shop

                                                     

the crosspatch embroidery pattern is in my etsy shop and my folksy shop

After some requests I have also put together pattern packets which work out cheaper than buying the patterns individually

You can buy any 2,3 or 4 patterns

Ok advertising over, back to work now!

Fabric Love

J had to work in London last week and he happened to pop into the VandA (my favourite place in the world) and he happened to see this gorgeous fabric.  There was a phone call

J - do you want some fabric

me - yes!

and here is what he chose

lovely blues

some spring like greens with red and mustard

and my favourite two, I just can't decide between them

I do love reds and this pattern is so perfect

but this pattern comes in green too and such a lovely green

I am too excited about using these fabrics, the prints are the perfect size for my work.  But I have to do some finishing off first!

The VandA are having a bit of a sale on their fabrics in their online shop

An almost ta dah!

A new embroidery pattern, I just have a little adjustment to make on her legs and I might just sew her up on linen then she'll be on etsy and folksy for sale

I've done a fair bit of lazy daisy and detatched chain for flowers, leaves and insects

I am in love with her cross face (it's so definitely my daughter!)

her dress could be filled in or embroidered with different stitches

we had a wobbly leg moment when I was transferring but I shall straighten that out.  I wanted to photograph her before the light faded today

This cotton was a little thin for my liking so I will embroider her onto linen for her final incarnation.

folksy friday art

Some lovely artwork that I have found while pottering around folksy this morning in a peaceful moment.  Just click on the image to be taken to the lovely shops.




 sweet dreams original by vintage twistTo catch a fairy by harriet's imaginationalways my sister by purple cat's cornerlove bird by lil sonny skypushing up the buttercups by earthpealook mum no feet by Laura-Kate draws

Organized

Guess what I've spent today doing?

what I'm working on

One of the twelve dancing princesses but I'm thinking about decorating her dress.  I've forgotten to photograph her blue satin pumps!

I love this satin thread, even though it is difficult to sew with (I missed out the sweary bits), her crown and the blue baubles on it are satin thread

this is my cross little girl in her garden, my real little girl has light coloured hair but she almost always ends up dark in my embroideries.

I might actually have to use a single strand for the lines on her dress, usually everything is two strands.

aceos

I've been seeing lots of lovely ACEOs on etsy and folksy recently so I thought embroidery might work well in such a sweet little format.  I couldn't decide whether to go with fabric or paper so these have been done on handmade paper but I'm thinking of trying fabric too.

a little rabbit

and  a little girl

they are coloured but it was such a dull day today (again!!) that I couldn't get a decent photo.

For those waiting for my princess, you may have to wait a little longer.  I'm beginning to think that I am not a sparkly person, I have undone much sparkle on my princess and I have fought with slippery silky satiny thread.  Now she is resting while I have a think about her. 

I may show her satiny crown but it does not look as beautifully sewn as this stunning sewing from Big B (from whom I have just purchased a lovely cupcakes pattern to make a cupcake pillowcase for Annis but more of that when I sew it).  So I am distracted by a different embroidery pattern which I WILL have done this week and a rather exciting offer to be in print...

thread problems

My lovely princess should be finished but I ran into some difficulties

I looked through all my beautiful threads (my threads are now neatly wrapped around little holders, but did I think to put the numbers on?  Of course not.) but could not find the right thread for a beautiful crown.

It must be shiny and sparkly or she won't be a true princess!

but I have somehow managed to tear a muscle in my back (the doctor tried to suggest it was sewing but I'm sure exercise is a much more likely cause, after all I am used to sewing but definitely not used to exercise).  So I could not go to search for lovely threads and while my partner is very helpful I don't think he could choose a sparkly princess crown thread.  So, today, with strange pain relief on my back I will venture out and seek the perfect thread.

I hope this is enough of an excuse for pictures of threads and crowns rather than finished embroideries!

A little late but Happy New Year!

This is the time for resolutions, the cynical (experienced?) side of me says 'yes but they will only last for about two weeks before you slide back into your bad habits'  but the more positive side of me says 'maybe, just maybe some of them might stick, a little bit'  so...

More consistent blogging is a good place to start

Trying out new stitches would certainly be fun and useful and I could blog about them, helping with my first resolution

some giveaway embroidery patterns

which means learning how to actually have pages attached to my blog?!!!

and I'm keen to do twelve dancing princess embroidery patterns this year, perhaps one a month.

I have always been in love with the fairy tale of the dancing princesses, I think it was their worn out dancing shoes and the idea of secret night time dancing

and so I am at work on some dancing princesses

I hope to have this one finished over the weekend

Do you have any crafting resolutions? (I hope they last longer than my predicted two weeks!)