A Few Quick Makes

The rain returned to Bournemouth again this morning, so apart from making the dreaded pilgrimage to the local shoe shop to buy the youngest his first ever pair of school shoes (sob!) I have had some time to sew.

First on the list was some bean bags, ordered by the Mr for his work's sports day on Friday. I whipped these up very crudely out of some bright waterproof material I've got. There were two reasons for using this. Firstly, it's the type of material I seem to remember our school beanbags being made of and secondly, they are slippery so there can be no cheating when balancing them on the noggin; it will be necessary to walk completely upright and straight to keep them from sliding off.

Technically, these are rice bags, not bean bags. I thought that beans would make a sticky orange mess so opted for a cheap rice from the supermarket. When I was trying to decide how many kilos of rice I would need to fill four bags I tested the weight of different packs by balancing them on my head. After several funny looks from the other shoppers I did decide to enlighten them lest I be carried away by security. One helpful lady pointed out that the rice would get mushy if it got wet so I shared my plan of using waterproof material with her. Anyway, I imagine that after their outing on Friday they will be destined to live in a cupboard.

My next make is a custom order for one of my knitting friends, who requested a simple little bag that could be used by a toddler. This is what I have come up with so far.

It has been lovely sitting and stitching for a few hours, hopefully I will get some more making time in the next few days before Mr Magpie takes a well-earned week off and the Magpie cousins come to stay.

Thanks for stopping by,

Beth x

p.s. I am joking about the beans. Just to clarify.

Larmer Tree July 2012

I promised you all that I would take loads of pictures and report back about my time at the festival but I may have sort of forgotten to get my camera out quite as much as I should have. Our old friend the British weather decided to get in on the festival action by providing several prolonged heavy downpours which made the event harder work than our long-lost friend Mr Sunshine would have done.

This was my stall all laid out on the Wednesday, before being opened to customers. I went with pretty much the same layout I had used in the last few fairs I did, but having seen some of the other stalls, I think I will make some changes in the future.

Below you can see my stall in the evening. I was lent a lamp, which did make a big difference. I had not thought I would need any extra lighting as the marquee was lit, but I see now that individual stall lighting can be really effective and next time I would definitely dig out the fairy lights.

In the picture below you can see some of the other stalls. The jewellery stall in the right of the picture was to my left. It belonged to the fabulous Annette, who became my festival heroine. Annette is a Larmer Tree veteran and was full of good advice and information, not just about Larmer Tree but about running a craft business and life in general.

Annette's jewellery is made from handmade glass and is just so colourful and gorgeous that I couldn't resist spending some of my profits on a few pieces.

I even got to design my own necklace, which wasn't as easy as you might think. It took quite a while to choose which colours to include, in which size, and in which order, but I love the finished piece. Please go and have a look at Annette's website, Wild Scarlet. You won't be disappointed.

The festival itself is held in a really beautiful setting in the Dorset countryside and the organisers did a fantastic job of getting us all on site and into place. We got to camp directly behind the marquee and even had access to showers! Unfortunately for us, we had decided against taking our own marquee-like family tent as it is really huge and we were concerned about it getting ruined. We opted to take our old, much smaller tent, which turned out to be a mistake as it proved no match for the torrential rain we had over the first few days and leaked like a sieve.

Double rainbow!

Mr Magpie was understandably less than keen to spend his holiday sitting in a muddy puddle so we made the decision to return home for the night and ended up commuting to the festival daily for the duration.

Initially the rain helped to drive people into the marquee for shelter and was quite good for business; Thursday was my second best day sales-wise. However, it soon worked against us as the lush green fields we arrived to turned into a brown swamp during the first 48 hours.

To reach the Artist's Quarter you first had to cross a sea of mud, and many people chose not to do so. I don't really blame them. Indeed, I was so reluctant to cross myself that I made only a few trips into the rest of the festival and failed to see a single band or comedian all weekend, which had not been the plan at all.

Would you?

Talking to the other traders, most of whom had been to Larmer Tree before, it seemed as though business was slower for most people this year. I know that this was the first year that tickets for the festival were still available as the gates opened, and from chatting to the visitors, many were planning on leaving early because of the mud.

I didn't sell as much as I'd hoped to, but I was happy with my takings all things considered and would definitely be up for a return visit next year if invited. The kinds of things that sold well at Larmer Tree were different to my usual best-sellers and I think I'd have a better idea of what to take next time and what changes to make to the stall.

Interestingly, although I displayed my fruit pincushions with a couple of decorative pins in, I didn't label them as such. I priced each item individually instead of my usual 'Fruit Pincushions £5' sign. Last time I did a fair I sold a dozen of them; this time only about five over the five days! It does seem that you really do have to spell things out for your customers!

All in all, I found the festival experience much more satisfying than selling at craft fairs. I have been on a steep learning curve and this experience taught me loads, as well as introducing me to lots of really lovely people.

For now, I am going to enjoy the last week before the children break up. I have got a few little sewing treats planned just for myself, as well as a bit more knitting and crochet. I can now resume Granny-Striping, yay!

If you were at the festival, I hope you managed to enjoy it and would love to hear from you with any thoughts you have on my stall.

Thanks for stopping by,

Beth x

Zip It!

This week has been all about the zippy pouch, purse and accessory cover. I have been having a jolly old time fiddling and faffing about with my fabric stash, my buttons, ribbons and thread. It's been great, I finally feel like I can say I'm a sewer again.

I started off with the fabric I had cut that I showed you in the last post. The linen outer was from a bargain bin at my local fabric store, the flowery interior is Ikea. Originally I had planned to use buttons and ribbon only on the outside, but when I cut the excess from the interior pieces, I knew they would look great on the outside. So here they are.

I had a good old rummage around in the bags I was given by my lovely neighbour and found some more neutral fabric which I married up with some treasured Kokka linen that I only have a tiny amount of, bought from The Makery on a trip to Bath last year.

With another Kokka swatch I cut it more generously so it only covered three pouches. But don't you agree they look fab! I am rather proud of these. The trim is vintage, bought at one of the fairs I did last summer.

Next on the hit list was some Cath Kidston fabric. I had a special commission from my teenage daughter to create a purse with a dividing piece of fabric so that she can stash her phone and ipod together safely. She loves horses, so there was really only one choice of fabric for her. I only have the cowboy print in haberdashery weight, so I used heavy weight interfacing and an interlining for strength.

Thankfully it was well received. Phew!

I made these two with a tutorial in mind. Would you like to make one for yourself?

This morning, having another rummage, I found some dark blue hessian-type fabric. With so much red, white and blue everywhere, I had to have a go. Didn't I?




This is quite possibly my favourite. I have to confess that my own 'bits and bobs' went straight in it and it has become mine.

I had a little helper for the photo shoot. I think Edward is choosing which purse he would like.

He's not having mine.

I'm currently uploading about forty pictures taken for my zip tutorial. Hopefully I will get them edited and arranged tomorrow so I can post again soon and you will be able to have some fun with your own stash!

See you soon,

Beth x

edited to add: the zip tutorial is now ready. You can find it by clicking here x

Play and Work

It feels like this has been a very long week. Mr Magpie and I started early last weekend with a trip to London on Thursday. We were there to see a band in the evening but arrived early enough to do some sightseeing.

The weather was pretty miserable so we headed for the warmth of a museum. We chose the Imperial War Museum as we hadn't been before and what we saw of it was very impressive. We were there for about three hours but could easily have doubled that. It was the first time we'd been to London without the children (we left the little Magpies at home with Nanny) and it was certainly a more relaxed experience!

This was our evening's destination. Mr Magpie is a huge New Order fan, I'm more your Joy Division type of girl (if you like Editors give them a try).

Neither of us had been to Brixton Academy before and it was a great venue, I love watching bands in old theatres as opposed to sterile boxy halls such as our BIC here in Bournemouth. At first the sound engineer seemed to have his levels a little confused and we thought we were in for a big disappointment but about halfway through things improved and we had a great time. The band obliged me by doing two Joy Division tracks in the encore, finishing with 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. Ace.

Anyway, my apologies, you're not really here for music news are you?

After a bank holiday weekend I would rather forget, due mainly to falling victim to the rather nasty tummy bug that seems to be doing the rounds, I have been a busy little bee. I took advantage of the coach journeys to and from the capital to start my little project with the Rowan Cotton I showed you here.

I have long been an admirer of Ripple blankets and really wanted to try one myself. There are excellent instructions on Attic 24 but Lucy's version does require you to learn how to treble two together. Although I'm sure I could work out how to do this with a little effort, I was drawn instead to the pattern in my Jane Brocket book, The Gentle Art of Knitting. In Jane's pattern, you only need to know how to do double and treble crochet. By missing stitches and adding chains, you make little holes which do the work of shaping the troughs and peaks of the ripple. Simples.

I haven't used cotton for either knitting or crochet before and it does feel a little strange but I am enjoying the pattern, which is almost as easy as my granny stripe and as I am keeping things small, this will be my portable project of choice until it is finished.

After taking my crochet roll to SnB a few weeks back, I was asked to make one as a DPN holder by another member of the group. I took it along last night and I seemed to have a happy customer, which is always a great feeling.

As well as the DPN holder, I finished off a little batch of brooches.

I have also spent a lot of time ironing this week. Not the kind that makes the Mr happy because he has a wardrobe full of shirts again, but the kind that involves fusing interfacing onto fabric. I did a big batch and then got busy with the scissors snipping out lots of fruit pieces.

I think I might finally be getting my groove back when it comes to sewing. I really enjoyed stitching this lot up.

So much so that I cut these out last night in a spare half hour and will have a little play with some buttons and trim.

Well that's the news from the nest this week. I have just looked at the calendar and realised that there are only three more weeks until half term and then only four weeks after half term until Larmer Tree. My panicky levels are rising steadily, but I keep telling myself that it will all be fine.

I wish you all a lovely weekend (will it ever stop raining though?) and hope to see you again soon.

Beth x

Getting Down to Business

It has been a bit of a strange week here at Magpie HQ. To start with I have only had to do one night shift instead of the three I had been doing of late, so I have almost felt human again. Dare I say it but there have been no accidents or illnesses either, so another nice change!

Before much crafting could happen, there were a few jobs that have been waiting patiently for me to finish. The first one involved quite a lot of this.

I am in charge of painting around these parts. Pale walls and four children mean that this is almost a full-time occupation in itself. This week I gave the hall stairs and landing a much needed freshen up. It's hard to ignore this part of the house, it's the one space that can't be shut off but at least I can now ascend the stairs without cringeing. The trouble is, some of the other rooms look grubbier in comparison now so I might be plying the brushes and rollers again sometime soon. Ish.

Next on the list was a spot of gardening. I had bought a tray of bedding plants a few (ahem) weeks ago, but between accidents, illnesses and torrential rain, they had remained in their polystyrene tray, taunting me each time I looked out of the back windows. I took advantage of a break in the downpours on Tuesday to transplant them to my pots and gave the decking a little tidy while I was out there.

Thankfully you can't see my 'herbaceous border' in this picture (it runs down the right hand side of the garden) as it too requires a little attention. You might just be able to make out our raised veg patch on the left. The green stuff you can see on it is our strawberry plants, which seem to have benefitted from the rain. We have got a few flowers on them here and there so now need some sunshine to bring on the fruit.

I hadn't made it to either Wednesday morning Knit and Natter or Thursday evening Stitch and Bitch for a while because of work, so this week I actually went to both. I rescued this little project from the bottom of my knitting bag and am now well on my way to completing it.

Unfortunately (well, not really) I was once again tempted by the shelves of goodies I was surrounded by on Wednesday and this little pile found it's way home with me. Spurred on by the success of my blanket, I have got a few other items in the queue for future crocheting and I think these colours will fit the bill perfectly.

On Wednesday evening it was my craft group that I have at home fortnightly. I used the time to start a batch of leaves and stalks that I will need for my fruit pincushions that I will be starting soon.

I also made a start on the cushion back for the crochet cushion covers.

In between all of this, I had a very long catch-up with an old friend I haven't seen for about a year over a lovely lunch, and also had a nice lunch out with my Mum. With such a busy week, progress on the brooches hasn't been as good as I'd hoped but, all in all, it has been quite a productive week and the extra sleep and a few treats have done wonders for my soul!

I know I promised you a tour of the craft room, but to be honest, all the production has messed it up a bit, so you will have to be patient a while longer.

I hope you have had a good week, and wish you all a lovely weekend.

Thanks for stopping by,

Beth x

This Week in the Nest

Finally the littlest Magpie has recovered from all his mishaps and we had a great time yesterday celebrating his birthday. As you can see, cake decorating is not one of my talents, although I can confirm that it tasted delicious and was speedily devoured by the clan.

Another little one in the family is having her birthday next week. so today I have been stitching up a teddy bear sleeping bag (designed by Florence), like the one I made one for her sister in February. This time I used another Annela Hoey fabric, from her new range 'A Walk in the Woods'. I love this fabric, and treated myself to a very restrained three half-metres from Alice at Backstitch.

Since writing the last post about my blanket, I have added another half-dozen or so rows, including my rainbow section. Work on this has got to slow down now though so you won't be seeing it again for a while.

This new granny square has taken the place of the blanket. the idea is to turn it into a cushion, along with the two other fronts already made, as these can be sold at Larmer Tree. This way I get my crocheting fix without the guilt that I am not making stuff to sell. Perfect!

I know I mentioned that I went to Ikea a few weeks ago, but I didn't show you any pictures of the fabric I bought. Ikea fabric really is great value for money, especially from the children's department. These fabrics work out at £2 per metre and they are really popular with my customers.

  The idea is to turn these into more drawstring wash bags like the ones below.

I have also been busily cutting out felt shapes to turn into brooches. At last year's craft fairs I sold pretty much every one I made, the bird design in particular was a big hit so I am planning on sewing lots of these to take with me to the festival. I'm not sure that the photo does the colours justice, but please can I have your thoughts on the colour combinations?

Well, I had better be off to feed the family. I'm hoping to go to Stitch and Bitch tonight as it seems like it's been ages since I went to a knitting group and I'm really missing it. Pop back next week for some finished brooches and that look around the craft room I've been promising!

Thanks for stopping by,
Beth x

Progress

Although I have been doing lots of extra night shifts lately and have been feeling slightly zombie-d, there have been some crafty things happening here.

Crochet has become my new addiction. From initially hooking up little granny squares for pure pleasure, I progressed onto sorting them out a little and choosing nine to turn into one large square which I am intending to become a cushion.

Having finished this square I am trying to decide what to do about the reverse of the cushion. Do I make another square, use fabric or try and thrift an old jumper to adapt as I have seen done very successfully elsewhere? Any thoughts or suggestions welcome!

My thoughts are already turning to what I want to crochet next. I have found plenty of inspiration in both my trusty old craft books and from the internet. I took an opportuntity to pop into my local wool shop the other morning whilst it was quiet and I was on my own so that I could have a proper browse. My intention was to add some more shades to my acrylic collection so that I can make something really colourful.

These are the acrylics I already had and below are the new ones. I have been playing around with different combinations but as yet remain undecided on the exact palette to use.

Since this knitting and sewing obsession has been growing, I have been gathering up all the little bundles of wool/yarn squirrelled away in various parts of the house. I need to address my storage issues! Out of interest, I laid it all out on the sofa. Grannie Magpie please look away now.

I was a bit shocked myself at how much there was when seeing it all together. I just need to look at this picture next time I feel an urge to buy some more. Rachael from Sew Ray Me kindly emailed me a pattern to make fabric baskets last week. I am thinking of making some to accomodate some of my stash.

Talking of storage, I have been taking pictures of the dining room as it's make-over is in progress. This has been a gradual process since Christmas but I think we will be paying a visit to the big blue and yellow shop in the next few weeks where I can get the last few bits and bobs I need. Hopefully I will have it all arranged how I want it soon, then I will give you a tour of my crafty space.

In crochet-related sewing, I spent a happy few hours yesterday creating these little lovlies. I wanted to make one for myself and the other two are for presents. I used three fabrics from my Cath Kidston cotton duck stash for the exterior, with coordinating haberdashery fabrics for the lining.

To make them, I used a tutorial from Joanne's blog; you can find it here. The tutorial is really well written with lots of pictures. I think it took me about three hours in total to make these. An enjoyable afternoon!

The only thing I would change if making this again would be the needle pocket. My needles kept falling out when the roll was closed. Possibly this is due to me using cotton duck fabric and not the recommended quilting weight cotton (which also made the whole process rather trickier, why didn't I learn from the jewellery rolls I made?!) but the problem would be easily rectified by replacing the pocket with a piece of felt to keep the needles in.

Today the boss has told me that I need to get on with the brick path that I am creating in the back garden out of our old kitchen wall. Better get on then.

Thanks for stopping by,
Beth x