Buttons make all the difference.

I bought this cardigan from the M&S end of line shop at Tillicoultry. Believe me I would never have bought it at the full price. It had the most hidious superlarge press stud fastening at the front that was far too heavy for the garment and caused it to pucker all around the fastening area. That was cut off pronto. What to fasten with?. I had purchased a dozen buttons from Carol at http://www.folksy.com/shops/carolscrafts which would work really well. I placed one either side of the front and used the co-ordinating ribbon intended for using to hang on a coathanger to make a loop across.

The other really annoying thing was the sleeves were far too long. Exactly the cuff depth too long. (some of us are under 5ft 8). I stitched the cuff up on the inside seam and used another two of Carols buttons to secure the ouside of the sleeves.

I think it makes an ugly cardigan look much prettier. It will get lots of wear now.

Argyle and knitting

Just had a week away with my husband and my parents in a cottage in Argylle. Weather was fairly good to us and let us get out and about most days. Lochgilphead has a wonderfull aray of shops where as well as all the necessary ones you will find gift shops with quality local made gifts, an art gallery/art shop and there was even an art exhibition by a local art group in the church hall. Argyll has a high percentage of artists living and working in the area and we were sorry to have been a week early for the Artmap Argyle where some of the artists open their studios to let people see the work behind the art. Anyone interested can find details at http://www.artmapargyll.com/

The wool and needlecraft shop in Argyle Square Oban is described as an Alladins cave. I can certainly second that description. Mum and I spent rather a long time there looking at the wonderful selection of cotton fabrics. I found the butterfly fabric that I had been looking for for quite some time. The ladies serving were very friendly and helpful and had knowledge of their stock which can be a rare thing nowadays. Can highly recommend a trip to this shop.

The benefits of hiring a cottage is that you can take all your crafting items (if they fit in the car!) for those rainy, or just lazy, days. Here you can see me rattling up the Kaffe Fasset cardigan that my mother wanted to make for my sister but has been unable to do due to temporary health issues. Alas progress has halted again now I am home.

I'm back

Family health issues have had me pushed for time to do things like blogs. A current push on MISI by the twisted pixie has got me back here, hopefully I will be back often.

I recently finished this bear in the Fraser Hunting tartan. He will shortly be flying over to Canada to be with a member of the Fraser clan.

I am currently working on converting an Alan Dart pattern into a lifeboat bear for an RNLI fundraiser that is coming up in Buckie this June. It has taken a while as all the parts had to be hand knitted before piecing together. Working with that long eyelash yarn is no joke either. Will have to get a move on with him though as time is running out.

Back again

Thanks to a new contact here, All things Crafty & Me, I have found my blog page again.

It is that time in our life when parents get to the age that one or other of them makes frequent visits to doctotrs and hospitals. We are very lucky to still have them around for guidance and company, but it does cut down the amount of time available for this type of social interaction as it is a 4 hour drive each way for each visit.

One thing about needlecrafting is that it is transportable and projects of one type or another have been able to travel with me when visiting the parents. This means I still get some hours of creativity.

Busy at the minute getting stuff ready for craft fairs in Buckie and Dufftown next month. Emma from Scottish crafts and Walkabout Crafts is also kindly taking some of my stuff to the Edinburgh craft festival, oops, must get that box to the post office!!

Have been busy quilting a UFO quillow for a lady and I am sure she won't mind me postin a work in progress photo. I loved the colours she chose. This will be a cheery quilt to snuggle under in the cold winter months.

They survived!

Well they did survive the process. She is now all dressed up with no where to go. She did make a trip down south with us the other week as she was listed on e-bay and I don't like my customers to have to wait once they have purchased. She didn't sell (I should know better about e-bay by now) and I foolishly showed her to my mum. My mum will usually point out the things that aren't right before giving any praise but this time she actually said I had made a good job straight off and I nearly came home without the bear. Still recovering from the shock! The green tweed bear kind of reminds me of Patrick from Eastenders (yes I do watch it sometimes).

Have just heard that we are getting press passes for the Aviemore trade show (an independent newspaper is a hobby we have). If it turns out that we can use the passes I will let you know in case you are going to be there.

The bit they hate

These are not custom bears so are waiting for inspiration to come from me. All too slowly as far as they are concerned. Both were intended to go with a tartan waistcoat I had made but both are too small. I really think I got the cart before the horse there.
The female bear is just about finished. That flower has a pin holding it in place and she has a pin in each of her limbs and her centre back awaiting the handstitching closures. Again cart before horse, the shawl was knitted some weeks ago and sat waiting on a suitable wearer.
As for the gentleman bear. Well, as you can see his garment is almost finished. The sleeves are lying waiting to be attached but I have had an idea that I want to convert this garment into a Jacobite style top and make a waistcoat to go on top.
You can well imagine that they get fed up sitting here in the lounge while I keep glancing at them and waiting for the right idea. Not to mention that Hamilton Hare sits behind my head on the back of the settee making all sorts of remarks.........but that's another story!
Let's you see that we mean "one off" or "original" when we list as such.

Bear fleece jacket

Well, I did promise.

It was supposed to get an airing in Inverness

at the weekend but it was so warm that it stayed in the car.

On return to Moray on the Sunday however, the temperature had dropped sufficiently to put it on.

I lined it in a brushed cotton/polyester mixed fabric and as a result it is really warm. I love the neck as I don't have to remember to take a scarf and it looks just as smart with the collar opened and folded down.

Bear Buchanan

This bright character was sent on his way this morning to his new home.

I sent another smaller one overseas the other day but have been asked to keep it under wraps for the time being so it remains a surprise. Scary how we can be seen now from the other side of the world now.

Off to finish putting together my bear print fleece jacket. Watch out for the picture here soon.

Just finished...........for me

Just finished this sweater for myself. I had two large balls of black watch yarn, each by a different manufacturer. As you can see one is mor blue and the other is more green. Both have a blend of blue, green and black as in the blackwatch tartan.

I love the style of this sweater. It has everything. Long enough to keep the derrier cosy. Pockets for the essential tissues etc. Raglan sleeves for a comfortable fit and the neck line has been knitted from the yolk giving a close fit that is not too tight.I think I will be living in this sweater for a while given the current weather.

I also made up this bag to go with it. Done in the yarn that is more blue and lined in blackwatch polyviscose tartan fabric. The same fabric was used for the strap.

The buttons fastening the front are the second closure, the top of the bag is fastened inside using two magnetic closures.

Burns and Homecoming

New Year, New Rule. Must keep this blog going this year!

As soon as New Year Celebrations were out of the road I started on a tartan pinafore (above)

for a Scottish girl living "down South" who wanted to do a Burn's night for her friends and finished a long promised tartan skirt for a friend for her TWO Burn's nights. Imagine my surprise when checking retailers websites for pricing help and I find a not disimilar skirt in the Per Una range ( well thiers had more fussy detail than mine). An exra bonus for my friend as she had looked in Per Una and apart from not liking the red tartan, the sales assistant had told her it was wool. Well that assistant just lost the sale as my friend is allergic to wool. As it happens the skirt was not wool but manmade fibres and would have been perfectly OK for my friend.

Time for an update

Well I haven't been blogging for a while so I better update you on what has been going on.

Stewart has been completely revamping the http://slackstitches.com site so if you are in there please be patient. Not even sure what the outcome will be myself.

Have been busy making presents for family birthdays so far this year.




My middle sister has a thing about that certain low mood donkey and a particular liking for denim jackets. I combined the two and she was thrilled with her birthday present.

Mum got a cable knitted bag to co-ordinate with her cardigan I knitted her for Christmas.

Today I bought some lovely vintage style cotton panels from Wildbearies on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5631303 to make some totes for presents. She has some lovely vintage fabrics, go check her out, she is ever so friendly.

Will promise to come back a bit sooner and let you know some more finds.

WE HAVE A DREAM

The males in our society don't often get a pat on the back but I would like to do a bit of publicity for these guys.
They are a bunch of hardy young men from Ayr who are tackling a huge fundraiser for Alzheimer Scotland. They are the members of the Tartan Army, Ayr branch.
Apart from faithfully following their National team and ( just occasionally!! )enjoying themselves, the tartan army do raise lots of money for deserving charities. The Ayr team raise funds for three charities and this year it is the turn of Alzheimer Scotland in memory of Ally MacLeod who dared to raise the hopes of a whole Nation that we might just win the world cup with Ally's army.
The members are going to do a sponsored walk from Somerset Park, Ayr to Hampden, a distance of 34 miles, in time for the kick off for the Scotland match on 17th November 2007. They think this is the first time this has been done.
Please visit http://www.wehaveadream.co.uk/thewalk.html and show some support for this mammoth effort

Old World Shoppe

Today I would like to introduce you to Edie of http://ediecastle.etsy.com Edie is a memeber of the OWS group who craft using traditiional methods, skills and materials. If you like what you see in Edie's shop you can enter ows into the search engine at http://etsy.com and you will be led to the other members of the group.

1. How are your creations inspired?

I get my inspiration from all around me. I am very visual. I can see anything and just about make something like it. I don't need a pattern. I make up my own. I love to look at catalogs and dream about how I can make something I have seen. Of course the things I make, bags, pillowcases, jewelry totes, etc. all have a basic shape that is not difficult to duplicate. I am afraid I am not very original. I do wish I could come up with something that no one has ever thought about, but I believe that place has already been taken. There is really nothing new on earth.

2. Which product are you proudest of and why?
I believe I am proudest of my handbags and shoulder bags. I have always had a love for bags. Even as a child, at the middle of the last century, I would take a cereal box and make a purse to play with. Even before "making your own bag" became popular, I made a bag occasionally just for fun. Now I have perfected the construction of my bags in such a way that they will last a long time. I use plenty of fleece, interfacing, and other means of construction to make a quality bag that anyone can be proud of. I believe in having all the seams matching, fabric cut in the right direction, seams finished with a serger where necessary, and many pressings throughout construction. I go that extra mile to make something that will bring complements to you when you carry it or use it.

3. What kind of work area do you create your pieces in?
My work area consists of a small room that is totally devoted to sewing. I tell everyone it is "insulated" with material! There are very few bolts of fabric that I can resist! I have so much material, thread, trim, and construction materials, until there is hardly room to work. I have a "brand new" Janome Memory Craft 6600 that I love to sew on. I also have a Singer 5 thread serger that I have had for sometime. My house and sewing room is smoke free and pet free so people who are sensitive to these two things, can feel free to buy from me.

4. What are your favourite colours?
My favorite colors are fall colors. I am just drawn to oranges, browns, dark yellows, and dark greens. I have to make myself buy other colors because I am reminded that everyone does not care for the colors I do.

Le Bar du Vent

Time to introduce you to another Dawanda seller, this time from France. Agathe creates wonderfully inspiring pieces of jewelry.

1. How and when did you discover your creative talents?
I am not sure about "talents" actually. The urge to make things has always been there - I mean, when I was 6 or 7, I remember that I had come up with a mixed media drawing method (doesn't that sound grand!) : I would "draw" flowers using colour pencil peelings and leads, that I would glue onto paper to turn them into the corollas and stems of my flowers. The result was limited in terms of variations and aesthetics, but I was exhilarated that I had thought it up myself.
And so on and so forth : I love exploring new materials and techniques.Yet I have had only very basic artistic schooling. Some times I get an image in my mind of something I would like to make, and because I couldn't draw to save my life, I have to think it up with my hands. Now, that can be very messy...
Because I am addicted to clothes (as opposed to fashion) I first dabbled with fabrics - I have made evening dresses for myself (and dolls, earlier on), dresses for my nieces (my beloved guinea pigs), I have knitted pullovers, always trying to make exactly what I wanted and could not find to buy. About five years ago, I discovered crosstitching and began accumulating supplies and projects. I loved using the embroidery patterns to modify or create clothes, cushions etc. My own very humble version of French couture...
I came to jewellery through crosstitching (strange, I know, but some patterns include beads and that is how I discovered a brave new world...) fairly recently, finding that many of the techniques I had dabbled in came in handy, and that the results of my daring experiments tended to be less messy in this creative field.
It suits me that it is such a versatile activity, and I love nothing more than making a piece with someone in mind. Every single piece I have made is more than material to me, it makes sense in a way, because of texture, tradition, colour, memories, references... I love that. I call it thinking with my fingers and find it very soothing, probably because it allows the whole of me to come together.

2. You say that one of your inspirations is sea life. How are you inspired?
That too goes back to my childhood. I first grew up by the sea, and I only come into my own when I am by the sea. I can only be truly happy barefoot on a sand beach and I just have to live with that - and with the fact that, right now, I cannot be barefoot on the sand very much. So I make up for it, trying to build myself a future when I will be able to.
Because the sea is the seat of life, in general and not just to me, it's an incredibly rich source of inspiration, in termes of shapes, colours, textures...

3. Your main selling place is Dawanda, why?, what do you like about it?
Well, the first thing I like about it is that it exists! I am immensely grateful that Claudia and Michael came up with this idea and have tackled the work!
I discovered Dawanda, surfing on the net, looking for community sites that I could fit in with my very virtual shop, just as I was bracing myself to put together my own site (as opposed to paying someone to do it for me) and I couldn't believe my luck! So that, of course, I still haven't come round to giving reality to my site (it's all there in my head - the ideas, I mean - the I.T. is not...).
On Dawanda, it is incredibly easy to list items in a way that is really suitable to such items as ours. Obviously, the fact that listing is free (so far) is a huge incentive to try and list very different items, including inexpensive ones. I had tried my hand at selling on e-bay and other non-specific sites, but Dawanda was really conceived for those precious little jobs of ours and I find it rather more congenial than Etsy.
It also suits me so well that it is multilingual that I couldn't believe my luck there again... and like the various ways to communicate on the platform and the sense of community it makes for.

4. Where would you like to see your talents take you?
Well, guess what! On the seaside!
Right now, I have a "proper" job that is important and interesting to me, but I cannot see myself doing it for 25 to 30 years more. Not full time anyway. Whereas I cannot see myself NOT making stuff, or living away from the ocean forever. So I am working on turning Le Bar du Vent into a proper venture, hoping it can take me to the ocean where I would like to live and work. Eventually.

Interview with a Dawanda Artist

I have decided that I would like to introduce you to artists and sellers that I have come across who I admire and think deserve a little promotion. I have to say this may be a long list, but I have chosen to start with Sara Millis who has been a driving force among the UK sellers on Dawanda and a godsend to some of us less technologically aware with some of the site aspects.


1. Tell me a bit about your background and how long you have been an artist/crafter.

I am a Fashion and Textile Designer/Crafter working and living in London with my long-term partner, Darrin. I graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2000 and started full-time work in the fashion industry designing and developing womenswear ranges for luxury, high street and boutique designers and brands – not all at the same time, but over a six year period! Although I enjoyed my work immensely, I often felt I was missing the opportunity to work on my own creative projects. So I decided to become freelance in June 2006, offering my services to a number of clients at any one time. This gave me the time (through creative scheduling!) and space to channel my creativity into my own work and so in January 2007 Sara’s Texture Crafts was born.

2. Where do you find your inspiration?

I take my inspiration from life around me, whether it is from my peers, film, music, art or nature. My biggest inspiration though is texture – anything with a textural surface or detail catches my eye and often inspires me to create.

3. Do you sell your work?

I have a website at http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/ through which you can find links to each of my shops, a bit about my products, my gallery, events diary and a link to my blog – Crafts of Texture. Here are the links:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Saras-Texture-Crafts – eBay shop selling high street and handmade craft kits, equipment and handmade greeting cards
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.etsy.com– Etsy shop selling handmade jewellery, accessories, textile art and kits
http://en.dawanda.com/shop/sarastexturecrafts – DaWanda shop selling handmade jewellery, accessories, textile art and greeting cards.

4. You mentioned that you sell on DaWanda. How did you find out about the site and how long have you been selling there?

I found DaWanda through my MySpace page. DaWanda approached me to tell me of their new site and promotional opening offer. I get many emails like this through various forums and sites that I advertise on and always try to explore each site before I dismiss an idea. After entering the site and having a good look around I saw potential for my own products, so joined up and have been an active member since late May 2007.

5. Tell me a bit about your current DaWanda collection.

My current collection on DaWanda is my first and I felt it was important to base it on my love of texture. In terms of theme, well I have slowly been developing that and I would say it is based around my passion for vintage.

I have glass and felt jewellery, fabric brooches and 3-d greeting cards in store right now, but plan to expand my range from mid-September.

Style lab is where sellers will list their products that they are willing to make to your choice. There will be two categories. One will be where the item will remain at a set price and only certain things will be changeable, for example this bear will be the same size and shape but you can choose the tartan, the paw colours and the eyes. The second category is where you will see a product, say a quilt, that the seller has done but you would like a different colour scheme, size and pattern. You can contact the seller with your wish list and they will discuss if this is possible and tell you a price. If you are both agreeable a contract will be entered into where you agree to pay for the item that they have agreed to make especially for you.
I think it will be exciting. You can get customised items or specially made designer items amd be that bit different from the Jones's.

Tailor made at Dawanda

Dawanda are soon to be launching a new feature called Style Lab. While we await to see exactly how this works they tell us that members will be invited to offer their customers special tailor made products. We are intrigued.

If this has also caught your imagination visit Dawanda by clicking on the button to the right of this page. They tell us it is starting in the coming days.

If you are interested in starting a shop with Dawanda they have a special offer on at the moment for new members, take a look at their blog.

The Harry Potter craze

Well, I was browsing around in facebook this morning and having a look at some of the groups related to knitting. In one of the groups I came across this blog http://knit-harry-potter.blogspot.com and was blown away at the content. There are links to free patterns that people have posted for you to to knit anything from a bookmark to full sweaters. Some of the patterns are well worth a look. I highly recommend spending time at this blog and it's links for all Potter fans.

The balaclava and hooded gloves pictured here are not, however linked to the above mentioned blog. This was a custom knit I did for a fan of both Harry Potter and friends and of balaclavas. I think I shall keep this one to myself for now.

Autumn?

Well, already thoughts are turning towards Autumn. After the summer we have had I actually find that quite comforting. I love the colours of Autumn, all those reds, brown, golds. It makes travelling in the highlands here much more interesting. There is something very inspiring about these colours especially mixed with the purples and greens on the heather moorlands.
We will be travelling to Argyl either through Speyside or down the Great Glen next month and I will spend a good part of the journey watching the countryside for signs of the changes in colour that hail the start of Autumn. The beauty of being a non-driver.
The inspiration so far has resulted in a sweater with squirrels on it. The front has a very busy squirrel working on a nut and the back has two sqirrels either chatering or confronting each other, depending on how you want your story to go.

Explore Dawanda

Have finally got around to telling you about a newish site for selling and buying handmade goods.
Dawanda is based in Germany and therefore is a little more European friendly as everything is dealt with in Euros. It is funny to see the Americans that have strayed onto this site from Etsy struggling with the very problems that we all struggled with when having to convert to US$.
( I mean funny in the nicest way possible of course ).
Anyway, Dawanda has some wonderfull European crafters selling their creations. It is bright and cheerfull. As with all sites it has it's own navigation system but with a little patience it is easy to find your way around.
It is also multi lingual haveing the ability to post and use the forums in German, French and English.
This is a young site but I highly recommend that you either click here www.dawanda.com or use the small dawanda button opposite to go and have a browse and see what you think. I would be interested to read your comments if you would like to leave them here once you have had a look at the site.
Happy shopping.