bloom and sew

The dog ate my clothes! - Embroidery repair

2018-08-08T03:58:00.000-07:00

Lets just gloss over the fact I have a cheeky pup that likes to chew clothes and focus on the fact that said chewed item of clothing is a favourite summer jackety type thing of my 10 year old. Immediate repair was required!

The fantastic part about all of this is that my daughter loves (and coveted) this jacket because of the gorgeous embroidered design on the front. This was VERY handy because I really had no other idea about piecing the chewed parts together and disguising the damage other than using embroidery!

I thought I'd share a little step by step below incase you too should find yourself in a similar 'dog chewed' scenario! :)

I cut a bit of cotton fabric big enough to cover the damage and used a glue stick to rearrange the chewed fabric bits into position.This was to hold everything together and gives me something 'solid' to embroider onto. I avoided adding glue to the fastener and planned to trim the cotton fabric as I embroidered.

Rummaging through my threads lo and behold I managed to find some pretty spot on matching colours! Yes!

I drew on a flower design which vaguely mimicked the already existing design. The main point here was to make sure that the parts where the fabric had been ripped apart would be stitched over completely using Satin stitch. I added the extra leafy stem to the left of the flowers to balance out the design and make it a bit more believable that embroidery is 'meant' to be there!

Stitching and trimming begins......

The rescue repair job is complete!!....

When I showed Skye the finished jacket she gave a thumbs up followed by a double take and a delayed 'oh wowww' after it dawned on her the added embroidery had not actually always been there!

My work here is done :)

All we need now is a pic of my daughter in her jacket and the dog ....however that sounds far to much like tempting fate!!

Wintery felty friends

2016-11-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

Most things have fallen by the wayside here as things really hot up in my shop and I'm busy making kits and sending them off.
Every so often I do find myself in the midst of packaging a kit off to Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland (to name a few of the many countries I have sent to)...and have to stop and marvel at how incredible the internet is and how priviledged and grateful I am to be in this position. Absolutely amazing!
Anyhow I digress.
The botanical sketches in stitch have been well and truly put on hold for now (that's ok, they'll be back!) But I do still crave something that I can pick up easily when the opportunity presents, and this lately has taken the form of handstitched felt friends...

The deer are based on the deer kits I sell (here), and the fox softie sculptures are based on a pattern I will be offering in my shop shortly (fingers crossed!)

I've been sharing them on a new Instagram page I created so that my embroidery page wasn't inundated with deer spam! :) You can find more pics of my felty friends at overhillsandheather, and if you are interested in buying one you can find them in my other etsy shop here.

It would normally feel a bit premature posting such a festive pic..but the temperature here over the last few days has been well below zero (the words 'brass monkeys' come to mind!), and a thick white frost covers every available surface.....so it feels rather in keeping :) Hope you are keeping cosy xx

Botanical Sketches in stitch - update

2016-10-29T04:05:00.002-07:00

Ooh yes! I've made it before November sneaks in. (Whaaa November already??)
I'm very pleased to say I've managed to keep up my 'challenge' of stitching a botanical sketch each week (though that could all change as I've one day to go and I've still to do this weeks one.. aherm).
I thought it would be nice to gather the little sketches that have been stitched so far in one place (and help keep me motivated!).

Rowan

Oak Wand

Conker ( from Horse Chestnut )

Fern

I've discovered a few things through doing these stitched sketches so far. I know that stitching is sloooooow, but it can become almost painful when a simple line that would take milli-seconds to sketch takes several minutes. It's fine if i'm not working within a time constraint,but to make this challenge do-able my aim was to fit the sketch in an hour. I didn't manage that on any of these pieces except the oak wand,the longest being the fern which took me 3 hours.

I took some photos while stitching the fern, which you can see below. The photos are not the greatest as it was evening time (I was sitting on the sofa watching a film). You can see the running stitch which I use as a quick way to stitch the shape of the line and work from, as it's all free hand stitched.

I'd like to make my stitches more loose, and I miss using colour.

I'm going to play and see how I can add some colour to the mix and still keep things 'quick' and sketchy. I shall be back with more soon :)

Have a lovely weekend xx

Botanical sketches in stitch - A personal project

2016-09-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

So I've started this little personal project which I announce with a little trepidation because my track record is that while I'm great at starting something, I'm pretty rubbish at keeping them up! However this project ,I feel, is a little different because it's bite sized and manageable...and it's one that I'm really interested and curious to see where it takes my stitching style and skills.

The project is to create one botanical sketch a week using freehand stitching...or perhaps I should call it 'skitching' , because basically I'm aiming to create a rough line drawing as I do with any sketch, only this time I'm using stitches...no pencils (or rough drafts) involved!

The plan is that I bring a little piece of nature back home from one of my runs each week and stitch it up. I'm allowing myself an hour to create each piece to keep things loose and quick (hey, thats quick in embroidery terms!), if it takes a little longer and I have the time then all is good and well.

If I can do more than one a week then it's 'pat myself on the back' time.....however I've come to realise that over stretching only ever brings guaranteed doom!! haha!

The thing I really love about this project is that by gathering a little piece of nature each week I'll be recording the changes of the seasons in stitch, AND I'll also get to learn the names of flowers and trees that I'm not familiar with yet.That tickles me no end!

So I'll stop going on and I'll show you my first Botanical sketch in stitch....

Mollie Makes, one fox and two new Deer!

2016-09-05T05:33:00.000-07:00

It feels great to be back here writing a post, it's been a while!
I've been playing catch up on so many things, and feeling a bit like a swan...calm on the top half but the legs furiously paddling underneath!
However, the fact that I am here writing this does suggest I'm getting up to speed now :)

It's been a bit of a whirlwind I have to say, and there are a couple of celebratory worthy things I'd love to share.

The first thing is the commissioned front cover project I created for the latest edition of Mollie Makes Magazine.

photo credit Mollie Makes

If I sound like I'm saying this in a blase way....I can assure you I'm not :) I subscribe to the magazine (because I LOVE it!) and it gets delivered monthly to my front door, so it was quite a magical moment to unwrap the packaging and see my fox peaking back.

It arrived on the first day back to school after the summer hols, so I had no one to witness the heel clicking 'yippee's' that followed (probably for the best), but I did manage a cheesy selfie! You can tell I don't underplay my successes. Haha!

It was a great project to collaborate on and I smile when I see the rough mock up fox compared to the finished one....got to share this with you too :)

Quite a transformation, but I still think the first one is my fave...though I am known to always plump for an underdog...(or fox in this case)

It's always a gooooood thing to be challenged and step outside what you would naturally create, I reckon. So I welcome with open arms the next collaboration/ commissioned project!

I had the best of intentions to have my Felt Deer kits all ready to launch for the release date of the magazine, however the summer holidays put paid to that idea.... which is no bad thing as the sunshine does need to be enjoyed when it makes an (all be it brief!) appearance.

It catches me out every time just how time consuming it is to design and create a new kit, summer holidays or not....sourcing materials, designing & printing packaging, writing instructions and tweaking templates....can feel a little like Groundhog day at times.

However I'm delighted to say they are finally GOOD to GO!! Woohoo!

Heel clicking 'yippeeee' time again :)

I'm so happy with how they have come together. The kits come with great quality (and lovely to work with) 100% wool felt.

Illustrated instructions are included in the kit but I've also created a video tutorial which walks you through the steps for those a little nervous or unfamiliar with stitching little deer. You get the access details with your kit.

This means everyone can get in on the deer stitching act!

Spirit Deer is available here, and Leafy Deer is available here.

Unicorn kits are a-coming sooooooon.........just needing to come up for a little air first.

Last but not least......if you are going back to school/uni soon and need a little pocket notebook then pop over to Sewmamsew for a fun tutorial to make your own birdie inspired one, designed by yours truly xx

Summer stitching - fushia, marigold, dahlia oh my!

2016-07-26T03:52:00.000-07:00

We are exactly half way through the school summer hols here and there as been a flurry of activity as well as plenty of stitching (surprisingly!). Holidays usually mean a slowing down on the creative front, but it's been amazing how productive I have been alongside the holiday fun.

I think the key has been 'focus', so any moment spare has been put to good use......this includes a couple of REALLY fun and super cool projects I've been involved with which will be revealed soon! Can't wait.

The 'focus' maybe came when there was a complete LACK of it at the beginning of my hols....I managed to leave behind my bag in the holiday home we stayed in a few weeks ago. It had all the embroidery supplies I'd been working on, my sketchbook full of designs and some vintage reference books I'd been using...... oh man I was sooo annoyed...mainly because I'd made sure everyone else's stuff had been packed and put in the boot...just not my own. *sigh*

Anyway it will be returned to me in a couple of months, a sweet chain of people and meet ups will eventually bring it back (postage costs just seemed too outrageous and the reality was it was nothing I couldn't LIVE without!)

Silver lining was I found a new embroidery 'holder', an old pouch I made years ago which had been gathering dust in a drawer...and I started a new project (the flower pieces you see here). I have (yet another!) plan in mind for these samplers...but given that I have so many other little projects in the works it may take a little time...but I'm having fun playing meanwhile :)

It made me smile as I realised that my nails were matching my embroidery...well I suppose if I was a 'real lady' then I guess it always would haha!

Verbascum

Dahlia

I hope Summer is treating you well so far...... let these summer inspired flowers infuse you with sunshine if not :)xx

Embroidery Samplers- sneak peak

2016-06-15T02:17:00.000-07:00

It's a shame we can't enjoy a slow, relaxing process AND get things to completion quickly!
It feels like I've been working on the same project for aaaaages.......
Let's rephrase that.... I HAVE been working on the same projects for aaaages!

I've designed some embroidery samplers , 8 of them infact and I am slap bang in the middle of stitching them up, choosing colours, deciding stitches, tweaking and unpicking.(lots of unpicking!)
I've also been getting myself versed in the technique of screen printing as I have grand plans for these samplers. That's all I'm saying for now....

The plan was to have them ready for summer but that's clearly not going to happen! Oh I do like to give myself the most unrealistic of deadlines ;)

So I wanted to give a little taster of what I've been working on and what's to come.....

As per usual the designs are nature themed:

It's in full down pour here so the leaves are looking luscious and green but too wet to photo.

I chose a combo of 10 thread colours, with the intention of using only these for all 8 samplers. I went for muted tones and a collection of colours that are quite the opposite to my norm. This has probably presented the biggest challenge as while I really love the look of the muted tones, it's the vibrant colours and playing with different combinations which make stitching fun for me.

Hopefully I'll have all 8 finished samplers to share with you soon!!

Free! Summer Garden Stitching Project

2016-06-10T06:22:00.005-07:00

Oooh! I'm so excited to share a 'Summer Garden' sewing project for you to stitch up and decorate your home with summery sweetness.

I've collaborated with the lovely Nicole at Cloudcraft and created a F*R*E*E pattern and tutorial to make these summer inspired bird and flower decorations. I used a selection of the gorgeous 100% wool felt that Nicole offers.

It's a simple and fun project for you to stretch those sewing and embroidery muscles if you are fairly new to sewing....or it's the perfect opportunity to get creative and embellish with your own designs and stitches if you the more seasoned stitcher :)

You can find the tutorial and pattern here on the Cloudcraft blog...simply follow the link download the pdf file, print and get stitching!

Nicole is offering a fab giveaway over on instagram, of the felt and threads that were used to make the decorations. To be in with a chance of winning 7 x wool felt pieces and 5 skeins of DMC threads (shown below) you can go here and get the details.

Enjoy!! :)x

New stitchery projects

2016-05-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

A friend posed a question this morn, which in turn has prompted this post (the first in a while you may note!).
The question went along the lines of : When did comparing my experience to someone else's rob me of happiness, and cause me to miss my own unique experience?
How can I enjoy my own experience more?
Ok, so that was 2 questions!
They weren't being directed specifically at me, and they weren't asked in a way that needed an immediate answer (more of a quiet rumination).... but despite the focus on a less than pleasant thought process, the questions felt expanding and inviting.

We can all think of a moment where we have compared ourselves and felt rubbish. (Ha! If only it stopped at one moment!)

My latest 'comparison moment' lead me to feeling that I wasn't showing up enough on social media, that I 'should' be doing more, posting more, promoting more,more,more....
As you may have noticed my reaction to that was to do the polar opposite and just not show up at all..... *sigh*
I blame my stubborn streak....I hate being told what to do even if it is me telling my self!

Ridiculous...and funny :)

So anyhoos I'm neither going to let my 'comparison' OR 'stubborn' JOY robbing thoughts stand in my way.....I have so much stitchery goodness to share. Yipeeee!

I have introduced 2 new kits to my shop, which may be my favourite designs yet.(Available here)

This bear one is called 'Homeward Bound'. I may have mentioned before about my love of bears.....they remind me of 'home' somehow....hard to explain, coming from a somewhat 'bear-free!' Scotland...but they do. I really love the rose quartz coloured background and the mix of pink threads. A new colour mix to the kits but I'm so happy with how the designs all sit together.

I'm a proud embroidery kit mumma!

Kit number 2 is below...... and introduces Long and Short stitch in some more pinky threads. Each kit I create comes with illustrated instructions on the stitches involved, but I like to add extra support for those who need it. You can find an extra detailed tutorial on Long and short stitch over on my website, here.

The idea for this kit was that the flowers are stitched and the swallow zooms out from the negative space.....This piece is stitched on a 4" hoop and so is a great pocket sized project to take out and about with you. I find this time of year so great for stitching in the sunshine while the kids play merrily...be it beach, park or bubbling stream :) It's available here.

I've also added a couple of new pdf's to my shop.

The first one is based on some bee designs I stitched up last summer. It's called 'Free to bee' and comes with a few different versions of the design so you can be(e) creative with it! The pdf pattern is available as an instant download here.

The other Pdf is a pattern now available is to make this sweet owl. He wants to accompany your little one for snuggles, or sit on your shelf or computer and whisper to you sweet secrets from the woods......

I've safety tested this little Owl, even though it's not normally done or legally required for patterns. I've been negotiating the tricky waters of safety testing some deer 'doll' designs (I shared about here), and got this owl involved too. Feels good to be able to offer designs that are not only sweet sewing projects but safe too! The pattern Pdf is availabe here.

Phew! So that's us all up to date now...and the comparison/joy thief has left the building :)

I'll be back with a fun FREEBIE to share next week.....A collaboration with Cloudcraft and a Sweet Summer Garden stitching project...if you like the sneakpeak below then you'll LOVE what's a'coming x

A mended hand...

2016-04-06T04:24:00.000-07:00

My hand has returned! woohoo!
Well of course, it never left, but rather the use of it. And jeezy peeps....that old adage about not knowing what you have til it's gone.....Yep, I felt that full force.
I've vowed to make more of an effort and not over do the sewing. Easier said than done! Sewing and embroidery may be my 'job' but it's also my go-to place for pleasure.
However 5 weeks of not sewing did lend itself to finding out other pursuits that I enjoy... I went for a world record breaking amount of walks, re-found pinterest, and re-aquainted myself with a paintbrush again. Oh and my bathroom got new wallpaper! :)
This time also provided the space for a few ideas to marinate...

I've been navigating the waters for safety testing and getting my woodland toy designs CE approved... it'll take some time. However mini soft sculptures are not toys, and as soon as my hand would allow , the marinated ideas began to take form......

Part of my 2016 plans/hopes are to add some soft sculpture sewing kits to the mix..... this may just be one of them. I'm a big bit smitten. Is this something you would enjoy stitching together?

Poor deer though, she did have to go through some major abdominal surgery before making a full recovery..... it was touch and go for a while. eek!

I made a unicorn too....

No matter what I do, I always seem to make unicorn hair look like it belongs to the 90's and those mullet days..... I'm going with it! Bon Jovi rocked it, so can this little dudette!

A few other lovely things have also happened while my hand was laid up.

I did an interview over on My Giant Strawberry. Anne asks the most thoughtful and insightful questions and it was a real pleasure to do....you may want to grab a cuppa before heading over.

My stitchbook also got a feature in the latest edition of Uppercase magazine. This is a really highly regarded , independent publication with the mission to 'spark the imagination and inspire creativity'. It's a total honour to have something of mine included! You can view the full issue over here...it's a low res version but may be enough of a nudge to buy the real thing! My little half page is on Page 63! Yipee :)

A textile workshop...stitching memories.

2016-03-02T10:12:00.001-08:00

I'm currently on an enforced break with carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand. Sewing, drawing, writing, even typing this post sends my thumb and forearm into a strange mix of tingling/numbness/ache/ burning... and I have to stop.

The word 'pants' comes to mind!

It's been a challenging couple of weeks, not being able to do anything creative. So today I want to focus on some lovely stitching...keep my mind on things to look forward to when my body decides it's ready...... (please be sooooon!!!)

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to do a little intimate workshop where we played with a transfer technique along with some embroidery to stitch up a little memory, using a personal photo and a mix of neutral fabrics and vintage linen.

I stitched a couple of 'sentimental stitching ' samples which I shared on my blog here and here.

I opted for a neutral colour theme for a few reasons. The main reason being that each person coming along was to send me a photo in advance so I could edit it and print it out for the day. Knowing that these photos would vary in quality and colour I reckoned turning all the images to black and white would help get the best transferred images.

This also helped reduce the amount of fabric to bring which was necessary as we were working in a small intimate studio space.

(Which is helpful as I've discovered from experience that it's impossible to cater for everyone's colour preferences! A limited palette means I don't have to worry about missing someone's preferred choice out.)

This also presents an opportunity to try something new and work outside the go-to colour choice. (never a bad thing me thinks!)

Saying that however almost everyone managed to add in a little pop of colour!

Above are the ladies busy stitching away which you can tell by the glasses balanced on the end of noses . Love that :)
Below are the beautiful pieces sewn on the day....

You can't tell from the photo, but the darker fabric was a gorgeous, sumptuous, deep purple velvet. It was inspired from the clothes that Kate remembers her Great Grandmother wearing, depicted in the photo on the right ...she lived to be over 100 years, and was quite a character by all accounts. Really like the variety of textures in this piece....sumptuous like the velvet.

This is Karen's work (below) in progress, with her Grandfather in his milking gear. A lot of time went into her beautiful stitches...I love the little white running stitches which contrast with the black lace.

And I love how the stitches follow the fabric shape and create a little arc. I'd like to see this piece when it's finished.

This is Sharon (below) as a young girl with her family, and some fantastic floral wallpaper in the background! I really enjoyed seeing the layers build on this piece and the addition of blue stitches and ribbon are such a great compliment to the tiny seed beads that were on the recycled lace.

Dorothy's photo was the most recent....a sweet embrace of her husband and son. She created a super composition, combining a mix of shapes and textures with fun pops of blue....feels quite reminiscent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

All unique and gorgeous, I think you'll agree.

And while we are on the topic of these stitched memories,or 'sentimental stitching' as I like to refer to it, one of the samples I created caught the eye of Amy who hosts Friday instagram finds for the popular sewing blog 'Feeling stitchy'. So some of my stitched bits and bobs got a wee feature....that made me smile :)

Hope all is good in your world...and if any one has the urge could you do a couple of stitches for me ;)xx

Where handmade toys meet the law.... is common sense enough?

2016-02-22T04:40:00.004-08:00

I'm a bit later in writing a blog post, and it turns out i'm going to be writing about something I had never even considered until yesterday...

So you remember I shared my little dream about offering workshops to pregnant girls, and making some special soft toys? I wrote about it here.
Since then I've been looking for somewhere suitable to host the workshops but finding it tricky in this rural neck of the woods.
Any how..never to be deterred, my calling to make the little woodland wonders continued and I have kept on stitching and refining, trying out different cotton fabrics and wool felt...and basically having a rare old time.

This is Luka... still very in tune with nature shown by the leafy details and mossy trousers, though he likes a little 'urban chic' too!

As I stitched common sense told me that these toys would be too intricate for a baby/toddler, with potential choking hazards if any bits came loose....but I could see an older child (and my 7 year old demonstrated it well) incorporating the dolls into their wonderful world of imagination and play.

And so having already made 3 little dolls for my youngest, and gathering a growing collection on my shelf I felt the next step was to put these out into the world and offer them in my etsy shop.

Which is where it started to get interesting.......

As I chose the category toy/doll the words appeared:

Items in this category may be subject to legal and safety requirements.Learn more here.

There was a link which I clicked on, found the one relevant to the UK and started reading...

Basically it states what we all want..that toys for kids should be safe.

Yep to that.

It goes on to say that in the UK there are laws and standards which have been made to keep toys safe. Any children's toy being sold must have been assessed for safety and marked accordingly.(be it a machine produced teddy sold in large retail outlets, a handknitted animal by a Granny and sold at a craft fair or a handmade cloth doll being sold on etsy). I'm not sure about other countries but from the little I have read it seems the rules are just as stringent for everywhere else.

Eek! Gads.....

Ok. After a deep breath I read more to discover that this is actually do-able. Being a small business I can self certify my items and without much cost though it does requires a fair bit of time and effort (and experiments to test the toy you are selling..which might be quite fun for my 7 year old who is currently obsessed with 'experimenting'!). I am going to have to do this for any kids toys I sell and offer to make in the workshops.

This has also sent a spiral of questions running in my head...and effectively opened a can of worms....

Eva is a quiet and gentle soul, but don't be deceived by her sweet demeanour...she never suffers fools gladly.

The first thing is ...of all the toys I have bought over the last 16 years for my 2 girls I can't recall ever having questioned the safety of the items I have bought. Which has got me thinking as to the reason behind this intrinsic trust.... is it because the laws have been so robust and prevented me from ever getting my hands on a potentially threatening toy for my girls. Because of this I can rest on my 'every-toy-is-safe' laurels.

Or is it that knowing my own child's individual abilities and predilections, I've followed my own inner safety guide (along with that under-rated ability called common sense. hello?!) to steer me and my kids clear of danger?

Which leads me to the second question....what about all of the doll makers/soft toy makers which I have been drooling over on Instagram and etsy, who are making extremely beautiful items and also selling them very successfully.There are a LOT and they all sell toys designed specifically for children. Have they had their toys assessed for safety? There is nothing on the items description that suggests they are.

Would I have ever considered what they sell unsafe before now? No.Definitely not.

Does this make it ok for me to join them, that I'm simply selling a handmade item not too dissimilar to what an aunt or gran would stitch and gift?

I'll be the devils advocate and say how dangerous can a cloth doll be?!

Grace loves to get spruced up and believes everyday is a good day to wear flowers. (she will happily get her hands dirty and dig up some soil but only once the fancy cowl is removed!)

When you are a self employed artist sitting stitching from your home studio or kitchen table fitting it in amongst the family and trying to eke out a living I can see how it is easy to feel that you're not running a 'proper business' , more of a hobby really...and I can also see how thoughts of legalities don't seem relevant....or are even considered.

Does it also make it wrong to be selling these dolls and toys, when it is assumed the buyer has to play some role of responsibiltiy ie. knowing what is age appropriate for their child. I have seen the disclaimer 'not suitable for under 3 years old' often on etsy shops.

In the UK the law would say all of the above IS wrong. And so, I'm presuming from the fact that it is flagged up when you list a toy, would Etsy. I have disovered that in Scotland you could go to jail for 2 years for not assessing and marking your toy appropriately! And in the UK if a toy is considered appropriate for a 3 year old it is also deemed safe for use of a baby...which knocks that disclaimer out of the park. Though I'm no lawyer!

Much as I would like to bury my head in the sand and avoid any extra hassle, I know I have to follow through on this if I'm going to offer kids toys/patterns as part of my business. I definitely do have mixed feelings about the over defensiveness that comes with any law (really loathed that part of Midwifery too.) And I do hate how it can turn the most innocent of things into something WRONG!

I am also really curious as to how others who sell kids toys have grappled with the idea and what thought process lead to carrying on selling without doing any kind of test. Or maybe there was no thought at all...I mean up till yesterday I certainly hadn't.

I have listed the above deer dolls on etsy (shown in the photos) as decorative art dolls and unsuitable for children, because their safety has not been tested and assessed (though my 7 year old plays with them merrily and I am gifting something similar to my friend's daughter age 3).

I'd love to hear what your thoughts are....... how you buy items for children? Do you think handmade toys need safety tests?

Do you make toys and sell them? Have you had them safety tested?

Anyone better read up on this and can put me straight if I am wrong?

Is common sense not enough?!

UPDATE: found a great discussion on this topic by Abby Glassenberg. Although it is based on USA law, she talks with a Product Safety and Compliance officer and make things sound a little less overwhelming!

A fun collaboration with Cloud Craft and a stitchy love video!

2016-02-09T02:44:00.003-08:00

I'm very happy to announce that I have joined teams with the lovely Nicole at Cloudraft to create a pack with everything you need to make your own Mr and Mrs Deer ...just in time for Valentines Day.

And to celebrate I even created a little short stop motion 'film' lasting all of 37 seconds long.....I promise if you watch it will make you smile ....all be it in a cheesy cringe worthy way ;) You know you want to!

Cloudcraft is a beautifully curated online shop selling handpicked needlecraft items, as well as a scrumptious range of 100% wool felt (which I personally have found quite hard to come by).

Nicole has created a special pack where you can buy the 5 different coloured wool felts with 6 matching coloured DMC embroidery threads OR you can simply buy the felt or thread separately.

I wholeheartedly recommend the felt..it is such great quality, super thick, soft and vibrant in colour.

To celebrate this collaboration Nicole has generously offered a 15% discount on the Mr and Mrs Deer pack Simply use the coupon DEERLOVE15 at the Cloudcraft checkout.

And to join in the love I am also offering the same discount off the Pdf pattern over here. Again type in the code DEERLOVE15 at the checkout to get 15% off!

**The discount will run until and including Feb 14th 2016**

So go on then... what's stopping you to get some stitchy love into your life? ;)x

Some more sentimental stitching....

2016-02-07T06:08:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I managed to fit in some time to create another sample piece for an upcoming workshop I am hosting. The workshop 'theme' is to create a little personal textile piece playing with transfer techniques, applique, embroidery, vintage fabrics, suffolk puffs and a bit of kantha stitching too! I'm only taking fabrics of a neutral colour, to match the black and white photos....something a little different for me, and which I must admit my brain finds a little weird! (it's like...hello! something is missing here....)

If you are interested in having a go at transferring an image onto fabric, I created a tutorial on how to do this a while back, which you can find HERE.

stitching in progress...

This is my Granny and Grandad 'Jink and Chick', celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. I wasn't even a sparkle in my Dad's eye at this point ;)

They met when my Granny was 14 and he was 15, and got married several years later, when they had both carried out their military service after 'signing up' during the 2nd World War. My Grandad never spoke about 'the War' and his experiences in the front line trenches in Europe. I can't even begin to imagine the horrors, but I do know how much he loved my Granny, and can imagine how much comfort and happiness this brought him. She was the absolute apple of his eye.

Granny had all kinds of weird and wonderful superstitions,which I can only remember little snippets of. Suffice to say if I see a blackbird or a robin I think of her. They were both real lovers of gardening too, which after my Grandad died my Granny embraced wholeheartedly...boy did the garden bloom once she came along!

They are both together now.... which makes me smile.

Lovebirds are meant to be together.

Behind the scenes ...developing ideas, sketches, mood boards and stitching

2016-01-29T01:39:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd share a little 'behind the scenes' of how I work...

I spent the summer just past sketching lots of flowers and plants that I happened upon. Some wild, some in pots and some growing in my dad's garden (we have a little courtyard). I went out with some paper off cuts and a pen, which was great as I was forced to be bold and imperfect. My plan being to incorporate these sketches somehow into embroidery, be it my own personal project or future kits and patterns....

Next stop is to make a mood board and get a feel for what I want to create.

Like the rest of the world, I use pinterest as a source of inspiration and a place to gather images. I have a few secret 'moodboards' where I pin things that capture what I want my designs to be infused with, be it colour, feel or subject matter.

(I remember being first introduced to the 'moodbard' when Laurence Llwellen-Bowen flounced about with his frilly shirt in the DIY do-over program Changing Rooms ...do you remember??!! Safe to say my impression of the moodboard was as lame as Laurence's shirt!)

However now I must admit to finding a mood board really helpful as it always gives me a point of reference to go back to....I am prone to going off on tangents and losing track...

So this time I wanted to create a mood board from things that surround me, little bits and bobs which I never really notice from day to day but which I have chosen to live with and therefore which reflect me fully.

Items in clockwise direction: 1) pompoms 2) fake peony 3) postcard of vintage needepoint by All the luck in the world 4) handmade flower brooch by me 5) hand embroidered and appliqued bag from travels in Thailand 6) hand embroidery by me

Items in row from left to right , top to bottom: 1) Accessorise pouch/purse 2) Aloe vera

3) needlepoint from charity shop 4) Rose quartz 5) amethyst 6) vintage plate with design added using ceramic pen 7) mixed media with embroidered words by me

Can you see a theme? Maybe you have to live inside my head to see it.... :)

Now I'm at the playing stage, stitching and trying out things......

I'll share more with you as I go along. Sometimes it leads to somewhere else completely unexpected, which is the part I love most about creating!

I've been trying to post a photo-a-day over on Instagram, and share more regularly what I'm up to...come join me if you are an IG frequenter too :)x

Mr and Mrs Deer - a new sewing and embroidery pattern

2016-01-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all keeping cosy (or at least those in the cold climes).. Scotland seems to be missing winter this year which is sightly unnerving. It's been rain , rain and some more rain.
Still, it's been the perfect weather to be working on a fun wee project. I actually made the first prototypes 2 summers ago (when there was more rain!), which just shows how long it can be before some ideas come to fruition.
Anyhow, let me introduce you to Mr and Mrs Deer.... a right pair of love ~~birds~~ deer! The pdf pattern is now available as an instant download, so you can make your very own here.

The 'naked version'

They've been designed so that you can get a little creative with them, and change up the details you want to add.
Instructions are given on making both deer heads (different templates are used for Mrs Doe and Mr Deer as there are slight differences....Mr Deer has a wider brow because he's so manly. Grrr!)
There are templates and instructions for adding doe spots, stitched fur, embroidered flowers, dahlia and rose corsages plus a bow/tie.You can also opt for leaving the mini heads as they are ---------->

Or opt for adding a decorative backplate.

I think they'd look great in any kids bedroom or nursery. I also think they'd make the perfect little gift for a wedding , or for valentines... don't you agree? Great thing is you and mix and match to suit the special loved up couple, be it Mr and Mrs, Mrs and Mrs or Mr and Mr.

I'm working on a kit version for these...always take much longer to create and I was too impatient to wait and share!

Here's to love :)x

New hand embroidered work - A stag and the seasons in satin stitch

2016-01-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

I set out the intention last new year to make more time to stitch some originals, which got way laid for a couple of reasons. One excuse I could use would be that I didn't have the time, however truth be told the main reason was that I didn't know what I wanted to stitch.

To me embroidery has always been an art form, and just as the painter expresses his/herself through subject matter, brush strokes and palette, I wanted to stitch something which I could express myself through and which reflected my own style.

This is surprisingly hard to do with a needle and thread, as there is only so much you can do ! However the 2 elements which captivates me the most in all art of any medium are colour and contrast........I think you'll be able to see where this has lead to ;)

I stretched each piece on to board so they could be popped into a box frame of a certain swedish company, but also be easily removed and displayed in an embroidery hoop if preferred. I like the framed finish myself ..but hey that's just me. You can find them all in my etsy shop here.

Looking forward to sharing more soon :)x

Hello 2016 ...and a handmade book!

2016-01-08T08:57:00.004-08:00

Happy New Year to you all!
Wow! 2015 you have been quite a year.
Stretching. Challenging. Amazing. Joyful. Liberating. Frustrating. Sad. Expanding. Exciting.... A Blessing.
Life is one incredible roller coaster, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. I open my arms and welcome whatever 2016 may bring.

I hope 2016 treats you well too!

* Business *

*Family*

I suddenly got the urge to make a book on Hogmanay, so that I could it fill with the doodles and ideas that emerge in 2016. I'm out of sketchbooks, and sometimes find them an actual deterrant to being creative (ie can feel too formal and pristine, too big to stick in a pocket or bag ,can't be disguised when out and about !)
So I set to it, to make one before the bells brought in a new year.
The great thing being that when you hand-make a book you get to choose what paper to use for the pages.
I'd saved some wrapping paper that I loved which wrapped a present from my niece.... so that was definitely going in creases, tears and all..along with some graph paper and plenty of blank white cartridge paper as I do want to be able to draw!

I have to apologise for the photos...they are a bit like what my make up has been like for the last 2 weeks (because of the non stop rain), done in the dark and somewhat dodgy!

I had thought about taking apart one of the previous books I'd made and binding some new pages into the fabric cover...however brain wave struck and after rummaging through some drawers I found the sweet sample I'd made last year for the pdf pattern ; Mathilde and Celeste . Matches the wrapping paper perfectly too!

I had to extend the stitched piece by adding on some more linen plus a little bit of foxy fabric too, however the cover was quick to whip up...and once I was binding the pages it felt somewhat nostalgic and good to be returning to bookmaking again.

I'm raring to go and get these pages filled...I'll share some with you soooon!
Ps. My niece did my nails too! :) xx

Warm wintery wishes

2015-12-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

This month has been a bit of a blur...in fact lets include the whole year! Incredible.
I'd like to take this chance to thank you all for being a part of it. Your support , whether it's been taking the time to send an email, leave a comment, buy a kit/pattern, come to a workshop or visit my blog (and other social media)... it is so SO appreciated. I still have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure this is really all happening...that I get to spend my days being creative, feeling inspired and making a very long held dream become real. THANKYOU!

I hope that you have someone near and dear to snuggle and that you stay cosy this winter.

HUGEST of hugs to you all xxxx

Jenny xx

From two tender hearts grew my Home

2015-12-08T03:07:00.001-08:00

This weekend I spent hand embroidering to create a prototype for an upcoming workshop where we play with image transfers and embroidery.

It felt like a welcome breath of fresh air ........ and got me feeling emotional!

'From two tender hearts grew my Home'.........my gorgeous Mum and Dad on their wedding day some 45 years ago :D

It fills me with so much emotion; gratitude and love, to see these 2 youngsters and their tender hearts...without much of a clue about anything else.... who together managed to fumble along and create this deep, strong and love filled home so I was always able to know who I was and where I was from.

So blessed :)

Winter woodland decorations and new website

2015-12-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

I have just discovered how life can be gently and comfortably lilting along then suddenly wham bam...the christmas chaos begins! Perhaps I should have been a little more prepared...but in business you can only really go on previous experience and a large pinch of guess-timation.

Safe to say my guess-timates have been way out and I have been soooo busy assembling kits & wrapping orders that everything else has fallen by the wayside ....well apart from feeding the kids but that's only because they have the ability to moan loudly :)

So I never actually shared the launching of my new shiny website which happened very quietly a few weeks ago. There are still a couple of glitches which I need to fix (when things slow down on the order front) but I am DELIGHTED with the way it has turned out. It has been a very slow work in progress with lots of challenges overcome so I am VERY proud of my e-baby! ( Yes, I do believe it actually took 9 months to make)
My fave part is the Beginners page, to gently assist and encourage those scaredy newbies :)
I have lost count of the amount of people I meet that say they have always wanted to try embroidery but already decided they'd be no good at it...or were too scared to try. This is for you lovely lot xx

I'll also be moving this blog over there as soon a time permits, keep everything under the same roof. I'll not just disappear without letting let you know though!

I have also just released a new pdf pattern for these sweeeet little winter woodland wonders. I think they would look perfect on a christmas tree, or any other suitable dangling place. You could create multiples and string them on ribbon to make some bunting, or change up the colours for more earthy tones and have them as decorations for all year around.

Winter woodland decorations pdf pattern available here

I made a batch myself which I am going to take along to our little community late night shopping tomorrow. It may be all I will have to fill my table as my kits are almost sold out...crazy!

We've had our first decent flurry of snow here, and now that it's officially December I feel permission is granted to prance around singing 'Deck the Halls'.

Falalalala to you! xxx

Weaving workshop

2015-11-16T02:43:00.002-08:00

I just want to start by saying thank you all so much for all your fantastically supportive comments and feedback about my 'little idea'......the next step is underway and I've been scouting out venues to host crafty classes with mums-to -be. After the large amount of messages I received from those who were not 'with child' but equally wanted to make a sweet little deer, I've also decided to make the design into some kits. So keep your eyes peeled :)

This friday just passed saw me heading up to the little seaside village of Johnshaven with some looms and wool in hand, to host a weaving workshop. The venue is Starfish Studios, where I've hosted a couple of workshops before, and am always happy to return as it never fails to be a really lovely day. The crafty table that sits snuggly in the craft shop can sit 6 ladies around it, which I find the perfect number for a gentle day of chatting, relaxing and creating.

I always seem to say the same thing after a workshop,but I find it so inspiring and interesting to see what happens when you present different people with the same materials, share a few techniques, step back and watch how they make it their own..... so FAB!

Love this combo of colours and textures, makes me think of mossy woods and fairies!

And how about these sparkle-tastic ocean inspired weavings.....just gorgeous.

Beautiful pale greens and neutrals..... gentle layers and loopy textures. Lush!

Funnily enough 2 of the ladies gravitated towards a similar choice of colours, even though they happened to be on opposite ends of the table with mountains of wool in between! Loving the bold black and grey with pops of purple (one even has a pompom too yipee!...I was being a total pompom pusher that day! haha!).

A super day.....and plenty more inspiration to fuel my next weaving project :)

I have a little idea......

2015-10-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

I have this little idea that I'd like to put out into the world...and I would love to hear what you think.

While I worked as a midwife, (a few years ago now!), I had this little daydream where I opened a Birthing Centre amongst beautiful rolling hills, and offered holistic care to pregnant women and their families. (Did I mention I would win the lottery first?!)

Part of this care was to offer some kind of creative/stitchery class. A chance for women to slow down and nurture themselves, connect with their baby and create something for them, and also meet other women at the same pivotal point in their life. An opportunity to get together and do what women do best...connect, share experiences & worries,laugh,support..and in this case do some sewing too!

I like to imagine this is what we used to do.....way, waaaay back when we lived in small communities. Knowledge and wisdom was shared through stories and song as the women of different generations gathered to weave & sew, amongst other things. A deep feeling of support really comes to mind...something that our modern, busy, separate lives could do with more of.(I reckon anyhoos)

So I've been playing with this little idea and rather than having it all worked out before I even start (like do I hire premises or do it online ? do I make kits or offer pdf patterns? etc.) I've decided to just take the first step and see where it takes me.

The first step is to create a design that can be stitched by mums-to-be over a few 'sessions', while also chatting about waters breaking, active labour, and mother in laws (kidding...well not really). Something that is easy enough for the beginner, and sweet enough to be gifted to their precious newborn.

These 2 friendly fellows are what I have come up with so far..

Meet Fern ......

And Acorn..........

They were named by Skye, and if 7 year olds are a good indicator of how much these fellows are to be loved by little people then oh my word.....they will be LOVED!

Truth be told I think I might be a little smitten too.

They are prototypes and still need a couple of tweaks.

The next step is to see if they actually work by being hand sewn.... I'm imagining calm slow stitching rather than machine engines revving!

So that is my little idea, and where it's got to so far....... I am so curious to see where it goes from here.

I would also LOVE to hear your thoughts. :)

Would you want to stitch something like this for your little one? or grand child?

Do you know anyone expecting a baby, and would this be something they might enjoy making while blooming?

Or would you rather create something else?

I shall keep you posted ........

Bumble bee and moth embroidered wall art

2015-10-20T04:15:00.004-07:00

I have just added these 2 little textile 'beastie beauties' to my etsy shop.

It was really lovely to brush the cobwebs off my machine (wee jeanie), and get her involved in the creating.

Just a quick share today..my girls have returned to school after the October break and I have a LOT of things to catch up on. Next time I will return with some fascinating bee facts to tantalise you with along with the textiles! :)

How I add lovely lettering to personalise a hand embroidery design (a great way to get around messy handwriting!)

2015-10-06T07:40:00.001-07:00

I recently created an embroidered wedding gift which I personalised with the names of the bride and groom and the wedding date. Rather than using my own scruffy and childlike handwriting I devised a quick and easy way of adding a professional looking font to my design.
*I spent days making a video which inadvertently wouldn't edit because of my rickety laptop, and then spent ages creating this post...only to realise that perhaps I shouldn't offer this out to the world at all, as what I am offering could (even if only in the least likeliest sense) damage your computer....and I really don't want any irate tutorial followers wanting to sue my backside!

But given I'm 100% behind seeing little tips and tricks that artists and makers share, I am going to offer this post as a "share" rather than a "tutorial".

Perhaps this may seem a little bit overzealous.....
(DISCLAIMER TIME!) Should you decide to do the same as I outline below and trace from the screen of a computer or any other device, you do so at your own risk. I accept no responsibility for any damage that may be caused.I definitely don't recommend you attempt tracing if you are using a device with a soft screen (not composed of glass).

Materials I used:
*Laptop with hard screen
*tracing paper
*Pen with soft tip
*Embroidery pattern
*Transfer pencil

Part 1: I establish area where the text is going
I have created a new embroidery design to use as an example. (You can receive both of the embroidery designs shown above with my newsletter. You can sign up for it in the sidebar to the right).The ribbon is where I wanted to place my text, so I traced out the full design so that I can transfer the design and lettering when finished.

Alternatively, the photo below shows the area marked out for where I plan to add text to an already embroidered project.

Now I am ready for
Part 2: Creating the lettering

1) I go to www.picmonkey.com
This is a free online photo editing program which I use a lot. (It has an upgrade option which provides access to more editing effects, but for the purpose of adding lettering it's free.

2)Click on 'Design' (as shown below)
I am creating a new design and not editing or uploading a file or photo.

*By clicking on 'Design' a white blank 'canvas' appears. I want the colour to remain white so click on the green button that says "APPLY" (step 1)
This little white canvas is going to act as a little 'light box' which I will add my lettering onto and then trace for my embroidery. Simple!

3)Click on the Tt button at the right hand side (step 2)
This will bring up a selection of different fonts to choose from. Some of the fonts have a little crown next to them, which means I can only use them if I have paid to upgrade. There are plenty of lovely fancy fonts to choose from which are free.

4)Click on the style of font I like.(step 3)

Once I have chosen my fancy font, I then click on the 'Add text' button (step 4).

A box will appear on the screen (as shown below) which, when clicked on, a cursor bar will appear and I can then write my chosen word.

Phase 3: Editing my text

This is the bit where I want to make sure the lettering I am creating will fit the area I have decided it is going.

It is also why I use thin paper or tracing paper,so that the text is able to shine through.

You can see below that I have placed my traced pattern on top of the computer screen and am able to see how well the name fits within the ribbon.

To get my text to fit into the desire area there are 2 editing buttons that can help..... 'Rotate' the text and alter the text 'size' (indicated below)

I want to add more text, but as my text is going to sit on a curving ribbon, I am adding a new text box for each word. I like to change the fonts I use, which simply requires clicking on a different font and then clicking on 'Add text' again.(see below)

Depending on the space where my text is going to fit, I sometimes choose to add my letters separately rather than words. This works well in fitting around unusual shaped areas. I also like to play around and find that different fonts in varying sizes can create great effects.

I added another text box and rotated it again to create that curve which fits the ribbon (shown below).

I will keep playing with the text and checking that it fits within the area, and once I'm happy then I'll trace the lettering directly off the screen. Obviously this tracing requires gentle work, I use just a very light hand with a soft tipped pen.I have never had a problem or caused damage to my hard screen laptop doing this. (BUT again the choice and responsibility is entirely yours!)

Now I've traced the lettering and have some lovely looking text already to stitch up. yay!

There is NO way I'd be able to create this style of lettering with my dodgy hand writing, so for me this is such a quick and easy way to add some pretty text.

All that's required now is to transfer the design onto fabric. I do this by tracing the outline on the BACK of the paper using a transfer pencil. This is then transferred by ironing onto the fabric.

Alternatively sometimes I may pin the paper to an already embroidery piece and stitch over the top of the paper.(works best if I use tissue paper as it's easier to tear away after stitching)

So that's my share...... :)xx

*Please note: this tutorial has been created with personal projects in mind. If you planned to replicate the fonts from Picmonkey onto items being sold then you would need to check Picmonkey's copyright policy.*