Bustle & Sew Magazine Issue 62 Sampler

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Welcome to the March Issue

Welcome to the March issue - the first issue of spring! As the days grow longer and signs of spring begin to appear all around us, then it’s time to put away those winter projects - farewell to tweeds, woollens and rich dark colours and hello to a lighter, fresher-feeling palette of sugar coloured hues. Here in the UK the clocks go forward at the end of the month, and British Summer Time brings longer evenings and a feeling that the warmer weather really will be here before too long.

Considering sugar … Easter is early this year .. and so we’ve included not one, but two of Debbie’s delicious seasonal recipes which you’re sure to enjoy whether you’re celebrating or not, while Lauren Wright of Molly and Mama has contributed a delightful St Patrick’s Day pin cushion that would make a perfect gift, or lovely to keep for your own workroom. We also take a tour of Jacquelynne Steves’ workroom and I must admit that I do plan to copy one or two of her very clever storage ideas over the coming months.

The April issue will be published on Thursday 31 March so please do look out for it then.

Meanwhile I hope you have a very happy month with lots of time for stitching!

Best wishes

Helen xx

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Tips for Stitchers To keep thread, floss & yarn from tangling and knotting when sewing, every so often hold the tail of the medium with the needle dangling and let it unwind. Another trick to keep thread, floss & yarn from tangling and knotting when sewing is to thread it through a bit of beeswax before starting, or thread it through thick unscented and non-tinted lip balm.

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Between the Covers …

Contributors

Tips for Stitchers

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March Almanac

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Spring is in the Air Hoop

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Lauren Wright

Mad as a March Hare?

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Spring Bunny Wreath

Page 13

Meet the Maker: Lauren Wright

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The very talented lady behind Molly and Mama tells us about her creative journey and shares a pattern too!

Molly & Mama St Patrick’s Pin Cushion

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In the Kitchen: Chocolate Truffles

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Zebra Trophy Head

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Studio Tour: Jacquelynne Steves

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Lovely Idea: Very Nice Mice

Page 30

Leaping Rabbit Cushion

Page 31

Childhood Favourite: Growing Cress Indoors

Page 37

In the Kitchen: Hot Cross Buns

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March’s Favourite Blogs

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Bread Roll Basket

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Meet the Maker: Catherine Beaumont

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Poetry Corner: Wordsworth’s Daffodils

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Cross Stitch Rabbit

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The Love of a Pet

Page 48

Lovely Idea: Paper Succulents

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Fuzzy Little Mouse

Page 52

Our Feathered Friends

Page 54

Creating a Successful Business with Friends

Page 55

Home Comforts

Page 57

March Calendar

Page 58

In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables

Page 59

Templates

Page 60

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Jacquelynne Steves Take a tour of Jacquelynne’s beautiful studio, spot some of her lovely makes and learn about her BOM Club too!

Catherine Beaumont Talks to us about sewing, fabric design and how she started her lifestyle brand, Peonie Cole

Debbie Thomson Keeps us very well organised, as well as researching some lovely features and creating our new “In the Kitchen” series

March Spring arrives only slowly, but even if March is wet and windy, coming in like a lamb rather than a lion, the days are lengthening and, along with this comes birdsong, fattening buds bursting into leaf and all the other signs of spring that we so look forward to.

church the month is dominated by the Lenten fast and the approach of Easter.

Easter also brings eggs - these days of the chocolate variety (yum!), but in the past these were the first food to become more available as the days lengthened and poultry, ducks and geese began to lay in earnest. To this day they remain a symbol of the season - whether chocolate or not - and though we can now buy fresh eggs all year round, people who keep their own hens will still have a delicious abundance of fresh laid eggs to deal with in March.

The daffodils in the Lake District that inspired Wordsworth to write his famous verse “I wondered, lonely as a cloud” would have been the wild variety growing as they were beside the lake beneath the trees. Whether or not you are lucky enough to spot some of the delicate wild variety, or if you’ve planted some of the larger and sturdier hybrids in your garden, the sight of their yellow flowers blowing in the breeze or brightening up a grey day is perhaps the most potent image of spring in this country.

Lambs are of course the other heart-lifting symbol of spring. They can be seen gambolling in fields across the country, whilst the very first butterflies of the year are beginning to appear.

The month begins with the celebration of St David’s Day - the patron saint of Wales. Little is known for sure about his life - he is said to have been the son of a Welsh prince and to have founded several Welsh monasteries.

Customs associated with his day include wearing one of the national symbols of Wales, either a leek (in the hatband) or a daffodil (in the buttonhole).

Although March is viewed as being the first month of spring, it does in fact span two seasons as its first twenty days do still belong to winter. In many respects it’s a month of preparation and anticipation - for farmers it is the sowing season whilst in the Christian

St David’s Day is marked by Welsh communities across the world. Male voice choirs give concerts, traditional Welsh dishes such as cawl (broth and meat) and bara brith (speckled bread) are eaten and Welsh song,

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Mad as a March Hare?

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Spring Bunny Wreath

An old favourite - my Spring Bunny wreath - or maybe it’s a hare - just look at those ears! But whether rabbit or hare, just CLICK HERE to download the pattern. (Full version only)

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There’s creativity in everyone - it’s what life is all about.

Meet the Maker

talks to us about how, inspired by her mother and grandmother, she followed her creative dreams and started her own business, Lauren Wright is the friendly face behind Molly and Mama - her creative world where she encourages others to try new sewing and craft projects made with felt, hand stitchery, applique and more. Everyone is welcome, especially beginners.

Since I was a small child I’ve been making and creating in one form or another. I was blessed to grow up in a family where we could craft and sew, draw and paint, and get creative!

So it's been a way of life for me, and something I just never grew out of.

My grandmother Molly, and my mother (whom my kids call Mama) inspired my love of all things creative, and encouraged me to follow my dreams. So naming my business after them just made sense to me.

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People around me often comment that they wish they were creative, or could sew. And I'm always surprised, because in my mind, we can all design and make. I feel like there are many people out there that want to try their hand at a traditional craft, but mistakenly think it is difficult.

So that inspired me to design simpleto-follow craft patterns, with lots of step-by-step instructions, clear photos, and with no sewing jargon. I wanted my patterns to inspire beginners to pick up a needle and thread and give a sewing project a go, just for the fun of being creative. Then the skills that are learned with each new pattern can be transferred to other projects and creations.

The Miss Molly Pin Cushion was the very first pattern I wrote. It was just one of those pieces that turned out exactly as I saw it in my mind! And I fell in love with her right away. It's her smile, I think!

Lucky Pin Cushion

Enjoy this lovely pattern especially created for St Patrick’s Day by Lauren Wright of Molly and Mama 9

Make your own Chocolate Truffles for Easter ‌.

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by Debbie Thomson 10

If you’ve enjoyed making our zebra then you might like to check out our other animal heads.

Available separately or as a collection in the Bustle & Sew store.

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“When creating your studio space don’t rush and try to fill it with a lot of “stuff”. Take your time and it will be both beautiful and inspiring.”

We spoke to Jacquelynne Steves about creating her beautiful studio space, so peaceful and the perfect place to inspire her creativity Welcome to my studio! I hope you will enjoy taking a little "tour" with me! I live and work in a farmhouse which was built around 1850. I had long imagined myself living in the country and doing some kind of creative work from a home studio, so when we purchased our house back in 2000 it was a dream come true.

Your surroundings are so important when you are trying to work, but I think this is especially true when you are trying to do creative work.

When you create, so much of what you are feeling and experiencing becomes part of the work itself, so it's crucial that your surroundings support that.

I love the peace and quiet of the surrounding farmland, seeing deer in the fields, and having a great view of both sunrises and sunsets. That

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beauty and tranquility feed my soul and make me want to create.

I am so lucky that the house is large enough to accommodate both my living and work areas. My main studio space, where I paint, sew, and work on the computer, resides in what was originally the front parlor and formal dining room of the house. When we moved in, we knew almost immediately that those types of formal areas didn't fit in with our more relaxed life style (we have a generous non-formal dining area and large family room where we do all of our day-today living), so those rooms seemed to be the perfect place to tuck my studio space.

A few years ago, my oldest daughter got married and moved out… so of course I immediately claimed her room

One a penny ‌ two a penny Hot Cross Buns!

by Debbie Thomson

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Kristen blogs at A Pastry Affair and tells us “there may be a few rough edges and imprecise cuts, but that’s what makes it feel like home!”

Fawn lives in Pennsylvania with her family - two small boys, one big boy and a dog and blogs about her life and love of stitching at Stitch Therapy Over on Anna Scott Embroidery the very talented Anna invites us to read about her life in stitches - literally!

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Creating a successful business with friends and/or family 15

Home Comforts Ask some friends around for afternoon tea - less effort than Sunday lunch, and a lot easier too with more time to sit and enjoy a good chat! Everything can be prepared (or purchased) in advance so all you need to do is set out a pretty table and then gather friends around you for a relaxing afternoon!

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