Flutterby Patch

Boots and birds

2012-02-05T14:09:00.002Z

There was much excitement in the playroom this morning as the shiny red wellies were hurriedly taken from the cupboard and all because . . . . .

. . . . . . snow had fallen overnight.

The dolls only have one pair of wellies to share between them and whenever these boots put in an appearance everyone wants to try them on.

But of course they are much too big for the tiny dolls.

And they are just a bit too big for the medium sized dolls

And although they are almost the right size for Lucy Lavender

she needs the tiny dolls to help her walk.

Fortunately everyone knows that these boots will be just the right size for Posy and she is able to walk perfectly in them. And so Posy was chosen to be the doll who would brave the snowy conditions in order to put extra food on the bird table.

Standing on a chair she was just able to reach the bird table and when she'd filled it with bread crumbs and seed the hungry birds began arriving.

It was too cold to stay outside for long and the snow-covered wellies were left outside on the doorstep.

Posy returned to the playroom where the tiny dolls were waiting with her cosy warm slippers

And then it was time to identify the hungry birds that arrived looking for food.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting by a warm fire and am pleased to say my latest dolly is beginning to take shape so I will hopefully have more news about her fairly soon.

Until next time

Eli

All good fun

2012-01-23T15:01:00.001Z

I thought I'd show you the curtains I've just finished making for our cloakroom. As I always seem to end up choosing flowery fabric I was determined this time to have something different, checks or stripes perhaps.

As you can see, I fell into the 'flowery trap' yet again. These delicious roses on a pale aqua background stole my heart as soon as I saw them. I have a few bits of vintage china on the cloakroom windowsill which are a perfect match so there was no contest. Perhaps I'll choose checks or stripes next time!

Our weather has been wet and windy for weeks but there has been plenty to keep us busy. Whilst I've been decorating and making curtains the playroom has been its usual buzz of activity. There are a number of Mabel Lucie Attwell books on the playroom shelves and the pictures are a constant source of inspiration to everyone, including me!

Don't you just love this illustration. It comes from an early Attwell book, written in 1920, about a little baby that goes missing.

As the sun goes down and the moon rises some little elves discover the baby asleep under a tree. But how do tiny fairy folk transport a chubby baby safely back home?

Luckily these quick thinking little characters have the answer. They bundle the baby into an old linen basket and with great effort pull the cutie back home.

This tale is a great favourite in the playroom not least because it gives some of the dolls the perfect excuse to have a game of 'let's rescue the baby'. The Rainbow Rascals love to wrap Daisy in a clean handkerchief, bundle her into the old linen basket and drag her across the playroom floor.

Of course this game doesn't last long and usually leads to more boisterous adventures, especially when inspired by this picture.

If one baby will fit into a small basket then how many dolls will fit into an even bigger basket? Let's find out!

Isn't it funny how empty containers act as a magnet for youngsters and can inspire the most creative play. Children will never be bored when there are empty baskets and boxes nearby.

Before I go I'd like to thank everyone for the very generous comments left with my last post. Many of you popped over to Toyshelf to see what patterns were available.

Recent arrivals are these little sailors,

Tilda and Tommy-Ted

It was with a sigh of relief I finally completed decorating the three rooms I started last October, and with the new curtains in place I am at last able to give my mind to creating a new knitting pattern. As always I have plenty of ideas buzzing around in my head and have already started on one particular dolly idea. It's a bit experimental and might be a hopeless failure, in which case you'll not hear any more about it. However, I'm hoping it will turn out well so I'll keep you posted.

Until next time

Eli

Playroom visitors

2012-01-15T14:53:00.007Z

There was an unusual amount of activity in the playroom this morning. I could hear chairs being dragged across the floor, books being pulled from the bookcase and much whispering going on. When I opened the playroom door I was met by a dolly barricade.

Little faces peeked out at me from behind books and cushions and it was soon plain to see that this wasn't just a game, so I went in to investigate.

Luckily it didn't take long to discover the problem.

During the night four little monsters had made their way into the playroom and were now happily playing with the balls of wool in the dollies' knitting basket.

Luckily Kate and Tilly were not far away and being experts at catching stray fairies they wasted no time in scooping up these little rascals.

Kate netted the first little fellow and Tilly grabbed the second and soon all four were in safe hands.

The girls wasted no time in offering the visitors a cup of tea and I think they quite enjoyed it, although it's hard to tell from the expressions on their faces.

These little monsters won't be permanent residents in the playroom as they belong to my daughter and will soon be going home. She opened an Etsy shop last year selling her own knitting patterns and these little fellows are her latest designs. We both love toys and spend hours discussing our latest plans. Whilst I tend to design traditional dolls my daughter likes to experiment with new ideas.

This is Cupcake the kitten confronting two cheeky mice who are obviously very determined to guard their precious tin of salmon. You will find the patterns in her shop.

The shop listing below is my favourite . . . . 'Puppy Love'.

My daughter's shop is called Toyshelf, a name which I think suits it well as it conjures up an image of a shelf filled with an ever growing number of cute, cuddly and colourful toys. Do pop over and take a look if you enjoy making small toys.

The Wind in the Willows

2012-01-02T17:26:00.001Z

'The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home'.

This is the well known opening line from Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows'. First published in 1908 it is now a much loved children's classic. In my last blog post I promised to tell you more about the book that is wonderfully illustrated by Inga Moore.

The book begins with the Mole painting his ceiling. After a while he grows tired and throws down his brush. There is a hint of spring in the air so he scrambles up his dark tunnel and out into the fresh spring air. Without further thought the Mole heads off into the countryside. Eventually he reaches a meandering river and beside it sits a snug little dwelling-place.

This is the home of the Water Rat and the two animals quickly become friends and enjoy a happy summer together fishing and having adventures up and down the riverbank. One of their acquaintances is Mr Toad (we'll see more of him later!)

As days grow shorter and winter approaches the Mole grows restless and foolishly ventures alone into the Wild Wood. His mission is to find the home of the much respected but elusive Mr Badger. But he soon becomes lost and very frightened and is eventually rescued by his friend the Rat.

The two head for home but the snow falls thicker and faster and it is soon evident that they have lost their way. Suddenly the Mole stumbles on an object that is protruding from the snow. It is a door scraper and of course where there's a door scraper there must be door. So the two exhausted animals start to scrape away the snow and soon find a bell-pull.

After ringing the bell they wait patiently and eventually hear distant footsteps from inside. The door slowly opens and there stands Mr Badger.

He invites them inside, bathes the cut on the Mole's leg, gives them a hearty meal and then gives them both a cosy bed for the night.

The following morning the friends find two hungry hedgehogs sitting at the table eating bowls of porridge given to them by the kindly Badger.

With Christmas approaching it is time to return to the Riverbank. They pass through snowy villages and cross freezing fields.

On the way the Mole calls at his old home and although a humble dwelling they spend some time there and enjoy Christmas carol singing in the company of little field mice.

The story starts quite gently but then it continues apace with lots of adventures for the Riverbank folk. Mr Toad is the centre of everyone's attention.

He steals a car, drives it recklessly and is caught by the police. To escape from prison he dresses as a washer-woman and is again pursued by the police. And so the Toad's adventures continue.

Whilst the foolish animal has been away his grand house 'Toad Hall' has been taken over by weasels, stoats and ferrets from the Wild Wood.

It is thought the Toad might have lost his house for ever but with Mr Badger's expert knowledge of underground tunnels the four friends are able to enter the house undetected and they pounce upon the unsuspecting weasels who are holding a party.

The mighty Badger with whiskers bristling waves his great cudgel and rushes towards the ferrets at the dining table. With noisy whoops and shrieks the Rat, the Mole and Mr Toad join the attack and the terrified ferrets make their escape. In five minutes the room is cleared and through the broken window panes the shrieks of the escaping intruders can be clearly heard.

At long last the friends can dine with the now (hopefully) reformed Mr Toad, who is happy to be back in his much loved ancestral home.

If you are familiar with 'The Wind in the Willows' you will know that I have only covered a small part of this much loved story. My main aim of this post was was to show you some of Inga Moore's superbly evocative illustrations.

This is a large book measuring 29cm x 21cm. In full colour throughout there are almost 100 illustrations on the 182 pages. It is essentially a book for children but will appeal to all ages. I should point out that the original text by Grahame has been abridged in places to allow for the many illustrations.

A children's classic beautifully illustrated by Inga Moore.

Christmastime

2011-12-28T15:44:00.000Z

All is fairly quiet in the playroom today. Belinda is busy recycling festive wrapping paper. She carefully presses each piece and then passes it to Posy who hangs it neatly on the laundry rack. Several tiny dolls are having great fun playing 'hide and seek' behind the sheets of coloured paper.

The weather outside is wet and windy but the Christmas tree lights are filling the rooms with a warm glow. The tree in the hall stands at the foot of the stairs.

The sitting room tree as ever is draped with many old and much loved decorations. The tiny Santa below is perched on a white swan. When gently pulled the spring allows the swan to bounce up and down and its feathery wings move to create the illusion of a magical flying Santa. My mum bought it from a large London store in the 1950s and I don't think I can ever remember a Christmas without it. Each January it is lovingly packed away until the following December.

I like the repetition that Christmas brings and make no real effort to do things differently. The mantel is always draped in greenery and when night falls the candles are lit.

On the old oak table in a corner of the dining room I always arrange the same items. A bible, a brass chamber stick and a pewter plate in which I place a few Georgian and Victorian coins. These coins were in circulation when Jane Austen and Charles Dickens were alive and I like to think of them rattling around in peoples' pockets and hope that maybe some made their way onto church collection plates and were then used to help the poor and needy.

How lucky those of us are with warm comfortable homes. I thought I'd leave you with this picture that for me typifies Christmas. It depicts a quiet English village nestling below the ancient church. Lamps are lit, fires glow and the smoke from chimneys rises high into the frosty air. The picture is an illustration from my 'Wind in the Willows' book which I'll tell you about in the new year.

From my home here in England I send warm greetings and may next year bring health and happiness to you all.

Christmas greetings to you all

2011-12-22T13:57:00.000Z

Christmas greetings friends. Autumn days here at Flutterby Patch seems to have passed in a flash of frantic and frustrating activity. It all began in early October with the arrival of a smart new woodburning stove for the sitting room. We were told by the stove fitters that installing it was a fairly simple job and would take a couple of days (famous last words). They spent the first day lining the chimney and by day two were ready to connect the stove. However, after much pushing and shoving they were eventually forced to remove our large sitting room fireplace so that the stove could be securely linked to the chimney liner. The room was emptied of furniture and the carpet taken up. Plaster was removed from around the wooden surround, then out came the fireplace; in went the stove; back went the surround; the wall was replastered and all was made good again. . . . We prepared to light the fire. . . . . . but, wouldn't you just know it, there was a problem with the chimney and so the fireplace had to be taken out once more and this time part of the brick wall was removed. I can't begin to describe the mess and chaos. The whole procedure that was to have taken two days eventually took two weeks. When the stove fitters left we found plaster and brick dust in every corner of the house. And so we've spent the last few weeks cleaning and in some cases redecorating and have finally completed three rooms. . . . The good news is that the woodburning stove works beautifully and is keeping us toasty warm.

You won't be surprised to know that I've not had time to knit during the autumn. For several weeks the dollies remained in the playroom with the door firmly shut (dollies and brick dust don't make good companions).

This week we have been preparing for Christmas. I still have much catching up to do but thought I'd accompany my Christmas greeting by showing you this book by Brian Wildsmith. I know many of you love his illustrations and so I think you'll enjoy his version of the Christmas story.

The book 'A Christmas Story' was first published in the late 1980s and is widely available from used book suppliers.

The story begins with the birth of a baby donkey in a stable in the town of Nazareth.

One day a man and lady (named Joseph and Mary) took the mother donkey from the stable and set out on a long journey.

The baby donkey felt very sad all alone without his mother by his side.

Rebecca, who lived nearby, agreed to care for the baby donkey. But the little donkey was so sad that in the end Rebecca suggested that the two of them should set out in search of the donkey's mother.

The roads were full of people travelling to various towns and villages. Many of them had seen Mary and Joseph and were able to guide the two friends on their way.

Suddenly glorious music filled the sky and an angel appeared.

Shepherds in a nearby field pointed towards a brilliant star shining over the town of Bethlehem.

Rebecca and the little donkey followed the star and were guided to a stable.

On entering the stable they found a new-born baby lying in a manger. Richly dressed kings had brought splendid gifts for the child. They stood alongside poor shepherds and all were giving thanks for the arrival of this very special baby.

The little donkey and his mother were happily reunited and they remained with Mary and Joseph and carried them and their precious baby into Egypt.

Meanwhile, Rebecca rode back home on a splendid camel owned by one of the kings.

Thank you to everyone for creating the wonderfully colourful and interesting blogs that I've visited throughout 2011 and thank you for visiting me and my little dollies here at Flutterby Patch.

Autumn fires

2011-10-07T11:48:00.003+01:00

Many thanks for all the nice comments you left last week. As quite a few of you seemed to like the bears hiking their way across the Lakeland mountains I thought I'd include another pic of a busy pair working in the garden. This one brings to mind the poem 'Autimn Fires' by Robert Louis Stevenson.

In the other gardens

And all up the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over

And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons.

Something bright in all.

Flowers in the summer.

Fires in the fall.

As well as having the occasional bonfire, hubby has spent the last few weeks cutting wood in readiness for the cold weather ahead.

Today, whilst hubby's back was turned, Belinda Jane managed to fill her basket with small offcuts.

With some help she managed to carry the loaded basket back to the dolls' cosy kitchen where a splendid Victorian style range keeps everyone snug and warm.

Enjoy your weekend everyone

Off the beaten track

2011-09-30T12:26:00.001+01:00

On a gloriously golden September afternoon who could resist a walk by the lake?

The English Lake District attracts many thousands of visitors throughout the year. The energetic ones spend their time walking, climbing and sailing whilst others photograph or paint the magnificent scenery. The majority come to sit or stand and stare then take some light refreshment before the homeward journey.

We left the lakeside yesterday to visit the ancient stone circle at Castlerigg. It was built by Neolithic man around 4,500 years ago and sits on the brow of a hill with magnificent views in all directions.

Was this a place used for trading goods, for worshipping the gods, or was it used for Neolithic 'gatherings'? No one will ever know for sure.

Today it is looked after by the National Trust and we leave our lives of clutter to come and marvel at the ancient simplicity of the place.

With a soft wind whispering round the stones our own shadows merge with those of our ancient ancestors.

Below is an artist's impression of Neolithic man. The Lake District was a wild inhospitable place in those days and scratching a living from the stony soil would have been extremely difficult. How different this life would have been to ours.

I wonder what Neolithic man would think to our life of leisure and pleasure.

Enjoy your weekend

Beautifully upcycled

2011-09-26T12:42:00.001+01:00

One piece of advice will always remind me of my mum and dad.

"Don't throw it away because you never know when it might be useful."

How right they were! One person's 'junk' is very definitely another person's 'treasure' and my parents kept cupboards full of treasured bits and bobs of every shape and size. As a result they were able to create, repair and rebuild all kinds of things over the years. Sadly my parents are no longer here but I know they would have been amazed and delighted to see some of the beautifully crafted pieces of jewelry that are featured on Etsy these days. All cleverly utilise upcycled materials. Here are just a few of my favourites.

Necklace and bracelet by Dishfunctional Designs (uses broken china)

Necklaces by Mermaids Tears Jewelry (uses sea glass)

Necklace by Button Soup Jewelry (uses vintage buttons)

Bracelet and necklace by The Key of A (uses keys of all types)

Ring by London Particulars (uses vintage watch parts)

My final choices are created from vintage silver spoons. They are all made by LTCreates Jewelry

Bracelet

Watch

Variety of rings

If you have an upcycled favourite that is featured on Etsy feel free to leave the name of the shop in the comments box, I'd love to take a look.

Stories fondly remembered

2011-09-21T14:19:00.001+01:00

My daughter has built up quite a large collection of Ladybird books over the years. Her love for these little books began when she was a child and the collection continues to grow thanks mainly to thrift shop finds.

Looking at the books I spotted several of her favourite stories and one in particular that was my husband's favourite when he was very young. His mum read the story to him when he was 3 or 4 years old and amazingly all these years later he can still quote several lines from the book.

I wonder if anyone else can recall this particular story.

Typically it's a sad tale with a happy ending (thank goodness, I hate sad endings). Judging by the fashions I think it was probably first published in the 1940s but remained on sale well into the 1970s.

Little dog Ginger lives on a farm in the heart of the countryside where he regularly plays with his friend Tommy. But one sad day Tommy tells him he must go and live in the big city and poor Ginger is bundled into a crate and taken to the station.

Tommy waves goodbye to his friend as the train passes (note the obligatory spotted hankie).

When he reaches London little dog Ginger is met by Joan who fastens a collar round his neck and drags him through the busy streets to his new home.

But of course Ginger is soon in trouble. When he breaks the arm off Joan's best doll he runs to hide but in doing so upsets a bucket of water which angers Mary the maid.

Mary and Joan (clutching her broken doll) go looking for Ginger who is hiding in the tool shed. When they find him the poor terrified little dog is locked in the shed as punishment. But thankfully Ginger is eventually able to make his escape.

And of course he wastes no time in finding his way back to the open countryside and the farm where his kind friend Tommy is waiting for him.

And the story ends with . . . .

So the friends remained together,

Friends for ever and a day,

Going out in wind and sunshine,

Out across the farm to play.

Thank goodness for happy endings!

Life amongst woodland folk

2011-09-14T16:37:00.001+01:00

Don't you love this picture of woodland folk running to the post box with their letters. They are just in time to catch the last collection of the day. Before the days of email our village post boxes were emptied two or three times every day, but sadly not any more.

This cute postcard and the ones that follow were sent several years ago to my daughter by her Granny.

Whenever Granny went on a day trip she never failed to mail a card to each of her grandchildren which I think was a lovely idea.

There are always lots of fun things going on in every scene.

Sales and looking for bargains! . . . . Now there's something we all enjoy!

Wheelbarrow races used to be very popular but I'm guessing they might be considered 'unsafe' these days!

Any game can end in disagreement. . . Lemonade anyone?

If you are familiar with scenes like these then you probably know the artist was Racey Helps. I used to presume they were painted by a woman but in fact they are the work of a man, and here he is.

His name is Angus Clifford Racey Helps. He was born in 1913 and lived in Somerset, England. During the war years, whilst working as a hairdresser, he wrote and illustrated short stories for his young daughter. One day a book publisher entered his hair salon and saw one of the illustrated stories and fell in love with it. This was the start of Racey Helps' career as a writer and illustrator.

I recently discovered a lovely Racey Helps web site and on it there is a short video of the man himself being interviewed about his work. He was a very quiet and unassuming gentleman and quite a dapper dresser it would seem. If you'd like to see it you'll find it on the Racey Helps website.

Although written several years ago, the little story books like the one above are still available from booksellers. The postcards can of course be found on Ebay.

Thankfully my daughter kept all the postcards that Granny sent her and looking at them again has brought back many happy memories.

Until next time

Eli

A passion for cups

2011-09-12T16:43:00.000+01:00

I have always loved vintage china and cups are a particular passion of mine. My favourites are the delicate Victorian ones that have beautiful decoration inside the bowls.

Often the cups that are decorated on the inside have little or no pattern on the outside which is a pity, but it has given me the excuse to collect more recent examples that are covered in flowers of every shape and size. Of course the saucers have to be pretty too!

It's easy to date more recent cups from the stamps underneath but dating older ones can be more difficult as they often have no marks at all.

A few years ago I discovered this wonderful book by Michael Berthoud who is an expert on British porcelain. Just look at his massive collection of cups. Wouldn't I love to own that!

Published in 1990 the book catalogues many examples dating from 1750 - 1940.

The cups below are four from my small collection and date from 1780 to 1930. The bowls and handles each have a distinctive shape. As each shape was fashionable for just a short period of time it makes them easy to date.

Top left - Typical early tea bowl. These had no handle (1780s)

Top right - London shape (1820s)

Bottom left - Blenheim shape with ring handle (1830s)

Bottom right - Deco shape with angular handle (1930s)

It seems someone else around here also likes displaying nice china!

Belinda Jane has been creating a new home for everyone in the old play house. Since the children grew up and no longer played with toys the little house has been standing empty in one corner of the playroom. But things are about to change as Belinda Jane has spent the last few days happily making a cosy home for the dolls.

After a busy morning she stood back to admire the clean china on the dresser shelves.

Then, just before lunch, the postman delivered a mysterious box.

The box had come all the way from the USA where many of Merrily Ann's cousins live.

Belinda Jane couldn't wait to look inside. She removed lots of paper and bubbly plastic whilst Merrily Ann looked on with the kind of smile that said she just might know what the box contained.

Amongst all the papery packing the dolls found the sweetest little cup and plate.

The cup had a pretty daisy and busy bee painted on it.

On the plate was a happy looking hedgehog and Belinda Jane was glad to see that he'd brought his scarf and umbrella with him as English winters could be very cold and wet.

Right at the bottom of the box there was a pretty 'Thank You' card from Julie in America who had made the cup and plate specially for the dolls.

Belinda Jane was delighted and decided it was the very best kind of housewarming gift and immediately displayed the new cup and plate on the dresser.

The younger dolls of course weren't much interested in the new cup and plate. They quickly decided that the best part of the gift was the box and wasted no time in climbing inside.

Belinda Jane quickly pushed the box of rascals away from the dresser before any accident should happen. A box of bouncing dollies and shelves full of fragile china just don't mix!

* * * * * * * * * *

The gorgeous little cup and plate were made specially for the dolls by the very talented Julie Whitmore whose blog Julie Whitmore Pottery you will find in my sidebar. When I discovered Julie's work I knew that I wanted some. Many of the items she makes are commission pieces but she also finds time to put a few items into her Etsy shop so do pop over and take a look.

Books and their illustrators

2011-09-07T22:38:00.008+01:00

I've always collected anything and everything but have favoured some things more than others. I now realise that quite a few of my acquisitions are related to some of my favourite books. As I love to discover what I can about a book's illustrator I always look for details of their life and work. Brambly Hedge is my first example. The omnibus edition contains the four seasons stories and also looks at the life of author and illustrator Jill Barklem.

My daughter has all the individual story books.

I have several pieces of Brambly Hedge china of which this is just a small selection!

I love Mabel Lucie Attwell's illustrations of chubby children and over the years I've managed to acquire many of her early annuals. There is a short introduction charting MLA's life in the book on the left by Chris Beetles. The remaining pages are filled with many Attwell illustrations.

This is my only Attwell figurine.

Designs from 'The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady' could be seen everywhere in the 1980s. They decorated oven mitts, biscuit tins, teasets and bed linen, It was possible to have your entire house decked out in Country Diary style which indeed some people did, although I wasn't one of them! The associated book about Edith Holden's life and work makes a very interesting read.

Although I didn't buy any of the household wares I couldn't resist this Country Diary knitting book by Annette Mitchell. It contains some gorgeous patterns.

Beatrix Potter is another favourite of mine. This excellent book by Judith Taylor gives a detailed account of her life and work. Beatrix lived in the Lake District and so our local shops are chock-full of Peter Rabbits and Jemima Puddle-Ducks.

As I live in the area it has been difficut over the years to resist buying just a 'just a few' Potter figurines.

Don't you just love this depiction of 'The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe'.

I spent much of this summer designing two new dolls, one of which is based on the much loved American character Raggedy Ann. Before I started work I needed to find out more about her so acquired Patricia Hall's book about Johnny Gruelle the creator. He was a prolific and very talented artist and I immediately fell in love with his heartwarming stories about the little rag doll.

Below is my knitted version of Raggedy Ann. Having read the book about Johnny Gruelle and several of his early stories I was determined to try and recapture the sweet nature of his original Raggedy Ann.

My most recent book acqisition is 'The Art of Holly Hobbie'. I stumbled upon this quite by chance on Amazon last week. As soon as I saw the title I knew I'd have to buy it. Many people believe that Holly Hobbie is the name of the little girl in the large blue hat, but it isn't, it's the name of the illustrator. I couldn't wait to get inside the book and find out more.

I was a huge fan of Holly Hobbie greetings cards in the 70s and 80s and many of my friends and family came to expect a HH card for birthdays and Christmas. As I turned the pages of the book I noticed many of the pictures looked familiar, it was like meeting old friends again.

This little girl is of course instantly recognisable as the Holly Hobbie trademark.

The book contains lots of beautiful illustrations plus a hand written account by Holly Hobbie describing how the 'little girls with big hats' became popular worldwide and which of her children inspired particular pictures.

There are some lovely insights into life in the Hobbie household.

This is the family's lovely old house in New England where the children grew up.

The huge fireplace at the heart of the home made the perfect setting for a Christmas Eve illustration. Just look at the expressions on the children's faces!

If, like me, you remember with affection the many Holly Hobbie illustrations and would like to find out what inspired several of them then I can recommend the 'Art of Holly Hobbie'. It was first published in 1986 and should be available from Amazon. I don't think you'll be disppointed.

Holly Hobbie now illustrates her popular children's books about two little pigs named Toot and Puddle.

Ready for school

2011-09-02T22:48:00.004+01:00

My school days can seem a lifetime away, but as the long carefree days of August slide all too quickly into September I find it easy to imagine myself back in the infant classroom once again.

On the first day back, when everything was shiny and clean, you were met by a pungent smell of disinfectant and floor polish. This soon disappeared of course as the classroom quickly regained its familiar infant aroma mixed with the smell of plasticine and blackboard chalk.

The lucky young children of today enjoy many varied activities but in our small country school the funds and equipment were limited and we used whatever was available in the classroom cupboard. Needless to say, doing anything creative appealed to me and making pictures from gummed paper was an activity I always enjoyed.

Of course, infant play soon gave way to more serious study. Ball point pens were banned and fibre tips hadn't been invented so we all carried bottles of ink in our school bags. Do children ever use fountain pens these days I wonder?

Wooden pencil boxes like this one were very popular during my early years at school. With care you could hide all kinds of bits and pieces inside that would invariably keep you (and your friends) amused whilst the teacher's back was turned.

This particular box belonged to my mum and made me the envy of my school pals for a while as it had a secret lock. As you can see I still have the box so I can show you what made it special.

A narrow ruler slides into a groove on the side of the box and when the ruler is removed a tiny keyhole is revealed. No one else had a pencil box like mine and I treasure it more now that my mum is no longer around. Amazingly the original key has stayed with the box throughout its life.

We all had leather satchels which when filled with books and other paraphernalia could be quite an effort to carry, especially when school was some distance from home. Few mums had cars in those days so you either walked to and from school or caught the bus if the distance was considered too great.

But let's get back to the present . . . . . . .

Belinda Jane has been very busy at the sewing machine this week.

After much cutting, pinning and stitching she produced little drawstring school bags for four little dolls and on each bag she stitched the name of the owner.

Of course each doll wants to pack as much into her school bag as she possibly can. Somehow I don't think there will be much room for books and pencils.

The bags can be carried in the hand or on the back like a rucksack.

School doesn't begin until next week but each doll has her bag packed and ready for the start of the new term.

If you'd like to make a drawstring bag for a dolly you will find the pattern below. The patterns for the knitted dolls pictured above can all be found in my Etsy shop.

How to make a drawstring bag for a doll

For doll height 30cm - 35cm (12in - 14in)

This bag pattern was designed for my Polly and Kate dolls who are 32cm (13in) high. For slightly smaller dolls simply adjust the length of the bag by about 2cm.

The bags can be stitched by hand or with a sewing machine. I haven't mentioned seam neatening; it is up to you to decide whether you neaten the seams or not.

To make a bag you will need a piece of fabric (gingham is excellent) measuring 32cm x 15cm (13in x 6in). Cut in half as shown below.

With wrong side facing you, fold over 1cm along one short edge of each piece. Press to hold flat. The folded edges will be at the top of the bag.

Place the two pieces together with wrong sides facing out.

Begin the side seams 5cm (2in) down from the top edge of the fabric and 2cm (¾in) in from the sides of the fabric. Stitch to the bottom as shown below.

Keeping the top folds in place, press open the side seams (below).

Fold over the top to the point where the side seam stitching begins. Pin in place as shown below. This makes a casing for the drawstring. Stitch this close to the bottom edge.

Before stitching the bottom seam, place the bag on the doll's back to make sure it isn't too long. If it is then adjust the length to fit.

Pin the bottom edges together. Stitch the seam 1 cm from the bottom edge.

Turn the bag right side out and press.

Cut two pieces of narrow cord (or string) each measuring 60cm (24in).
Start at the left of the bag and thread one piece of cord through the casing all the way round so that it re-appears at the left (see below).

Repeat with the second piece of cord threading it from the right.

You should be able to pull the cords on each side to draw up the bag.

Open the bag and let the cords hang down on each side. Knot each pair adjacent to the bottom corners of the bag (see below)

Stitch the knots to the corners (below)

Pull the cords to draw up the bag.

If you want to put dolly's name on the bag then write it on a short length of white cotton tape (or similar) and stitch the tape to the front of the bag.

Have fun!

A Little Golden find

2011-08-29T15:29:00.017+01:00

Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Child's Garden of Verses' is a favourite of mine and I have a small collection of them. I'm always looking out for more so was delighted to find this Little Golden Book in a thrift shop a couple of weeks ago. The book was printed in 1972 and has beautiful illustrations by Eloise Wilkin.

I love all R.L.S. poems but the one entitled 'Rain' seems particularly suitable for the summer we've had here in north-west England

I thought I'd show you illustrations by four different artists from four of my books. They all depict the 'Rain' poem.

The rain is raining all around

Eloise Wilkin chose to illustrate the first line with a little girl and her dog watching the rain falling on the street outside the window (poor dolly doesn't look too happy does she!)

Below is the same poem illustrated by Tasha Tudor who chose the second line

It falls on field and tree,

Hilda Boswell chose the third the line

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And finally, Brian Wildsmith worked his colourful magic on the fourth line

And on the ships at sea.

Returning to Little Golden Books . . . . . they are loved around the world and it's easy to see why. There are hundreds of titles to choose from and the books are the perfect size for even the smallest hands.

Merrily Ann has been a most welcome arrival in the playroom as she loves amusing the younger dollies and reading them stories. Jack and Jill are too young to read but it seems something has caught their attention in the bottom corner.

Meanwhile, Belinda Jane has been busy with other matters. I found her with a Jane Austen novel, a basket of knitting wool and some strawberries. What can she be up to?

It turns out she's seen a very tempting blog post with a fantastic givaway. The items that you see in the picture with Belinda are not the giveaway but there is a connection. So do pop over to Millefeuilles and take a look.

Two new dolls

2011-08-18T13:03:00.001+01:00

Thank you so much for the nice comments you left about my new dolly named Merrily Ann. That's her, sitting on the right. I've been working very hard to get her finished and thanks to a typically rainy August here in northern England I've made good progress.

If you are a knitter of dollies you might be pleased to hear that I've made a second doll as a friend for Merrily Ann. She has gorgeous auburn curls and the sweetest smile and is named Belinda Jane. That's her on the left.
Both dolls measure 45cm (18in) from head to toe so they will be the largest dolls in the playroom.

Belinda Jane wears a warm cardigan over a sleeveless top and skirt. Merrily Ann has a shorter cardigan worn over a dress and apron. All clothing (except shoes) can be removed.

The dolls are knitted in DK yarn on two needles. The patterns are easy to follow with plenty of pictures to guide knitters through the various stages. You will find the patterns for both dolls in my Dollytime Etsy shop. If you live in the UK, or wish to pay in pounds sterling, then you can purchase patterns from my UK shop.

My other dolls have already met Merrily Ann, but they know nothing about Belinda Jane so they are in for a big surprise .

Do you ever get the feeling you are being watched?

It's impossible to keep anything secret round here!

Think I'd better go and restore order in the playroom!

The empty chair

2011-08-14T17:09:00.004+01:00

Way back in June I wrote a post about the playroom chair. The dolls constantly complain that it is much too large for them and they would dearly love to have a large doll come to live with them. Someone who would be just the right size for the chair.

They set their heart on having Raggedy Ann. Nothing else would do apparently.

Although I was shown numerous pictures of Raggedy Ann I explained that I didn't think she would come to live in our playroom.

But the dolls didn't give up and last week they hatched a plan.

They placed a cosy blanket on the chair and every night they left a piece of cake with a glass of juice just in case Raggedy Ann should visit in the night. But of course nobody came.

But the little rascals didn't give up and yesterday morning Kate suddenly shouted loudly and everyone ran to see what had happened.

During the night someone had drunk the juice and eaten the cake (well most of it, there were just a few crumbs left).

And so last night, just before bedtime, the dolls placed their Raggedy Ann story book on the chair. More juice and a piece of fruit cake were placed alongside together with some smaller books that Raggedy Ann might like to read..

Oh my goodness! What a surprise they had this morning when they discovered this sweet doll sitting in the empty chair happily reading one of the story books.

They knew at once who it was and one by one they ran to greet her.

As you can imagine there has been great excitement in the playroom all day and the new doll, with an enormous smile on her face, has been surrounded by a large family of very happy dollies.

I think I can safely say that this little lady has come to stay.

She has such a big smile that everyone is certain she must be very merry.

And so, as she looks such a merry doll we have given her the name

Merrily Ann.

Note for knitters.

I'm hoping to get a knitting pattern written for Merrily Ann fairly soon. It should be in my Etsy shop by the end of August.

Flower filled days

2011-07-27T17:20:00.004+01:00

Don't you just love these colours!

This illustration is by Brian Wildsmith and it accompanies the poem 'The Flowers' in his fabulous version of 'A Child's Garden of Verses' published in 1966. Brian Wildsmith is now in his 80s and has illustrated many books over the years.

Hilda Boswell's lovely books include 'A Child's Garden of Verses' which like Brian Wildsmith's also dates from the 1960s. Her style is typical of that era whilst his illustrations seem way ahead of their time.

Hilda Boswell (1903 - 1976)

Children in the Victorian and Edwardian era would have been treated to Charles Robinson's version of the book which contained over 100 wonderfully detailed black and white illustrations in the Art Nouveau style. It was first published in 1895

Charles Robinson (1870 - 1937)

In 1946 Alice Watson illustrated the book. One of her delicate line drawings accompanies every poem. This is her version of 'The Flowers'

A.H. Watson (Alice Watson 1896 - 1984)

I have a copy of Gyo Fujikawa's 'Child's Garden of Verses' which she illustrated in the 1950s. Sadly the poem in question hasn't been included but as I'm a great fan of this lady's work I decided to include her flower filled cover picture.

Gyo Fujikawa (1908 - 1998)

Last but not least is Tasha Tudor's wonderful interpretation. She first illustrated 'A Child's Garden of Verses' in 1947 but my book is a newer version dating from the early 1980s. I love it.

Tasha Tudor (1915 - 2008)

Robert Louis Stevenson's poems have always been a favourite of mine and I'm afraid I can never resist buying yet another vintage version of his book when I find one.

I've enjoyed several 'garden days' this week as the weather has been amazingly kind. Here are four views of my 'patch' captured yesterday.

Below is a small part of the 'cutting garden' that I planted last year.

I'm really pleased with the way it has matured. Every available space is filled with colour.

Having a cutting garden is a great way to have cut flowers for the house without spoiling the main flower beds. I wish I'd thought of it years ago.

Thanks for dropping in.

Until next time

Eli

Flying high (and trying)

2011-07-25T19:35:00.001+01:00

We've just enjoyed a gloriously sunny weekend. The garden hummed with the sound of bees whilst butterflies fluttered prettily from flower to flower seeking sun warmed nectar. After several attempts I managed to snap this picture of a Small Tortoiseshell.

The weekend was not a haven of peace however as the summery sound of bees was frequently interrupted by the roar of jet aircraft swooping and diving overhead. Every July the Lake District stages an airshow and this year's was bigger than ever. The planes always perform their aerobatics over the lake so we are able to view them from the garden or through an upstairs window.

This enormous delta wing Vulcan rattled the rafters as it climbed high above the house.

Late on Sunday afternoon the 'Red Arrows' (the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team) performed their amazing display as a finale to this year's show and then at last the summery buzzing of bees was again audible.

The aerobatics we witnessed over the weekend seem to have influenced activities in the playroom today. This afternoon I found Tilly and Kate looking at pictures of flying fairies.

Then out came some coloured paper and wings were made for all the Rainbow Rascals.

Although the names - Lysimachia Fairy, Hydrangea Fairy, Red Petunia Fairy and Mauve Petunia Fairy are too long for the average dolly to remember the girls were happy to pose with their flowery namesakes.

So far so good. But then the flying idea was put to the test and the fairy aerobatic team prepared to take to the skies. . . . . .and landed with a thud on the ground below.

Until next time

Eli

Dolly blanket

2011-07-22T18:50:00.006+01:00

A busy week of birthdays and dolly blanket making.

Back in a few days.

Have a good weekend

Eli

Daisy chains and a doll's apron

2011-07-14T09:21:00.006+01:00

Does anyone remember this curtain fabric that was popular in 1970s Britain?

The name of the design was 'Daisy Chain' and it was available from John Lewis stores. As you can see there were several gorgeous colourways available. My mum could never resist buying pretty fabric and acquired quite a bit of Daisy Chain, not for making curtains but to turn into aprons which she sold to raise money for various charities. The aprons, which were made in all sizes, were very popular.

A few years ago I inherited the contents of my mum's sewing room and still have a few remnants of Daisy Chain in my stash. It always brings back fond memories of my mum and the many shopping trips we made together to choose fabric.

In the playroom today Posy was busy at the sewing machine and guess what she was making . . . a little Daisy Chain apron.

The apron was soon finished and the purple and pink combination toned perfectly with her knitted outfit.

On seeing Posy's handiwork four other dolls decided an apron was an absolute 'must have' for them also and enthusiastically began choosing and trying the various colours available. After much thought Posy agreed that if she made aprons for the other dolls they would no longer have an excuse not to wash the dishes . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . Posy showed the four friends the large stack of dirty crockery and pans waiting to be washed. On seeing the stack it was quickly agreed that perhaps aprons weren't such a good idea after all.

Everything went very quiet in the playroom after that and so Posy neatly folded the Daisy Chain fabric and put it away. Somehow though, I don't think she's heard the last of the apron making idea.

If you'd like to knit any of the dollies that you see in my blog posts you will find patterns for them in my Dollytime Etsy shop.

Meanwhile, to make an apron for your own doll or teddy simply follow Posy's easy pattern below. The apron is designed to fit toys 33cm - 38cm (13in -15in). If you cut out a paper pattern you can check it for size against the toy in question. It is very easy to make the pattern longer, shorter, wider or narrower. You will require a piece of fabric no less than 15cm (6in) x 18cm (7in) and approximately 1m (just over a yard) of tape for the ties.

Cut the fabric on the solid black line as a single turn of 6mm (0.25in) has been allowed. Use your sewing machine to neaten the edges with zig-zag stitch before turning them under, or use 'Fray Stop'. Alternatively you can bind the edges with bias binding. If you decide to do this then don't forget to make the apron a bit smaller all round as you won't need to turn the edges under.

The cutting line from the waist to the top of the bib can be straight (cut on the solid line) or curved (cut on the broken line). Posy cut her apron on the curved line.

1). Fold and stitch the sides.

2). Fold and stitch from waist to top of bib (straight or curved).

3). Fold and stitch the bib top

4). Hold the apron against the toy and adjust the hem if necessary and then stitch.

5). Stitch tape to the apron. Each piece will be approx 25cm (10in) but toys' necks and waistlines vary so check before cutting the tape.

When finished, enjoy a nice cup of tea!

Doily day

2011-07-11T15:37:00.002+01:00

My Granny loved to crochet doilies and I'm sure she'd be pleased to know that I still use several of her pretty creations around the house. Every so often I gather them together for washing.

Today was a 'gathering doily for washing day'. But before I had chance to wash them some little rascals from the playroom decided doilies would make excellent veils for brides and so began a game of 'let's pretend to be brides' .

Two brides collected flowers for wedding bouquets . . . . .

. . . . . and then everyone posed for a group photo.

Fun over. . . It was time to get those doilies clean.

One of the brides fetched the soap.

and two more brides laundered the doilies and hung them on the line to dry

The group of vintage doilies below (one large and two small) are sometimes referred to as a 'Duchess set'. Last July I wrote a post about doilies and asked if anyone knew why they had been given this name as I'd never been able to find a reason for it. Sadly no one came up with the answer.

Then amazingly, Karen from Queensland in Australia visited my blog last week. Whilst reading posts from 2010 she noticed my question about Duchess sets and was good enough to leave a comment. She said she sometimes hears of a dressing table being referred to as a Duchess. This prompted me to do a Google search for Duchess dressing table and guess what? . . . I found loads of Victorian and Edwardian dressing tables in the style shown below and the name they all had was 'Duchess'. Three doilies (one large and two small) would fit perfectly and so I have to conclude that this style of dressing table must be the reason for the name. My thanks go to Karen for taking the time to leave a comment and answer my question.

By the 1940s the style of dressing tables had changed (see below) but three doilies were still essential. The name 'Duchess set' was still used but more often the doilies were know as a 'cheval set' due to the long cheval mirror in the centre.

If, like me, you have a passion for knitting, sewing, dolls and doilies then I think you'd enjoy visiting Smilerynker. This is a wonderfully colourful Danish blog with beautiful dolls, some clever ideas for the use of doilies and lots of family fun.

I hope the sun is shining for you in your part of the world. If so then maybe you also have some little helpers who will enjoy assisting you with the laundry!!

Until next time

Eli

Garden ghosts

2011-07-01T12:34:00.001+01:00

Imagine you are a wealthy Edwardian lady with a beautiful house and garden like the one above. Isn't it gorgeous. You would, of course, have a gardener who would keep the lawns manicured and pick fresh flowers to fill your pretty house with scent and colour.

Then one day the gardener complains that large leathery leaves have mysteriously appeared in his carefully tended flower borders. He cannot identify them as there are no blooms. You decide to leave them growing just in case something beautiful or unusual appears.

The following spring several buds emerge and within a few short weeks these spiky beauties appear. They are 'eryngium gigantium' (sea holly).

In Victorian and Edwardian times, if these plants mysteriously appeared in your flower borders the chances were you had been visited by a well known plant enthusiast named Ellen Willmott. She would regularly taunt her friends by scattering seed of eryngium gigantium in their gardens and must have carried seed with her wherever she went.

Ellen Willmott

The flowers are tiny and are clustered on the central cone. They are surrounded by wonderful grey/white bracts that shine like silver in the summer sun and on a moonlit night they appear a ghostly white. Friends of Ellen Willmott eventually became used to these plants popping up uninvited in their gardens and they became know as Miss Willmott's Ghost.

I heard this story a few years ago and couldn't resist buying a packet of eryngium gigantium seeds to scatter in the garden. Nothing appeared so I forgot about them. Last year some strange leaves emerged which I thought were probably weeds. Then suddenly, in the last few weeks Miss Wilmott's Ghost has put in an appearance.......magic!

Elsewhere in the garden Posy has been hard at work. She is the only dolly whose legs are long enough to reach the pedals on this old bicycle and so she volunteered to pull the trailer loaded with pots and garden tools (plus a few helpers).

Meanwhile, Polly and Kate have been in the orchard gathering cherries. Every time they count them there are less cherries in the basket. I'm not sure how many will remain by teatime!

I'd better get back to the garden whilst the sun continues to shine. Enjoy your weekend.

Eli

Button love

2011-06-28T12:50:00.007+01:00

I was tempted to buy a large bag of multi coloured buttons last week and since bringing them home have had endless fun sorting through them.

The colours are just yummy and they'll mix and match well with my rainbow selection of knitting yarn.

I placed a small selection of buttons on various ginghams and was surprised how different the colours of the buttons appeared on each. The same buttons are used in each photo.

The bag of buttons is just the sort of thing my mum would have bought for me at the start of a school holiday as she'd have known they would have kept me occupied for days. A needle and thread were always within easy reach at our house and I know for sure that apart from stitching them onto dolly clothes etc I'd have had endless fun creating (and wearing) zingy coloured bracelets and necklaces.

With baby brothers in the family I would of course have been warned not to leave stray buttons within easy reach of inquisitive hands.

With the school holidays approaching I thought I'd recommend 'Made by Me' by Jane Bull. The ideas and illustrations are delightfully tempting and just right for young girls who show an interest in sewing and knitting. I know my own daughter would have loved it.

There are some clever storage ideas for all those bits and pieces every crafter collects.

Some great ways to decorate a plain T-shirt

An easy rag doll to make and dress

There's even a knitted hat for your dolly to wear. I was thrilled to see knitting had been included in the book as I'd like to see all youngsters learning to knit.

Simple sewing and embroidery stitches are described and illustrated and there are numerous cute items to tempt young crafters.

Last week I stumbled across blogs by two youngsters Karn and Margo. They use their blogs to post pictures of their drawings and paintings. I think this is a wonderful way for children to keep a record of their work and of course show their artistic creations to a large audience.

You can see their blogs here:
Karn Draws.
My Strawberry Unicorns

If you have a creative little person (under the age of 10) with a blog that is used to post art or craft work done by this child please do let me know, I'd love to see it and will add it to my list.

Until next time,
Eli

Summer begins

2011-06-21T12:31:00.001+01:00

Well, its officially the first day of summer today and I've chosen this pretty floral fabric as inspiration for the new dolly I've been planning. The fabric is named 'Summertime' and I've just realised it is a UK product. We used to be world leaders in cotton production and for centuries our mills produced cotton fabric that was exported around the globe. But those days have gone and now most of what we use is imported so it's really good to see some fabric with a UK label.

I love matching yarns to printed fabrics and as you can see work on the new doll has already started thanks to this little floral print. I know more or less what she will look like but am never averse to making changes to my plans along the way. I can't say how long the dolly will be in the making but while we are all confined indoors the knitting will continue.

The rain stopped for about five minutes this morning and as I had my camera handy I popped outside and took a few pics. I think they speak for themselves.

Meanwhile the dolls in the playroom gaze out of the widow longing for the rain to stop so that they can enjoy some much needed outdoor fun.

Back to the knitting!

Eli

A woolly sort out

2011-06-19T10:29:00.000+01:00

We really are having the most dismally wet summer here in northern Britain. Yesterday, to add a bit of colour to the day, I decided to sort through my knitting yarn. I do this from time to time as it can get into a terrible tangle. I like to separate the various shades into different boxes as it makes mixing and matching yummy colours a lot easier.

I never know what I will find when I'm having a sort out. Below is something I started knitting before Easter but I can't remember what it was going to be. I like the colour combination so might hang on to it in case it provides inspiration for a future project.

In the cupboard I have a large bag of knitted experiments and unfinished items. Here are just a few of them. When creating a new pattern it can take two or three attempts to get something looking just right. I used to pull back all my trial pieces but now I often keep them as they can provide a useful guide when planning new toys.

Meanwhile, the dolls continue to remind me of what I should be thinking about, namely knitting a larger playroom friend who will fit nicely into this rather large chair.

Thank you dolls, I think I've got the message!!

The playroom chair

2011-06-17T15:31:00.005+01:00

There's an old wooden chair in the playroom which provides the dolls with a constant source of amusement but also concern. The amusement comes from taking turns to climb into the chair. As you can see, a helping hand is always required and the smaller you are the more difficult the challenge.

The concern comes from there not being a playroom doll that is big enough to fit comfortably in the chair.

Two small dollies prove the point.

When I asked what we should do about it the dolls disappeared and returned with a Raggedy Ann book.

They quickly turned to this page.

When I saw a picture of sweet Raggedy Ann sitting on an old wooden chair it quickly became evident that the dolls were looking for a similar friend to join them in the playroom.

Someone who was just the right size to fit in their old wooden chair.

Someone to share meals with.

And a kindly someone who would tell them bedtime stories on dark nights.

I explained that we didn't have a Raggedy Ann living here.

But my explanation fell on deaf ears and a wooden cart was wheeled in which the dolls proceeded to fill with yarn.

From the colours they chose it was easy to see what they were trying to tell me!

I'm guessing these little rascals were telling me that they'd like their own Raggedy Ann doll to come and live with them in the playroom. I confess I have been asked several times by knitters if I'd create a knitting pattern for a Raggedy type doll but I've always shied away from the idea as for me there is only one Raggedy Ann. So any doll that I created might resemble the original but would require a different name, but what?

We'll have to put our thinking caps on here at Flutterby Patch and see what we can come up with. I'll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend

Eli

A secret world

2011-06-14T14:50:00.002+01:00

For some time I've been looking for a bell that I can ring to call hubby in from the garden. We have rather a sprawling plot and finding him when needed often requires quite a hike around his various hiding places (bonfire, shed, garage etc). Anyway, last week I discovered this beauty which makes an ear piercing sound when rung and hubby is able to hear it wherever he is working around the garden. He's attached it on the pergola beside the study door so whatever the weather I'm able to ring it furiously without having to walk very far.

This morning he's been mowing this strip across the lawn.

We let the grass grow long here until July so that the wild orchids can flower and set seed. We discovered one solitary orchid about 15 years ago and now we have about sixty.

Long grass in the garden always makes me think of the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson entitled 'The Dumb Soldier'. Its about a little boy who places his tiny toy soldier in long grass and forgets about him. There the solder lies watching bees and beetles as the grass grows ever longer. Then one day the grass is cut and the boy finds his soldier again and wonders what adventures he will have had.

This tiny fellow belongs to my son and I couldn't resist using him as an illustration.

When reunited with is pals he couldn't wait to tell them of his adventures.

There are nine little soldiers in total and they live inside a painted wooden egg. Before climbing back into the egg the little adventurer took a final look at the big wide world.

I'm sure he will now keep everyone entertained inside the egg with his tales of 'life in the long grass'.

Until next time

Eli

Woolly memories

2011-06-10T08:25:00.002+01:00

Thank you for your interesting comments on my last post. When Deborah at My Mom's Work mentioned how the smell of cherry wood brings back memories of her grandma's lovely home I was immediately transported back to my own granny's house. I used to love opening the door of her oak sideboard which had its own special aroma. Inside I knew I would find numerous knitting patterns to look at. The four dolls' clothes patterns below were part of her collection and date from the 1950s and 60s. Granny knitted endlessly and we often received surprise parcels containing all kinds of goodies, very often clothes for our dolls.

I was only very young when this sweet little Red Riding Hood doll arrived for me. She's a 15cm (6in) Roddy Doll. Her clothes are made from pure wool so inevitably moths have made a few holes in them over the years, but she brings back many happy memories of my childhood so I won't be making her a new outfit at the moment.

Meanwhile, our weather has taken a turn for the worse so the Flutterby Patch dollies are confined to the playroom once again. Fortunately Posy has taken charge and is making numerous trips to the wool shop to pick up yarn for my future knitting projects. The smaller dolls are taking turns to ride in the shopping cart and great fun is being had by all!

I hope the weekend weather will be kind to you in your part of the world.

Until next time

Eli

Cottage love

2011-06-06T09:33:00.006+01:00

Raise your hand if you dream of living in a pretty cottage in the country! . . . . . I think I can see a great many hands being raised out there!

It seems many of us bloggers would love to spend our days happily pottering around in a cosy little country dwelling that has 'olde world' features and roses growing round the door.

So, how about this little place? There are roses growing round the door, and joy of joys, there are even hollyhocks peeping in through the windows. . . . . I definitely want it! Just imagine sitting outside in the warm sunshine preparing your home grown summer fruits and vegetables.

I wonder why so many of us dream of such a rural idyll? Could it be a kind of inherited memory that has been passed down through the generations?

Or perhaps we've been influenced by the picture books we had as children. I can well remember wishing I could live in a little house like the one below (from my 'Tufty the Rabbit' book)

It didn't end with books of course, there were lots of other cottagy influences in my life. This little weather house for example (note the roses round the door).

My mum bought this little cottage lamp for my son when he was 2 years old. The cosy red glow lighting up the family of tiny teddies inside successfully lulled him to sleep on many a dark night.

Images of thatched cottages surrounded by pretty flower gardens were extremely popular from late Victorian times right through to the 1950s. This 1930's needlework book has a typical example on the cover and inside there are many more.

Below is a birthday card that my granny received in the 1950s

I bought this Cottage interiors book about 15 years ago when 'country furniture' was very popular in Britain. Antique tables, chairs, dressers and chests made from dark oak and dating back 300 years were widely sought after and prices rocketed.

At the time old cottages were being snapped up and renovated and dark oak furniture was a must have.

Here are some more pictures from the book. . . .

Oak beams were high on the list of 'wants' as they added character to the cottage and were ideal to festoon with sweet smelling hops and herbs. And of course an inglenook fireplace was another essential feature.

Old baskets were hung from hooks in low ceilinged kitchens and antique dressers groaned under the weight of vintage china.

Tastes have changed quite a bit since then. We still have the dressers and china of course, but dark interiors have grown increasingly lighter and brighter. Brown furniture is often painted. I prefer the lighter look but also love old oak furniture that has a special glow achieved from centuries of waxing.

So I continue to dream of my perfect country cottage.

Would this be it perhaps? The garden is less colourful than my previous choice. The roses round the door have faded and the cabbages are ready for cutting.

These romantic flower-filled images of cottages and cottage dwellers were painted for wealthy town dwelling Victorians. In reality cottage life was very different to the images portrayed. Perhaps the one below would have been closer to the truth.

Many cottages were damp and badly in need of repair. Gardens were small and housed the outside toilet (a hole in the ground) which was next to the pig sty and an ever growing dung heap (many people kept a pig). Laundry was hung on the line to dry in all weathers or draped over any available surface. There was little or no space to grow flowers as a year round supply of vegetables was essential for feeding an ever growing family. Roofs leaked, chimneys smoked and vermin ran around inside the cottage.

We bloggers dream of our perfect cottage retreat (with all mod cons of course) and if we aren't lucky enough to live in one then we can give our homes a 'cottagy look'.

I'd love to tell you I lived in the perfect little country dwelling but I'm afraid I don't so I create little 'cottagy corners'. Our house has thick stone walls and leaded windows which helps with the illusion. My grandma's old chair dates back to the mid 1800s and is a nice place to sit with an early morning cuppa.

I love Victorian oil lamps and candlesticks. This glass lamp belonged to my husband's great grandfather. The chamberstick (a cottage essential) was bought from Ebay.

My old pine dresser is filled with a mish-mash of china, some vintage, some new. The cottage shaped teapot, sugar and cream were my mum's.The dresser has glass doors which I could remove but don't because I hate dusting!!

Here is another corner of 'treasures'. The oak table is early Victorian, the oil lamp is my grandma's and the ink well my great grandma's (she was an avid letter writer). The china Staffordshire figure was bought from an antiques sale (I love Staffordshire figures) and the tea cup and plate are vintage C1936. I hope you'll stay for a cup of tea and a slice of delicious fruit cake (the cake isn't vintage by the way, it was freshly made yesterday).

Until next time

Eli

Garden days at last

2011-06-04T18:32:00.004+01:00

Greetings friends. It's been a while since I popped in to say "hello". I'd so looked forward to writing some sunny Maytime posts but the entire month of May was a complete wash-out with cold winds and endless rain, day, after day, after day.

However, June has been kind to us so far and we are all enjoying the sunshine at last.

With endless games of hide and seek around the flower beds there hasn't been much 'real' work going on.

The excuse has been that many of the garden implements are far too large for small people to use.

But thankfully Posy has been lending a hand with a few chores.

And this afternoon Kate volunteered to take baby Daisy for a walk in her pram.

but Daisy had other ideas . . . . .

. . . . . . . and decided to climb out. . . . .

at which point several others climbed in and pleaded with Kate to push them round the garden.

But the pram was loaded to overflowing and, try as she might, poor Kate was unable to shift it.

Then, when Daisy climbed back in, Kate gave up completely.

She took her little duck for a walk instead as he presented less of a challenge!

Kate's duck has reminded me to give you an update on the duck's nest we found in April under a clump of heather on our patio.

Mrs Duck laid 13 beautiful eggs at the end of April and we took great care not to disturb her. Four weeks later there should have been 13 baby ducklings but sadly that never happened. The eggs are still in the nest but Mrs Duck has disappeared. We are all very sad and disappointed.

And so ends a sunny June day here at Flutterby Patch. I hope your weekend weather is being kind to you wherever you are.

Until next time

Fairy gardens

2011-05-04T11:36:00.003+01:00

You might remember the post I did some time ago about fairies in our garden. They are busy little people as you can see.

And here they are in the meadow making a daisy chain.

I thought of my garden fairies recently when I read a Milly Molly Mandy story about the time she and Billy Blunt made a miniature garden in a dish.

I well remember making these tiny gardens in saucers and dishes when I was young. Our village fete always held a competition for the best miniature garden and these tiny worlds fascinated me.

What a lovely surprise to find a post about a pretty garden made for two tiny pals in the US. Below you can see Honey and Tilda working in their garden. It was cleverly created in a barrel by Lydia and her Mom at Blueberry Cottage.

I'm not showing you more of this garden because I'd like you to pop over to Blueberry Cottage and take a look for yourself. Its amazing what can be achieved from a few pebbles, shells, moss and twigs plus plenty of imagination and magic. The pictures bring back memories of the days when we created tiny worlds in dishes for our village fete . . . . . happy days!

Sunny days

2011-05-02T13:55:00.001+01:00

The sun has been shining for a couple of weeks and the garden has suddenly burst into life. We tend to leave plants to ramble and do their own thing at the start of the season and as a result this pretty clematis is hanging in festoons over the dining room window.

Beneath it this pot of tulips is still blooming happily. The bulbs are from a 'surprise' packet that I bought in the autumn and I have indeed been rewarded by several nice surprises. My favourite 'surprise' has to be this gorgeous fringed tulip which reminds me of raspberries and cream.

Very close to the dining room window is this small acer tree. A thick carpet of heather grows underneath it and right in the centre of the heather a silly duck has decided to make her nest. She is currently sitting on a large clutch of eggs and so we are trying not to disturb her.

She has buried herself deep inside the heather so is well hidden. In the picture below you might just be able to see the entrance to the nest (left of trunk). We only have a small pond which isn't at all suitable for ducks so I have no idea what will happen if the eggs hatch and a family of tiny ducklings emerge looking for water. I'll keep you posted!!

Meanwhile, across the lawn there is typically a 'man at work'. As soon as the sun shines my husband contemplates a bit of stone wall building. We have a lot of loose stone around the garden so I'm happy for him to put it to good use.

This week he has just completed a pillar that he started building last year. I already have a pot planted with summer flowers ready to stand on top!

And so back to the flowers. This wisteria was a birthday gift 18 years ago. It was only tiny when I received it but now covers the house wall.

Inspired by the recent Royal Wedding some of my dolls are now wearing homemade crowns and when no one is looking they pick a few of my flowers to make tiny wedding bouquets. So far I haven't noticed the appearance of any Prince Charmings!

It seems my dolls aren't the only ones to be influenced by this royal event. Take a look at this tiny grandma doll who has made herself a sunny yellow outfit just like the one worn by the Queen. She even has her own clump of lily of the valley growing in her garden. You'll find her at Space within.

I hope you are enjoying sunny days in your corner of the world.

White on white

2011-04-30T18:01:00.002+01:00

I was so entranced by the beautiful white and green floral displays at the recent Royal Wedding that I popped into the garden this morning and picked a few blooms for the house. Of course I couldn't resist showing you some lilac and apple blossom placed on delicate white lace over silk.

I especially loved the bride's bouquet which contained masses of sweetly scented lily of the valley. We have a small patch of this growing in a shady spot so I picked a few sprigs for the kitchen window sill.

The Victorians were passionate about lily of the valley and it was pictured on many of their greetings cards. The card below is from an old album and dates from the 1890s.

And here is a picture from a Victorian scrap book.

As this seems to have turned into a post about this beautiful bloom I'll leave you with one of Mary Cicely Barker flower fairies. Isn't she lovely?

Easter Greetings

2011-04-21T07:37:00.001+01:00

Looking through my album of old postcards I found some Easter cards with postmarks dating from the early 1900s.

Edward VII was King when this Easter card was mailed

on 19 April 1905

It seems a mother hen with baby chicks has always been a popular subject for Easter cards.

The card above showing a little girl finding eggs in the grass was mailed from Germany in 1903.

The pussy willow and kittens below date from 1909. I love pussy willow as it always reminds me of the classroom nature table at my junior school.

A Polish legend describes how pussy willow got its name. It tells how long ago some little kittens fell into a fast flowing river. Seeing their mother weeping on the riverbank the kindly willow trees along the water's edge swept their long branches down into the water. The drowning kittens held on tightly to the branches and were brought to safety. Since that time the willow has produced tiny fur-like buds on the tips of its branches every spring and we know it as pussy willow. . . . . . Isn't that the nicest story?

We don't have pussy willow in our garden but we do have cherry blossom which is often in bloom at Easter.

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

Finally the pretty card below dates from 1911 and surprisingly it is the only one in the album that depicts the true reason we celebrate Easter.

I wish you all a happy and peaceful Easter.

Pencil Dolls

2011-04-13T20:16:00.003+01:00

There's been much activity in the playroom this week as Posy has been teaching some of the dolls to knit. Yesterday, when they were squabbling over the coloured pencils Posy told them to each choose a pencil so that they could knit it a warm jacket!

Each doll chose a coloured pencil.

Then they chose some yarn and fetched their knitting needles.

Next they carefully cast on 12 stitches and the race was on to see who was first to knit 10 rows. There were several dropped stitches along the way but with a little help and a lot of perseverance . . . . . .

. . . . . everyone eventually managed to complete

10 rows of knitting.

The knitting looked quite neat although some of the yarn had become badly tangled.

Once all the knitting had been cast off it was Tilly's job to stitch a warm woolly jacket round each pencil. To do this she wrapped the knitting round the pencil and over-sewed the cast on edge to the cast off edge; then she closed the top.

When all the pencils had been given a warm jacket Tilly lined them up for everyone to admire.

The pencils looked very snug in their new jackets.

But that wasn't the end of the story . . . . .

When all the dolls were safely tucked into their beds Posy began making some little heads for the pencils. This is how she did it.

How to make a head

Cast on 12 stitches and knit 10 rows in stocking stitch (alternate a knit row with a purl row). Don't cast off. Cut the yarn leaving a 15cm (6in) tail and using a tapestry needle take the 12 stitches from the needle onto the tail and gather the knitting. This will be the top of the head.

Fold the knitting in half and stitch the sides together. This seam will be at the back of the head.
Stuff the head and make it really plump and rounded. Gather the open end and stitch it firmly to the top of a pencil (see below).

Posy made four little heads.Then she stitched on woolly hair and a smiling face. Finally she made little arms from twisted cord

The following morning the dolls got a huge surprise when they found their little pencil people waiting for them.

Now there will be no mistaking which pencil belongs to which doll as the little pencil people look a lot like their owners wouldn't you say?

If you'd like to make a Pencil Doll you'll need small amounts of double knitting yarn (light worsted in the US and 8 ply in Australia). You'll also need a pair of 3.25mm needles (US size 3)

Body - cast on 12 stitches. Knit 10 rows in plain garter stitch. Cast off.

Head - cast on 12 stitches, Knit 10 rows in stocking stitch (alternate a knit row with a purl row). Don't cast off. Cut the yarn leaving a 15cm (6in) tail and using a tapestry needle take the 12 stitches from the needle onto the tail and gather the knitting. This will be the top of the head. Use the text above for instructions about making up.

This pattern for Pencil Dolls and several other free patterns can be found in 'Posy's Pattern Patch' in my blog sidebar.

Meanwhile if you'd like to make any of the dollies featured in this post you'll find patterns for them in my Etsy shop and my Dollytime (UK) shop.

Posy Pattern - finished at last

2011-04-11T17:17:00.000+01:00

Little Posy seems to have taken longer than ever to design and knit but I've finished her at last. She's a bit taller than my other dollies - 41cm (16 inches) without her shoes.

The pattern has instructions for the doll, a patchwork and stripe sweater, hat, skirt, Mary Jane shoes, cosy slippers and tiny flowers.

You'll find the new Posy pattern in my Dollytime Etsy shop.

My daughter is coming to stay over Easter and will be arriving next weekend so I'll be putting away my knitting for a while. It's always nice to finish a pattern as writing up detailed instructions and adding lots of pictures seems to take for ever!

As well as knitting, Posy and I share a love of flowers so I hope we'll have lots of sunny weather in the coming weeks so that we can get outside for a bit of garden therapy.

A woolly mystery solved

2011-04-08T16:07:00.001+01:00

The dolls love doing a post for Jenny's 'Dolly Day Friday' so here we go..........

This morning little Kate spotted a stray ball of wool, all by itself, on the playroom floor so she decided to pick it up and follow the woolly trail to see where it took her.

She hadn't gone very far when she spotted a new dolly that she hadn't seen before; she was sitting on the playroom floor busily knitting something red.

Of course she was very pleased when Kate returned her runaway ball of red wool.

The new doll said her name was Posy and she was knitting a red strap to put on her other shoe. The first shoe already had a strap.

Kate looked at Posy's shoes, the other shoe did indeed need a strap.

Posy finished knitting the strap and then carefully stitched it to her other shoe.

Now both red shoes looked the same and each strap was fastened with a shiny gold button.

Kate couldn't wait to tell the other dolls in the playroom all about Posy and wasted no time in taking Lulu to meet her.

Posy thanked Lulu and Kate for the many tiny balls of wool they had wound and left for her and she showed them how they now filled two baskets. Also in the baskets were several pairs of dolly-size knitting needles. Now I wonder what they could be for?

Away from the world of dolls we humans are enjoying some wonderful blue skies at last. It's amazing how two whole days of sunshine can bring many plants into bloom.

I'm guessing our weekend will be spent in the garden.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend wherever you are and whatever you choose to do.

Fairy fun

2011-04-04T12:54:00.004+01:00

Some of you have been asking about the little fairy that Kate recently caught. I'm happy to tell you that he is living in the playroom amongst the dolls but they are making such a fuss of him that he's becoming thoroughly spoilt.

This Mabel Lucie Attwell plate hangs on the playroom wall and this morning Kate decided she would wash her fairy in a teacup bath just like the little girl in the picture.

She filled a tiny teacup with warm soapy water, fetched a sponge and towel and then rolled up her sleeves and prepared to bath her fairy.

But the little rascal was having none of it and hurriedly made his escape.

After a quick search we found him gazing longingly into the big box of scrumptious chocolates I received as a Mother's Day gift from my son and his wife.

Yes, I can assure you those chocs really are as yummy as they look.

My sweet daughter-in-law is very creative and instead of using gift wrap for the box she wrapped it beautifully in this gorgeous vintage scarf. I've always loved chinoiserie designs so was absolutely delighted.

The scarf is in perfect condition and probably dates from the 1950s but we aren't sure. Does anyone have a more definite idea of its age?

Meanwhile, if you are wondering whether Kate ever managed to bath her fairy I think the picture below should answer your question!!

Who owns this shoe?

2011-04-01T10:04:00.002+01:00

You might remember in my previous post there was great excitement when Tilly found a piece of knitted patchwork. There's a rumour going round that there could soon be a new arrival here at Flutterby Patch and some dolly-size balls of yarn will be required and so the three girls set to work winding yarn into small balls.

In the picture above you can see how busy they have been and now a basket of pretty coloured yarn stands waiting for the new arrival. Meanwhile Tilly has left the knitted patchwork with the yarn just in case it's needed.

Today, little Violet, one of our Rainbow Rascals, found another mysterious knitted object and showed it to Lulu. What could it be?

Lulu decided it looked like a cosy warm shoe and so Violet tried it on.

What do you think?

Hmm! Just a bit too big for you Violet.

Santa Mouse decided it was just the sort of warm shoe he could use when delivering gifts at Christmas, but sadly it was too big for him also.

A new hat for Santa perhaps? No Santa! It looks very silly.

Then Lulu concluded it would make a cosy bed for her little dolly.

But the bed was too short and anyway Lulu's dolly already has a cosy bed.

And so, having run out of ideas Lulu decided to place the mysterious shoe on the basket of dolly-size balls of yarn, alongside the piece of knitted patchwork. Hopefully someone will claim it very soon.

If you'd like to knit any of the characters pictured above you will find patterns for them in my Dollytime Etsy shop. If you live in the UK and would like to pay in UK pounds sterling you will find the patterns in my UK Dollytime shop.

There are also a selection of FREE PATTERNS in my blog sidebar for you to try this weekend.

Have fun and enjoy your weekend whatever you are doing.

Thank you

2011-03-30T16:08:00.002+01:00

I just wanted to pop in and thank those of you who left such kind comments with my last post. They were all very much appreciated and filled our day with smiles and some much needed sunshine.

So today is a new day and what are we doing here at Flutterby Patch? We are Spring cleaning our Easter eggs ....... did you ever hear of anything so silly? My kids were given these paper mache eggs many years ago and every Easter they come out for a dust and spruce up.

Whilst visiting a few lovely blogs this morning I came across a post entitled 'Make Do and Mend'. This title had immediate appeal as it's something I've been brought up to do. I'm so glad I popped in as I found two fab tutorials, one for recovering an old brolly and the other for making fantastic fabric eggs from scrap box odds and ends. Do pop over to My Tate Gallery and take a look. Meanwhile I shall get busy making a few fabric eggs to enhance our Easter table here at Flutterby Patch.

Ups and downs

2011-03-29T15:23:00.001+01:00

There was great excitement here today when Tilly discovered a colourful piece of knitted patchwork. No one knew what it was or where it had come from but there is a rumour going round that a new dolly might be on the way. We've also heard that that the new arrival might require some small dolly-size balls of yarn.

Needless to say the girls are getting very excited and spending much of their time winding pretty yarn into dolly-size balls which they hope will be useful to whoever it is that might appear during the coming weeks.

As you will know we are a cheerful lot here at Flutterby Patch on the whole but occasionally little things make us unhappy. Negative feedback in our Etsy shop is one of those things because we know we must have upset one of our customers and this makes us very sad.

We pride ourselves on our fast efficient service and so if you find your pattern does not pop into your email inbox within 24 hours we ask you to contact us straight away so that we can do something about it. It doesn't happen often but when it does there is usually a simple explanation. Our Dollytime Etsy shop guarantees everyone will receive the pattern that they order even if it means sending it by post. So PLEASE ......if you are dissatisfied for whatever reason let us know the problem before leaving negative feedback.

I'm pleased to tell you that the tears were eventually wiped away and happily the day ended with smiles. What could be nicer than snuggling into a cosy warm bed and listening to comforting bedtime stories?

Sunshine smiles

2011-03-25T08:52:00.001Z

We've had a busy few days here in the Flutterby Patch garden. On Monday the watery grey clouds suddenly parted and out popped a golden sun that has smiled on us all week.

Needless to say hubby and I took the opportunity to clear barrow loads of sodden winter leaves from around the garden and then began the lengthy task of weeding the flower beds. It's so nice to see some bright colours once more. I can see this little selection of blooms from my sitting room window.

Now baby lambs are skipping in nearby fields it really feels as if Spring has finally arrived.

The two little sheep above don't look much like lambs I'm afraid but they are quick and easy to knit. You'll find my free pattern for them here.

Have a good weekend wherever you are.

Who really needs a brand new bicycle?

2011-03-16T15:30:00.006Z

A small packet popped through my letterbox yesterday and in it I found a book I'd recently purchased entitled 'Milly Molly Mandy & Co'. Happily this now completes my Milly Molly Mandy collection.

If you've seen my recent posts you'll already know I'm a big fan of these charming stories that were written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley many decades ago. Although modern paperbacks are widely available all my books are hardbacks and date from the 1940s and 1950s. As you can see they aren't in pristine condition but as I love the feel and smell of vintage books that makes them even more appealing.

Just in case you are interested in collecting the MMM books yourself here are the titles with dates when they were first published. They have all been reprinted on a regular basis and are available from several online second-hand book sellers.

1). Milly Molly Mandy Stories (1928), 2). More of Milly Molly Mandy (1929). 3). Further Doings of Milly Molly Mandy (1932), 4). Milly Molly Mandy Again (1948), 5). Milly Molly Mandy & Co (1955), and finally 6). Milly Molly Mandy and Billy Blunt which was published much later in 1967. This last book is more difficult to find and therefore prices are way beyond my reach.

Whenever I feel the need to escape reality and spend a short while in a gentler less demanding world I know I can turn to any of the stories in these books. Yesterday I chose 'Milly Molly Mandy learns to ride'. The story begins when MMM sees a wealthy school friend riding a brand new bicycle and of course she longs for one too, but she knows a new bike is out of the question.

As so often happens, her friend Billy Blunt comes to the rescue and shows Milly Molly Mandy (and little friend Susan) two large old rusty bicycles in his dad's garden shed. Not deterred by the state of them the three friends take out the bikes and set about rubbing them with bunches of grass to clean them. After several hours scraping, rubbing and oiling the bicycles are in a fit state to ride. Finally Billy's dad adjusts the saddles and the friends are ready to test their machines.

Of course there is much rattling and creaking as they ride across the rough grass and bruises and scrapes are many but they all have the 'bestest' time and by the end of the day they have learnt to ride.

This little tale brought back happy memories of the old bike I owned as a child. It was a hand-me-down from a family friend and much too big for me to begin with, but I persevered and eventually learnt to ride it (but not before several tumbles into a nettle patch).

My two brothers were several years younger than me and as family funds were more plentiful when they reached bike riding age they inevitably received brand new ones. But as I'd loved my old bike it has never occurred to me to complain.

Milly Molly Mandy and friends come from the 'make do and mend' age when items you owned were treasured and repaired when broken. I wonder what the author of these gentle tales would think about our own throw-away society where 'shiny new' and 'state of the art' items are keenly sought and young owners of unfashionable hand-me-downs have to be prepared for ridicule and in some cases bullying by their peers.

In Britain the cost of living has risen sharply in the last few months and we are all unhappy about having to pay more for almost everything. It has become a time to prioritise and consider whether certain purchases are absolutely essential, but adjusting is proving difficult for many. Yesterday I watched a typical TV interview with a large group of mothers who were angrily complaining that they'd been forced to take on extra part time work so that their families could continue living the life they'd grown accustomed to. The parents and their kids apparently couldn't imagine going without their usual holiday this year and of course the latest fashion wear and accessories for the coming summer were an absolute 'must' . . . . . . In complete contrast to these angry mums there followed a news bulletin showing yet more pictures of the utter devastation wreaked by the tsunami in Japan. Lone souls, silent and dignified, could be seen wandering aimlessly through mile upon mile of unrecognisable debris trying in vain to locate the places where their homes once stood . . . . . . How dare we complain?

Knitting pattern give-away winners

2011-03-11T10:06:00.001Z

It's pattern give-away day and three lucky winners will be asked to choose a Dollytime pattern. I received 40 lovely comments after Tuesday's post and I'd like to thank you all for taking part. It's so good to know that my little dollies are loved by knitters around the world.

I used an online 'random number generator' to create 3 lucky numbers and here is a photo of the result shown on my computer screen this morning. Shown on the left are the lucky numbers 29, 1 and 31.

Below are the names of the people who left a comment and their corresponding comment number.

1. Suzanne
2. Esther
3. Janine
4. Periwinkle
5. Wendy
6. Deborah
7. Xisse
8. Elenelle
9. DollZand ThingZ
10. Kim
11. Gemma
12. Jane P
13. Karen
14. Rosanna
15. Momma Lynne
16. Maria
17. Judy
18. Barb
19. Mary Ann
20. Sally
21. anonymous
22. anonymous
23. KittyMiao's Doll House
24. Sarah
25. Kathy
26. Leonora
27. Sherry
28. Vintage girl
29. Lora
30. Kyri
31. Gerda Hartman
32. Lesley
33. Davina Osborn
34. Anonymous
35. Sharon
36. Amalia
37. Window ino our life
38. From our hands
39. Nikkoli
40. Michele in Co

Congratulations to the lucky winners . . . . .

29. Lora

1. Suzanne

31. Gerda Hartman

I'm sorry you couldn't all win but a BIG THANK YOU for taking part.

I'm sure many of you will be spending time crafting this weekend; so whatever your choice of craft I hope you have a really fun time with your creations.

Knitting pattern give-away

2011-03-08T12:07:00.000Z

There was total chaos at Flutterby Patch this morning. All I said was "Who'd like to pose for a photograph?" and there was a dolly stampede. After much pushing and jostling for position this was the best picture I could get.

Asking for "tall at the back and short at the front" didn't work at all. But never mind, I think this motley collection of woolly friends illustrates how many knitting patterns I have available and so it will be enough for the purpose of this post.

My idea materialised yesterday when I received a very nice email from a knitter who had used my Polly and Kate pattern to knit a dolly for her grand-daughter.

She's a fairly new knitter and wrote to say that she'd found the instructions very easy to follow and was absolutely delighted with the little character she'd created. Her dolly is now waiting to be popped into a basket as a surprise Easter gift for the lucky little grand-daughter. Isn't that a lovely idea.

It's so nice to receive emails like this as it gives me great pleasure knowing that a pattern I've spent many hours preparing has given a knitter so much satisfaction.

I know many knitters look at my dolls and presume they'll be difficult to make but nothing could be further from the truth. If you can cast on, cast off (bind off), knit and purl then you should have no problem knitting most of my patterns. Every row is numbered so that when you take a break you can remember where you stopped. I also include a great many small illustrations to assist with making up etc.

3 PATTERN GIVEAWAY - (emailed as PDF files for winners to download)

This week I've decided to do a 3 pattern give-away, in other words, 3 people will each receive an emailed pattern of their choice. To view the full range of patterns available pop over to my Dollytime Shop.

Lucy and Tilly are two of the patterns you'll find.

HOW TO ENTER

Simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Each comment will be numbered in the order received and on Friday I will use an online 'random number generator' to choose the three lucky numbers. I will contact each winner and ask them to choose a pattern from my shop. (NB. My multi pattern 'special deals' aren't included).

So come on knitters, leave a comment before Friday and you could have a new dolly pattern to knit this weekend.

Good luck everyone.

My first dollies - Dolly Day Friday

2011-03-04T15:11:00.002Z

As it's Friday I'm joining Jenny at Little Jenny Wren with my post for her 'Dolly Day Friday'.

Whenever I see this picture I'm reminded of my first sweet dollies. Just look at those cheeky little faces with googly eyes. My Mum loved images like this and so, as soon as I was born she made me two googly eyed cuties named Mary-Lou and Belinda Blue-eyes.

Below is the two year old me washing my dolls' clothes. Sadly these photos that Mum took with her ancient camera are the only reminders I have of Mary Lou (on the lawn under the clothes line) and Belinda Blue-eyes (in my wheel-barrow).

Much to my distress these two little sweethearts were not completely play proof as they had celluloid mask faces. By the time I was four Mary-Lou and Belinda Blue-eyes no longer had their cute googly expressions as their brittle masks had all but disappeared. Needless to say I was heartbroken.

When I was young, mask face dolls were cheap and easy to make; you simply stitched the celluloid mask to the rag doll's head, but of course it soon cracked and broke away.

When I sorted through Mum's bits and pieces I discovered this googly mask that had never been used. It's a typical example and you can see how fragile it is.

I also remember having one of these little celluloid 'Diddums' dolls which was handed down by an older cousin. After a while it sadly cracked and broke.

Googly eye dolls were first introduced in the early 1900s and grew in popularity over the next few decades.

In 1904 the artist Grace Drayton created the well known googly Campbell Kids. Now, 100 years on, this book entitled 'Campbell Kids - A Souper Century' has been published to chart the Kids progress through the decades.

When Grace Drayton left Cambells she went on to create the ever popular Dolly Dingle images and several other cheeky looking characters.

These googly eyed characters were part of my mum's childhood, as was Betty Boop who was first introduced in the mid 1930s.

And so it's hardly surprising that googly eye dolls were favoured when Mum had her first child

I know there are many dolly lovers who aren't very fond of googly dolls but for obvious reasons I find them very appealing and luckily so does my daughter. When she was little her Granny took her into a shop and invited her to choose a dolly from a huge selection. What a dilemma that could have been for one so young.

However, with no prompting or persuasion, a favourite was quickly chosen. It was the little googly doll above that topped my daughter's list and of course Granny was thrilled with her grand-daughter's choice!!

Over the weekend I hope to continue knitting my latest dolly but it won't have googly eyes!

I'm often asked if I will knit dolls for other people and so far have declined as there never seem to be enough hours in a day. To be honest, I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy one of my little people but I've decided to make one or two to discover if there is a market for them.

I'm not planning to make anything fancy or unusual, just ordinary little dollies, similar to the ones you often see in my blog posts. Here is the first one, she's progresing well and should be available some time next week.

I hope you have an enjoyable weekend, wherever you are, and however you choose to spend your time.

Fishing for fairies

2011-02-28T17:06:00.003Z

Here at Flutterby Patch we all love reading Mabel Lucie Attwell annuals and my little dolls especially like the pictures of the tiny fairy folk. One of their favourite stories is this one where a little girl catches a fairy in her fishing net. But when she lifts the net the rascally fairy flies away.

My two dolls Tilly and Kate long to catch a fairy but the weather outside today was cold and damp and so Tilly decided she would open the playroom window and she and Kate would take turns to hold the fishing net ready to catch any little fairy that popped in for a look around. They waited.....and waited........

..........then suddenly..........Plop! Something tiny landed on the window sill and Kate was quick to catch the 'something' in her net. Could it possibly be a fairy?

Kate held tightly to the net whilst Tilly closed the window.

Then Kate removed the net and picked up the little 'something'.....

........... and much to her delight it was indeed a tiny fairy.

Measuring just 15cm (6in) he was the sweetest little fellow dressed from head to toe in scarlet and green.

He showed no sign of wanting to escape.

He even danced a little jig, much to the amusement of the two girls.

I think he might have come to stay for a while and the dolls will spoil him of course. If he should get lonely he'll find plenty of companions in our Lucie Attwell Annuals.

A BIG thank you to those of you who left thoughtful comments with my previous post (A skip down Memory Lane). It was good to see Milly Molly Mandy is such a great favourite worldwide. It seems the books never fail to stir happy childhood memories.

Several of you asked about the little dolly I featured. You quite rightly presumed she was inspired by Waldorf dolls. Her head, which is roughly the size of a conker (horse chestnut), is made using the Waldorf method. It was quite a fiddly process working on something so small but I've always loved making miniature items and so persevered. She measures 15cm (6in). Her arms and legs are covered pipe cleaners, her hair is mohair knitting yarn, her dress is Liberty lawn and her cardigan is knitted with 4 ply Shetland wool. The head and features of the little fairy found by Tilly and Kate is also Waldorf inspired.

Before I started blogging three years ago I knew very little about Waldorf dolls and their history and hadn't a clue how one was put together. Creating the head and features is a fascinating procedure and the resulting dollies are just the sweetest little characters. I've seen many of these dolls featured in blogland but the blog that has always been in my favourites list is Little Jenny Wren. Jenny never fails to amaze me with the little people she creates. She never seems to run out of ideas and as a result every doll is different. Jenny's lucky little dollies regularly travel to new homes around the world. Do pop over and take a look.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to know more about making Waldorf dolls you'll find plenty of information online and there are several good books (with patterns) available. Another blogging friend of mine has just completed her first doll and what a pretty little girl she is. You'll find her at Mary Jane's Tearoom.

Time to visit Tilly and Kate and check their new found friend with his mischievous grin isn't wreaking havoc in the playroom.

A skip down Memory Lane

2011-02-25T16:02:00.007Z

I went for a happy skip down Memory Lane this week. It all started when I read a few Milly Molly Mandy stories and it ended with the making of this little dolly. . . . . . But more of her later, first the books.

I'm sure these delightful stories will be familiar to most of you. They were written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley. The first tale was published in the 1920s and more appeared on a regular basis until the 1960s.

Milly Molly Mandy lives in an English village in a nice white cottage with a thatched roof. You can see it in the top left hand corner of the map (click on map to enlarge). Across the lane lives her little friend Susan. Wouldn't you love to have a home here and be part of this happy village community?

Milly Molly Mandy lives with what today would be referred to as an 'extended family'. There's father, mother, grandpa, grandma, uncle and aunty and happy family meals are always taken at the kitchen table. When this story was written there was no TV so there were no 'unmissable programmes' to lure anyone away from the table.

Little girls who wanted to look 'grown up' would try on mummy's old clothes and grandma's hat. Cosmetics for children were unheard of in those days and applying real lipstick was not encouraged. So youngsters would rely on sweets like Smarties. The red sweets when licked and smeared on the lips would obligingly deposit a rich scarlet stain (needless to say the tongue was also stained scarlet but that didn't matter).

Toys were few and so treated with care. But who needed toys when the 'bestest fun' could be had from building tents from old table cloths and counterpanes draped over chairs and broom handles.

Or how about a game of 'horses' played by galloping astride a sturdy stick.

Perhaps the picture I find most poignant is this one showing the two little girls heading off alone into the open countryside in search of blackberries. With so many of today's children confined to their gardens for reasons of security I can't help wondering when and why childhood became so very different.

My own childhood spanned the 50's and 60s. We were free to roam in the surrounding countryside and the simple games we played were very similar to those described in the stories. My early years were spent at a village school that had just 50 pupils which was considered large compared to other village schools in the area.

After my nostalgic journey through these lovely books I decided to make a tiny doll that would resemble the little friends I once had at my village school. I trawled my memory for the way we looked in those days and this is the little character that evolved. She's 15cm (6in) tall and wire framed which enables me to pose her (something I like to do with dollies).

Girl's hair was often short and tied with a ribbon at one side. Long hair was never worn loose but always plaited (braided). Cheeks were rosie from much outdoor activity including the walk to and from school in all weathers (mums with cars were rare).

Cardigans and jumpers were usually hand knitted in 3 ply or 4 ply wool. DK yarn was only just putting in an appearance as were synthetics. Dresses were short and had full skirts and were often handmade by mum or granny. A petticoat was usually worn under the dress.

White ankle socks were worn in summer and grey or beige knee length ones in winter. Fashionable and trendy shoes were not an issue as little girls (and boys) wore the same style of summer sandal with a ‘T’ bar. These were brown leather although occasionally girls wore red in the Mary Jane style.

I hope you've enjoyed skipping down Memory Lane with me. Perhaps some of you have similar memories to my own . . . . . happy days indeed.

Have an enjoyable weekend, wherever you are.