Little Bullfinch Stitch Work

 Had a bullfinch week as the bullfinches have returned to the garden and I was so pleased to see them.  They have been off in the woods having a family all Summer and are back for Autumn.

Made a little bullfinch doll as well as lots of little stitch pieces.  The tiny bullfinch motif was a fiend to sort out but I like the overall effect.

I have been using a new to me thread from Australia called Ginnie Thompson Flower Thread. I was a big fan of the DMC Flower Thread and buy up any flower thread I can lay my hands on.  The Ginnie Thompson Flower Thread is lovely to work with and comes in thread bundles of colour from Threadworkers on Etsy.

The little bullfinch doll is dressed in a lovely Liberty Quilting Cotton called Mammie with pretty oranges and pinks for early Summer.  If you have not tried the Cottage Garden Quilting Cotton from Liberty I can heartily recommend it.  Great patterns and a delight to work with, a little heavier than Tana Lawn but finishes nicely. 

Our garden looks like it will be an early Autumn, many of the herbs are starting to go over and there is some red on the acers,  I have to say I am enjoying the rain, seems like we are back to normal for rainy old Lancashire.

Edith Blue Dolls

 These lovely little girls are by an English company called Edith Blue Dolls.  They are made by a couple of very creative ladies called Gilly and Jill deep in the English countryside in Woodbridge in Suffolk.  They work in a log cabin in the woods surrounded by a wild flower meadow - sounds heavenly.

Having followed creative pathways they decided to work together and began making small dolls for fun.  These became bigger and more detailed and they had such a good time Edith Blue Dolls was born.

I love the detail, the Liberty prints and little knitted accessories.  I adore the slightly off centre faces that are so delicately embroidered and the fligh away hair.  Just lovely to look at and I am again covetous of one of their girls.

If you want a peak at their Etsy shop it is at EdithBlueDolls all one word and is well worth a look. I fell in love with this little lady in Liberty Lawn with the fair hair but there are red heads and other styles to look at.  Really like the idea of wool stuffing and the plastic free packaging, a great little English company.

New Mara Mouse

 Little Mouse Mara has just been posted off to Saint Paul, Minnesota so I thought I would share her with you.

She is a tiny girl with bead eyes and a crochet daisy on her sachet.  She is dressed in a lovely Liberty Lawn called Wildflower, which is my absolute favourite fabric to use.  She as little leather ears and a leather tail to match. Her nose, mouth and whiskers are all hand embroidered.

I love making these little girls they take around three to four hours to make and making a couple in a day is very satisfying!  I hope you like her. xx

Makers at the Mill Sunday 1st July

I will be at Holmes Mill in Clitheroe on Sunday 1st July.  Will have lots of frogs, foxes, mice and dolls as well as little stitched gifts from £5.

Come and say hello it will be lovely to see you, you don't need to buy anything but it is always great to see friendly faces.

It should be a good day for everyone with live music and good food.  The Mill has an artisan food hall as well as a restaurant and cafes. So come a say hello!

New Stitch Work for Craft Shows

 I am going to a craft and vintage show on the 1st of July in Clitheroe.  I have been working on a series of stitch projects to take to the show.  I have made little stuffed sampler sachets and little five inch hoops all based around plants that are my favourites.

This particular set is Briar Rose, they are stuffed with rose petals for a gentle scent and have a soft series of rose colours to make the stitches.  The stitches include herringbone, fly stitch, sheaf stitch and long arm cross stitch. They are all worked on 22count Hardanger.

Each set has little flower motif to represent the individual flower.  The five flowers I have chosen are Chamomile in yellows, Lavender in soft purples, Woodruff in green, Honeysuckle in pinks and yellows and of course Briar Rose in soft pinks.

Tuesday Talent - SvetlanaToykka

 I am completely in love, my daughter brought me Braith the Badger for my birthday and I adore her.  I got the fox lady for Christmas and I like her but this badger is just great.

The talented designer maker is Svetland Toykka from Tolyatti, Russia.  She is a professional dress maker turned toy maker and her craftsmanship shines through.  Each doll is beautifully finished, with the perfect tal and dressed, I just wish they had knickers!

She has two shops on Etsy, TweedyLand and CosyRiverCottage.  Each site has slightly different styles of doll  but they could sit together very well.

Svetlana makes foxes, wolves, hedgehogs and so much more.  All in natural fabrics especially Tweed. Check out her pages on Etsy, well worth a look.

Vera, My New Pattern for 2018

 Vera the Vixen is my new pattern for 2018.  I have been working hard to get the proportions right and the ears took some time to position correctly.

She is a tall girl, with hand painted blue eyes and embroidered details to the face - I love the french knot nose!  The fabric is an Oakshott Colourshott called Nectarine with a lovely shot yellow through the fabric. Vera's dress is a William Morris pattern of briar roses in soft brown and ochre, it is really pretty.  She has stripey legs, coordinating underskirts in cotton and lace with tiny leather shoes, tiny buttons and a rabbit on her sachet in case she get peckish.  She is finished with organza ribbon in gold.

She is ready for The Festival of Making on May 12th and 13th in Blackburn.  Come and say hello if you can, it should be a fun weekend of live music, street food and crafts, it is a national event so the Makers Market will be a real treat with artists from all over the country.  There will be over sixty stalls in King George's Hall with exhibitions of Art and Design Innovators, workshops and demonstrations.  Very nervous but should be great fun xx