Bustle & Sew Magazine October 2019 Preview

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A Bustle & Sew Publication Copyright Š Bustle & Sew Limited 2019 The right of Helen Challenor to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information in this book is accurate. However, due to differing conditions, tools and individual skills, the publisher cannot be responsible for any injuries, losses and other damages that may result from the use of the information in this book.

First published 2019 by: Bustle & Sew The Cottage Oakhill Radstock BA3 5HT UK www.bustleandsew.com

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Welcome to the October Magazine Hello everyone!

We’re past the equinox now, the nights are longer than the days and autumn is officially here. When I take the dogs out there’s often a chill breeze against my face, so I button up my jacket and snuggle into my warm woolly soft. At the beginning of October the hours of daylight and darkness are almost the same, but by the end of the month we will be enjoying just nine and a half hours of daylight - so we like to get outside as often as the weather permits. Summer is over, and nature is settling down for a long winter’s sleep.

But we’re very far from sleepy between the covers of this month’s issue and I hope you’ll find lots to enjoy from nature notes, to poetry, recipes, gardening and of course lots of lovely Bustle & Sew projects too including the second of our giveaways - this month we’ve included our Christmas collection of embroidery designs, Mistletoe Kisses.

I do hope you’ll enjoy this issue, and if you’re a subscriber then please look out for the November Magazine arriving in your inbox on Thursday 31 October.

Helen xx

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Tips for Stitchers Don't try to hurry when you’re stitching text. It’s worth taking your time to make your text as smooth and flowing as it can be and as letters are such precise shapes it really shows if your stitching isn’t too neat and tidy. If you’re at all unsure whether to make one large or two smaller stitches then I would always make the two smaller ones. It can be tempting to try to get away with larger and larger stitches if you’re rushing to start your next design - but if you want your work to look beautiful then you need to take your time over it.

And finally, if it isn’t looking great - then you may need to take the plunge and unpick it. It’s a horrid thing to have to do I know, but otherwise that work will always be spoiled for you when you look at it. Other people may not notice, but you most certainly will!

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Between this month’s covers …

Tips for Stitchers

Page 4

A (very) Little Look at Wool

Page 47

October Almanac

Page 6

Winter’s Coming

Page 49

St Crispin’s Day Speech

Page 8

Carol Singing Rabbits

Page 50

Autumn Harvest Hoop

Page 9

Lovely Idea: Ghosts on Glass

Page 53

Colours of the Season

Page 13

‘Tis Near Halloween

Page 54

A (very) Little History of Velvet

Page 15

Spinners of Silk

Page 57

Poetry Corner

Page 17

Mistletoe Kisses

Page 59

Polar Bear Decoration

Page 18

Time to Sleep…

Page 60

Sewing Successful Softies

Page 22

Home Comforts

Page 63

Lovely Idea: Pom Pom Book Marks

Page 26

Embroidery Stitch Guide

Page 64

Across the Downs

Page 27

In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables

Page 65

Wild Harvest Pocket Detail

Page 28

Templates

Page 66

Autumn Fungi

Page 31

Tastes of the Season: October

Page 32

Two Christmas Hoops

Page 40

Poetry Corner

Page 42

What’s in a Name?

Page 43

How to Stop Fabric Fading

Page 46

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October Along the October hedgerows, there is now a damp inevitability that winter is on its way. Along the parapets of the hedges, where a few jewel-like berries still glisten in the early morning sunlight, the fluffy seed heads of wild clematis soften the stark, and by the end of the month, outline. In appreciation of its vanilla-scented summer flowers this plant was named “traveller’s joy in the days when people moved across the country following dirt tracks that hugged hedgerows, Today it is more commonly known as “old man’s beard” due to its profusion of shaggy heads, each comprising numerous plumed seeds. But, with the onset of the first autumn storms, the old man’s beard is torn from the hedgerows and cast into the wind.

In the leaf litter at the base of the hedge families of hedgehogs will be rummaging for the last of the autumn pickings in their quest to fatten up before the falling temperatures force them into

hibernation. They need to reach a body weight of at least a pound before they can successfully hibernate, so at this time of year “The woods never look more beautiful than from the close of last month to the middle of October, for by that time it seems as if nature had exhausted all her choicest colours on the foliage.

We see the rich, burnished bronze of the oak; red of many hues, up to the gaudiest scarlet; every shade of yellow, from the wan gold of the primrose to the deep orange of the tiger-lily … and all so blended and softened together in parts, that like the colours on a dove’s neck, we cannot tell where one begins and the other ends.”

you may often spot late-born youngsters frantically foraging in broad daylight for the beetles,

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worms and slugs that seem so numerous on damp autumn days.

Hedgerows traditionally marked the boundaries between estates and parishes. Some are the remnants of ancient woodlands, but most were planted by landowners to contain livestock.

The word “hedge” comes from “ the Anglo-Saxon name for the hawthorn, one of our most common hedgerow shrubs, originally planted as its wood burns slowly and produces lots of heat, making it the perfect fuel for stoves and fires.

It’s possible to tell the age of a hedgerow by the number of species - Hooper’s Hedgerow Hypothesis works on the rule that one new large species will establish itself in a hedge every century.

Measure a 30 m length of hedgerow, count the number of different woody species you see and multiply that number by 100.

This will give you the approximate

age of your hedge. The oldest manmade hedgerows in the UK are thought to have been planted around a thousand years ago.

October is a great month to get out and about. We’re unlikely to experience any more seriously hot weather, but it’s surprisingly common for a sustained spell of sunshine to occur around the middle of the month, known as “St Luke’s little summer” after the saint’s day that falls on the eighteenth of the month. The days are getting noticeably shorter now, but there’s still plenty of time to take the dogs for an afternoon walk and enjoy scrunching through the fallen leaves.

Halloween is of course the most well known celebration this month, but just before Halloween, on the last Thursday of October an ancient ritual is celebrated in the Village of Hinton St George here in Somerset.

Children parade through the streets bearing “punkies” - hollowed out mangel wurzles with lighted candles inside, a local variant of the turnip or pumpkin lanterns made elsewhere for Halloween.

The tradition is said to commemorate the use of such makeshift lanterns by the women of the village in the dim and distant past to guide their drunken

menfolk home from Chiselborough Fair.

nearby

In ancient Rome, the eleventh brought the day of the Meditrinalia, when the new season’s wine was tasted and libations were offered to

“The future conqueror of England was the last to land, and as he placed his foot on shore he made a false step and fell on his face. With great presence of mind William sprang immediately up and showing his hand filled with English sand exclaimed, ‘I have taken possession of this land with my hands, and by the splendour of God, as far as it extends it is mine - it is yours!’ "

the gods (perhaps the equivalent of today’s Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations). It was customary to taste the new and old wine together, apparently for healing purposes, while reciting the following lines…. hich means roughly “I drink old and new wine to cure old and new disease.”

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The middle of the month brings the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It took place in Sussex and was the beginning of the Norman Conquest of England - the last time mainland England was invaded and conquered. The events leading up to this battle, and the battle itself are depicted in the Bayeaux Tapestry, a length of embroidered linen that is said to have been commissioned by Odo, Bishop of Bayeaux in Frnace, and half-brother of William the Conqueror.

The twenty-fifth of October is the feast day of St Crispin and St Crispinian, patron saints of shoemakers. They were brothers of Roman birth and Christian converts. According to legend, the travelled to France and settled in Soissons, where they preached by day and earned their living by night making shoes for the poor from leather supplied by an angel.

St Crispin’s Day is chiefly remembered however, as the date of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 thanks to the famous speech in Shakespeare’s play, Henry V. And now, as we approach the end of the month, in the fourth week week of October the clocks go back here in the UK, a sharp reminder of the impending season.

In the north of England and in

Colours of the Season

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“Pale amber sunlight falls across The reddening October trees, That hardly sway before a breeze As soft as summer; summer’s loss Seems little, dear! On days like these.”

Ernest Dowson “Autumnal” 10

Sewing Successful Softies 11

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Signs of Autumn ‌. Fungi extract from The Pocket Encyclopaedia of Natural Phenomena by Thomas Furly Forster published in 1827

Fungi. In the damp weather of autumn the fungus tribe become very numerous, and often are the first phenomena which remind us of the decline of summer and the approach of the cooler season.

There is something remarkable about the growth of fungi.

Some fungi appear here and there springing up in places where they are least expected, and where they have perhaps never grown before. How do the seeds come in such places?

A learned cryptogamist once said, he thought their semina floated in the air, and were carried up into the clouds, and wafted along with them, and deposited by fogs on the earth’s surface. Is there any particular aspect or side of trees more obnoxious to the growth of parasitical fungi than others?

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Tastes of the Season: October

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Minted Blackberry & Apple Chutney Ingredients ● 1 kg blackberries

Method Takes about 2 hours and makes 4 lbs of chutney

● 1 kg cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped

● Place all the ingredients in a large pan. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

● 1 kg onions, peeled and chopped

● Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, then simmer for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is reduced to a pulp and the chutney is thick.

● Grated rind and juice of 3 lemons ● 1 tablespoon mixed spice

● Sieve to remove the seeds if desired, then spoon while hot into sterilized jars.

● 2 teaspoons salt ● 4 tablespoons chopped mint

● Seal with airtight, vinegar-proof covers.

● 600 ml red wine vinegar ● 500 g sugar

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Two Christmas Hoops It’s always fun to add new pieces to your Christmas décor - and I do hope you’ll approve of these two little hoops. The first shows a baby polar bear gazing entranced at the brightest star in the sky whilst the second brings that star down to earth and into your living room to decorate your Christmas tree.

Both designs feature very simple applique in white felt and are worked in 5” hoops - they’re easy to stitch and would also make great craft stall items. ● Tiny scrap of white felt

Materials

● Stranded cotton floss in light and dark green, brown, red, yellow and gold

For bear hoop:

● Bondaweb

● 9” square navy blue cotton or linen fabric

You will also need two 5” hoops.

● 3 ½” x 2 ½” white felt ● Stranded cotton floss in black, red, green and gold or silver ● Bondaweb For Christmas tree hoop: ● 9” square duck egg blue cotton or linen fabric

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Method

● Iron your background fabric well before beginning.

For Bear Hoop ● Iron your background fabric well before beginning.

● Trace the applique shape onto the paper side of your bondaweb and cut out roughly.

Fuse to your white felt and cut out carefully as any rough or jagged edges will show.

● Trace the applique shape onto the paper side of your bondaweb and cut out roughly.

Fuse to your white felt and cut out carefully as any rough or jagged edges will show.

● Peel away backing and using the photo as a guide position on your background fabric.

Fuse into place using a cloth to protect your work from the hot iron.

● Peel away backing and using the photo as a guide position on your background fabric.

Fuse into place using a cloth to protect your work from the hot iron.

● Work the embroidery as follows using two strands of floss: ● The Christmas tree trunk is worked in brown stem stitch

● Work the embroidery as follows using two strands of floss:

● The leaves are worked in fly stitch using 1 strand of light green and 1 strand of dark green floss in your needle at the same time.

● The details on the bear are worked in back stitch using black floss and the eye is a tiny French knot.

● The text is worked in back stitch. The words “merry” and “bright” are worked in red and the ampersand is worked in yellow.

● The text is worked in back stitch. The words “star” and “wonder” are worked in red floss and the word “of” is worked in green floss.

● The base of the Christmas tree planter is worked in red satin stitch and the star is worked in gold or silver star stitch.

● The stars are worked in gold (or silver) star stitch.

● When you have finished your design press lightly being careful not to flatten your work and remount in hoop to display.

For Christmas Tree Hoop

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A (very) Little Look at Wool

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When witches go riding and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers,

“tis near Halloween�

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The very last day of October is, of course All-Hallows Eve, better known as Halloween, when witches fly abroad and ghosts and other supernatural beings are at their most active and dangerous.

In snap apple the fruits are hung from string suspended from a wooden pole and again the aim is to try to grab one with your teeth. An even older, and much more dangerous,

This day was once the ancient Celtic New Year’s eve, when thanks were given to the sun god for the harvest and Samhain, lord of death, was celebrated at the dying of the old year. It was a night of black magic, and huge bonfires were lit, both to ward off the evil spirits known to wander the earth this night, and also to welcome the ghosts of ancestors returning to their old homes. Lanterns carved from turnips and beets also helped to keep the evil spirits away.

Great fun goes on in watching the attempts of the youngsters in the pursuit of the swimming fruit, which wriggles from side to side of the tub, and evades all attempts to capture it; whilst the disappointed aspirant is obliged to abandon the chase in favour of another whose turn has now arrived.

The apples provided with stalks are generally caught first, and then comes the tug of war to win those which possess no such appendages.

When the Romans invaded Britain they brought with them the festival of Pomona, held in honour of the goddess of fruit, which was also celebrated on the last day of October. Over the centuries the two festivals gradually merged into one another and many of the traditional Halloween games still played today have their roots in the old Roman festival.

Apple bobbing is one such game, in which apples are floated in a tub of water and contestants have to try to pick one up in their teeth - good luck for the year to come being the reward for any who succeed.

Some competitors will deftly suck up the apple, if a small one, into their mouths.

Others plunge manfully overhead in pursuit of a particular apple, and having forced it to the bottom of the tub, seize it firmly with their teeth, and emerge, dripping and triumphant, with their prize.

version had a stick with an apple on one end and a lighted candle on the other suspended from a pole. A circle of children stood around and tried to bit the apple as it swung in their direction.

Halloween was also regarded as a good time for trying to predict your future. If you combed your hair at midnight while eating an apple and gazing into a mirror, a vision of your future partner was thought to appear in the glass.

Alternatively you could place a pair of nuts in the fire or on a hot grate and if the nuts burned quietly together or exploded a the same time, the lovers they represented would be sure to be married.

Another amusing idea was to go blindfold into the garden and pull up a cabbage stalk the length, straightness and thickness of the stalk predicted the height and build of your future spouse, whilst the amount of earth remaining on the root was an indication of the fortune he or she would bring to the marriage. Finally, the taste of the pith was said to denote the bitterness or sweetness of your future spouse’s nature.

In many areas people would don costumes and blacken or mask their faces, then go from house to house asking for food and money. They would often carry carved turnip lanterns, a relic of the old Celtic festival of Samhain. Today Halloween is mainly celebrated by children, wearing costumes and masks, going from door to door demanding “trick or treat!”

Householders usually prefer to hand over sweets rather than risk falling victim to a trick.

CLICK HERE to download your copy of Mistletoe Kisses (link removed for preview) 22

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We have an incredible 18 species of bat here in the UK, and they too will be seeking out suitable hibernation sites. They will roost in cool places such as caves and cellars - and even attics - and will spend long periods in torpor before hibernation to slow down the rate at which they burn through their fat reserves.

Amazingly they also mate before hibernation, allowing the females to store sperm through the winter so they won’t become pregnant until the spring.

the summer months feasting on hazelnuts, caterpillars, aphids and berries, before dropping its metabolic rate by 90% and curling up to sleep as temperatures drop.

Our third native mammal to enter true hibernation is the dormouse, who will sleep until around May in a small woven nest at ground level. The hazel dormouse spends an astonishing ž of its life sleeping, spending

Personally, I like to curl up on my sofa in front of a blazing fire with a mug of cocoa and hoop in hand though the idea of sleeping the winter away can be an appealing one indeed!

Many other species also enter a state of torpor for much of the winter. Sleepy frogs lie dormant at the bottom of ponds,whilst other reptiles and amphibians choose compost heaps and piles of dead wood for their slumbers.

Home Comforts October brings peak season for planting spring bulbs - always an act of faith, I think, that after the long dark cold months of winter they will put out fresh green shoots and beautiful spring flowers to bring colour to our gardens at a much needed time.

If you’re planting bulbs in pots, then you’ll know that they look best when packed closely together - almost touching in fact and at least three to four times as deep as the bulb’s length with the pointed, growing tip uppermost. This method of planting doesn’t leave much room for other plants though, so to avoid looking at empty bare pots all winter, plant your bulbs in plastic containers (the black plastic pots from garden centres are ideal) that will fit inside your terracotta plots. You can then display cyclamen, pansies and other winter plants all winter long, and simply remove them and replace with your bulbs when they begin to emerge in spring.

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