Stash and a Challenge

It's reveal day for the Monthly Ornament Challenge on Needlecraft Haven. This month the design was either one of these two lovely snowmen from Jura Point de Croix.
Here is my finish, stitched on pale blue evenweave using orphan threads from magazine cover kits.
The other finishes are in the album here

I had a fabulous stash parcel this week. Look at these wonderful goodies from The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe. Nancy even threw in a few extra free things to help offset the postage charges.

I also had another parcel in the week. I mentioned last time that I'd run out of polyester fibrefill, so I went on EvilBay and ordered another bag, and because there wasn't much difference in price I ordered a 10 kilo bag. Well it came. Big mistake. Do you guys have any idea how big a 10 kilo bag of fibrefill is? No? Let me tell you. It is about the size of a large dustbin. I could take up taxidermy and stuff a baby hippo.
Guess I won't buying any more fibrefill anytime ever...

Oink, Moo...

Strange title?
Oink. Sometimes I get the urge to make strange little smooshie animals. Does that make me weird? No, I didn't think so either.

Today I made this odd looking punky pig out of an old hoodie that used to belong to one of the girls years ago. He could do with being a little bit fatter but I ran out of fibrefill.
Moo  is the name of the company we just got our lovely new dinky little business cards from. I made the little holder from a scrap of felt so that I don't lose them in the bottom of my bag.

And I'll leave you with a few spring flowers from the garden. The vase is just a jam jar with a wrap stitched up from scraps of fabric and braid. I got the idea from Sew magazine. I'm thinking I'll make a few of them in different colours. Could be another use for the mountain of old jeans...

Blooms, Bags and Buttons

Look at this beautiful plant which one of my neighbours very kindly gave me. All the other plants in the conservatory are now suffering from feelings of deep inadequacy.

The bag David uses to carry his portfolio and photobook samples around finally died from overuse last week and he asked if I could make him a new one. I did toy with the idea of making something very vintage and lacy, but I decided he wouldn't appreciate it, so I used a couple of funky furnishing fabrics I'd intended to make cushions out of instead.

If he decides the swinging London print is too much he'll just have to turn it inside out and use the boring manly stripe.
And I've been playing with buttons again. I made a couple of necklaces and a bracelet.

This one is my favourite. It was meant for the folksy shop, but actually I think I'm going to have a hard time letting it go...

Two Hearts

The first is the cover kit from this month's Cross Stitcher magazine. I know I've been less than complimentary about cover kits on occasion in the past, but just lately they seem to have been getting it a little better. Or maybe they are just more to my taste? Anyway this month's kit was this dear little notebook kit with a printed perforated paper cover.

I changed the design up slightly, working in an extra concentric heart. The original was done in just the three shades of red/pink and I thought it would be kind of fun to add in a little of the same soft butter yellow as the typewriter in the printed design. If I was going to be really picky I'd say the cover could have done with being about 1mm bigger all round to fit the book better, but otherwise I'm really happy with it.
The other heart is a little less traditional. A leather Zombie Heart brooch.

This one will be going in my Folksy shop soon. Unless one of the girls claims it first...

Monthly Ornament Challenge

Here is my finish for the Monthly Ornament Challenge at Needlecraft Haven. The design is by  Steekjes & Kreisjes van Marijke and is available here.

I thought such a sweetly primitive little design deserved a naive kind of finish so I just made a simple hanging pillow and stitched three slightly rusty jingle bells on the bottom.
The other challenge finishes are in an album here and are well worth a look.
In other news I got some new Converse. Tie dye ones.

Now all we need is a summer so I can wear them

An Unplanned Haitus and a Grow Your Blog Winner

I was supposed to announce the winner for the Grow Your Blog draw last weekend. I was supposed to do a lot of things on the internet the last couple of weeks, but an unexpected lightening strike put paid to that. It also zapped one computer, one amplifier and the playstation. And gave me a shock, but not a bad one because there was a surge protector on the computer I was using.
If I've missed posting on your blog I apologise but I've just had to draw a line under what I've missed and start again. If you are one of the new people who found me through the Grow Your Blog party and I haven't visited you back yet, I will get around to it, it's just taking a bit of catching back up.
No internet for a whole fortnight, aargh! It was like being back in the dark ages (only without the plagues and starvation).
So, what do you do with yourself for two weeks when you can't access the internet. Well if you are me you read three fat novels (I do love me a Fantasy Epic), and make stuff.
I have now made so many "useful baskets" from made from old denim jeans (see this post) that I am in danger of needing a useful basket to keep them all in.
I cut up a charity shop vintage scarf to make bias strips and used them to bind the neckline of a plain t-shirt following instructions in this book which Julie gave me for my birthday.

I also made a beaded bracelet, my spring exchange for Needlecraft Haven (can't show that yet), a runner from squares cut from vintage sheets and tablecloths

Two studded leather heart brooches 

inspired by this one in faux leather which I made from a cover kit from Mollie Makes

A handbag using some adorable Echino fabric. Look at the little red glasses on the stag in the middle! (pattern also from Mollie Makes)

Another cover kit - this one from Cross Stitcher

And a partridge in a pear tree

Anyway back to the Grow Your Blog draw. That's why you're still reading after all.  I put the numbers into the random number generator and it chose comment number 7, which was Gillie. Congratulations Gillie, your prize will be on it's way soon.

So What Else Can You Make from Old Jeans?

Turns out you can make a smooshie little cat

He's got a hand embroidered face and a tiny tape measure tail, and he's wearing a bell and bow rescued from a well know Christmas confectionery item.
I made one from an off-cut of scandi curtain fabric too

Or you can make a little fishie, and string him with some friends made from other vintage and scrap fabrics to make a driftwood mobile.

I got a bit carried away and made a pile of these, so there are some available on my Folksy Shop - Brimstone and Quicksilver
Still a shed-load of denim left, wonder what I'll make next?