haberdashery happiness

oooh a box full of lovely-ness just arrived at my door
so i thought i'd share the photo's of the delights inside

needles pins and thimbles

lovely old measuring tapes
ribbon and darning mushrooms

i just couldn't resist this box of Cash's embroidered initial tapes
V.B. must stand for Violet Button right?
ok so that's not my real name but
hmmm maybe i could change it?!

and well these buttons were rather expensive
i got eBay bidding fever BUT wow
they are so cute and it is Easter

could you have resisted????

pincushion trials and tribulations!

My mission for wednesday
was to make a pincushion
i had the idea in my head
i was in the mood for making
so off i went to my craft room to get to work

after a quick rummage through my
vintage embroidered linen cloths
i found this tray cloth
i used a large embroiderey hoop
to select the section i wanted
marked out a circle and cut it out

i then made a suffolk puff
but didn't pull the threads tight

then i made another the same size
with a plain linen napkin

i filled the plain puff with a LOT of polyester stuffing
next i pulled the threads tight - very tight

*POP*
oops that was too tight and the thread just wasn't up to it so it snapped under the pressure

feeling slightly annoyed i re-did the puff with stronger thread
and tied it up as tight as i could
whilst wishing i had an extra pair of hands to help

i popped the plain stuffed puff into the embroidered one so that the hole was on top under the embroidered linen and stitched a vintage dorset button on to the outer puff and a plastic button onto the plain puff pulling nice and tight to get a nice dimple in the middle

hmmm anyone else thinking this is all rather over complicated?

then i pulled in the threads
to finish the puff and tied them off

okay so it does looks quite pretty
but at the end of the day it's wasting the plain napkin 'cause no-one can see it.
So i left it on the side and cracked on with making another version which i'm not going to show
as it's for a swap ;op

********
After working on the secret pincushion and having learned from some of my previous mistakes, i came back to this one and decided NO i don't like it and dismantled it!
That plain area NEEDS something i thought
so i got out a hoop and sewed on this little phrase that's been going round and round my head
it seems very familiar {not the words themself as i know they are song lyrics} and i'm worried i may have lifted the idea from someone else
but i've no idea where the inspiration came from?

the pin marks the spot for a button
to give a nice middle dimple

dimpled!
i used the plain green stuffed puff for the inside again with them placed in opposite directions so the button sits nicely in the hole off the puff, i didn't bother with a button on the bottom as it's a real faff trying to get the needle through the holes of both buttons and it was nice to see the green showing through the puff-hole!

The lettering's a bit distorted where it got stretched
for the dimple but it's only for me so hey-ho!

For some reason i always seem to over-complicate what should really be a simple project, everytime i take part in a swap i make twice as many things as i need because i can't work out how to make something and have to make several prototypes!!!

Now i've got a couple of different pincushions under my belt, i think i may make a few for the shops
do you think they would sell?

a journey through time with my Tardis!

phase 1
the foundation stitches

phase 2
starting to cross my stitches

phase 3
shaping and more filling

phase 4
shading

phase 5
adding the details

backstitch backstich backstitch!

phase 6
hmmm not very happy with the lettering

i redid the lettering
in an ideal world i would've used a perle cotton
but i didn't have any to hand
i think this is flower thread
i'm happier with it now.

yay!
it's really finished this time

i'm really pleased with the shading on the panels
i used three shades of blue and then also blended strands to get the shading right.

this is pretty much the true blue of my tardis
i find it quite hard to photograph blues.

my Tardis inspiration

all in all i'm really happy with how this came out
if i was being really picky i'd say the fact the windows/panels are square not rectangular is bugging me but to keep the other proportions right they had to be this way.
i think i need to take a cross stitch break now!
my eyes are tired and my hands are tired
but i am so pleased with this!

*******

*EDIT*

i thought it was all over

but i missed where the doors join

doh!

all done now.

but i think i may need to do some background
hmmm. . . .

happy St.Patrick's Day

so while i was busy making a complete mess of my clothes trying to eat a sherbet fountain in what has to be quite possibly the WORST packaging re-design EVER
the parcel man banged on the door
with a perfectly timed parcel
a box of "Rosebud" dolls

she has a rather serious little face

i didn't even realise she was a little Irish girl
when i bought her

i thought she was red riding hood at first

here she is with her friends

middle doll is a sweet little clone
and the nearest is going to be trouble
arriving at my house buck naked with wild red hair!!

these little dolls are destined to become
christmas tree fairys.

Mothering Sunday

I got taken to watch the Alice in Wonderland movie

in 3D as my Mother's day treat
and what a treat for the eyes - the costumes were incredible the sets wonderful and the cast was fantastic - i loved it!
Quick go and see it!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMkNrX60mA

i was very spoiled by my family on Mother's day the dog woke us at 6am, the boy before 7am so my lie in was throughly spoiled!!!
But i did get a cup of tea in bed brought by my daughter who at fifteen has a much more civilised sense of timing! She also bought me a packet of Hob-Nobs {biscuits} which i'd given up for lent but apparently it is fine to break your fast for Mother's day! Teacher said it so it must be true eh?

I was a bit sneaky this year and although i'd told my partner he needed to take us all to see Alice for my treat and dinner after
i still very un-subtley pointed out this brooch to my son that i really wanted
{mine is like the grey one}

aren't they gorgeous?
available here
http://www.sumptuosity.net/home.html

did you all have a lovely Mother's Day?

*******

The tenth Doctor - finished and framed

and now hanging up on the boys wall :o)

if i did it again i'd change a few little details,
the half cross stitch on the nose i'd just do a quarter stitch and back stitch the slope also i'd use a larger piece of aida and do more shirt and maybe jacket.

all in all i'm pleased with it but better still my boy loves it :o)
*edit*
oh my geekiness
i got featured on geekcrafts.com
http://geekcrafts.com/
so it is official
I AM A GEEK
:O)
*******
We are all looking forward to watching Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor at Easter - i think even my daughter who has said she'll never watch it again without David Tennant as the Doctor!
They showed the trailer in 3D at the Alice movie it looked AMAZING.
*******
ten years ago - today i think is the anniversary
i lost my beloved dog Jessie - i had her for 13 yrs from a teeny tiny puppy to a grand old lady she was a real character and i still miss her

to add insult to injury on the very same day my very bestest ever friend
moved all the way to Nottingham and i miss her very very much too.

the tenth Doctor - gone but not forgotten.

so i'm still in the stitching addiction phase
i decided i'd make a picture for my
Doctor Who crazy son

my first attempt
my son recognised who it was but i felt it looked
a bit flat at the back of the head
so i added a bit more "BUMP" !!!!

i like him better now

thought i'd better add a shirt and tie!

and yet again i cut the fabric a little bit too small
it was plenty big enough for the original design
BUT i kept adding to it!

my son's response
"oooh yes i like it - can you do me a Sontaran next?"

Alice in Wonderland - what i got!!!!

this was a really good swap!
look what Amanda from
http://kitschycoo.blogspot.com/
sent me
this lovely big bag made from gorgeous
"Alice in Wonderland" fabric

it's really cute!

it's lined in lovely polka dot baby needlecord fabric

and full of nom nom nom Thornton's chocolates
it will be perfect as a crafty project bag once i've finished all the sweeties!

a fantastic hand-made notebook

i love this cute heart detail

and some Wonderland crafty supplies -
beautiful Alice fabric and this lovely cotton tape with part of the story on it.

"we're all mad here, i'm mad, you're mad"

and this photograph most definately proves that sentance!
yes to top it off Amanda sent me this
crazy Mad Hatter's shower cap

I loved doing this swap - thanks again to MeridianAriel for organising it :o)