Spring

Isn't it wonderful?   The clocks have gone forward, the evenings are getting lighter, the temperature's rising and, best of all, there's blossom and buds on the trees and daffodils everywhere.   Yesterday, we went to a Craft Fair at the Old Police Station, Lark Lane.  It was their first fair of the season and it was great to catch up with some of our old friends.    Although it was quite quiet the people who came were really interested and interesting to talk to.  I sold a few prints and several scarves and other bits and pieces.     We will be there again on St. George's Day (Easter Saturday) so, as it's a holiday weekend we hope people will be browsing and, perhaps, even looking for last minute Easter presents.

I've made some shoulder  bags this week.   I  hate waste and have collected a 'stash' of various fabrics over a number of years.  It is my ambition to make good use of all the pieces of fabric I've acquired and turn them into something useful.   The bags, this week, have been made out of furnishing fabric, they all  have a longish strap and two are decorated with tabs fastened with glass beads and the other one has a 'cuff' decorated with a large button.  Each one has a snap fastener to close.

On the same note, I made two handbags from a piece of beautiful, soft, felt which I stupidly allowed to get into the washing machine!   It is still beautiful, but not soft!  I generally wash felt in the washing machine on a gentle, wool, cycle but in a distracted moment, of which I have more and more lately, I put it in a normal wash at 40 degrees - ow!   Rather than let it go to waste, I have used it to make two, similar handbags using bought handles.   One is trimmed with a glass bead and loop to close it, while the other has a flower decoration on the flap.

On Friday, I  also made a couple of felt bowls.  My niece commissioned one in pinks/purples as a present,  so I actually made two and she can choose which one she likes best.    I'll photograph the 'rejected' one to show you after she's chosen.

I think that's my limit for now - I hope you're impresses that I've, at last, managed to keep to my resolution to 'blog' weekly - it can't last.

I'm Back

Oh dear, I have been remiss - not a single post since 20th February.  I should explain that I have been away on holiday and that slowed me down a bit.   I haven't been totally idle however, I've been updating my website which always takes longer than you think it's going to.   I've added lots of silk and satin cards - each one is a fabric collage which I have embroidered both by hand and machine and some of them are beaded as well.  Each one is like a mini work of art and, although they are fiddly, I really enjoy making them.  There are so many of them and I wouldn't know which to choose to picture here, so I'm afraid you'll have to look on the website.   

Last week, I made another felt bowl, which I am very pleased with - it is mostly grey merino with a snall amount of  black and blue,  and I've added some grey and white fibres also.   To finish it off, I have attached a small piece of grey slate which I picked up on a beach in Pembrokeshire - it works really well.   I've also, at long last, photographed the red bowl I made before Christmas, it is decorated with french knots in various shades of red and coral.

Since February, we have attended two Craft Fairs, one in Neston Town Hall - a new venture for us, which was very successful .   We will be going there again on 2nd April -  it was very pleasant and well organised.

While I was away, Liz went to one at the Park Inn,  St. Helens.   As usual, the staff were so welcoming, warm and friendly but, unfortunately, for some reason, there didn't seem to be many people about.    Very strange, last time we were there it was quite busy.   We'll be at Lark Lane, this weekend for their first Fair of the season.    I hope we'll get lots of interest - Mothers' Day is on Sunday, so perhaps there will be some last minute present buying!

I'm hoping, in the next few days, to download and print some of the (few) photos I took when we were away - I'm hoping I might have one decent shot of an egret and perhaps one of a surfer.  Neither are easy to photograph - the egret was very shy and the surfers move at quite a lick! 

With a bit of luck, I'll get in a walk in the Lake District in the next few weeks and that might yield some good photo opportunities.  In the meantime, I'm making a couple of bags - I hope to finish, and photograph them, for the next blog.