Distractions, Butterflies & PsAZZ-ing...

 I've not been getting a lot of time to blog lately which I think is largely down to the general distractions of the school summer holidays and all the ins-and-outs that entails!  My making moments seem to have been crammed into little bursts of activity here & there which means this post is going to be a round up of several things...

To start with I've been spending a lot of time writing articles & producing the 'PsAZZ News' (which was originally a basic newsletter but now more like a mini-mag!) and also organising our next awareness campaign.  Some of you might remember the yarnstorm that was last years campaign and this year it's going to be  'A Bouquet of Hands'...

(I covered my first hand shape in lots of little fabric left overs and have lots more ideas in my head to make a few more - feel free to pass the poster around & join in :-)


Another thing connected to PsAZZ is that I have decided to make up some jewellery bits & pieces to sell so that I can use any profit to pay for things like getting some proper leaflets, posters & contact cards done or maybe even get a couple of copies of the mag printed to put at The Min. 

It's been a long while since I've made-to-sell but I been busy raiding my bead stash..

...and started making lots of earrings

It's filling up!

I also have to confess, that with the sunny weather and flowering of the buddleia we are seeing lots & lots of butterflies in the garden which I just love and keep get very distracted by! In fact, I have become a tiny bit obsessed with trying to get a photo of each different species that visits (and even did the 'Big Butterfly Count'!) 

So far we've had lots of 'Peacocks'....

" Fancy meeting you here!" 

...several visiting 'Tortoiseshells' 

Sadly there's not been very many 'Red Admirals' so far (and those that have visited are being rather camera shy)...

" No pictures please...."

We've had masses of large & small 'Whites' fluttering prettily around together (and who seem to love the lavender more than the buddleia)...

And we had a fleeting visit from a beautiful, raggedy winged 'Comma' which I haven't seen in our garden before so got quite excited about...

Then yesterday I spotted this little fellow flittering around on the lavender bush who I didn't recognise but,  I think is a 'Brown Argus' (thanks mum for doing a bit of quick research for me!) Like the 'Comma', it is also one I've not seen in our garden before so it got me a little over-excited again.  Anyway, he was very small & very cute and took a bit of a liking to my shoe..

Talking of lavender, today I've been making up some lavender bags which is a lovely pastime - not least due to the scent of the dried flowers that wafts around you as you work and generally induces a feeling of calm...

So that's it. I think.

I guess I should really go make some more now I've got all that updating out my system!


Happy Making whatever you're creating!
xxxx

HRH Prince George & tiny crochet booties...

Well I can hardly give this week's major event a miss can I so...

                   Congratulations to Kate & Wills

The birth of a new baby is always such lovely, special news and it seems like we have been waiting for this new arrival forever.  The weather has been almost Shakespearean with it's hot, midsummer nights that seemed to mirror our anticipation of the great event, quickly followed by tempestuous thunder storms that began to rattle around the UK almost as soon as the new Prince was born!

Ever since HRH Prince George Alexander Louis first wiggled those tiny little fingers at the cameras waiting to catch a glimpse of him on the steps of the Lindo Wing, I've been thinking how to celebrate with a blog make and eventually came up with the idea of some small pale blue booties... but for something a little different these are not 'real' ones, instead they are cute little motifs that you could use in all sorts of ways (especially if you are into handmade cards or scrapbooking!)

It's all just been too exciting and without further ado I shall guide you through the step-by-steps....

First, gather together a 3mm crochet hook and some fine cotton yarn in the palest baby blue you can find.....

1) Begin with a magic circle and ch2 into it

2) Make 5dc into the ring and 1ch

3) ss to join to the first ch sp back at the beginning to form a circle

4) 2ch, turn
then 1dc in same dc as ch, 2dc

5) 2ch,  turn
then as before, 1dc in same dc as ch, 2dc

6)  First repeat step (5)  then 2ch, turn

and work 1dc into the last dc of previous row, then carry on in same direction with 2 more dc

7) 2ch,  turn
 1dc in same dc as ch, 2dc

8) Turn and work a ss or two in each stitch along to top and side edges to neaten (or just sew around with thread). 

9) Finish off and pull to shape.

10) Sew in the loose threads, or chain the ends & add bows or other embellishments of your choosing.

Happy Making xxxx

Suffragettes, Suffragists & the vintage style rosette...

Those of you who remember my Suffragette post will understand how excited I got recently when I heard that there was to be a re-enactment of the The Great 1913 Suffragist Pilgrimage from Lands End to London to celebrate it's centenary in a small town nearby! 

In the week or so leading up to the event in Corsham, Wiltshire there had been a display of Suffrage images, posters & fully dressed costume dummies in a couple of 'pop up' shops and I couldn't resist popping in to see it all.

Here's one of the fab dummies put out in the sunshine especially for the march!
(note the Suffragist colours)

I had a very interesting conversation with one of the ladies in the pop up shop who explained that there were two types of Suffrage supporters  - the more militant 'Suffragettes' who wore sashes of purple, white & green and had a tendancy to smash windows & generally cause mayhem and 'Suffragists' who also wanted the vote for women but who went about campaigning in a more peaceful way such as this pilgrimage and wore their own colours of red, white & green to distinguish themselves from their rowdier sisters-in-arms.

Apparently they had a good reception in some towns and in others they were shouted & booed at so it wasn't all plain sailing and at times they faced quite dangerous crowds.  In all the walk took around 6 weeks and they managed to collect something like 46,000 signatures for their petition on the way! The event has been organised alongside a play by a theatre group called Dreadnought South West which has been running in towns along the original pilgrimage route to celebrate their amazing, brave journey - you can find out more or buy tickets to see the play here 

So, with all the excitement this morning I grabbed my camera and went along to watch the re-enactment...

It all started at the Methuen Arms... banners at the ready!

Then it was time to march through the town!

A little singing & some rousing campaign speeches!

'Dr & Mrs J E Crisp' welcome the group to the town just like back in 1913..

We want the right to Vote !

A sea of Suffragists outside the town hall

I think it was really impressive - don't they look brilliant in their costumes?  It must also have been very hot dressing up during this current heatwave in all those long sleeves & skirts but at least they had hats on! 

It certainly looked like they had put tons of effort into making everything and I learnt that as well as a local knitting group helping to make lots of woolly flower corsages for the ladies to wear, that a local school had been involved in making banners which were dotted about the town.   

After finding out about the event last weekend I had immediately decided on my own little tribute make for the Suffragists with a campaign style rosette....

If you fancy catching up with the march and would like to make your own version of the rosette here's the step by steps...

1) Begin by drawing out 3 template circles on paper to use as the pattern.  You can make them any size you like for bigger or smaller rosettes but I used 10cm, 8cm, 6cm....

2) Pin & cut your circles out in your chosen fabrics (remember its red, white & green for the Suffragist)....

3) Then make a small running stitch along the outside edge of one of the circles...

4) Pull the ends of the thread so that it bunches up like this...

5) Then flatten out like this...

6) Repeat with the other two circles of fabric...

7) Then stack them on top of each other like this..

8) Find a nice large (vintage) button and a needle & thread.. 

9) Sew the button on top the fabric circles to secure everything then simply add a pin to the back and you are ready to join the march!

A big well done to everyone who helped prepare and take part in the march - I think it was a huge success and it got my vote!


Happy Making :-)

xxxx

Vintage jumble, button addiction & blue poppies...

I thought that this update I would tell you about my weekend adventure at the
 V & H Jumble Sale in a village called Box in Wiltshire....

I was quite excited to discover it was on because I do love a delve around in jumble, picking up lots of little bits 'n' pieces that inspire or delight me  so add the word 'vintage' and it's just about the perfect combination for a leisurely browsing session!

The venue 'Selwyn Hall',  is on a steep little road leading down to the beautiful expanse of Box Park and as it was quite a bright morning and the fair was only on between 11-2pm I set out early, safe in the knowledge there is a big (free) car park that is hardly ever full.....  except for, I soon learnt, this particular Saturday when I was lucky to just squeeeeeeze into the weeniest space left! 

Still, it was worth it because, having paid my 50p entry fee I stepped inside to see a room full of wonders and immediately found myself dreaming over things like this...

'oooh.... ahhhh.....lovely textiles...what could I make...hmmmm'

and these...

'oooh look...dolly bundles.. I love them...I want one!'
(from Lucia Collectables who you can find on www.RubyLane.com)

In fact there was tables laden down with all kinds of vintage-y things lining the walls of the whole place with a row of little tea tables down the middle.

As you can see - it was already getting busy and I couldn't get near to the first few tables I passed as most were 3-4 people deep!  In the end I had to weave my way back & forth around the room, getting a look in here and a peep in there where I could.  Luckily I didn't need to be anywhere in a particular hurry so quite enjoyed my indulgent little meanderings!

The BBC Homes & Antiques stand was there, manned by the lovely Alice Roberton (H&A ambassador and a familiar face at such events around these parts)...

And this little corner of gorgeousness was courtesy of the washerwoman.blogspot.co.uk from where I picked up a piece of black & white 'dogs tooth' tweed fabric and a jar of metal buttons..

Mmmmm buttons....

This little slice of curiosities tucked away in a corner was courtesy of Sue from 'Vintage to Victorian' 

And do you see that big china bowl the lady in the scarf is looking at? Can you guess what's in it....yes, that's right - more buttons!  

And yes, I bought a little paper bag full. Well, it would have been rude not too wouldn't it?

I think I might be a little bit addicted to buttons (I appear to be growing a rather large collection...).  Although I'm not sure it's possible to have too many because they are such useful crafting embellishments - for example, on my return home I immediately picked one of the metal ones for my crochet flower idea which I wanted to make with some gorgeous petrol blue cotton yarn I picked up from Lucia Collectables 

...have wool... just add hook & scissors!

Make a flower... add a button...

then pop it on a hair grip!

This flower is made using the same pattern I used for the poppy tutorial here (scroll down the page). I just fancied a blue one and I thought the old metal button topped it off nicely. I guess you could say that re-using the pattern and adding an old button gives this make the U factor! (U as in up cycling!) 

So, all in all a thoroughly enjoyable morning. Can't wait until the next one and I am sure I will translate my other purchases into other new makes soon too.  And yes, I confess, I maybe did buy a few other bits too (...bundle of dolls, books, a brooch..)

Want a last bit of jumble eye candy before I sign off? Oh go on then..

I bought a pretty brooch from the ladies on this table...

Happy browsing :-)

xxx