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Welcome to the February Issue
Helen xx
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Tips for Stitchers There comes a moment in (nearly) every project when you think to yourself - this is never going to work, it looks awful, I’ve been wasting my time. Don’t give up! I find this is particularly true of softies before they’re completed and assembled, for example my raccoon softie missing his arms and legs and without proper eyes simply doesn’t look like anything at all, except perhaps a lump of grey felt with funny sticky-out bits. But I’ve found it to be true of almost every project that if I persevere things generally do turn out right in the end. I’m sure this is true for a lot of those unfinished projects that end up in the scrap bag. Why not dig one out and give it another go - you may be pleasantly surprised by the results!
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57 Between this month’s covers … Tips for Stitchers
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The Language of Flowers
February Almanac
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Lovely Idea: Subway Art Canvas
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All You Need is Love Hoop
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Rosie’s House Plants Hoop
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Valentine’s Day
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Upon Seeing Snow for the First Time
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Meet the Maker: Boxroom Bazaar
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Rosie’s Recipes: Winter Sunshine
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Lovely Idea: Valentine Mug Cosy
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Lovely Idea: Knitted Heart Cushion
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Signs of Spring
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Raccoon Softie
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Scruffy Dog Door Stop
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Meet the Artist: Rachel Grant
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Poetry Corner
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An Embroiderer’s Work Box
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Shrove Tuesday: Flipping Lovely
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Fox and Friend Key Fobs
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Nature Notes
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Home Comforts
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Bunny Love Cushion Cover
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In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables
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Meet the Maker: Sarah J Perry
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Templates
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February One of the earliest, and very welcome, signs of spring is the appearance of snowdrops in gardens, woodland and hedgerows across the country. “Chaste snowdrop, venturous harbinger of spring,” wrote Wordsworth. But be careful - rejoicing that spring has arrived when the very first flowers appear may be a little premature!
On a snowdrop walk there will be very few other flowers to be seen - perhaps you may spot some early violets and some catkins of lambs’ tails - the male flowers of the hazel in the hedgerow. Snowdrops begin to flower when the weather is still decidedly wintry as their leaf tips are tough enough to push up through the frozen ground. Not for nothing are the called in France and snow piercers in parts of Britain. Many parts of the country organise
snowdrop walks this month - if you’re in the UK then just click here for a list of some of the best ones across the country. Be sure to wrap up warm if you’re setting out on a walk though as February is renowned for having the most unpleasant weather of the year. Rain and snow are welcomed by the farmers though as they help to prepare the ground ready for the spring sowing. Indeed country folklore welcomes bad weather this month as we are told “If in February there be no rain, ‘tis neither good for hay nor grain.” Whatever the weather, by the dend of the month frogs and toads will be beginning to wake from their hibernation and if it’s been a mild winter then you may see early frog and toad spawn in ponds. Birds are beginning to pair up too - there is a tradition that they choose their mates on Valentine’s
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Day - the 14th of the month - and the volume of song will increase throughout the month as they strive to attract mates and defend their territories. If you have pets, then you can give them a hand with their nest building by putting out the hair after grooming, while dried grass, yard strands are also much appreciated. A hanging basket with dead vegetation and moss left over from the previous summer is a wonderful source of nest-building material for many species, but before you pull it apart do be sure that a wren or robin hasn’t already made their home there. In the Christian church, the 40 days (excluding Sundays) are known as Lent, a period of fasting that symbolises the time spent by Christ in the wilderness. Although many of the church’s rules concerning what should and shouldn’t be eaten during this period have been relaxed, many of us try to give up
Meet Sharon of Boxroom Bazaar, who combines painting and embroidery to produce the most beautiful designs - I especially love her adorable cats! Hello Sharon, and welcome to Bustle & Sew. We’re really looking forward to hearing more about you and Boxroom Bazaar, so let’s begin ….
How long have you been stitching? It all started over 15 years ago when I made my daughters (who are now 18 and 20) personalised Christmas stockings. Over the next few years I made more for other children in the family. Whilst I'd made home furnishings prior to that it was the design aspect that I really enjoyed - that is what led me to creating 'hoop art' - textile art using embroidery hoops as a frame.
How did your business come about? I bought a book called 'The Shops' by India Knight. In it she talked about a website called Etsy where you could buy handmade goods. As a lover of craft fairs I
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thought this was a fantastic idea - purely from a shoppers perspective. My daughters suggested I could open my own shop and after some hesitation I took the plunge. I started off by making Christmas stockings but this has its obvious limitations so I moved onto to making textile pictures for babies and children. I was often asked to make something with an specific animal and that is something that's continued to be a theme.
And how did you choose its delightful name? The first thing you have to do when you open a shop on etsy is think of a name. I did some brain storming with my daughters but thought I'd focus on where I work. We are lucky enough to have a spare room in our house - like many spare rooms it's pretty small ie a 'box
Meet the Maker
room'. It's where I worked when I started out hence the name Box Room Bazaar!
In your work you often combine painting and stitching, can you tell us a little more about this technique? When I started making textile art I would make pictures using fabric and felt but I became frustrated with the limitations when it came to adding the finer details, such as features. I decided it would be so much easier if I could just draw or paint them onto the fabric. That's when I started to experiment with fabric pens and paints. It involves quite a bit of experimentation using different paints and not all fabrics take well to painting and drawing. Once I've painted the design I usually feel the picture needs 'something else', more colour or a different texture. The joy of painting on fabric
Some of Sharon’s beautiful creations for Boxroom Bazaar - so much more than simply cats!
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Flipping Lovely! Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
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Our Bunny Love Cushion Cover features both machine and hand sewing techniques as well as a really easy floral border that sets off the design to perfection. It’s just right for the new spring season ahead!
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The Language of Flowers
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Lemon Drizzle Cake This is one of our family favourites - and is great made with oranges (you may like to reduce the amount of sugar if using oranges) too, the perfect teatime treat!
Ingredients ● 100 g soft margarine
Method
● 175 g caster sugar
● Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
● 175 g self-raising flour
● Grease and line a 7” round or 1 lb loaf tine.
● 1 teaspoon baking powder
● Measure all the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and mix well for about 2 minutes until everything is smooth and well combined.
● 2 large eggs ● 4 tablespoons milk
● Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and level the surface.
● Juice and finely grated rind of one lemon
● Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake shrinks away slightly from the sides of the tin and springs back when you press the centre lightly with your finger.
● Additional 100g granulated sugar for topping.
● While the cake is in the oven make the topping. Simply mix the lemon juice and granulated sugar in a bowl, stirring until well blended
● Makes 1 x 7” (18 cm) cake or 1 lb loaf
● When the cake comes out of the oven drizzle the topping over it while it’s still warm.
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An Embroiderer’s Work Box For me, the joy of embroidery isn’t simply the finished article, but also the hours of pleasurable work involved in creating even the smallest piece. The dictionary describes embroidery as “inessential ornament” which seems a heartless description as it gladdens the heart and soul of the stitcher as well as the eye of the beholder. Before printed textiles became widely available the only means to decorate fabric items was often embroidery. And when embroidering by hand it’s true to say that every stitcher is making a unique creation, even when working from a cross-stitch chart for example, no two pieces of work will ever be exactly the same, and
that’s a wonderful thing I think, in this age of mass production.
you pleasure for many years to come.
Embroiderers are fortunate in that we don’t need any expensive or space-taking materials or pieces of equipment to enjoy our hobby. An added bonus is that everything we use - fabric, floss, needles and scissors are easy and portable, so it’s easy to take projects around with us - wonderful for those long journeys and to take on holiday too.
You don’t need a large work box as you only need a few tools for successful stitching. I have a collection of vintage tins in which I keep everything I need for different projects, so I can simply scoop one up and go!
It’s very important to make sure that the materials and tools you select for your project are of good quality and appropriate for the work in hand. With the right items in your work box you will be able to achieve great results and have the satisfaction of knowing that your finished piece of work will give
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The essential items you’ll need are:
Embroidery scissors These are small and sharp for snipping floss. They sometimes have curved blades so you can snip ends without risking cutting into the work itself.
Home Comforts As well as making yummy treats, lemons have lots of uses around the home. Try freshening and moisturising the air in your home on dry winter days by making your own room scent that also doubles as a humidifier. If you have a wood-burning stove, place an enamelled cast-iron pot or bowl on top, fill with water, and add lemon (and/or orange) peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and apple skins. No woodburning stove? Use your stove top instead and just simmer the water periodically. You can use lemons to give your microwave a good clean without risking scratching the surface with harsh cleansers. Simply mix 3 tablespoons lemon juice into 1 ½ cups water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High for 5-10 minutes, allowing the steam to condense on the inside walls and ceiling of the oven. Then just wipe away the softened food with a cloth.
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