Flutterby Patch

The patter of furry feet

Winter is almost over and here in the English Lake District everyone is preparing to welcome the many visitors that will holiday here during the coming season. If you listen carefully you might hear the patter of furry feet; not the visitors arriving I hasten to add but many thousands of familiar looking soft toys making their way to local shops. Each one will be hoping to find a good home and travel to pastures new.

All this furry activity is due to one little rascal in a blue coat who goes by the name of Peter Rabbit. He is the creation of Beatrix Potter who lived in the Lake District for many years.

Anyone who visits the area will see Peter Rabbit peeping out of shop windows everywhere.

Peter and his cousin Benjamin Bunny are part of the large family of animals that, thanks to Miss Potter's little story books, have become synonymous with the Lake District and are now known and loved the world over. At times it seems there are more softies living here than people.

 
 
 
Above are just a few of the characters that are available in gift shops.

Apart from fabric animals, shops sell a huge variety of figurines.

There are plates in many different sizes, in fact there's enough china for a thousand banquets.

But who wants a banquet when you can enjoy a quiet tea party.

If you are a fan of Beatrix Potter's stories and fancy having a go at making some of her characters at home then I can recommend 'Toys from the Tales of Beatrix Potter' by Margaret Hutchings. Although it was published in 1973 I have checked various bookseller's lists and it is still readily available second hand.

Containing over 300 pages it has patterns for most of the characters in Miss Potter's books. There are lots of hints and tips about the best fabrics to use and lots of little extras to make as well. Sadly there are very few coloured pictures but from those that are in the book I have chosen some of my favourites.

I have made Apple Dapply a number of times over the years in a variety of different dresses. I once inserted a tiny wind-up musical movement in the back which provided great amusement for the little girl who received her as gift.
(N.B. this isn't the mouse I featured a few ago weeks ago in my blog).

Here's my favourite, Hunca Munca and her babies. Instructions for making the cane cradle are also included in the book.

Tabitha Twitchitt and her kittens are wonderful and on the right is Mrs Ribby calling to borrow some yeast in 'The Tale of Samuel Whiskers'

Who could resist Mrs Tiggywinkle doing her ironing. She has been made from thick fur fabric that has been stiffened to form prickles....very clever.

And finally here are Aunt Pettitoes and Spot seeing Pigling Bland and Alexander off to market.

There are several other coloured pictures which I haven't included here and plenty of black and white ones together with drawn illustrations.

The soft toys in the book are unique and would make special gifts to be treasured. The cute little characters (below) are mass produced in the Far East and are great for little children as they are washable. 

N.B. the patterns for these shop bought toys are NOT in the book.

As the tourist season gets ever closer these little characters will grow in number, their happy smiles greeting us everywhere we go!!

Until next time,

Eli

Dotty about smocking

As the end of February draws ever closer there is a growing feeling of optimism here at Flutterby Patch.

The weather is steadily growing warmer and one by one the rhododendrons and azaleas around the garden are bursting out of their plump buds to view the world.

Within the space of 12 weeks this February view from our patio

will have become this Maytime riot of colour.  I can't wait!

Meanwhile, indoor my frustration with the current disruption to my sewing room in ongoing and all my crafting goodies will remain stacked in the hallway for at least another few days. It hasn't been all bad however as it's given me the chance to sort through a lot of forgotten bits and pieces, many of which belonged to my dear mother who sadly passed away two years ago.

This battered old box brings back countless memories. For as long as I can remember it housed my Mum's selection of embroidery transfers and smocking dots.

Mum was an avid smocker of pretty dresses for her two girls and ironing the smocking dots onto the chosen fabric was always the first step in the procedure. She used yellow ones to contrast with dark fabric and blue ones for lighter; narrowly spaced dots for fine fabric and more widely spaced ones for heavier cloth.

Once the dots had been ironed onto the back of the fabric tiny running stitches were put through each dot so that it could be gathered ready for smocking.

Next came the fun bit. This familiar tin would be brought out and inside could be found .....

.... a wonderful jumbled rainbow of embroidery thread. This is how it has always looked for as long as I can remember and I'm not about to tidy it up. I loved helping Mum sort through the rainbow to find the best threads to complement the fabric. I'm sure my lifelong passion for colour must have been ignited by the contents of this tin.

Mum's smocking days drew to a close as my sister and I grew up, although I think she would have happily seen us both wearing her pretty creations well into adulthood. What joy there was when I gave birth to a baby girl; Mum couldn't wait to start smocking again.

She made this sweet little dress for her granddaughter when she was two years old.

So passionate was she for this craft that even the teddy bears had dresses smocked for them.

They were happy days and the fond memories I have of my Mum engrossed in this wonderful craft will  always remain with me.

Does anyone smock by hand these days or is all done by machine?

Until next time

Eli

Chaos in the sewing room

My life has been completely disrupted this week by the decision to have new spotlights fitted in the kitchen. Before lights can be installed some new electrical wiring must be done under the floor of the room directly above. And which room is above the kitchen? My sewing room! In order to lift the floor boards the carpet and hence all the furniture must be removed.

  
  
  
So now the entire contents of my sewing room is stacked in the hallway and what a jumbled mess it looks, albeit quite a colourful mess. 

All my craft books have left their shelves and are balanced in haphazard heaps and the sewing room is out of bounds for the next few days.

As there is no sewing happening at the moment I decided it would be a good opportunity to share a few books with you. I enjoy all my craft books so this little selection is chosen completely at random

This is a great favourite, 'The Book of Good Needlework'. It dates from the late 1930s and is typical of the period.

There are lots of embroidered tablecloths, tea cosies, tray cloths, napkins, cushion covers and dressing table mats. Everything in it reminds me of how my granny's house used to be and fills me with nostalgia.

'Samplers from the Victoria and Albert Museum' (Clare Browne and Jennifer Wearden). There are some superb samplers illustrated in this book that have inspired me over the years to stitch several of my own, but sadly nothing anywhere near as good as those in the book.

Who can resist dolls? I can't! 'The Dolls Dressmaker' (Venus A Dodge) and 'Making and Dressing Dolls House Dolls' (Sue Atkinson) both have wonderful illustrations that have tempted me time and again to create tiny garments.

By contrast I would never attempt to make any of the exquisite dresses in 'Fashion 18th - 20th Century'. The 700 pages (in full colour) reveal some of the most beautiful garments you'll ever see. The close-up details of the fabrics, embroidery and embellishments are mouth watering. Imagine wearing wonderful dresses like the ones above, but imagine the weight you'd be carrying around!

This isn't a close-up of the decoration on the dresses shown above but recent work delicately stitched with hand-dyed silk ribbon and thread. Isn't it sumptuous? It can be found in 'A Perfect World in Ribbon Embroidery and Stumpwork' by Di van Niekerk. Instructions are included!

I've always loved the brightly coloured clothing worn by the Andean peoples of South America so I couldn't resist buying 'Andean Folk Knits' (Marcia Lewandowski).The 35 traditional patterns include a variety of bags, mittens, gloves, socks, hats and other accessories.

'Journals' (Pam Sussman). I knew I wanted this book as soon as I saw it. In contains some very inspirational ideas for making the prettiest journals from fabric, thread and a variety of embellishments. It makes me want to be a student again in a classroom buzzing with creative ideas and innovation.

I'm an avid collector of books about calligraphy and illuminated lettering. It formed part of my exam syllabus when I was at school and I've been enthusiastic about it ever since. I love the feel of a pen in my hand and making marks on paper with ink. I marvel at contemporary penmanship where lettering is used as an art form. This book 'More than Fine Writing' tells the story of Irene Wellington and the way in which she transformed modern calligraphy. How I should love to have a talent like hers.

'Painting with Gouache' (Michael Saunders) has recently joined my bookshelf. I haven't painted with gouache before but I'm assured it is a very versatile medium and there are various techniques I want to try. For example, it's possible to cover foreground areas (flowers in this case) with masking fluid in order to paint the background. When the background paint is completely dry you simply rub away the masking fluid to reveal the white flower shapes ready for painting. I'm really eager to give it a go.

But enough about craft books. Through my letterbox this week popped a lovely little mail order catalogue for clematis. I bought a plant from this company last year and was very pleased with it so I might treat myself to one or two more. The days are lengthening, birdsong is distinctly chirpier and the garden is beginning to beckon. But the weather isn't quite kind enough yet to spend long outside and so I content myself with browsing through catalogues and making numerous plans.

Meanwhile, I have some lovely clematis coloured wool and (keeping well away from men who are doing the rewiring work) I am knitting a little something and hope to have it ready to show you by next week. Watch this space (or should it be 'watch this blog').

Until next time,
Eli