Something Fishy to Make

There is a strong smell of lavender through the house at the moment as I've just spent the last few hours filling lavender bags. Yesterday I took delivery of a 3Kg box of the stuff ( which is quite a lot I now realise).
Filling lavender bags is always an enjoyable job, I love the stuff and make lots  (& lots & lots) of lavender bags in various shapes and sizes. The lavender fish are still very popular...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103393445/trio-of-lavender-fish

The fish are quite simple to make and they don't need to be filled with lavender. They could be filled with dried rose petals or just ordinary toy stuffing. They are great fun and look fab hanging up.

The pattern is quite easy to make- I find it is usually easier to start with a pattern although you could probably do this free hand straight to the fabric.

I mentioned lines of symmetry when I described making my pirate applique a few months ago. All you need to do is fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise (use the fold as your line of symmetry) then draw half a fish. You can put a few marks to guide your drawing -decide how long you want your fish to be,  length of the tail  and how fat you want your fish!

 Remember to include a seam allowance, I would suggest about 0.5cm, and also not to make the  gap at the point between the tail and body too narrow  as you need to be able to turn the fish right side out once you have sewn it together.

Cut out a front and back for your fish- place them right sides together and sew round with a seam allowance of about 0.5cm. Remember to leave a gap of about 3cm so you can turn the fish out.

Clip the corners at the nose and tips of the tail. Clip round the curves, this ensures that the fish retains its fishy shape when you turn it out- I go round with pinking shears. Take care that you don't accidentally clip the seam stitching!

Turn the fish out, carefully pushing out the corners- the blunt end of a crochet hook is quite useful for this job.

Add the string loop for hanging- easiest to do before stuffing the fish. This fish has been filled with polyester toy filling. Close the fish by hand stitching the gap used for stuffing the fish, ensure the raw edges are all tucked in.

This little fish has been embellished with button eyes (one on each side) and a simple quilting stitch on the tail.

The fish are more effective hanging up in groups...

http://folksy.com/items/3446042-Trio-of-Lavender-Fish

For cat lovers out there, what about a treat for your cat? You can fill the fish with catnip and your cat will love you forever! Just a few words of caution, I would suggest using a strong tight weave cotton fabric for your fish, and to omit the button embellishment or any other embellishment that may accidentally end up inside kitty.

June

I've just about recovered from a very muddy weekend spent at Arley Garden Festival- it has taken me a while to clean up my boots, clothes, ground sheets and car. Despite the mud it was a good weekend and considering the weather (and ground conditions) there was a really good turn out; lots of hardy gardening types looking for plants, garden accessories and visiting the beautiful gardens at Arley Hall.
Unfortunately the weekend weather was fairly typical of the weather through May & June- I've spent several soggy weekends behind a stall in damp marquees wondering at the great British public who turn out in such weather ( and thanking them for their support).
There have been a couple of lovely days and fortunately they fell at the time of the Cheshire Show- which was fantastic!

Meet Nobby and his woolly mates!

I love the Cheshire Show and have had a stall in one of the craft tents for the last couple of years. This year has been the first time I've really have had an opportunity to have a good look round. It's a huge event with something for everyone. My highlight had to be The Sheep Show and its woolly stars; the sheep are just fabulous! It's a hoot, (sorry, it's quite educational)! The sheep are all introduce by name and breed as they come on the stage one by one. It's great  for kids and grown ups alike as you hear about different breeds, see sheep shearing and hear a little about how wool is processed. Who'd of thought you could train sheep, like many of us they seem to be fairly well motivated by food. These guys apparently are regulars at county show and events around the country, and I would certainly recommend their performance if like me you are a sheep fan.  http://www.thesheepshow.co.uk/

So back to the sewing machine. I've a few quiet weeks to replenish stocks and get ready for more events later in the summer.

Cottage Garden

I spent this morning in the garden after too long neglecting it.It's a few weeks since I've been in it, what with the weather and one thing and another. It is a place I love particularly at this time of year as it starts to fill out and my favourite flowers are in bloom.  I love the aquilegia- so pretty and delicate and something I really look forward to seeing, and then in complete contrast the camellias with their big, brash blooms which fortunately grow very well here.

I'm rather a lazy gardener. I try to keep my garden simple and it's filled largely with shrubs and perennials- fill the beds to cut down on the weeding. I do have some fruit bushes, herbs and something I think no garden should be without, rhubarb ( maybe that's just me)- it's cropping very nicely at the moment. I have this fantastic clematis that winds it way through a rowan tree and the moment is just coming into flower.

So this morning was tidying, weeding and the cutting the lawn- a rather posh way of describing the scrappy patch of grass filling the space between the beds. It's a amazing though how just cutting the grass improves the whole look of the garden.

So feeling rather pleased with my efforts I had coffee in the sunshine and surveyed the results of my efforts this afternoon.

Tea Time

Thought I would post a pic of a wall plaque I've just made. It was something I was asked to do- although I didn't quite stick to the brief but I'm really pleased with the end result.



The picture is really simple, and was fairly easy to put together once I'd created the templates for the teapot and teacup. The fabrics have worked very well together- I love the mix of prints set off by the neutral linen background. I've mention before I tend use 'Bondaweb' for most of the appliques I make and have done in this picture. There is a row of machine stitching around the edge of the pot and cup- this helps define the shape.

The plaque is stiffened with some very heavy interfacing and backed with a piece of linen. The fabric could as easily been stretch over a canvas frame.

So I think it may by time for a cuppa!

More Crochet

So still busy with a crochet hook and I've now actually manage to make something useful with my efforts. I tried crocheting with various different yarns, but my favourite so far is string to make flowers. The cotton string works really well and fabric covered buttons make the perfect centres for the flowers.

I've added little brooch bars to the back of the flowers so they can be worn.

 The flower brooches are now available for sale in my Folksy and Etsy shops.

 I've been adding other  new products to the shops this morning so I'm feeling a little cross eyed after spending a couple of hours sitting at the computer screen. I've managed to get hold of some new fabrics and despite saying I wasn't going to make for the forthcoming Jubilee I've given in. I found some fab fabric that I just couldn't resist, so there a bit of red, white and blue available in the shape of wash bags and bunting with a few more things to come. Hopefully all made in the best possible taste! 

 

 I'm off to Llandudno for the Bank Holiday weekend and the annual Victorian Extravaganza- the craft fair is in the Town Hall on Sunday and Monday (6th & &7th May). I'm also doing a couple of event in Shropshire later in the month both new to me this year so a step into the unknown. I'm off to an event at Dearnford Lake near Whitchurch on the 19th & 20th for their country fayre ( www.dearnfordlake.com ) and the following weekend the Shropshire County Agricultural Show ( www.shropshirecountyshow.com )in Shrewsbury. I'm looking out the window just now hoping that the weather is going to improve over the next few weeks.

I have to thank a lovely ( & very interesting) lady I met the other weekend at a craft fair.  For years whenever I've seen someone busy with a crochet hook I've bemoaned the fact that I could knit and sew reasonably well but had never been taught to crochet. Like many crafts it is much easier to learn if some actually shows you what to do. I had spent time trying to figure things out with a book and had quite literally got tied in knots.

So very kindly Sharon brought in a hook and some yarn in for me. A woman with  great patience she got my started crocheting. Teaching me a few stitches and with the rudiments of crochet I was off. Can't tell how satisfying it feels to learn something new and obviously now I have to practise ( & practise).

I'm now groaning under a stack of crocheted flowers having trawled You Tube for instructions ( just a quick google search for 'crochet flower' brought up thousands of results- perhaps not surprisingly). There are so many videos on there with folk demonstrating the making of huge numbers of different crocheted items. Knowing how to use a crochet hook and having learnt a few stitches made it easier to follow the videos, but I'm sure there are instructions on how to get started out there as well.

 I'm a convert to crochet although I'll never give up knitting - they actually complement each other nicely. So a big thank you once again to Sharon.

Woodland blooms

I managed to get to mid March before getting a little lazy with the blog and breaking my New Year's resolution ( New Year, a distant memory). It reflects the fact everything else has been quite busy over the last few weeks.

 Over Easter the tranquil life of this little part of Wales suddenly changes as lots of visitors arrive for the holiday. It wakes us up after the winter and prepares us for the influx over the summer. 

The beach is incredibly popular so I take to the hills to walk the dog. It's lovely walking up through the local woods at the moment as the spring flowers are in bloom.

My camera accompanied me for a walk over the weekend, so I have added a few snaps here.