Red, White and Blue Baby Bunting

Just in time for next week-end and all the patriotic festivities to follow, a very quick and easy baby bunting project.

I used pale blue ric-rac and red, white and blue felt. The flag are triangles 7.5cm at the base with the point 7.5cm long. For about 2m of bunting I cut 27 triangles (9 red, 9 white and 9 blue) out of a rectangle of felt, or just use up your scraps.

You can use pinking shears for a zig-zag edge

 Then cut 27 squares, mine are 3cm.

Sew the button through the square to create your mini bunting flags in any pattern combination your like. My buttons came from Sew Sweet and Emma also sells the felt.

Sew the triangles onto the ric-rac, I tried spacing them apart, but they just didn't look right, so I put my triangles next to each other. You could use ribbon instead of ric-rac, but the ric-rac hooks over itself making it very easy to tie on and stay put!

I'm going to visit Wendy at Handmade Harbour and all the other wonderful bloggers for this week's Handmade Monday

Enjoy the sunshine!

Jo x

Peppa Pig



A hug from Peppa Pig!

 Last week-end was spent at the Walled Gardens of Cannington where they had a garden festival over the two days. P came with me as one of her bff's (best friends forever) was there as well.
What a lovely week-end we had! My stall was next to the the lovely Beekeeping Ladies who supplied Mr P with three jars of their delicious honey marmalade and I also treated myself to a beeswax moisturising bar.
P had two goes at making a pot on Leigh's potters wheel ..

Throwing a pot

as did Peppa Pig on Sunday afternoon!

Peppa throws a pot ...



George squashed it!

 We had great fun meeting Peppa Pig who made a beautiful pot, but then George naughtily squashed it! I had a walk around the green houses very early Sunday morning, which is rather like a mini Eden Project and found all sorts of inspiration.
I have lots of new ideas buzzing around in my head at the moment, but I need to make lots of the favourites ready for two events this week-end!

 

My next major project is CE self-certification for my toys, and I am hoping to chart my progress on this blog as I go, and hopefully help any others who are going down this path, or maybe you might be able to help me! So the first part of my journey starts with these sites that I have found very helpful

• Odds and Soxlets published a really clear post here
• They recommended a company called Conformance who have published a Self-Certification pack for knitted toys which I am now reading through.
• I was recommended a Facebook support group that I have joined, and it is already providing help as well as food for thought.

So a lot to read and think about over the coming weeks!

My new toy

My new toy

A few weeks ago, after reading the Make it Monday blog post on Sew Sweet I treated myself to a button making kit (at only £2.99!) and some self cover buttons from there. As I was cutting out this week-end I realised that rather than stash the off-cuts this was the perfect time to play with my new toy, and ta-dah!

Hair bobbles

There's an easy to follow tutorial on Sew Sweet's blog page and the instructions are on the back of the packet.
I have also been busy with a new bag design - Daisy, Daisy - going for bright funky colours this summer (well I live in hope!) .  I'd planned to take their photos on the grass with daisies around them, but Mr PL cut the grass whilst I was out at the week-end!

Daisy, Daisy bags

Only a short blog today, as I have to go to the library, Pickle-Lily used the new self check out system and her record now shows that she has 14 books out (not the three we have at home) including Andy McNabb, Murder at somewhere and other adult books, rather than Jacquline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo, so I need to sort this out before I go to school this afternoon. I'm then going to spend the rest of the week reading all the lovely blogs at Wendy's Handmade Harbour. Thank-you Wendy for hosting this again!
Jo x

... and now for something different!

I have received this email ....
My name is Zoe Piel, and I am Assistant Editor of the Journal of the History of Dentistry, official publication of the American Academy of the History of Dentistry. In our next issue, we are publishing an article which makes reference to the "gargoyle with a toothache" of Wells Cathedral, Somerset. I came upon your photo of the gargoyle, and wanted to ask your permission to use it as an illustration for this article (with attribution, of course!).

Toothache

I mentioned this in a post last year when P and I went to Wells Cathedral. Am I the first crafter to be in an American Dentists Journal?!
Am busy today - reading blogs, crafting, updating my Folksy shop, crafting, cleaning bathrooms, a fair tonight and then pick up son from a party and a fair all day tomorrow - and next week is even busier!
Have a good week-end!
Jo x

Did you miss me?

Probably not!!!!!
The past week and a bit have been back to back busy, with two fairs, a full week of teaching (all you full time people are probably fake groaning at me here!) and then two more long fairs over the bank holiday.
So what has Pickle-Lily been up to?

Cushions for sale

Pickle-Lily herself, after learning to make cushions, has branched into the retail world (also inspired by too many episodes of Trade Your Way to the USA) and is making cushions to sell and made her first sales this week-end. She is so excited, and planning to use her money to pay for another sewing course. She has called herself In a Pickle and the little penguin is her logo!
My new creation this week are patriotic owl keyrings

red, white and blue owls

I'm very pleased with how different these are and they have been a big hit over the past week! I now need to make some more.

Isn't this brilliant!

One more thing I have to share with you - a pizza oven car! We met Georgios Pizzas on Monday, at Milverton Street Fair, where they had set up their stall in the pouring rain. They produced the most delicious pizzas (we had a margarita)  using their unique mobile oven - fab-u-lous (in my best Craig Reville Horwood voice).
This week P and I are busy making new stock, and I have some new ideas itching to come out of my fingers - as well as teaching and all the hundred jobs being a mum involves!
Hopefully I'll be back soon, and in the meantime have a read of all the other fabulous blogs hosted by Wendy for Handmade Monday and stay dry!
Jo x