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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 November Issue
Helen xx
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Tips for Stitchers If, like me, you have trouble keeping your satin stitch straight and perfectly aligned (mine tends to creep outwards into more of a fan effect), then try working some perfectly parallel straight stitches across the shape to be filled and then stitch between them. This will help keep your satin stitch nice and straight and regular.
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Between the Covers … Tips for Stitchers
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November Almanac
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She Doth Teach the Candles Hoop
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Meet the Maker: Fleur Lyon
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England’s Mighty Oaks
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Lovely Idea: Floral Alphabet Printable
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Christmas Pudding Cushion
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Nature Notes: The Robin
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Making the Loveliest Softies
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Poetry Corner: Moonlit Apples
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Fleur Lyon
Polar Bear Softie
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A London Particular : Charles Dickens
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Rosie’s Recipes: Winter Warmers
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Wonderful stitcheries from the other side of the world - Fleur shares her business story with us
Lovely Idea: Laundry Bags
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November Pleasures
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Cotton Spool Christmas!
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Celebrating 70 issues
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Lovely Idea; Floral Hoop
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Strategies for better Seams
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Nature’s Remedies
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Woodland Mini Tubs
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Fantastic Mr Fox
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Meet the Maker: Debra Thompson
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Floral Notebook Cover
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Autumn in the Garden
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Home Comforts
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In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables
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Templates
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Contributors
Debra Thompson Creating unique treasures from preloved and vintage items - meet Debra of Miss Clementine
November November is the month for fog and frosts, that will bring the last few leaves tumbling to the ground. I breathe deeply as I walk in the woods with the Newfies, enjoying the wonderful earthy fragrance from those leaves that fell earlier in the season and that are beginning to decay underfoot. There’s still colour along the lanes and in the hedgerows, bracken and bramble offer shades of gold and a rich purplish-brown whilst the seed heads of wild clematis - known as Old Man’s Beard - still festoon the hedges on either side of the path. Then as we return down the narrow winding lane that brings us through the village and home again, there are still a few roses shining out in sheltered places, and the lemon-yellow fireworks of winter jasmine have begun to burst out on house and cottage walls. The churchyard hollies are packed with colour, berries clustering amongst their dark green shiny leaves, for all the world like swarms of scarlet bees or ladybirds.
ceremony attended by the King. This was intended to be the beginning of a Catholic uprising. It failed as one of the conspirators wrote to his brother-in-law warning him not to attend that day. The government were alerted and troops were lying in wait for the hapless conspirators when they returned to the vaults below the Houses of Parliament to light the fuse. Today the air is filled with the sound, smell and light of fireworks - from humble sparklers and bangers in back gardens to spectacular, colourful displays at official events - throughout the evening of 5 November. I am lucky in that the Newfies really don’t mind the noise, but I know it can be an anxious time for those with more nervous animals.
Here in England, November 5th brings Bonfire Night, eagerly anticipated by children up and down the land. On this day in 1605 the conspirator Guy Fawkes was arrested following his unsuccessful attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament during the state opening
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“Needlework from the soul””
Meet the Maker
Fleur Lyon talks to us about her business journeys and the wonderful stitcheries she creates for her business, Fleur Lyon Embroidery Thanks for joining us today Fleur, all the way from the other side of the world - I’m delighted that you’re here! I’ve lots of questions for you, so let’s get started …..
What were the first steps in setting up your business? I have mainly built my business through the beautiful creative community on Instagram. Sharing my journey of creating, and connecting with others on Instagram has been so wonderful!
Did your feelings about stitching alter when it went from hobby to business? When I first started stitching, I already had a little business making and selling crocheted wool posies of flowers. My stitching business flowed on from my posy-making one, and it wasn't long before I was selling my floral art pieces. I still think of my creative work as much as a hobby as it is a business because it's something
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I love, and my heart and soul goes into every piece I make.
What do you wish you'd known before starting? To be honest there's not really anything that I wish I'd known before starting. It's a massive learning journey, but I've enjoyed every part of the ride, and will continue to learn and grow through every experience.
What has been your best business decision? I would say always making sure that my work and ideas are original. There are so many artists/makers on Social Media who are heavily inspired by other people's work. I think it's only natural to feel inspired when you see something beautiful, that draws you in, but I believe it's very important to be as original and unique as you can be with your own creations. Every embroidery piece I make is oneof-a-kind and embroidered freehand with luxurious wool yarn onto a knitted base, with a handcrafted timber frame. It's very
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Nature Notes Redbreast or Robbin Redbreast migrates from the groves and thickets towards the habitation of man in November, and in the frost of the hybernal season comes close to our windows, and even our firesides, when it can find entrance, in search of food.
The Pocket Encyclopaedia of Natural Phenomena, 9
Making the Loveliest Softies
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Moonlit Apples At the top of the house the apples are laid in rows, And the skylight lets the moonlight in, and those Apples are deep-sea apples of green. There goes A cloud on the moon in the autumn night. A mouse in the wainscot scratches, and scratches, and then There is no sound at the top of the house of men Or mice; and the cloud is blown, and the moon again Dapples the apples with deep-sea light. They are lying in rows there, under the gloomy eams; On the sagging floor; they gather the silver streams Out of the moon, those moonlit apples of dreams, And quiet is the steep stair under. In the corridors under there is nothing but sleep. And stiller than ever on orchard boughs they keep Tryst with the moon, and deep is the silence, deep On moon-washed apples of wonder.
John Drinkwater 11
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November Pleasures 1. To give plum jam a sophisticated hint of almond, crack open the stones when you halve the plums and add the kernels along with the flesh. Or use the cracked stones to make an almond-flavoured French liqueur. Simply put the cracked stones into a preserving jar, cover with vodka or eau de vie and leave in a cool dark cupboard for at least three months. 2. When sweet chestnuts are ready to eat, the spiny case conveniently splits open. Collect on country walks, then take them home to roast in the fire for a special autumn tea (remember to pierce the shells first or rather than nicely roasted nuts you’ll have a series of explosions and bits of chestnut everywhere!). Traditional iron shovels for holding them in the fire usually feature a pierced design to let the heat through.
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I can hardly believe that we have reached 70 issues! That means the Bustle & Sew Magazine is nearly six years old - and goodness, how we’ve changed and grown during that time! Bustle & Sew itself began as a blog, way back in 2009, when I first began sharing some of my patterns online then, as the business began to grow and I met so many lovely people through the blog, I thought it would be fun to release a new collection of patterns and perhaps some sewing-related articles each month. Back in 2011 then, the first issue was published - and sent out to a grand total of just 49 readers! Issue 1 had 35 pages and contained three of my own designs, as well as some vintage patterns and one or two other bits and pieces. Thanks to the loyalty of those first subscribers (some of whom are still enjoying the magazine today - you wonderful people!) I persevered and by Issue 17 there were several hundred readers and nearly sixty pages of sewing-related goodies. This was the summer of 2012 the year the UK hosted the Olympics - and I remember standing outside my house in Devon on an unseasonably
cold and cloudy day that month to watch the Olympic torch as it came past my front door on its travels around the country. Fast forward another couple of years and we’re up to the six Bustle & Sew patterns I include today (this is all I can manage, I don’t think there will ever be more than six of my own designs, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day). I changed the cover too, in response to readers’ requests, so that the projects were all shown on the front - much easier for putting your paws on a particular pattern.
parts is “chatting” to lots of amazingly talented makers. The contents have also changed over the last year or so to include not just sewing though this is very much at the heart of the magazine, but also all the other things I love about home and family life here in the Somerset countryside. Now, as we head off into our seventh year (in just a few issues time), I’d just like to say the most ENORMOUS thank you to you - our lovely readers and subscribers. We simply wouldn’t be here without you and I do hope you’ll enjoy our 70th issue celebrations. There will be lots going on over on our Facebook page Meanwhile here’s a link to that very first issue (please don’t laugh - I feel a bit embarrassed by how untidy and small it seems to me now)
In 2014 Rosie joined Bustle & Sew and one of the first things we did together was to update our image, including retiring our old bunny (above) and commissioning a new version. Rosie had lots of great ideas for the magazine too, and it’s thanks to her that we now have some lovely contributors each month - one of my favourite
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Link not available in preview I’m so glad I persevered though, I love putting the magazine together each month and have met so many lovely people through Bustle & Sew. And so again - at the risk of being repetitive - I really do want to say THANK YOU to you all! And here’s to the next 70 issues haha!
Strategies for better Seams 16
Joining two pieces of fabric with a seam is something so fundamental to sewing that perhaps we don’t always give our seams as much time and attention as we should. Then, if you’re like me, you’ll look at a seam that’s perhaps a bit wonky or puckered and wonder what has gone wrong and how to fix the problem. Here are a few tips to help achieve the perfect finish that were passed down to me by my grandma and I do hope you’ll find them useful too …
● Always stitch a test seam on a fabric remnant or offcut. Alter the stitch length until your stitching is completely smooth. If the seam puckers then try altering the stitch tension (bobbin tension rarely needs adjusting). ● If you’re making a garment then be sure to transfer notches accurately. They indicate which piece of fabric go together and will help you when easing awkwardly shaped sections together. So do take your time over cutting out your pieces and carefully marking notches. ● Backstitch both ends of every seam, otherwise they may begin to unravel and weaken your seam. Trim off any thread ends that could catch in your machine as you work, dragging and possibly even damaging the fabric. ● Use good quality thread as poor thread tends to stretch and break.
● If you change the brand of thread you’re using then change your machine needle too. Different brands will pass through the needle eye in different ways, forming a tiny groove in the eye that’s unique to that particular brand. ● Make sure that both sides of your seam are the same length before pinning and tacking. If not, find out why and put things right. ● Some fabrics stretch easily. To counteract this stitch narrow tape into any seams that will have any strain placed on them. ● Too much pressure on the presser foot may cause seams to stretch as you stitch. Too little and your fabric won’t move through your machine properly. ● When sewing pile fabrics such as velvet, the top layer will tend to slide over the bottom layer. If the seam has been tacked this will cause small tucks to form along its length. If you’ve simply pinned the
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pieces together then one layer will end up longer than the other. To remedy this, first either put the pins in at right angles to the seam and closer together than usual, or tack firmly. Then, holding the fabric in front of the machine with your right hand, and behind with your left pull your hands gently apart, so “tensioning” the fabric. Do not pull too hard as this will stretch it. Stitch the seam, allowing the fabric to pass through the machine at the rate the stitches are made, pulling neither from the front or from the back (you may want to practise this first!) Work from pin to pin, repositioning your hands each time. ● Using a larger stitch together with the tensioning technique may also help to remedy stretching.
● Curved seams can be used decoratively - for example if a central circle
Fantastic Mr Fox 18
The fox seems to be everywhere in the craft world surely one of the most popular autumn images. But apart from debating the ban on foxhunting, or perhaps being annoyed by urban foxes rummaging through our litter bins, how much do we really know about these animals? Foxes have often been the subject of stories and folklore, from the moral Aesop’s fables to the stories of Reynard the Fox in the Middle Ages and, more recently, Brer Fox in the Uncle Remus stories. In most of these stories the fox is cast as the villain, demonstrating cunning and cleverness to try to achieve a somewhat dubious result. These portrayals surely haven’t helped our perception of the fox. The red fox or is the UK’s native species, having lived here since the last ice age, although it is also present across much of the northern hemisphere. It is the largest of the fox species and is an
extraordinary opportunist who will eat almost anything - eggs, birds, beetles, fruit, worms, berries - and of course in urban areas they will feast on rubbish and scraps of junk food which can leave them deficient in essential vitamins, thus leading to health problems. They will take livestock - rabbits and chickens perhaps - if these aren’t safely locked away at night (foxes are mainly nocturnal) but are very unlikely to threaten dogs and cats who are both easily a match for an adult fox.
The fox’s hunting technique actually resembles that of a cat The fox’s acute senses help it locate even well-hidden prey. With stealthy careful footsteps it slowly stalks its victim and then pounces from above - very much like a cat, though in fact foxes are actually closely related to dogs. Unlike dogs however, they are able to partially retract their claws and have extremely acute night
Young fox resting in the daytime
vision even when there is very little light. If the fox finds more food than it can eat in a single sitting, then it will hide a supply for the future. It will dig a shallow hole, then place the food inside, finally covering it with earth and leaves to disguise the hiding place. Foxes don’t hibernate during the winter months, in fact they become more active as the days shorten and the weather grows colder. Mating occurs between the months of December and February during which time the vixen (female fox) will emit piercing eerie screams to which the dog (male) fox will respond with a hoarse, dog-like barking sound that can be heard over long distances. Foxes are generally monogamous, pairing for life with one partner. They are social, family-oriented animals who raise just one litter every year. When the cubs are very
Its natural habitat is woods and fields, though it isn’t too picky!!
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Home Comforts Dried lavender is a long-lasting legacy of summer. If you don’t have the time or inclination to strip the flowers and sew them into classic lavender bags, then simply trim the stems, tie them into small bunches and arrange them in a basket on a shelf, table or windowsill. Gently squeeze a bunch every time you pass by and wait for the evocative fragrance of high summer days to emerge - bliss!
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