Freestyle machine embroidery

Greetings friends. I've been as busy as a bee since I last popped in to say hello. My sewing room has been a hive of activity whilst I created little bags and pencil cases to pop into a new Etsy shop I opened recently. What better way to cheer up dull wet days than working with brightly coloured fabrics!

I've always loved freestyle machine embroidery and use my trusty 'vintage' Bernina exclusively for painting pictures with stitches. Once the picture is complete I use my 'modern' Elna to construct the item. Using two machines in this way means no time is wasted changing settings, lowering and raising feed-dogs etc.

This little elephant was inspired by a tiny button I have in my stash! The tail is made from twisted yarn.

I always love using this toadstool fabric and having been searching for a little someone to put with it. 

One evening, whilst I was doodling, this little gnome popped up. Of course he insisted on catching a goldfish in the garden pond!

Although I love the toadstool fabric, I love Liberty Lawn even more and usually return to my cheerful little dolly girls when using it as they always pose obligingly. This one as you can see is gathering flowers.

And here is another little cutie. These small pouches are just large enough to hold a few essentials such as phone, keys, credit card etc. 

Nineteen different Liberty Lawn florals have been used for this needle case.

Most of the fabric contains red or dark pink (including dolly girl's dress).

The contrasting lining is covered with tiny blue flowers.

I have more stitching to complete today and one or two more pieces to pop into the shop. I've named the shop Flutterby Stitch. 

I hope you are all having an enjoyable weekend wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Until next time x

Cosy daffs and cottage bags

All I said was, "I bet the daffodils are feeling cold, poor things" and the dolls in the playroom went into action. Scarves were hurriedly collected and then a happy little rascal braved the cold weather to bring the chilly blooms a bit of comfort. What a kindhearted lot they are!!

My sewing room here at Flutterby Patch has been buzzing with activity this week. With such a cold, dull start to spring I desperately needed to surround myself with bright sunny colours. After much planning, snipping, and stitching the result was . . . . . . . . . 

 

. . . . . . . . .  three colourful little 'cottage' bags for tiny tots to enjoy.

Each crooked door has a button knob and a tiny bell (that really works) for visitors to ring. The little girl looking out of the window was created with freestyle machine embroidery. She is looking for the friendly gnomes who live in the wood behind her cottage. Every day they bring nuts and berries and she thanks them with a cup of tea and big pieces of home baked cake.

You can turn the bags over to reveal the friendly gnomes in the wood behind the cottage.

Such happy little fellows.

 

I hope you have a happy weekend and the sun shines for you.

Easter Wishes

Just popping in with Easter greetings for you all. Here at Flutterby Patch in England's north-west corner the sun is shining but the wind is still bitter and our garden birds have very ruffled feathers as they go about their nest building business.

They look so chilly we've been tempted to knit them little coats. Don't you just love this picture of a cutie knitting coats for the birds who are all waiting patiently for the little garments to be completed. I'm not sure the clothes on the line are bird-shaped! 

The pictures are from a 1985 calendar which of course was much too cute to throw away when the year ended. I've tried to find out the name of the artist but the only clue I have is the name 'Nina' marked in the corner of some scenes. If you think you know the creator of these sweet pictures I'd love to hear from you.

Here is the page for April showing two little children painting eggs for Easter. They've gone into the barn and taken mother hen's eggs for their paint dipping experiment. A little bluebird is acting as their assistant. Mother hen looks on as her white eggs emerge from the paint pot a lovely shade of red.

Wherever you are in the world, north, south, east or west

 I wish you a very Happy Easter.

Cottage garden fairies

I've been busy making little fairies this week and was hoping to show them having fun in our garden but unbelievably we are still in the depths of winter. The garden remains cloaked in white and the wind is bitter and so my little girls are posing beside their favourite cottage pictures.

 

Each fairy measure just 6ins (15cm) and wears a little knitted sweater, stockings and shoes.

 

An apron with pocket is worn over a pretty floral skirt. 

 

The wide brim on the felt hat is pinned back with tiny beads.

 And imitation leaves have become fairy wings.

I know many of you are experiencing similar topsy-turvy weather conditions at the moment. Unbelievably at this time last year Britain was in the middle of a heatwave and water supplies in several areas were running dangerously low. What a difference a year makes. Let us hope things warm up in time for the Easter holiday.

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!)