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A Bustle & Sew Publication Copyright Š Bustle & Sew Limited 2017 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 2017 by: Bustle & Sew The Cottage Oakhill Radstock BA3 5HT UK www.bustleandsew.com
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Welcome to the June Issue I think summer may finally have arrived in my little corner of Somerset (though I t don’t want to scare it away by writing this!) As I sit at my laptop I can see all the schoolchildren going past my windows, laughing and giggling, dressed in bright summer clothes, whilst last week they were wrapped in waterproofs, heads down, battling against the wind and rain - such are the vagaries of the English weather! Whether summer stays or flies away again outside, it’s definitely here to stay in this issue. Rosie makes the most of the season’s produce with some delicious recipes using berries and cherries, whist we enjoy our gardens and countryside with features on roses and not one but two country diary exerpts. There’s plenty of stitching as well with two more (very) little guides, a look at threads and buttons and tips for keeping your workspace tidy. We also welcome Megan Eckman who tells us a little more about her Super Stitcher’s Club and talented ceramicist Jo Lucksted who creates some of the most delightful and quirky designs. I do hope you’ll enjoy this month’s issue, and I’m already putting together the July edition with a bit of a coastal theme. It will be published on Thursday 29 June. Have a lovely month!
Helen xx
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Tips for Stitchers We’re all guilty of impulse purchases, buying new bits and pieces for possibly non-existent sewing projects. But you can easily reduce your sewing costs simply by checking your stash before going shopping as, if you’re anything like me, you’re quite likely to have something suitable already. A neat and tidy work room will help stop you buying unnecessarily as it will be easy to see everything you already have. You should also be strict with yourself - if fabric’s overflowing from storage then you’ve probably already got too much of a good thing! If you’re trying to be a thrifty stitcher, then remember the three magic words - repurpose, reuse and recycle. Little Flora the elephant in the image above is made from fabric cut from a 1930’s vintage curtain result!
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51 16
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61 40 24
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Between this month’s covers … Tips for Stitchers
Page 4
Instagram Inspiration
Page 35
May Almanac
Page 6
Blossom Bear Pin Cushion
Page 36
Geranium Hoop
Page 8
Organising your Workspace
Page 39
Changing your Machine Needle
Page 11
Rosie’s Recipes: Berries and Cherries
Page 40
Meet the Maker: Megan Eckman
Page 12
Lovely Idea: Here Comes the Sun Hat!
Page 46
The Countryside in June
Page 15
Summer Flamingo Hoop
Page 47
All Buttoned Up!
Page 16
A Country Diary (2)
Page 50
Lovely Idea: Sock Kangaroo
Page 18
Meet the Maker: Jo Lucksted
Page 51
Wilderness Bear
Page 19
A (Very) Little Guide to Pins
Page 54
A (Very) Little Guide to Fabric
Page 23
Summer Floral Device Sleeve
Page 55
The Romance of the Rose
Page 24
Home Comforts
Page 61
Poetry Corner
Page 27
In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables
Page 62
Tropical Leaf Cushion
Page 28
Templates
Page 63
A Country Diary
Page 31
Choosing and Using your Thread
Page 32
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June In June the days are at their longest and the nights are short so that, on bright sunny days it can be hard to settle to sleep. The fresh, sparkling dawns, full of the day’s promise and long twilight evenings are so wonderful after the short dark days of winter, that it’s hard to resist the temptation to sit up late, perhaps in the garden, stitching or reading until the dew begins to fall. Stonehenge, on the edge of one of our last great wildernesses, Salisbury Plain in southern England, witnesses the Summer Solstice celebrations on or around 21 June. People have come to this place for centuries, even millennia, to mark this high point of the solar calendar when, here in the northern hemisphere, the days are at their longest. 21 June is also known as “Midsummer’s Day” not, as often assumed, the middle of summer, but from the Germanic “mid” meaning “with”, that is to say, the day that summer finally arrives. Although this is also the moment when the days begin to shorten as we approach autumn (still a long way off!), the summer solstice is by no means the warmest day of the year, but is rather a blend of the luxuriance of spring and the warmth of the high summer months that lie ahead. Along every country lane, as cars pass by, the tall cream white flowers of cow parsley foam along the verges. This plant is also known, perhaps more romantically, as Queen Anne’s lace. The story goes that the eighteenth century monarch would often tour her realm during the plant’s peak flowering season and, as she saw the flowers out of her carriage window, she assumed that her subjects had strewn the roadsides with lace to welcome her. The Coronation of our own Queen, Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953. The ceremony was performed in Westminster Abbey, London by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of heads of state and other dignitaries from all over the Commonwealth. The events of the day were witnessed by 8,000 guests in the Abbey, 3 million onlookers who lined the streets to watch the processions and more than 20 million television viewers worldwide who tuned into the BBC’s live coverage, broadcast in 44 languages. Some people bought their first television set especially
for this day, and invited friends and neighbours round to share the historic moment. The following day brings the wedding anniversary of the man whose abdication in 1936 ultimately brought Elizabeth II to the throne. Edward, Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII) married Mrs Wallis Simpson on this day in 1937. He had abdicated in December 1936 after less than a year on the throne, because of his desire to marry the twice-divorced US socialite who was considered unacceptable as a British Queen Consort. Away from the city, across the countryside elder trees are coming into bloom, their profuse creamy-white flower heads unmissable. Both the flowers and the berries are good for making a variety of drinks such as wines and cordials, whilst elderflower fritters make a delicious snack. Ideally pick elderflowers for edible purposes on a warm dry day and don’t take them from roadside trees as they will be polluted from by exhaust fumes. Deep in the sunlit woodlands you’ll find foxgloves in flower, their tall spikes of purple
“Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James, quoted in Edith Wharton, A Backward Glance (1934) blooms growing perhaps at the shady base of an old fallen tree and a few fields, perhaps those farmed organically or that haven’t been sprayed this year, will be red with poppies. You’ll find it harder to spot the less showy flowers of wild orchids, but this is the month to search for them. There are about 50 species native to the UK, some
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rare and endangered, others relatively common. You are most likely to discover them in marsh areas, in woodland or on chalk or limestone downland, depending upon the species; as they tend to like poor soils you’re unlikely to spot them on agricultural land. Perhaps there may have been orchids growing in the meadow at Runnymede on 15 June 1215, the year that King John set his seal on Magna Carta, the “Great Charter” drawn up by the barons of England who had risen in rebellion against his oppressive and arbitrary rule. The charter confirmed the freedom of the Church, defined the rights and obligations of various sections of the community, and set out the principles of justice and law. It also placed restrictions on the power of the monarch himself, and is therefore regarded as sowing the seeds of constitutional democracy. And, in one of the world’s greatest democracies, on 19 June 1885, the Statute of Liberty arrived in the harbour of New York City in the form of 350 pieces of copper packed in more than 200 crates. A gift from France, it was reassembled at its destination and dedicated by president Grover Cleveland in October 1886. June 23 is Midsummer Eve, also known as St John’s Eve, although most of the activities associated with it are probably of pagan origin. These include dancing around - or jumping through - bonfires, gathering branches and flowers to decorate the home and ward off evil spirits and performing rituals to ascertain the identity of one’s future lover or spouse. Bonfires were traditionally lit on hilltops so they could be seen for many miles and people danced or walked around them in a clockwise direction, representing the apparent daily motion of the sun. Sometimes blazing torches lit from the bonfire were carried through the surrounding fields and villages, whilst torchlit processions were also a feature of the Midsummer Eve vigil in larger towns and cities. Among the plants thought to have particular supernatural power on Midsummer Eve were St John’s wort, plantain, mugwort and hemp whilst it was also believed that the seed of certain fern plants was visible only on this night and that those who managed to catch the seed as it fell to the ground would be invisible while they carried it!
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Changing your Sewing Machine Needle It’s important to change your sewing machine needle regularly as needles quickly become blunt, or even slightly bent which can cause real problems when stitching. In fact almost the first thing I do when I’m experiencing problems with my machine is to change the needle. This can be a little fiddly, but isn’t hard to accomplish with a little practice ….
there’s no danger of inserting it the wrong way round. Generally the flat surface is towards the back of the machine, but do check your manual if you’re in any doubt. ● Holding the needle in position tighten the screw by hand, then finish with a couple of turns with the screwdriver. It’s important the screw is tight to stop the needle becoming loose due to the vibration and movement of the machine as you stitch. A needle that becomes loose will wobble about and bend or break, in the worst case damaging the throat plate and bobbin case.
● Place a small scrap of fabric under the presser foot, then using the screwdriver that came with your sewing machine loosen the screw holding the needle in place by turning it anti-clockwise. The needle will just drop out of the holder and the fabric will prevent it from dropping through to the bobbin.
● If your needle does break when you’re stitching then this might be because it’s the wrong size (generally too small) for the materials you’re using. Try a size up and see if that’s any better.
● Choose the right needle for the project you’re working on and insert as far as possible into the holder. Machine needles have a flat back so
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All Buttoned Up!
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A (very) Little Guide to Fabric Choosing the right fabric is possibly the most important part of your project, since if you don’t get this right, then nothing else will work out properly. That’s why it’s essential to understand the terms used to describe the make up of a piece of fabric especially if you’re ordering online.
which run across the fabric at right angles to the warp threads are the weft threads. The right side of a piece of fabric is the outside or finished side - the side that you want to be visible when your project is finished. It’s very easy to tell which side is the right side on a printed fabric, though can be harder on a plain fabric. It’s pretty obvious then, that the wrong side must be the inside or unprinted side of the fabric - the side that shouldn’t be visible when your project is complete.
The selvedge (or selvage) is the finished edge of the piece of fabric. It’s very tightly woven and won’t fray. It may be printed with the same design as the fabric itself or it may be a solid background colour with dots or squares of the colours used in the design spaced along it. (These are very handy for matching different fabrics together). It may also feature an arrow pointing towards the top if the fabric has a directional design.
And finally, if you imagine a line drawn across your fabric at 45 degrees to the selvedge, then this is the bias. A woven fabric will have some stretch when it’s cut in the direction of or “on” the bias, which is why bias binding is so good for fitting around curves.
The threads that run parallel to the selvedge, ie lengthwise, are the warp threads. Those
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The Romance of the Rose
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The Lavender Bush At her doorway Mrs Mayle Grows a bush of lavender. Large, and round, and silver-pale, Where the blooms, a misty blur, Lift their purple spikes on high, Loved of butterflies and moths, And on these, to bleach and dry, Mrs Mayle spreads little cloths. Tray cloths, mats of cobweb-weave, All of them too fairy-fine For a careful soul to leave Dangling on a washing line, Mrs Mayle lays softly there Till she brings them in once more, Sweet with blossom-scented air, From the bush beside the door.
Elizabeth Fleming
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Choosing and using your thread ….
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Rosie’s Recipes: Berries and Cherries
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A Country Diary The weather being fine we called for half an hour at Mr Bowens’ parsonage at Temple Guiting, who shewed us his handsome church, and took us a little circuit in Mr Talbot’s grounds which are very pleasantly and tastefully laid out, the ground being undulating, the meadows rich and now all alive with haymakers, the distant plantations covering the horizon, the groves under which we strolled cool and umbrageous, the lawns pleasantly broken with single trees and bordered with thickets, the walks neatly kept, the grotto cool and dark, all bespeaking good taste and opulence. The family is in town; so it is that fashionable people desert their country seats, their rich parks and lovely garden in the finest season and live there in onlly the gloomiest months of the year; for when the London season is over, fashion dictates a second edition on an inferior scale at some sea-bathing or watering place or some rambling tour in search of ever-eluding pleasure.
Rev Francis Edward Witts (1783-1854) was Rector of Upper Slaughter in Gloucestershire from 1808-1854
Stourhead, Wiltshire taken last year on a picnic with Rosie and Freddie
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Stitching Notes (Wildflower Design): I have included the original watercolour drawing for this design on the following page, as well as the embroidered version above as I thought you might find this useful when stitching your design. If you are using Sulky Sticky Fabri Solvy you might like to experiment by printing the watercolour version onto your fabri solvy (it’s the right size) and then stitching over that. I often do this and find it’s a really good way of getting the colours just right. Otherwise please just refer to the two images for guidance and use the full size templates provided. Use two strands of floss throughout.
St John’s Wort; the flowers have vanished and all that remains are the beginnings of the seed heads. Work this in stem stitch in two shades of green - 470 and 906.
(2) Cow Parsley: the stem is stem stitch 906 and the clusters of tiny flowers are single twist French knots in 4150 (3) The Knapweed is a little like a small thistle. The leaves and stem are worked in stem stitch in 906 and 987. The base of the flower is worked in tiny single twist French knots using the same two colours, concentrating the darker green on the right hand side. The petals are stem stitch worked in 718 and 814. (4) The Vetch stems and leaves are worked in stem stitch in 4045. The curly tendrils are detached chain stitch linked by straight stitches. The flowers are 552 ad 791 satin stitch.
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