It's beginning to look a lot like...

Well, it's that time of year again.  Christmas Eve, husband's birthday...

 

and homes to find for this little batch of Robins.

Merry Christmas!

clickerty clack

In the age of Ipads, the noise of a typewriter isn't heard very often these days.  There we were, on the way to school, when at the side of the road appeared a collection of objects and a sign 'please take, free to a good home'.

There was an exercise bike (I left that well alone, obviously!) and this...

amazingly, it still works!  Could do with a new ribbon and the roller needs a clean, but the kids are fascinated by it.

Not to be left out though, Luke took a shine to, of all things, the empty box the typewriter had been propped up by, which he insisted on bringing home too...!

It's that time of year again,

...when everybody should have an Elf hat to wear while watching tv!

As is the case every christmas (according to my blog stats) it's my most visited free pattern, link here.

Embroidery hoop embroideries!

I have a couple of new items going onto Etsy today...

a Fox...

and a Kingfisher.  Both are applique pictures mounted in an embroidery hoop.

And, as it's nearly christmas, I also have  4   3   2   1  0 signed copies of 'Countryside Softies' on offer at the special price of $12.50 (that's about £8, cheaper than Amazon!).  This offer will run until Saturday 15th December, once they are gone, they are gone!

Beanie sewing pattern...

Whatever the weather, I mostly walk the school run as parking can be problematic.  In wind and rain, hoods blow down, so a hat can be the best option for keeping dry.  My winter coat is probably best described as being mushroom in colour, and I've been on the look out for a matching hat for ages but not found anything quite right.  Simple solution I suppose, knit one.  But I don't knit, so simpler solution... sew one!

After rooting through my collection of old jumpers, it took about five minutes (that's after I'd drafted the pattern) to cut it out and sew.  What could be easier?
 
This is what you'll need...

a body panel (front or back will do) from an old woollen jumper 

(one panel is roughly big enough to make one Beanie and include the ribbed bottom edge in your measurements) 

piece of paper - 20" (horizontally) x 11 1/2" (vertically) 

plus a pencil, scissors, pins and your sewing machine (you can sew it by hand but it's much quicker on a machine)

Step 1, Fold the piece of paper in half, and then half again so it's now in quarters.  Follow the pattern below for the measurements and shape to cut, cutting through all four layers of paper simultaneously.

Open out your paper pattern to double check it's cut correctly, it should look like this...

Step 2, Fold the paper pattern back in half, and place it on top of the folded (right sides together) jumper panel, lining up both the folded edges and pin to secure.  Stretch the jumper out while pinning if need be.  Next, cut out the Beanie shape from the jumper, cutting through both layers of fabric. Remove the pattern and re pin just the jumper panel in half.

Step 3, Stitch along edge 1, and then edge 2, but while you are sewing edge 2, stop at the marker, turn the beanie inside out (so it is now actually right sides round), and complete stitching edge 2.  This is so when you fold over the ribbed edge, the seam won't show on the outside of the hat.

Step 4, Turn it back so it's inside out again, and re-fold the Beanie so the 2 seams you have just sewn are now central.  Pin and sew the last curved seam around the top.  

Step 5, Turn the hat right side round, fold over the ribbed edge section and give it a quick press with an iron, and it's all done!

 A few tips which may help...

• wear the hat with the long seam at the back, shorter seam to the front as it'll look neater
• by all means, adjust the pattern to fit your head by making it wider or narrower if it's for a child
• you may need to stretch out your jumper panel to fit the pattern, but don't worry about doing this, as knitted fabrics do have a lot of give in them
• you can add decoration, a pom pom or a flower and some buttons

I now have one in mushroom, one in blue, brown next I think...

pdf patterns vs craft books

I'm sure this must be something that goes through most designers minds when they are working on a new pattern which they are intending to sell.  What form do you go about selling it as?

 

In the past, my patterns have been made into craft kits, featured in collaborative craft pattern books and magazines, appeared as a free tutorial both here and on other blogs and websites, in addition to having been granted a book all of their very own.  The avenue I am yet to personally embark on is into the world of PDF downloads.  The issue here is this... in my book Countryside Softies, there are a total of 28 patterns for a retail cover price of $19.95 or £17.99 (obviously, there are outlets online, who shall remain nameless, which will be selling it at a discounted price).  But split those 28 patterns and launch them separately as PDF's, you have got to wonder, from a designers point of view, which would bring in the most revenue?

So, what I'm asking is, what are your preferences when it comes to buying craft patterns?  Here's a little questionaire...

1.  When purchasing craft patterns, do you prefer to buy in the form of a book, magazine or PDF download?

2.  Are you more likely to buy a PDF pattern if it allows you to sell the items you make?

3.  If you buy a PDF pattern, does the fact you could potentially buy a whole craft book for a similar price affect your purchase?

I have been squirreling away with some new patterns, one of which, that stemmed from our visits to the Natural History Museum in London during the summer, there is a sneaky peek of in this post.  This one is most likely heading down the PDF route once the kids have finished playing with it to see how well it stands up to a bit of rough and tumble!

Hello,

This blog has been so quiet lately, I feel the need to re-introduce myself.  Hello, I'm Amy, and I craft... sometimes, oh, and I also wrote a book and I make stuff!

The summer has been very busy for us, visiting lots of family and also ripping our garden to pieces to begin a complete revamp that has been on the cards for the last 5 years.

(railway sleeper planters!) 

There has been a little crafting, not much I have to admit, but just a little...

Luke has a cabin bed in his bedroom, and despite having what I think is quite a nice room, he continually makes a pain of himself (as most little brothers do) by hovering around his older sisters room far too much, so I decided to make the underneath of his bed into a den by adding curtains.  I have lots of fabric, but most is in the form of fat quarters, so nothing large enough to make curtains.  Obvious solution was to patchwork some together.  I have to be honest and say the thought made me shudder a bit.  Patchwork and Quilting has, so far, not really appealed to me, and I did begin to wonder why this might be?

I think it's because it involves precise measuring and cutting, whereas in my everyday crafting I tend to do things by eye and in a slap dash fashion.  So, trying hard to remain undaunted, I pressed on and turned the upstairs landing into a great big cutting mat,

and patchworked this totally exact and not cut in the slightest bit wonky fabric jigsaw into...

a curtain!   I hung them both in place, intending to take them down again and give them an iron, yet here we are, a month or so later, and they are both still there, still un-ironed.  But at least there are 2 people and 1 animal happy with the den, Luke, because he has a den, Lucy, because he's slightly less of a pain, and the cat, because he hid in there and missed his vet's appointment for a blood test because I couldn't find him.  Sneaky cat!

Back,

Summer is almost over...

next week it's back to work!

See you soon

Close encounters...

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, first our internet connection has been erratic due to a faulty (now replaced) router/modem, and second, it's the school holidays and life has been very busy!

I did, however, get the opportunity to spend some time with this beautiful little lady...

wish I could have taken her home!

Onion,

It's my friends birthday, and rather sadly her cat died.

So, I made her this...

Hope she likes it.

Penguin finale...

Time for the final Penguin to add to the collection...

 

You will need :

10 x 12 cm of felted wool for the body (although if you have no felted wool, just use fabric)

10 x 10 cm of felted wool for the base, eyes and wings

4 x 4 cm of craft felt for the beak

6 x 6 cm of craft felt for the fish

6 x 5 cm of fabric for the tummy patch

5 x 8 cm of fabric for the wings

2 small buttons for the eyes

2 small buttons to attach the wings

Toy stuffing

Selection of embroidery thread (I used pearl cotton 8, but any will do)

Small pebble to weight the bottom

Small piece of card for the internal base

Tracing paper and a pencil to trace the templates

Plus the usual suspects, pins, needle, scissors etc…

Before you begin, print out the templates so the complete image is a finished size of  9 x 14 cm, that should make them the correct size to work with, any problems with that though, just send me an email (there's a link in the sidebar -->)

  

Step 1 : For the body cut two shapes ,using the template provided, from the felted wool.  Pin, right sides together and stitch, roughly 0.5cm away from the edge leaving the turning gap open.  Turn the body right side round, and fill with the stuffing.  Keep going until you are happy with the shape.  Make a well within the base of the stuffing for the pebble.  Pack the pebble in place by adding a bit more stuffing and finish off by cutting a small oval shape from the card (cut this by eye as it’s hard to give an exact size due to the felted wool stretching when stuffed) and place it just inside the open end.  Cut the base piece from the felted wool, place it over the open end to cover the hole and secure in place with random straight stitches.  

Step 2 : Place the felted wool for the wings wrong side together with the fabric.  Cut out one wing through both layers.  Flip the template and cut the second wing.  Sew around the edge of each wing using blanket stitch.  Attach one wing to each side of the penguin with a small button, positioning them fabric side facing out, with the more curved edge towards the front of the penguin. 

Step 3 : Cut two circles for the eyes from the felted wool and stitch onto the face with one of the small buttons in the center of each eye.  Cut out the beak, fold in half and attach along the folded edge with random straight stitches.  From the fabric, cut out a tummy piece and sew into place again with random straight stitches.

Step 4 : To make the fish, cut 2 fish shapes from the craft felt, join the 2 together by sewing blanket stitch round the edge.  Add a small french knot to each side for an eye.

Your little penguin is now complete.  You can make as many babies as you like! (sewing wise I mean, not literally!) 

(templates, just drag & drop the image onto your desktop to print)


As always with my free patterns, YES  ...you can sell what you make (as long as you don't go into mass production),  just add a copyright mark to say ⓒ Lucykate Crafts... within any written description and also make sure you join the Lucykate Crafts... Pattern Pieces Flickr group to show off what you make. Happy stitching!

Ready for the next free pattern?

Here we go, this week, it's the turn of the Matriarch of the family,

You will need...

14 x 16 cm of felted wool for the body (although if you have no felted wool, just use fabric)

8 x 18 cm of felted wool for the base, eyes and wings

4 x 8 cm of craft felt for the beak

4 x 4 cm of craft felt for the flower

8 x 10 cm of fabric for the tummy patch

8 x 12 cm of fabric for the wings

2 small buttons for eyes & 1 extra for the flower

2 large buttons to attach the wings

Toy stuffing

Selection of embroidery thread (I used pearl cotton 8, but any will do)

Small pebble to weight the bottom

Small piece of card for the internal base

Plus the usual suspects, pins, needle, scissors etc…

Before you begin, print out the templates so the complete image is a finished size of  12 x 12 cm, that should make them the correct size to work with, any problems with that though, just send me an email (there's a link in the sidebar -->)

Step 1 : For the body, cut two shapes using the templates provided from the felted wool.  Pin, right side together and stitch, roughly 0.5cm away from the edge leaving the turning gap open.  Turn the body right side round, and fill with the stuffing.  Keep going until you are happy with the shape, then make a well within the base of the stuffing for the pebble.  Pack the pebble in place by adding a bit more stuffing and finish off by cutting a small oval shape from the card (cut this by eye as it’s hard to give an exact size due to the felted wool stretching when stuffed) and place it just inside the open end.  Cut the base piece from the felted wool, place it over the open end to cover the hole and secure in place with random straight stitches.  

Step 2 : Place the felted wool for the wings wrong side together with the fabric.  Cut out one wing and join both layers together with blanket stitch around the edge.  Attach to the side of the penguin with a large button.  Flip the wing template, and repeat for the other wing. 

Step 3 : Cut two circles for the eyes from the felted wool and stitch onto the face with one of the small buttons in the center of each eye.  Cut out the beak, fold in half and attach along the folded edge with random straight stitches.  From the fabric, cut out a tummy piece and sew into place again with random straight stitches.  To finish off, cut out the flower, and attach to the head with a button in the center.

(templates, just drag & drop the image onto your desktop to print)

As is the rule of thumb with all my free patterns, YES  ...you can sell what you make (as long as you don't go into mass production),  just add a copyright mark to say ⓒ Lucykate Crafts... within any written description and also make sure you join the Lucykate Crafts... Pattern Pieces Flickr group to show off what you make.  Tune in next week for the final free pattern in this series!

Time for a new free pattern?!

Penguins maybe??

I'm going to post the whole penguin family, one at a time, maybe you can stitch along as we go?

Starting off with Mr Penguin...

You will need...

14 x 16 cm of felted wool for the body (although if you have no felted wool, just use fabric)

8 x 18 cm of felted wool for the base, eyes and wings 

4 x 8 cm of craft felt for the beak 

4 x 6 cm of craft felt for the tie 

8 x 10 cm of fabric for the tummy patch 

8 x 12 cm of fabric for the wings 

2 small buttons for eyes 

2 large buttons to attach the wings 

Toy stuffing 

Selection of embroidery thread (I used pearl cotton 8, but any will do) 

Small pebble to weight the bottom 

Small piece of card for the internal base 

Plus the usual suspects, pins, needle, scissors etc… 

Before you begin, print out the templates so the complete image is a finished size of  12 x 12 cm, that should make them the correct size to work with, any problems with that though, just send me an email (there's a link in the sidebar -->)

Step 1 : For the body, cut two shapes using the templates provided from the felted wool. Pin, right side together and stitch, roughly 0.5cm away from the edge leaving the turning gap open. Turn the body right side round, and fill with the stuffing. Keep going until you are happy with the shape, then make a well within the base of the stuffing for the pebble. Pack the pebble in place by adding a bit more stuffing and finish off by cutting a small oval shape from the card (cut this by eye as it’s hard to give an exact size due to the felted wool stretching when stuffed) and place it just inside the open end. Cut the base piece from the felted wool, place it over the open end to cover the hole and secure in place with random straight stitches. 

Step 2 : Place the felted wool for the wings wrong side together with the fabric. Cut out one wing and join both layers together with blanket stitch around the edge. Attach to the side of the penguin with a large button. Flip the wing template, and repeat for the other wing. 

Step 3 : Cut two circles for the eyes from the felted wool and stitch onto the face with one of the small buttons in the centre of each eye. Cut out the beak, fold in half and attach along the folded edge with random straight stitches. From the fabric, cut out a tummy piece and sew into place again with random straight stitches. To finish off, cut out the tie, and secure with a cross shaped stitch at the top.

(templates, just drag & drop the image onto your desktop to print)

As is the rule of thumb with all my free patterns, YES  ...you can sell what you make, just add a copyright mark to say ⓒ Lucykate Crafts... within any written description and also make sure you join the Lucykate Crafts... Pattern Pieces Flickr group to show off what you make.  Tune in next week for the next free pattern in this series!

New on Etsy...

owlet brooches,

...and King Charles Spaniels.

 

Reality check...

I know how lucky I am to have a dedicated space to work in.  It's the smallest bedroom, has no bed in it at the moment as it's crammed to capacity with a desk and shelves stuffed full of books and felted wool.  After an hour or so of blog hopping yesterday, it kind of inspired me to show the warts and all side of things.  This is my desk...

I can't even bring myself to post it in full focus, it's that embarrassing.  In amongst the cans of coke and bars of chocolate, I'm not actually sure there's any room to work.  I'm posting it as I'm almost certain that in a blogosphere full of 'corners of my home that contain beautifully styled vignettes' type posts, I can't be alone in keeping it real, can I??!  

owlets,

After finishing off the pincushions yesterday, I had the urge to make something else small,

...so there are 3 owlet brooches winging their way into the shop soon!

I'm off out on my own tomorrow (first time in ages!).  The company I used to work for, which is part of Coats Crafts UK, is going through some big changes, so tomorrow night there is a big do in Bolton to say goodbye to many members of staff.  Obviously, I said my goodbyes in 2006 when I left, but as I worked there for almost 12 years, it was a big part of my life, so it seems fitting to make the trip.

Beyond that, who's up for a street party??  Happy Jubilee Weekend!

one, two, three... tea!

A quick solution to plug a gap while I finish off the last King Charles Spaniel, 3 tea time themed cotton reel pincushions...

I have only made a couple of these recently, so it was a case of having to remind myself how to do it as I went along.  Do you ever do that? forget how to make your own designs?

I was sat for a while with a circle of card, wondering where on earth it went!

It's a base (obviously!), but for a while my mind just went blank.

The pincushions are in the shop now.

Constant state of confusion...

This is probably going to sound daft coming from someone who has written a whole craft pattern book, but in the light of the recent 'things I'm afraid to tell you' meme that has been doing the rounds, sometimes I just need to say out loud, that when it comes to my designs, it's a constant state of confusion.

Working at home, for yourself, on your own, can lead to over thinking rather than more concise decision making.  I also wonder if my background, having a degree in textile design and working in industry, is somewhat restrictive as it places my mindset within learned constraints.  As Picasso once said, 'every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist as you grow'.

Things I do know are, I have developed a design style, and I do enjoy using recycled materials much more than buying new fabrics to a point where I am totally out of the loop when it comes to the latest fabric lines, and I'm ok with that.  The indecision stems around this design style being too cute looking.  I see what I design and make as soft sculpture, objects of art - not soft toys.  The use of the word 'toy' scares me because of the health and safety issues.  But legally, regardless of how I personally perceive my work, if it looks like a toy, it is a toy.

The conclusion I think I've reached is to split my design work.  Some patterns are on their way to become available via PDF download.  They will stay 'cute', but also probably not use felted wool.  As much as I love that medium as it's easy to sew with and hugely forgiving when it comes to the odd mishap, I am lucky to have amassed a bit of a collection over the years in my stash.  It does seem second hand, true woolens are becoming harder and harder to find.  The patterns I'm going to keep to make myself will begin to go on a development journey.  One which has already begun...

Last week I made a gift following the dog pattern I've used before, but as soon as I finished the face, I unpicked it all.  Referring back to the changes I'd made with the King Charles Spaniels, I began reworking.

 It's just a small change, and overall it's an ongoing process, but it's cathartic to be able to talk about this stuff rather than have it just swimming around in my head.  

 

I don't know if the changes made it better or worse, but I did feel happier with the finished softie once it was done. Any suggestions on how to make a dog softie, more dog like are always welcome!

Bang, bang, bang...

That was the noise my sewing machine was making last night while repairing jeans.  After spotting this and this on Pinterest, it seemed the coolest way of mending the knee hole in Luke's favourite pair,

 

but given how much fluff there must be inside my machine, a hazard of sewing mainly with felted wool I guess, I think a service may well be in order.

Crowning glory...

The King Charles Spaniels are nearing completion, finally!  Lots been going on so they've been slipped in between other projects.

Other news is... my book won an award!  Silver at the Pubwest Design Awards in the Craft Book category.  Well done to C&T Publishing and Stash Books!

The English Monarchy,

It was only after I left high school that my interest in history began to develop.  Doesn't say much for my old history teachers does it?!, and the fact I couldn't remember their names, makes me realise how much uninspiring teachers can affect your schooling.  

We've just had two weeks off school here for the Easter holidays, during which, I went on a trip to Peterborough for the day and ended up in Peterborough Cathedral, stood before the grave of Katherine of Aragon.  A few days later (and a long story!), I was also in the presence of the burial place of Oliver Cromwell's head, and the last surviving person to have seen it.  Within history, it's always been the English monarchy in particular which has fascinated me, so I started to wonder how I could bring this into my design work.

Now, I'd previously started sewing some Softie bodies which were going to become dogs for the next installment of Project 3.  I completed one, and while I was kind of happy with it, there was just a certain something missing.  Cue, the train of thought beginning.  Dogs.  Dogs and English monarchy.  Dogs and English monarchy = King Charles maybe?

King Charles Spaniels?

I think he looks quite regal,

and quite appropriate given it's the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year.  In homage, here is me at our 1977 street party for the Silver one (I'm in the rather fetching yellow sunglasses!)

ps, and talking of Oliver Cromwell's head, eeeek!