Badges

I've never really been one for hand sewing: too fiddly, too many knots to tie, never sure if I can see better close up with or without my specs. However, I had an idea in my head last week - you know, the sort of idea which makes your fingers itch to get started in case the idea floats away before you've captured it. And you know what? I think I love hand stitching.


This week I went to visit three of my friends' new babies and deliver the mobiles I've been making (see here) so I thought I'd like to make a little something for the older siblings to make them feel special too and so it wasn't all about the babies (even though it was really!).


It started off with a little friend of mine who had her 4th birthday last week. I wanted to give her something she would love, I knew it had to be pink and shoes are a bit of a theme with me at the moment (more on that later). I'm pleased now that I've been hoarding all those tiny offcuts of fabric and felt:

I'm really pleased with how this has turned out. I love how the tiny seed beads mimic the cut-out pattern of Startrite shoes. I made another of these (but with turquoise shoes) for the sister of one of the babies but knew I needed something for the boys too. And show me a three-year-old boy who doesn't like tractors:

I'll be making more of these soon (definitely a space rocket one) but first I need to invest in a thimble. Ouch.

Taking over my life

More of my current obsession - bunting. I just can't help it, I love it. I love creating it in my mind, I love sewing it, I love seeing it hanging in my kitchen.

I still think the traffic jam is my favourite, but this comes a very, very close second. It just makes me feel happy - lovely cakes without the guilt of eating them! And those lovely shiny button cherries. I've always been a push-over for gooey fluorescent glacé cherries, and the buttons are just like them.

Can I take this opportunity to apologize to my husband though: he waits patiently for months for a button to be sewn on his shirt (and no, he really can't do it himself!) and I keep putting it off, but give me a pile of bunting and my lovely tin of shiny buttons, and I can't get my sewing box out quickly enough. Maybe he just has the wrong sort of buttons on his shirts?

New supplies, new blog

This morning found me hopping from foot to foot waiting for the postman. The reason? Kirstyfish's blog yesterday showed her heading off to the post office with a bag full of parcels, and one of them was for me!! The joy of receiving parcels is incomparable. I delayed the moment of unwrapping - two loads of washing, a bit of filing, emptying the dishwasher - and then, the joy! It was like Christmas all over again - parcels within parcels, excitement, colour...

Here's my little helper enjoying himself too. I have great hopes for him as a craft lover...

Now, before I stumbled across KirstyFish's shop I didn't really get buttons, other than their basic keeping-things-closed function. But then in my first order, this savvy seller enclosed a few freebies, and PING! Lightbulb moment. Buttons are great! Shape, colour, texture, fun! So here are the buttons that arrived in my order today, and in their lovely new tin:

So, lovely buttons, felt balls, felt. Now I have to get down to work and turn the felt into something. Hmmm. Have to wait until the Little Helper is busy elsewhere. Can't wait though.