Cobbled Together by Brenna

Eco Dyeing Normandy

2011-09-04T23:06:00.002+01:00

On a recent trip to Normandy we did a little natural dyeing, Eco-Colour style with locally sourced fabric, water, rust and plant matter. Not having yet got my hands on India Flint's beautiful book, we just experimented with the little knowledge I have picked up from the very inspiring and rapidly growing fan base of this wonderful and exhilarating method.

Being in quite idyllic surroundings in a sleepy village surrounded by flax fields called Malleville-les-Grés in Normandy, we couldn't help but photograph our experiments. Here's the (little) method in our madness...

A trip to the local beach to collect the sea water for mordanting the fabric...

Then a walk to our local brocante to find linen and silk for dyeing...

Very pleased with our linen haul and we even found a silk scarf, most pieces only one or two euros! We also found some beautiful rusted objects that would have been wonderful for making rust prints. We got a couple of pieces of iron to add to the dye pot.

Soaking the fabric in the sea water...

We left these soaking overnight. We didn't have enough time to dry them before wrapping the bundles so I'm not sure how effective the sea water mordanting would have been.

The next day we collected our plant matter.

One bundle included this old rusty chain and padlock and a few Hydrangea leaves and a bunch of Rumex tops...

With little helpers we laid out hydrangea flowers on the silk scarf.

It might have been setting oneself up for disappointment to make this look so pretty at this stage!

Wrapping the bundles in the rain.

...all tied up

A large bolster cushion cover made from fine linen was opened out and this became a bit of a test piece where we laid out various wind fall including cherry leaves, some kind of spurge, beech, rose, rumex, a fern etc

The silk bundle and the linen test bundle were boiled in the filtered sea water in an aluminium pot...

A beautiful copper tinderbox...

The rust bundles of linen and leaves were boiled in filtered sea water in an aluminium pot separately. That lovely copper kettle was too nice to use but it made a nice prop!

After two hours on the stove they then went outside like this to rest overnight. The water in the pot with only plant matter turned a deep red and the iron pot went a murky black.

The next day...

I wish I kept this red dyebath. I wonder which leaves mostly contributed to make this colour?

Opening the test piece. Not many of our chosen leaves did much here or were perhaps given enough time to do much anyway.

But the fern made a vibrant green print... but sadly that soon after faded away.

An embroidered linen cloth that was bundled with a small rusty chain and some hydrangea leaves

This was another embroidered linen cloth that had a few sprigs of the rumex in as well as a very rusty iron chain, rings and padlock. It revealed some lovely colours and patterns...

Lastly the silk scarf and the pretty hydrangeas....

Suprisingly the hydrangea all left their mark in quite a lovely blue. The orange flowers (not sure what these are called) left a very vibrant yellow print.

The red/orange was from the dyebath and you can see the resist of the rope ties.

We left them drying in the apple orchard...

Textures

2011-08-23T23:10:00.001+01:00

Just catching up on some of my favourite artist's blogs (Sophie Munns & Kathryn Clark) and was really taken with the beautiful painterly quality of these two works that were brought to my attention.

white rag quilt by Barbara Wisnoski

This beautiful pieced quilt by Barbara Wisnoski is made up of hundreds of tiny fragments sewn together in a method she describes as "Happily freed from precision, this is cutting and sewing as mantra, as pure, riotous activity." This idea is incredibly comforting, to be freed from precision, from the fear that everything must be precise to be of value, to put aside doubt and just be present in the doing. Barbara's work has also really validated my inability to throw away even the tiniest piece of fabric.

07-D122 by Chun Kwang Young

The other artist I came across was a Korean artist Chun Kwang Young who wraps tiny blocks of foam in mulberry paper and creates these incredibly intricate works that resemble by their micro geometry a kind of 3D matrix over a landscape. I find a lot of similarity in their works and their methodology. I love the way they have built up of layers in an informal grid to create such a beautifully ornate yet, from a distance, visually simple aerial landscape.

Eco-printing linen with copper coins

2011-08-18T15:08:00.001+01:00

I tried my hand at a bit of dyeing/eco-printing inspired by India Flint's bundle technique where you tightly wrap found plant matter or objects in fabric and soak/heat to transfer the colour on to the fabric (a slightly simplistic description I'm afraid!) My first attempt was using a jar of copper coins that I had to hand in an attempt to create a more regular design on some pieces of an old linen sheet that I had left over from another project. Here are the results which I pieced together to make into a top to wear because I was quite in love with the fabric.

From everything I've heard, I think I must get Second Skin.

Ye Olde Haberdashery circa 1805

2011-08-14T22:40:00.000+01:00

We came across a wonderful museum to the old village store in Mid Wales recently, called The Thomas Shop which was restored as closely as possible to resemble the ambience and proper convenience that a village store in the early 19th century would have provided the local community. I especially loved the haberdashery "department" which occupied half of the shop with its wonderful collection of antique lace, velvets and woven Welsh blankets as well as all the beautiful old sewing notions. It was a real treasure trove, well worth a visit if you're travelling through Wales. And to top it all off there is a Wool Emporium upstairs and wonderful tea and cakes by the river. It was just heaven, a real lucky find.

Bendy man for toddler play

2011-07-25T21:26:00.000+01:00

My little one needed a little bendy figure that could drive his cars, ride horses and the like and while I had a creative friend staying last week we made some cute little dolls. They started out as simple wire framed things but soon, as often happens with us, became quite involved little guys, felted, painted and clothed. Here are some photos.

First we used white Milliput to make heads, hands and feet with flat soles, these we left to dry whilst we went to Hackney City Farm for some play. Then we made little wire frame stick men out of pipe cleaners and wrapped them with strips of carded wool from the seaweed eating sheep in North Ronaldsay, that I collected in Orkney (that I still haven't done anything with!). Then we felted them by rubbing them with washing liquid and hot water until the body was firm and made little outfits out of scraps of linen fabric. I had a tiny scrap of beautiful Japanese silk left that I used to make a hat which really made him characterful. A nice little project to use up the ends of other projects.

I'm so loving "World Textiles" the latest issue of Hand/Eye magazine. It just makes me want to up sticks and go on my own around the world textiles journey...

Broadway Market Saturdays from 9th July onwards and upwards

2011-07-09T21:16:00.007+01:00

We had a really good first day selling our handmade children's clothes and gifts at Hackney's Broadway Market yesterday. So we'll be there every saturday for the foreseeable future and it's inspiring to talk to customers and get feedback. Here's our stall. The dolls are made by the lovely girls at Dalston Dolls, who I did the Steiner doll making workshop with.

Monthly carboot loot

2011-07-09T21:06:00.001+01:00

I'm really pleased with this months carboot haul. Every month we go to the Chiswick carboot sale and I hunt down fabric off-cuts, tablecloths, linen and anything I can repurpose into my wares. I already blogged about my super special hemp grain sack, here are the other bits and pieces. Some have already become little toddler pantaloons and smocked hats.

I love the label on this piece of gingham from Chung Nam Weaving Factory in Hong Kong. I wonder how old it is? It's already half stitched into one of my smocked summer hats.

Darned hemp grain sack

2011-07-08T16:53:00.001+01:00

Last weekend was our monthly carboot hunt in Chiswick, and I found this beautiful antique hemp grain sack for a steal. It's French and has been darned and mended so many times that it is starting to resemble a patchwork or the the Japanese boro textiles that I drool over at Sri Threads. It's pieces like these that you just want to frame, it is so exquisite.

By the way, I have been loving listening to these incredible postcasts by Maiwa called Voices on Cloth. I'm day dreaming whilst sewing up a storm for my market stall in the school yard at Broadway Market tomorrow.

We Make London Pop Up Shop

2011-06-28T16:16:00.003+01:00

I'll be selling my wares at the We Make London Pop Up Shop in Hampstead from 2-9 July. It opens this Saturday. See my designer feature on the We Make London Blog.

Here is a sneak preview of some of my handmade goodies.

Lots of lovely things for babies and toddlers mostly...

These are my popular baby & toddler pantaloons, based on a harem pant with a wide waistband and leg cuffs, this pair is made from some natural linen I found in a Norman brocante which was originally a curtain in a Paris hospital stamped 1843. It's beautifully soft with a heavy drape. I just love this fabric. Some of it was beautifully darned too, I'm adding this bit to my darning collection!

A variation on my pantaloons, these playsuits are adorable. They are so perfect for babies and toddlers because they do not restrict the movement and flexibility like many toddler trousers do so they can sit in that perfect lotus pose that only a child can do!

Also for little ones my patchwork neckerchiefs are made from my scraps of vintage fabrics that I just can't throw away. They are a stylish way of catching the dribbles of a teething baby and reversible too.

There will be much more at the show, please come along!

Weekly sourdough

2011-06-22T22:01:00.000+01:00

I just wanted to share this recipe for Sourdough bread that has got me on a weekly regime that supplies us with more than our fair share of wholesome bread for the week. It was kindly passed on to me by Lina who was given it by Cecile. Now all you need is a Sourdough starter, make one yourself or ask around. You may be surprised by how many people have a starter or know of one that you could have a spoonful of. I hear our lovely bakery down the road called the E5 Bakehouse in London Fields has a new sourdough starter that is over 100 years old and from Iceland. My Grandpa's father was a sailor from Iceland who jumped ship and ended up in Australia. Since we are emigrating to Australia this year as a family and my Grandpa turns 100 later this year, I secretly harbour hopes of getting me some of this infamous starter and baking bread in Australia for the special centenary celebrations. It was be a nice story wouldn't it? Well anyway, here is the recipe, click on the images to view in full and then print. Follow the directions to the letter and you'll have two lovely big loaves. I freeze one for later in the week unless the first loaf doesn't make it past baking day! But remember, resist cutting into the loaf until it has properly cooled down or you will destroy the crumb! (whatever that means)

Merlin's technicolour dream quilt

2011-06-02T23:31:00.006+01:00

I've been meaning to blog about this quilt project for a while now. When I was expecting my first baby (Merlin now aged 2), my Mum had the idea to create a patchwork quilt made up of squares created by all the wonderfully creative women in our family and friends close to us. It was completed for Merlin's 1st birthday Dec 2010.

The result is this magical technicolour dream quilt with a whole lot of history. There are pieces of retro 70s curtains from my baby room, embroidery from the baby bib of Merlin's grandmother, Merlin's father's embroidered school badge from his uniform showing the ashford river where he grew up. There is a crochet granny square by Merlin's great grandma, stunningly detailed embroideries by Merlin's great aunt in France, wonderful silk applique by some friends living in cambodia at the time which depict little scenes with fond memories of our friendship. There is even Merlin's knitted umbilical cord tie made of bamboo yarn that I made to avoid the standard issue plastic one (complete with mummified belly button!). I know, I know... slightly weird but nevertheless all part of Merlin's birth story.

click on image to view detail

The quilt project had its own facebook group where the most active members, my mother and auntie Corrie uploaded pictures of their squares as they went. There were squares from England, Cambodia, Australia and France. It was so touching to have so many dear friends and family add to the story of the quilt. It gives us as a family many visual cues about those dear to us, especially considering Merlin will always be on the otherside of the world to one half of his extended family. It's a story quilt. When he gets his own bed, this quilt alone will provide enough bedtime stories for an entire childhood.

To those of you who contributed, thank you for the love and creativity you bestowed these small squares of fabric that together will keep Merlin warm and entertained for years to come. It's truly an heirloom and we will treasure it always. Sorry it has taken me so long to actually show you photos of the finished piece!

Mum sewed all the squares together with the seams on the right side. With the squares all being quite different in size many of them would have lost quite a lot of their edges. The effect is that each square is kind of framed by its selvedge.

Contributors and relationship to Merlin

Bev (grandmother)

Pat (grandmother)

Corrie (great aunt)

Marilyn (great aunt)

Faye (great aunt)

Elaine (great grandmother)

Josephine (late great grandmother)

Penny & Ellie (aunt and cousin)

Heidi (aunt)

Brenna (mother)

Dominic (father)

Kirsten (friend)

Andrew (friend)

Daisy (friend)

Nami (friend)

Janet (friend)

Mags (friend)

some individual square that were photographed before the quilt was put together, click to see detail

Dyes from plants

2011-05-26T23:27:00.000+01:00

We've just returned from a bit of a research holiday around Herefordshire and Wales so it has been a long time since I posted on this blog. I'm slowly trawling through the mountains of blog fodder I gathered on this trip which included visits to many a woollen mill, a knitting design weekend and tours of various eco communities.

To start off I just wanted to post a couple of beautiful pictures of an incredibly inspiring spectrum of naturally dyed wool skeins.

We visited the National Wool Museum in Wales where these lovely little specimens were on show. They were created by the Wallis Woollen Mill, Dyfed, Wales which closed in 2002.

The plaque reads "These colours were extracted from nine different plants with the exception of the bright reds, pinks and burgundies which were obtained from the cochineal beetle. Natural dyes were in use until the middle of the nineteenth century, when synthetic dyes based on coal tar were discovered. Synthetic dyes are cheaper to use and it is easier to repeat colours more exactly but they lack the subtle harmony and gentle ageing properties of natural dyes. Recipes used in this mill in the nineteenth century are still in existence today. "

More from this fascinating museum later...

Summer Hats Hand Stitched in American Smocking

2011-05-02T22:51:00.007+01:00

Hooray for the sun! It's properly back after what feels like a very long winter. We've had some beautiful sunny weather here in London and I've been loving the chance to wear my summer hat again. I've just put a whole bunch of new hats on my etsy shop please take a look.

I have lovingly hand stitched these vintage style hats using fabrics from my collection, mostly vintage pieces I've picked up from various places. I just love American smocking and how it makes gingham fabric look almost woven by the way it pulls together every other square of the grid.

There is a great tutorial on American Smocking here. It looks complicated but actually you can really get into a rhythm with the stitching, so although it has to be done by hand your stitches seem to fly by. Traditionally you use the grid of the gingham fabric to guide you in your stitching but you can also use non check fabric and just draw on your grid.

I've just had some lovely photographer/fashion designer friends staying who took some fantastic photos of my hats.

Here is a link to the fabulous Finnish photographer who so beautifully photographed my hats being modelled, thank you Arsi and thank you to my good friend Jaana who made a most beautiful model!

How to make knitted Easter bunnies

2011-04-13T17:42:00.008+01:00

This is a great craft project to do with the kids this Easter holidays. I've seen this in an old Waldorf crafts book, it's really simple and great project for Spring. It involves no knitted shaping, you just start from a square of fabric and the rabbit shape is formed by the simple sewing up and stuffing.

Step 1: knit a square in garter stitch or stockinette stitch or for a super fast rabbit cut out a square from an old woollen sweater. A square about 18cm (7") width makes a large bunny as shown, the little one is made from a square approximately 12cm (5").

Step 2: Sew each corner up about one third of the length of the edge...

Step 3: Stuff the cavity with wool, putting a bit more stuffing in the top as this will form the head.

Step 4: Sew up the hole by gathering the top and bottom of the hole and stitching the sides of the hole together...

Step 5: Form the head by tying a length of yarn around tightly at the end you would like the head to be.

Step 6: Sew the limbs in place by sewing the front two legs together and folding the back two legs forward and stitching them to the body to keep them in place.

Step 7: Make some ears, stitch some eyes and a nose and finally attach a small pom pom or ball of yarn to form a tail. The ears can be made from cutting out a piece of felt, knitting some up or using a folded i-cord or other piece of cord or ribbon. Improvise and make your bunny uniquely yours. Happy making!

Other craft activities to do with the kids this easter holidays:

- Egg blowing and dyeing

- Making nests

- Making your own chocolate easter eggs

A little bit of a beautiful thing

2011-04-12T15:41:00.005+01:00

On the weekend just gone, I had the most wonderful experience at the Battersea Arts Centre annual One-on-One Theatre Festival. This is a theatre festival where each performance is performed for you alone. It was incredibly intimate and at times challenging and at first I felt very nervous indeed but that didn't last long as I came to realise this was entirely the point of the festival.

The festival goers could choose from a number of set show menus. I chose Menu 9 - Reflective.

The piece I want to write about here was a lovely little history lesson from which each participant came away literally with a little slice of the past. It was called "A little bit of something beautiful" and was by Barnaby Stone actor/cabinet maker.

In the room there was a large oak beam, it was a 700 year old piece of oak that was once a beam in the attic of the beautiful Elizabethan Hardwick Hall. After sharing some facts about the beam and contemplating the past as it may have resonated in this piece of wood, the artist began hammering in a wooden nail that I was asked to choose from a pile and sanding and polishing the surface. Then he pulled across a ban saw, that was set up on a track along the floor and cut off a sliver of the beam punched with my initial and presented it to me as my little bit of something so beautiful. Held up to the light you can see evidence of the other wooden nails that have been hammered in representing other participants. The nails are in a range of woods from cherry (the redish wood), walnut (the dark one) and I forget what the light one was, ash or something. It was a truly charming performance and this piece of wood something I will forever cherish.

Natural Dyeing: Organic Cotton Baby Dresses

2011-04-01T18:11:00.007+01:00

This was one of my first experiments in the wonders of natural dyeing. Although you could say I cheated somewhat by buying the natural powdered dyes by Earthues, but for my first experiments I wanted to try to get my head around the process of mordanting (preparing the cloth/fibre to take the dye) and then playing with resist and dip dyeing to really understand the possibilities.

I love the idea of really getting experimental with this medium however. I was kindly given a book called A Dyer's Garden and have my heart set on the idea of growing and harvesting my own dyestuffs, especially the most wonderful indigo. I'm just hankering for my own garden, one that I can really invest the time and energy into.

For now however I have Alkanet growing rampantly in my backyard, it's very invasive and common around East London and it makes the most wonderful greys and aubergine colours. I'm currently drying some roots and have some others soaking for use at a later date. I'll post about these real experiments soon, but for now here are some dresses I made from organic cotton knit fabric then dyed with a range of pigments including Madder, Teal, Fustic and Logwood purple and I only used small amounts of the non toxic cellulose fibre mordant alum acetate.

These dresses are made to fit a little girl approx 12 months to about 24 months. They are designed and made by me, in a beautifully soft organic cotton with little bows on the shoulders. Each one has been individually resist dyed in a range of natural earth dyes. You can find out more or pick one up on my Etsy shop.

Aran Trivets/Pot Holders

2011-03-30T21:58:00.004+01:00

I've been collecting Aran sweaters for a while, you can find lots of them at car boot sales. Over time they tend to felt and shrink a bit and they tend to feel really rigid and heavy so they are not that pleasant to wear anymore. But the texture is beautiful and I love repurposing them into all sorts of things. These hot plates/trivets/pot holders are really handy and look lovely on the dinner table or as a plant pot holder. They're practical too, you can just throw them in the wash if need be, since they have already been felted they won't shrink any further. I'm working on more of these for my shop in a range of colours. I've just listed these...

Take a look at my shop for more.

Granny Square Egg Cosies

2011-03-23T21:19:00.001Z

My mum was having a clear out last time I visited Australia and she gave me a bag of Grandma's old tapestry yarn in beautiful colours, I think these were left overs from a tapestry Rembrandt that she did. She was also big on crochet, not being able to knit anymore because of arthritis. As a child, I remember my Grandma sitting on her beige velour recliner crocheting granny square after granny square for blankets that I don't remember seeing finished.

So these egg cup cosies are a tribute to her. Once I started pairing up the colours I couldn't stop until the bag was used up. You can find a pattern for these at the great knitting and crochet resource by the fab Norwegian designers at Pickles.

I often find really cute egg cosies at car boot sales, I once found a little set of vintage cotton poplin egg warmers with little matching placements embroidered with little chickens. You do have to wonder who really needs to keep their boiled eggs warm, but having said that I do find that preparing a soft boiled egg breakfast is a bit of a military operation, ensuring everyone's eggs are perfectly runny and have buttery soldiers at the ready. So having a few egg cosies handy could help whilst you round up the troops to the table I suppose. Anyway with Easter and Spring approaching it's nice to have a few egg related objects around.

I have these pairs of egg cosies for sale on my etsy shop, they are just a limited edition now that Grandma's tapestry yarns are satisfying all used up and all the proceeds will be donated to Médecins Sans Frontiéres (Doctors Without Borders).

Blue Zig Zag Quilt

2011-03-22T17:15:00.005Z

I found some real textile goodies on the weekend at a stash sale at Fabrications , a great crafty eco design shop/workshop run by pioneering sustainable textile artist Barley Massey. In my haul, amongst a few of the gems, was packet of fabric that on closer inspection turned out to be two parts of an unfinished patchwork.

I had been trying to make a version of the Purl Bee zig zag quilt for Merlin for ages, well since he got his own bed about a month ago, but the project had been stalling while I tried to make all the perfect fabric choices. So I was thrilled that I didn't have to make those decisions and could finish another's stalled project. I think that's one reason I avoid buying new materials because if you get me in a fabric store, it's like being a kid in a sweet shop, you just want a bit of everything! And that makes it impossible to make any style choices. It explains a bit why my etsy shop is a bit of a mish mash with items from crochet to paper mobiles to shoes. I also can't decide which craft I like best, I just want to make it all!

So in my Fabrications bag (a bargain at only three quid!) there was two pieces of fabric that had been lovingly stitched in a blue and white zig zag pattern. I sewed to two pieces together to make one, and they magically matched the exact dimensions of the crib quilt cotton wadding I had bought for the quilt. I backed it with some organic fair trade cotton I picked up, stitched along the ditches of the zig zags to quilt the sandwich and trimmed it with a bit of ecru bias binding. It's really cute and perfect for the warmer coming months. I am thinking of adding some running stitches width wise and the giving it hot wash to shrink the cotton wadding to give it a bit of a wrinkly antique look but I'm not sure if this would be overkill.

I'd love to know who started this quilt or whatever they intended this fabric to be and to show them that their hard work didn't go to waste that it is actually being appreciated again and given a new lease on life...

I also picked up some beautiful hemp/burlap grain sacks from Barley's Grandmother's time, when she worked in the Lancashire textile mills. I'll put some pictures up soon of these and see what they would like to become...

Doll making - Day 2

2011-03-14T17:44:00.004Z

Doll making day of reckoning. Assembly time. This was the hard bit, I had been stressing about getting the face right. I have learnt making my owl dolls and other dolls in the past that a few embroidery stitches can either make or break your doll and I wanted to get his expression just right... Anyway to cut a long story short, I did it! I am super pleased with him and Merlin has already given him a tea party and lots of cuddles. He's also remarked that he has "nice hair" (see post below). This is truly a man after my own heart, I knew he appreciated luxurious fibres. All he needs now are some hand knit clothes. Oh joy!

To see pics of the doll in the making see previous post

Doll making - Day 1

2011-03-14T17:08:00.000Z

I've not been able to post as much as I'd like to, we've been knocked out here with that cold virus going around, it's nothing a little sunshine wouldn't fix I'm sure, but we are yet to see much of that in London so far...But thankfully I've still managed to fit in some making. I have been doing a Steiner Waldorf doll making workshop with the lovely talented ladies at Dalston Dolls.

I have been wanting to make Merlin a doll for a while and the two day workshop was so much fun. There was a whole lot more to it that I really imagined, the head shaping took the most part of day one. The head is built up of layers, first a ball of yarn around which layers of carded wool are wrapped until you have quite a large dense ball, then you stretch over a bandage tube, create an eyeline and shape the skull with tightly tied twine and then stretch over your skin coloured jersey fabric. It was a fascinating process.

At the end of the day we had a collection of body parts ready to assemble the following week. These days there are a whole lot of crafts one can pick up online through youtube and tutorials, but this is something I'm so glad I did with experienced makers. Not only was the company absolutely lovely but this turned out to be a really skillful process and I just don't think I would have had the kind of satisfying experience making my first doll without the support and guidance of two makers who have done it many times before.

Between classes I went off to Loop London to find some hair for him and found the most perfect doll hair from my favourite yarn company Habu Textiles. It is their mohair loop and although it is not cheap at 9 quid per 14gm skein, I could probably get three short heads of hair out of one ball, so it's actually not bad. I'm just excited I've found another excuse for working with the most luxurious of fibre companies. Anyway, if you're going to spend over 20 hours making something you ought to use the best materials.

Master

2011-03-04T00:16:00.001Z

I just wanted to share these three paintings that my two year old did today.

I know I am incredibly biased by I find them so remarkable and it was just so enchanting watching him do them.

The careful selection of colours, their placement on the paper and the wonderfully free brush strokes seemed so deliberate and considered yet so blissfully uncontrived. I found myself trying to copy his method but failed to unleash my inner child.

But it was really freeing and something I think I'll keep practising, while I have the company of such a teacher.

These are Merlin's paintings...as he pointed out whilst painting them, the top one features a Christmas tree on the left and a squirrel eating at the top of the picture. The middle painting didn't have any description but the bottom one depicts a yellow sun and a rainbow.

Regret

2011-02-23T23:28:00.002Z

I'm still mourning not purchasing these beautiful antique silk threads that I discovered at an emporium of delights in the surprisingly fascinating Hastings old town.

On a stroll through the town at night I discovered these threads shimmering in the dark shop window. The shop keeper had cleverly hidden the price so we had to make a special trip the next day just to find out that they were disappointingly out of my price range, if such a thing could be said of such a priceless object! But try convincing a man of this! Yes, they are over £50 but they are also under £70! And I've just done the maths and worked out that they are less than 2 pounds per silk bobbin. What have I done?!

These threads in the most pleasing arrangement of colours come in a beautiful customised bee hive frame, you know, the frame the bees construct their honey comb on. The original owner has made an ingenious thread dispensing device out of an old bee frame. Oh how I would love to embroider with these threads...

Free Toddler Backpack Sewing Pattern

2011-02-02T22:43:00.003Z

Free Toddler Backpack Sewing Pattern Tutorial

This is a great project for using up lovely off cuts of upholstery fabrics or samples that you can often find at the local charity shop, carboot sale or fabric seconds warehouse. The upholstery fabric is tough and gives the backpack a sturdy vintage feel. It’s also super unique and a bag your toddler will be proud to wear. It’s practical too, with a button on shoulder strap connector that can be taken right off if it is not required. It’s handy for longer walks as most straps start falling off the shoulders of little ones.

The finished size of the backpack is 12” x 8.5” x 3.5”, it’s a perfect size for a walking 18month old - 4/5 year old.
If you'd like to just buy one of my ones and skip the making it yourself bit, click here!

Materials

1 x half yard of upholstery fabric or thick cotton twill (outer)

1 x half yard of cotton fabric (lining)

or I recommend using off cuts or samples of upholstery fabrics, the largest pieces needed will be 12.5” x 9”, I like using different coordinating patterns for each side of the backpack. You’ll also need a couple of long strips of fabric for the straps about 21.5” x 3.5” long.

Two small buttons

One large main button

One cord tie approx 25” long – you can crochet or knit an i-cord or use a knitting nancy to create a cord. Alternatively just buy a coordinating piece of cord that will go with your fabrics.

Equipment

Sewing machine, Iron, Fabric scissors/Pinking Shears (optional), Needle and thread

Instructions – see diagrams for more info

Seam allowance throughout ¼” unless otherwise specified

1. Cut out all pieces as shown in the diagram below...

2. Pin flap pieces (a) right sides together (RST), sew up leaving one long side open. Clip corners, turn out and press flat.

a. Mark where you want your button hole as per diagram and ensure the size of your buttonhole is slightly larger than the diameter of your main button

b. Sew buttonhole, clip open and put to one side

3. Upholstery fabric/outer fabric

a. Pin pieces B1, C1, B2, C2 RST (right sides together) along their long sides.

b. Sew along each long side remembering to stop ½” before the end of each side. (this leaves room in the seam to sew in the base of the bag more easily)

c. Press seams flat

d. Pin base into place RST

e. Sew around base easing gently around the corners to avoid puckering

f. Press seams and turn out

4. Repeat Step 3 for lining fabric, the only difference being that you need to leave a gap in one of the side seams of the lining fabric of 3 inches. This will be the hole that you will turn the piece through. Do not turn the lining fabric out, leave it with the wrong side facing out.

5. Take the flap piece that you made in Step 2 and pin this RST with back side of the outer bag shell.

6. Place the outer bag shell with the attached flap, inside the lining shell. The right sides of the outer and lining fabric should be together. Pin along the top of the bag and sew around all four sides.

7. Turn bag through hole in lining fabric. Sew up the hole to close and press seams. Sew a top stitch line around the top of the bag ¼” from the top edge

8. Mark buttonholes for the cord tie to go through as per the 1st diagram. There should be four buttonholes evenly spaced on the front and the back of the bag and one buttonhole in the middle of each side of the bag. The top of each buttonhole should start 1.5” from the top edge of the bag. Sew buttonholes and clip open.

9. Straps (make 2)

a. Fold strap pieces lengthwise and pin

b. Sew down with a seam allowance of ½”

c. Turn through and adjust so that the seam of the strap is centred on one side

d. Insert 3 inch piece of elastic 8” in from the end, pin and sew across to fasten. You can pin a safety pin to the end of the elastic to make it easier to take hold of it and stretch it through.

e. Take hold of the free end of the elastic inside the tube and pull tightly and pin 2” from the end of the tube, sew across to fasten. The fabric should gather in this section only.

f. Turn the rough ends of the tube in about ¼” and sew closed. Sew a top stitch line ¼” in from the edge along each side of the strap, don’t stitch over the elasticised section.

10. Secure straps to bag

a. Pin straps on to back of the back at points indicated on 1st diagram. The top of the straps should sit above the buttonholes and in line with the top of the bag, but about 1” in from each side of the bag

b. The bottom of the straps should sit ½” from the sides of the bag and about 1” from the bottom of the bag.

c. Sew up as indicated in the diagram above.

11. Make strap harness piece

a. Fold piece lengthwise RST and pin

b. Sew ½” seam allowance

c. Leaving wrong side out, adjust so that seam runs down the centre of the piece and sew a point on one end as shown in diagram below

d. Clip and turn out, press flat

e. Turn rough end in ½” and sew closed

f. Sew a topstitch line ¼” in from edge around all sides of the piece

g. Mark buttonholes slightly larger than the two smaller buttons one hole on each end of the piece approx ½” from each end.

h. Sew buttonholes and clip to open

12. Finishing

a. Sew on main button to correspond to placement of buttonhole on flap

b. Thread cord through the buttonholes and tie

So there you have it, one lovely handmade extra special backpack for your little one. If you use this pattern, please write a comment below and let me know how it was for you. I am writing up more cute patterns for both children and adults and would love the feedback, being new to all this pattern tutorial writing. If you have any queries, please leave a comment and I'll try to respond as soon as possible.

©Brenna Jensen | This free pattern is for private use only and not for commercial gain, for further information please contact me.

In the meantime, have a look at my Etsy shop for more of my handmade goodies.

The long awaited cycling cap

2011-01-26T20:24:00.004Z

One of my many new years resolutions was to finished this long awaited saga of a knitted cycling cap that was a March birthday present for Andrew. The first couple of attempts didn't quite cut the mustard, the first being too small, perfectly fitting my one year old, the next not quite right either, that one went to my partner. But finally this month I stitched sealed and delivered the cap and can now hopefully get on to the rest of my unfinished knitting projects gathering dust and losing their relevance in the bottom of a basket. I have my fingers crossed for more snow because there is a very warm Norwegian brioche doubled sided alpaca scarf that was supposed to be a Christmas gift for my partner.

The pattern for this brilliant hat is designed by Tony Limuaco aka The Yarn Monkey, and can be found on Ravelry. It's a really interesting knitted construction and such a joy to knit something so clever. Over summer it was the only hat my toddler would wear, I think it was because he had so many compliments about it! I reckon I'd be very wealthy indeed if a) I had designed this pattern and b) could hand knit it on an industrial scale!

Additions to the Owl Scout Family

2010-12-15T12:47:00.003Z

My owls were very popular at the Christmas fairs and I'm pleased that there will be lots of fluffy woollen owls under Christmas trees this year. Here are a few more made out of a refashioned icelandic woolen sweater. Alas the green baby owls have already gone but the others are soon available on Etsy and Folksy...

More papoose babies

2010-12-03T16:27:00.003Z

Just packed up all my babies ready for this weekend's Advent Craft Fair. Here are some more Papoose babies, I just love them all huddled together like this.

Blue Birds Hanging Wall Garland

2010-11-29T15:57:00.003Z

Here are some photos of some new pieces I have just made for the craft fairs. I'm especially enamoured of my blue birds, made from recycled wool and cashmere felt, they are available on etsy now...

Papoose Baby Dolls

2010-11-23T23:17:00.008Z

I'm making a series of Papoose baby dolls. I was inspired by a film I saw recently called Babies (2010). It's basically a documentary following the births and babyhood of four children, one born in San Francisco, one in Tokyo, another in Namibia and the last in Mongolia. It's really fascinating. It very much illustrates to me how much we, in the west, are having fewer and fewer "real" daily experiences. There is a scene which cuts between a baby in San Francisco, playing indoors with plastic toys and a baby in Namibia exploring the banks of a creek with his sibling which I found particularly moving.

For a baby, those "real" experiences of the world are so important for development. By "real" experience I mean sensory experiences of the natural world. That's why I believe that the baby should be clothed in natural fibres and surrounded by things made from natural materials as much as possible. Maria Montessori wrote in her book 'The Absorbant Mind', "The child has a different relation to his environment from ours. Adults admire their environment, they can remember it and think about it; but the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear...the child is transformed by them."

But I digress! Back to the dolls...In the film when the Mongolian baby is born, he is swaddled tightly in a blanket that is tied up with a number of ribbons.

The next scene shows her swinging her leg over a motorbike and riding back to the yurt on what must have been the bumpiest of terrains, ouch! It was quite impressive yet also slightly unnerving.

The image of the swaddled baby has stayed with me. I have collected a few colourful, ethnic woollen garments that I have boiled up and felted and turned into these little Papoose Baby Dolls. I think they are quite adorable. I'm selling them at the St Paul's Advent Fair and on Etsy/Folksy if anyone is interested.

More pictures of the other dolls coming soon....

Nesting Elephant Puzzle

2010-11-22T22:43:00.002Z

I just love the Made By Joel blog, he's a dad who makes lovely simple toys for his kids on an almost daily basis! Lucky lucky children. Anyway, I was inspired to make one of his Elephant Puzzles for Merlin. I wanted to try my hand at a bit of woodwork. I had memories of doing this kind of thing at Montessori school, drawing a design and cutting it out by hand with a children's coping saw. I remembered it being quite easy so I was surprised to find that actually cutting through an inch thick beech Ikea chopping board was not the gentle carving motion I had in mind, but actually a sweaty, curse inducing labour of love. Anyway, with cutting over, I sanded it well, and gave it a couple of coats of Danish tung oil (which is a beautiful natural wood oil), and I was quite pleased with my efforts. Oh, and so was Merlin for whom I was actually making it, umm I think, or was I making it for myself? I get muddled sometimes.

Advent Fair East London 3-4 Dec 2010

2010-11-15T20:54:00.002Z

Put the date in your diary and come along for a great Christmas shopping experience. I'll be selling my felt fruit, woollen owls, papoose dolls, crochet bunting, woollen Christmas decorations and more!

owl scout family

2010-11-11T16:15:00.005Z

I've two more Owls finished. Each time Merlin wakes from his midday nap, the owls have multiplied. I'm thrilled that he is so smitten with his owl buddy. I can't wait to make more, I think I'm going to make a whole Forest Critters Scout Series, including red robins, foxes, squirrels, deer, owls, badgers... we'll see how far I get before the next project consumes me! But for now, it's all about owls.

If you fancy one of the new owls, I have just listed them on my Etsy store, take a look.

owl scout

2010-11-08T17:53:00.002Z

I'm making a series of owl scouts out of recycled felted woollen sweaters. Merlin loves owls and I was inspired by a felted kids jumper i found at a carboot sale which had all these cute scout badges on it from 1981 so they are nearly, what, 30 years old, wow so they are vintage now I suppose. I think owls make the perfect scouts.

I'll be putting the other owls up for sale on etsy as I make them so watch this space!

Forest Floor

2010-10-31T23:11:00.003Z

On a stroll through Epping Forest last weekend...

Autumn Leaves

2010-10-26T16:01:00.003+01:00

busy Merlin in the woods

Autumn is an incredibly exciting time in London, it feels as if everyone is busy creating. This must be some lingering instinct from bygone days when Autumn was an industrious time of harvesting, pickling and preparing for a long sparse winter. Well, whatever it is, I like it. I've always liked Autumn, but now that I'm a knitter, Autumn signals an excuse to get those pins out and produce layers of woolly warmth for loved ones.

As a tribute to Autumn, I made this pretty mobile out of waxed tissue paper, that celebrates the leaves changing from green to brown.

Here's how you can make your own Autumn Leaves paper mobile:

Trace a leaf - I found the typical leaf shape more effective than a maple style leaf...
Cut out shape in layers of tissue paper in colours from greens through yellows, oranges, reds and browns (about 5 layers in each leaf)
Place half a pipe cleaner in the middle of each stack of 5 paper leaves and stitch a holding stitch either end of the pipe cleaner with a loop between. Then attached the hanging thread in the middle of the loop so that the leaf balances straight. You can then fold up and down some of the layers of the leaf to reveal the various colours
Make a ring out of some wicker or a pliable vine, or use some wire and cover with fabric strips or ribbon. Add four ties to the ring and tie with a loop for hanging, make sure it balances well
Hang the leaves in stages so that they spiral down (I've used eight leaves because it worked well with the four ties)

Hang and enjoy. Light a candle underneath (not too close) and watch the leaves twist and turn.

dinosaur eggs or latex bowls

2010-10-14T14:42:00.013+01:00

Recently at 100% Design London 2010, I saw a great project called Ten-Plan where 10 designers had created 10 environmentally sustainable designs and generously allowed access to the plans for free. These bowls were one of my favourites they are by a very interesting designer Gitta Gschwendtner. Visit Ten-Plan to download the plans to make a set of bowls for yourself. They are made from natural latex, latex baloons, pigment and sawdust, that's it - so they are completely biodegradable.

Tips I'd give for a successful project would be to ensure that the latex/sawdust mix is laid on thick enough to hold the structure of the bowl (i spread it on with a knife quite thick, however you could also do a couple of layers to really hold the shape).

I find them just so exotic and beautiful, I just can't stop admiring them. They remind me of dinosaur eggs or like the thunder eggs we used to go digging for when I was a child.

enjoy.