Celeste is a late summer frog dressed in a lush Liberty tana lawn called Barbara Covington. Yellow and tan cosmos play across this lush print. Supported by a lovely cotton gingham and white tulle. When looking for frog fabric I always look for lush florals, that reflect the amphibious environment. Much of my tana lawn comes to me as off cuts and remnants but I actively seek out frog fabric. The accompanying photograph is our only water lily this year. We have a small raised patio pond, really for insects to lay their eggs in and we then watch to new adults crawl up the rushes and iris brand new. Mostly hover fly larvae. Asher our lilac baby puss is fascinated by water and is drawn to the insects around the water. We have alot of pollinator plants around the pond including both standard budleia and miniature budleia. As you can imagine we attract alot of butterflies. Asher loves butterflies and will try to catch them, which he never does. During the heat yesterday he was outside with us and sitting on the side of the pond, when he lept joyfully to catch a butterfly and landed quite dramatically in the pond, It certainly cooled hiim down and flattened the water lily, he also thankfully missed the butterfly!
Poppy is a sweet natured bunny with a lovely dress in Liberty Tana Lawn called Spring Bloom with poppies abounding on a soft aqua blue ground. She has white tulle and pink gingham underskirts with white broderie anglais drawers. She sports stripy tights with pale blue leather shoes. She is stuffed with rosemary in her centre with a piece of rose quartz to her heart for love. Carrying a sampler sachet with a tiny detatchable hoop brooch embroidered with a gingham rose.As always she has hand painted eyes with hand embroidered details to her face. Her ears and arms are lined with a soft pink Liberty fabric and she is finished with blue organza ribbon and tiny buttons. She was a delight to make and I hope you like her. If you peep to the background you can see lily of the valley leaves and flowers from my garden. For years I tried to establish this beautiful perennial and failed, then it found a spot it liked! Of course not where I planted it or where I wanted it to grow but oh my has it found its spot!! There is now so much of it, it is a little overwhelming but far too pretty to yank out xx
Sukie is a midnight silver fox in the last of one my favourite fabrics, Hiro - a Liberty tana lawn. Larch needles in black with cones in grey brown with a cream moon peeping through all on a warm grey.If you look the moon is just peeping on Sukie's bodice. Teamed with a beautiful yarn dye and black tulle I feel she is an elegant lady. Her eyes are hand painted and then embroidered and I love the flash of orange. She sports a sampler sachet and a tiny brooch with a carnelian to her heart. I truly love the contrast of the silver foxes to the red foxes.
Edgar is a sleepy eyed badger chap with Midnight tones. Sporting a cuffed white linen shirt with a Liberty print waistcoat he is quite the dapper chap if a little sombre in outlook.Carrying a leather and felt bag he can wander the country churchyard looking for inspiration for his writing. His outfit is finished with tweedy yarn dyed plus fours, leather boots and lots of tiny buttons. His cravat is vintage silk in a steel grey. He has a tiny hoop brooch with a gingham rose to detatch and wear should you want to xx
Amalia, a princess frog at the court of Queen Marie is now listed on Folksy. She is an OOAK Frog Princess with a tiny silver crown. Her court day dress is in a wonderfully froggy William Morris style cotton poplin which is teamed with fresh green gingham and white tulle. Her bodice and her sleeves are trimmed with lacy frills and eau du nil silk ribbon and finished with tiny pale green buttons. She is a handsome gentle frog ready for afternoon tea on the lawn or in the pond!
Freya was a winter badger from last year. She was the first of an adapted pattern with a broader face and body.Recently I have been working with and refining the pattern. I find badger ears tricky and I have been working on a way to make them a better fit with my vision.Badgers have ears, they are just very small and set a long way back on the head. If you are not careful you can quickly get into panda territory! Which is confusing.This week I will be listing four new badgers, two little girls and two gentlemen before making more frog girls. Then I want to crack on with my FF squirrel. Working around the weather recently gives you time to think when it is too hot in the studio you can work on patterns in the cool!
