Gone To Earth

Thank yous and the tagging spotlight

Thank you for all the lovely comments about the pouch and a big thank you to Anghard Handmade for her lovely mention. I really appreciate them all.

A random picture - Lots of berrys for the birds!

And I've been tagged - twice, once by Judy of Maccabags and once by Chris of Kiamyka and these are the rules; The Rules:

Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.

Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.

Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So - 7 facts about me. (nervous laugh - will you ever speak to me again... Are there seven things to say about me?..) Well, I love walking in the mountains and I'm terrrified of heights.

I've walked Hellvelyn and across Striding Edge, complete with its' gravestones remembering those that have perished there. Perilous drops on either side, a stupidly narrrow path with inconsiderate spikes of eroded limstone sticking up. If the wind were to get up, you'd be in a seriously bad place. So, walking in the mountains is fine. It's bridges that give me the heeby jeebies. Those narrow, high bridges that are like a pole strung across a river - gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.



A misty day in Yorkshire. That might look sturdy enough but you just wait until you get to the middle.... It's got plans...!

Second fact;

I love growing things, especially food because I like eating and an allotment always means a glut doesn't it? So, then there's the opportunity to share the produce of your green fingers with other green-fingered folk.

I'll probably never have an amazing garden though because I'm not ruthless enough to rip out the flowers when they're mostly past their best or getting a little leggy. I like them to fulfill their destiny of dying for themselves as nature intended.

Third;

I find people fascinating. Fascinating for themselves. I really enjoy the company of people who are a little bit flexible in their thinking. People who can conceive of other ways of doing things. You see I really like a good old chin wag and setting the world to rights and you can't do that with someone who has already decided what the answer is .... it's just no fun!

Fourth:

I'm named after a grandmother clock that belonged to a great aunt!

Five;

I loathe slugs, snails and anything slimy looking. They lurk in the worst possible way under the lid of the compost bin and it's disgusting!

Six;

I love ancient places. I like the connection to folk past. There's an old seventeenth century grammar school near to us and it amuses me that some of the graffitti etched into the walls/desks are from the 1650's. Boys - (girls weren't educated in such places then), haven't changed. It's only the layer of technology that makes us different. Basically, as humans we're the same now as all those folk before. I like that link. It's humbling.

Seven;

I can get lost anywhere! Yes I know that sounds stupid having admitted to loving walking out in the wild places. But, you see I don't go alone, so that's o.k. When, my son hit five years of age he'd already learned to navigate me to his friends houses and back again. He knew that if I got there o.k. I'd struggle to get back. It's an affliction ... I need a GPS to make it to the next town.... well almost.

... now it's no good hiding behind the sofa because you know that I'm going to pass it on don't you?

This is always the difficult bit. So, hoping that you've not already been tagged I'm going to tag

1. Indigo Blue,
2. MarmaladeKiss,
3. Sew Love to Sew,
4. Incy Wincy Stitches,
5. 23BeechHill,
6. Cloudhopping, blu-shed

..because I enjoy all your blogs and would like to know a little more about you. What you do now is of course entirely upto you....

Stay warm! I'm off to leave comments on your blogs. Speak soon.

Sewing.....

It's strange sometimes when you look at fabric and it almost tells you what it wants to be when it's not longer flat wrapped around a carboard bolt. That's the kind of relationship I have with this

Barefoot Roses

It's a beautiful old fashioned, blousy rose print and to me it always says 'Grandma' - my grandma. She used to love this kind of fabric print.

So, with a little bit ot sewing time I've made this -

It's a simple little drawstring pouch. I used both the rosy and the polka dot fabrics, and pieced them together with the a soft pink fabric inbetween the main pieces, highlighting the pinks in the roses.

It's a bit ot a sewing departure for me. If I make pouches, it is usually the zipped kind. But this is pretty, girly and pink....

It's simply quilted with a cross-hatch design in a pale pink thread, which I thought would add to the old fashioned/vintage appeal of the fabric and the pink was again to draw attention to the roses.

I used the polka dot fabric as the lining and a narrow burgundy, velvet ribbon for the drawstrings. (Oops! I've hidden them a bit with the beads - I think I got a bit carried away.) Again, I thought the velvet has an old fashioned, opulent feel.

There - that's without the beads

The beads? I raided them from my daughters dressing-up jewellery stash just for the photo. I'm trying to improve my photo's and this is my attempt at creating a mood! (I need to sneak them back before she gets home from school! or I'll know what mood means!). They probably were my grandmothers beads .... unintended realism?

What do you think to the base?

It's a pleated, folded arrangement. Quite nice ? I'm thrilled that it turned out as well as it has.

Enjoy your weekend.

At the bottom of the garden....

At the bottom of the garden is a tree, a very old tree ..

So who's going to pick this lot up?

Behind the tree is a wall. A much older wall...

Over the wall is a field, an ancient field..

That field marks time...

The Romans must have walked this way down to settle by the river. The Normans too, signs of their harsh overlordship are all around. All gone now but the field remains.

Can you spot the tractor?

During the harvest the farmer toiled. Working late into the evening.

Now the field looks like this. But wait. What's this? Now, the animals and the birds that live there are exposed.

The foxes trot behind the wall. The same route back and forth, hunting the rabbits, chasing the pheasants. Making unearthly screeches into the night. Muntjac graze their way across to the fields beyond.

Tawny owls hang out in the trees that line the field boundary and the wall. Busy, chatting and calling to their owl friends every evening now.

Hares bound along great ears flopping. Fascinating creatures.

The year turns ......

Autumn is such a beautiful time but alas the winter follows too quickly behind.

But, every autumn is the same once the harvest is in - the spiders, HUGE spiders with hobnail boots look for somewhere warm. Yikes!

Then there's mice. They too seek out somewhere warm to hang out for a while. "Husband dear have you , got your lunch, your bag? and have you got the trap!?"

What should a true country person do? Do they turn the little mice into kebabs and hang their little pelts over the fire place? Not much eating on a mouse is there?

So, the dear little critters get forcibly re-located over to the next county to build new lives for themselves.

They don't need a passport, they don't need a work permit. (Will there be a border dispute with Bedfordshire?)

We've tried releasing them over the wall...... but I'm convinced that they 'home'. Now, they get a car journey and a new field to explore, a second chance, they can't stay here.

What terror lurks at the bottom of your garden ?

Fabric Sale and Giveaway

The last of the slightly wind battered echinacea flowers.

There isn't a special reason, well not really. I haven't made a 100 posts or even 50 yet (but I'm working on it). There's nothing exciting going on .... unless you count the fact that my son had his brace changed this week and opted for blue 'elastics' across his top teeth and red (yes - I did say red) 'elastics' across his bottom teeth.

Now, with the white teeth inbetween, what European flag do you think that most resembles? I can't understand it, he's usually such a quiet boy. I can only be thankful that the school photo's have already been done and I don't have to explain it to my mother!

This is really just shop stuff, not celebrating stuff.

I'm having a bit of a Amy Butler fabric sale in the shop at the moment with reductions of between 10% and 15% because I'm expecting new stock soon and I desperately need the space for it. I get a bit carried away sometimes. Imagine the scene when the rep comes to call (I'm sure he doesn't mind me referring to him like that) and there's fabric..... real fabric, spread out everywhere and sometimes it's just too hard to resist and even when I think perhaps I shouldn't... I do.

Secondly, I have lots of odd bits of fabric left from various cuttings and filling of orders. So, I thought I'd share them by having a little giveaway. (I haven't done this before..... sometimes you just have to make your own excitement!) They range in size from just about 1/4 metre and there's one or two almost but not quite, fat quarters in there. The fabrics are a mixture of moda's , fabric from Amy Butler, (Those home decor fabrics are cut from a 54 inch bolt - that's a large fat quarter! ) there's a Joel Dewberry, a couple of Kaffe Fassett's and some solid colour fabric from Moda. If you patchwork at all, these are all useful pieces.

So, please relieve me of the responsibility of using up these pieces of fabric. If you're interested, just leave me a comment and on the 31st October at 6.00p.m., I'll get Rosie to pull a name out of a 'hat' (It'll probably be a bowl.) to see who the lucky person is. You'll need to check back though to see if you've won.

Sew Hip! It ' s Here....

Two posts in one day ... I know it's simply not done is it? But look what at what Celia the post lady dropped through my letterbox!

It's finally arrived. I'm so excited to get my hands on it at last.

It's full of projects - modern contemporary, gorgeous, sewing projects. Manda McGrory (editor) says and I quote, that 'Sew Hip' was .....created for all of us that own too much fabric (of course there's no such thing..... I can't argue with her on that!

It's full of things to do with fabric; small pieces.....

Now I wonder who designed you? Link I want one!

Recycled pieces:

Cute little projects for the little people .....

Visit this lady's blog for more crafty fixes - Raspberry

... and good, potentially messy, (the best sort - in my opinion), ideas for crafting with the little people.

A felted bag - an ideal solution for those sweaters and jumpers you cooked in the wash

From Alicia Paulson of Posie gets Cozy

and quilts from charm packs, needle cases, bunting and gorgeous, gorgeous, plumptious cushions

and then there are interviews with Amy Butler, Alicia Paulson and...and....... I may be here for sometime.

Want a peep at next month...... ?

Crafteroo! and the Thursday night project

Or... ttnp ... as it is also called. Crafteroo is a youngish craft forum. There's a lot goes on in there. The folk are friendly and full of advice and support and it has a lovely relaxed atmosphere. Crafteroo is building it's own tutorials and tutorial links, which are always useful when you're looking for new ideas or searching for new techniques. I enjoy reading what everyone get upto. It has chats about etsy, folksy and ebay and all the selling and advertising discussions that are incredibly useful when you're trying to sell your art and crafts. It's definately worth a look. But the mysterious Thursday night project - what might that be? It was started by Pennydog

It isn't a challenge as such, it just provides an opportunity to show off what you're up to on a Thursday/Thursday Night. All this activity has been linked to a brand new flickr group which you'll find here ttnp It's a public group where you can add photos of your own work and obviously see what others are upto. A building resource, methinks! So, what did I get upto apart from worrying about the gross national product of Malawi (why do children leave their homework so late!!!!!! is it just mine?) Well, I finished this;

I'm trying to get a little more arty with the photo's. Is it working...... Umm!

And because I like feeling part of something ..... I made this too....

What am I going to do with all these bracelets....?

They're made out of coloured wire threaded with 400 plus, seed beads. The green one used size 8 beads and the silver one used size 9 beads. The knitted fabric is quite soft and pliable. If the beads don't end up where they're supposed to (at the bottom of the stitch) then you just pull the wire gently and put it where it's supposed to go, and squeeze the stitch back together. It's finished with bar clasps. Not bad going for a Thursday!

Deja Vu and a frilly buttonony thing

This has been a week with poorly people. Colds again! Haven't we done this already? It's only October. Didn't we have our colds quota in September. All that mopping of the fevered brow... Do I need to allot an amount in the family budget for cold remedies, tissues and all that paraphenalia? Time to get out the juicer again I think. There's a wonderful juice made from tomatoes, chillies and red peppers (plus a dash of worcestershire sauce - if you like it) that really blows the socks of a cold. It's the chillies you know, opens up the 'tubes'.

Consequently, not a lot of sewing has been done and of what I have managed to do I can only show you this, because I'm taking part in a 'Christmas Decorations swap' and I don't want to upset Father Christmas by giving the game away. Do you like the button in the side bar? The swap's been organised by Indigo Blue. I've never been involved in a swap before - it's nerve wrackingly exciting....

Anyway, this is the frilly buttonony thing....

I do like it - it's all sparkly!

Yes, you're right! It's another little pouch and another experiment. It's diminutive. It's 20cm (8 inches wide) and stands a 12.5 cm (approximately 5 inches) tall (or short if you prefer). It has no depth. It is a flat pouch.

It's made from a purple moda marbels (why do I always struggle to spell that?) marbles fabric, which I pleated into randomly spaced 1/4inch tucks. I know they were 1/4 inch wide because I used my 1/4 foot on the sewing machine. Once the tucks were finished I sewed straight lines with a variegated quilting thread in between the tucks. All pink, purples and greens. Lovely. To complete the fabric I added a mixture of different sized shell buttons in green and turquoise blue , so it's all lovely and shiny. It's a very tactile piece. I used wadding behind the fabric which gives it a nice squishy feel, apart from the hardness of the buttons of course, and it has a simple pink fabric lining. I decided it was just too tiny to add any kind of pocket-ty arrangement.

If you haven't spotted the similarity already, it's based on a design in 'Handmade Embroidered Purses' by Jenny Rolfe.

Can you see the picture on the top right? She used sequins rather than buttons and I might just make another with sequins. You'd get a slightly more delicate effect I think. In fact I'm wondering what this pleating and sequin/button effect might look like in my favourite wristlet pattern. Umm!

I like her books. I've said before that I need to practice my free motion sewing for the course I'm doing and these designs give me lots of ideas for practice. The 'I can't wait to get started' kind of practice, not the 'oh no! Not more.....' kind of practice... walks away wih heavy feet.... I can't cope if things get too repetitive. I get all stressy - as my darling son would say. The books also give you loads of ideas for using the practice bits too. So, that folk like me don't get buried in the left over deitritus of one more outing with the darning foot and the sewing machine.

Which incidentally I'd better get back to whilst things are quiet!

The bag....

Thanks for the lovely comments about the tutorial. I thought I'd show you the bag that the lining eventually got sewn into.

It's just a little tote bag, petite some might say, but it's large enough to fit the essentials into; phone, purse, cards that kind of thing. But, not so big that the family can't resist filing it for you and you begin to understand what a pack horse feels like.

It's vital statistics are: 28cm (11 inches) tall by 22.5cm (9 inches) wide and it has a depth of 2.5 cm (1 inch). The handle is 96cm (38 inches) long, you could wear it across the body. Inside, I added a divided pocket. Handy for those bits and pieces which otherwise gravitate to the bottom of your bag and get lost amongst the clutter that gathers there. What do you mean you're bag doesn't collect clutter? Really! Is that natural? I'm sure it'll pass... don't worry.

The lining is the bright red fabric that I was working with in the magnetic snap tutorial. I'm into strong contrasts between the interior and exterior of my bags at the moment. Must be the dull, dark weather we're having.

Do you want to know about the interlining? O.K, I used a medium sew-in as the fabric needed some support because of the weight of the magnetic snap. I also wanted the bag to feel good in your hands, if you know what I mean.

The green fabric of the exterior has a marbled design on it, swirls of blues through greens and with a splash of light brown. Rich and complex. It's a Rowan fabric by Carl Miller called Plume marble Quite appropriate really! The black/grey damasky sort of patterned fabric is a Moda fabric; Muslin Mates sets it off quite nicely.

So, be honest what do you think to the o-ring and the beads? That's something new for me. I don't normally do much with beads, but from the look of my 'craft' box cupboard that may be changing. (eek! Is it a worsening of the button obsession?) I think it adds a nice touch and the red 'thonging' definately accentuates the other colours.

I've not done anything much with the back of the bag which may be a missed opportunity. I think I might try that shape and size again but with a zipped pocket where the two fabrics meet. Something to mull over!

Tutorial How to apply magnetic snaps

As you probably already know magnetic snaps come in different sizes and are available in different metal finishes. They are not recommended for use on anything which will come into contact with computers, laptops or audio equipment because of the possibility of upsetting or even scrambling/destroying hard disks and other delicate computer electronics.

On non-techy items though they provide a secure, unobstrusive closure which are relatively straightforward to apply and add a professional finish to bags and purses, particularly when combined with other matching metal hardware.

Not an easy photo - they kept 'snapping' together!

A magnetic snap set comprises four parts; one half of the snap is magnetic, the other part of the snap is metal and is 'attracted' to the other. They click together to make a closure.

There are also two backing discs or ' washers', with holes in which are fixed on the other side of the fabric to the snap parts. They fit over the snap prongs which are pushed through holes in the fabric. The backing discs or 'washers' are then placed over the prongs which are folded back to neatly and securely attach the magnetic snap.

I mentioned a while ago in a previous post that I apply magnetic snaps to my bags in a slightly different way to many. so, I thought I'd show you how I add magnetic snaps to my bags, books covers and anywhere else where they seem useful.

Here, I'm adding a magnetic snap to the lining of a small tote bag.

Requirements

• 14mm magnetic snap set (these instructions apply to any size of snap) Link
• 2, 4 cm (approximately 1 1/2 inches) squares of interlining or something to protect the fabric of the lining from the movement of the metal magnetic snap.
• 2, 5cm (approximately 2 inches) squares of interlining or fleece
• removable fabric marker - I used tailors chalk
• a few pins
• seam ripper - or a way of making two small holes in the fabric
• tape measure

Step 1-Mark the position of the snap on both lining pieces.

I want this snap to be positioned about 2.5 cm (1 inch) below the top edge when the bag is completed. So using the centre mark as a guide, measure down approximately 3.5 cm (approximately 1 1/2 inches) from the top edge and make another mark.

Step 2-Mark position of the snap

Using the washer (the back of the magnetic snap), as a template, lay it down on the fabric and mark where you need to make 'tiny' little holes to be able to insert the magnetic snap prongs easily through the fabric. Use these marks as a guide to where you need to make tiny incisions with your seam ripper. Go carefully now! It's just a little snap.

Can you see where I've marked the centre of the lining and then marked how far down I want the snap positioned? I use the 'washer' as a template to mark where the incisions need to be.

Step 3-Marking the interlining backing

Take one of the 4 cm (approximately 1 1/2 inch) squares and using the washer (back of the magnetic snap) as a template mark the position of the side slots using your fabric marker. Make small incisions in this with your seam ripper.

Can you see the marks through the slots showing where to make the slits.

Step 4 - Insert the snap through the slits in the fabric.

Push the prongs of the magnetic snap through the incisions in the fabric to the wrong side. Place the backing fabric/interlining over the prongs.

Step 5 - Apply the Washers to the Snaps

Push the washer onto the prongs and ... this is where I differ slightly from other tutorials you may find.

Some people like to fold the prongs outwards which keeps the snap neatly and securely in position. I have found that where the prongs stick out proud of the area occupied by the snap the fabric wears. I've sadly lost a few favourite bags this way so now I fold the prongs inwards. You may need to use a pair of pliers for this. It can be hard on the fingers otherwise.

It is of course your decision how you fold the prongs. Inwards or outwards?

Are you an 'inwards' or 'outwards' magnetic snap kinda person?

Step 6 - Adding a fleece cover to protect the snap from rubbing on the bag exterior

Take one of the 5 cm (approximately 2 inch) squares of fleece or interlining and place it over the back of the snap.

Disappeared?

Using a couple of pins, pin the fleece or interlining in position over the back of the snap from the right side of the fabric and take it to your sewing machine. The photograph probably makes this clearer.

In order to hold the fabric, the interlining and the snap securely together I machine sew around the magnetic snap. This is an optional step, you can just hand sew the fleece backing into position behind the magnetic snap to the interlining which will serve the purpose of protecting your bag from wear and tear from the metal snap parts. I like to sew around the magnetic snap because I think it adds a 'finished' look to the bag lining.

Optional

Sewing around the magnetic snap is not difficult if you take a little time.

Attach your zipper foot to your machine and have the needle positioned so that it is sewing on the side furthest away from the snap. It may be clearer in the photograph. Sew two or three stitches then lower your needle, raise your zipper foot and pivot.

It doesn't take long to do and I quite like the look of it. You can of course sew a square around the snap but I find that more difficult to do well than sewing around in a circle around the snap.

Click on the photograph for a closer look.

This is what it looks like when you've sewn the circle. Looks good doesn't it?

And on the back - ends tied off and snipped off ...... It's now all wrapped up in a fleece blanket.

All wrapped up in a blanketty bed! Keep your prongs off my bags!

Thinking about how many different ways everyone seems to interline their bags I'm wondering how many different ways we apply magnetic snaps? Go on, be brave, how do you add your snaps?