thoughts please

I've signed up to one craft type fair this year and intend to sign up for another. Both are little local fairs, you know the lower priced, smaller items type of thing. I'm in need of ideas of what to make. I'm having a total blank at the moment and seem to have lost all my energy and any sewing drive i had!

Do i make the same as last year? try something new? whats 'trendy'?
HELP!!!!!

What ho September

What ho, 

I've been away for what seems an age. I've been ill, had time off with my lad and now my little tiny is a little school girl. I have lots for you to see as a catch up on what i've been doing!

This is my node! I'm sure i've mentioned it before but my chum is attempting to make a 'network' using ceramics, mud and a thing that 'represents' you. You can't see it very well but mine has colouring from mums garden mud (as its where i originate from) and a fancy button.

I made rompers for my friends twins (each lined with the other spotty material.

I made this for me,
loads of phone cases

and also worked out a nice book cover

and so, if you have made it this far you now get to see my big girl all ready for school!

Apparently her big brother looked after her and gave her a kiss a lunch time!

My first love

As some of you may know (or may not know) I’m highly interested in anatomy, indeed its my first love. Its what i studied at university and what, if i had to teach anything, i'd be quite happy teaching.

I can’t help loving it and I blame my mum for letting me watch quincey as a kid. How bodies work is completely fascinating but then so is the history of the anatomists and the resurrection men who helped fuel the science, getting paid for providing bodies and body parts, abit like cash for gold but with bigger envelopes!

 I think the most well know of these chaps has to be burke and hare who turned to murder to supply the body trade and after being caught, burke was hung and dissected too! I believe that they tanned his skin and made things from it (very crafty but not something I’ll be trying soon, despite thinking that I should add more science to my makings!). They are alot more careful about the use of bodies these days, lots of new rules and regulations, loads since i dissected too (we'd never get away with some of the things we got up too now!)

          

It all come to mind cos my chum is putting science into her pottery. Shes been making ceramic molecules which are rather cool (and i'm hopeing may be on my christmas list hint hint!) but also nodes. These are part of an earth network, A way of using ceramics to link people by location, freindship etc (do go join in if you fancy it!)

So if i add more of my anatomical love to my sewing what should i sew? an eye ball? i have been promising myself an antibody! And just where will i find the time when i've half a table to fill for a craft thngy in novemeber (i know its a way away but everything in my life takes 14 times as long as planned due to procrastinatory or child or work or other calamities!)

Should i sew anatomy into fabric or fabric into anatomy? (i mean should i make a fabric eye ball or quilt with my toe nail clippings?)

The gallery - World photography day

Well, What to put for 'world photography day' in the gallery, i could go for something showing the beauty of landscapes

Or how beautiful nature can be

Or i could just use a picture that makes me laugh every time - daddy, why can't i cuddle the lemur?

Book review - Knits to give

Knits to Give

30 Knitted Gift Ideas

by Debbie Bliss

Once again i have been asked to review one of Debbie Bliss' beautiful books (by the loverly Quadrille Books). This book, Knits to Give, has 30 projects designed for knitters to give as gifts although i'm sure you'd agree the book itself would also make a fantastic gift for avid knitters.

As usual the layout, design and pictures with in the book are coffee table material, something to keep out and admire. It contains the usual list of wools and what else could be used, fantstic for those with wool stashes just waiting to be used up. It also has a lovely section on gift wrapping and suggestions on popping extra buttons and/or washing instructions into the package, a fantastic idea! It doesn't have any basics on knitting and so is not aimed at the new to knitting and i wouldn't recommend it to learners.

The projects them selves are split into 5 sections, for her. for him, for baby, for kids and for home.

The for her section has some loverly items in ans well as some that are more unusual (pill box hat anyone?). The shug is fabulous and i really fancy one for myself!

For men (the ever hard to come up with a gift idea group) there is knitted ties,  a hansome scarf and a doggy coat (although i'm not sure that is strictly for him!).

Its the babys and kiddies sections where once again, debbies designs come into their own. I have fallen in love with some bunnie booties and dungrees from the kids section and adore the ladybird bag in the kids. My mum, who as usual i have shared this book with as she knits far more than i do, thinks ths kids lion scarf is fantastic. I'm sure she will have her needles out soon and i'll update this when i have pictures of her work. 

All i can say is If you want to knit for presents or know a knitter, then this book would be a fantastic addition to your/their pattern collection.

Something new.

Hidy ho,

Well i want to show you something new and different that i tried. If you remember a couple of weekends ago i went on my friends hen do. While at her house she gave me and one of the other girls some clay to play with. My friend has just bort a kiln and is now making lots of intereting pottery things - including an earth network if anyone fancies it.

Anyway, i played about and made a small clay item which was amusing, fun to make but generally abit rubbish. My loverly friend, fired it and has glazed it and here it is, what do you think?

I also used my new cupcake skills to make some little cakes for Tinys nursery leaving party. she's not leaving just yet but they hold one every year for all the kidds that have just left or are leaving. I let tiny decorate them with sprinkles, as you can see she decorates in the same way she looks at the contents of my parcels!

Such fun winding it all up neatly again!

and here is what i bort......

well i should show you what i bort at the festival of quilts

sorry the pictures are rubbish, i was having a worse than usual photo day!

 Some loverly ribbons,

And a mix of fabrics, The grey splodgy stuff is what i've used for my secret project which i'll be able to tell you more about in september. 

I loved the tea pots and just could not resist the pants!. I have plans for the fabric with coffee related words all over and the other one with words on is christmassy, being that it has reindeer names all over it. 

In the top left corner you can just about see the reddy fabric i won in a lucky dip and the black 'frog spawn' fabric was a pressy from my friend who bort so much fabric she got some free, and as i like this she got it for me!  (what a fab chum).

I can't remember is i mentioned it but i went to the festival because i won tickets via the loverly sewing directory  so a big thank you goes to fiona. 

On friday i ended up at Ikea! Depending on which way you look at it, its lucky or unfortunate that its next to the ice skating rink in coventry. As me and my small ones are now regulars at the ice rink we end up at ikea for some food afterwards as it cheaper (and more healthy) than ice rink burgers! it does however mean that i am forced to go past the ikea fabric section and more often than not i have to buy some!

I don't have plans for it all, but its a good price in there so had to get some. The only problem i had was with my lad. I asked his sister which was the prettist fabric (pink and flowery sorts) and not him so he had a huff! in futre i'll ask him about the flowery fabrics (bet we end up with roses on blue next time!)