Busy Making Honey...

And its finished.

Finished and made up into a wonderful clock, named 'Honeycomb & Bees'.

At first I was worried for the outcome of the blackwork piece, but byjove I love it. Love the colours, the bees the way it looks, and rather loving the photography too. So yes, I am in love!

This is the the first official piece that will help me raise money for the BBKA, £5 will be donated on behalf of the person who purchases it. So not only do you get a cracking clock but you get to help bees too.

Nice Artsy shot....which you can just make out the subtle stitching in gold thread.

As I said this is the first piece in what will be a series of bee themed pieces that will help the BBKA, I am also working out the design for a needlework pattern as well as making another Paradise Bird Peter Pan Collar, hot pink anyone?

If you would like to purchase this clock you can by nipping over to my Etsy store, The Mason Bee. I am also open to a custom version of the design, using different colour ways, just drop me a message on here or over at Etsy.

I am feeling rather pleased with my outcomes this week!

What outcomes are you pleased with?

Oh! I almost forgot to say, I have a small Olympic appreciation style competition running on Facebook, once I hit 205 followers I will be randomly selecting one to receive one of my now rare button needlecases!

Go and check it out https://www.facebook.com/themasonbee 

Paradise Bird Reversible Peter Pan Colour Series 1

Sometimes you have to suffer for your art...

In this case I had to bite the bullet and take a photograph or two of myself.

This is the first in the series of Peter Pan Collars I will be creating, they are hand embroidered and not only that reversible. Delicate embroidery for night time gatherings or special events, and bright bold liberty tana lawn print for the day.

As I am yet to decide what I want for a fabric label I have reverted to simply stitching my initials. Simple and effective.

I'm checking out the view from my bedroom window.

You can purchase this very first collar from my Etsy store for £35.00

Click me.

Mini Update - Work in Progress

Just a wee update on things in progress.

Above the Peter Pan collar experimental piece is complete and I must say it looks rather snifty, even with me modelling it, can't quite work out what expression that was but I think it was my 'I hate taking my own photo' photo. but anyway, even with the weird facial pose and tank top it still looks fab. And as requested I will be making these to sell, I am in the process of making another one which will help me determine the final cost etc. It will be in a soft sand/natural coloured linen and I am thinking either a hot pink for the thread or maybe a blue...can't decide.

And whilst that's being worked on I am in the process of finishing off the honeycomb stitch piece. As I come towards the end (which this image is a little behind where I am at) I can't quite decide whether or not to make it a clock or the picture first. Perhaps when I come to stitch the bee on it all will be clearer. I know if I do it again, which I will be I think there will be more of the dark coloured umber or I will do the light in the middle and work out to the dark. 

What do you think of it so far?

Paradise Bird Peter Pan Collar

Paradise Bird Peter Pan Collar, a photo by themasonbee on Flickr.

Via Flickr:



Okay, its got one small thing that hasn't been added yet and that\'s a hook and eye attachment, I have apparently run out or perhaps I haven\'t used them in so long I never had any to begin with..

Anyway, I am rather pleased with the outcome, and I have requests to make these to say as this little beauty was my \'experiment\' piece, mainly to see if I can make it. Sure it\'s not the most technically complex thing to make without a pattern but to get the finish right, the size of the embroidery working and to mirror was a bit of a challenge as was working with the fabric, I forgot how darn stiff it was.

I'll be interested what comments you have about it? I've had a couple of requests about making ones to sell, so I am thinking either making them as one of the kind versions (using different combinations of fabrics) or try and stick to a couple of different fabric combo's. And even offering pick your own embroidery thread colour.

Mmmm Honeycomb

I've certainly been making the most of the evenings to get stitching done. I am switching between about four projects, the cross-stitch, mending dino, blackwork and the collar. All projects I am pleased to say are progressing a long nicely.

The cross-stitch is on a temporary pause for a few days as I need to get the dino done, who I am happy to say has a mended mouth, though he's missing his teeth and a patch of his head but he will be quite the different t-rex. Think collars, moustache, top hat....need I say more? I am seeing my nephew on Saturday and I promised I would have it ready for then. So after this blog it will be back to it.

The honeycomb/black work stitching is also coming along. Now that I have the patten well and truly licked its been pretty easy to get into the swing of stitching it. Although I will admit to going wrong in a few places so a bit of unpicking has had to occur. But as you can see from the picture below there is the start of subtle shading in both the colour and the stitch, fading now.

The aim is to get to at least the next colour in the shading by the end of the week. Which in theory could see the end of the stitching because I am still flitting between a 4" or a 6" hoop, do we'll see.

The fourth and final project for this week is the Peter Pan collar, the embroidery for both sides is complete, and its so diddy. I selected the backing fabric, worked out how its going to fastened when complete, and on the train today I stitched the two pieces of fabric together and when I got home turned it inside out. Now this is a bit of a see how it goes one, as I've never made a collar before and working out how to complete the collar for turning inside out proved interesting and this I admit isn't perhaps the easiest way of doing it but I think I can get it to work and look good.

Once I have hit this lot on the head, or as much as I can, I will be working on the next free patten sample, the next bee related item and doing something about promoting what I am doing. Because I am sure not doing as much as I should!

What you lot up too?

A little out of Sorts but stitching continues

For the past week I've been feeling a little out of sorts, can't really put my finger on it but its been a little exasperated by my seeing the clock conservation department at West Dean yesterday. Now you may wonder why that could be, but it's simply really I love clocks which is why I've been doing my own attempts at them for the past few years. So there is a part of me that would love beyond everything to learn how to make clocks, properly. Anyway, its been making me feel a little disjointed today, coupled with neighbours playing loud music and me being too much of a wimp to go down and ask them to turn it down. Wonder if I could hire someone to do it in my place? Any takers?

Did, despite this I did manage to get some stitching done before I got caught up with other errands and feeling a bit sorry for myself. 

I started the embroidery on the Peter Pan collar, one side done just got to get the other side done, then it will be hand sewing again to make it up, no machining on this one. Also means I can do it on the train if I so desire.

I then started the first of the bee related topics, I have to admit I was probably a bit ambitious about thinking I would happily blackwork stitch an entire frame 5 x 9 inches but I think I've decided to make a bit of a change and knock it down to a small circle frame just to see how it turns out and then progress to the larger size. Counted work can make my head ache. 

But the start is looking good, I am just getting it to a point where I am going to move down to the next shade till it gets lighter. The frame shown is 4" but I might switch to 6" just need to purchase one. Hadn't realised I had completely run out. 

As I said a bit of a out of sorts week so a bit of a short blog post.

Hopefully next week will be a better one.

Preparation & T-Rex

Bit of an odd week thus far, evenings have been busy but I don't feel as though I have even scratched the surface of my to do list, and that's not even touching the goals for July list. But, I think I am at least starting to make a bit of a headway so by the end of the week I can at least start to cross things off. Hopefully!

I do also seem to be loving the side projects and I have two more this week, along with the cross-stitch piece, I am currently mending the poor Mr T-Rex that was played with by my sisters dog, so attempting mouth, neck and head surgery over the course of the week.

Poor Mr T-Rex

Then, those who follow me on Facebook have heard me utter, I want to make a Peter Pan collar. And byjove I've only gone and started one. I've made the pattern pieces, tacked the fabric, and now I just need to transfer the embroidery design onto the fabric (mini Paradise Birds - got to keep the theme going!)

Will eventually look like something.

For the non-side project I am working on the prep for the first Bee related piece, just need to pick up the threads this weekend and then I can get cracking. I've already done the experimenting with the Black work stitches, so I sort of know what to expect. Sort of...

Tell what it is yet?

And that ladies, gents and dinos, sums up my week so far!

Oh, and I am now down to 12 Mini Button Needlecases, grab them whilst you can!

Saying Farewell to Old Lines...

Its time to say farewell to one of my longest running lines, these cute little fellas have served me well but it's time to wave them off to new homes so that I can make way for new product lines.

What am I waving goodbye too?

My lovely little Button Needlecases! 

If your in the UK you can take advantage of free shipping. There aren't many left, and a couple that aren't listed will be used for future competitions I have in mind. In all I have sold over seventy

So go and take one home today. Not only are they cute but they are practical too if you, like me, travel about with sewing on the go.

Click Me!

Experimenting & Playing with Stitches

So this weekend is mainly about playing. 

Also a bit of researching too, but I also consider this playing just with ideas more than actually physically stitching. I don't, to be honest, do samples or play with stitches before launching into my projects I tend to go with the flow, working out and challenging myself along the way to come up with solutions. But sometimes I make myself do it. 

I wanted to get sorted this year three main lines for my stores. The first one is the Paradise Bird, the second is what I am playing about with now, and the third one is down on paper just need to work out the logistics of it. So now I am done, not really, with the birds its now the time of the bees. The second line is all about bee appreciation and which will, I hope, enable me to support the British Bee Keepers Association and other worth while projects to do with saving the humble bee, humble not bumble!

The first of the bits for the bees I am looking at Black work for my inspiration. So you can see below I am playing with patterns, using colour to stop myself using black, and because it was to hand. I can be lazy.

Playing with colour here, attempting shading. Never have the right colours in my stash!

Here I am playing with the alternative way to shade, which is by breaking up the stitch.

Good overview of all the patterns and shading I did today. Didn't take me all that long to work out which one I am settled on, can you work out which one that would be?

Time for something different, this is the cross-stitch I am working on the side, it's for me. Can you tell it looks like gingham fabric yet? The whole pattern is various close ups of the fabric, awesome right?