Applique, applique...,

I have completely forgotten to blog about this.  It is a magazine editorial for the appliqued cushion, that was featured in Issue Number 91 of 'Classic Stitches'. 

 

'Classic Stitches' is a rather lovely UK based embroidery biased crafts magazine.  When I worked for Coats Crafts UK, I had designs featured frequently, but it was always credited to 'CCUK'.  It's nice to finally have a project under my own name...,

"Amy Adams for Lucykate Crafts"

This issue came out in April, but you can purchase back issues online here.  They have done a lovely job on the page layout for this project, and as always, their photography is beautiful.  Mine just doesn't do it justice!

ps, thank you for all the christening gift suggestions.  I think I have almost decided what to make now!

pps, I am trial running a different blog banner this week, not sure yet if it will stay, what do you reckon?

New,

...a little embroidery idea I was trying out.

A word of caution...

It is around this time of year, we crafters begin tackling the long list of handmade christmas presents to be made in time for December.  I know, myself, last year I made a start in September, and after months of stitching, was still finishing off the last one, sat watching 'Home Alone' on dvd on christmas day.  Whilst, some can instantly appreciate the work that goes into designing, choosing fabrics and thread, the hours spent sewing and embroidering a handmade gift, I fear that there are others, who do not.  Despite all the thought, preparation and time that went into each highly personalised present I made, the only two people to say 'thank you' were my mum and mum-in-law, from everyone else the response was..., well, nothing!

I won't be doing it again.

(other than for those that are truly deserved, and they know who they are, last year even my own children missed out)  

The effort this year will be no more than a bit of internet shopping with a credit card.  

Please make sure your own efforts are not as sadly misplaced as mine were.

On a brighter note, there is a preview of Issue One of Sew Hip available, my contribution is below,

I can't wait to see the magazine in the flesh!

Best friends and 'Softies Central'

Polly has been featured by Therese at Softies Central, best friends with her little mouse! For the link, click here.

So far, using the same body template I've made an owl, cat and a dog, what next?, any ideas??

Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

Yet another Softie gone wrong...

I am stuck in a rut of not being happy with anything I've made over the last few weeks.

Please tell me it's not just me who goes through periods of nothing you make going right?!

Bella, in black & white

This project has been fun to do, it all started last week as a swap suggestion. The cat in question is black and white and called Bella. I had no fabric suitable in my stash so hot footed it down to the local charity shops, always my first port of call in these circumstances. Found the perfect material in the form of a blouse which I've chopped up, a very successful trip as I also grabbed a bargain pure wool jumper which has already been felted in the washing machine. The body template is the same as used here. The biggest problem I had to solve with Bella, was that she has some white patches. After trying felt, fur, and fleece, it was obvious some lace was going to work better. The lace is actually passed on to me from my lovely mother-in-law, it was used in her wedding dress. This is the first time I have used it, but am now inspired to make something for my niece, wouldn't it be lovely for her to have something made using fabric from her grandma's wedding dress.



Bella has her name embroidered on the back, so she'll never get lost!.



While she is waiting to be sent to her new home, she's just having a little snuggle in the felted jumper to keep her warm!.

Wanna play a little game with me?

It's called 'Degrees of Separation', you may already know the rules.  Here we go...

Item 1, my very first Owl, originally posted June 2012 (both here on the blog and also in my original Flickr photostream)

Item 2, slight change to the design and we have the Owl egg cosy pattern, originally posted June 2012 (both here on the blog and also in my original Flickr photostream)

Item 3, Monsoon Accessorize ditzy Owl keyring.

 You decide!

Edited to add - I posted this, then deleted it while I contacted Monsoon, but have since decided to post it again as I've since purchased one of these keyrings and it's even more similar in real life than it looks in the picture.

Bit early for snow...!

Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my previous post, I love what French Knots said about 'head spaghetti',  yes, that is so what it has been like, unravelling spaghetti!  The whole exercise has been somewhat cathartic too, and I do feel all the better for having gone through the process, and all for such a very good cause.  I can't say too much at present, but it is all to do with a magazine article I've written, something I'm very excited about and will explain more later in the year.

In amongst all the wordiness that has been going on, a little bit of sewing has managed to sneak through, one snowy owl...

which will be in the post to my giveaway winner as soon as I email her for an address!

He didn't turn out as snowy as I'd have liked, he kind of took on his own direction during creation, which was quite refreshing seeing him evolve that way.  He's larger than my other owls, and also has some fly stitch added to his tummy, another feature that I found seemed to be calling out to be included.

Next on the 'to do' list is another project for issue 2 of Sew Hip magazine, don't forget, issue 1 is due to hit the shops very shortly, you can sign up for a subscription here so you don't miss either of the Lucykate Crafts... patterns.  Now, I just need to decided, do I go and watch the 'Sex & the City' re-run later, or do I make one of these?  I really need to make a girly version for Lucy to use for the tooth fairy, she has wobblers, 4 of them, finally!  Bless her, she's nearly 7 and still not lost any teeth!

Another 'Plush You' sneaky peek,

From this...

to this.

I have a whole heap of new softie patterns coming, watch this space...!

This weekend...,

I have been gardening, while the others have been lego-ing!

It can't be tidied away.  So I've been told.  It's all catalogued.  Apparently.

Now a small plea for help!

I have been asked to make a christening present for a girl.  They like Beatrix Potter, I have some Peter Rabbit prints, but am so far stumped as to what to make.  Any ideas, links etc would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Barcelona,

Two weeks ago, we set off on our first family holiday abroad, to a villa just south of Barcelona.  Weather was good, pool was good, food was good, and it pretty much all went to plan.  Although, one day, sometime in the future, Luke will feel mighty embarrassed he missed so much of the sights through sulking.

Here he is in Park Guell,

and again in Montserrat.

There are more, but I'll spare him the shame of posting them all!

I snapped three needles .....

... finishing off sewing this tote bag together!. My daughter wants this one to store some of her dolls in so I added a little butterfly to the pocket to pretty it up.





I have two project ideas in the pipeline before returning to softies, one involves this little collection of wet felted balls, there were more but my son has been nibbling on them and bitten chunks out (grrr!), the other project involves cushion covers for some spare pads I have lying around.

Sticky situation...!

I signed up for a small, local craft exhibition which starts in October and is being held in the foyer of the museum.  There is space for about 15 items, and as, everything is going to be for sale, I was aiming to put in a few Softies but also some smaller, less complicated (and therefore cheaper, there is a credit crunch going on, after all!), items.  So, late yesterday evening, I whipped up some very simple decorated hair slides.

Lucy & her friend are test driving them at school today, so I can see how they stand up to a bit of wear and tear before making any more.

The button is stitched on, and the stitching also anchors the fabric to the slide, although I did add a blob of superglue to hold it in place more securely.  Anyone who follows me on Twitter will already know what happened next.

I went to bed last night with my finger and thumb glued together!

Question, what do you do when your husband rips his trousers?

Do you,

a. Point and laugh hoping to maximize his embarressment

or

b. Grab them before he puts them in his 'chop it up for oily rags' pile and make these -



Now, anyone who knows me will agree that I am a true 70's child in that I love brown and I love corduroy, so the two together were too good to miss. Simply by chopping off both legs, sewing across the bottom, adding lining and a strap and...voila!, two rather nifty bags. The lining for this one is a charity shop bought pillow case, cost 50p!, the strap is attached using some buttons I cut off a jumble sale bought coat. I blanket stitched the top edge and flap, finishing it off by adding one of my felt corsage brooches.



This one is all laid out ready to sew, lining is some fabric I already had, and I've covered four buttons to match. I did start stitching it together this evening but the pocket has a thick corner to it and I snapped my needle, so put it down and decided to eat chocolate instead!.



I feel like a bona fide blogger now with all this thrifting and making my first tote bag.

Unravelling...

We went to visit my mum at the weekend, and on the drive home, while the kids were both asleep, we actually managed to have a conversation (remember those?!).  Now, my husband is a difficult person to stand next to professionally, he is very talented, dedicated and hard working, (for those who don't already know, this is what he does!), all of which makes him a very tough task master.  

(portrait painted by Mr LK, Me & Lucy, 2002)

Just recently, I have had to look at my own current work on a deeper level in an attempt to further identify my style and niche.  When I was at college, I didn't engage with my full potential in the slightest, preferring to be in the pub rather than the studio (don't all students though?!), and since leaving, I worked for a large company, where you couldn't pick and choose the projects, you just worked on whatever brief you were given.  It wasn't until I was given a rag doll project that I really found, after all these years, what I was looking for.  

Now I know what I like, I also need to understand why I like it, hence the conversation, which went something like this...

Mr LK : So, where do your ideas come from?

me : From my head,

Mr LK : Snot comes from your head, doesn't mean it's a good idea, where do your ideas come from?

me : errr, I don't know, they just (head spinning at this point), come down my arms, through the needle as I'm sewing.  I like working small,

Mr LK : Why do you like working small?

me : errr, I don't know, I just do, I like finer detail,

Mr LK : Right, now we are getting somewhere, why do you like finer detail?

me : errr, errr, errr, (help!)

This went on for about 30 minutes, he was like a dog with a bone, not giving up until he got some answers!  In the end, between us, we did come up with some very thought provoking ideas (which I'll go into fully another time), but good grief, I feel sorry for his students when he's lecturing!  It was, however, an interesting exercise in unravelling my work.  I came home and after finishing off some urgent sewing, had a root through all my old stuff, some of which I'm so embarrassed by, but there was the odd thing that made me giggle...

...like these!, an idea I had for 3D christmas cards.  There are more than just these two,

I also did a Father Christmas one, and a Rudolf one.  They are a bit bashed about, having been in a portfolio for the last three years, and I'm sure if I re-made them now, I'd do a much neater job.  I think one will most definitely become a christmas tutorial here on the blog, which one though?, which one would you like instructions to make?

Knitting & Stitching

The school holidays are over and yet I am feeling like a car in need of new spark plugs when it comes to crafting, maybe I need a trip out!. Thankfully, with nursery day swapped to thursday for my youngest, I made it to the NEC in Birmingham for the Knitting & Stitching Show. Very successful day, bought lots of fabric and buttons...



more fabric, stocked up on autumnal colours and prints....



yet more fabric, something for the boys this time......



and yes, more fabric again!. Liberty prints at half price due to a slight printing fault.



Also, met and spoke to Julie Arkell on her stand. The work she had displayed was wonderful, I was in awe of it all. My budget only allowed some postcards, I already have the book, but I did ask her to sign the back of one of the postcards for me. I felt like such a groupie, but who knows when that kind of opportunity would come up again!.



Now newly inspired, am off to get on with some sewing, but why oh why have I only just discovered Bloglines?!, if you haven't already, sign up for it, it is fab. I would say it will save you time when searching around all your favourite craft blogs for new posts, but my list is already up to about 80. I also signed myself up to another site called UK Crafty Blogs, but have already taken myself off the list and deleted the icon from my blog. It seemed like a good idea at the time but the ranking side of it made me feel oddly competitive, and I'm not normally a competitive person. Nice idea but not for me. Right, next project.....bags, will post soon!.

Make do & mend...,

I bought a copy of this book last weekend, and I love it.  It's a collection of official Second World War advice leaflets with instructions on darning, patching, letting out clothes so they last just that bit longer and even how to cook and use the gas more economically.  Little did I know that these skills were going to be called upon so soon.  Lucy had a bit of a mishap in her bedroom which resulted in her duvet cover sporting a hole.  So rather than a trip to Ikea for a replacement (as much as I would love a trip to Ikea), out came the fabrics and thread...,

and voila, a patch.  I think she's a bit disappointed that there's only one, and is threatening to make more holes.

I've hidden the scissors!

Bad head, bad blogger...!

I have been a bad blogger of late, lots going on though, look...,

photographic evidence of some actual sewing, more birds, which I'm slowly working my way though for an Etsy shop update.  Time has been taken up with some projects for magazines, one project in particular, I'm very excited about, all to be revealed soon!

I have unfortunately, also been suffering with the mother of all migraines this week, and in my painkiller induced haze, completely forgot about this...

The October issue of Quick & Crafty magazine, turn to the giveaway page and there is a chance to win one of 2 Lucykate Crafts... handmade cushion covers, which I will personalise with embroidered lettering of your choice!  So if you want to be in with a chance of winning, buy the magazine, and send off the slip with your contact details, closing date for entries is the 3rd October.

Sneaky peek,

I can't show it all just yet (the reason for that will be revealed soon, I promise!), but here's a quick peek at one of the pieces I've made to go all the way over to Seattle for the Plush You 2012 show,

this little critter has pinched the 'No Fishing' sign,

and is using it as his fishing rod!

...naughty boy!

I strongly suspect...,

(first day at school)

... that I may be the Mother of the class clown.  What do you reckon??

Normal service resuming,

I have to admit to being a bad blogger lately, posts have been few and far between.  Normal service will start to resume now that the school holidays are over.  Lucy and Luke returned to school last Wednesday, although Luke was delayed until Thursday due to the building work on his classroom not quite being finished.  It is now, and the classroom looks great.  It's open plan, with all the year 1 and 2 children in one huge room together.

Now that school is back, we also return to the year long struggle I had with getting Luke dressed in his uniform every morning.  My son does not like doing anything he doesn't want to do, and he's very stubborn.  Every morning, he does his utmost best to avoid it and absolutely detests socks.  One thing he also doesn't like is the polo shirts he has to wear for school, those ones with short sleeves with a collar and buttons at the neck.  So there I was, all proud of myself after hunting, and finally finding some round neck, long sleeved t-shirts in red (their uniform is red and grey), until on Friday, day two of school, he comes home sporting this on one of the sleeves...

He has spent all day nibbling and chewing on the sleeve like a little hamster!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Subscriptions,

Every year I have a bit of an inner debate with myself over which magazines I subscribe to.  They are a luxury, rather than a necessity, so 1 is about all I can stretch too.  In 2012, it was Selvedge, this year I went for Marie Claire Idees.  I first came across this magazine many years ago while working for Coats.  We had got hold of the odd copy in the design studio, and eventually signed up for a subscription.  It always caused a bit of excitement when the new issue arrived, and I found it very amusing as each of the designers would immediately favour different pages, a good thing that we all liked different things design wise. 

The latest issue has just arrived this morning, and although I do have to admit that since my years subscription started, I haven't been as taken with the magazine as I thought I would be, this one is for me, a bit more back on form.

Lots of cute things here,

a beautiful quilt,

exquisite embroidery, hand stitched with a bit of ribbon applique by the looks of it,

an article about shopping in Paris, just to get you in the mood for European cities (ideal for me as I'm off to Barcelona soon!)

and then there's the homage to Autumn.  I do love Autumn, it's my favorite season of the year, we got married in the Autumn, just as the leaves were turning gold.

I'm just not quite ready for Summer to be over yet!!

(I got my Marie Claire Idees subscription from here)