A Prickly Customer....

Still using up the neon yarn, a bright orange shade this time. The photo doesn't dazzle like the yarn does in real life. I've crocheted the same basic square shoulder bag, with a blue panel on the front to represent the sky. I racked my brains to think what on earth to applique on such a hot colour and came up with the idea of a desert cactus. Perhaps it had something to do with a post I read on PG's blog about cacti which may have sewn a seed in my subconscious!

Anyway, here he is made of green felt with tiny button eyes and a cheerful smile. I've sewn him on with blanket stitch using bright green embroidery silk and scattered spines on him with the same silk.

I have another bag in blue awaiting a design but I am still torn between an underwater theme or cherry blossom - too tired today to make the decision. I've painted three potato illustrations in the space of a week as well as working on the portrait. Time to veg out in front of the TV with a beer I think......

Monkey-Monkey!

A couple of months back I knitted a mad pair of socks in neon yarn and had loads of the stuff left over. I'm more of a pastel girl myself, so have been wondering what to use it on ever since. While wandering through our local shopping centre, I noticed in one of the clothes shops that a lot of the summer clothes were in these bright colours, so had the thought that maybe combining some little crochet bags with some felt kawaii might be the answer.

Here's the result - a monkey bag! It's just a simple crochet square bag with the monkey appliqued on using blanket stitch in brown embroidery silk. Just what any girl needs.......
It's to go on my stall locally next month, but I'll also put it on Etsy. I'm making some more of these, variations on the theme, the next one in pale blue with the applique yet to be decided.

Still beavering away at potato/portrait painting - never enough hours in the day!

Puppy Pouch and Work on the Go......

SOLD!
Just a little something I knocked up to alleviate the boredom of knitting another adult size top. This little bag is crocheted in brown acrylic yarn, with a 3D stuffed and embroidered muzzle, vintage button eyes and a vintage button clasp. The smart polka-dot bow is made of felt and stitched on. The strap is a piece of 'French Knitting' in the same brown yarn. I have a stall at a summer fair next month - thought I had better produce a few child friendly items!


As well as painting/drawing a portrait of a pair of toddlers (progressing quite well so far) I have also started another potato picture - this is as far as I got yesterday. I'm quite excited by this one (how sad am I?) as not only are they one of my favourite potatoes to eat at the moment, 'Anya', but they are wonderfully knobbly with a hint of pink so a bit of a challenge to get right. Makes a change from the standard supermarket varieties I have had to paint lately. The above is just the initial blocking in stage, but you get the general idea.

Very shortly the new potatoes will start to be harvested and I will be getting them in thick and fast to paint. I think the estimate is 60 more paintings between now and the end of September, as the book is set to be published in November of this year. There will be a website up and running towards the end of the summer for anyone with an interest. I never thought my first real book illustration job would involve the humble spud!

Ants!

I've had this Japanese fabric for a while and had a plan in my head but never the time to wrestle with the sewing machine.....as well as 'breaking' the sewing machine for a while (long story involving me taking out a bobbin to untangle it and not putting the bits back correctly afterwards - I spent days trying to re-assemble it....my partner took five minutes to do it properly. Well, he is a mechanic!)

Anyway, yesterday I finally bit the bullet and cut a little bag out of the fabric as well as some pale blue felt lining and stitched it all together with a zip - looks almost professional! Then in the evening I made a little felt ant mascot (another Japanese pattern) and stitched him and his purloined cherry on to the bag. Going on to Etsy very shortly.

I did make another bag with a different fabric but haven't made it's applique yet. There will be a fair few of these now I have got the hang of it and the time to play.

Blue Butterflies & Red Roses

I've had these two hand-made glass butterflies for years - we bought them in Devon at Marble World (I think that's what it was called). I've never known what to do with them until now - I spent the afternoon fashioning them into a pair of earrings. They are on gold wire with matching blue glass hearts and beads. They are £8 + P&P

This is my Dark Rose bag - remember the yarn I got on Sunday? Well, the two balls of varigated red just cried out to be made into this completely OTT little bag. It is knitted, with knitted roses and leaves together with black beads, sequins and flowers sewn on, as well as a long red satin cord handle and just to top it off, a pair of sexy tassels. Too much? Who cares! It is also lined with some rather lovely Liberty rose print cotton. It will be on my stall Sunday, but if you'd like to grab it first, it's £20 + P&P

I shall be manning a stall at Calthorpe Park School Companion Dog Show in Fleet, Sunday 11th May 12- 3p.m. There will be a selection of the knitted and felt dogs and cats, jewellery and examples of pet portraits. Let's hope the weather keeps up!

A Bird in the Hand.....

Last week I made a little felt bird which was very cute but a bit flat and I couldn't think what to do with it, other than sit and admire it. Then I remembered my sister's handmade bags with little stuffed toys sewn on to them and thought I'd give the idea my own twist. So I crocheted a little bag (it's about 7 inches square with an inch and a half panel all around) and sewed him on together with an appliqued felt branch with pink blossom.
I then lined the whole thing with a reclaimed pretty blue flowered cotton fabric, which I discovered had a couple of pockets on it, so I used them to create compartments within the bag.
It would be a lovely Spring gift for a little girl - or even a big girl! £15 + p&p

I think there will be more of this kind of thing - there are an awful lot of patterns in my Japanese book to be tried out!