Sunshine and Schnauzers

Writing this blog has made me many friends all over the world. Its amazing to think of someone in other parts of Britain and Europe, Japan, Australia, North and South America, Europe  or South Africa reading what I've written and looking at pictures of my world when theirs is so different. 

Even better when a bit of 'their' world appears in mine. 

This is what happened recently when Elizabeth Armstrong, feltmaker, teacher, and wool dyer extraordinaire, sent me some of her hand dyed wool for feltmaking.

Wasn't that lovely of her? Thank you Elizabeth. It arrived a while ago and I took it the felt group today. It was like a bit of Australian sunshine lighting up the dreary grey of Lancashire! 

 There was a lovely pink and orange combination too. It reminded me of 'fruit salad' chews we had as children. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of it.
I laid out the wool and its even nicer when the colours blend together.

It produced a grogeous piece of felt ready to be made into some luscious brooches..perhaps hearts for Valentine's Day.

I have the velvet exactly to match it.

Thanks for all your comments about my last post . My piece is still on ebay with 47 watchers....you know who you are! 11 bids and a reasonable total so far. Someone asked me today how much I'd like to get for it. 

£10,000 of course..I replied.

But I am realistic. I'm hoping all those watchers will swoop in with high bids at the end, but then two of my friends have bid and I don't want to upset them either! Ooooh...I'll never make a good businesswoman will I?

Do you remember this little moppy puppy?

 With hair all over her face?

 Well Ta daaaaa! 

 She's been for a haircut. We love her all over again in a different way. Her fur is so soft and smooth. She looks so grown up. We can see her eyes.

She's a little Princess.

Mind you ..her behaviour reminds me of the Princess and the Pee...(Yes I meant that)

Time for a diamante collar I think!

(Or perhaps a Harris Tweed coat?)

Woolly Love

Forgive me for this self indulgent post.

Perhaps if you are not a felt maker or wool lover you won't enjoy it.

I've been making felt for future shapes and brooches.

I have to think of colours and combinations that I wouldn't normally use so I put a few things together and got this.

Thinking outside of my colour comfort zone where I usually end up with duck egg and greys I stuck a few dark colours in. A navy and a maroon and hey presto! 

The 1950s appeared.

So I went on and made another because I didn't want to cut the first one up..but it was different again.

I love the unexpectedness of felt.
The way you put two colours on top of each other and get deliciousness.

even where you weren't expecting it.

 This could be the centre of a brooch.

There's a bit of silk in here, the blue thats brighter than the rest. Its almost iridescent.

It scares me a bit...I can't predict it and I want to control it...frustration ensues.

 I could stare at it for hours ....which is how long it will take it to dry in this weather.

Not Celtic

So I've been to Ireland, been surrounded by soft grey stones and silver sea, so you'd think , wouldn't you , that my work might reflect that?
I sat down at my sewing machine with a bit of patterned felt which I'd used as a sample piece in a class before I went.
I just wanted to limber up, to exercise my stitch muscle.
But it turned into a full blown routine.
Number one:

Number two:


Getting larger -Number three:

and finally: Number four:


Don't ask me....

I have no idea...

have you?

Could you please enlighten me?

I don't know what to do about them.

But they made me smile.

At about 6 inches long, too big for brooches (but you may think differently)too small for wall hangings.
But such fun.


(Well whatever they are number1 and 4 are sold !)

Slight Improvement

Do you remember the 'Post with Appalling Picture Quality'?

Those items have now returned and have obligingly posed again.


These pictures are an improvement but


I still wish I understood the workings of my camera,


and could make it take better pictures.


Its almost idiot proof,

but I am quite some idiot.

I've listed some of these in my ETSY shop.

I've taken advantage of the lemons.

If this idiot knows one thing, its her colour wheel.

(With grateful thanks to Mrs Bond, Lower V a, Winckley Square Convent School, 1964.

I had my very first migraine induced by painting the tints and shades of yellow on said colour wheel)

A Parcel From the Outer Hebrides

Its here!
My new consignment of Tweed from Catherine Campbell on the Isle of Harris.
Pure wool handwoven in the most beautiful patterns.


It has a subtle soft colour that is hard to photograph.


The daylight hardens the colours a bit.
And using flash makes it look too vivid.

So use your imagination and add a modicum of fuzziness and warmth to my poor efforts to convey the loveliness!

Now its just up to me to add my bits

and construct brooches, bags, cuffs,

and perhaps scarves.

I think I have enough Harris Tweed now to last me for the rest of my life.

And I am expecting another box today!

In the sewing room its been pink lately.

More hearts and flowers!

Don't forget to leave me your wrist size and preferred cuff width for a chance to win a prize in the draw on this post.(Click the purple words to take you there)

Even if you wouldn't wear a cuff, we can negotiate a suitable prize.

You must leave your wrist measurements to be entered for the draw....its a survey with a carrot.

But please don't be shy to leave a comment here too.

PS. I was just thinking.....for it to be a meaningful survey I need about 100 results so please spread the word and get all your friends to comment.

I was given the 'Kreative Blogger' award by Jennyflower a short time ago, but as I had already had it I have decided to have a bit of a rest from tags, memes (Whatever they are) and awards. Jenny is a sweetie and you could still visit her lovely sewing and family blog.

She does a mean gweeeen buttercweem!

Into the blue

Although the Village I live in isn't the prettiest or the most picturesque, it is in a lovely setting on the West Pennine Moors, a relatively 'undiscovered' area.
There are woodlands for wanderings

and wonderings. Ponds for ponderings (is this a bouquet for a wood nymph?Click on the picture for a closer look, its exquisite and totally natural)
and moorlands for musings and meanderings, and, at this time of the year, listening to the cuckoo.

And of course all this leads to inspiration, and a colour shuffle.

I do my best designs when I am walking with Willow
Willow doesn't see very much these days, but she's good company and keeps her opinions to herself, and plods on stoically even though her legs buckle a bit now and then.
Of course I've forgotten everything by the time I get home, and so has Willow.

So I don't embarrass her with questions.

Talking of questions. Thank you to Lindsay at ethelandednastearoom for tagging me. Her blog is definitely worth a visit.

I've tagged

Laurie at 23 Beechhill
SSimpson
Celia at Cheshire Cheese
Tin can canoe
Ann at Textile Art Showcase

There. I've done it. Nice to have been tagged but nice to have successfully tagged.

Not Cupcakes

I can't do icing shouldn't do eating, I'll have to be content with looking

and drooling and make dyed woolly brooches instead.

My Mum found a lovely cream woollen blanket at a jumble sale and gave it to me for my now departed dog, Daisy, (yes!) to sleep on.
I saw its potential and before you could say 'English Pointer' I had it chopped up and immersed in dye. It came out in these lovely Dolly Mixture/iced cupcake colours.
Good enough to eat.
And calorie free.