Friday 29 July 2011

Get Well Gifts for The Mooster

As you know I went to my brother's for the weekend a few weeks back. Well, whilst there I was lucky enough to have old friend and fellow Worker's Beer Company comrade come visit and bring her fantastic little 4 year old mooster, Emily, along. Non of us had met Manda's lil'un before, so we were thrilled to meet her, bright as a button and quite the sweetie.
Last week we were gutted to learn the little mooster trooper has been very poorly lately. What started out as a suspected mosquito bite turned out to be Kawasaki's Disease, not very well known and hard to diagnose. The doctors finally confirmed and started poor lil' Em's treatment. She's been on an IV drip and in and out of hospital, poor moosters been through the wars, but you will be pleased to know as am I, that she's on the road to recovery!!!!
So I've spent the weekend making her a Hug Bug, and some hair clips (as she's really into hair accessories at the moment) gonna package it all up with some extras and pop it in the post.
GET WELL SOON, MOOSTER!

Thursday 28 July 2011

Beryl Cook Brizzle Exhibition


BTW awesome Beryl Cook exhibition on at the Bristol City Museum at the mo, on till the 29th August, must go again when there are no annoying small children pointing at them going "Look Mum, Boobs!", sigh, where's the culture...

Don't know Beryl Cook? For shame! Bet you do really, here look, This is Beryl Cook's work....see I knew you knew.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Kite Flying ROCKS!

Me and BG got some kites and went kite flying on the Downs on Saturday. His one only flies once the wind is 5mph but my one is like super easy and flies in anything, you can walk along flying it like a ballon on a string. We found a nice open patch and the wind took them both high up to the end of the string, then we lay on the grass and watch the clouds and the kites fly. Super nice...we headed home when the storm clouds began to gather.
When i was a kid my Dad used to make kites from beautiful paper, bamboo poles and string. I think he had a book on kites, and made all sorts of shapes. I have an awesome picture somewhere, I shall dig it out.

And if you appreciate kite flying you'll appreciate the Cloud Appreciation Society, member no.2492 reporting for duty, Name That Cloud!! Answers on a postcard :D

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Awesome Postness

I LOVE POST! who doesn't love post (bills and junkmail not included), sending and receiving post is awesome. Back in the day before the T'interweb it was allllll about post. Man, I used to stack them up, in fact I still have them all, I consider them highly valuable, one of a kind, pieces of time. Many I have were actually notes passed in class, but those are timeless, priceless, Hannah history.
Anyways, I like post lots. So me and Ams have been getting a little post vibe goin on. She sent me this extremely awesome canvas bag, oh yes, that does say Brixton Wholefoods, that's right, Representing Brixton, oh yea.
So I got my hooks began that new crochet trick I learnt with the flowers but used a tiny needle ( don't ask me the number, I don't know, it was just very small) and I used embroidery thread. Seeing as it was for Ams, I researched a bit of 60's colour themes, and whilst doing my Bristol walkabout one saturday picked up a Banksy postcard from the Bristol city museum (which I love). I stitched the flower on a brooch back and after punching some holes in the card, pinned it on, super awesome postness, ta da.

Monday 25 July 2011

Swearing for a Good Cause


To help raise money for Alzhemiers Society I have created a swear jar for my desk, it’s just for me and anyone else can join in if they wish. Depending on the swear depends on the donation, and no, you can’t pay in advance to have a swears rant....oh alright you can, it’s for a good cause.

Update: I raised £7 in swears! That's 70 swear words! Hee hee hee

Sunday 24 July 2011

Memory Walk: Please Sponsor!


On the 18th Sept I shall be doing a sponsored walk across London. It’s called the Memory Walk and is raising money for the Alzheimer’s society, I’m using Just Giving to raise money, please donate.
About 5-6 years ago my father had a stroke, and the damage it cause to his brain caused a stroke induced form of dementia. For my BA graduation film, I created an animation about what I felt my Dad was going through, 'Lost and Found'.
The Alzhemier’s Society helps people like my father but it’s not just raising money that I want to do this walk for, I really want to talk to other people who have been through the same thing, I’m looking for advice and tips.
My mother is my fathers full time carer, and as he gets older my father becomes more dependent on my mother. Up until recently they were managing, Dad could remember where the shop is, and would find his way to college up and back 2-3 times a week. Now he forgets we are in London and not Kansas anymore, he’s still jolly and cheerful and I think we all wanna keep him that way.
My Dad has been a keen artist and crafts man all his life. Since his illness he has been going to ceramics and various other art classes and we have all taken great pride and pleasure in his artwork, but as he gets more dependent on support it’s harder for my mum to get him to those places. So i wanna find out what arts and crafts opportunities there are out there for my Dad and what kinda support there is for my Mum.
Dad at Clapham Common





Sunday 17 July 2011

Glass Sketches

I got some glass paints from Sew n Sew in St. Nicholas' Market. I also collect jars for recycling.
I couldn't think of any project theme, but I was itching to use my new paints, so I sketched the view through the window and coloured it in. I really like it, I shall probably keep it.

Update: Fabric Sketchbook

Well, as you can see from my last blog post, I have finished my fabric sketchbook. So phase 2 comes into play, I've unpicked the book and tuck the covers away safe and now I treat each picture as any other fabric art, I suspect applique, embroidery and who knows, whatever inspires me. I shall keep you updated. For now here's a few I finished with...



Leeds

 Breakfast at my brother's is AMAZING, this picture does not do it justice! 
A country walk in the city

Well, staying at my brother's house in Leeds, I had lots of inspiration to finish off my sketchbook. His house, though in the heart of Leeds is surrounded by greenery and natural beauty, with a city farm opposite his house, his neighbours even brought round ferrets which I got to walk all round the party, over trees, bushes, rocks and people.
Sooty
Ferret
Goat feeding at the farm

Monday 11 July 2011

Flowers in their Hair

Whilst I'm off in Leeds with the sis and the bro, BG's three fabulous nieces came down to visit him in Brizzle and they all went off to Weston Super Mare seaside. I recently learnt a new crochet trick of making layered flowers, so I made three pink variations and mounted them with felt onto hair clips.

Unfortunately BG couldn't get a picture as the girls were running around in the sand but here's a pick with me and them. I am defo gonna have to make some for myself! :D


And here is one of Big Grizzle's fabulous nieces with new Flower Hair Clip :D
 

Saturday 9 July 2011

Little Yellow Tote, thanks to online Tutorial

Since I got my sewing machine I've really been wanting to make up some tote bags. I got heap loads of fabric that is suitable but I just wasn't sure how to do the handles.
I've recently gotten into Pinterest and have been constantly inspired by it. Then the other day I spied a free tote tutorial at Shiny Happy World, so i downloaded it and Friday night after work I pieced it together.
I was super super pleased with it, espiacally as it's just the right size to carry around my current crochet project. I'm really inspired and am going to make a load more. I particulary like th lining from a fat quarter I picked up in Fabric Land, Bristol.


Hooray for tutorials and my new Sewing Machine!

Thursday 7 July 2011

Crochet Case

My old crochet case I picked up in a charity shop years ago. It's awesome in that it's sturdy and compact but it's got old and attracted mould.
On my inspired rounds of Pinterest and craft blogs, I must have subliminally seen a crochet case because after making my little yellow tote my mind starting ticking about how to make a crochet case roll.



To cut a long story short, here it is:


Lol, just had a look at my Pinterest and seen my inspiration, I had just pinned it yesterday and forgotten about it! and it has a tutorial! I made this one up but sometimes that's half the fun I guess :)
My Pin Board

P.s. all you crochet buddies of mine out there...expect one in the post ;)

Wednesday 6 July 2011

Upcycle Old T-Shirt into Pillow

My Beautiful New sewing Machine
and me
Big Griz loves his T-shirts, particularly his Marvel related ones.
So it was a sad day when his Xavier Institute t-shirt ripped beyond repair.
But inspired by my old t-shirt pillow made from my Kansas City Chiefs top, I set about converting his old T into a new pillow. T'was really quite simple and BG is v.happy with his new pillow.
Oh and he found a new stockist for his Xavier Institute T.
Happy Big Griz

Tuesday 5 July 2011

Fabric Sketchbook-WIP

This is a concept I was inspired by from looking at all sorts of blogs and flickr pics about embroidery.
I saw people sharing patterns and it got me thinking about my drawings and lines and stitching.
I have embroidered in the past, using mainly satin stitch to 'colour in'.
So I cut up a large peace of plain cotton fabric I had and cut up 2 pieces of cardboard and book bound the whole lot together...anyways it's still all a work in progress so watch this space...in the meantime, here's a sneak preview:



Monday 4 July 2011

The Kitchen Veg Ledge

Currently missing a garden in my life. Anyone who knows me knows I am have keen green fingers. So apart from occasionally working on my mum's and my mum's neighbours garden, I have my kitchen window ledge.



 Ooo one Tomato, this could be the only one that we get so let's make it GIANT! We also have a pot of lettuce, we got the seeds free in a packet of cakes, are they trying to tell us something....feel guilty eating the leaves, chomp chomp..
 On a sunday BG and I like to stand in the kitchen and laugh at the people trying to get into the Co-op cause they don't know it's closed, they walk up to the automatic doors which don't open then they look at their watches then they slouch off, sometimes they can hear us laughing, good times...

Our chilli peppers are doing really well, I only like growing chillis not eating them, tooo hot, BG likes eating them.


Sunday 3 July 2011

Buttons and a Bullet







I was talking buttons with my good friend Amber and we started prowling ebay to see if they had any 60's buttons for Ams new 60's dress. I got a bit carried away and distracted as one does with the internet and shopping and stumbled upon a job lot of buttons for sale. A large tin of buttons and an old sewing box, with all it's content.

With over-excitement, slight insanity and a simple click of the button, I'd bought the lot. Stupidly I hadn't checked the delivery address and had accidently sent them to my mum's so I had to wait even longer, before I could play with them.
Finally on a trip to visit my folks, I got to open my parcel. Too exciting. The sewing box was full to the brim with buttons and clearly someone's working sewing kit, in much need of renovation, also over flowing but I shall tell you about that later.





The button box was a very large quality streets tin, full to the brim with buttons, from vintage to eighties to sparkly to wooden, some still on old Woolworths cards for 29p, super super exciting, I sat there for hours going through them.
Then I found the first scrap of intrigue. A postcard with an old type-written correspondence about replacing buttons at Saville Row. Who was this mysetry gentleman, who needed his buttons replaced? The shop still exists, Huntsman of Saville Row, I might take it down to see if they can shed some light on the mystery.



The next even more intriguing mysetry was the discovery of a bullet!!! Yes, you heard me right. Nestled inside a plastic bag with military buttons was a very small bullet-shaped object. Surely not, I thought and posted it on facebook to see if anyone recognised it.

Due to the button connection a few people thought it might be some sort of thimble, my brother Doug suggested hitting it with a hammer but after a fair amount of debate, BG's mum popped up and said "It's an ammunition shell casing hun bang-bang" I don't know why I didn't think to ask her first, she was in the army for years, doh!
So I dragged archeologist and ex-TA man Lee to the Imperial War Museum and got it confirmed, and also found out it's a blank and the buttons are Royal Artillery buttons, the man there wasn't any more helpful, but Lee dug into the book shelves and started pulling out button books (unlike me, he knew the correct terminology) we found out these buttons were some sort of dress buttons but we found out no more.

My other brother Bill whose a bit clever concluded this:

"At a guess - .22 rimfire, 6 point star crimped, black tipped, short round blank. Used in a Lee-Enfield SMLE No.2 MK IV Rifle or it's derivative by a WW2 re-enactor.

Logic. Army buttons and blank bullets =~ reenactor. 5mm ~= .22" (pre-decimal rifles or copies). Those Lee-Enfield rifles were used by Dad's army and cadets for practise in the UK - originally converted from .303's in WW1. The MK IV and it's derivitives were purpose built .22 @ WW2 - the smaller caliber was because of the shortage of metal and it was only practise anyway. The rest is visible in the pic. As for AS - it's probably the manufacturer as I couldn't find another meaning."

So on my next visit to London I shall be going to the Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich and may also pop into Fat Boys Diner and perhaps go on the Woolwich ferry, anyone wanna come?
Unfortunately I had to leave my button box at my mum's, cause I had to use my granny trolley to take home my new sewing machine (more about that later) and my sewing box for renovation.
I thoroughly reccomend buying mysterious button boxes from ebay, a heap lot of fun and inspiration has been had!