Bag making plans

In my creative space today I've been choosing fabrics to combine to make some kids messenger bags using the pattern I drafted a while ago.



I'm hoping to have a bag making evening tonight and get one or two made, providing the little people sleep, that is!



Included will be one for my boy (who keeps pinching his sisters') and one for his little buddy, providing it works how I envisage it. I enjoy putting fabrics together and get a kick out of a combination that works well... but then sometimes I get it on the machine and it just doesn't look right - know what I mean?



I'm also hoping to start on a new bag of my own using this blue and red, one of my favourite colour combos at the moment.

Fingers crossed for a fun evening of bag making (yeh, I don't get out much ;-)

More creative spaces to check out over here.

My new Lotta book

Is there anything more exciting than receiving a new longed-for craft book in the post? I think not! And particularly when it's a stylish and beautifully photographed book like Lotta Jansdotter's Handmade Living.



Like a lot of crafts people I am hugely inspired by Lotta's simple, pared down Scandinavian style. Her projects are always simple and achievable.



I'm enjoying working my way through the book page by page, reading Lotta's tips and thoughts on design. A few projects I have bookmarked so far are:

• fabric baskets (which are everywhere at the moment but somehow Lotta's look better)

• kids blind decoration

• quilt for my bed - a classic example of Lotta's style - great fabrics quickly cut, sewn together and enjoyed. Based on the 'Gee's Bend quilts' (first time I've heard of this - sounds much more my style than ordinary quilts needing precision, accuracy and patience!)

Now I just need the big new (old) house to decorate ;-)

I know I'll refer to this book many more times in future, as I do with her printing book. Have I justified the cost well enough yet?! Do you have a favourite craft/homewares book at the moment?

Prints Charming screen printing workshop

Pic: Prints Charming

On the weekend I finally got around to doing something I'd been wanting to do for ages - a workshop on screen printing held by Prints Charming. I've been a fan of theirs or several years and have happily used their fabrics on some favourite projects like this dress.

At the workshop I enjoyed the whole process of printing, which I hadn't done since school and uni days. Cath and Kirsten teach the paper cut method, which is easy enough to pick up, and I guess you can just read about it - there's a chapter on it in their book, but I find there's nothing like being there in the flesh to partake and ask a squillion questions in the process!



As the purpose of the workshop was to learn the technique, as opposed to focussing on design, I stuck to something very simple and resurrected the little cloud design that I've been block printing lately, seen here and here. My technique was a bit rough, but nothing a bit of practice wouldn't iron out. Cath & Kirsten gave tips on everything from technique to where to buy supplies.

Another aspect of the workshop that I really enjoyed was hearing about how Cath & Kirsten started their business, their backgrounds in textile design, finding a market for fabric etc. I love hearing stories of creative businesses and partnerships. All good food for thought and I had a fabulous time!



Even though it was just a practice piece, I'm still looking forward to using my little fabric square. I'd settled on making a book bag from it but then my little girl came along with a request: "Can you make me a dress with the clouds, mama? Pleeeeease". We'll see!

Friday Photo

top • New block and ink waiting for that design in my head to pop out • shell collecting on a recent beach visit - lovely way to spend some time with my girls • gotta love a new craft project

bottom • looking in wonder at nature • enjoying wearing my new thrifted red cardigan with my sev[en] circle • exploring

Have a lovely weekend!

Another little friend

I'm such a sucker for my kids' requests... my big girl has been carrying around the little teddy (in my last post) since I made him, saying how much she wished she had one. So naturally I had to make her one... to order, of course: a bunny please, grey wool, striped tummy in pink and maybe blue. OK then.



To amuse myself I added a little pom pom for his tail. He's just as shoddily made and wonky as the last one (maybe I'm expecting my knitting to improve too quickly - but at least I don't have holes happening anymore :-), but when my girl woke and saw him sitting beside her bed this morning (yes, I'm that much of a sook) she was suitably excited. He was carried around all morning then reluctantly relinquished for school.

Sookiness aside, I'm enough of a realist to know that he will surely be forgotten sometime soon and end up under the bed getting cosy with the dust bunnies. But hey, I had fun, she had fun, win win! Now the little girl has requested a doll version (yikes!) and that means I'll have to make the boy one too.



On another note, apparently these little toys (pattern here) are perfect for using up scraps of leftover yarn. I have no idea how the pile above has ended up in my knitting bag, bought specifically for the little toys... um, maybe the knitting fairy bought it? Who could resist the beautiful gelato colours. Not me. Oh well. I've promised myself that when I'm done with this latest obsession I'll either make a throw blanket/toy play blanket for the kids or pass it on to the local charity shop for someone else to have so that it's not just hanging around. Fingers crossed ;-)



Lots of other creative goodness to be seen here.

Harriet's teddy

I have my friend Lamina to thank for my latest craft obsession - little knitted toys. Her post about making gifts for friends had me going straight to the pattern she'd used for her cute bunny and thinking about whether my fledgling knitting skills were up to it.



Technical doubts aside I couldn't help myself and decided to dive in with some scraps of yarn I had lying around and the kneedles I'd used for my sev[en] circle. When my little girl asked me what I was knitting I quickly thought and told her it was a little teddy for Harriet, the doll I made her a couple of years ago (a little on Harriet here). I thought it was safest to say it was for Harriet as: A. if it turned out dodgy (almost guaranteed to) it wouldn't matter and B. it would reduce the "Where's mine? Why is it for her/him and not me?" factor that's always a possibility.



Something amuses me about a soft toy having a knitted teddy (hee hee), and I enjoy setting Harriet & teddy up in amusing (to me) situations.



Those other than Harriet have taken to little teddy too so I will definitely be feeding my obsession and knitting at least 3 more.

Giveaway goodies & Etsy shops

I thought I'd show you what the 2nd prize was in my giveaway many moons ago. Adriana won this set of my hand printed artichoke design tea towel and bamboo utensils (plus a tissue holder thrown in ;-).



I love printing teatowels. This artichoke design is a favourite and I've got lots more foodie images in mind, and more kitcheny products too. Many teatowels have been given away as gifts and I've sold a some at a great local handmade store. Now I'm thinking either of setting up a new Etsy store for the kitcheny things or perhaps resurrecting my old Etsy Bubala shop. I miss having my Bubala shop, but when the childcare and housework got the better of me a while ago I found it was best to let something go and that was it... now I've got itchy feet again to create things to send out into the world. Hmm, if only there were more hours in the day ;-)