More Hetty

Do you think I'm here to show pictures of my sewing?

 Or to tell you about new techniques I've developed?

 Or to share some feltmaking?

 Well I'm sorry...you will be disappointed. 

 The only thing I've been doing these last few days is smiling.

 Oh..and running round with a small mop.

 Because the advantage of a small dog is small puddles.

And you can't really be cross can you?

Heeeeeeeeere's Hetty!

Gleeful bouncy cute adorable ...yes.. four legged therapy.
(Excuse scruffy bit of mat in the hall please and my old shoes)

Love is in the air

Love and some very hastily taken and badly edited photographs but its busy busy busy here at Dogdaisyhill.

Last week I made a 'card' for a lady to give to her friends for their 50 years of marriage.

 I layered sheer fabric and machined leaves and then cut them out and made them into a heart.

I've scribbled their names out (Badly) because just in case anyone reads this blog who knows them..and everyone in the village knows them...it wouldn't be a surprise. 

A lovely couple, kind and generous . I hope they have a great day.

Next a bit of a loss.

Our garden is not the best or the easiest but was dominated by a larch tree. In the summer we would sit under it(Although that hasn't happened for a while) and its gorgeous drooping boughs hung over us like a waterfall.

Birds nested in it and midges made merry in the evening preventing us having chinese lantern lit soirees I used to dream about.

When the wind blew as it does so readily here at 800ft above sea level, branches full of cones hurtled across the garden. In the Autumn the path was a mat of needles. They drove me mad.

It was in the garden when we arrived and had only reached a fraction of its potential height and width. 26 years later that was unfeasible in our narrow space and sadly we had to do the deed.

 Which now means our garden is TOTALLY boring and so is the view. but we do have a goodly stack of wood for the fire which we will need, as we now have no money left for the gas bill. You would not believe what two men up a tree for two hours charge!

Maybe it will improve growing conditions for next year?

I have also been busy making ..as usual. This seedhead was a commission.(I am not Anna Wales..it was just a convenient white background for the pic)

 Then yesterday was a craft fair in Preston. Moderately successful but sometime you wonder if its worth the effort. I met nice people and there was a percentage commission for a soldiers charity. 

I made almost enough money to pay for half the cost of the cat to have his teeth out next week. 

Sigh.

 Then I came home and catalogued a large part of my stock and listed and numbered and posted off for this event.

If you are in that vicinity you might like to pop in. There are some very good makers and lovely quality of work.

These are the ones I didn't send!

Harris Tweed brooches. 

 Of course felt brooches. I kept the hearts back, 

 but there are plenty of paisley, and  fronds, and leaves.

Today I should cleaning because...and I don't know if I mentioned this....

someone is coming.

Tomorrow.

Warning:May contain traces of dogs.

Many paws have passed through the pages of this blog in the three and a half years of its existence. 

When we began I had my lovely constant companion, Willow, and we shared many walks with you.

I was distraught when she died.

 Before Willow we had Daisy our first ever dog. Like Willow but with a black head. She was from the pre-digital era so I don't have any photographs on my Computer except  this one. Its not a success but it gives the idea and shows feline paws too.

And who could forgot Porky and Blodwen? We had them on various occasions.

 They baffled Willow with their size, she didn't baffle them, they were oblivious...to many things!

 Conveniently sink sized, and completely underwhelmed by great Art.

My son had a dog for a few years, the delightful Denny. Noisy and enthusiastic and very intelligent. She came to stay a few times causing the cats to run up impossibly high and unsuitable for climbing Leylandii trees next door.

Then we had a visit from Indie. She is a real treasure and so peaceful and gentle you could take her anywhere. So we did! Here she is cooling off in Bassenthwaite,after a visit to Woolfest.

Then we met Dylan, a little cutie being looked after by my friend, when we went away to the Lake district for my birthday last year.

Another one of Denise's charges came to us for a night,

Dexter.

When Willow died I thought I could never love another dog.

I didn't feel I could manage a pointer again and thought I'd just enjoy looking after other people's dogs.

Then a few weeks ago along came Missy.

When she went home after a week we missed her more than we had expected. 

We felt ready for a dog again.

So we made a few enquiries. 

and in two weeks and two days Hetty will be coming to live with us.

But Willow will always be there in the background to keep and eye on things.

Standing up for themselves

Displaying work is always a tricky topic and lately I've been making small labels or tags for my brooches so that they don't appear to be 'all card'. But the downside is that they must lie flat on a table or in a basket or something. 

Of course I have my lovely tree when I do craft fairs but not everything will fit on there, so I've been playing with cards and come up with these.

They can stand upright, or sideways.

 I've cut little tabs on the backs so they can even be bent into a curve for standing in galleries and then folded over front wards to make a sort of pouch for packaging.

And, there's room for my 'disclaimer' which I'm sorry to say was necessitated by one customers comments.(I didn't add 'don't stick the pin in your eye -its sharp,' but it was all I could do to restrain myself)

The other advantage is that the brooch seem to be enhanced on a plain background.
There is a drawback.
Its yet another time consuming, money consuming part of making and presenting my work. Also the card is too wide to use my hole puncher for the pin so I have to use a scalpel to make an 'X'
Ah well.
No one said it was easy. I suffer for my art!

I made a huge pile of frond brooches last week as readers know, and I've sold more than half of them.
Thats good isn't it? (Don't forget blog reader coupon code for 20% discount: 'squashes' , until the end of October or thereabouts.)

Now I'm just going to whisper this ....on Tuesday we are going to choose a puppy! It will be ready at the end of October.
I can't wait.

More more more

"Oh no not more of those B***** leaves!" I hear you cry.

Well a girls got to keep a record and present it to the world. 

You've aready seen plenty of the above but can you spot the difference in the ones below?

I had a plan where I'd stick to a few basic designs but I just can't help deviating. I suddenly made the veins and they reminded me of beech leaves, on the ground, in the Autumn and winter when you go for a walk at dusk and the stars come out...I just had to add a few stars. So a new 'standard' was born. What shall I call them?

Starry beech?

Since I showed the fronds I have sold a few and so just made an extra couple to keep the numbers up. Its my favourite.

I haven't listed these or the fronds on etsy but they are very definitely available as brooches or pendants...just ask.

UPDATE:I decided to list them after all! HERE

Don't forget 20% discount for blog readers with coupon code 'squashes'

Talking of shops, I must direct you all to the recently opened etsy shop of my old school friend Elli Woodsford, Embex studio.  Imagine my surprise when I found her a few years ago on Friends Reunited, with a passion for textiles!

I just had to get in touch immediately.