Mermaids

I've been knitting a few mermaids, from my Mermaid Flower Fairy Pattern.

This mermaid really reminds me of Cher, although perhaps this is just because I am thinking of the film Mermaids. This has given me the idea of making some new Tiny Icon dolls.

World War II - Evacuee

My daughter has been studying World War II at school. They had a day recently when the children all went in dressed as evacuees. During the war lots of children were moved out of London, and other major cities that were at risk of bombing, to live in the relative safety of the countryside.
 

To put together this outfit we did a bit of hunting in charity shops. The dress is actually a women's top. As we were hunting for suitable clothes I  was getting some odd looks, as I was saying things like "Oh that won't do the colours are too modern." The hat though is mine.

New House

I've been house knitting again. 

It is Spring, as this time the tree at the side has a carpet of bluebells underneath. One of my favourite flowers. And difficult to photograph, but at the other side of the house a naughty little fox has tipped over the dustbin.

At the back of the house grows a rambling yellow rose, and the gardener who has just gone in for a cup of tea, has left his shovel propped up against the wall next to a small pile of earth. On the roof sits a white dove.

This house is also off to Ginx Craft on Etsy, and the pattern is still available on ravelry, and Etsy. There may be a few more on the way, as hubby has suggested that I make him his own little pub.

Baby Bug Shoes and Snowdrops

Some more baby shoes. These ones I have called Bug Shoes. I have knitted with this wool before, and just love all the different shades in it. I have no idea where it came from, and am a bit sad I only have the tiniest bit left. The bugs were my daughter's idea, at least the ladybird on the leaf. Then I thought it would be rather cool to have a different bug on the other shoe. I'm not sure that caterpillars are considered quite as cute, but I really like them, and it had to be something really small to fit on the shoe.

I then thought for these little pink shoes I would go back to my little bumble bee, and a sprig of white blossom. For these I used a wool that is 100% cotton. The pink in the photo is really accurate, and I love the gentle shade.

My neighbour told me this morning he has a few snowdrops in his garden. So for the last pair I have made a new pair of Snowdrop Shoes. Previously I have made these in yellow and green, but I thought a light blue would look good and wintery.

These shoes are all knitted from my Baby Bee Shoe pattern, and are off to my Etsy shop. Although the embroidery may look tricky, there are tutorials for all the stitches you need in embroidery corner in my right sidebar.

How to Sew a Small Drawstring Bag

A lot of the things I make for my Etsy Shop come in a drawstring bag: my baby shoes, my fairies and mermaids, my butterfly sets and shell sets. The bags are often not particularly fancy, but I think of them as part of the packaging. And if you have bought something special it is really nice to have a little bag to keep it in.

I have tried quite a few ways to sew a drawstring bag, and am going to show you what I think is the easiest method. If you are making a larger drawstring bag which you are going to use a lot I think it is better to have two strings that you pull at each side, and perhaps to sew french seams, but this is my tried and tested method for a small, simple bag.

First cut out your material. I am not going to give exact measurements for this, as it depends how big you want your bag to be. An easy way to calculate what you need is work out twice the width you want your bag, and add 2 x 0.5cm for side seams. For the length just work out how tall the bag will be, and add 2cm for the top cord channel and 0.5cm for the bottom seam allowance.

In my photographs I am using dupion silk, and have used iron-on facing which I find makes it easier to work with. For a small bag I recommend you use a fine material like cotton or silk.

Pin your material at both sides at the top of your bag as in the photo below. Sew this small tapered seam as close to the edge as you can with a short stitch.

Next fold the material at the top of your bag to make a channel for the drawstring. Sew this with a longer stitch, as this stitching will show as topstitching on the outside of your bag.
 

Then fold your bag in half with the right side on the inside, and with a shorter stitch sew across the bottom and up the side, stopping just before you reach your drawstring channel. Allow 0.5 cm for the seam, but keep in a straight line as you stitch up the side of the bag so you stop sewing exactly at the edge of your material and just below your cord channel. Trim the corners at the bottom diagonally, which will give a neater look when you turn your bag right side out.

Turn your bag right side out. Use a pin to turn the corners out neatly. Then cut a length of cord or ribbon for the drawstring. Make your drawstring at least four times the width of your bag. There is nothing worse than a too short drawstring. Attach a safety pin to one end, and thread this through the string channel.

Tie the ends of your ribbon together, and there you have it a simple drawstring bag to put something special in.

And if you want something a bit fancier you could experiment with your fabric choice, decorate your bag with a little embroidery, or even fasten a bead on the end of the drawstring. Now you just have to decide on something cute to put in your bag.
 

Summer Meadow and Cornfield Shoes

I've realised that my knitting has a bit of a pattern. I like to alternate working on a new pattern, and then for a bit of a relax I return to one of my own old patterns. So I've been chilling for a bit and knitting from my baby shoe pattern.

I've also been having a lot of fun with the embroidery. I've called these ones Summer Meadow Shoes. Can you see the cow parsley, cornflowers, buttercups and daisies? Although very fiddly to stitch I hope I have given the impression of a summer field.

The second pair of shoes are decorated with a cornfield. This time there are scarlet poppies, deep blue cornflowers, cow parsley and daisies amongst stems of yellow corn.

Both pairs are in the smallest size, so would be for a newborn. The pattern comes with details for a larger size too. They come in a little dupion silk drawstring shoe bag.

Stonehenge

What to share today for Saturday Snapshot? I went out with my camera yesterday, but only had a short and very wet walk. Will this rain ever end? So my next plan was to look through some old photographs and try to scan one. I have done this successfully before, but this time the results were so grainy that you really could see nothing. I will have to consult my technical department, otherwise known as hubby.

So this is still a scan of an old photo, but one my sister put on facebook a few months ago. This was back in the 1960's, the days when you were allowed to get up really close to Stonehenge. I can see why you aren't allowed to these days, and must just count myself lucky. I am the little blonde one, and my sister in astride the rock. My dad must have taken the photo, and I love the way he has got us central, but the whole of one of the iconic rocks. He was a clever man. Up to now most of our family photos had been black and white. Also notice our anoraks and hairbands - quite the fashion back then. It is a bit of shame you can't see what we had on under our coats - as it was probably handknitted!