Lavender, love it or loath it?

The workroom currently smells of lavender, and my husband hates it. I'm not too bothered either way, I find it quite relaxing but its not top on my favourite smell list (that would be Rose or Oud).

My nana and mum both asked me to make some lavender bags for them, realising it was not so much a request as a notification of demand I set to work.

I grow lavender here at the stone tent, so it was easy to pick a substantial amount, hang up in bunches, and dry. After two weeks, I pull the lavender off the stalk and away we go - dried lavender, full of a fresh strong lavender smell! It takes moments to sew little bags to fill with it.

I have lavender in amongst my welsh wool, its not only a relaxing smell used in herbal treatments for relaxation but it also repels moths from all of my gorgeous pure wool products, apparently the plants attract bees (I've seen that in the garden, positively buzzes with bees); the plant also repel rabbits, who don't like the smell - just like my husband!

As I was sewing some bags I made some for the etsy shop. I had panels I'd embroidered for a project I didn't complete so I made a sweet three piece set. Draw sachet, clothes hanger bag and a bag for the doorway.

Very pretty even if I do say so!

Sara and Heart Etsy Shop

100 Days of Making

100 Days of Making

I've been a bit lapse with this whole blogging palaver. Mainly because I've been buried under a pile of beads, mountain of fabric and sorting my yarn stash. Whilst still doing everything else obviously.

But thank goodness, the new workroom is now ready to go, and I love it!

I've started making bags as well, something else to add to the creativity repertoire. Sewing oilcloth is not for the beginner, it sticks to the machine easily, and teaches the sewer a lot about patience!

So to celebrate the workroom finally being finished I thought I'd kick start my creativity with a 100 day making challenge. Every day for 100 days I hand make something that's listed in Instagram, Etsy or Facebook, maybe even occasionally Twitter. I thought if I listed them on social media it would give me a platform to prove I'd done it and completed the 100 day challenge.

So far its mainly been jewellery - but lets see where it goes!

Fauxidermy, Textile Taxidermy, and the inspiration behind each - Marie clare.

Fauxidermy Beasties and how I name them!

I love locking myself in the Craftorium, late at night, with re-runs of some obscure comedy on the goggle box and a big vat of coffee. Sometimes the odd alcoholic drink, and some biscuits. These late night events in the Craftorium usually result in me trying to make a piece of Fauxidermy, or textile taxidermy as it's sometimes called. With a BSc Hons in Zoology, and parents who both have PhD's in biological sciences, and for that matter a husband with zoology BSc Hons too I suppose you could say I come from a natural world background. My interest in the natural world and my love of animals manifest in the Craftorium in the creation of my beasties!

I'm afraid I anthropomorthise animals, and it's the same when I make one in the Craftorium. I give each one a certain look, a character and also a name and date of creation.

Marie Clare the Fox

Marie Clare was one such beastie. I named her after a friend I met through the antiques trade, a well known Vintage dealer, with long legs, sparkly smile and a glamorous look. When I made the model with the turn in the head, and long eyelashes she spoke of delicate femininity, but she was still a fox, she'd nip if you didn't treat her properly........much like my friend MC. You see Marie Clare is the kind of woman you want your daughter or niece to learn from, a strong woman, a character trait to be admired. Even in todays society women at times still need to fight their corner, so weak and feeble just wouldn't do.

Well, Marie Clare the fox wasn't with me long before she was snapped up by another strong woman, a lady who runs Herbs on the Hill, Frome. Kate who bought Marie Clare the Fox, is frankly equally as strong! A successful business woman, who's known for business acumen and lovely products, she was attracted to my Fauxidermy beasties because they speak to the free thinkers, the people who stand out and aren't afraid to be different. The people who don't want to be run of the mill.

As Kate walked away after purchasing, laden down with her model Fox running for the train, I couldn't help but wonder, "do strong women, attract strong women?" or in this case "do model foxes named after strong women attract strong women?" I'll be honest I haven't got a clue, but what I do know  is I hope, when needed, we can all be called strong women, who raise strong children. After all, I wont be rushing to name a model fox after anyone weak and feeble now will I?

The Wool Problem

The Wool Problem

There comes a point in every crafters life, if you're a serious crafter, when you just have to admit you have a "problem". I always thought once I quit the 9 to 5 and decided to make my money from things I make that the need to "craft as a past time" would be over. I thought that I would suddenly have spare time, that my need to create would be my work time and so suddenly making as a past time would be over. I was so wrong, on so many levels.

Firstly, anyone who is self employed would tell you that its very difficult to separate spare time from work time. You work twice as hard as when you worked for anyone else. Your life, work and all time mingles together until your "job" is just "who you are". However, when you become a self employed crafter that precious mythical "spare time" is suddenly needed for "your own projects". Hence, the wool problem. 

These few days in between Christmas Day and New Year, where you feel festively fat and strangely full of cheese. That special time when you're not 100% sure what the day is. When you're desperately trying to eat all the food in the fridge before starting the "New Year New You - diet to end all diets" and therefore best eat all the food rather then waste it. This time, this is special and precious crafting time, when I can make my own projects guilt free, whilst simultaneously eating cake......eating ALL THE CAKE. This is when the wool problem happens.

I skip to the yarn shop with some extra special Christmas money, intent on buying wool to make something for myself. I have wool in the Craftorium, I have industrial quantities of wool in the Craftorium, after all, its for work. Nevertheless, this is new wool, wool for me! So after drooling at the selection I settle on an extra thick cable wool acrylic mix in a beautiful shade of tangerine. I don't need this wool, for the snood I intend to make myself I have plenty of beautiful wool in the Craftorium, but I buy it anyway.

I bring my purchase home, settle in front of the telly, with all the Christmas lights on, this is my time! I have a coffee in my favourite Christmas mug, I'm making for me! yay! I then realise my largest crochet hook is 7.5mm. Not big enough for this cable wool. It's too late to go back to the shop, no worries, I'll knit. Not my first choice, but its ok, I can knit the snood. I need to make for me. I soon realise my largest needles to hand are 7.5mm too. They aren't big enough for this wool, but it ok, I'll start anyway. After all this is my project time.

So here I am, knitting for myself, with wool that's too thick for the needles, the "wool problem" truly kicking in. I have less chunky wool, but I cant use that, I need the new stuff for me. I am sat on the sofa kitting with wool under such tension on the needles that its squeaking. A tells me my knitting sounds like Nicolas Cage in leather trousers, it's squeaking with every stitch, but this isn't my fault. After all as any true sufferer of "The Wool Problem" will tell you, no real crafter ever says they have too much wool, its just not words we utter.

Back to the squeaking knitting and cake x