Half a Dozen Roses

Spoonflower had a buy one "fat quarter sized fabric" (approx 21" X 18") get one free offer recently, so I got some fabrics for a few projects I have been planning, also to test out colours are correct they are now printing European orders through their new German based company. USA and Canadian orders will be sent through their USA based printing company. This was printed on 100% cotton fabric
This is is my "1/2 a Dozen Roses" design. The six roses fit on one fat quarter of fabric I will post some of the other finished projects as I complete them :) and I yes am very happy with the colours and print quality

The roses can be used as brooches (just sew or glue on a brooch back) or to decorate clothing, bags, hats, cushions, on curtain tie backs anywhere you want to add a splash of colour and shape. I have more 1/2 roses fat quarters and the works with different fabric prints (had lots of requests for  steampunk prints with cogs and gears as roses) 

This design is also available at Woven Monkey a UK based printing company.

Fabric Flowers

Yesterday I was teaching a short taster class (2 hours) - Fabric Flowers in Harlesden Library as part of the Festival of Learning
Here's some pics of the students work, they all did really well!

Window Box Make Over

I bought some random plants for our window boxes, as they were looking very sad and overgrown.
I am very excited to see how they look in a few weeks when they start to grow (I'll post again then). I bought Celoisa Kimono (a mix of orange, yellow and red plumed plants), Ageratum (fluffy little blue flowers) and Mimulus Magic also called monkey flowers (a mix of red and yellow bicolour little flowers) .

Variegated tulip

The sun has returned, not sure for how long and this beautiful tulip seems to have appeared in the garden overnight, it has stunning red and yellow stripy petals. We got it from a variety pack of tulip bulbs that are all different, so far only this variegated one has grown, but there are more blubs starting to appear so hopefully there will be more :)

Fabric arrives

Recently spoonflower had a BOG OFF sale (buy one get one free) on fat quarters of fabric. My fabrics arrived last week, here's some of the pics.

 
The first two are cut and sew patterns, both printed on 100% cotton fabric.
"Mr Fox Awake/ Asleep Cover" is inner pillow/ cushion, that is filled with wheat or rice to create a  heatable pillow(in a microwave), it can then be put into the fox (one side awake the other side asleep) outer cover.

"Bees 'n' Flowers Barrel shaped pencil case" make one lined barrel shaped pencil case with a strap, or two unlined barrel shaped pencil cases :) 

 

 

And "Mom's Recipe - Soda Bread Tea Towel" this is printed on the linen/ cotton blend as its larger size, I think I may also make a smaller size so two prints can fit on a fat quarter. I was very happy with how this printed and it just needs the edges neatened and hemmed.

I'll post the other fabric quarters as soon as I photo them :)

Blooming Marvellous Design Contest

I just entered the Blooming Marvellous Design Contest over at the Bags of Love website. That's my entry with the giant bee :)
Here's a little about it from from there site "
With summer on its way and the beautiful flower shows on the horizon, Blooming Marvellous is a new, unique competition, which celebrates gorgeous flowers and their impact on the design and creative worlds."

Pop over to there site to have a look at the great floral designs, clicking below

http://www.bagsoflove.co.uk/contest/2?designid=204#contestentry

Lilies

This weeks contest at Spoonflower is "Lilies". The brief for the contest was "Since ancient Grecian times, lilies have been a symbol of virtue and beauty. We're welcoming Easter and the spring season with a contest celebrating one of our favorite flowers. Previews will be sized as a quarter yards (21" x 18") To vote in this weeks contest go to http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters_temp/new?contest_id=242http://www.spoonflower.com/contest_voters_temp/new?contest_id=242    You can vote for as many as you like no need to sign in

This is my entry just called "Lilies" they are tiger lilies, to be honest I could not remember what type of lily they were when I was naming the fabric, I just really like these orange lilies with the dark spots. They were drawn using a pen and tablet in photoshop, I really enjoyed drawing the spots  I have not forgotten about my hexagons I am trying to find a way of using them in next weeks contest.

Since ancient Grecian times, lilies have been a symbol of virtue and beauty. We're welcoming Easter and the spring season with a contest celebrating one of our favorite flowers. Previews will be sized as quarter yards (21" x 18"). - See more at: http://blog.spoonflower.com/upcoming-spoonflower-contests.html#sthash.UqLjonZf.dpuf

Since ancient Grecian times, lilies have been a symbol of virtue and beauty. We're welcoming Easter and the spring season with a contest celebrating one of our favorite flowers. Previews will be sized as quarter yards (21" x 18"). - See more at: http://blog.spoonflower.com/upcoming-spoonflower-contests.html#sthash.UqLjonZf.dpuf

Since ancient Grecian times, lilies have been a symbol of virtue and beauty. We're welcoming Easter and the spring season with a contest celebrating one of our favorite flowers. Previews will be sized as quarter yards (21" x 18"). - See more at: http://blog.spoonflower.com/upcoming-spoonflower-contests.html#sthash.UqLjonZf.dpuf

Since ancient Grecian times, lilies have been a symbol of virtue and beauty. We're welcoming Easter and the spring season with a contest celebrating one of our favorite flowers. Previews will be sized as quarter yards (21" x 18"). - See more at: http://blog.spoonflower.com/upcoming-spoonflower-contests.html#sthash.UqLjonZf.dpuf

Since ancient Grecian times, lilies have been a symbol of virtue and beauty. We're welcoming Easter and the spring season with a contest celebrating one of our favorite flowers. Previews will be sized as quarter yards (21" x 18"). - See more at: http://blog.spoonflower.com/upcoming-spoonflower-contests.html#sthash.UqLjonZf.dpuf

We're welcoming Easter and the spring season with a contest celebrating one of our favorite flowers. Previews will be sized as quarter yards (21" x 18") - See more at: http://blog.spoonflower.com/upcoming-spoonflower-contests.html#sthash.UqLjonZf.dpuf

We're welcoming Easter and the spring season with a contest celebrating one of our favorite flowers. Previews will be sized as quarter yards (21" x 18") - See more at: http://blog.spoonflower.com/upcoming-spoonflower-contests.html#sthash.UqLjonZf.dpuf

I See Sheep

I went for a holiday to West Wales to visit my brother, it was great to get out of London and breathe fresh air.
It is a beautiful place with stunning views of mountains and valleys and yes I saw sheep. I was luckly the weather was great so I was able to take long walks and visit nearby towns.
I took lots of photos when I was out 'n' about, so I will posting some of them over the next week. Here are few of the pics of the flowers growing at the side of the road while out walking one day and the sheep :)

Summer Sun and simple Kanzashi style flowers

Classes are finished until September. The weather has been very good this summer, the flowers are in bloom and everything seems brighter, even people in general seem happier.
I have been busy working on lots of projects  mainly with a floral theme - crochet, knitting, jewellery, fabric and even playing with resin again. I need more hours in the day!.
Some of my fabric samples from spoonflower arrived the circle fabrics for Kanzashi style flowers there are currently 3 different designs to choose from each a fat quarter - Circles No.1, Circles No.2 and yes Circles No.3. I have been making and teaching how to make different fabric flowers for years and used to paint/ print the colour on the fabric to make the flowers as I could not always get the colours I wanted. Plus it can be messy when you have a very small space to work in and getting the same results each time can take a lot of extra work (although I will still use this method to develop new print designs). Now thanks to digital printing I can get the results I wanted and it is easy and  repeatable, plus others can now also get the same results. I have made up the flower samples and I am very happy with the results. The circles can be used not only to make flowers but also quilting yoyo's (also known as Suffolk Puffs), hair decorations (I am working on a "how to" for that currently) and covered buttons/ beads. If anyone purchases this fabric I would love to know what you make with it :)
The flowers are very quick and simple to make so I have posted the photo "how to's for making the flowers and some ideas for the centres.

Its May and Spring maybe?

Maybe I am speaking to soon but the bitter cold weather seems to have gone. The sun is appearing a little more each day and staying longer so brighter evenings.
Which has got me thinking of all the new colourful flowers now blooming and the insects buzzing about them.

So inspired I have added a new e-booklet to my ravelry and newly re-opened etsy shops. It is called the "The Garden Collection 2” and contains 2 charts “Swirly Snails” and “Fluttering Moths” both charts match the previous garden collection designs.

And while I am in the create making mood I have been cleaning my sewing machine (my poor machine really needs servicing another spring cleaning job to be sorted very soon) ready for my fabrics from spoonflower.com which have just arrived. I have been planning to make a shopper bag for a while but could not decide which designs to pick. So I choose 2 (well you can never have enough bags). I plan to make a lightweight cotton shopper using the "Circle in a Square - small red/ oranges"
" pattern with a peach fabric to line it and a heavier weight bag in cotton/ linen with the "50's Lace" design and a hot pink lining. I will add the finished bags as I make them :)