Bustle & Sew Magazine Issue 63 April 2016 Sampler

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A Bustle & Sew Publication Copyright Š Bustle & Sew Limited 2016 The right of Helen Dickson 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 2016 by: Bustle & Sew The Cottage Oakhill Radstock BA3 5HT UK www.bustleandsew.com

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Welcome to the April Issue Welcome to the April issue I’ve been super-busy putting this issue together - we seem to have packed so much between this month’s covers!

Inside, as well as six new Bustle & Sew projects, ranging from (by special request) a faux taxidermy Flamingo Head, through to a congratulatory embroidery to celebrate HM the Queen’s ninetieth birthday, you’ll discover two lovely recipes from Debbie, meet two incredibly talented makers (one of whom worked on dress, as well as articles, features and much more besides. I do hope you’ll enjoy it all!

The May issue will be published on Thursday 28 April so please do look out for it then.

Meanwhile I hope you have a very happy month with lots of time for stitching!

Best wishes

Helen xx

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Tips for Stitchers Always take plenty of time to remove soluble stabilisers and/or waste canvas.

Waste canvas does need to be well soaked and if you are experiencing difficulties removing the threads, then soak again, don’t pull hard and risk distorting your work.

And be sure to rinse any fabri solvy well away as any ink remaining on small fragments may bleed into your background fabric and spoil your work.

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Between the Covers …

Tips for Stitchers

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April Almanac

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Butterfly Cushion

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A Hoopful of Butterflies

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Planting a Butterfly Garden

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Lovely Idea: Apothecary Jar Printables

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Fine Cell Work: Stitching behind Bars

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In the Kitchen: Rhubarb Chutney

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So Deer to Me Hoop

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Jessica Robinson

Pegging out the Washing

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Meet the Maker: Jacqui Brook

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Making your own Butter

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Fine stitching, and being asked to contribute to wedding dress!

Ralph the Labradoodle Puppy

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A Life in Glass: Unicorn Stained Glass

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Lovely Idea: Cuddly Sock Softies

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Quilting with Organic Cottons

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Pin the Tail on the Bunny

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Poetry Corner

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The Secrets of Perfect Pressing

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Lovely Idea: Pom Pom Wall Hanging

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Kiss Winter Goodbye: Tulips

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Debbie Thomson

Flamingo Trophy Head

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In the Kitchen: Banana Cake

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Meet the Maker: Jessica Robinson

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April’s Favourite Blogs

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Keeps us very well organised, as well as researching some lovely features and creating our new “In the Kitchen” series

Happy Birthday Ma’am Embroidery

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Home Comforts

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April Calendar

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In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables

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Templates

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Contributors Jacqui Brook Tells us about her lifelong passion for fine textiles and her life in France

Katy Emck Taking embroidery behind bars with a look at charitable organisation Fine Cell Work

April This month some of our best loved migratory birds, such as swallows and housemartins, begin to arrive whilst, at the same time, vast flocks of geese, swans and other water fowl begin their long journeys back to their breeding grounds in the Arctic regions. In gardens, hedgerows and woodlands fresh blooms seem to appear almost daily; yellow cowslips and primroses bloom on grassy banks, whilst in shady woodland spots wild garlic, with its distinctive pungent aroma is pushing its way up through the leaf mould and brushwood. On warmer days you may already discover dandelion clocks dispersing their seeds in great fluffs of white on the spring breezes.

Cuckoo Fairs were held annually across the country to celebrate the return of a bird that was believed to bring the fine weather with it.

In traditional lore, many strange beliefs were once associated with hearing the cuckoo’s call for the first time. To hear one call in front or to the right of you was considered to be lucky as the Archangel Gabriel was believed to sit as a guardian spirit on the right shoulder. To hear a cuckoo call from the left however was unlucky as Lucifer sat on your left shoulder. An old rhyme states: “The cuckoo comes in April and stays the month of May, sings a song at Midsummer and then it flies away.” This isn’t strictly true however, though we rarely hear it call after June the cuckoo remains with us until August before migrating to the warm winter climate of north Africa.

But April can also bring a late cold snap, so gardeners beware! The countryman’s expression for this time of year is “Beware the Blackthorn Winter.” This is because, although the Blackthorn is in full bloom by now, its pale blossoms are often matched by frost-whitened grass or snow-covered fields.

The 1st is of course April Fool’s Day, observed in England and elsewhere since the midseventeenth century when practical jokes generally took the form of sending gullible victims in search of some impossible to find or non-existent item such as elbow grease or pigeon’s milk. Traditionally the joking ends at midday and anyone “fooled” after this time is entitled to respond “April Fool’s Day’s past and

The familiar call of the cuckoo, though less common in recent years, is heard in April and over the centuries has come to be viewed as the heralding voice that announces Spring’s final triumph over the cold winter months.

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Creating a Butterfly Garden

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Deer to Me Hoop I hope you enjoy the different techniques in this little hoop.

The deer are worked in very simple cross stitch using just two colours on waste canvas which is then soaked and removed before the remaining embroidery is stitched. If you don’t want to work the deer in cross stitch then I have included templates for you to trace and applique them, just be careful when cutting around the antlers as they are quite thin in places.

The floral embroidery is very simple and is worked over the edge of the cross stitch/applique for an attractive finish.

Shown mounted in 7” hoop. ● DMC stranded cotton floss in colours 310, 353, 371, 712, 727, 907, 913, 3815, 4250 for the free hand embroidery

Materials ● 10” square background fabric (I used a duck egg blue pure linen)

● DMC stranded cotton floss in colours 3740 and 907 for the cross stitch

● 5” square 18 count waste canvas (CLICK HERE for a guide on using waste canvas) ● Or 5” square cotton fabric and bondaweb for tracing if you have chosen to applique your deer shapes

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side of your bondaweb and cut out roughly. Fuse to the reverse of your fabric, then cut out carefully. Peel off the paper backing and fuse the shapes to the centre of your square of background fabric using the template as a guide to positioning.

Method ● Tack the waste canvas to the centre of your square of background fabric and work the deer in cross stitch over the waste canvas following the chart in the templates section.

● Now work the remaining embroidery.

Transfer the floral garland so that it just covers the edges of your deer shapes (4)

● When you have finished your work remove the waste canvas. To do this moisten thoroughly and then pull out the individual strands carefully. You may find tweezers are useful for this. Take your time and don’t tug on your work - if the strand doesn’t come away you may need to moisten further. (1-3).

● I used Solvy Sticky Fabri Solvy to print my embroidery design which I then pressed down over the top of the cross stitch (5)

● Allow to dry until just damp, then press on the reverse being careful not to flatten your stitches.

● When finished soak away Fabri Solvy if using.

● Work the embroidery following the guide on the following page. ● The text is worked in black (310) split stitch.

● Press your work lightly on the reverse and display in hoop.

● Alternatively, using the REVERSED deer template, trace the shapes onto the paper

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Pegging out the Washing I’ve always enjoyed pegging out the washing on a bright fresh day. And for me, rather like the daffodils, crocuses and other early blooms, the first time of pegging out laundry after the long tumbledrying season of winter is a sign that spring really has arrived. I remember my mum teaching me the fine art of hanging out laundry - how to fold and where to peg - and I also love creating a pleasing arrangement of items, pegging ditsy florals alongside classic stripes and crisp white sheets, then standing back to watch my “installation” fluttering gently in the breeze.

Pegging out washing is such a timeless activity that hasn’t really changed at all in generations, though today we are perhaps less competitive about the whiteness of our whites! And we don’t have smuts from coal-polluted air to ruin the freshness of our wash. Remember the skills of Beatrix Potter’s washerwoman hedgehog Mrs Tiggy-Winkle who was able to return Jenny Wren’s currant-wine-

stained table cloth to its former pristine state - all “lily-white and clean, oh!” Or perhaps you recall the description of the “big wash” in Flora with “sheets Thompson’s and pillow-cases and towels billowing in the wind on a line.”

Then, once your washing is dry it can be carefully folded into your basket ready for ironing, though I must confess this is one of my least-favourite household chores. Still there is such pleasure to be had from freshly laundered bed linen that’s been dried outside in which the fragrance of the fresh breeze still lingers, so different to the artificial smell of tumble dried sheets - clean of course, but not nearly so nice to snuggle into at the end of the day.

So rather than automatically switch on the dryer, watch for the first drying day of spring, lift up your face to the sun and appreciate the peaceful activity of pegging out the washing for the first time this year.

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“Create and be passionate about what you do experience some “joie de vivre!”

Meet the Maker

Jacqui Brooke talks to us about combining her lifelong passion for fine textiles and time sourcing vintage items to upcycle into her beautiful bespoke pieces for her business Retrocollects Interiors A life long passion for fine textiles, fabric design and a desire to offer high quality, bespoke items at fair and sensible prices is the inspiration behind Retrocollects Interiors…..

Before moving to France Jacqui and Ian Brooke, the owners of online business Retrocollects Interiors, had always been involved in creative design.

Back in the UK they ran an interiors business, which was allconsuming, perhaps too much so as though they loved the lifestyle, they felt they simply didn’t have time to “smell the roses.” Hence when the time was right the couple upped sticks and moved to France in order to address their work-life balance and embrace a simpler lifestyle.

Ever respectful of the time and work that goes into completing a

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needlepoint or piece of embroidery, simply for fashions to change and it join the flotsam and jetsam of an earlier age, they felt so sad that all those beautifully crafted items, such as doilies, embroideries and hand woven linens, that had taken so much of somebody’s life could be lost forever.

So now, through Retrocollects Interiors, they create unique, individual pillows & cushions mixing vintage & new fabrics, designing each pillow with great care and attention to detail thereby creating a very special handmade item and giving new life to these endangered vintage pieces.

A typical day might involve an early morning dog walk to breathe fresh air and plan the hours ahead. Jacqui takes inspiration from the countryside all around her home and village, enjoying watching the

Ralph the little Labradoodle Puppy Here’s the cutest little labradoodle puppy you’re ever likely to meet - or the best behaved one anyway!!

Ralph is 9” tall and is handstitched from a lovely curly woolly faux fur fabric. I’m often asked about the fabrics I use, and for fur my go-to supplier is Neotrims - just click here for a link to the exact same fabric I used for my Ralph.

Ralph has safety eyes and this version has a black button nose.

His collar features a bright shiny button and his front legs are wired so he sits nice and securely - they don’t have that annoying tendency to splay outwards. ● 12” x 2” strip red cotton fabric for collar

Materials

● 15” flexible garden wire for front legs

● ¼ yard fleecy fabric

● Toy stuffing

● Scraps brown fabric for ear inners and paw pads

● Brown thread I sewed my Ralph entirely by hand as I prefer the control this gives over the final shape. But there’s no reason you couldn’t machine stitch if preferred - a small seam allowance is included in the templates.

● Two 7 mm (3/8 “) black safety eyes ● ½” black button (or safety nose) for nose ● ¾” shiny button for collar

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Organic Fabrics in Quilting

Cuddly Sock Sheep

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Pin the Tail on the Bunny Bunnies are not just for Easter - oh no - you can enjoy a lot of fun with bunnies the whole year round!

Much nicer than “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” is our “Pin the Tail on the Bunny” party game. It would be a lovely addition to a country or vintage style wedding to keep kids (and the young at heart) amused, and looks good on your wall whatever the time of year.

Easy to assemble - I used a 18” quilting hoop that I painted with white chalk paint for the frame. ● Bondaweb

Materials

● Embroidery foot for your sewing machine

● 24” x 16” stripey medium weight cotton fabric ● 24” x 7” dotty medium weight cotton fabric ● 14” x 10” brown tweedy fabric

● Six or however many you like 2” pre-made white pompoms (or make your own) ● Double-sided adhesive pads. ● Glue gun

● Stranded cotton floss in light and dark shades of blue, green pink and yellow.

Also very dark green and black.

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Home Thoughts from Abroad Oh, to be in England Now that April's there, And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware, That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf, While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England-now!

And after April, when May follows, And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!

Hark, where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge Leans to the field and scatters on the clover Blossoms and dewdrops-at the bent spray's edgeThat's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture The first fine careless rapture!

And though the fields look rough with hoary dew, All will be gay when noontide wakes anew The buttercups, the little children's dower -Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

Robert Browning 1812-1889

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The Secrets of Perfect Pressing

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Use your tulips to kiss winter goodbye …….

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It’s hard to imagine spring without tulips.

Members of the lily family they are by far the most varied of all our spring flowers, with colours ranging from pure white through pastel pinks to bright reds and yellows ending in the darkest of purple - nearly black - hues. As well as this huge range of colours, they also come in a variety of shapes, frilly or smooth, round and plump or smooth and slender - the choice seems almost endless.

Tulips originate in central Asia, but reached Turkey as early as 1000 AD where they were cultivated by wealthy aristocrats of the Ottoman empire. Perhaps their most famous moment in history though was the “tulip mania” of the 17th century when wealthy tulip enthusiasts would pay huge amounts of money for rare specimens. At the peak of tulip mania some bulbs would sell for as much as ten times the annual income of a skilled craftsman. Most of these historical varieties are no longer grown, though today we still have around 3,500 varieties to choose from.

Tulip season can begin as early as March when the first wild flowers begin to bloom, followed a couple of weeks later by the earliest cultivated varieties. The peak of the season arrives in late April and early May - the time that hybrid species appear. Late flowering varieties extend the season into mid May, whilst some continue to bloom as late as June. These varieties prefer nice sunny locations with loose rich soil where they can remain undisturbed for several years.

back stop watering the plants. In moist soils you should dig up less hardy varieties once the leaves have completely died back, clean them and store in a cool dry place (where mice and other pests can’t reach them) until it’s time to replant them in the autumn.

If your bulb comes up “blind”, that is to say that it produces leaves but no flowers, this may be caused by a lack of nutrients or by removing the foliage too early in the spring before it has completely died back.

Tulips grow best in well dressed soil that incorporates plenty of home made compost or leaf mould. Choose good sized bulbs to begin with - a minimum size of 11-12 cm (that’s around 4”) is recommended. They are especially effective when planted as part of a spring scheme - group with early flowering bulbs such as grape hyacinths and anemones or alternatively grow with forget-me-nots and wallflowers. They also work well when planted amongst ornamental grasses.

Planting time for new tulips is from September to early November. Plant your bulbs at a depth of two to three times their height and add organic mineral fertiliser when planting or, at the latest when the leaves begin to appear in the spring.

It’s too late to plant bulbs for this season of course, so if you don’t have any tulips in your garden, then perhaps consider visiting a “pick your own” farm, such as the one very close to me at Farrington Gurney in Somerset.

Tulips should be deadheaded immediately after they’ve finished flowering. This will interrupt the formation of seeds so that the plant has to use its energy to produce a new bulb for the following year (the old bulb dies after flowering has finished). In common with all bulbs you should leave the foliage until it has died back as the plant needs its leaves to create and store sufficient nutrients for the next flowering season. After the foliage has died Me at the tulip farm a couple of years ago!

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Flamingo Trophy Head The latest in my series of faux taxidermy trophy heads - no flamingoes were harmed in the making of this head!

You may remember the Swan Princess I made for Christmas - I was so taken with the idea of incorporating feathers into a softie (my swan had lovely white feathers) that I ordered some more - this time a beautiful shade of vibrant pink - that proved to be perfect for this little flamingo.

Shown mounted on a 9” x 5” oval hoop the flamingo neck is wired to hold her head nice and firm. ● Pink feathers (mine came from this seller on Ebay)

Materials ● 18” x 12” pink wool blendfelt

● 12” flexible garden wire

● Scraps of black and white felt

● Toy stuffing

● Two spherical black beads for eyes

● 6” x 4” light weight cardboard

● Stranded cotton floss or pearl thread in pink, white and black

● 9” x 5” oval hoop (or use round if you prefer) ● Background fabric to mount head ● Hot glue gun

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In the Kitchen with Debbie : Banana Cake Africa, since at this time bananas were only just being introduced to the Caribbean.

Whilst looking at events that happened on my husband's birthday (another story for another time!), I found the fascinating fact (to me anyway!) that the first recorded sale of bananas in the UK, was on the 10th. April 1633. Thomas Johnson, a botanist, herbalist and merchant displayed them in his shop in Snow Hill London. It is thought that he brought them back from Bermuda.

Perhaps a sailor, away from these shores for many years, came off his ship eating the last of the ship's supplies then threw away the skin without a thought!

To celebrate this historic occasion, I thought perhaps you might like to try my recipe for Banana Cake. It is equally delicious with or without the icing. I have also used the mix to make muffins as well, although I do find I need extra nuts for the topping if making these.

However archeologists, excavating in London in 2007, found a banana skin dating to around 1500. It had been thrown into what is thought to have been a fishpond. Because of the early date, it is thought to have come from West

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“Embroidery isn’t just for old ladies! I just fell in love with it and never looked back”

Meet the Maker

Jessica Robinson talks to us about her love of stitching, building her own business Jessica Aldred Bespoke Needlework as working on possibly the most famous dress this century!

A passion for stitching led her to studying at the Royal School of Needlework and exciting times for Jessica. We chatted to her about her life and creative process as an artist in stitches..

I applied, never thinking I'd get a place, but somehow I did. I completely fell in love with embroidery and have never looked back.

And how did your business come about?

Please tell us Jessica, how did you My business was a natural progression after graduating from get into sewing?

Ever since I was little I always knew that I wanted to be an artist of some sort, and I loved to play with beads and buttons. During my GCSE and A Level art classes my worked leaned towards fashion and textiles and when I was eighteen my Mum took me to the Knitting & Stitching Show. The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) had a stand there and Mum suggested I apply for their three year apprenticeship.

At first I thought 'no way!

Embroidery is for old ladies!' but then I realised that I'd have a tough time making a living from art and as the RSN only took on six to eight people each year I hoped it would stand me apart from the crowd. So

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the RSN. There aren't many full-time embroidery jobs out there so most professionals work freelance teaching embroidery and doing commissions. I've been very blessed with the opportunities I've had, I've been teaching at the RSN for twelve years and I occasionally work in the studios too. I co-wrote a book with Emily Peacock called Adventures in Needlework which was published in 2011.

I've produced embroidery for a fashion house and even designed the embroidery for a very special outfit for a member of the UAE royal family. I still pinch myself when I think of some of the things I've done!

Home Comforts Spring is the time to get out and about again as the days grow longer and the weather (finally!) Begins to get warmer. While you’re out and about pick some beautiful spring blooms and display in an old teapot for an instant pop of spring colour indoors

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