New Year Sale

In case you missed the news, I have a 40% off sale over on my Etsy store! 

To help me start a fresh this coming year, I wanted to clear the decks of everything I've made over the last couple of years. Sale goes on till the 16th January.

Take me to the sale

Revisiting a List

I've been in a bit of a cleansing mode of late. Nothing has been spared my ruthless need to clean out and throw out, from kitchen cupboards to my embroidery supplies. Even my blog has undergone the same need to start a fresh and uncluttered, I've started going back through the really old posts and either editing or deleting posts that have little content, broken image links and so forth. 

As I was doing this I came a cross a list of things I wanted to do, or see and after six years I wanted to see how far I got with crossing things off, and I've managed to complete the following:

1. Return to Washington, and finally visit the Smithsonian - Totally did this and more, over a week navigating about the capital on my own! Best decision ever.

3. Watch Fight Club - I did finally watch, can't remember when but I did buy it and watched it.

5. Use all of my Swarovski hot fix crystals and make a blinging bag - I put this on a list?? lol

7. Re-read the chronicles of Narnia - I did

9. Go dancing - I really wasn't very specific on this one...

13. Move out - I did!! Technically, I did this twice...Guildford, then home briefly before moving to Farnham

14. Live or work in London - I currently work in London

15. Learn how to walk in high heels - Nope, flats all the way!

16. Enter a piece of my embroidery into a competition - Pretty sure I entered something into a competition for Liberty's?

18. Travel anywhere abroad on my own - I did!! See point #1

20. Own a house - I own a flat

21. Learn to drive - I am currently learning

22. Submit an article on anything to a magazine - submitted several articles into Crafty Magazine, and one in Hoop-la

23. Learn to conquer my fear of glass floors and floor to ceiling windows, i.e visit the Grand Canyon - THIS IS NEVER, EVER HAPPENING

25. Go to Goodwood festival of speed - I did go to Goodwood Revival?

28. Learn to say no - try to

29. Get a tattoo of a daisy - NEVER

30. Buy emo style glasses - TOTALLY GOT SOME

34. Go on a weekend to Edinburgh - 30TH BIRTHDAY

So I think we can safely say that I've managed a fair few things on the list but byjove it was a random! Think in the New Year I'll try and think up some new ones, as there are clearly a few that I don't think I will ever make myself do...i.e. glass floors, and tattoos. I don't do new year's resolutions but I can get more on board with things to do rather than trying to break old habits. 

This is a departure from blogging about projects I am working on, and I have been awfully quiet about that for the last couple of months but I am feeling fidgety and my noggin is already fizzing with ideas just need a bit more time to work out what they will actually translate into. In the meantime there will be a sale over on my Etsy Store, and the blog spring clean will continue.

I hope everyone has or is still having a lovely Christmas break!

Would love to Meet you...

If you live near or in Farnham, their 10th annual Farnham Malting's Christmas fair will be taking place. Owing to massive popularity they have made it a two day event. I will be there with my merry band of Bees and I would love to see you there!

Studio Tuesday at Cowdray Park

I am really, really proud to do a spot of PR for my mum. I've been oodles quiet owing to just getting on making stock for the craft show, sorting out a few custom orders, and catching the winter lurgy. But, I now have something exciting to share, my mum and her studio buddy (Studio Tuesday) are running a pop-up gallery at the Bike Shed, Cowdray Park Farm Shop. 

So if you're in the area, why not pop in and meet the lovely ladies, and see their and other local artists amazing work. Great opportunity to purchase some unique Christmas presents and also help them to raise raise monies for the charity Dreams Come True Xmas Appeal.

Christmas Fair Stock Making

Hi everyone!

I've been awfully quiet of late on the old blog, but it's mainly down to stitching, lots of it and losing track of the time. The days are flying away at a rate of knots and I have so much I need to make before the Farnham Christmas fair, it's scary how that's just over 5 weeks away. Eeek!

Having one of those, what did I sign myself up to moments. 

*rocks back and forth*

That being said, I am plugging my way through and surprising myself that I've not driven myself nutty by stitching the same designs over and over...perhaps that will happen in a week or two. I'll keep you posted. I've managed to list a couple of new things this week including two new greeting's cards (see above image) one for Christmas 'Bee Merry' and the other a general greetings or notecard 'Bee Happy'. So pleased with the finish I always get a bit worried when relying on my photography skills when getting things printed sometimes the finish has been a bit poor owing to images being darker than I realised etc. But with these not a problem at all. 

I do have one question which i wonder if you could help me with, I was thinking of selling them not just as single cards but in packs of 3 or 5? What do you think rough cost I think would be around £6.50? At present for UK peeps, you can get one card for £2.75 including free postage. 

Before I get stuck back into stitching and generally not panicking, I just wanted to show a few items that I have been making for the show, if there is any of these left from the 2 day event will be listed. Perfect little stocking fillers and tree gifts. I must admit I've rather missed using my hot-fix crystal wand...

Re-purposing Near Forgotten Purchases

Hi Everyone! 

Hope everyone is good spirits and having a nice weekend. I am not really around today as I am off to go to a British Film Festival screening of an Alan Rickman directed film. Can't wait! This is the second year I've nabbed some tickets, last year I saw Only Lover's Left Alive, and this year I am off to see 'A Little Chaos'. So I'll be diving out the door shortly to head up into town, which means a short blog post from me.

So what have I been doing, well it's been a busy time at work so I've been rather shattered of late which is a bit of a shame as I've been getting back into doing a spot of stitching in the evening. Was also somewhat wiped out last weekend so I didn't actually do a great deal, hence the lack of posting. But other than that I've been making stock for the Christmas fair, and sorting out a few orders over on Etsy.

There is one thing I just wanted to show off and that's that smashing looking tin (See above piccie), now I bought that last year, not long after I moved to Farnham. There is a great second hand furniture place in town and I saw it and had to get it. Of course, at the time I didn't really know what I was going to use it for, but hey, I love storage...so up until yesterday it's been sat on shelving unit gathering dust. 

Then I thought sprang to mind that its about time I did something with it and I need ways of displaying stock for the Christmas Fair. And that's how it happened. With a spot of measuring, I've managed to wedge fabric covered card into the lid and into the bottom, handily there is a bit of an inner ledge on the bottom half so that covered card slotted in well. Rather pleased with it :)

And you know what you don't need to be a perfectionist when it comes to wrapping fabric round card, the proper way I am sure would have seen me lace it with a needle and thread, instead I used sticky tape....HELL if it works what does it matter? And anyway, you can't see it. 

That's it for now folks, if you've got any re-purposed projects you've recently completed do share!

Heading to Farnham Xmas Fair

Christmas has properly arrived at Mason Bee HQ...as the new Christmas bee bauble has been designed, stitched and made up, well the first very batch at least. More will be made over the coming weeks, all the way on the run up to Christmas, reason being because I'll be at Christmas fair this year, not done one in...well a few years now.

I've just paid for my stall and with that bit of admin sorted, I can now announce (for sure) that I will be at the Farnham Malting's Christmas Fair this coming December. Which will be exciting and a touch nerve wracking as I do now need to start upping the anti with the making of stock, without getting too worked up over it. So...no pressure then. Thankfully, as mentioned previously I've been doing a little bit of planning over the last couple of months, and will be mainly concentrating on small items. Which was the reason I forked out for this little bundle of fabric. Can't beat the plain colours of Kona fabric. It's enough to make you smile.

So it's a short post today, mainly because I must crack on with the day, not only to get on with stock making but with the change in season, god I love autumn, I feel more in the mood for cooking. So lots of large vat sized portions of stew, soups, pies are on the horizon. Good, simple, tasty fare. So I hope everyone is snug as a bug this weekend. Do let me know what your up too! Also if your on instagram let me know, and I will be sure to follow you.

Fairs and a Christmas Bee

So last week I mentioned last week that I had an opportunity to go to the Handmade Fair at Hampton Court, courtesy of the lovely gang over at We Make. I am hope wining tickets to the fair might mean I would win the lottery. But you know to do that you have to first buy tickets....

It was surprisingly, and perhaps a somewhat unfair comment to make, that the fair was rather good. Now I did only go for just over an hour and half which might not seem a long time but it was a bit of an early start on a Sunday to make sure I got there early enough. I like to get to show's early, not a big fan of crowds, and when you have tents...the heat. Now a lot of it was geared towards classes, and talks which I wasn't there for as my ticket didn't allow me to do any, and honestly not sure I would have wanted to. There was, however, a nice mix of craft folk and suppliers. Though it would be nicer to see if they do it again next year they could attract more independent suppliers, the niche stuff that you nine times out of ten have to order on line to see it. And it was some what of a surprise that the RSN didn't take a stand, would have been worth the outlay which I know was fairly substantial, or even have the workrooms open for the day. 

Fabric a gift from my best mate, she knows me so well, some uber cute Christmas Decorations and yes might have picked up some more papercraft stuff. It's an addiction...

Anyway, I picked up a few bits, was being good given I had just come back from the States with a bucket load of supplies, and I knew that the following week I would be off to Threads....

Which like the Handmade fair is still in its infancy. 

For those crazy long term followers of the blog, god love you all, I talked about it's inaugural show last year. Which was a little bit...well I wasn't sure what to make of it, and I am still not sure it's got the mix right. Like with the Handmade fair, I would have loved to have seen more niche suppliers of kits and materials. Not sure it's the fair for purchasing finished products. Especially in a few weeks time is the Malting's big Festival of Crafts. It was also I think a little smaller than last year, or that could have been my imagination. Still it was a good couple of hours of wandering around with the lovely Laura Howard aka Bugs and Fishes wandering about and talking to the stall holders. 

Of course I did buy a few bits...

So much pink...

Such as more wonderful threads from Zoe Acketts, who I have spoken about before, and now has the most delicious range of silk threads to compliment her cotton threads. All hand dyed and produced by her. In due course she'll have a website to sell the threads from which I can't wait for. Really was great to see her again. 

I also got the chance to meet Sophie Simpson of What Delilah Did, so great to put a name to a face. And seeing her new book, which I have to say you have to get because it's so darn cute, Stitch the Halls. Prompted me to purchase the skein of hot pink cotton thread from Zoe, so I can stitch the bunting design featured in the book, which is of winter animals, polar bears and so forth. Sure I have enough to be doing at the moment but a little project for the train can't hurt...

Well, I'll squeeze in around all the other oodles of sewing I've started to get into doing. In particular I mentioned as well last week that I was designing this year's Christmas bee bauble design....well here it is. Well, in it's near finished state:

Bzzzz

Yes, the little Merry Bee is back, in miniature size sporting a Swarovski crystal nose. Bling for bees. I have to admit it did take a couple of attempts to get back into how to stitch the bees, nothing like brain freeze but having just stitched another one think I am getting back into the zone. Just have one more to stitch up and then I can get them turned into baubles, so hopefully by next week I can start looking at getting them listed. Might try out having them just on my website. I'll keep you posted. 

My tea has now been drunk, and so that means time to step away from the computer. Hope you lovely lot are well, and that you have had a nice weekend.

Time to Mention Christmas...

I know, I know! 

It's the middle of September and here I am talking about the one word that even makes me twitch. But I have to do it, I have to break it to you that alas I really do need to start to think about it. Like others in craft land its time to think about Christmas. Those who are better at working out that schedule have already started, and are well into their preparations.

Me?

I've dipped my toe in over the past couple of weeks and now it's time to cannonball into the pool of Christmas making. There is a good reason for this, I've got a fair in December, more on this soon, my first in over three years. I think? Memory fails me. Anyway, so whilst I am doing my utmost to remain calm and collected I do have to pull my finger out now. Now whilst I was in the States, I took the opportunity to purchase a few items (coughalotcough)...

Not only for playing about with, but to use for the fair in terms of decorating the stall to using to make stock with. I had a great time purchasing lots of lovely new quilting fabric (I will seek out a fabric store where ever I am), And I came to visit a couple of times, Flash Sew and Quilt store in Naples, Florida. It was lovely and holy crap there was a lot of fabric I wish I could have purchased. Next time, I'll bring and even bigger case...

I made a few notes about what I thought was realistic to make in the time and what I wanted to take. A few new ideas were jotted down, including a design for a Christmas card. It had to be stitched now so that I had time to get it photographed and printed in to cards. It was nice to do a spot of stripy trailing again. 

And it didn't take me that long either, which was nice. Was a bit worried I had gotten a bit rusty...

Anyway with it stitched I can now start working on the other bits and pieces on my list. I have two test pieces to try out one is the new Christmas bauble bee design. Last year it was a Queen Bee and this year? Well you'll have to wait and see. The other is just small little keyring idea, there will be bees...again.

Didn't start this weekend as it's been a bit busy as for most of today for instance I attended The Handmade Fair, with massive thanks to We Make London for my ticket. I entered a little comp they were running to win a ticket. And low and behold I only gone and won. Now, I'll talk about that adventure with the one I will be undertaking next weekend when I pop along to Threads, with Laura Howard aka Bugs and Fishes.

I hope everyone had a lovely fun, and crafty weekend.

Post Holiday Clarity

It’s been over a month since I last sat down with a huge of mug of tea and wrote a decent blog post. A lot has gone on over the last month from a special family wedding to a long, overdue holiday. And as mentioned in my posts from late July and early August, I’ve been in a bit of a funny place when it came to my motivation and inspiration to stitch, which meant blogging wasn’t so easy for me.

I have to be honest it still isn’t. Can’t tell you how many attempts it’s taken this morning to write this post. I realised whilst I was away, doing absolutely nothing for over 8 days, that it’s time I focused on what makes me happy and to go easy on myself. So if one week I can’t write a full post then I’ll just share a picture with you, and if I want to share a pattern with you…then it will be no more building up to it or scheduling it as a fixed date. I’ll do it when I am ready. Sure I work well with deadlines but I have plenty of those at work, so I think I can cut myself a little bit of slack when I am at home.

Because everything I stitch, design or make, I do it because I love it not because I hope to garner fame and money (though the latter would be nice to feed my addiction to quilting fabric..) which is probably why I will never earn oodles though my online shop, and you know what I don’t mind. Really, don’t mind.

Yeah, I know something I should have perhaps realised many moons ago, but it does take having a proper time out to make you have that moment of clarity.

So folks, I am back and I am starting to feel that I am in a good place again. I have lots to share with you over the coming weeks and months, so I hope you will enjoy my somewhat meandering path. 

Holiday Party Mode

It's with great joy that I can say I'm finally on holiday. After a nice weekend celebrating with family for a special event, it's time for me to unwind and to have a spot of r'n'r. 

I will be back blogging in September!

Home Sweet Home

Last week I talked about getting back to using mood boards, and that I spent some very happy hours putting my two boards together, well when I wasn't cutting out paper I was also mucking about with fabric. Sometimes when I can't focus I just grab out my fabrics, usually the scraps I've got stowed away and just play about. No clear goal in mind just see what happens. Which was what I did in between watching the Tin Man on DVD, and in the evenings after work. 

Most of the fabrics chosen are scraps from the quilt I am working on for my bedroom, which post holiday break I'll be getting back too. That's the plan anyway! The fabrics you might recognise were from the Petite Street collection, by Dashwood Studios. I don't like to waste pretty fabric so the worthwhile sized scraps were kept for a rainy day. 

So I cut and placed...

and I pinned...

and I hand sewed the pieces together.

 Cracked out the threads and stitched lettering, flowers and a teeny, tiny house.. (you might recall the house from past work. Might have to do some more soon!)

...and I kept going till I was happy with the final result.

Then I trimmed and added bias binding. On the back I stitched on a couple of brass rings and stamped my little bee. I loved every minute of it. There was no pressure for what the result might be like as I hadn't a clue what I wanted it to be when I started. I really do like improv patchwork. I really recommend it if, like me, your feeling a bit 'argh' get out your stash of scraps, come now I know you have some! And just piece them together. I didn't do any quilting on this one but I am already itching to make another, how else am I to get through my scrap bag!

In the Mood for a Mood Board

During this somewhat 'blah' stage of embroidery I currently find myself in, I have been playing about with various things to just to keep my hand in stitching and crafting in general. Not to do anything would not for me feel entirely right. 

This relaxed attitude is helping, and I do feel relatively calm about the situation I find myself in, and this weekend in particular I've been feeling pretty darn relaxed. The somewhat forced resting of my feet having had some dealing with this as originally I had hoped to get over to the Farnham Malting's monthly craft market, which has been on my list of things to do since I moved here. But my feet have been awfully swollen lately, think balloon animals and you get the picture. So lots of elevating (except now, where I appear to be sitting cross legged...oops) my legs have been the order of the day.

Bringing this eventually round to my opening title about being in the mood for a mood board.

Earlier this week, in the evenings, I had the sudden urge to rip through all the countless craft magazines I’ve collected that in reality I have either never looked back at since purchasing (sorry Mollie Makes) or have had for a while (Selvedge, Embroidery, Pretty Nostalgic). Where I have been buying lots of quilting magazines, I’ve had to make room for them, and anyway it’s good to have a clear out. I didn’t want to just sling them out, I went through them with the goal in mind to take out projects that I or my friends might want to have a go at, things that I inspired me or loved, and what might be nice to get for the flat. If anything didn’t fall into those three piles, it was to be recycled.

But then what to do with them? It would be easy to file them away for another day, but if I did that I'll just end up forgetting and just slinging them out. 

Well a nice little pile will eventually be winging its way to someone I know will appreciate the patterns, and the rest were mood board and or sketchbook material. In my study /guest bedroom I have two noticeboards one tiny and the other A1 sized. Mostly used at that the time as a bit of a dumping ground of random stuff. Things that I liked to photographs and notes. But never really referenced and rarely changed. 

So yesterday I sat on my floor, cut out the images neatly (stickler for straight lines), I placed, pinned and stuck the images onto the boards. I was focused on colour grouping, and textures..to themes. 

The smaller of the two noticeboards is by my computer, and if I flick to my immediate right I can see it. It has on it things that really in my mind at the moment, maps, quilts, bugs, flowers. Things that I feel are going to come back into my work again...not sure how or where but can feel an inkling. 

Then my massive board, which is just behind me, has larger images, work that I love, styles, finishes and techniques. 

I'm looking forward to adding to it as I go, and hopefully add things that aren't postcards and magazine images to it. Bit of real texture is what it needs. 

Now I know there are numerous ways in which you can create your own mood board, from pocket sized (sketchbooks) to digital (pinterest). Whilst I am a lover of things digital because the things you can find in mere seconds are utterly amazing, I still like immediate visual. I love coming across things either in print, stuff I've doodled and found objects. It's easy, way to easy to get overwhelmed with Pinterest, sometimes I think there is such as a thing as too much inspiration. It's time I think to get back to the basics, stumbling across one thing or a collection, that makes you mind focus. Yes, there are lots of little images on my boards, and yes I have two, but they are in away they have a connection to one another. A central theme, and even colour. 

So now that I have these boards doing what I wanted them when I first got them, I have to wonder why it took me so long to get them like they are now. 

I love them now, love looking at them.

So my questions to you are this; do you have a mood board or whatever you like to call it, what medium do you use to create it, and do you think it helps or hinders you creatively?

Woodstock Crafting and Life Musings

I started this blog entry about a week ago, and still hadn't quite gotten round to finishing it, and even today I nearly didn't. Like a lot of things at the moment I appear to be decidedly distracted, unmotivated and generally just feeling a little out of spirits. I keep thinking I am focused enough to work on a project but I'm not exactly feeling everything that I am doing. So you can say I've hit a creative block, but not at the same time. 

I say it's not a complete block as I have been crafting over the past fortnight to sort out my outfit for a friend's 30th birthday, which had the fab theme of Woodstock. Somewhat before my time but nothing like a fancy dress party. 

I ended up doing a combination of buying a few odds and sods, and upcycling a few others to put together a fairly reasonable attempt at looking like I belonged in 1969. Part of my attire came in the form of a lot of friendship bracelets, bright colours, beads and flares. 

I'm not sure how, as a kid, I managed to make loads of these and not feel the urge to fling them out of the window.....

Fabric looks familiar? Why, yes it is. It's the very same one I used for the Frida Cushion.

I have been trying to make myself work on my dragon stumpwork piece. I was so utterly thrilled to design, and even to start it but as the weeks have worn on, the progress has slowed and the feeling of not quite being in the zone is starting to feel a little overwhelming to the point today I realised my heart just isn't in it. So I finished off what I had started at the weekend, stitching stretched pleated organza over the felt that made up the padding for the body and packed it away. I will return to it, I hate having unfinished wips, especially ones of this detail. But at the moment I'm not sure when.

I think it does really stem down to not knowing what direction I want to go in, what would ultimately make me happy is really starting to effect everything I do. I'm not disappearing, I'll still be blogging and making, but if things over the coming weeks go in strange directions, I hope you can bear with me, till I find my way. Perhaps I'll sign up to one of those month long challenges, get back to painting or...well I don't know. 

This isn't the first nor will it be the last time I've hit one of these barriers, and I know I am not alone in even hitting them. Tomorrow might suddenly be that lightbulb moment and everything clicks into place.

Museums and Dragons

I'm pleased to say that I've had a rather successful weekend, not feeling so foggy of the mind, everything that I wanted to do, I've done. Feels good. Sometimes there is that worry if you make a plan to do something, especially at the weekend, it doesn't always go to plan. But largely speaking, for a change this weekend has gone the way I had hoped.

From getting all my housework completed on Friday night, to allow me then to nip up to London first thing to head straight to the Wallace Museum. I wanted to get up early before Oxford Street becomes completely impossible to navigate. And as it was a really sunny day it was going to bring everyone out. Which it did. 

If you've not heard of the Wallace Museum, you might have at least heard of one of it's most famous artworks, the Laughing Cavalier and the Swing. It's certainly not the biggest of the galleries or museums' in London but it's one of my favorites. I think this is largely because it's not as well known, it's easy to navigate and the collections are not overwhelming. That isn't to say it's not extensive, not at all. They have a beautiful collection of illuminated texts, Dutch paintings, miniatures, and arms and so forth. In the center, is a rather beautiful covered courtyard, perfect for a spot of afternoon tea. 

After a couple of hours of doodling and drinking tea, I nipped off to get some of my favourite popcorn from Selfridges, special treat. A quick drool session over the beautiful watches and jewellery then dodging all the tourists to get to my fave stationary shop in Covent Garden before heading home to pass out...no not quite, was shattered though. A spot of stitching, milling about the flat, talking to friends in the States then I settled down to watch Grande Budapest Hotel, love Wes Anderson films, and pampering my rather tired feet. 

As for today?

Well more decorating, yeah the hallway...still not finished BUT I have now sanded down the woodwork ready for painting, hopefully next weekend. Hopefully.

I also cracked on with the Dragon stumpwork, and have finally got the embroidery part of the shield complete, I now just need to add a quick bit of ribbon detailing at the top, then I can crack on with the Dragon itself. Can't wait to crack on with the dragon, it will be made up of lots of different pieces, some of which I haven't fully decided on how they will be stitched, so nothing like a working progress!

Hexies a Plenty

Hi!

Yes, I am still here. 

I was going to write a post on Wednesday, I was mean too and was going too but then things sort of got in the way, was busy with family and life in general. But I am back. Today I actually sat down and did some proper stitching, feels so good. 

It's not to say I've not been stitching, if you follow me on other social platforms you'll see I've been somewhat suckered into the sweet life of Hexies. I think there must be some sort of medical condition for the compulsion to make hexies...

and keep on making them....

all the time and still not get bored??

Now these aren't just ordinary hexies, these are my uber cute hexie pouches. Originally made one for myself to hold my gum and mints in. Somewhat sick of the mint packets falling a part in my handbag. Also to curb the boredom of my commute. Then when with one made, another followed, then another and now I've made six, and put some up for sale over on Etsy, and now onto making a prototype pouch for a mirror....SEND HELP.

No, it's all right really. I really do love making them. It's nice way to break up a journey or two. It also helps to make a dent, albeit a small one, on my quilting fabric stash. 

As I said earlier I did also do some proper stitching, and that saw me return to working on the dragon embroidery. I have cut out, again, the felt pieces that will make up padding for the body of the dragon, and started the satin stitch on the shield part of the design. 

Body is in there somewhere.

It took five attempts or more, to get it to a point where I was happy with the direction of the stitching. I was in a very, very fussy mood today.

I now have a couple of weekends free so I can get cracking on it some more, in-between decorating the flat (hallway still not finished). My aim is to get the shield completely stitched, at least the areas I have padded. There will likely add more detail to the shield beyond what's been padded out but that's still to be worked out. I'll keep you posted!

Stumpwork Progress: Dragon Preparations

The preparation is finally, and properly, underway on the stumpwork dragon, which according to my mum is called Cedric. Not sure why, but we'll go with it. 

I'm quite glad that I have had quit a bit to sort out in terms of prep work i.e. padding both felt and stitched and other minor background details to work on as I've been pondering over the colour of the silk threads I want to use for the main details. It's taking me a while to make a decision, partly because I'm relying on computer screens to see colours, and types and it's a little frustrating when the photographs aren't clear and as silk threads can be on the expensive side I don't really want to go down the path of ordering a bunch only to find they aren't what I've been looking for. Its times like this when I REALLY, REALLY, wish there was a damn good haberdashers // craftstore in Farnham. Perhaps one day I'll be the one to run it but until then, I'll have to make do with the internet and attending the occasional fair.

Anyway, back to the thread selection, I'm just waiting on some samples to come through, and I have my toes and fingers cross they are a match. 

Back to the prep layer, thus far I have stitched the padding for the satin for the shield details, and applied the maypole fabric and vintage gold thread. 

I've done the maypole a little weirdly, in that there is a felt layer which has been wrapped round by the silk dupion, only one side of the pole can you see the stab stitches as the other side has been secured underneath the silk....probably the worst explanation ever!

Weird abstract art....otherwise known as padding.

The next bit is the blue felt padding which will make up the dragon, then I'll have to wait till I finally decide on the silk thread, bit annoying having to put it away again, but I do have the Frida pattern to get on with, and oh, and  I might have purchased a few items over the week, so I have them to play with too:

Four fat quarters of various weight printed cottons from Village Haberdashery, I didn't really need them but the excuse is one of them might be chosen to be the curtain for my bedroom. Otherwise, they were really, really pretty and I haven't purchased fabric in a while. Don't judge me. The other, perhaps slightly unnecessary purchase was some new art materials. I've been itching to get back to drawing, and it came about from doodling coats of arms, a bit of a small love affair of mine. I just love the way they are structured from the use of a limited colour range (tinctures) to the symbolism of the images used. I've stitched one or two coats of arms in the past, but I've gotten into the love of making my own up so I've been using watercolours, inks and promarkers. The latter I wanted a few more colours to add to my stash for use when I am designing embroidery patterns and so forth. So they were my naughty spends for the weekend. Which will and are being used.

This one eventually went really, really wrong owing to an accident with the ink but it was good to play around with paint and ink again. 

Do you have a secret passion or not so secret one that's perhaps not entirely associated with what you make create? Or have you purchased any materials lately that you didn't really need, but wanted anyway? Do share!

Around the World Blog Hop

Chrissie of Chrissie Crafts invited me to take part in this blog hop. The idea is to answer a few questions about your work and then you in turn invite others to do the same. See below whom I have passed the questions on to...or in my case who I follow.

What am I working on?
Like most folks who are creative I have multiple things on the go, nothing like breaking up projects with having several more projects to work on.

As of yesterday I started the preparation work for my next complex piece, a stumpwork dragon, based on the idea of Medieval illuminated manuscripts. 

I'm also stitching a project for myself, the Pretty Little San Francisco design by Satsuma Street. I work on it a little bit at a time in the evenings, so the progress is really, really slow but that's fine by me. I have a feeling though I'll be taking it on my holidays at the end of August to finish it!

I also have the quilt for my bedroom, which needs one more row of blocks for me to cut out and stitch together then it will be the sashing. I'll get all the fabric out again in the coming months to do it.

I know whilst I am working on the dragon I'll be wanting to work on some other new designs that have yet to be thought up. I'd quite like to do another typography piece, just not narrowed down the quote I want to work on next. 

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I don't think I have a genre? I have a style I think? And I have a craft // technique that I use but don't think i have a genre. So I'll focus on the craft itself to answer this question. My embroidery is different from others because it's me doing the designing. Sure I was taught the same way as my peers that went to the RSN (before they dropped the Apprenticeship) but the way we stitch is different from each other. I'm quite certain if we were given the same design to stitch, and even limited the choice of materials and colours, we'd still work it differently. Put our own little stamp on it. Or even if there was no deviation from the design, materials, stitches and colours and we were forced to do it exactly the same way it would feel a little different. I'm not talking about experience of our stitch work, I am talking about the way we impart a little bit of ourselves into the work we do. Like to think of it like a stitching fingerprint. 

Why do I write/create what I do?
It keeps me sane.

No, really! It's my go to when I am not at work, though I think about stitching all the time. I always carry a notebook around with me so that I jot down an idea, or make a note about how I would do a part of a project. Being creative is a part of me. Take it away and I am not sure I'd be the same person. 

And you know, I have to doodle new designs all the time, otherwise I'd never have an excuse to buy more notebooks:

Just the tip of the iceberg folks, just the tip.

How does my writing/creating process work?
It starts with a doodle. If I can't stop adding to the design, or have already started to figure out how I would stitch it and what materials I'd use then then I'll progress it to tidying up the design and if by the end of that stage I really, really itching to stitching it....THEN I do. Sometimes I can get to this stage and either I am not thrilled with the design as much I thought I was, or I'll do it bit by bit over a longer time or leave it for another day.

Now this is where I should list the next folks to participate and this is where I have to hold my hands up, I've not had the head space to chase folks and by the time I did alas some of them have already done it or couldn't do it. And in some instances I felt a little embarrassed to ask them because I've never approached them before. Very silly I know! So, I don' t like to admit defeat instead I am just going to pick a few folks that I follow and encourage you to go and look at their work, and follow their blogs and you know offer them a cookie or something.

Spirit Cloth - I've been following her work for a couple of years now. I just love not only her style, her ethics and her craftmanship.

Materialistic - love her embroidery designs, and use of colour.

Jen Goodwin - super lady, who frankly works flipping hard. Always stitching, always designing new kits and always teaching. The latter she's really good at.

So there are a few for you to have a look at, and hopefully follow.