Wintery felty friends

Most things have fallen by the wayside here as things really hot up in my shop and I'm busy making kits and sending them off. 
Every so often I do find myself in the midst of packaging a kit off to Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland (to name a few of the many countries I have sent to)...and have to stop and marvel at how incredible the internet is and how priviledged and grateful I am to be in this position. Absolutely amazing!
Anyhow I digress.
The botanical sketches in stitch have been well and truly put on hold for now (that's ok, they'll be back!) But I do still crave something that I can pick up easily when the opportunity presents, and this lately has taken the form of handstitched felt friends... 

The deer are based on the deer kits I sell (here), and the fox softie sculptures are based on a pattern I will be offering in my shop shortly (fingers crossed!)

I've been sharing them on a new Instagram page I created so that my embroidery page wasn't inundated with deer spam! :) You can find more pics of my felty friends at overhillsandheather, and if you are interested in buying one you can find them in my other etsy shop here.

It would normally feel a bit premature posting such a festive pic..but the temperature here over the last few days has been well below zero (the words 'brass monkeys' come to mind!), and a thick white frost covers every available surface.....so it feels rather in keeping :) Hope you are keeping cosy xx

Mollie Makes, one fox and two new Deer!

It feels great to be back here writing a post, it's been a while!
I've been playing catch up on so many things, and feeling a bit like a swan...calm on the top half but the legs furiously paddling underneath!
However, the fact that I am here writing this does suggest I'm getting up to speed now :)

It's been a bit of a whirlwind I have to say, and there are a couple of celebratory worthy things I'd love to share.

The first thing is the commissioned front cover project I created for the latest edition of Mollie Makes Magazine. 

photo credit Mollie Makes

If I sound like I'm saying this in a blase way....I can assure you I'm not :) I subscribe to the magazine (because I LOVE it!) and it gets delivered monthly to my front door, so it was quite a magical moment to unwrap the packaging and see my fox peaking back.

It arrived on the first day back to school after the summer hols, so I had no one to witness the heel clicking 'yippee's' that followed (probably for the best), but I did manage a cheesy selfie! You can tell I don't underplay my successes. Haha!

It was a great project to collaborate on and I smile when I see the rough mock up fox compared to the finished one....got to share this with you too :) 

Quite a transformation, but I still think the first one is my fave...though I am known to always plump for an underdog...(or fox in this case)

It's always a gooooood thing to be challenged and step outside what you would naturally create, I reckon. So I welcome with open arms the next collaboration/ commissioned project!

I had the best of intentions to have my Felt Deer kits all ready to launch for the release date of the magazine, however the summer holidays put paid to that idea.... which is no bad thing as the sunshine does need to be enjoyed when it makes an (all be it brief!) appearance.

It catches me out every time just how time consuming it is to design and create a new kit, summer holidays or not....sourcing materials, designing & printing packaging, writing instructions and tweaking templates....can feel a little like Groundhog day at times. 

However I'm delighted to say they are finally GOOD to GO!! Woohoo!

Heel clicking 'yippeeee' time again :)

I'm so happy with how they have come together. The kits come with great quality (and lovely to work with) 100% wool felt. 

Illustrated instructions are included in the kit but I've also created a video tutorial which walks you through the steps for those a little nervous or unfamiliar with stitching little deer. You get the access details with your kit.

This means everyone can get in on the deer stitching act!

Spirit Deer is available here, and Leafy Deer is available here.

Unicorn kits are a-coming sooooooon.........just needing to come up for a little air first.

Last but not least......if you are going back to school/uni soon and need a little pocket notebook then pop over to Sewmamsew for a fun tutorial to make your own birdie inspired one, designed by yours truly xx

Newbies and freebie!

I've got 3 new kits which I have just added to my etsy shop...which I am so happy with! It gives me great pleasure to introduce my new Woodland Medley of "pocket projects".....

Foxglove

I know I'm not alone in saying there has been many an occasion when I have found myself sitting (by a pool/park/pitch) wishing I had brought something to do.......

and there are so many other times where a portable project would be handy like commuting, on holiday.... something that can be enjoyed and that can be shoved in your pocket as you dash out the door.

This is my solution! I'm creating a sewing-on-the-go revolution! ;)

The kit comes with a pocket sized 4" beech embroidery hoop to embroider the design and then frame it at the end. A single thread colour is used and several embroidery stitches can be practised.

Little Owl

Bluebell

I am working on offering these design with a more detailed background as pdf patterns to download also.... but not quite finished yet. They'll be available in my etsy shop too.
And talking of downloads...I wanted to share this freebie with you today. I adapted a few images from the Grahics Fairy and made a printable sheet of  vintage hummingbirds which was sent out with my newsletter. However I wanted to offer it here too.....there are so many fun things you could create with these sweet images it felt wrong not to share!
Click HERE to be taken to the downloadable version.

You can see below a couple of purses where I appliqued on some vintage swallows which I'd printed onto fabric.....help you get those creative juices flowing!

Wishing you all a wonder-filled weekend xx

Cushion in a box!

Hello lovelies! Ah, it feels good to be back to normal here, though the school holidays, lazy mornings and little adventures were fully enjoyed .
A bit of time away from the norm (and running a business) has also allowed me to notice a few things in need of slight alteration.....one of them being the decent sized stash of fabric I have in my studio which I have for making cushions. 

      

With the popularity of my little embroidery kits  (and my total love for them!) my business has been slowly changing shape and direction, and I no longer offer cushions available for wholesale orders. I have been offering them in my shop and while the odd cushion does sell I really have no desire to make them any more...my mind is well and truly on kits!
Which brings me back to the fabric stash..... and my idea of a "cushion in a box"!

I love the designs I created for these cushions, and if you do too then here is a lovely opportunity to get your hands on them..... and by making the cushion yourself it gives you the chance to buy at a hugely reduced cost. (and we all love a bargain!)

So I have added these "boxes" to my etsy shop if you care to take a look.....
There is the "fox in the box" Mark I...

This cushion is designed to be stuffed and sewn closed to make a sweet oval shaped cushion (30cm x37cms) with a front and back design..... you provide the stuffing, needle and thread. Pompom option is also available! This comes with a little set of instructions and is  £10.

There is also Fox in the Box Mark II....

which belongs to my Woodland cushion range and comes with a front printed panel, fabric for the back and an invisible zip. You provide the cushion insert, needle and thread. The finished cushion measures 16".

There are no instructions for these woodland cushions as to be quite honest it would take me forever to explain how to sew an invisible zip in, and I  wanted to be able to offer these to you for a cheaply as possible.... so these boxes are definitely not for you if sewing a zip seems like a mammoth task!

This "fox in a box" and the other remaining woodland animals are £12.

Bear in a Box...

And "squirrel in a box"....

 This last squirrel design is actually where the idea for my embroidery kits stemmed from. During a brain storming session it came to me that people (like myself!) may like to create something for their home rather than just simply buy...so I created a couple of kits to match the cushions that I sold. 
It seems quite sweet to now be able to buy a cushion to make as the perfect room accompaniment :)

I've only a few of each design, and once they are gone they are gone....farewell lovely cushions :)

Stitched items new and old!

It was my youngest daughter's birthday last week...and much like the Queen it lasted for several days..and so my late blog post!
I've been busy working on lots of different projects which some of you may have seen snippets over on facebook and instagram.
The latest has been my purse prototypes which I plan to offer as an embroidery and sewing kit.....I've just to create the instructions and packaging. The process always seems to take for ever.... the downfall of being impatient!



Impatience asides, I am really happy with how they have turned out...... I'm especially loving the stripy one!

Since I finished my stitchbook, I've started to work on some little original textile pieces. I promised myself  I'd make time to create more original pieces this year, so I've been playing with the techniques I used for the stitched pieces I created a while back....only subtracting the paint and freehand machine sewing and just keeping to hand embroidery instead. (You can see a gallery of my previous stitched pieces here)

I've been really enjoying sewing these little pieces....and taking paint out of the equation makes hand sewing soooooo much gentler and easier on the fingers!

I look forward to sharing some more new little pieces soon.

I have also rekindled my love for handmade books. I made a couple as samples for upcoming workshops....

I also did a recent talk with Perth Embroiderer's Guild where I shared how I have used books as a blank canvas for a variety of mediums. I took along a handful of books I had made (some in need of serious dusting), where they revelled in the appreciation received. It was lovely being able to see my creations through the eyes of others and I felt a bit bad over the books neglect over the past wee while...so I'm making up for it by re-showing them here on my blog! (apologies if you saw these books first time round!)

A spring inspired wedding album...

Some stitched winged girlies....

Appliqued transfers of mixed media paintings.....

You can see some more of the handmade books I have made here, where some of the books featuring pencil sketches too.

And there you have it...a medley of stitched items new and old :)x