1
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
2
Welcome to the September Issue
It’s me again - and welcome to our first issue of the Autumn. I think this might be my very most favourite season of the year as I love watching the colours of the landscape change around me from the greens of summer, that are looking rather tired and dusty by now, to the glorious hues of autumn, reds, golds, browns and oranges. The hedgerows are lovely too, festooned with the hairy seed heads of wild clematis or Old Man’s Beard and studded with shiny red hips and haws and clusters of purple blackberries. This issue reflects the time of year with features on Bringing the Harvest Home and wrapping up summer in your garden, while Debbie makes the most of the seasonal bounty with some delicious recipes - I can particularly recommend her Bakewell tarts - yum! Several of the patterns have an autumn feel - and I think my special favourite may be the little fox cushion. If you’d like to stitch the Autumn Joy hoop but are a bit worried about transferring the design onto chocolate brown fabric, then worry no more as pre printed panels are now available in the Bustle & Sew store! (From magazine publication day) I do hope you’ll enjoy this issue. The October Magazine will be published on Thursday 29 September 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
3
Tips for Stitchers Don't economise when choosing a new hoop. A good hoop is essential to hold your fabric tightly for stitching, and to maintain that tightness as you work. Always take your fabric out of the hoop when you've finished stitching. Doing this will reduce the chance of permanent hoop marks or dirt rings appearing. Plastic hoops with a lip are more lightly to mark your fabric than good wooden hoops are as the lip has a tendency to trap dust and dirt.
4
Between the Covers … Tips for Stitchers
Page 4
September Almanac
Page 6
Autumn Joy Hoop
Page 8
Meet the Maker: McKenzie Chapman
Page 12
Lovely Idea: Autumn Printable
Page 14
A Little Look at Gingham
Page 15
The English Landscape
Page 17
Apples & Pears Market Tote
Page 18
In the Kitchen with Debbie: Autumn’s Bounty
Page 22
Dressed in Autumn Hues: The Harvest Mouse Page 27 Stitching with Metallic Floss
Page 29
Christmas Pups!
Page 30
Bringing the Harvest Home
Page 34
Lovely Idea: Apple Coasters
Page 37
Poetry Corner: Rich Days
Page 38
Little Jersey Cow Head
Page 39
The Ending of Summer
Page 41
A (very) Little History of Knitting
Page 44
Geometric Stag Hoop
Page 46
Meet the Maker: Karen Fleming
Page 49
Nature Page: Sparrows (Fringilla Domestica)
Page 52
Choosing the Right Fabric
Page 53
Country Fox Cushion Cover
Page 56
Poetry Corner: Ode to Autumn
Page 60
Home Comforts
Page 61
September Calendar
Page 62
In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables
Page 63
Templates
Page 64
5
Contributors McKenzie Chapman Based in New York, McKenzie creates magical stitcheries with a little help from her friends.
Karen Fleming Driftwood creations - and little mice too - all from her studio in South Yorkshire.
Debbie Thomson Keeps us very well organised, as well as researching some lovely features and creating our new “In the Kitchen” series
September September often brings with it a period of warm and sunny weather - usually just as the children return to school! For me this time is especially sweet, as I know it’s probably my last chance this year to enjoy the pleasure of strolling through the woods with the Newfies, barearmed, and enjoying the feel of a pleasantly warm breeze on my skin. I know that, here in England, at any moment the weather may change and I’ll be reaching for a woolly jumper and wellington boots, so I don’t take this last gasp of summer for granted - the Newfies and I can be found outdoors at every possible opportunity.
elderberries, blackberries, rose hips and more. Try making jelly from rowan berries and from the hips of our native dog rose, whilst elderberries make wonderfully flavoured wine, syrups and jellies. Of course September is a busy time for farmers too, though the grain harvest is often earlier now, than in times gone by. We still enjoy the Harvest Festival though, celebrating a harvest safely gathered in by bringing produce to the church and giving thanks with prayers and hymns. This is a Victorian innovation though, seen as a much more appropriate celebration than the Harvest Supper of earlier times, which were generally held on the farms themselves and were accompanied by drunkenness, games and songs.
One of the most obvious signs of autumn is the sight of swallows gathering on the telephone wires, ready for their migration to Africa. One day they are sitting in long noisy rows, chattering busily to one another, and the next they are gone, taking summer with them for another year. But there’s still plenty to enjoy at home … our native birds are busy plundering the hedgerows for berries, whilst pesky wasps are gorging themselves on any windfall fruits lying neglected in the long grass, as well as making a nuisance of themselves should we be enjoying al fresco dining in the garden. This is the best time of the year for enjoying Nature’s wild harvest, foraging along the hedgerows for
I wonder if London was enjoying a warm and sunny September when the Great Fire of London, probably the most devastating event in the city’s history, began on 2 September 1666. The fire began at a bakery in Pudding Lane and
6
“Inspired by everyday things�
Meet the Maker
McKenzie Chapman talks to us about her business Stitch Island Crafts where the embroidery floss flows freely and patches grow on trees! How did you first start sewing When we began we were Witching and Stitching, but recently became McKenzie? My grandma was a master quilter. She won awards and people knew her name all over. We were best friends and she taught me how to use a sewing machine when I was very young. Every time I was over her house we would patch together a quilt of some sorts. When she died I didn't sew for a long time, but when I went away to college my two best friends embroidered. I picked it up as well and have loved it ever since!
And how did your business come about?
Stitch Island Crafts. Bridget took a step back from the shop because she started a lovely fulltime job at a non-profit that's very dear to her heart.
Do you have a favourite design you have made, and if so what is it and why? One of my favorite designs is the Ghost Girl embroidery hoop. It was the first one that I was super proud of, and feel that it's very personal, but that it speaks to many other people as well. It's as close to a self-portrait as I'll get for now.
My friend Bridget introduced me to embroidery, and it was her idea to open an Etsy shop. When we graduated college we decided to open one up together.
I also love my witch-themed patches. When I made them I felt like I made a real break-through in my stitching. I was, and still and really proud of them. usually time for some more sewing afterwards.
It was awesome to have a project we were both working on at a time when we both moved home and weren't seeing as much as each other as when we lived on campus.
Why do you think there has been a resurgence in homemade/handmade?
7
I think people want to feel connected to other people. Everything has a story, but when
A Little Look at Gingham As I’m sure everyone reading this knows, gingham is a type of simple, woven cotton or linen cloth that originally had regularly placed bright coloured stripes rather than the check pattern we're used to seeing today. The colours most commonly seen are blue or red and white checks, though it's available in a wide range of colours. Along with a wide variety of colourways, gingham fabric is also found in medium and light weights, and a range of pattern sizes from very small checks to exceedingly large ones. As the fibres are usually coloured before being woven (though there are exceptions to this) there is generally no right or wrong side to gingham as it appears the same on both sides. Many countries claim gingham as part of their own textile history, and over the centuries it's been used across the world, probably due to its being relatively cheap to produce and economical in use - no wrong side and no pattern repeat to worry about - as well as being easy to wash, durable and simple in design. The origin of the word "gingham" is equally uncertain, with opinion divided as to whether it derives from Guingamp, a small town in Brittany where the fabric was once made or alternatively the Malay-Indonesian word 'genggang', meaning striped (remember that before gingham was checked, it was striped). In Indonesia gingham symbolises the battle between good and evil. The contrasting colours represent this relationship. In Japan the pattern also has spiritual symbolism as gingham fabric was used to wrap around statues when a child had died. Japan still produces 100% cotton gingham today - more than can be said for most other countries. The African Masaï tribe has used a check fabric pattern for thousands of years and indeed 8
9
10
Dressed in Autumn Hues, the Harvest Mouse lives a solitary life in our fields and hedgerows 11
Rich Days …
12
The ending of summer ‌ 13
This is the time of year when not only farmers, but us gardeners too, are reaping the rewards of our summer labours in the kitchen garden and greenhouse. Carrots, beans, peas, courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes and onions are all ripe and begging to be picked. Most striking of all are giant pumpkins, nestling like enormous golden globes among their foliage, along with other squash in all sorts of wonderful shapes and varieties. If you want yours for Hallowe’en then leave them in place until the foliage deteriorates (keep them off the soil if it’s a particularly soggy autumn), otherwise the way my grandad always told me to judge the ripeness of a squash is by its colour.
Harvest your squash on a dry day and leave them balanced on bricks in the sun for a few days to harden the skin before you transfer them to a frost free shed for long term storage (mind out for mice!) Apples also ripen throughout September. The early varieties don’t keep well and should be eaten immediately, but later ones will keep well into the winter months if you store them correctly. Don’t store any windfalls or those with blemishes or wrinkles - rot will quickly set in and may spread to other apples too. Wrapping them in greaseproof paper will help retain their moisture, but if you feel this is too much trouble, then they’ll still keep well placed directly onto a
14
slatted surface so that air can circulate around them. You can purchase specialised apple racks and crates, but old freezer baskets or anything similar will do the job - though won’t look quite as nice of course! When full place your apple storage racks in a cool dark spot if you possibly can. Potatoes should be stored in paper sacks loosely tied at the top; whilst swedes, carrots and parsnips should be put in boxes, kept separate from each other in beds of sand. Hang cabbages upside down, and when their skins, and those of garlic too, are papery plait them together by their foliage and and hang them too. It’s a wonderful feeling when your harvest is safely gathered in,
A (very) Little History of Knitting
15
“A prettier side of life!”
Meet the Maker
Karen Fleming talks to us about beaches, driftwood and the unique creations she crafts for her business, Tildy’s Room A big Hello to you all from sunny Yorkshire! My name is Karen and I am the creator of Tildy's Room, the place where I get to make gorgeous little dioramas and scenes of beach and village life inspired by own life in Yorkshire, Australia and Bermuda.
Have you always enjoyed crafting and creating, Karen? I have enjoyed creating things for as long as I can remember, my earliest complicated make was a knitted rabbit which I made for my new baby sister when I was 9 years old! I had a fair bit of help from my Mum and Granny Tildy and I remember it had some holes where I had dropped stitches, but overall it was quite adorable and I remember being very proud of it! And I remember loving woodwork class in Junior School where I made a fabulous sword with anatomically correct sword parts including a guard, hilt and pommel! So I guess I first created something decent out of wood at the age of 10! That really amuses me now! I wish I still had the sword but sadly,
16
over the years and international abodes, it has gone astray.
How did you begin working with driftwood and develop your business idea into Tildy’s Room? I first became fascinated by driftwood in the 90's (long time ago now!) when I lived in Far North Australia in Cairns. I was very lucky to live in a house right on the beach and used to spend hours walking the beaches and fishing and sailing in the wide estuaries. The vast quantities of driftwood that washed up on the beaches was incredible and we would sometimes build temporary and abstract models and leave them as they were to be enjoyed until the next high tide took them out! Again, I was very lucky and lived in Bermuda for a few years and it was here that I first saw driftwood used as a permanent art form including little houses and cars. On our return to the UK in 2000 we began starting a family and I reduced my working hours as an Intensive Care Nurse to be a Mum.
Choosing the Right Fabric for your Project 17
18
Home Comforts September brings the culmination of the year’s endeavours outdoors, and a bountiful harvest of blackberries, plums, damsons and other orchard fruits. Make the most of the glut by stewing your fruit with a little sugar and serve cold with cream or ice cream on late summer afternoons spent outdoors with friends and family - after all there won’t be many more warm days to come this year, so it’s best to seize the moment and enjoy them while they last.
19
20
21
22
23