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A Bustle & Sew Publication Copyright Š Bustle & Sew Limited 2018 The right of Helen Dickson 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 2018 by: Bustle & Sew The Cottage Oakhill Radstock BA3 5HT UK www.bustleandsew.com
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Welcome to the April Magazine At last spring is truly here - all around our village the hedgerows are bursting into leaf while the sound of birdsong in the mornings is almost deafening! This is one of my favourite times of year as we look forward to the warmer months ahead. This month’s issue has a definite feel of spring too as we take a look at the bird we most associate with the season - the Cuckoo - as well as some spring flowers too - the daffodil, bluebell and wild garlic, whilst Rosie’s Recipes celebrates the availability of lovely fresh laid eggs from small flocks up and down the country. Our little Spring Lamb is possibly my favourite pattern this month, and I’ve also included some tips on working with fleece fabric. And don’t abandon your unfinished projects, we have some hints to help you learn to love them once again. I do hope you’ll enjoy this month’s edition, and just a quick reminder that the May issue will be published, as always, on the last Thursday of the month - in this case Thursday 26 April. So if you’re a subscriber watch out for it arriving in your inbox then! Until then, I hope you have a wonderful month!
Helen xx
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Tip for Stitchers When you’re working on a hand embroidery project and you need to move from one area of your design to another do not trail the thread across the back of your fabric as it may show on the front or, if your project is to be used for practical purposes, a long thread may catch and pull spoiling your work. If the distance between the areas you’re working is relatively small weave the needle through the back of your worked stitching until you reach the new area. For longer distances it’s best to finish off and re-start in the new place.
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Between this month’s covers … Tips for Stitchers
Page 4
Auntie’s Cat Cushion Cover
Page 43
April Almanac
Page 6
The Cuckoo
Page 45
Hessian Plant Tubs
Page 8
Lovely Idea: Pompom Branches
Page 49
A (very) Little Guide to Hand Embroidery
Page 11
From Passion to Profit
Page 50
Finishing your Abandoned Projects
Page 13
Little Spring Lamb
Page 54
Spring at Lowood
Page 16
A (very) Little Guide to working with Fleece Page 57
Lovely Idea: Embroidery Hoop Spheres
Page 17
Meet the Maker: Kimberly Hodges
Page 58
Embroidered Scissors Case
Page 18
Lime Cordial
Page 61
Daffodil Sunday
Page 20
Freddie’s Dinosaurs
Page 62
Home Comforts
Page 65
The Final Guide to Transferring your Design Page 21 The Beautiful Bluebell
Page 27
In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables
Page 66
Floral Hoop Embroidery
Page 29
Templates
Page 67
Poetry Corner: The Patchwork Quilt
Page 32
Tastes of the Season: Jersey Royals
Page 33
Rosie’s Recipes: Eggs-tra Special!
Page 34
Tastes of the Season: Wild Garlic
Page 41
Instagram Round-Up
Page 42
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April The name of the month derives from the Latin verb “aperire” which means to open. Although we’re not quite sure why they named it so, it does fit well with the changing seasons as, from the Mediterranean to southern Scandinavia, April brings the bursting open of buds to reveal vivid green spring leaves. This greening of the countryside is one of the joys of living in a temperate part of the world where the seasons are so distinct. We are past the spring equinox now, and here in Britain the green flush of spring moves northwards up the length of the land at roughly a walking pace, from the Isles of Scilly in the south to Shetland in the far north.
watch the progress of urban trees. Whether they are native varieties like the oaks in Greenwich, London and other city parks, or long-established introductions like sycamore and lime, horse chestnut and London plane, all deciduous trees are a window upon the changing
A fine April morning is, for me, one of the best times of the year. Blossoms, fresh green foliage and exuberant birdsong are all so uplifting for the soul after the long dark days of winter. It’s harder to follow the progress of the seasons in town of course, but one way is to
seasons. Because of the heat generated within cities, the buds of these urban trees usually open earlier than those in the countryside.
“The cuckoo comes in April, and stays the month of May; sings a song at midsummer, and then goes away.”
Whether in town or countryside, traditional sayings fail to specify on which day the cuckoo should
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return, but that it returns in April is not disputed. There are numerous superstitions relating to the cuckoo - girls may ask it when they will marry, or old men when they will die, and the calls that follow will indicate the number of years each must wait. On hearing the first cuckoo, for prosperity you should turn or jingle any change in your pocket or purse and to avoid a year of idleness or illness you should get up and run. If the call comes from your right you will have good luck all year long, but if you are standing on bare earth you will be dead within 12 months(!) The first of the month is of course April Fool’s Day - which this year coincides with Easter Sunday - the first time I can remember this happening! Later in the month April 8 is observed by many Buddhists as Buddha’s birthday, although the exact date is unknown. The foundar of Buddhism was born Gautama Siddhartha, the son of a tribal leader in what is now Nepal, probably around 563 BC. He is said
to have attained enlightenment while sitting under a banyan tree at Buddh Gaya in Bihar, India. His birthday is celebrated in Japan as the flower festival of Hana Matsuri. At Buddhist temples a flowerstrewn shrine containing a statue of the infant Buddha is sprinkled with sweet tea in commemoration of his legendary baptism with pure water from the heavens.
“Hallelujah” as the countryside awakes and blossoms all around us. In the gardens, hedgerows and woodlands, fresh flowers are opening almost on a daily basis, yellow cowslips bloom on grassy banks and in shady woodland spots wild garlic and the green spires of bluebell leaves are pushing their way up through the leaf mould and brushwood. On warm days,
had its Handel’s oratorio first performance on 13 April 1742 in Dublin, Ireland, performed by a chorus of just 14 men and 26 boys, a small string orchestra, a chamber organ, and a harpsichord, played by the great man himself. Today it’s generally performed by much larger groups - perhaps the biggest being an 1882 performance by a choir of 4000 accompanied by an orchestra of 500. It is customary for the audience to stand during the Hallelujah chorus - a practice that originated in 1743 at a London performance in the presence of King George II. The King rose to his feet at this point and the audience did the same. It is generally believed that the King’s action was a spontaneous response the the grandeur and beauty of the music, but it has also been suggested that he had dozed off just before the chorus and leapt up in fright when awakened by the opening Hallelujah!
“It is not spring until you can plant your foot on twelve daisies”
It’s almost possible to believe that Nature herself is giving a great
dandelion clocks are already dispersing in puffs of gossamer down on the spring breezes. The horse chestnut trees that line our village playing field are adorned with their flowering candles, both red and white, and at the Bishops Palace in Wells it’s so funny to watch young ducklings and swans making their first dives and fizzing back up to the surface of the water like fluffy brown champagne corks. April 24 brings St Mark’s Eve when it was formerly believed that the wraiths of those who were to die in the following year would appear in the churchyard around midnight. People often maintained a vigil in the church porch on this day to see which people were so doomed. The wraiths were supposed to enter the church in the order in which they would die, often with some
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indication of the manner of their death, such as a rope around the neck. Those who were going to suffer a serious illness, but who would survive, were believed to look through the church door without crossing the threshold. In Australia and New Zealand, 25 April is ANZAC Day which commemorates the landings of troups from those countries at Gallipoli in Turkey on 25 April 1915, as well as servicemen and women who died in both World Wars and in other more recent conflicts. The month draws to a close with Walpurgisnacht, a night when witches are believed to gather at the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains of Germany. There they carouse with the Devil until midnight, when the Queen of May appears. The night is marked by fancy dress celebrations with costumes similar to those of Halloween and by singing and dancing around bonfires. Traditionally bonfires were lit on this night in Ireland and Scotland and cattle were driven between the flames to protect them from witchcraft and other undesirable influences. Other preventative measures included putting primroses, marsh marigolds, and other spring flowers in cattle sheds, or around the house, to keep witches and evil fairies away.
Hessian Plant Tubs I love the current interior design trend for bringing plants into our homes. I’ve always loved indoor gardening -it has the added bonus that it’s never wet and windy inside! Today the range of plants available from shops, supermarkets and garden centres is enormous, but all too often the pots they’re supplied in are dull and uninspiring to say the least. Which is why I thought it might be fun to stitch these hessian tubs. They are 6” tall and have a 6” diameter base (approx) and each one has a cute embroidered felt tab to make them truly individual. They can be squashed flat for storage when not in use, but aren’t waterproof so you will need to stand another pot or perhaps a saucer inside to prevent leaks.
● 4” x 2” white felt
Materials
● Small amounts of stranded cotton floss for embroidery - choose colours that work with your patterned fabrics - I used pale and a brighter pink, golden yellow and dark green
Materials given are for one tub only. All tubs are made in exactly the same way - only the design on the tab differs. ● 15” x 30” hessian - choose a fairly stiff more closely woven fabric and you won’t need to add any interfacing or wadding as your pot will stand up perfectly well without. ● 4 ½” x 20” patterned fabric - I used a quilting cotton.
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● Join the exterior to one of your hessian base circles. I prefer to begin about 2” from the end of the long rectangle and join almost all the way around with right sides together. I then check how the back seam will fit and trim away any excess (the measurements I have given you should allow you to do that). This is because I tend to be a bit inaccurate when cutting and it’s easier to trim a little away than try to add more on (!).
Method ● First embroider the tabs. You will probably find it easier to work your embroidery on a larger piece of felt and cut out the individual tabs afterwards. Only straight and back stitch are used and the design is worked with two strands of floss.
● If you prefer to join the back seam before attaching to the base then shorten the main body piece by ¼”.
● When your embroidery is complete press lightly on the reverse protecting your work with a cloth and being careful not to flatten your stitches. Cut out the individual tabs. Each should measure 1” x 1 ¾” with the embroidery positioned in the centre vertically and between ¼” and 1/8” up from the bottom of the tab.
● Clip curved edge being careful not to cut through your stitching. Turn right side out and press seams. ● Repeat the above stages for the interior, omitting the felt tab. Leave the interior wrong side out.
● Place the tabs to one side while you cut out the pieces for your tub. ● From the hessian cut two 6 ½” diameter circles and two 4 ¾” x 20” rectangles
● Place the interior inside the exterior (4) matching the seams and push down well inside.
● Divide your printed fabric in half lengthways to give you two 2 ¼” x 20” rectangles.
● Align the top edges and pin or baste all the way around.
● Now make up your tub exterior. Pin one felt tab to the hessian with right side up. Position it about a third of the way along your rectangle so it will be slightly off centre when the tub is complete (see photos).
● Top stitch around the top edge 1/8” from the edge and press well. ● Your plant tub is now finished! (6)
● Place your printed fabric on top right side down aligning the two long edges (1). Pin or baste then machine stitch together. ● Press seam (2). You won’t be able to press the seam open as the hessian is too stiff to let you do that, so press towards the printed fabric. ● Fold over ¼” along the top of your printed fabric and press well (3).
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A (very) little guide to some hand embroidery basics Fabrics A large number of fabrics (and other materials too) are suitable for hand embroidery, ranging from fine cottons and muslins to heavier fabrics such as denim and felt. A plain fabric will give you most freedom with your colour and pattern choices as it won’t be “fighting” with your work, though a carefully chosen pattern can enhance your stitching. If you decide to use a lightweight fabric then you may discover that the fabric alone isn’t strong enough to take the embroidery threads and you may then have to use a backing fabric behind your work. Plain white cotton is good for this as it provides strength and stability but doesn’t add any bulkiness. Sometimes,
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however, you may wish to use a double layer of your chosen fabric for example to retain the semi-transparent quality of a sheer fabric.
Needles Usually crewel needles are used for hand embroidery as they have a long eye and sharp point. The eye of your needle should be large enough to take the thread with ease and make a big enough hole in your fabric for the double thickness of thread to pass through easily.
Threads Almost any thread can be used for hand embroidery as long as you can pass it through
the eye of your needle and it’s suitable for use on your chosen fabric. Your choice will probably depend both on availability and how your finished project will be used. Pieces that require frequent laundering should be stitched with good quality, colourfast linen or cotton thread, whilst if your work is purely for decorative purposes then you could also consider silks or fine wools.
method you choose (there’s a full guide later in this issue), be sure to always transfer the whole of the design before you begin to stitch.
Beginning Work If possible it’s a good idea to work in a continuous flow rather than hopping around to different parts of the design to help provide continuity and rhythm throughout your work.
If you’re using thread from a skein and don’t want to rewind it onto a bobbin before use, then it’s important to leave both paper bands on the skein. Pull out the end of the thread from the centre. Do so carefully at first as only one end will unwind smoothly - and pulling the wrong end will result in a tangled mess. If you first try the wrong end then stop and leave it well alone - have another search to locate the correct end - it does often seem to be buried within the skein.
Never run your thread across the back of an area that will remain unstitched - if your work is going to be of practical use then these long threads may get snagged and pull at your stitches or even break causing your work to unravel. Doing this could also spoil your tension and show through the finished work. Your thread should be no longer than 18” - and ideally shorter - my mum always used to say that it should be the length of the distance between wrist and elbow. If you cut longer lengths they may twist and knot.
Embroidery Hoop or Frame Some stitchers prefer not to use a frame, holding their work in the hand instead. I personally can’t work without one to keep my fabric taut and help me keep an even tension while I’m stitching. It’s very important that you use one large enough to allow plenty of fabric around your design as it’s preferable not to have to move your hoop around the work (though this can’t always be helped). If you do have to move your hoop, then try to position it so you don’t squash any of your stitches.
Finishing Off Never use a knot to secure your thread as it may wobble or even come loose - again with the potential to spoil your embroidery. Instead, to finish your thread either make a few tiny stitches that will be covered by the next thread or turn your work over and run your thread under a few stitches at the back to hold it securely in place. Before removing it from the frame make sure it really is complete (this may sound silly, but I have before now, removed my work and then realised I’ve missed my rabbit’s whiskers - or something equally foolish!)
To help prevent your work slipping bind the inner hoop with fabric strips or bias binding securing the end with a few stitches.
Preparing your Fabric
Always press your work on the reverse - I recommend laying it face down on a clean, padded surface, such as a lint-free towel - to avoid flattening your stitches.
Make sure your fabric is pressed and smooth before you transfer your design. Whichever
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Finishing your abandoned projects
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At Bustle & Sew we like to think that we’re not afraid to tackle sensitive subjects - such as the projects that you don’t want to think about - the ones you started with such enthusiasm only to give up on later and stuff away at the back of a cupboard or even under the bed! So what went wrong? And can you ever you learn to love your project again? (or at least complete it!!) ere’s a quick look at some of the techniques you might use to get those projects finished.
As a lot of my stitching these days is destined for this magazine, I find that I'm having to be a lot more disciplined with my time - and have far fewer unfinished projects stuffed away in odd places niggling at my conscience and demanding that I finish them - one day perhaps! But, having had a major reorganisation of my workroom this month, I discovered one or two long forgotten pieces which made me start to wonder about exactly why I'd given up and put them to one side in the first place - so that perhaps I could identify what the problem had been and if there was any way to overcome it. Of course just as all projects are different then the reasons why we give up on some of them are going to vary too. Here's a look at some of the most common and some thoughts on how to finally finish that project.
Boredom Perhaps your project became boring? This often happens for example if you have large areas of work to stitch all the same whether that's a cross-stitch background or hand stitching bias binding. Working the same stitch or technique over and over again for long periods of time becomes very dull and uninspiring when your inner creative self is craving variety and change.
Why not think about completing your boring unfinished project in slow gentle stages by working on it for say just 20 minutes at a time before moving on to more exciting projects? If your boring project doesn't demand too much attention to detail then why not work a few stitches at a time while you're watching TV? You’ll be able to mostly concentrate on your favourite show while your hands can be occupied and productive without you missing too much of what's happening on-screen. Whatever you decide, be strict with yourself and make sure you stick to your plan. Remind yourself of what appealed to you about the design in the first place and how good you'll feel when it's done.
Size You may well have given up on a larger project because you're feeling totally overwhelmed by the amount of work you'll have to put in to finish it. Generally though, the little and often approach will pay dividends and you'll soon realise that you are actually making progress. Try taking pictures on your mobile as you work, then when you look back you'll realise how much you've actually achieved!
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Mistakes Sometimes if you've made a mistake, spotted it later and know that in order to correct it you’ll have to unpick a lot of your work you can become totally disheartened. After all it's hard to make a great start on something only to be completely knocked back by the realisation that something has gone badly wrong and your hard work has been totally wasted! Try approaching this unfinished item in the same way as your boring project. Grit your teeth and unpick, then re-do, a little at a time, concentrating hard to be sure you don't make the same mistake again. Pick it up frequently and work small amounts at a time, and perhaps once you've got past that problem area you may find that you've fallen in love with it all over again and it'll soon be finished!
Difficulty If you've given up because you felt the project was too difficult, then perhaps it's time to reconsider? Your skills may have improved a lot since you first stuffed it away in a corner and now it may be well within your capabilities. Or if that isn't the case - then look upon it as a chance to develop as a stitcher. Try working small sections of the project and allow success to build your confidence - or leave that particular piece of work for the time
being and try smaller projects of a similar nature until you've reached the level where you can approach your unfinished project with confidence.
Procrastination If your current work feels a bit stale and boring - and there's no particular reason why you should finish it - then you probably won't! Take a look at your unfinished projects and see if they'd be suitable for special gifts or occasions. Does someone who
would love and appreciate that project have a special occasion coming up? In that case there's an instant deadline for you - with the bonus of a delighted friend or family member when they receive their very special gift. A good way to avoid the dreaded trap of procrastination is never to start a new piece of work until you've finished your current project. This works for me - and I find myself considering possible projects very carefully knowing that I'm going to be living with
whichever one I choose until it's done. Finally - always keep in mind that wonderful feeling of accomplishment you knowyou'll experience when you've finished your project - not only in the finished item, but also knowing that you've identified and overcome the problem that caused your work to stall in the first place. Having done this then hopefully you’ll be better able to avoid the same issue in future projects - a real result!
New from Bustle & Sew on Etsy! Pre-printed Sulky Sticky Fabri Solvy Sheets that come complete with instructions for use. So if you’re tired of the tedium of tracing your design and are looking for an alternative this is a great way to try this product. Just pop over to Bustle & Sew on Etsy to learn more.
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Spring at Lowood Spring drew on: she was indeed already come; the frosts of winter had ceased; its snows were melted, its cutting winds ameliorated. My wretched feet, flayed and swollen to lameness by the sharp air of January, began to heal and subside under the gentler breathings of April; the nights and mornings no longer by their Canadian temperature froze the very blood in our veins; we could now endure the play-hour passed in the garden; sometimes on a sunny day it began even to be pleasant and genial, and a greenness grew over those brown beds which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps. Flowers peeped out amongst the leaves; snow-drops, crocuses, purple auriculas, and golden-eyed pansies. On Thursday afternoons (half-holidays_ we now took walks, and found still sweeter flowers opening by the wayside, under the hedges. I discovered, too, that a great pleasure, an enjoyment which the horizon only bounded, lay all outside the high and spike-guarded walls of our garden: this pleasure consisted in prospect of noble summits girdling a great hill-hollow, rich in verdure and shadow; in a bright beck, full of dark stones and sparkling eddies. How different had this scene looked when I viewed it laid out beneath the iron sky of winter, stiffened in frost shrouded with snow! - when mists as chill as
death wandered to the impulse of east winds along those purple peaks, and rolled down “ing� and holm till they blended with the frozen fog of the beck! That beck itself was then a torrent, turbid and curbless; it tore asunder the wood, and sent a raving sound through the air, often thickened with wild rain or whirling sleet; and for the forest on its banks, showed only ranks of skeletons. April advanced to May: a bright serene May it was; days of blue sky placid sunshine and soft western or southern gales filled up its duration. And now vegetation matured with vigour; Lowood shook loose its tresses; it became all green, all flowery; its great elm, ash and oak skeletons were restored to majestic life: woodland plants sprang up profusely in its recesses; unnumbered varieties of moss filled its hollows, and it made a strange ground-sunshine out of the wealth of its wild primrose plants: I have seen their pale gold gleam in overshadowed spots like scatterings of the sweetest lustre.
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Look! -------------------
a lovely idea Embroidery Hoop Spheres
If you’re like me and have lots of old embroidery hoops hanging around your workspace then you’re sure to love this idea which takes these discards and turns them into something really quite special (and expensive-looking too) Thanks so much to the team at Lolly Jane for sharing this great free tutorial with us.
Free from Lolly Jane : Embroidery Hoop Spheres 17
Embroidered Scissors Case This is a lovely simple project - and one that will surely prove to be very useful too! The most important thing is to make sure that your back stitch is nice and smooth and even as any irregularities will be very obvious when your work is finished. The actual case is very simple to assemble, it’s just two parts joined by blanket stitch. I have given instructions and measurements to make a case to hold embroidery scissors, but you could easily resize the templates if you wished. Case measures 5” long 2 ¾” wide at the widest point.
Materials ● 6” square white or cream felt ● 6” x 3” printed cotton fabric ● Fusible webbing ● Stranded cotton floss in black, white or cream, green, pale yellow and pale pink.
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● Cut out the front of the case using the printed pattern on the template to help you position it correctly (1).
Method ● First work the embroidery. I recommend stitching onto the felt before you cut out the shape (working out where you will place both pieces on the felt before you transfer your pattern and begin to stitch).
● With two strands of white or cream floss work blanket stitch along the straight top edge. Place to one side. ● Fuse your printed fabric to your felt using your fusible webbing (follow manufacturer’s instructions and protect your work from your hot iron with a cloth)
● Use two strands of floss throughout. ● The scissors are worked in back stitch. Be sure to make small stitches around the curves of the handles and take especial care that your needle leaves and re-enters your fabric through the same hole.
● Cut out back of case. ● Place the front and back together with the printed fabric towards the front of the case. Pin or baste in place (2).
● The leaves are worked in lazy daisy stitch and the stems are back stitch. All the flowers are bullion stitch worked in clusters of three stitches, closely spaced at the base then angled outwards to form the petals of the flowers.
● Work blanket stitch all around the edge of the case to join the front and back pieces together and also around the top of the back. ● Insert scissors. Finished!
● When you have finished press your work lightly on the reverse being careful not to flatten your stitches.
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Daffodil Sunday Did you know that the first Sunday in April is known as Daffodil Sunday? This tradition dates back to the nineteenth century when, as part of the Victorian culture of charity and doing-good, families would pick bunches of these lovely golden flowers from their gardens and take them into local hospitals to cheer up the patients. This year of course, Easter Sunday falls on 1 April - the first Sunday in the month - so most events here in the UK have been put back by a week to April 8. It’s well worth checking to see if there’s one near you as many historical properties - and even whole villages celebrate the arrival of these cheerful blooms - the harbingers of Spring
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Possibly the most frequent query I receive is “How do I transfer my embroidery design from the printed page to my fabric?” This is one of those questions where there isn’t a single right or wrong answer – it’s all about choosing the method that works best for you. hand while tracing with the other - unless it's really small and simple your fabric is quite likely to slip out of position leading to frustration and a spoiled design (I am speaking from experience!). If you have some then masking tape is the best to use as it's easier to remove than Sellotape and leaves less sticky residue. Use the smallest amount you actually need and keep it to the edges of your fabric, just in case.
The easiest method to transfer a design is of course an iron-on transfer, many of which used to be given away free with needlework magazines in the mid-20th century, printed in either blue or silver. My grandmother had a huge collection of these transfers, all carefully stored in a biscuit box with a cute puppy and kitten picture on the lid. There were sunbonnet and crinoline ladies - too many to count - birds, bears and an infinite variety of flower patterns. If you enjoy stitching vintage, it's still easy to find these old designs in thrift shops, at jumble sales and of course on auction sites such as eBay.
● When everything is securely held in place, trace over your design with a sharp pencil or a water soluble temporary fabric marker pen. I have read debate online about whether or not the marks from these pens can reappear over a period of time, spoiling your finished work. I haven't personally experienced this problem, but if in doubt then use a pencil.
But if you don’t have a transfer and want to transfer a downloaded pattern (like those in this magazine) there are several different methods available to you, some of which are easier, and so perhaps more popular, than others.
● This will leave a permanent mark, but it won't bleed into other areas and should be covered by your stitching.
Tracing your Design If you're embroidering onto a pale coloured, light-weight fabric, then it's easy to trace your design onto it as though it was tracing paper. To do this: ● Print your design in the usual way at the correct size for your project ● Tape your printed sheet to a light source most usually a light box or window pane. ● Position your fabric over it, right side up, making sure that the design is beneath the position you have chosen for your finished embroidery. ● Tape your fabric in place over the paper. Don't be tempted to try to hold it with one
Monstera deliciosa pattern
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Dressmakers’ Carbon Paper
● Then on your printed sheet, draw over the pattern lines with the transfer pen.
Another popular choice is to use dressmakers' carbon paper. This isn't at all the same as the old-fashioned carbon paper those of us of a certain age remember using when typing copies of a letter on a typewriter.
● Turn the sheet over and iron the design onto your fabric - when of course it will be the right way round.
Dressmakers' carbon paper is a thicker, waxier paper and doesn't smudge. It is available in different colours to suit different fabrics. This technique is only good for smooth fabrics. ● Iron the fabric you want to stitch on and then place it right side up on a clean flat surface. ● Tape it securely to the surface. ● Choose the best colour carbon paper to show up on this fabric and tape this into place shiny side down. ● Position your pattern on top of the carbon paper and again, tape (or pin) it to stop it slipping around as you work. ● Take a pencil or ballpoint pen and draw carefully over the lines of the pattern. Don't press too hard or you might tear the paper and spoil the design, but press firmly enough for your lines to show up on the fabric. You might want to test this first on a corner of the fabric. ● Once you've traced over all the lines, remove the tape and lift off the pattern and carbon paper - your design will then be ready to stitch.
Use a Transfer Pencil You can also purchase transfer pencils - the lines these draw will iron onto your fabric in the same way as the old-fashioned transfers. ● Print the reversed pattern.
Prick and Pounce Prick and pounce is a time-honoured method that sounds like some kind of old-fashioned music hall act - in fact it's a very old tried and trusted method of transferring a design to fabric. It does take a little while, but is very effective. The pounce is a powder which comes in either black (crushed charcoal) or white (powdered cuttlefish - yes really!) - or you can mix the two to make grey. You can purchase a special pad to apply the pounce, or make your own from a rolled up piece of felt. ● Trace your design onto tracing paper and lay it on a folded cloth or ironing board. ● With a hat pin, pin in cork, or even a special tool you can purchase just for this purpose, prick a series of small holes closely together all along the design lines. ● Then tape your fabric onto a flat board or working surface and tape the pricked tracing paper onto the fabric. ● Dip your pad into the pounce powder and, with a circular motion, gently rub the pounce over the design. Complete the whole design before removing the pricked tracing paper in a single nice clean movement. If you brush the pounce from the pricked paper it can be reused indefinitely. ● Now, following the pounce outline, paint a fine line all along the dotted outlines on the fabric, using a brush and watercolour paint, or very fine marker. ● Then un-tape and shake your fabric to remove the pounce.
Hand embroidery patterns from Bustle & Sew
Tacking through Tissue Paper
Sulky Sticky Fabri Solvy
Tacking through tissue paper is another a timehonoured, fairly time consuming, method of transferring your design. It is great in that it leaves absolutely no marks on your fabric and is suitable for all kinds of fabric.
I’m a lover of this product which has definitely revolutionised the way I work, especially for more complex patterns.
● Carefully trace your design onto tissue paper. ● Position your tracing on top of the fabric and secure in place around the edges. ● Tack around the outline starting and finishing your line securely. Make sure the stitches are not too small or they will be hard to remove, and not too big so that you miss parts of the design. ● Once you've stitched over the whole design, carefully tear away the tissue paper, leaving the tacking on the fabric. (you can also buy water soluble paper to help in this stage). If you're working on a light or delicate fabric, then be very very careful when removing the paper so you don't damage the fabric. The tacking stitch outline can be removed as you progress, or after the embroidery is completed.
You can purchase Sulky Sticky Fabri Solvy in two forms – either on a roll or as 10” x 8” sheets. I have tried both, and whilst the roll is certainly more economical as you need only use the exact amount for your design, for me it has one major drawback – which is that you still have to trace the design. This is because the curl of the roll has made it impossible to for me to successfully get my printer to print on it. So I always purchase the sheets (1). They are readily available from Amazon, and elsewhere online. The Sticky Fabri Solvy sheets are made up of two layers – a paper backing layer and a nonwoven fabric-type layer. (2) This is the side that you print on. Yes – print!! Whoopeee!! No more tedious tracing – this product makes it possible to transfer even the most intricate designs totally accurately. One issue I’ve found with Sulky Sticky Fabri Solvy (I do wish they’d think of a shorter name!) is that you can’t properly see the colour of your background fabric through it. (3) This isn’t a
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problem when embroidering on white or cream of course, or if you’re working from a pattern, but can be a little more challenging when you’re making it up as you go along designing a new pattern! In photo (3) was working on a beautifully rich gold-coloured linen background. I’m sure you can see the problem – it’s really hard to see how the finished design will look – until I turn my work over (4) and then the colours really sing!
- you must be stitching on a background fabric that can be soaked in water for at least an hour, and preferably longer.
The fabric layer has a sticky back, so when you’ve printed your design you simply peel it away from the paper backing and press into place on your background fabric where you want your design to be. Unlike some other stitchers, I haven’t found a problem with sticky residue on my needle at all, and the sticky fabri solvy acts as a stabilizer which can be helpful.
In image (6) it’s been in the water for about five minutes. I usually leave mine face down for at least an hour to make sure every little bit has dissolved away, and then I rinse thoroughly. (do check that your fabric won’t shrink though – and be sure to pre-wash if you’re in any doubt at all).
Using this product also makes it easy to transfer your design to thicker fabrics that you can’t trace the pattern onto, as well as textured or dark coloured fabrics. When you’ve completed your stitching you simply immerse your work in cold water - this is a drawback of using this product
I usually put mine into the water upside down so any residue, and printer ink particles, can disperse to the bottom of the basin, but here it’s the right way up so you can see how the Fabri Solvy is beginning to curl and disappear (5).
The only issue I’ve had is if I don’t rinse thoroughly, and leave any printed particles behind, then my printer inkjet inks can bleed into my background fabric. But that really is my fault for not rinsing and these days I’m super careful, often leaving my design overnight to make sure every particle of ink has dissolved out of the design.
Rosie’s Houseplants pattern
The Beautiful Bluebell
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Native bluebells are one of the most stunning sights in the British countryside, and in 2002, they were voted the UK’s favourite wild flower. A bluebell wood is a wood which in spring has a carpet of bluebells underneath a newly forming leaf canopy. The thicker the summer canopy, the more competitive ground-cover is suppressed, encouraging a dense carpet of bluebells, whose leaves mature and die down by early summer. Bluebell displays can be found all over the UK and the best time to see them is in late April and May. The unforgettable sight of a bluebell wood in bloom has been celebrated by poets throughout the centuries, and often
comparisons are drawn between the shimmering blue haze of he flowers and impressions of wood smoke or water between the trees. The arrival of the railway in the middle of the 19th century introduced the perfect way to appreciate a wood full of bluebells from a slowly moving steam train, without fear of stepping on and spoiling a single flower or leaf. It was nostalgia for these springtime journeys that helped save a small branch line threatened with closure in the 1950’s - today the Bluebell Line in Sussex is a major tourist attraction when the flowers are in bloom. Although bluebells are, by nature, blue, their colour can vary from
pale lavender to deep indigo and white flowers are often seen. They belong to the lily family and their sticky sap, evident as soon as they are picked, was used in medieval times as a crude paper glue. Bluebells are, however, under threat from both the illegal digging up of wild bulbs for sale at nurseries and garden centres (be sure to insist of proof of provenance before buying bluebell bulbs for your garden) and also from hybridisation with the Spanish bluebell, a bigger, scentless variety. Planting native British bluebells rather than these foreigners in your garden is a good way to help the native species survive.
Floral Hoop Embroidery This spring I’m loving the combination of soft dusty pinks and gentle blues which come together with great effect in this little embroidered hoop - in my opinion this is indeed a beautiful palette for spring. Shown mounted in an 8” hoop the design uses stem stitch, bullion stitch, French knots, satin stitch and back stitch.
Method
Materials ● 12” square white background fabric suitable for hand embroidery
● Transfer the design to the centre of your fabric using the method of your choice
● 8” hoop
● Design is stitched in two strands of floss throughout except where otherwise stated in the stitching guide on the following page.
● DMC stranded cotton floss in colours 310, 335, 434, 471, 733, 747, 760, 906, 967, 3024, 3345, 3740.
● When your work is finished press lightly on the reverse being careful not to flatten your stitches.
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● Use French knots with different numbers of twists for the large and small blossoms.
Notes ● The colour chart is on the following page. You will see that a number of elements are repeated around the garland, these are all worked in the same way.
● The larger flowers are radiating straight stitch - I find it easiest to work stitches at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock then fill between them as this keeps my stitches radiating evenly.
● The text in the centre may be worked in either two rows of back stitch or alternatively chain stitch. Make longer stitches down the straight parts of the letters and shorter ones around the curves.
● If you’re unsure how to work any of the stitches used then you’ll find more details in guide over on the free patterns page of our website.
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Colour Guide
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The Patchwork Quilt She mixes blue and mauve and green, Purple and orange, white and red, And all the colours in between To patch a cover for her bed. Oblong, triangle, star and square, Oval, and round she makes them fit Into a wondrous medley there, Colour by colour, bit by bit. Over her knee it swiftly flows, And round her feet, a bright cascade, While at her touch it grows and grows, Until at last the quilt is made And then across the bed it lies, A thing of gorgeous crazy bloom, As if a rainbow from the skies Had shattered in her little room.
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Tastes of the Season: Jersey Royal Potatoes Jersey Royal potatoes have been grown on the Channel Island of Jersey for 140 years. The southfacing island slopes are perfect for producing these early cropping potatoes as the soil is light and well drained on the steep fields that slope down to the beaches. There is little danger of frost as the fields are so close to the sea, so the potatoes can be planted early and will grow fast producing beautifully flavoured tubers. The best fields’ crops have to be lifted by hand as machinery is unable to cope with the steepness of the land. If you spot some, be sure to eat them on the same day to really appreciate their freshness - boiled plain or with a spring of mint and served with a little butter and salt. Besides being unique to Jersey, the Jersey Royal enjoys EU protection of designation of origin in much the same way that France was granted sole use of the word 'champagne'. The Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is an official recognition granted by the EU to protect the product as it is produced in its country of origin. In other words, if a batch of potatoes doesn't have the PDO it isn't the genuine article. Jersey Royals are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates or starch, which are usually the main source of energy for the body and vital for growth and development. They’re also a great source of vitamin C and other vital nutrients. You can find out more and get some great recipe ideas too at www.jerseyroyals.co.uk
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Rosie’s Recipes: Eggstra Special!
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We never had hens, but our next-door-neighbour-but-one had a small flock and I remember that it was at about this time of year that they began laying in earnest again. Whilst you can’t beat a fresh, still-warm egg, lightly poached or boiled, there are so many exciting tasty ways they can be cooked and I hope you enjoy the ones I’ve included here.
Custard Tart This pie has been popular since Tudor times (before even Mum was born haha!) When the filling would have been made with vegetables or fruit, eggs thick cream and lots of spices. Originally the pastry case was there to provide a “coffyn” or container in which to cook the custard. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients For the pastry
● 175 g plain flour ● 75 g unsalted butter ● 50 g caster sugar ● 1 egg yolk ● 1-2 tablespoons ice-cold water For the filling
● 3 eggs ● 1 level teaspoon cornflour ● 425 ml single cream or milk ● 1 vanilla pod pierced ● Grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Method
flour using your fingertips. Stir in 10 g of the sugar. ● Beat the egg yolk with cold water and add to the flour and butter mixture. Roll into a dough, knead very lightly and set aside in a cool place to chill for 30 minutes. Then roll out on a lightly floured board and line an 8” flan tin. ● Chill again. Bake blind for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is almost cooked. Remove from the oven, and leave to cool while you make the filling. ● Lower the oven temperature to 150C (gas mark 2). ● Make the filling: Beat the eggs and mix in the cornflour and remaining sugar. Beat until the sugar granules have dissolved. ● Heat the cream or milk with the vanilla pod until it reaches boiling point. Pour onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously. ● Remove the vanilla pod. Strain through a sieve into the flan case and sprinkle with the grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon. ● Bake in the centre of the oven for about 45 minutes or until the custard is set (test with a fine skewer which should come out clean when it’s ready).
● Pre-heat the oven to 190C (gas mark 5).
● Remove from the oven when set and leave to cool a little before removing from the flan tin.
● Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the
● Serve warm or cold.
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Cheese and Chive Tart We always had (and Mum still does) a clump of chives in our garden - perfectly fresh and ready to include in this tart. Chives are really easy to grow (ours even survived Ben’s enormous paws trampling over them) and have pretty purple flowers too - why not try your own this year?
Ingredients
For the pastry ● 200 g plain flour ● 100 g butter, chilled and cubed ● Pinch of salt ● Pinch of cayenne pepper ● 25 g Parmesan or Cheddar cheese, grated ● 1 large egg, beaten
For the filling ● 3 large eggs, lightly whisked ● 125 g creamy goat’s cheese ● 100 ml crème fraiche ● 2 tablespoons chopped chives ● Pepper
● Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg ● 250 g firm goat’s cheese, rind removed
Method ● To make the pastry rub the flour butter salt and cayenne until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and egg and mix until combined, adding a little cold water if needed. Turn out the dough, knead briefly, then chill for 20 minutes. ● Roll out the pastry to line a 9” deep loose-based tart tin. Press into the tin, prick the base with a fork and chill for 30 minutes. ● Bake blind at 200C for 15 minutes. Remove the greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the centre is cooked. Brush the inside of the pastry case with a little of the whisked egg and return to the oven for 1 minute. Remove and set aside. Reduce your oven temperature to 180C. ● Mix the remaining eggs with the creamy goat’s cheese, crème fraiche and chives, and season with pepper and nutmeg. Crumble the firm goat’s cheese into the egg mixture and pour the filling into the pastry case. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just set. ● Serve warm.
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Lemon Curd Sunshine in a jar that makes a deliciously different alternative to jam for all kinds of things - my personal favourite is in the middle of one of Mum’s Victoria sponges! This recipe makes around 700g (1 ½ lbs). Keep in the fridge and eat within 2 weeks. You can also make orange (or indeed any other kind of citrus) curd and I’ve included the recipe for that too.
Ingredients ● Grated zest and juice of 4 medium unwaxed lemons ● 4 medium eggs, beaten ● 125 g butter, cut into small pieces ● 350 g golden caster sugar.
Method ● Put all the ingredients into a double boiler or a large heatproof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. ● Continue to heat gently, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon; do not allow to boil or it will curdle. ● Strain the lemon curd through a fine sieve. ● Pot into a sterilised jar covering with a waxed disc while warm. Leave to go cold then seal with cellophane and an elastic band.
Orange Curd Ingredients ● Grated zest and juice of 2 large oranges ● Juice of ½ lemon ● 225 g golden caster sugar ● 125 g unsalted butter ● 3 large egg yolks beaten
Method ● Put all the ingredients into a double boiler or a large heatproof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. ● Continue to heat gently, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon; do not allow to boil or it will curdle. ● Strain the orange curd through a fine sieve. ● Pot into a sterilised jar covering with a waxed disc while warm. Leave to go cold then seal with cellophane and an elastic band. ● Note:
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Eggstra-ordinary Eggs! Chicken eggs are by far the most common in our kitchens but there are of course many others to choose between: ● Quail (pictured below) are small and quite fiddly to peel, but are great in canapes, individual gala pies and more. ● Pheasant eggs have a deep yellow yolk and a rich flavour. They’re quite a bit smaller than chicken eggs and are in season from April to June. ● Chicken eggs are the kind we’re all familiar with. Always be sure to choose free-range if possible. The colour of the shell will tell you whether the yolk will be dark or pale (there is no difference in nutritional value) ● Duck eggs have a creamy yolk with a gelatinous texture and a rich flavour. They’re great for baking but I personally find them a little too rich for serving as boiled eggs. ● Goose eggs are even richer and creamier than ducks. One goose egg is equivalent to two-three chicken eggs so they’re perfect for sharing. They’re in season from March until June ● Ostrich eggs are ENORMOUS!! Each one is as big as two dozen - yes that really is 24 - large chicken eggs - how exciting if you’re able to get hold of one. The flavour is quite light but distinctive and they’re in season from late March to early September.
● Turkey eggs are quite rare as turkeys don’t actually lay very many eggs. They have a large and very creamy yolk and are in season from April to June. ● And finally - one you’re unlikely to come across in your local supermarket(!) - Emu lay beautiful dark bluish green eggs that have a mild taste and a light fluffy texture. They’re in season from late November to early May.
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Shakshuka Following family holidays to all corners of the Mediterranean - and sometimes further afield too - Mum would come home all fired up to try making some of the delicious new dishes we’d experienced while away. Sometimes these experiments were successful - sometimes not (in which case we were very sure to make our feelings known so that they wouldn’t be repeated!). But Mum’s shakshuka turned out to be a great success and one which we often enjoyed for lunches and suppers in the warmer months. And if you haven’t heard of it before, shakshuka is a delicious combination of eggs, tomatoes and spices popular across the Middle East and North Africa. This recipe serves 4.
Ingredients ● 1½ tablespoons olive oil ● 1 large red onion, thinly sliced ● 1 large red pepper, thinly sliced ● 3 garlic cloves, crushed ● 1 long fresh red chilli, thinly sliced ● ¼ teaspoon caster sugar ● 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes ● 4 eggs ● 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
● ½ teaspoon ground coriander ● ¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
Method ● Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook onion for 3 minutes or until soft. Stir in capsicum, garlic and fresh chilli for 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in paprika, cumin, ground coriander, dried chilli flakes and sugar for 1 minute or until aromatic. Season. ● Add the tomato. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Use the back of a spoon to make 4 large, evenly spaced hollows in the mixture. Crack an egg into each hollow. ● Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes for soft yolks or until cooked as you like them.
● 2 teaspoons ground cumin
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Tastes of the Season: Wild Garlic This is the time of year to put on your boots and venture out into the woods and along the hedgerows to forage for wild garlic. These are also known as ransoms and grow in damp areas of deciduous woodland where they can form huge sheets of vibrant green strap-like leaves topped with small white star-like flowers. It’s easy to find wild garlic - all you need to do is follow your nose as the air will be filled with its pungent scent. The wild garlic - unlike its domesticated cousin has no edible bulb - you should just pick the leaves. The young leaves have quite a fierce flavour and are good raw in salads, whilst the larger ones can be cooked briefly in a little oil or butter, or used to make soups or pesto. You will need to pick a large quantity as they cook down to almost nothing - rather like spinach.
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Inspiration
inspiration
A closer look at some of the accounts we love‌ C:\Users\Debbie\Downl...\penandpaperpatterns.png
@ernieandirene
@urbannestdesigns
Based in Pennsylvania, Holly creates felted, handmade fiber art wall hangings featuring lots of animals, but mostly sheep and alpaca because they're her favorite!
Lindsey is a wife, mama, llama lover and chocolate enthusiast based in Salt Lake City. She designs and makes beautiful embroidery, weaves and macrame.
C:\Users\Debbie\Downloads\Ins...\fuzzyandflora.png
@wildearthembroidery
@woodland.tale
Harriet is a Nature Enthusiast based in Cheltenham. She designs and creates beautiful embroidery hoop art - we especially love her cacti!
Kate stitches tales in beautiful Ukraine. Not only does she make and sell gorgeous plushies and dolls, her Etsy store also stocks unique rubber stamps made by her husband.
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Auntie’s Cat Cushion Cover Last month little Freddie went with his mum and dad to visit his auntie and uncle who live in Manchester in the north of England. While he was there he made friends with their two adorable cats - and hasn’t stopped chattering about them ever since! So this cushion is just for Freddie (and anyone else who loves cats too), featuring a very self-satisfied feline with his tail curled happily around his round grey body taking a snooze in the afternoon sun. This is really easy freestyle machine applique - just take care when positioning the stripes on his tail! Finished cushion measures 16” tall x 12” wide.
before beginning my project. But a black medium weight cotton fabric or a nice wool-blend felt would work very well too.
Materials ● 14”x 9” grey marl felt (or colour of your preference)
● Pink and black embroidery floss
● 6” x 4” white felt for markings (or again colour of your choice)
stranded
cotton
● Bondaweb ● Temporary fabric marker pen
● Small scraps of pink felt and yellow felt/fabric
● Embroidery foot for your sewing machine
● Two 18” x 14” rectangles of black background fabric. I used black hessian which, as it was quite loosely woven, I backed with fusible black interfacing
● Black and a light coloured sewing thread ● Toy stuffing
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Method ● Trace the cat shape from the reversed template onto the paper side of your Bondaweb. Cut out roughly and fuse to your grey felt with a hot iron, protecting your work with a cloth if necessary. ● Cut out carefully and position in the centre of one of your rectangles of black fabric. ● Repeat for the white markings, carefully referring to the smaller image before the template (which is the right way round) to ensure you place them in the right positions. ● When you’re happy with the positioning fuse into place with a hot iron, again protecting your work with a cloth. Be very careful just to press down and hold for 10 seconds don’t move your iron backwards and forwards as you may make your shapes shift out of position. ● Add the ears, nose and bow tie in the same way. ● Draw in the cat’s features, legs and tail with your temporary fabric marker pen.
● Cut around your cat shape keeping between 2 ½ and 3 ½” from the actual edge of the cat.
● Drop the feed dogs on your sewing machine and with black thread in your needle and a paler colour in the bobbin go around the edge of each shape twice. Don’t be too neat - you’re aiming for a sort of scribbled effect.
● Place this shape on top of your second rectangle of black fabric and pin or baste with right sides together. ● Machine stitch around the edge of the shape using a ¼” seam allowance. Trim away excess fabric and clip curves.
● With your sewing machine needle “draw” in the cat’s legs and the line of his tail.
● Turn right side out and press. Stuff fairly firmly, using small pieces of stuffing to avoid lumpiness.
● Stitch the eyes and mouth with three strands of black floss and back stitch. Add little pink cheeks with three strands of pink floss and satin stitch.
● Close the stuffing gap by hand using ladder stitch.
● When you’re finished remove all the temporary lines and press your work lightly on the reverse.
● FINISHED!
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The Cuckoo
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The cuckoo is a rather nondescript grey bird with a decidedly dysfunctional family life, yet its instantly recognisable call and its habit of returning to our shores around this time of year from its winter home in Africa have made it one of the best known heralds of spring. Indeed the letters page of newspaper traditionally alerts its readers when the first cuckoo is heard every year. The name “cuckoo” seems to have derived from the old Norman word but the first “cuckoo” in English literature is found in the birdcall chorus of the song “Sumer is Icumen In” which dates from around 1240.
“Sumer is icumen in - Llude sing cuccu Groweth sed and bloweth med and spring be wode nu Sing cuccu” Which translates to
“Summer is a-coming in, loudly sing cuckoo; Grows the seed and blooms the mead (meadow) and springs the wood anew. Sing cuckoo.” The traditional day of the arrival of the first cuckoo here in England is 14 April, almost exactly half-way through the spring months of March, April and May. In Shropshire, Cuckoo Morning, when the cuckoo was first heard became a Gaudy day - a holiday for the miners. It’s Heffle Fair
though, held in Heathfield, Herts on 14 April that charts the cuckoo’s journey and with it the arrival of spring “proper.” The legend is that an old woman at the fair let a bird fly from her basket, and the bird flew up England “carrying warmer days with him.” The cuckoo only makes its distinctive call in spring and early summer, during which time the call changes to more of a “gowk” before it eventually falls silent.
“In April, come I will; In May I prepare to stay; In June, I change my tune; In July, I prepare to fly; In August, go I must.” Once the cuckoo fall silent, summer is well underway and harvest time is drawing near. Flowers and insects are also connected with the cuckoo, and there are at least ten different species known as “cuckoo flower” in different parts of the country that traditionally bloom with the arrival of the cuckoo. “Cuckoo spit” is produced by the froghopper insect and is a froth that you’ll often see over hedgerow greenery that acts as a protection for their offspring. There are innumerable superstitions connected with the cuckoo - in the county where I now live - Somerset - we are advised to run around in a circle when we hear the first cuckoo to avoid idleness (I shall be very carefully monitoring my fellow dog-walkers
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to see if they adhere to this custom!). Another superstition is that you will spend the whole year doing whatever you were doing when you first heard the bird. Consequently having a pocketful of money on first hearing the call was a good omen, and in Cornwall hearing a cuckoo on your right hand side would bring prosperity. In various parts of the country the cuckoo could warn of - or bring illness, disaster or even death by calling over a house or alighting on a chimney or rotten wood. It could even predict how long you were likely to live - a belief dating back as far as the fourteenth century at least. The cuckoo was also seen as a bringer of bad luck with its mocking cry of “cuckold” - the words “cuckoo” and “cuckold” were closely associated and the word “cuckold” also originated in the 13th century. (A husband who is being cheated on by his wife). The association came about due to the cuckoo’s habit of laying its eggs in other birds’ nests. Chaucer called the cuckoo “ever unkynde” (c.1381) and Milton declared it to be “the rude bird of hate.” There is perhaps more folklore associated with the cuckoo than any other bird, bringing with it images of ye olde merrie England in the springtime. But today the cuckoo is on the red list of endangered birds in this country, a victim of climate change and human intervention.
When daisies pied and violets blue, And lady-smocks all silverwhite, And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue Do paint the meadows with delight The cuckoo then on every tree Mocks married men; for thus sings he, “Cuckoo: Cuckoo, cuckoo” - O word of fear, Unpleasing to a married ear!
Extract from “Love’s Labour’s Lost” by William Shakespeare 47
Gilbert White, writing in Hampshire in the eighteenth century recorded that the earliest date he’d heard the song of the cuckoo was 7 April, and the latest 26 April. But by the end of the twentieth century earliest date that the call of the cuckoo was recorded 200 years earlier has become the norm. But just as the arrival of spring is no longer as predictable as it was, how many of us actually hear a cuckoo’s call from year to year? Numbers of cuckoos have steadily declined in England with a 63% drop over the past quarter-century. The birds migrate to Britain from the African Congo each spring this in itself is a gruelling and risky journey and the birds will be affected by droughts and other challenges as they fly over two continents. Then, even when they
arrive here there are further problems as the moth population (upon whose caterpillars they feed) has fallen by 60% since the 1930s. Even the cuckoo’s most infamous survival strategy - laying their eggs in other birds nests - has its limitations. They have evolved the ability to lay mimic eggs so that the parents will be fooled into accepting them and fostering the cuckoo’s chicks, but each cuckoo female can usually only lay one type of mimic egg from the dozens of potential hosts that were once available. This means individual cuckoo pairs are reliant on the survival of other species as they appear to be unable to adapt to lay new mimic eggs. And of course if they do find a host family, they’re threatening the survival of that species too.
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The cuckoo then, is on the verge of fading into the mists of history. Most of us go from year to year without ever hearing a cuckoo in the wild, but in our collective memory remember the announcement in , as well as nature programmes on TV and radio the cuckoo remains alive in our consciousness as the herald of spring and early summer. It’s possible that in a generation or two - certainly in my little grandson’s lifetime, the sound of the cuckoo may well be as elusive as the song of the nightingale is today, and if that happens, spring will become more silent and another link with our history, folklore and legend will have been lost forever.
Look!
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a lovely idea
Pom Pom Branches
This is such a simple but effective idea, whether you use purchased pompoms or make your own. I’m wondering about making my own version with the twigs painted white and pastel pompoms to serve as my Easter tree this year. Thank you so much Amanda Formaro of Crafts by Amanda for sharing this idea with us.
Free from Crafts by Amanda: Pom Pom Branches 49
From Passion to Profit
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It’s wonderful when you discover that it’s actually possible to earn some money by doing something you love - like sewing! In part three of our series of hints and tips for new sellers we’re looking at marketing and PR…. reverse too - why not picture one of your most popular products on the back?
Effective marketing and PR are absolutely essential without them you won't be able to reach your potential customers and tell them about your products. Unless people know you exist and how they can purchase from you then you'll never be able to sell anything.
Catalogue or Brochure Woooo - sounds scary - but isn't really. If you're operating as a "proper" business then you'll need something to give out to new and potential customers to remind them or introduce them to your business and products. If it's early days, then this doesn't need to be expensive or complicated - consider a simple postcard with an image of one or more of your products on the front and all your information on the reverse. Take them to a craft fair next time you go and slip one into every customer's bag, and make sure they're available for people to pick up whether they purchase from you this time or not - they may well be your customers of the future.
Sometimes people become confused between the terms marketing and PR - Marketing is using advertising, leaflets, business cards and other methods to communicate information about yourself and your business to target your customers, whilst PR (public relations) is using the media to make your customers aware of your business. Featuring in magazines or newspapers - or maybe even appearing on TV or being interviewed by local radio, are all great ways to gain exposure for yourself and your business. Then of course there's going online with your own website and using social media - coming in future issues.
If you're more established, then a product catalogue can be very useful, showing your entire range - great to send to retailers and press representatives who may well pick up on one or more of your designs. Make sure your catalogue has a good photograph of each product as well as brief details (including any available variations) and a reference number - to avoid any confusion if and when an order is being placed. I would recommend creating a separate price list so that if your prices change you don't have to ditch your existing catalogues and create a whole new one.
But back to marketing and PR - before you even begin to try to spread the word about yourself you need to have all your tools and information ready. Business Cards These are a great way of making sure people remember you and your products. Imagine you're at a craft fair when a retailer gets chatting to you. She loves your products and is interested in stocking them. She can't make a decision on the spot but would like to get back to you in the next few days and asks - do you have a business card? I'm sure you'll agree that handing her a nicely produced, clear, well-branded business card with all your contact details is far preferable to scribbling your contact details on the proverbial back of an envelope!
If you sell through craft fairs then the organisers will be doing plenty of advertising - after all they want their fair to be well attended so sellers will repeat their bookings next time. It may be that you feel this is sufficient advertising for your business at present otherwise consider other low-cost advertising methods - local post office or newsagents' window displays, local press, village magazine etc. and concentrate on gaining exposure through other methods.
It's easy to design your own business card, or use an online service with easy templates - but be sure they tie in with your overall branding (see February’s issue for more about this). Don't forget cards have a
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PR is a fantastic - and free! - way of gaining positive publicity for your business, but you’ll need to do quite a bit of groundwork first to make sure you’re targeting the right people at the right publications for your business. Consider approaching mainstream magazines and newspapers - being featured is free, and it's wellproven that editorial content has much more impact on sales than any paid advertising could ever hope to achieve for you. It's hard not to feel intimidated by the thought of contacting national publications - after all why would they be interested in little old you, you ask yourself. But remember, journalists are always looking for interesting content to attract readers and make their publication a success - all you need to do is convince them that to feature you is the best choice they could make out of all the other businesses clamouring for their attention! Take a good look at the magazines available and purchase copies of those where you feel your business might be a good "fit." Then note down all the
areas of these magazines that you realistically feel you could be featured in. Many magazines like to write about people who've actually taken the plunge to start their own business the "We did it" kind of articles. Or perhaps you live in a beautiful home that they might like to photograph with your products scattered around of course?! Then there are the "New this Month" or "What's Hot in the Marketplace" types of pages - you could aim to have an image and details of one of your products featured on this sort of page. Remember that magazines will receive literally hundreds of emails or letters from hopefuls, so it's really important that you target the right person for your pitch. If you don't then your carefully worded email is likely simply to be deleted - and odds are you'll never know what went wrong. At the front of a magazine you'll see there's usually a list of staff and their job titles - see if you can identify who does what from the magazine pages or use your
Business cards are a great investment‌
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Most contact these days is by email, and editors will receive hundreds, so it’s even more important to get it right!
initiative - the Features Editor may well commission articles, though not write them him or herself. It's also important to keep in mind that magazines have a lead-time - that is to say how far in advance of the date of publication they are putting the publication together. For monthly publications you'll need to get information to them roughly three months before the date of publication, so for a product to be included in the April issue, you'll need to approach them early January time!
the key points - your USP (unique selling point) to grab their attention - you don't want them to think "boring" and move on - you need them to want to read further. Sell yourself and your story hear - what's unique, interesting, new about your story. Writing in the present tense is good - it gives a sense of immediacy and that your story is current - journalists are not interested in stale, historical information. Include a quote if you can - maybe particularly nice customer feedback - this will help bring your story to life. Include one or two low-res (sized for email) photos in the body of the text to catch their eye.
After you've identified the member of staff you should contact - and decided when's the best time to do so, you'll need to put an email together.
Again in just a couple of sentences say why and where you feel your story would be a good fit with their magazine. This will act as a pointer to the journalist and again show you've done your research.
Consider the following format as a starting point: Be brief, but try to grab their attention and stand out from the crowd Use their name - it shows you've done your research Introductory sentence (possibly two sentences, but no more):
Tell them that you hope to hear from them soon. Sign off and include all your contact information If you are featured, then be sure to contact the journalist after the feature appears - send a card or even a tiny gift saying something like "thank you so
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Little Spring Lamb One of the signs that spring really has sprung(!) Is the emergence of small woolly and utterly enchanting spring lambs. Full of energy, mischief and inquisitiveness they are a delight to watch - but only for a short while - as all too soon they settle down to the serious business of becoming a proper grown-up sheep. Our spring lamb is more like a mother sheep than one of her babies, but I think she too is charming with her soft cuddle fleece coat and little bunch of felt flowers. Her slender legs have some very simple wiring - but even if you’ve never tried this technique before I’m sure you’ll find it very easy. Little Spring Lamb measures 3 ½” tall (approximately)
● Cream or white, grey and black stranded cotton floss.
Materials ● 10” square grey marl wool blend felt
● Toy stuffing
● 12” square cream or white cuddle fleece
● Stuffing stick - this can be as simple as a bamboo skewer with the point broken off and the end “frayed” so that it grabs the stuffing as you work with it. You don’t have to have one of these, but I find it’s an invaluable tool for stuffing narrow and hard-to-reach places such as the sheep’s legs.
● 6” x 2 mm (1/16”) wire - I used garden wire (Dobbies heavy duty wire if you’re in the UK!) ● 4 ½” fine gauge green florist’s wire for the flower stems ● Tiny scraps of pastel coloured felt for the flowers
● Glue gun or PVA glue
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● Join the underbody to the side pieces on both sides from C to D around the legs, then continue joining the top gusset from to the side bodies on both sides from the nose at D. The seam between the top gusset and the underbody should fall on the top of the sheep’s nose at D. If for some reason it doesn’t then simply trim back the ends of both pieces until the seam falls in the right place. This is fine and won’t affect the finished shape of the sheep.
Notes: ● The sheep is made in two parts. First you make her body in grey felt and then the fleece is made as a second separate piece which you stitch in place over the grey felt. ● Cut out all pieces as directed on the full size templates. Please be aware that the template for the fleece is actually larger than the template for the body so don’t be tempted to simply adapt the body one as this will make the fleece body rather snug fitting!
● Join the top gusset to half way down the back. ● Cut your garden wire into two 3” long pieces and bend each piece into a “U” shape.
● The grey felt body is joined with wrong sides together and a decorative cross stitch using two strands of grey floss. This is formed by whip stitching over the edges in one direction, then returning back over the seam angling your return stitches in the opposite direction so they form the other half of the cross stitch.
● Push a little stuffing down into the bottom of each leg, then insert each arm of the U down into the sheep’s legs and push more stuffing down around it (you will only need very tiny amounts). ● Close the seams at the top, stuffing your sheep as you go so you have a nice firm body shape that should stand up by itself. It won’t really look much like a sheep at this stage - that comes with the fleece.
● The fleece is joined with right sides together and a short back stitch using two strands of cream floss or if you prefer it would be fine to use cream thread. ● The raw edges of the fleece (around the face and at the legs) are not hemmed as they won’t experience any wear and tear.
● Now make the fleece. Join the side bodies to the top gusset from X to Y, leaving a gap in the seam ½” from the edge of the face (V) where you will insert the ears.
Method:
● Join the underbody from Y to U leaving the bottom of the back legs open.
● Cut out all the grey felt pieces from the template. There really is a hole (sorry I couldn’t think of a more technical term) in the middle of the underbody.
● Turn right side out and slip the fleece onto the sheep. ● Continue joining the underbody to the side pieces from U to Z. You will have to make very small stitches on the right side of the fabric, but this is fine, they will be hidden by the fleece.
● Join the sides of the underbody “hole” from A to B (this will make the body a little slimmer underneath and ensure that her legs stay nicely beneath her. ● Join the underbody to the top gusset at D.
● Stitch fleece into place with small stitches around the face and bottoms of the legs.
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● Work a single large fly stitch for the muzzle
● Fold the grey felt ears in half at the base. Secure with a few stitches, then push the base through the gap you left in the seam and stitch in place.
● Cut your florist’s wire into three equal pieces. ● Cut flower shapes from your scraps of pastel felt.
● With wrong sides together fold the tail in half at W and whip stitch around the curved edge. Join tail to main body at W.
● Push one end of each piece of wire through the centre of each flower shape and bend over to secure, adding a dab of glue if necessary.
● Mark the position of the eyes with glassheaded pins. Take your time over this as their position will affect the final expression of your sheep. Make sure they’re level from all angles. When you’re happy with the positioning work French knots in black floss for the eyes, pulling your thread quite tightly through the head to create little hollows for the eyes to sit in.
● Bunch the flowers together and secure onto the sheep’s nose with another dab of glue. ● Your sheep is now finished!
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A (very) Little Guide to Working with Fleece Fabric When you’re working with soft cuddly fleece fabric there are just a few things you need to remember to help you achieve the nicest possible result:
● Pin or tack your seams together before stitching and push the pile down between the two pieces of fabric while doing so. This will help to disguise the seams on the right side and give thickness to the pile around the edges of ears and other parts of your softie. If you do catch any pile into your stitching when you’re sewing the seams, then this can be lifted from the seam with the blunt end of your needle.
● When you’re cutting out your pieces, do try not to cut too much of the fur pile, especially if it’s quite long. It may be easier to try using a craft knife or rotary cutter as you’re less likely to accidentally snip strands of fur away. ● Fleece fabric can be sewn either by hand or machine, but I do think that for the neatest, least visible seams and best finish it’s probably best to stitch by hand. But do make sure your stitches are small - even though the fabric is quite thick. If your stitches are too large, then your seams will be a lot weaker and you may even find yourself with gaps that need closing.
● You should insert any pins at right angles to the seam and not along it to avoid stretching and slippage. If machine stitching you can sew over pins placed at right angles to the seam though, as fleece can be stretchy, slippery and generally difficult to handle, you may wish to baste before machining seams. I usually find pinning is perfectly adequate for hand stitching though.
● When you’re hand stitching a short back stitch is probably the best stitch to use for this type of fabric.
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“The world is so expansive and rich�
Meet the Maker
Kimberly Hodges talks to us about her business, Goldfish Marmalade, her travels and inspiration and plans for the future too. Can you tell us a little about your American Craft Council and a home design store placed a large home and where you live? I live on an acre in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. along with my teenage son Roan and my two papillon dogs Yoshi and Lucy.
Do you have a creative background? How did you get started. I remember drawing all the time in fifth grade and I never really stopped. When I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Humanities degree in 1990 the economy was just terrible! In my free spirited way I moved to Europe-Amsterdam and Europeand was miraculously able to sell my handmade bookmarks and magnets to the tourists there. When I returned to the States in 1994 I started taking ceramics classes and built on my self taught painting and drawing skills.
How did your business begin? I had a little studio with another studio potter in San Antonio, TX and began to sell handmade tiles. My first trade show was with the
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order with me. I have to admit that it set my career on a more commercially oriented track almost from the start. When I moved to Asheville in 1997 I was near the huge gift market shows in Atlanta, so it was at those shows that I began to accumulate stores which carried my designs. By 2003 I had almost 1000 wholesale customers and 5 employees. I then proceeded to license my designs to large home accent and stationary manufacturers from 2004 to present. I learned wood in 2013 and have been primarily focused on combining the mediums of painting, ceramics, and wood ever since.
How would you describe your creative process? Generally it is quite intuitive; I may see an image online or in a magazine and this will spark inspiration. As much as my mind wants to see a finished product
If you love Kimberly’s quirky and colourful creations and would like to find out more you can find her online at “Goldfish Marmalade” ….
http://www.etsy.com/shop/GoldfishMarmalade http://www.pinterest.co.uk/kimhodgesstudio/ http://www.instagram.com/kimberlyhodgesart/
before beginning it is really the process of creating that will produce a piece, so I may sketch an initial outline but the process itself produces the work. As I have gotten older I have come to terms with the fact that there is great resistance to doing anything creative. Reading the War of Art really helped me accept that barrelling through the force field of creative resistance is an intrinsic part of the creative process; at least for me!
Craft show season is about to begin so a lot of my time is spent either preparing pieces for those shows or working on Etsy orders. But in the more artistic zone I’m ecstatic to be working on 3-D vignettes in a light box theatre. My partner Robin (who happens to be English and is the creator of the puppet series Rosie and Jim and Tots TV) are collaborating on this together. He loves to animate things and I love to create scenes so we hope to have something to share soon!
licensing behind in 2013 to refocus on the handmade only.
And what's the best thing about running your own business? I’ve been self employed since 1996! I love the freedom of how I allocate my time and that the business has allowed me to really be there for my son. I have very supportive and devoted customers that keep me going through thick and thin. I usually work alone and with my hands so this allows me to listen to so many shows, philosophies, and podcasts; my view of the world has become so expansive and rich.
How do you keep yourself motivated and interested in your Please tell us a little about your work? workspace. How do you keep What are your plans for its future? organized? It’s tricky for me at the moment I have to do a little art just for me that’s not financially motivated, otherwise my motivation and inspiration in will just wither and die. As I make my living from my art this can be quite challenging to find the bandwidth and time to “retrieve the lost soul of art”. I know myself well enough now that my mornings are the best for creativity, so I am in the process of carving out habits that prioritize exercise and devoted creativity time in the morning. Art is a quiet and non insisting voice for me, so my challenge is to give it the respect of my time and devotion and not get sucked up into the millions of distractions that make up our modern life!
I have two separate studios; one for office work and painting and the other for the more messy mediums of ceramics and wood. Both rooms are filled with light and views of the mountains and wild turkeys roaming the land. Maintaining order and keeping up with supplies and stock takes up a lot of time and energy. I definitely strive to have a designated place for every tool and supply and that naturally helps keep order.
What has been your proudest achievement so far? From 2004 to 2008 I was represented by a gallery in Tokyo, and I took 7 trips there to display my paintings and product design work.
Do you finish a piece before moving onto the next, or do you work on several projects at the The Japanese are very respectful to artists and it was wonderful to show same time? Oh lord no. I like having at least 3 projects in motion at any one time. It makes for slow going in regards to completion I like it that way.
What are you working on now?
my work at places like Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya. Those shows were the culmination of a certain kind of style and product that I had evolved since I began my career. I am also proud of myself for leaving all the commercial production and
because in my heart of hearts I want to start doing more creative work; the collaborative animated 3-D vignettes with Robin, illustrated stories and maybe even a handmade doll line! Art for art’s sake. I have been an artist long enough to know that the muse cannot guarantee income in creative pursuits. My ultimate plans are to have more and more time devoted to pure creativity while keeping the faith that the universe will deliver the income to sustain those projects. I would love to work more with others as a creative team.
And finally, how would you spend your perfect weekend? ?I am very much missing travelling so a perfect weekend for me would be discovering a new place in France, Japan, or Europe and getting inspired by all that I see. But to be honest I have wonderful weekends already with Robin and Roan which include breakfast in bed, snuggling, lovely meals with friends, hikes, craft cider and hot springs soaks here in Asheville.
Lime Cordial Limes from the Tropics are fresh into their new season in April and make a marvellous sharp drink that you can enjoy right the way through the summer. Though it keeps well, it’s best stored in a bottle in the fridge as it’s processed as little as possible to retain both flavour and vitamins. Halve and squeeze 12 limes, retaining the juice. Place the squeezed shells in a large pan and pour over 1 pint of boiling water. Add a cinnamon stick and marinate for exactly 10 minutes. Strain and stir in 350 g caster sugar and 100 g soft brown sugar and allow to stand until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring the mixture rapidly to the boil and as soon as it’s boiling add your reserved lime juice and remove from the heat. Pour into sterilized bottles (either sterilize in the oven or use a baby sterilizing solution). This is fine to use immediately but will mature after two or three days. Dilute with still, fizzy or even hot water or use as a basis for springtime cocktails. This recipe makes 1 ½ pints of cordial. (900 ml)
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Freddie’s Dinosaurs Like a lot of youngsters my little grandson Freddie is fascinated by dinosaurs - or dino-ROARS as he insists on calling them! This picture would be great for a child’s bedroom - or why not use the individual dinosaur designs to decorate a wide range of items - bags, pencil cases and dungarees even - the choice is yours! This is a really easy design to stitch, using just back stitch, satin stitch, lazy daisy stitch and running stitch. Shown mounted on a 12” x 16” artist’s canvas block.
Materials
● ● Transfer the design to the centre of your fabric.
● 20” x 16” white background fabric - use a non-stretchy material such as cotton, linen or a cotton/linen blend
● Stitch following the instructions on the following page. When finished press your work lightly on the reverse being careful not to flatten the stitches.
● Stranded cotton floss in black, light pink and a nice bright green. You may find you need a second skein of black floss
● Mount on canvas block, turning the excess fabric to the back and securing with your staple gun. Start in the middle of each side and work outwards, mitring the corners and trimming away excess fabric.
● 12” x 16” artist’s canvas block ● Staple gun
Method
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Home Comforts At this time of year garden centres and supermarkets are full of spring bulbs and flowers perfect for creating a miniature indoor spring garden. Carefully remove the bulbs and plants from their containers and gently tease out the roots, breaking as few as possible. Line the bottom of the container with a few pebbles to help drainage then plant your chosen with a selection such as grape hyacinths, dwarf irises and small narcissi and perhaps a primula or two. Push the bulbs in carefully spreading out the roots and filling the gaps between them with a little indoor compost. When your container has finished flowering and the danger of frosts is past (your plants won’t be fully hardy after they’ve been indoors) replant its contents in your garden to enjoy again next spring.
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CLICK HERE to download easy-to-use pdf file containing all the templates for this month’s patterns. 67