Stars and fairy dust

Here at Flutterby Patch we are dreaming of warm summer days to come and hoping that this year they will actually stay for a while. Last year the sun popped in to say 'hello' early in the season and then packed his bags and returned only fleetingly. Sadly, when summer days remain cold and damp our tiny garden fairies hide themselves away.

 

In previous years, when the weather was warm and summer days long and golden, we often spotted them hard at work around the garden. They swept their tiny pathways.

 

 

They gathered tiny eggs laid in the meadow grass by their tiny hens

 

And when their work was done they busied themselves making daisy chains.

 

Last weekend, when unseasonal snow once again cloaked our garden, I decided to add a few more flutterby fairies to the little family we already have. 

 

 

So out came my prettiest floral fabrics and with a sprinkling of stars and fairy dust I'm currently busy with needle and thread whilst continuing to dream of summer days to come (and I'm hoping to add a little bit of fairy magic to our dismal UK weather forecasts!)

 

Paper dolls and a dolly chain

Whenever I visit a bookshop I go straight to the children's area as I love looking through brightly coloured titles written for little ones. When I discovered 'The Paper Dolls' book recently I knew I couldn't go home without it.

 

 

The story is written by Julia Donaldson, author of the much loved Gruffalo books. The illustrations are by the very talented Rebecca Cobb and they fit the story perfectly.

 

The story starts with mummy helping her little girl to make a chain of paper dolls.

 

 

The dolls' have comical names which are repeated in a little rhyme throughout the book; just right for little ones to remember and recite at the appropriate pages. 

 

 

 

 

The little girl and the dolls play happily together.

 

 

 

They have all kinds of adventures until one day! . . . . . sorry, it would be unfair to spoil the ending!

 

 

I used to love making paper dolly chains when I was young but these days I'm more inclined to make them from fabric. . . . . and so, inspired by this sweet story I gave it a go!

 

 

I made five little girls. Their hands are made from 'Velcro' so that they can be linked together to form a chain and dance.

 

 

 

 

With a piece of fluffy fabric attached to a pin board the dolls can be attached individually.

 

 

 

 

and each doll can link their own hands together as shown above.

 

 

 

 

All you have to remember is to put one Velcro hand facing forward and the other facing back.

 

These 4 inch (10 cm) squares of brightly coloured fabric that I purchased from Ebay some years ago were perfect for the dolly chain project.

 

 

 

 

I didn't have a pattern as I wanted each dolly to look slightly different. Each one is approximately 6 inches tall (15 cm). They are stuffed with tiny amounts of toy filler and their faces are drawn on with fabric pens. I used coloured wool for the hair and stitched it to the top of the head only. Too much hair would make the head too heavy.

If you have a little one in the family I'm sure a chain of dollies (paper or fabric) would provide hours of playtime fun.



Homeward bound

I wonder if anyone remembers this curtain fabric from the 1980s? The name is 'Clover' and my daughter had it in her bedroom when she was very small. She had wallpaper that matched and I papered not only the bedroom walls but also the wardrobe doors. It was all very girlie and pretty. My daughter has her own house now and is currently moving to a larger one and has decided that her old curtains would look just right in her new bedroom. So out of storage they came and yours truly has spent the last few days relining and altering them to fit the new window.

 

The wardrobe that I covered in matching paper all those years ago is now in my sewing room and holds my ever growing stash of fabric. The inside of each door is covered with another pattern from the 1980s which daughter loved to bits. Recognisable to many of you I'm sure is 'Strawberry Shortcake and Friends'.

 

 

My daughter's new house is larger than her current one so she'll be able to accommodate more of her possessions, especially books. She's always loved and collected books and the enormous bookcase in her old bedroom is full to overflowing.

 

I've selected a few favourites which bring back fond memories.

 

 

 

Not only does daughter have the books she also has all the figures and associated buildings etc.

 

Little Miss and Mr Men books (and TV programmes) are still popular with children several decades after they first put in an appearance.

 

 

Dick Bruna books are still loved

 

 

I'm sure the beautifully detailed Brambly Hedge illustrations will live forever. Daughter owns all the books and I have the matching china!

 

 

The Jolly Postman stories by Janet and Allan Ahlberg were huge favourites. Each book contains a series of envelopes with a card or letter inside that relates to the story. Absolutely wonderful.

 

 

Storybook life can seem more appealing than the daily goings on in real life don't you think. The Flutterby Patch playroom can provide such a life at times and you'll often find me having a few friendly words with my knitted dolls and bunnies. My daughter has retained her love of childhood playthings and also sells toy patterns. Her little knitted family has been living with my 'gang' since before Christmas (keeping well away from the mess of bathroom replacement and house decorating that has been going on at the new house). With so many inhabitants our playroom has been quite chaotic at times but great fun for all concerned.

 

But today has been a time of 'goodbyes'.

 

 

Lucy gives a final hug and kiss to her little white bunny friend.

 

 

Kate reassures this little panda that they'll meet again very soon.

 

 

 

Polly shares a few last minute secrets with her pig and kitten playmates.

 

And Lulu escorts two friends to the box boat that will carry them to their new home.

 

 

Getting into the box boat was great fun especially as the pirates insisted on climbing up a knotted rope.

 

 

Eventually everyone managed to squeeze on board and the voyage to the toys' new home could begin.

 

In typical storybook fashion Lucy and Polly stood on the quayside and waved a fond farewell with white cotton handkerchiefs.

 

  

Keep smiling girls, spring is just around the corner and there will be plenty of sunny days ahead and perhaps a trip to the 'new house' to visit old friends. Now won't that be fun!

 

The toys in the box boat are made from patterns sold from my daughter's 'Toyshelf' Etsy shop.

 

Timeless coastline

One day last week, wild and unpredictable February gifted us with a fine day. The wind was sending dark clouds scudding across the sky, but at least the sky was blue. And so we headed for the coast. Not for us golden sands, cafes and souvenir shops but a wild stretch of muddy coastline at the mouth of the estuary.

This is the small village of Bardsea that overlooks the water. I've taken you here before but I thought you'd like to visit again.

At the water's edge, we could see no other sign of human habitation. The distant horizon was masked by mist and it wasn't difficult to imagine a group of ancient settlers trudging across the mud collecting shell fish and edible grasses.

Only the hardiest of plants grow here; the kind that will withstand endless battering from persistent wind and salt spray.

 

 

For those who seek golden sun-kissed sands it must seem a very unimpressive coastline but I never grow tired of its unpretentious beauty.

 

 

 

At this time of year it reminds me of the work done by British artist Angie Lewin. I have her book (below) and it contains numerous pictures of her work.

 

 

 

 

Her inspiration comes from skeletal stems and seedpods that she finds during winter visits to wild windswept places.

 

These plants then become the subjects of her wonderful linocut prints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love Angie Lewin's work

 

 

 

Dolly mitts or teddy?

After two whole weeks of rain we awoke this morning to find more of this. Apparently it is the remnants of America's recent snow storm . . . . a mere sprinkling by comparison.

 

 

Kate thinks it looks jolly cold out there and decides not venture out. But thankfully the playroom is warm and cosy and very soon a snowy day activity is underway. Four of the younger dolls who learnt to knit last year are told to choose two pretty shades of wool from the basket. Cast on 24 stitches, knit 2 rows then 12 more in the second colour.

 

So how did they get on?

 

 

Kate started with pale green and changed to pink. She completed 14 rows quite quickly as you can see. Lulu cast on in red but has only knitted two rows so far.

 

And what about Lucy Lavender? Well, Lucy had no trouble choosing her balls of wool and some needles but so far hasn't done any knitting. What she has done is make is a woolly dolly with legs and arms made from needles.

 

 

 

Very nice dolly Lucy but you'll be left behind if you don't start knitting soon.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Polly, the fastest knitter of all, has finished her knitting and started stitching the side edges together. What has she made? It looks like a mitten. That would be very useful for outdoor play in the snow wouldn't it.

 

Luckily for Lucy her friend Polly is happy to lend a hand with the knitting. In fact it looks to me as if Polly has done a pretty good job making that yellow and blue mitten for Lucy (and the woolly dolly agrees). And so I leave the dolls to make their second mittens. But who wants to knit a second mitten when you can use your first mitten to make a . . . . . . . . . . .

  . . . . . . . teddy mitt puppet

 

Playing with these in a warm playroom is much more fun than getting cold and wet in that freezing snow.

 

and woolly dolly agrees

 

 

These teddy mitt puppets will fit most medium sized dolls. They are quick and easy to make from odds and ends of  DK yarn (USA - light-worsted/Australia - 8 ply). Choose two contrasting colours and use a pair of 3.25mm needles (US 3)

TEDDY MITT PUPPET

Cast on 24 stitches in first colour.
Rows 1 - 2. knit
Break off this first colour and join the second colour
Row 3. knit
Row 4. purl
Continue in stocking stitch to row 14 (knit a row, purl a row).
Row 15. k2tog (knit two stitches together) right across the row. You should now have 12 stitches on the needle.

Cut the yarn leaving a 15cm (6in) tail. Thread this onto a tapestry needle and take the 12st from the knitting needle. Draw up tightly and then (with wrong sides facing out) back stitch the sides together down to the cast-on edge. Turn right side out.
You now have one mitten. To make it into a teddy puppet you need to knit 2 ears

EAR
Cast on 6 stitches in your main colour.
Rows 1 - 2. knit
Row 3. k2tog, k2, k2tog (you will now have 4 stitches on the needle)
Row 4. k2tog, k2tog (you will now have 2 stitches on the needle)

Cut the yarn leaving a 10cm (4in) tail. Thread this onto a tapestry needle and take the 2st from the knitting needle onto the tail. This is the top of the ear. Whip stitch (over-sew) down the edge of the ear to the bottom cast-on edge then using this yarn stitch the bottom of the ear to the teddy's head (see picture). Thread the cast-on tail through to the inside of the head and tie the two yarn ends together securely. Repeat for a second ear.

EYES, NOSE and MOUTH - Use brown (black) yarn or alternatively use embroidery floss. Make three stitches close together to form eyes, three for a nose and an upside-down 'Y' shape for a mouth. 

PANDA - Polly made a panda simply by knitting black ears to stitch to a white head.

I hope you have fun knitting Teddy mitt puppets for the dolls in your house.