Sunday: One down...

Bit of a nutty week at work, thus resulting in not a lot of stitching. 

But, I have managed to get at least one thing finished and a future project prepped. 

Firstly, the little bee that I briefly featured last week has finally ended up in it's finished form, a wall clock. Rather pleased with the outcome, so cheerful and friendly...and useful to boot. This also gave way to another idea for a new selection of items to go under my product line aptly named 'bees'. And the below shot is another sneaky shot of what's to come. I hope to have at least one completed, if not two, by the end of the next Bank Holiday weekend. Can I just say another three day weekend can't come soon enough. Tempted to make a four day.

Oh there was one other thing I prepped for this week, and that was the next newsletter, which will be going out in the next week. Thanks for all the lovely new newsletter followers. If you want to join, then do pop you email into the box on the top right hand of the screen.

Ring of Bees Pocket Mirror

Whilst temporarily sofa/bed bound owing to picking up some rotten cold I've at least been able to work on the next round of projects. One of which is progressing the 'Ring of Bees' pocket mirrors and pouches, from a sample to actual product. 

I've only made one pouch thus far, but have at nine in the works in various stages of completion and hopefully I will get them all completed over the coming weeks. There are two colours for the linings that people will be able to choose from, five in this rather lovely pink flowery pattern, and the other five in navy, both are new Liberty cotton fabric prints.

These pocket mirrors are once again to support the British Bee Keepers Association (BBKA), £1 will be given for each one sold. The first of these lovely beauties is already for sale. 

I'll hopefully be able to work on the next thing on my list of projects (which will see the return of the paradise bird pattern) to try out at the weekend, when I am up and about.

Hopefully you are all germ free and snuggly warm.

Gold Bees

Following my post yesterday about the little bee brooch that I made on a spur of the moment I've gained positive and useful feedback by folks over on Facebook. So much so I made another one day. The suggestion by a lovely lady called Jessica was to make the bee a little bigger and so I did just that; this afternoon in fact.

And you know what she was right it looks so much better, I also managed to give it a bit more height in the process.

Playing with the gold metal thread - It's been an age since I last worked with gold thread and I have a surprising amount of goldwork thread in my stash so it's been good to get it out again.

Stitching in progress...

Back of the brooch, which has a little sliver of Liberty Tana Lawn fabric

And finished!

I've just listed this example over on Etsy and are given people the chance to choose the print for the back of the brooch, five different Liberty Tana Lawn prints in fact. And of course, the donation to the BBKA for each one sold is 50p. 

What else have I been working on today, I was knocking up the sample for the bee mirror pouch. I did get the dimensions a little wrong, maths went a little to pot this morning. But you know the overall look of it I am happy with, and my little custom stamp made by Memi the Rainbow, also got its first outing. Isn't it fab! I think I need to get myself some black fabric ink, but for the time being the brown ink will suffice.

I'll be looking to get the bee mirrors ordered next week, so I'll keep you posted as to when they are available to purchase. 

Hope everyone else is either having a productive crafting day, or snuggled up on the couch and relaxing. xx

Return of the Bees

Nice to get back to stitching my bees once more. 

I stitched the ring in the centre of the clock last week, as its going to be used for my next mirror design, but it's kind of two for the price of one as it's also for my next clock. 

Actually this clock...

Ring of Bees Hand Embroidered Wall Clock

Size: 13 (w) x 13 (h) x 2.5 (d) cm - 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 1 inches (approx)

Materials: Cotton threads, linen, card, wooden hoop, and a quartz clock mechanism.

More bees on the horizon though, I need to work on the pouches for the mirrors, well once I have ordered the actually mirrors. I also got a bit sidetracked this afternoon I made a tiny bee brooch, whether or not I'll actually make more of them I am not entirely sure but I might gauge your opinions on it...

It's a tiny gold bee, which was stitched in gold check purl, over stitched with stranded cotton, on the back of the brooch it's backed with Liberty Tana Lawn fabric. It's just under 2.5cm in diameter.

What do you think?

Hi Honey Pattern Launched - Support the Bees!

£6.50

Help support the bees!

With each purchase of my hand embroidery pattern ‘Hi Honey’, 50p will go to the British Bee Keepers Association (BBKA).

I am a huge supporter of bees, they are utterly crucial to the eco-system of our planet, and well frankly I do find Bumble Bees rather cute. So if you love them as much as I do, then why not purchase the pattern.

Simply head over to my Etsy store www.etsy.com/themasonbee or go to my website www.masonbee.co.uk and look at the patterns page.

Pattern, Life, Holiday and more.

Its certainly starting to pick up in terms of my actual paid job and my sideline work as Mason Bee. I love it when I am busy, as I find myself buzzing, no pun intended. Ideas seems to come to me more easily and the enthusiasm to work on prototypes and new projects is readily there.

I have about three private commissions to work on, and I have one and a half designs for those pieces pretty much under my belt. I'm surprised how quickly they come to me. I maybe able to show you the designs, but I will need to seek permission for the lovely ladies I am working them for first.

What else?

Well I am involved in something for &Stitches, which is going to be rather fun as its for their challenge but that's about as much as I can tell you until when it's published. Which is going to be hard for me to keep quiet as I like to take photographs and showing their progress to you all. So I'll have to take the shots and show you at a later date.

I've just finished the embroidery for the sample of the Bee Pattern, which I've been yammering on about for months now. Well the design was finished a couple of weeks back and today I finished the stitching. I've got to work on the pattern it self and make it up into something. The something I've only got a rough idea for but I was thinking a patch for a cushion or a tote. It will be one of those patterns that will allow people to be creative as they want with it. I like giving people free reign to be expressive. So I might make it into appliquéd patch but you might use it to adorn a fabric covered book or whatever.

Hopefully the snippets you see you'll like. This is the first pattern that I will be creating that won't be free, as I want to use it to raise money for the BBKA. So I am really pushing myself to make it so good that people will want to buy it.

What do you think?

I will be able to show you the finished sample within the fortnight.

In non-stitching news, I am off to Boston in the fall! I am uber excited as with Washington it's on my list of places I really wanted to go to. I can't  bloody wait. If you've been would love to know what and where you got up to. Or if you haven't been, where would you like to go if you could? I know on my list I have New Zealand, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Chicago, San Francisco to name but a few.

Oh lordy, I nearly signed off without mentioning one of the most important things that's happened this week?! How remiss of me. I've started to add the new branding around the joint, new blogger banner, Twitter has had a revamp and Etsy shop too. Only the website and Facebook to go! I hope you like it, it was created by my uber talented Uncle, and if you would like to get his contact details to do your branding, then do get in contact.

Now I really well sign off!

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 

Proud to Support the BBKA

Now I've been going on about bees for sometime, and many of you might recall I mentioned I had gotten in contact with the British Bee Keepers Association, as I wanted to do my bit to help the bees. Well this week I was sent the supporters badge, and I am proud to have it on my blog, and website.

The next step for me is to work on products that will mean I can start sending donations to BBKA, I really would like to work with you all to be able to adopt a hive!

Helping Bees - BBKA

Since making the decision to change my name over to Mason Bee, I've always had it at the back of my mind that I would like to do something to help bees. Strange perhaps, to some that I would want to do this, but its not really. I see it as doing my bit for still overlooked and misunderstood creature, bug...the humble bee. Bees are so vitally important to our ecosystem but we are doing so much damage to their natural habitats. I know I am only one person and I am never going to make my millions but I would like to do what I can. 

So, I did some research and a few days I contacted the British Bee Keepers Association (BBKA), firstly to ask if they a button that I can add to my site and secondly to state that my aim is to create some products that will allow me to give a donation to their cause. In the short run I would like to use the money raised to 'Adopt a Hive'. I just had a wonderful idea, this very second, that when I do raise enough to adopt a hive (through sales of certain items I produce), I will put everyone who has put money towards it into a raffle to win what you get for adopting a hive.....okay, I need to really work out the details for that but I am loving it the rough idea.

Anyway, I got my response today, and they are really grateful for the support and I will soon be sending me a button so I can add it to my website.

I am already working on the ideas of products that I will be producing, and in time I'll let you know what I have in mind.

A mini update for you there.

Before I sign off, hello to the new followers of the blog I had quite a lot of hits from http://craftgossip.com/ after I sent them a link to the patterns, which in turn has brought a lot of people to the site. So hello!