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A Bustle & Sew Publication Copyright Š Bustle & Sew Limited 2019 The right of Helen Challenor to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information in this book is accurate. However, due to differing conditions, tools and individual skills, the publisher cannot be responsible for any injuries, losses and other damages that may result from the use of the information in this book.
First published 2019 by: Bustle & Sew The Cottage Oakhill Radstock BA3 5HT UK www.bustleandsew.com
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Welcome to the August Magazine Hello everyone! What a month this has been! I began work on this issue sitting at my table in my little cottage on the edge of the village, and am now just adding the finishing touches in my temporary office, while we wait to move into our new house in the autumn. We’ve had a scorching heatwave, violent thunderstorms and torrential rain, trips to the seaside and country and even more exciting, we’re off to choose our new family member at the weekend - a little labrador puppy will be joining the Bustle & Sew team next month. The holiday season is upon us now of course, and I hope you’ll enjoy this issue, and perhaps choose a couple of projects to take away with you - or into the garden if you’re stay-cationing this year! Next month will bring the first of our Christmas(!) Patterns, as the year turns once again and autumn approaches. But until then, I do hope you’ll enjoy this issue, and if you’re a subscriber then please look out for the September Magazine arriving in your inbox on Thursday 29 August.
Helen xx
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Tips for Stitchers Before starting - assemble everything you need to complete your project. There’s nothing more frustrating than reaching out for a particular shade of floss for example, finding you don’t have it in your box, and the shops are now closed until Monday morning. Also - do take the time to read through the pattern or project instructions before you begin - twice if you can and double check anything you’re not clear about. But perhaps the best tip of all is to simply enjoy yourself - love the process as much as the finished result - that, after all, is what it should be all about!
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Between this month’s covers … Tips for Stitchers
Page 4
Florence Mini Storage Tub
page 43
August Almanac
Page 6
Washing your Fabric
Page 45
Afternoon Nap Hoop
Page 8
Meet the Maker: Abbey Wright
Page 46
Embroidering Fur
Page 11
Nature Notes: The Wasp
Page 48
Choosing Fabric For Embroidery
Page 15
Stormy Seas Hoop
Page 49
Tropical Leaf Bunting
Page 16
Poetry Corner
Page 51
Nature Notes: Tansy
Page 19
Embroidery Stitch Guide
Page 52
Meet the Maker: Jessie Doe
Page 20
In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables
Page 53
At Summer’s End
Page 22
Templates
Page 54
Lovely Idea: Beeswax Food Wraps
Page 24
Sunflower Headband
Page 25
Tastes of the Season: August
Page 28
Geometric Shapes Cushion
Page 36
Bath Time!
Page 38
Only a Fool Says Just Fabric!
Page 39
Lovely Idea: Mason Jar Salads
Page 42
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August Augustus Caesar held his first consulate in the month of Sextilis in 43 BC and made Egypt a province of Rome 13 years later it was his lucky month! So consequently Sextilis was renamed Augustus in honour of the Emperor, and to give him equal status with Julius Caesar for whom the month of Quintilius had been renamed Julius. So the vanity of those emperors nearly 2000 years ago still lives on today in our month names of July and August. In the hedgerows the first elderberries and blackberries are ripening and trees such as rowan and yew already carry red fruits. The leggy stems of cow parsley that frothed so beautifully along our hedgerows in May, are now a withered tangle topped by long black fruits. It was the Victorians who selected August as the customary month for
the annual family holiday. This was traditionally the time for gathering the grain harvest, and almost everyone in the countryside was
“We plough the fields, and scatter the good seed on the ground, But it is fed and watered by God Almighty’s hand. He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain. The breezes and the sunshine, And soft, refreshing rain.”
required to lend a hand, even children who could make
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themselves useful turning sheaves or scaring crows from the gleanings. So, when school attendance was made compulsory for every child up to the age of ten, following the General Education Acts, a summer break was established for the month of August and everyone took to the fields. Today even though less than one percent of our population works on the land (and very few of those have anything to do with harvesting) we still regard August as the month to take our holidays. Disappointingly though, August often has less sunshine than either July or September, and can actually be quite wet, especially inland. If the weather was kind, the harvest could begin at the end of July in time for the ‘loaf-mass’ of St Peter ad Vincula on 1 August - the blessing of the bread made from
the new corn. Lammas, the loafmass derives from the Anglo Saxon term which also gives us the modern English words “lady” and ‘Lord.” Lammas Day has absolutely nothing at all to do with lambs - the lamb-mass Is an eighteenth century fallacy that rather charmingly influenced Victorian claims that tenants of York Minster were bound to bring live lambs into the cathedral for Lammas Day high mass. The celebration of the first new loaf was also marked by the removal of fences that had been erected on Lammas meadows at Candlemas, 2 February, common land that had been kept free of stock, growing hay that could then be cut and stored for the winter. Lammas was a traditional day for the payment of rent and all that went with it, such as changing jobs and moving house. A sad anniversary falls on the 4 August as this was the day, when in 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany - and this date is generally regarded as the beginning of the First World War. The conflict was precipitated by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by a Serbian nationalist on 28 June
1914. Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany had declared war on Serbia, and other countries of Europe had begun to take sides. It was the German invasion of Belgium that brought Britain into
“In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible."
the conflict - a move that was initially greeted with enthusiasm by the British people. The meteor shower of the Perseids begins around the tenth of the month and is most active on the night of the twelfth, by their proximity to St Lawrence’s Day, which falls on August 10, these shooting stars are known as the ‘fiery tears of St Lawrence.’
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The grouse season begins on 12 August, the ‘Glorious Twelfth’ confirmed by the Game Act of 1831, which created ‘close seasons’ ie times when game animals and birds should not be under threat and allowed to breed and establish themselves, and game licences. By the end of the month, the Scottish highlands and grouse moors are already showing signs of autumn, while further south, in the lowlands, the last hay cut is long since complete. There will still be walkers in the hills throughout September and beyond, but there is now a chill in the air which sends them back to their lodgings well before (the now much earlier) dusk falls. The traditional August Bank Holiday weekend, falling on the last Monday of the month, is in many ways the last gasp of summer before the schools return for the new academic year and we begin to look towards the autumn months. But for now, the motorways leading to seaside towns and resorts host the final traffic jam of the season. Cars Coaches and caravans throng the roads as the warm summer sunshine tempts people out for their last official break before Christmas.
I have included my guide on embroidering fur on the next pages to assist you with your dormouse - just use exactly the same principles as for the bear when embroidering the mouse’s fur. The paws and tail are worked in long and sort stitch in two shades of pink - the darker pink is stitched where shadows would naturally fall, ie along the bottom edge of the tail and inners of the ears. The eyes are closed and so are just a couple of small back stitches in 310, the nose is also 310, but this time satin stitch.
You will need: ● 10” square white linen, cotton or other non-stretch fabric suitable for hand embroidery. Don’t use anything lighter than a quilting weight cotton as it will need to support quite a lot of stitching. ● DMC stranded cotton floss in colours 310, 352, 436, 437, 640, 945, 3023, 4124
I have always loved stitching fur, though I know some people are a bit put off by a technique they consider might be difficult and/or time consuming. I won’t deny it does take a little while, but though the results are impressive, it isn’t really difficult to do. You need very few colours to make your fur look convincing - the fur on my little Bear in a Hat uses only 3 shades of brown and - a bonus for me(!) - your stitching doesn’t need to be too neat either ! You do need to give your project some thought before you begin though, but once you’ve done that then there are only a few basic principles you need to follow. This little bear also uses a variety of embroidery stitches for his coat and hat - back stitch, blanket stitch, cross stitch, chain stitch, French knots, ghiordes (or turkey) stitch and satin stitch. If you don’t want to try your hand at stitching fur, then he’d look nearly as nice with his face and legs simply outlined in back stitch, as are his coat and hat.
Nature Notes: Tansy A member of the Aster family, Tansy is an aromatic plant of rough grassland, riverbanks and verges that has clusters of button-like, sunshine-yellow flower heads. It releases a fresh, almost citrus-like fragrance and is an effective natural insect and pest repellent. Tansy blooms from July to September and during this time if you hang a bunch in your home it will help to deter flies. It is also believed to repel other pests such as mice, ants and fleas. In the past it would have been strewn across floors to act as a primitive disinfectant, whilst sprigs were also placed in bed linen to repel moths and other pests. You may often find it planted beside kitchen doors in older houses for the same reason. Tansy cakes and puddings were often served at Easter time in memory of the bitter herbs eaten over the Jewish Passover. Its aromatic leaves will add flavour to omelettes and, in Yorkshire, its seeds were traditionally used in biscuits served at funerals.
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“It’s ok to not know what you’re doing, it’s ok to take it as slow or as fast as you’re comfortable with” talks to us about how she got started, her typical working day and how she started her business, Based in Bristol, Jessie works in marketing by day but by night she is a hand embroiderer, Etsy shop owner, illustrator and all round creative. She creates gorgeous embroidery hoops which she sells in her Etsy shop.
I started embroidering here and there when I was a teenager, I actually did a final art project during my A-Levels based around embroidery on paper. It wasn’t until I was around 21 that I took embroidery up as a side hustle that I did every day, it started with a one-off piece that was a gift that made me think ‘Actually, yep, this is what I want to do with my life’.
A lot of my inspiration comes from mindfulness and cultivating positivity and kindness. A lot of the sayings I use in my designs are like little mantras to remind
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whoever happens to read them of their self-worth and their right to happiness. I also find so much inspiration in nature, I spend a lot of my spare time in it when I’m not reading or stitching, it grounds me and reconnects me to the world around me - there’s so much colour in nature too!
I wish I had known that it’s ok to make mistakes and have to re-figure things out, it’s all a learning process, and there are still things I haven’t got to grips with yet! If I could go back in time and do one thing differently, it would be to take myself as a budding small business owner a little more seriously - I used to downplay my dreams a lot, and I’d never price my work for the time and effort I’d put into it.
My design process has changed a lot over the past two years, but
with small changes, I’ve managed to create a routine that really works for me. I start by sketching something up with Procreate on my iPad, then, once I’ve figured out a colour palette and added any changes or elements to the design, I trace over it using a 0.5 fineliner (I used to use water soluble ink pens for this, but after a couple of mishaps with them, I decided just to go for a precision pen that I could just stitch over). Then, I’ll get down to the actual embroidery before finally backing it using multi purpose glue, and finishing it off with my logo stamp.
My typical working day often starts by waking up slowly around 6:30. I’ll have breakfast, get ready, maybe fit a bit of stitching in if I get up a little earlier, and then leave just after 7am. It takes about an hour to get to work so, between 8am and 4pm, I sit at my desk at my day job and try not to let my mind drift to the work I want to do when I get home (and, of course, do my actual job). I then leave and spend an hour heading home, usually reading
on the bus. As soon as I’m home, I let myself chill for a bit, sort myself out for the next day, and then get to work on whatever it is I’ve been stitching up. I don’t have much space to do so, so I’m usually in a super comfy place (usually my bed) watching something or listening to a podcast while I work. I always like to balance things out by doing a bit of prep work for new products or designs, or sometimes doing some admin or website updating so I can feel a bit more on top of things (it’s quite easy to just get stuck in a mountain of thread and forget you’re actually trying to run a small business). I usually work up until around 9/10pm before I put my work away and try and wind down with some reading. I used to be a real night owl, but sometimes my day can be really tiring with all the screen time, trying to climb a mountain of paperwork, walking to and from a hundred different places, and trying to harness the urge to keep working, even though I’ve probably totally forgotten to make dinner.
So many wonderful things have happened over the past couple of years, so it’s impossible to pick just one, but some of my proudest moments have been working with DMC when I was part of their very first artist story takeovers in March 2018, working with Mollie Makes magazine to design the embroidery kit that became the gift for their 101st issue, and all the amazing pieces I’ve been commissioned to make - there’s no feeling quite like making a one off piece for someone to gift to their loved one that truly captivates a memory for them.
Before you start your business - go into it with as much passion, love for your craft, and belief in yourself as you can and remember that it’s ok to make mistakes, it’s ok to not know what you’re doing, it’s ok to take it as slow or as fast as you’re comfortable with. Do be sure to pop over to Jessie’s shop to see all of her gorgeous creations. You can also find her on Instagram too!
Tastes of the Season: August
“Bursting with summery goodness� 13
If you have a greenhouse then you’re more than likely to have a glut of tomatoes at this time of year. Here’s some ideas for using them up…..
Only a fool says “It’s just fabric”
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● Transfer the embroidery design and work as follows:
● Also work stem stitch along the top edge of the sea.
● The text is back stitch in a single strand of pink (or colour of your choice) floss. Make very small stitches around the curves of the letters to keep the line of the writing nice and smooth.
● The stars are worked in satin stitch. ● When finished press lightly on reverse being careful not to flatten your stitches and mount in your hoop, trimming away the excess fabric.
● The waves are worked in stem stitch using two strands of 796 and 807 (see photo above for guidance)
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Summertime Summertime, and the livin' is easy Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is goodlookin' So hush, little baby, don't you cry One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky But till that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you With daddy and mammy standin' by
Du Bose Heyward / George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin 17