Fluttering by.....

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...making butterflies for Leah...

(who's now headed back to university for her final year! x)

...hoops were bound with fabric scraps...

and the butterflies were embroidered on left over pieces of 

very lovely Ian Mankin linen...( just enough for each hoop!) 

...a zillion shimmery threads of colour catching the light...

made very much on an impulse but hopefully they'll look 

pretty fluttering their way up Leah's duck egg wall ;-) 

 ...and I seem to be noticing butterflies everywhere I shop since making them...

I have a gorgeous new butterfly mug but I'll have to show you next time

... my photo session ended with a dark and thundery summer afternoon ...

...hence the fairy lights in the last pics!...

.... Scottie dogs were made in Scotland .... 

(and brought all the way home by Ashley x )

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

...and so a lovely summer has just flown by...

...can you believe we're in September?...

...back soon with yarn news...

(I'm busy this week working on the layout for my new knitting pattern 

...all photos taken...hurrah!...

and working on the Chrystal translation with Nancy x)

...until then...

...take care all...

X X x ♥ x X X

P.S  Tearoom Doll Kits will be available at the 'Knitting and Stitching Show'

in the Autumn on the beautiful Jamieson's of Shetland stand....

all details of the show at Alexandra Palace can be found here ...x

The shoemaker and other stories....

I do love this time of year when just lighting a couple of tea lights

can bring a pretty and magical glow to my space....

(those little drawers in the background were a £2 find a few years ago

and every so often they receive a fresh coat of paint....they're perfect for crafty bits)

♥

...so finally time to do some catch up today....

sipping coffee and looking out on a wet and very dark

monday morning here in our corner...

...handmade shoes...

mary jane's...ballerinas...buttons and flowers....

For the last couple of weeks 

I've been tucked away making little handmade shoes

which are now part of a free 10 page pdf pattern supplement attached to

downloads of some of the Tearoom knitting patterns....

♥

For anyone who has previously purchased a 15" Rabbit /Bear knitting pattern and would like a copy

to use alongside your existing patterns I can email it to you ...just send me a quick message...

'Mary Jane's TEAROOM Handmade Shoes'

....specially designed to fit those unique and 'not so dainty' feet...

(now added to the free pattern/project page here on the blog too and will always be available)

and I think I may have to make a real life version of those ballerina slippers sometime...

♥

I've added other useful things...

a photo tutorial and lots of pics of all the 15" leg designs have been included for new 

ideas to use with the original patterns....

(Must add...I've been very busy over the last few days since posting on my Facebook page

but it's been lovely indeed to hear from everyone while sending out the pattern

...I feel so lucky x)

♥

Next, my lacy, frothy and (very) colourful crochet summer throw...
Finally, I've used the Stylecraft yarn from my stash and extremely good it was too.
It was very sunny and way too windy on this day but at least you can see I finished it!
(and it does make several appearances in the little shoe pattern)

I tried to keep as much as possible to the original colours as in the small pic there 
from the book.....although it's minus the orangey shades as my yarn was just a bit too orange : )
♥

I finished off all those yarn ends as I went along...
 (and soooo very glad I did or I fear it may never have been completed!)
and tried my best to think ahead where they may be useful 

for seaming and the picot border as each hexagon has it's own colour edging

I do like it and most importantly did enjoy making it...♥

...especially those frilly picots...

It's a big splash of colour which is welcome in my quite white space ♥

.....and I'd like to revisit it at some point using different yarns/shades

(I've something quite definite in mind)
♥

I had a simple and extremely lovely birthday...

Ashley appeared from university along with my favourite carrot cake

It was a special afternoon...the ladies drank champagne served by Mr.H ...

(must add...I don't make a habit of spending my afternoons in this way!)

 watched Downton and the Bake Off and laughed a lot as the rain poured down outside

I got some lovely pressies too including a new Moleskin sketchbook....they know me so well!

♥ ...definitely one to remember... ♥

For Leah....
(who has been recovering from recent knee surgery...
just quietly getting on with it but now well on the way to recovery.... a real trooper)
♥

...and she loves swallows.....x
I embroidered this on my machine using a small piece of organic linen
It was made on an impulse and I used whatever shades of thread were in my tin
....most importantly Leah likes it very much and loves the colours : )
♥

I'm still enjoying decorating my hoops with left over bits of fabric
and I added a hanger made with some vintage lace and stripy ribbon....
I think the aubergine fabric is vintage Laura Ashley
(although I can't remember where I bought it....probably Ebay long ago)
and the rest are left over pieces from one of my quilts...
Rouenneries Deux by French General which is a real favourite ♥
♥

Ooh yes...
using some lovely rooster yarn for my cushion now
...will show you next time...
...along with some more knitting...
♥ ♥ ♥
...time to do some work....

...wishing you a wonderful new week...
....happy crafting...love always...

Summer crafting and a winner!

cross stitch rose...lavender scented heart...crochet...
afternoon tea...mary jane's...banana loaf...fabric covered hoop
~ ❀ ~
I made the little cross stitch rose which hangs on my cupboard
this week from the current issue of 

Mollie Makes

which luckily arrived through our door on a very warm and sultry morning when

playing with yarn didn't seem to be the best choice for the day....(unusually for me!)

Luck would have it that I already had a 4" embroidery hoop, some pretty left over fabric pieces

to decorate it and double sided tape....everything else comes free with the issue (30)

...so a lovely afternoon was had sitting in the garden under the shade of an umbrella

with my little hoop and threads....

I'll definitely be decorating more of my hoops this way in the future 

I think they look really pretty and it's also a great way to use up all
those fabric scraps that are just too lovely to throw away

~ ❀ ~

I've also started a new crochet project which you can see a peek of here

and I'll be showing you more of this in my next post....it may even be finished!
It's from this Japanese Crochet book which I purchased on ETSY.

I love these books and now have several of them but should just mention that
the text is in Japanese and I only work from the symbol charts (which I prefer to do anyway)
 I've made 38 hexagons now in lots of different colours but I'm planning to do a total of 65
Surprisingly and in such a short time, crochet has become a part of every day for me...
I just love everything about it ♥

....and who doesn't love a little pair of red Mary Jane's?

These little red shoes are my take on the traditional vintage style ....

the way I remember them from childhood story books...

a wide rounded toe...rimmed sole....a simple strap with a pretty button fastening

(a free knitting pattern which will fit all 15" TEAROOM Rabbits and Bears and 
available when I return from the summer break) I've also made up a pair of each leg design
with the shoes in different colours and yarns to give some extra ideas for the original patterns too.
Yes, I still....love...love...love....my knitting....

~ ❀ ~

We've been enjoying lots of afternoon teas on warm summer days...

including Ashley's homemade scones (with jam and clotted cream) and cakes of many kinds

(the banana loaf in the first pic is from a recipe by the wonderful and ever reliable Mary Berry

 Truly delicious....we're all fans of Mary's recipes here

~ ❀ ~

Okay, enough of crafty endeavours....who won the Giveaway?

Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who entered

which I must say was quite overwhelming and made me feel more than a little humble!

All the numbers have been entered into the 

Random Number Generator

and our winner is...

Linda (T)

Congratulations to you Linda!
If you could contact me and your parcel will be in the post

Thank you so much everyone for taking part...
I so enjoyed reading all the kind comments and 
it reminds me once again how many friends I've made through 
the online crafty world...it's brilliant!  x
~ ❀ ~

Next Giveaway will be in  the Autumn and I hope you will join us again

~ ❀ ❀ ❀ ~

Time to go...
cheerio until next time
Love always

Summer Flowers Giveaway...

Mary Jane's tearoom

'Summer Giveaway 2013'

...including the following...

embroidered hoops x 2...cath kidston storage bag....

...ck badges x 4.....rowan yarn 50g x 4...

...3 metres cath kidston floral bias binding....

~❀~

Rowan 4 ply weight yarn for knitting / crochet projects includes

2 x 50g balls of Rowan Wool Cotton in Rich and Petal

2 x 50g balls of Rowan Cashsoft in Cream and Cherish

duck egg...scarlet....pink...cream

(you can also use these yarns for Tearoom patterns where clothes are knitted in 4 ply)

~❀~

Embroidered hoops x 2 (sizes 4" and 7")...both embroidered on my sewing machine

using organic cotton in the same colours as the Cath Kidston make up/craft storage bag...

(they look really pretty just propped on a shelf or the small hoop hung on a door/drawer)

I'll also add some blue gingham ribbon for hanging

~❀~

Cath Kidston  ...❀ floral  ❀... bias binding 3 metres
~❀~
All you have to do to enter is....
Just leave a comment in the box below
Leave a second one if you are a follower/new follower for a 2nd entry
Share on your Blog/Facebook if you would like a 3rd entry
(please leave a comment for each entry...it makes adding up much easier!)
~❀~
As always the draw is open to everyone wherever you may be
...and that's it!...
~❀~

Closing date...
Monday 12th August 2013

The winning name will be drawn using the

 Random Number Generator 

and then printed here on the blog

(*If you struggle to leave your comment just let me know and I'll add it for you)

Good Luck to all who enter...

and a huge thank you to everyone  who comes to visit my blog

and Facebook Page or who have ever purchased an MJT knitting pattern

I recently reached a new milestone of 7000 sales on ETSY

and 4000 wonderful feedback in my Ebay shop...

....my Giveaways are one way of saying

...♥... ♥ ...♥...Thank you...♥... ♥ ...♥...

Happy Weekend!

 Back soon

xXx

Craftin' Happy.....

♥ Hello Friends! ♥

Have you had a good start to your crafty week?

I've been having lots of fun doing a few of my favourite things 

over the last week....including more experimenting on my embroidery machine.

'The Little Xmas Tree' above was made using some

very vintage ticking fabric and although not particularly carefully planned ...

......I did end up liking the bright, cheery colours.

Now I think I will mix some different designs in equally pretty colours

to decorate our bedroom and kitchen shelves followed by some in more traditional

 Xmas colours for the living room mantelpiece....

Another evergrowing stash!

I don't think I will ever have enough embroidery threads...

Why do I never seem to have quite the right shade
 when I look in my now overflowing tin and always have to buy yet more?
Hmm...I will definitely need more tins....
but I do love to look through the beautiful array of colours!

A lovely surprise

This pretty book arrived in the post last weekend.

Preordered many weeks ago...I had actually forgotten about it....

which only made it even nicer to receive!

It's full of georgeous and inspiring projects but I am being firm with myself here

and have put it safely away until I have finished all the projects

I am currently working on.....I am so pleased with my newfound will power...

something I would never have achieved even a short time ago!

Finally, on the knitting front...

For all our lovely knitter friends out there....

The 'CORNISH Mice' and 'TEAROOM Mice'

Knitting Patterns

are now available as a 2 pattern deal

♥ Here on ETSY ♥

...so no excuse now not to knit all those little gifts

in time for Christmas....I think they would look lovely in

traditional Xmas colours too!

♥

I have also been working on new knitting patterns

and now have 2 little prototypes....as yet without clothes...

I will give you a peek at the yarns as soon as I am sure...

I'm thinking of pretty ice cream colours

..... 'for him' and 'for her'....

♥

Well....

I shall leave you now

wishing you a lovely week

full of creativity...

♥

Thank you as always for calling by...

we do love your company!

Until next time