Grey Clouds, Spring Colours and Press

I've not been quite as active this week as I would have liked too but unfortunately I finally sucummoned to the dreaded office plague. I think I might have tempted fate by saying the other week, that it's been a rather long time since I had picked up anything...

So when I wasn't hiding on the sofa shivering, face suckered to a pillow, or sneezing my head off I did do a bit of stitching, actually a bit more today as I was starting to feel a bit more human. I started on the table mats for the flat, as the fabric and threads arrived earlier this week.

Nice and squishy. Loving the Koi collection quilting fabrics. I picked two out of the range to make the placements.

Then today I moved onto the finishing details to the Silver Linings project. As you can see pretty much on the homeward straight. I just finished off a couple of chain stitch lines, plunged threads and added more bead detailing.

Just got the lettering to do which I decided to do couching to keep the fluidity of the letters and it's also super quick, should get that finished in the next couple of days. Exciting!

The rest of the today I pottered about the flat, drank copious amounts of tea, joined an ATC swap and started working on the sample for a new free pattern. Which I can at least share the colours with you...

Faithful newsletter subscribers will get the first sneaky look at the pattern, in the next week or so. Along with hopefully the sneak preview of another pattern that I have been doodling. Yes, the newsletters start back this month after a winter break. 

Before I head off to take a break from the computer, I just have a few shares with you. As you know I have been doing a few projects for magazines lately, and I've just realised this weekend that they are out this coming week. Like buses they all come at once. I've done four little projects for Crafty Magazine and I also worked on a little project for a soon to be new publication called Hoop-la, which you can see a sneak preview of, both publications will be out this week. 

Ta-ta for now!

Countdown to Crafty Competition

Today I finally managed to put together and send out the long overdue newsletter/special announcement (I slightly feel it should have been accompanied by a fanfare...kidding) because it was all to do with my secret squirrel project with Crafty Magazine. 

No, it wasn't showing off what it is I've done, you'll have to wait till the 7th November to find that out (11 days and counting!) but rather it was the kick off to a mini competition I am doing along side it, a thank you if you will, for your patience over the past couple of months.

 

The folks over at Crafty HQ are giving UK readers a chance to win a 3 months subscription to the magazine.

Never fear if your one of my overseas supporters, for you I am putting together a prize bundle which will include a copy of Issue 8, one of my rare button needle cases and a PDF pattern of your choice.

How to enter!

Nice and simple, you can either enter via my recent newsletter or email me directly at info(@)masonbee.co.uk (remove the brackets), just don't forget to tell me where in the world you are! 

Please note I am having comment gremlins on the blog at the moment, so best to email me, rather than leaving a comment.


Time for the T&C’s:

• By entering you’re agreeing for your email address to be shared with Crafty Magazine.
• If you’re a winner of the magazine subscription you will need to provide a valid UK address which I will be sending to Crafty Magazine.
• Winners will be announced on my blog on Sunday 17th November.

You can view the newsletter by clicking the following - http://eepurl.com/HHpmT 

Hamish says hello and other things

Anyone else find writing a title for a blog post really difficult? There are times when I just haven't a clue what to call a post. But at least this one is pretty much spot on, Hamish has popped by to say hello, in a rare moment of opportunity I managed to get this shot of him and it pretty much sums him up...

If he can get behind anything, squeeze through cracks he's your man. You know the more I look at that shot the more I notice the look of 'put the camera down'. 

So aside from trying to take photographs of my elusive hamster, baking and cooking (I'm a real autumn/winter cook) I've been working on the project that cannot be named... That's pretty much all I've been doing this weekend. Granted I've been squeezing in a bit of time for my own things. I've purchased a couple of small bundles of felt this week which arrived rather speedily, thank you Paper & String. The felt is to be used for two things, one a new batch of snazzy brooches (more on this next week) and secondly to make a couple of gifts. Naturally like everything else I am working on lately I can't really go into too much detail as it's for some ladies that I know swing by the blog. But you might just make out an owl...the actual design comes from a freebie from Issue 5 of Crafty magazine 'Woodland Storage Boxes', I'm going to adapt the cute little owls and trees to turn them into little felt wonders. Well that's the plan...

I'll keep you posted!

Before I dart off go and check out Feeling Stitchy's latest competition.

Mini Updates!

Moving!

Finally, after nearly nine months I'm finally moving into my first home. This is a big step for me and one I can't wait to crack on with, as I will finally have a decent space to create my work in! Something I've been dreaming about ever since I put an offer on the flat. I'll certainly be blogging about my adventures into interior design.

This also means that my etsy store has gone into a temporary hiatus and will be back up and running again on Sunday 4th August.

Honeycomb Tutorial

Apologies to all, but with the move I've had to delay the release of the tutorial till September. The delay isn't just to do with the move, there is another very exciting reason...scroll down to find out more. However, to make up for this I will be releasing a new little planet embroidery design next month instead, as I can get that out quicker than the tutorial.

You can in the mean time check out what the honeycomb tutorial will look like by clicking here.

Secret Squirrel

This is where I get to become a bit of a secret agent. I've got a very exciting project for the next month to work on, commissioned by Crafty magazine. The only other things I can tell you, aside from how awesome its going to be, is that the magazine will be hitting the shops on November 7th. Not only that I am also in discussions with the magazine to arrange a little competition especially for all my lovely readers! So do keep your eyes peeled over the coming months.

Crafting Limbo and Ramblings about Craft Magazines

Because I'm in a bit of a limbo at the moment. Can't start any new embroidery projects (everything is boxed up), can do some designing but yes, you've guessed it majority of my drawing materials are also packed away. So I'm trying to find other ways to pass the time, before I temporarily move back home, and hopefully there, I will be able to get back to doing some embroidering again. Fingers crossed.

So, what to do, well I could learn to a new language or juggle, but instead I am still working on the paper piecing project and the rest of the time I'm reading blogs, websites, magazines and books.

It's a forced reflection period.

I don't mind it, I get to have a proper look and a catch up of what everyone else is up to. Don't often get the time to do that, and perhaps I should make myself do it more often. As long as it doesn't distract me from sleeping.

Anyway, so what have I been reading.

Today, I managed to get a copy of Crafty Mag. It's been out for a couple of weeks now (not sure of the exact publication date for the first issue) but I found out about it online. Then it was just a matter of remembering to keep an eye out for it. Which, as this is me took a good couple of weeks to remember...mainly what it was called. Weirdly could picture the cover but not the name, hey I am visual person.

Now, I know what thinking (you want a cuppa, I know I do), cause I thought it too, great yet another craft magazine...and, yes, your right it is. The name somewhat gives it away, if it was about cars then I might consider citing the trade descriptions act.

I think British craft magazines are finally getting a revival. Because lets face it most our publications, whilst nice, are somewhat lacking a modern look and don't reflect the changes and trends as quickly as they should. I've always been envious of magazines available in France, Japan and the States. I've purchased many in my time, much to the chagrin of my bank balance.

We are now, hopefully haven't tempted fate, finally starting to catch up, been a long time in the making and there is a long way left to go. But there are some really good ones out there now.

We Brits, are ravenous for them. I know I am, it's only really been in the last year that I've actually made a concious decision to nip into a stationers and have a pog at their craft magazines. It's easier now to zone out the wheat from the chaff. The section in a big Whsmiths used to be tiny, now you get a whole section. It's great, long over due.

It's funny really, in any other industry their print magazines are falling. But weirdly, or not, the craft magazines are somewhat bucking the trend. This isn't always the case, and a new publication isn't destined to survive, this only really happens if there is an effort on the editorial team to make use of all social media, such as having a dedicated blog, website and Twitter feeds etc, being updated on a regular bases during the times we wait for the next issue.

When it comes to the crafts, you need something physical and something to flick through. I like making notes on them, doodling, highlight websites, dog earring pages and ripping out the templates. I might be an avid Kindle user, but I will always buy craft literature in print and it's the same for magazines. About the only exception for me, and I am biased because I like the guys behind the magazine, and that's the UK Handmade quarterly magazine, but if and when that goes to print then I'd buy it.

Crafty Magazine by Practical Publishing International

So, what did I think of Craft Mag, I like it. Okay, I'll admit that's probably not very useful for a review. But it is only the first issue and I know it takes time to bed things down and no doubt they may well change their format. But I do like the look of it and the actual feel of the paper (smoothy/rough). Was a bit of a sucker for the packaging for the calico fabric, I like the fact it's for you to play with rather than it's for one specific project.

And speaking of which there are a lot of projects within it. Many of which I really want to do, like the Geometric flowering arranging, and making fabric bugs. So the pages are marked up ready for me to look at when I get settled again. 

There are, however, some quibbles with the projects, one there is a lack of photographs/drawn instructions to go alongside the written. That's not to say what's written isn't hard to follow, on the contrary but I find it useful to have some additional process/progress shots. Purely for referral. The templates for the insect project where printed to close to the binding of the magazine which makes it trick to photocopy cleanly or rip out. And for some of the projects a list of stockists would be beneficial. But these are minor quibbles.

As for the copy, the interviews etc, I will be happily reading through the articles especially the interview with Laura Clempson (yep, a fellow Laura), and will certainly be looking to get the next issue when it's out later this month.

So, what about you lovely lot. 

Do you buy craft magazines, what draws you to buying them. Cause they aren't the cheapest of purchases. What's your favourite?