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A Bustle & Sew Publication Copyright Š Bustle & Sew Limited 2013 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 2013 by: Bustle & Sew Coombe Leigh Chillington Kingsbridge Devon TQ7 2LE UK www.bustleandsew.com
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Hello, September brings a definite change in mood, with chilly early mornings full of the sound of children’s voices as the new school year begins. There’s a change in our stitching too - gone are the sun-bleached linens, tickings and canvas, and our thoughts begin to turn towards preparing for the colder months ahead - and our Christmas sewing too of course! The colours of autumn - russets, golds and burnt oranges begin to appear in the hedgerows, and in this month’s issue too you’ll find pops of colour appearing - cheerful red toadstools (a great gift or bazaar make), Grandmother’s bunny has a colourful dress whilst the baby owls, Winken, Blinken, Nod, Laisy and (of course!) Daisy are sure to make you smile whilst keeping winter chills at bay. I’d also like to thank everyone who took the trouble to return my subscribers’ survey - one suggestion that I’ve put into practice immediately is to collect all the templates together at the end of the magazine to help save on paper and ink as you don’t need to print them until you want to make a particular project. I hope you approve of this change - and do let me know if you have any other suggestions. Next time there’ll be the first Christmas projects to begin, and my first quilt pattern for a long time so don’t forget to watch out for the October issue - sent to your in-box on Thursday 26th September. Happy stitching!
Helen xx
Notes from a Devon Village
Page 4
Toadstool Pin Cushions
Page 6
The Colour Yellow
Page 10
Winken, Blinken, Nod, Daisy & Laisy
Page 13
Early Autumn Abundance: Your Harvest
Page 16
A Nice Pear
Page 18
Making Your Own Pot Pourri
Page 22
Grandmother’s Bunny
Page 24
Lavender Favours
Page 26
Ditsy Floral Collar
Page 27
Your Camera: Not Just for Holidays
Page 30
Russian Dolls Cushion
Page 35
Recipe Corner
Page 39
A Last Look: Vintage Textiles
Page 42
Templates
Page 43
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Notes from a Devon Village
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eptember is a month of change as the summer draws to a close and autumn beckons. This month sees the last of our seasonal visitors, retired couples and those without children who aren’t tied to the rhythms of the academic year so can make the most of the quieter beaches and less busy roads. Blackberries, elderberries, hips and haws shine like jewels in the hedgerows and up at the farm at the top of the hill the geese are growing fat and confident, little knowing that their fate is sealed and their field will be empty on Christmas morning. Still, they seem to have a very happy life in the meantime, honking and hissing at Daisy and Ben as we go by. they’re very good, perhaps a nice juicy bone or another delicious treat later on! The round of village fetes, fairs, garden days and regattas comes to an end this month too, and is replaced by amateur dramatics (Blithe Spirit will be performed in Malborough Village Hall this month), evening classes and the resumption of regular activities postponed over the summer months, such as the W.I. and, of course, our Pensioners’ Lunch Club. Out too go salads, ice creams and barbeques as we are asked to bring our contributions for the Harvest Festival and the supper that follows. I have plenty of apples in my garden, but it’s hard to find any shiny perfect versions that would be good to decorate the church as Daisy loves to pounce on the windfalls, tossing them in the air and chasing them as they roll down the lawn. This means they’re all heavily bruised and pockmarked with puncture holes left by her sharp white teeth. I think I’ll have to brave the
The dew is heavy on the grass in the mornings now, though the days are still warm and summery, and the newfies look as though they’ve been swimming, as the fur on their round furry tummies is soaked through when we return home from our early walks. But they don’t mind while the prospect of a lazy day spent snoozing in the summer house awaits, and, if 4
Toadstool Pin Cushions A lot of fun - these will make great gifts - lovely for craft fairs too! Use just the tiniest amounts of fabric and a vintage wooden cotton spool (a modern plastic one will work too) to create these delightful little pin cushions. Pin cushion measures approx 2 ½” tall (depending on spool used)
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A Journey through Colour: Yellow What is purple in the earth, red in the market and yellow on the table? (Old Iranian riddle) We are all familiar with the images of Buddhist monks with their saffron-coloured robes - and I know I had assumed that before synthetic dyes became widely available that saffron had indeed been used to dye these garments. But I hadn't stopped to think this through properly. Buddhist robes are worn to show humility - not to show that the wearer was wealthy enough to dress in garments dyed with the most expensive spice in the world. In Tibet, m o n k s ' robes were usually dyed with turmeric which was cheap and the colour of the earth. In Thailand, their robes are often coloured with the heart of the jackfruit and the official Day of Dyeing falls in November every year when the monks go down to the river in the early morning with their fruits and pots and colour their robes again.
Crocus growing Saffron crocuses are grown in many locations from Spain to Iran, France and Morocco, as well as in New Zealand, Tasmania and the United Kingdom. But if you are seeking crocus fields, then don't look for fields of gold - in fact the yellow dye spice comes from a beautiful purple flower. There is something magical about the saffron crocus Crocus sativus. The flower appears overnight, blooms for less than one day, then disappears by the evening. If it is not harvested by noon on the day of flowering the spice loses its potency, but it is such a delicate and painstaking process that nothing can be rushed. The purple petals are of no value at all, it is the red stigmas that are the source of the spice. Even today the stigmas have to be removed
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Little Owls Draught Excluder Winken, Blinken, Nod, Laisy and Daisy are five adorable baby owls all lined up in a row ready to keep those chilly winter breezes away from your toes. Beach pebbles make them heavy enough to stay put on even the windiest night - and it would be fun to make just one for a doorstop perhaps? Finished draught excluder measures 30” x 9 ½ “ (approx) © Bustle & Sew 2013 7
Early Autumn Abundance Making the most of your harvest …..
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n these days of supermarkets, mass distribution and the global economy, most of us see plenty of fresh produce throughout the year. But, here in the Northern hemisphere, September still heralds the season of abundance and harvest. Gardens, shops and countryside are laden with nature’s offerings, whilst some of the richest pickings are free from hedgerows and trees. You may find nuts, crab-apples and all sorts of berries, whilst here in Devon, it’s common to see stalls outside houses - sometimes just giving away fruit as the trees are so heavily laden. If you don’t have time to use up the baskets of apples or wind-fallen pears, then you may begin to feel a bit guilty - but don’t! Nothing will be wasted by the time birds, insects and small mammals have taken their share.
Now is the time to concentrate on storing and preserving this harvest bounty as local produce, to my mind at least, is much more delicious than the supermarket offerings and lovely to keep and enjoy in the colder months ahead. The last of your summer roses can still be harvested for their petals as many of the old-fashioned varieties have a second blooming round about now. Late lavender should also still be available, together with most other garden herbs, though they will by now have lost their summer freshness and strength. Country houses with productive fruit trees often have spacious outbuildings that are good to use for storing surplus fruit. However well-built these might be though, it’s always hard to keep pests such as rats, mice and insects, away from your juicy store. At one time large houses would have had special fruit stores, often circular in construction, with row upon row of wellventilated shelves. These days not many of us have the luxury of special fruit stores, but slatted shelves arranged in tiers in a
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A Nice Pear Applique If pears are more your thing, then here’s a very plump and juicy looking pair! I think they have a sort of vintage mid-century look, whilst the faux patchwork surround is a great way to use up all your fabric scraps. Shown mounted on a 16” square canvas block
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It’s easy, fun and inexpensive - plus you know exactly what’s gone into it!
Fixing the perfume:
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t’s surprisingly easy to make your own pot-pourri as it can include any scented leaf, root or flower that you have available. Collect your material in fine weather, and dry it in a warm, shaded place where the air can circulate around it. As your ingredients come into season, pick, dry and store them in separate glass jars or sealed polythene bags until you have enough to make up your pot-pourri. The choice is almost endless - here’s a few ideas for you: Leaves: lemon geranium (or leaves of other scented pelargoniums), azalea, wallflowers, jonquils, narcissus, pineapple mint, apple mint, basil, birch buds, meadowsweet, hyacinth, Flowers: hawthorn flowers, freesia, jasmine, wild marjoram, myrtle, sweet verbena, bergamot, eucalyptus, roses, carnations, lilyof-the-valley, violets, rosemary, bay leaves, heliotrope, Seeds: fennel, aniseed, coriander, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg Roots: ginger, angelica, orris or sweet flag. If you purchase roots chopped and dried but not powdered, they can be ground in a coffee grinder just before you want to use them.
If you want your pot-pourri to retain its fragrance for any length of time, then you must include a fixative. The easiest to find are orris root, and the peel of citrus fruits such as limes, lemons, oranges and tangerines. Orris root comes from Iris germanica or florentina. If you’re growing and drying your own orris root, then gather the rhizomes about the end of August. Peel the skin off and slice them up. Put them to dry in a warm oven at the lowest heat. At first the root will smell rather unpleasant as the lovely violet perfume only develops after its been kept for some time. The longer you keep it the stronger the scent (two years or more is best). If you don’t want to grow your own, then it can easily be purchased. If you would rather use citrus peel as a fixative, then cut the peel thinly from the fruit leaving the white pith untouched. Cut the peel into small pieces and dry in a warm oven or airing cupboard. When it’s completely dry you can store it in an airtight container until you want to use it, then grind it to a powder in a coffee grinder. Ground citrus peel, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in pot-pourri give a delicious fruit cake smell!
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Grandmother’s Bunny Sometimes vintage can appear amazingly modern - it’s hard to believe that I discovered this little bunny in a vintage sewing magazine from 1933 - hence her name: “Grandmother’s Bunny!” A great project for beginners or a quick easy make for the more experienced.
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Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly, lavender’s green, When I am king dilly dilly, you shall be queen
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Making Lavender Favours We’re all familiar with the old nursery rhyme, Lavender’s Blue - and I’m sure everyone reading this will have come across these old-fashioned lavender favours - but do you know how to make them for yourself - or as a gift for family and friends? Practice makes perfect - and stitchers with nimble fingers will soon be able to create these sweetlyfragranced and completely natural favours. ach favour takes eleven, thirteen or fifteen longstemmed heads of lavender and just over a yard of narrow ribbon. Tie your ribbon just below the flower heads and then bend the stems carefully back one by one over the heads. Then weave your ribbon through the stems, passing it under one and over the adjacent stem, continuing until you’ve used up all the ribbon. Your lavender flowers are now enclosed in a little cage of stems and ribbon.
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Stitch down the end of the ribbon neatly and decorate with small bows or a little lace and your lavender favour is complete.
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Ditsy Floral Collar Minimum fabric for maximum style. Be right on-trend this autumn with my Ditsy Floral embroidered collar. Guaranteed to liven up your winter woollies! I chose a luxurious velvet ribbon to tie at the front, but a narrow satin version would look just as nice - the choice is yours!
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Russian Dolls Cushion Who doesn’t love those cheerful little Russian dolls - or Matroyshka? And here’s the Bustle & Sew collection - complete with pink cheeks and smiling rosebud mouths -with a folk-art inspired applique border and ric-rac edging to give your pillow that “wow” feeling! Cover to fit 16” pillow, but is easy to resize if required.
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This month’s recipe corner is a little bit different as I thought I’d share an evening in the company of Rosie and Dan, Jacqui (Flapdoodledesigns) and her husband Clive. This turned out to be quite a celebratory supper as Jacqui’s dog, young Lionel, had just won the prize for most handsome dog at their village show!
managed to make poppadoms successfully, but purchase them in packets - mine are always too greasy and I find it’s hard to cook them for exactly the right time.
Here he is wearing his rosette - well done Lionel! We decided to eat in the summer house - by late August we know there won’t be too many more opportunities to do this - the evenings are drawing in now, and the nights grow chilly. The table was laid and, as this was to be a vegetarian curry evening, the poppadoms and chutneys were ready.
The main course was Vegetable Korma - a mild, Sadly (for them!) Jacqui and Clive - and Jacqui’s creamy curry with its roots in Mughlai cuisine (the dad George, were a little late so, encouraged by cooking style used between Delhi and the Punjab) the small black furry one, we began on the If you’re unfamiliar with Indian cooking or don’t like very spicy food then it’s a great recipe to begin poppadoms before they arrived! I’ve never with … 16
A Last Look:
Vintage Textiles Vintage textiles have the past woven into their threads - the hands that stitched them, the people who used to wear them and even the rooms in which they were used. It’s a very personal history, full of domestic detail. Some pieces have historical or sentimental value, such as handstitched tapestries and family christening gowns. These should be looked after carefully and professionally restored if needed. But domestic and clothing items belong to a tradition of recycling and reusing - clothes have always been remade and altered, linens reworked when they became worn until finally they were fit for nothing but dusters!
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