Thrifting, Stitching and Printing

It has been somewhat of a mixed bag this weekend, plans that I had in mind were mostly stuck to but there was times where I was very much distracted. Nicely distracted I should say.

The distraction was mainly a second hand / antiques / thrift market...Aladdin's cave, call it what you will. Its near to the flat, walked past it a few times since I moved to Farnham but never popped in, until I was somewhat full of curiosity (I blame the sunshine) yesterday that I went in on my way to get food shopping. 

Its' totally bonkers place, multiple floors, nooks and crannies, stairs leading to floors and rooms leading this way and that. It's one of those places that the first time you go in your utterly overwhelmed. Which is why by the third trip this morning, it feels so much easier to navigate and to get a grip of the layout, sort of. It is also one of those places that having an idea of what your after is rather handy.

 In my case, at the back of mind was that I was after a small console table for the hallway. It needed to be skinny, practical and perhaps as an added bonus something I could put my own mark on it. So whilst stumbling about Bourne Mill Antiques I came across many items that would have fitted the bill but I was drawn to this little beauty, only £24! Bargain! 

Needs a damn good sand down and some attention as there are a few knocks but when the weather warms up I'll take it down to my folks to sand it down out in the garden, and gloss it...what colour you ask...hot pink. A major pop of colour in a somewhat darkish hallway.

Popping back this morning with my mum, who I knew would love the place too, saw me pick up a little glass jam pot and spoon...like you do. Goes with some other glass pieces I picked up in Boston. Oh and also my gloves, because apparently I had left those behind when nipping back for the second trip to pick up the table. I thought I was going nuts this morning trying to find my gloves.

This has got my teeth gnashing to get on with the hallway, I've had a good few months to deliberate and I think I am on the cusp of knowing what I want. Electrics are set to be sorted soon, just need to make final decision on the wall colour and gloss, then it will be the carpet. Can't wait! Determined to get all done by the Summer. 

Phew, anyway, flat bits aside I have actually been doing other things. Such as designing and making an ATC card for a swap group I joined this month. Once my swap partner receives it I will post a picture here.

I've nearly finished my placements, just finished cutting out the bias binding so now it's just a matter of sewing that on, then at last I can put away the winter themed table mat and use them, hello spring.

Oh, I nearly forgot to say that earlier this week I nipped over to the Boxpark, a pop up mall in Shoreditch, which is near to work to pick up an order from Moo.com's little store. The order was a small print run of postcards to see what the pictures of my embroidered quotes will look like in the flesh. They've not come out all too bad but a little dark, so a reprint is on order. I'm not the world's greatest photographer and sadly I just don't have the kit. 

Depending on the reprint I'll make a final call on what I will want to have printed on greetings and postcards. Which would be one of the things I wanted to get done this year, nice that I've been sticking to my plans.

That's about it really, slightly bushwhacked this week, and it will be same again this coming week. On the newsletter I mentioned the release of a new pattern on the 1st March, and I am determined to stick to the date!

Silver Linings...

At last! A full day of sunshine and not a cloud in sight, except for one rather pretty, silvery cloud that I completed during the week, it's all mounted and now ready for framing. With the brightened weather I even managed to get some fairly decent photo's of it and for a bit of a trial I ordered a small stack of postcards from Moo to see what it and other embroidered works looks in print.

I'm so thrilled with the outcome, from a random little sketch last year to this simple, shiny and uber effective appliqué. I'll admit I was really tempted to add more beading to it but stopped myself when I finished couching 'every' because I thought what it had was enough. 

Whilst I was mounting the piece I posted a picture over on Instagram, and I got the following question:

@themasonbee what do you mount it on? I’ve never done that before.
— Rebecca Greco (@hugsarefun) February 15, 2014

Twitter is somewhat limited to answer but I thought I might expand on it here. Using the picture in question I pinned the embroidered piece of fabric to two layers of mount board (preference is museum grade) Before doing that I put a couple of layers of wadding underneath, it helps keep the fabric layer smooth. Now normally I'd have wrapped a layer of calico over the wadding and not put it directly against the embroidered fabric but as the silk is already applied to calico I didn't want to add more bulk. I then laced the embroidered fabric around the wadding and card, then slipped stitched silk on the back to cover the lacing and the card.

I'll admit, that this is the easiest way of mounting work but it isn't the completely proper way of doing it. But noneless it's secure and does the job brilliantly for what I need it to do. Now I need to buy the shadow box for it to go into.

I do feel a bit forlorn now that it's complete but not at the same time as I have already the next design to work on. Essentially, I did a doodle of a dragon last night and I am so excited by the design that I'll be working on that next week. Whilst also finishing off my place mats (nearly all stitched), designing and making an ATC (Artist Trading Card) for a swap I'm involved with and I'm also considering signing up to take part in the Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap not that I don't already have enough things to work on. I don't have long to decide whether or not to do it, but nothing like leaving it to the last minute to make a decision.

During the week, I sent out my first newsletter (check it out) for this year and I showed a few snippets of future patterns and I also mentioned with publications I am in this month. Now on that last point I make a correction. I thought that the project I did for Crafty was in this one, but it would have actually been in the March edition...I say would have been but if you didn't already know, the publication is being pulled. Gutting, and rather sad news, as I think it was really starting to find its feet and a cracking magazine. Now I am not sure where that leaves my projects, I need to get some clarification on that but it's probably likely I'll be able to release what I did on the blog instead or turn into little paid for patterns. Not sure, either way I'll keep you posted!

Finally, and not least if you wondered why I didn't blog last week, I had a very busy weekend of seeing good friends and being all cultural. On the Saturday I ventured up to London, despite the atrocious weather, to see a fellow Laura and to hit various smaller more obscure museums; Sir John Soane's Museum, The Hunterian Museum and Two Temple Place. It was a hoot of a day, tiring as hell at the end of it but well worth it. Highly recommend all the museums if your looking to go somewhere that aren't the usual suspects and they are pretty close together, in fact Soane is cross the square from the Hunterian. It was meant to be!

I hope you lovely lot are well and safe in this utterly mad weather!

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!