Rain, rain go away...

This weekend I decided I would paint my garden benches a lovely bay tree green, I opened my curtains this morning and instead of the sunny day I imagined, it was raining, dull and windy, so bang goes that idea.

I decided instead to finish off some embroidery. I love embroidery, I have been doing it for over 25 years. I am very lucky as I have a lot of my grandmother's embroidery transfers, needles, rings, thread, material, probably enough to carry on doing for the next 25 years.

I bought some Dorma pillowcases a couple of months ago and transferred some vintage violets on them.

The Dorma pillowcases are in a shade called Heather and I decided to embroider the flowers in different shades of purple-pink colours. I apologise as I know the thread is from DMC but it is vintage thread and they did not have the DMC colour numbers on them. The stems and leaves are a mixture of two different green colours, two threads of a medium green colour and one thread of a light green colour.

I have only used four different embroidery stitches for the pillowcases.

• French knot - for the centre of some of the flowers
• Stem stitch - for the flower stems
• Long and short stitch - for one of the main flowers (pink and purple middle flower)
• Satin stitch - for the rest of the flowers

The pillowcases do look a little bit crinkled but that is because I have had a hoop around the embroidery transfer, once they have been washed and ironed they will be completely flat and won't look crinkled/puckered.

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Gin, Gin, Gin.... Maybe Vodka

I have picked the last of my blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries from the allotment. I have had so much fruit this year it was hard to decide what to do with it all, you can only make so many pies and jam. So I decided to make gin with it. In particular redcurrant and vanilla gin, red gooseberry gin, blackcurrant liqueur and for a change redcurrant and orange vodka.

Redcurrant Gin

300g of Redcurrants

150g of Caster Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Essence or 1 Fresh Vanilla Pod

Bottle of Gin or Vodka

Large Kilner Jar

Put all the redcurrants in the kilner jar, crush them with a wooden spoon, add the sugar, vanilla essence or pod and mix together then add the gin or vodka. Screw the lid back on give the jar a really good shake and then put it somewhere dark. Shake the jar every day for one month, after that just shake every couple of weeks. It will be ready in six months or like me you can leave it for a year. When you are ready to bottle it, sieve the mixture and then pour through muslin into a bottle.

The red gooseberry recipe that I used is from another blog called cottage smallholder, it is very simple, the only ingredients or items you will need are gooseberries, granulated sugar, gin and a kilner jar.

Blackcurrant Liqueur

Blackcurrants

Caster Sugar

Gin

Kilner jar

Each blackcurrant needs to have its skin pierced to release the juice. Fill the kilner jar to about a third full with the pierced currants. Fill the jar with the sugar until it has covered the currants. Finally pour the gin in, secure the lid and give it a really good shake. Put the jar somewhere dark for six months, shaking daily for a month then every few weeks after that. As before when ready, sieve the mixture, then pour through muslin and bottle.

Enjoy, I know I will!

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Wallpaper Wreath

As I mentioned in my last post I volunteer at Ulverston Scrap Store. I brought a few items from the store home to play around with and decided to make a Wallpaper Wreath. They are very easy to make, most of the materials you can get at the store with the exception of a glue gun and a couple of diamantés.

Materials Used

Three pages of wallpaper samples
Two pieces of lino samples
Tin lid

The plain and patterned blue wallpaper I cut into 3.75 inch squares and the mustard colour I cut into 3 inch squares. I then individually rolled them into cones from left to right and glued them along one side using my glue gun. I ended up with 12 cones each of the plain and blue patterned paper and 16 cones of mustard paper.

I covered the largest piece of lino with blue wallpaper and glued first of all the plain and patterned blue cones all the way around using my glue gun. When this was done I cut a circle of mustard wallpaper and covered the inside lid of the tin, used glitter around the edge of the tin and glued the tin lid to the centre of the lino. When this was done I then glued all the mustard cones with the points just and so tucked underneath the tin lid.

I had enough of each colour wallpaper left to make a Kusudama Origami Flower, please see the link at the end of my post on how to make these. I then glued this onto the centre of the tin.

To finish the wreath off I then made two holes at the top of the smallest piece of lino and then glued this piece to the back of the largest piece of lino. I attached some wire to either side of the holes to hang it up.

Links

Kusudama Origami Flower

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Ulverston Scrap Store

I have recently started volunteering at Ulverston Scrap Store every Thursday, it's a fantastic place if you're into crafts. If you haven't heard of USS before here is a little information for you....

USS is a small charity set up to provide clean, cheap, safe scrap materials to our members for their creative projects. It's open to everyone individuals, groups, clubs, brownies/guides/scouts, community groups, workshops, schools.

Individuals pay £5 and for that you get an empty carrier bag to fill with whatever takes your fancy. There are also group memberships available, please click on their website link at the bottom of this page for more information. There is a lot to choose from e.g., fabric, card, paper, wallpaper samples, curtain rings, folders, cardboard, zips, foam, tin lids, small containers, bottles, carpet samples, tile samples, there is so much stuff.

USS is open on Thursdays from 2pm until 5pm and Saturdays from 10.00am until 12.30pm. The entrance is on Cavendish Street, Ulverston. It's the first door on your right as you enter the street from County Square. The door has USS posters pinned on it, the door will be locked but there is a doorbell and someone will come and let you in. Why not pop in for a chat and a look around.

For more information, please click on the links below

www.ulverstonscrapstore.co.uk

www.facebook.com/UlverstonScrapStore

twitter.com/USS_ScrapStore

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How to make a dorset button using scrap materials

You will need a curtain ring, short blunt needle and some fine wool/thread, I used some scrap sock wool. The curtain ring I got from my local scrap store, Ulverston Scrap Store.

There are four parts to stitching a dorset button. 

Casting (covering the ring)

Slicking (pushing the stitch ridges to the inside of the ring)

Laying (making the spokes)

Rounding (filling the gaps)

Thread the needle, as I am using a 1 1/2 inch ring, I will need 180 inches of thread. This will cover all the ring including the spokes without having to join more thread (if you think you do not have enough thread join more after the casting part).

CASTING

Secure the wool to the ring with a knot. Keep hold of the short end of the thread and make blanket stitches all the way around the ring covering the end of the thread.

It is important to make sure all the stitches are quite tight and close together. To finish the blanket stitching, slip the needle through the first stitch. DO NOT cut the main thread.

SLICKING

You will now see your button has a ridge of stitches on the outside. These stitches have to now face inwards and to do this twist the stitches slowly with your thumbnail.

LAYING

This is the part where you make the spokes.

Hold the ring with the thread at the back and at the 12 o'clock position. Wind the thread down the back and up around to the front original position. Turn the ring slightly and make your second wrap around the ring continue to do this at even spaces until you have 10 individual spokes. The spokes at this stage will not look very centred and they need to be secured with a little stitch. To do this bring the needle up from the back and down the opposite side, making a little stitch, then make another stitch crossing the first, this will secure everything.

ROUNDING

You will now be using a back stitch around the spokes to fill them in. Remember after each stitch pull them a little tight this will give you even stitches. Bring the needle up through the button and pass it back down over the spoke clockwise. Bring the thread up two spokes anti-clockwise (when counting your spokes include the spoke you have just stitched) and pass it back down over one spoke clockwise. When you have finished one round make sure the spokes look centred, if they are not then use your needle to push them to the middle.

After this carry on with the stitches until you have filled your button up.

When the button is full bring the thread to the back of the button and into the middle. Make two small stitches to hold the button together, leave a long thread to use for sewing onto your project.

Hope everyone has fun making these, they are very addictive!

To find a scrap store that is local to you please have a look on the Reuseful UK website.

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Another Fine Fest

Ulverston recently held a festival in honour of the birthday of Stan Laurel who was born in Ulverston, the festival was called Another Fine Fest.

My local wool shop called Loopy was asked to yarn bomb Ulverston and the owner Andrea asked for volunteers to crochet or knit various squares, to help her do this. Along with other volunteers myself, family and friends contributed. I had a walk around the town and took a few photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First bunch of radish

I haven't done much crocheting or crafts in the last couple of weeks as I have been working in my allotment nearly every day. The plants are growing extremely well and I picked my first bunch of radish last night.

 

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