Some new shapes

Still November and another post..what's going on ? Well this year I'm not doing any craft fairs and all my work is going to Galleries so I'm working on Brooches in small batches with great enjoyment. 

Sometimes its hard to get into the right frame of mind and I just go through the motions which is OK but sometimes the outcome is just a little 'less' than others. 

So its nice to be back 'In the zone' and producing. I came up with these shapes which I am quite partial to. Would you call them 'Oak leaves'? I don't know but I like them.

 I finish them with a bit of hand stitch which I really enjoy.

 They can bend in different directions, like a falling leaf.

 Then I came up with the two below. Straight away I thought 'Water boatmen' you know those little pond-skatery-type insects with lost of little spadey legs? I like these but they may not be for everyone!

 Then there's a spikey paisley

 and then there's this. Now I love this. Palest palest blue stitching on a grey background with a touch of olive.

 Some black on dark red , I made two hearts one bigger than the other. French knots again . Ooh fun.

Most of the above brooches are on their way to The Larks Gallery in Ballater, Scotland as we speak.

 Now these two hearts are part of the 'not quite as zingy as the rest' type so I am going to have a little sale in my etsy shop and these will be in it.

 Also in the sale , the brooches in this photo below. All are either slightly older stock or as described above.

 The pieces in pictures below are also going to be listed in my shop but these will be the usual full price.

Let the listing begin! Its a struggle.


Now I haven't said anything personal for ages so I'll just say these things: I had three Birthday related events this week even though my birthday was in July! A present from a friend, a meal out with my two bestest friends locally, and the delivery of a beautiful rose called 'Agatha' which was ordered by my son in good time for my birthday but they only get delivered in November. I really hope it does well
in our poor soil. I put a lot of compost from our bin in the hole but I don't hold out much hope.

In other news my younger son has started a new job. He says he feels like he did when he went from Primary to High School, but I'm sure he'll get used to it. On paper its his dream job and I'm proud of him.

Tomorrow I'm going the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate. Maybe I'll see you there?

Thanks for all the comments on my last post. I was asked about the text stitching...I did it with teh sewing machine first using parchment on top with the words on, and then I pulled the parchment off and hand stitched over them.

And finally thank you everyone who visits my blog and the pops over to 'Top Blogs by Crafters' site. I've been top for ages ..I don't know why but there we are. You must be clicking through from here.
Thank you. xxxxxx

A Lovely Commission

Commissions can  be a mixed blessing, but when an old friend asked me to  make something to commemorate the Baptism of two of her grandchildren I knew it would work out.

She wasn't too prescriptive, we discussed colours and styles, I wrote down the words and then thought about it for a while.

 I used pastel colours on a cream background for both pieces, the the stitching began.

 I sent some photos before I did the words to get approval 'so far' and all was fine. 

So without many more words here are some pictures of details and of the finished pieces.

You can click to enlarge.

 I love stitching the details.

 The second was was just as much fun.

 Here they are wrapped up and ready to go.

 They were well received by my friend and by her family.

Such fun!

Crewel Intentions

After last weeks post complaining about the dullness of November, today has been a lovely day. The sun was golden and so were the leaves, the house felt warm (could it be because I've switched on 'The Dragon', our little oil filled radiator in the kitchen at heaven knows what cost) and we were a bit tidy! 

Thats because I had a visitor last night, an old friend who had commissioned me to do some pieces.

 But I can't show you those until after the weekend so I'm going to show these instead.

I had a piece of felt in the 'awful swirly carpet' shades.  I started making brooches but then I got a bit carried away stitching something that wouldn't really work as a brooch. 

 And then another.

 They remind me of Crewel work motifs, and rather than put them in the 'not quite a brooch' pile I mounted them on small card covered with calico and I shall put them in my etsy shop. 

 I followed the contours of the coloured areas in the felt and added some deep jewel coloured velvets and stitched with two lovely shaded Natesh threads.

 I put them on this magazine for scale but then realised you might not know its a small half A4 magazine.

 Well I've told you now so you know. 

 But just in case, I've stood them up against my sewing box in all the muddle on the table.

They make a lovely pair.

I keep looking at them wondering where they came from.

My head does surprise me sometimes.

No sun no moon...

No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -
November! 

By Thomas Hood.

Well I don't mind it really.

We have to look for the positives! Lovely pale grey skies and the leaves are just hanging on with beautiful colours.

But its only 1st and given that a blog is a sort of diary its the end of October that I am concerned with.

So, 14th was my lovely wonderful fantastic Mum's 86th Birthday. We had a lovely Sunday lunch with family the day before. I made a nice choccy cake and she blew out the candles.

 Then I started a piece of embroidery which was going to be for a friends Grandchildren's baptism...

but then I decided I wanted to finish it as a piece .

 I really really love this area with the palest greens and blues. 

Then I made another piece..'Windfall' I sent both to The Found Gallery in Dunbar and I really hope they liked them.

 Sending is nice but receiving is even better. 

Now..for some time I have had a lovely buyer/client/customer/fan on Etsy who has occasionally set me a challenge. She has bought lots of brooches but asked me to make her a pumpkin....which I did. And an Arum lily, which I did. Then a Raven's skull brooch ..which I did and recently a heart brooch that looks like an adder. Which I  did.

 But I kept her waiting for the last one and felt guilty so I sent it as a gift. (Bear in mind she has spent a lot of money in my esty shop). She loved it and said she would send me a gift. 

I was intrigued and one day a little box arrived and inside was this.

Isn't it the most divine gift you've ever seen? She made it from broken bottles. Isn't just beautiful?

 In the summer in norfolk I saw a lovely thing in a gallery I couldn't afford..a cast bronze chestnut. It was way beyond my purse but I loved it. 

This gives me the same sort of feeling and I am so grateful.

 Who'd have thought I would have been so fortunate?

October was a making month. First some brooches for a gallery on the Wirral.

 They wanted some of these corsages but I have to confess I don't enjoy making these . 

Its because when I make them I know what the outcome is going to be so its not an adventure.

Then I made 20 more for Lazyhill Gallery in Abbotsbury, Dorset. A wonderful place, Please please please go and like their page on Facebook.

I fell in love with palest blue and brown. 

 Some brown hearts too.

Happy November to you all. 

By the way..the comment on my last post from V.E. Wales had me baffled. Please tell me what you meant if you read this.