Meet Snow Bee..

I had a sudden realisation yesterday that I hadn't designed my now annual Christmas bee bauble! For Since 2012, I've been coming up with a seasonal bee design...and I almost forgot!!

A quick doodle and the Snow Bee was born....

Isn't it cute?? 

Can't decide if its the carrot nose or the little coal buttons (antique glass beads) I love more. I even found a use for my white Swarovski crystals, which I hadn't got round to using.

Snow Bee baubles are made to order and come with its own calico pouch to keep out the dust when in storage. The are priced at £15 + Postage.

Past Christmas Bee bauble designs include:

Merry Santa Bee - 2012

Royal Bee - 2013

Merry Bee - 2014

I still have a few of last year's design available to purchase (originally £15 each, now £7.50 plus free postage within the UK).

Life is a Big Puddle Jump In - Embroidery Complete

There is always a silver lining to feeling poorly, additional days at home. And being the sort that always has to be doing something I've been able to finish my latest quote/typography embroidery piece, 'Life is a Big Puddle Jump In'. This piece is yet to be mounted, that's the next bit to do. And once I've got that sorted I'll be taking some higher resolution images to allow me to turn the image into purchasable postcards and greetings cards. 

Life is a Big Puddle continues on

My latest embroidered quote is coming along rather well if I do say so myself. I hadn't quite planned on getting as far as I have done this weekend but evidently my stitching fingers had other ideas. No sooner had I started the second word yesterday morning, was I whizzing along to start the sixth word this Sunday...and now nearly half way through that one. 

It has got me thinking in what capacity I could sell them. This particular piece is for me, as was the last one. But I could consider turning images into postcards or greeting cards, to turning a smaller quote into a kit. I have another two designs in the pipeline, and  I think there might be some scope with making them as a kit or a pattern design. Thoughts welcomed. Anyway, for me its something to ponder over on the way too and from work, in between reading Hannibal. I think the TV programme has gotten under my skin, no pun intended, and I've been making my way through the Thomas Harris books, currently reading Red Dragon. 

Note to self I must also start penning my next newsletter (this was the last one), and finally pick a replacement linen fabric, my stash has taken a battering over the last couple of months and I've not found a fabric I like to replace it. I've been to countless stores, ordered samples left and right, and yet still not found one that's anything like what I had. So heed this warning folks, if you like a fabric don't skimp on how much you get (if you can) because later down the line you'll kick yourself for not being an extra meter or two. Darn it. Lesson learned.

My quest will continue on, as will my quest to finish wrapping and tidying up my thread stash, only half way through the stranded cottons, still have all the specialist threads to go?! It will drive me even more loopy, than I am already. 

So what is everyone else up to? Are you working on one of my free tutorials, or like me attempting to finish projects for yourself or organising your thread stash?

Today is...

a goo'd' day. 

Yes, it really is.

I am, really getting into the embroidery piece 'Today is a Good Day' (designer Hannah Dollery), it's taking a little while to get back into the habit of doing padded satin, but I am really loving it now. Like visiting an old friend.

So here is a super close up shot of the piece in progress. 

It will, and I really mean this, be finished this week. Whether that also means framing it I am not entirely sure, we'll see I have a super oval shaped ring frame which I think it would slot rather nicely into. But who knows...I am fickle when it comes to how I want to finish something off.

For those who aren't signed up to my newsletter, the latest copy went out on Monday, and you can now view it online. I recommend having a peek as I revealed what the latest 'Honeycomb' Tutorial piece was going to be covering. Go on, have a look, you know you want too...

See you at the weekend folks x

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.

Testing out New Ideas

Today has been a day of finishing off small projects and trying out a new one. Although it's not really new it's almost going back to what I used to make when I first started out on Etsy which was embroidered jewellery. Funny how things end up coming round full circle. 

Recently I restarted making brooches again, the little bee, and now I am trying my hand at making necklaces or in this case a pendant. I am trying out different ways of working out how to speed up the process of making up the actual pendant not the stitching.  Not that I like the whole adage of time equals money but it does really, that and its also coming up with a sturdier finish. This has worked but I need to work out a better way of attaching a loop.

Of course, it would be good to get some feedback on whether there is the interest there to buy them. I have a small design which would feature bees and of course, the Paradise bird design as shown below. I would certainly appreciate any comments.

And finally, I've just listed the second version of the ring of bee pouches. So as I think I mentioned before there will be five of each design. I am rather fond of this blue fabric, just got enough left over to perhaps use it for another project, I am sort of keen to do another mini quilt, or for when I finally get round to attempting at making a faux taxidermy bird. I really want for the new place...

Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow

As the saying goes. 

The little acorn in this case was a design I came up with based on Art Nouveau style, so very organic but with a sense of flair to it. I came up with a repeat pattern which enabled me to mirror it. The design was for a coat collar. A very special commission for a very special lady. It was an utter pleasure coming up with the design and subsequently stitching it. It gave me an opportunity to work on some very wonderful luxury cashmere fabric and to work in pure silk threads. 

I can't wait to see it attached to the coat, and when I do there will be more photographs! 

Following the completion of the collar, I was able to crack on with the second part of the commission which was to create a set of matching buttons. Which I completed last weekend. 

I chose to use the acorns on the collar, rather than try and create mini versions of the leaves. It also gave me more of excuse to do more of the very tactile acorn caps, which I should have added was a combination of hand dyed wool thread with a strand of silk thread, the stitch used was French Knots. 

It was rather tricky to get the fabric round the button blanks!

With the commission complete, I return once more to my own work, and whilst I have been a little lax on this side of things, I am slowly getting back up to full speed!

Merry Santa Bee Christmas Decoration

Merry Santa Bee Tree Decorations

Hand embroidered keepsake baubles.

A little happy Christmas bee ready brighten up any tree.

£8.50 ea.

I am thinking that there might be a fairy bee coming soon.

Pssst. 
Don't forget, only a couple of days left to enter my mini competition, click here to find out more.

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 

WIP: Design 2

 To give myself a little break for some of the day I started the other design by Making Strangers. Same process as before I stitched through tissue paper, it's a slow old job and adds time but its the easier way of transferring the design with out using pounce which is just as time consuming. 

The stylised clouds didn't take to much time to stitch, I opted against stitching the rain or the trees in the end it will be easy for me to work out where they go by eye rather than the tissue paper.

Still a bit more to do on the clouds, couching round the outsides, adding in a few more lines and highlighting with silver/gunmetal coloured thread. But so far so good. Looking forward to stitching the rain, trees and a tiny little guy which will be standing on the upper cloud. For now though its back to the hair I go!

In Pieces...

So with another commission done and dusted I've reverted back to working on some new content for the store, the Etsy one, I'm still getting used to Wow Thank You store, the set-up and layout. With the new items I have gone back to raiding my pretty stashes of fabric and bits n pieces to make a couple of squeezie purses and new clocks. Nothing like playing about to get the creative juices flowing. 


Yesterday I made a clock which was fun to do, and I was so pleased with the outcome. The idea had come to me the other week when I was working on the Pirate clock for my friend. It was basically very thin stripes of various Liberty tana lawn prints stitched together to create a new sort of fabric. It was quite a fiddly operation, but you know me I like to work small and I don't shy away from a challenge. I bonderwebbed the back of each strip applied to a plain white linen and stabbed stitched down each strip, it took a little while, but once you get into it soon gets done. 

I have an idea for another one and will probably work on that one after I have finished my latest project, or knowing me will start it regardless. Anyway, the outcome as you can see is really cute. I stitched very tiny shell buttons to indicate the hours, where I used batting underneath to give it more definition, I just want to prod it. It's now available to buy just click here. 

Now the other project I am working on and soon after I finish this blog post will get right back to it, is a quilted squeezable purse. See the progress:

So this morning I decided to play, I don't often do samples because I am usually the sort to get an idea and just get on it, but this morning I thought no, lets do some playing about with the fabric I want to use. The above image is the result of me using different thickness of threads, colours. Originally I was going to do a series of maze like squares (can't think of the word for it) but then as I started to just do running stitches I ended up doing neatly spaced out straight rows, you can see that result at the bottom corner. With that sample done, I decided it was time to crack on. Here we are stitched in black machine thread for four rows, then in nice scarlet red for one. It will keep me quiet.

What projects are you working on? Show me some links to it! I love looking at pretty things.

Nothing beats starting and finishing new projects! Because it normally means I am out of a funk and back into the rythmn of making things again. I find this does tend to happen when I have a shed load of work on at well my day job. Perhaps its the fact it gives me a release and the more I need to do at work the more I want to do my own thing. 

So the above lovely clock is for a lovely lady friend of mines son and the little beauty below is something I knocked out today. It's completely hand stitched no sewing machine for any of the seams. It was lovely to stitch. I have a few more squeezie frames laying about (now I remembered I have them) I will make a few more pouches over time. They are great for holding needlework tools and other bits & pieces. 

However, with these bits sorted out I can start working on another clock idea I have, which is a little different from the last couple of clocks I've made and also get back to doing more of the quilt. I will get it finished. 

You can pick the pouch up from my Wow Thank You Store 

Blogging?

What is this word?


Man it really does feel as though I haven't done a proper blog post in so long, and whilst it wasn't that long ago I did a post, but that was more of a service announcement rather than a post to say hey I've been stitching. So this is a post to say I have been stitching! Honest. Just nothing for my stores. It's not a bad thing I know but with work and everything I do feel a little detached from it all. I'm sure I am not the only one who feels like that when your tied to a job.


Anyway, my stitching has got me relaxing, and thinking about Christmas. I've finally finished my Tilda Santa kit, and now getting on with some commissions from my sister and a good friend of mine. My tree is up, and looking rather smashing if I do say so myself. 


Here is Noel.. I really enjoyed making him, and I've learnt a lot from doing so, everything is hand stitched I didn't resort to any form of maching with him, and I enjoyed that a lot because it meant I could do bits of it anywhere I wanted without the need of lugging out the sewing machine. Sure I've got it out to make the dozen of stuffed heart hanging decorations, but that's because it's saving me time and I need to get them done pretty sharpish, but with Noel I loved the process, and look forward to doing some more.

Look he's so tall <3

I call him Noel

Look I listed something!

Well would you look at that I have finally finished some bits and listed them! God it's been an age, but it feels good doing it again and I have a lovely day with a good friend of mine tomorrow and I hope to work on a couple of small projects whilst with her. Thinking some extra large coasters, a clock and maybe something for the wall. Not decided like the idea of going with the flow at the moment. With my new job my mind feels set on concentrating on that but a break is always good especially if it's something you don't really need to be totally focused on.

Hopefully that made sense....

So what can you purchase:

Little Tree Single Coaster

Little Nature Scene Single Coaster

These are what I have been making for my flat, and finally finished today, nothing special and just quick and simple. I know I could have done something fancier but I wanted to keep it fairly low key for the flat as I have other patterns and fabric stuff going on.