Harbingers of Spring

I posted this on my facebook page today in the hope that winter really is gone. However in the UK we all know we could easily face snow storms or torrential rain or inch thick ice tomorrow or the day after or next week or even next month. But its nature and our gardens that convince us Spring really is springing.

I've been using some spring-like colours to crochet too.  I don't usually make much for babies or young children but I read a blog post about what sells at craft fairs and it seems baby makes are popular so I thought I'd try a few items. I found the pattern for these pretty rattles and balls in Greta's Etsy shop ATERGcrochet. I used Petra No3 crochet cotton and bought some rattle inserts on ebay.

Afriend said she would love a jar full of the flower rattles for her windowsill but they are rather time consuming to make - all those colour changes - so it wouldn't be practical time and price wise to make them in large enough numbers to fill vases - if you know what I mean.

Of course you could simplify by using fewer colours and I might try one to see how it works out. On a practical note, I would love to have jingle bells inside instead of a rattle but I haven't been able to find any inserts small enough or make something suitable. If anyone knows of a supplier of jingle bell inserts about an inch square do let me know.

PS I Love You

I made another zip purse/pouch (don't really like that word pouch!), intending to post on Valentine's Day but for various reasons it didn't happen. But I'm going to blog it anyway and damn the consequences!

As travelling crafter I'm always looking for plastic bags to put bits and pieces in but this is much nicer..... Oh yes, I don't have a significant other to give this little love token to so I'm having it! When I saw the heart block idea on Pinterest http://craftcouturebytc.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/tutorial-paper-pieced-heart-with_21.html  the first thought that came into my head was the Beatles song and I Googled it to see when it was released as I can play it word perfect in my head. But what came up were pages and pages of links about a film I'd never heard of.

After further investigation I found it to be the B-side of Love Me Do released in October 1962 and I remembered it so well as it was the first single I ever bought.  Both sides were played over and over in my bedroom on a tiny record player I'd received for my birthday, no doubt driving my parents mad!! Ah, memories memories!

Everything Stops for Tea!

Still enjoying my little embroidery projects, I worked this in just a few evenings.  Whilst I do prefer my projects to have a practical use, a small panel does make a nice gift if you know someone who would appreciate something handmade. And of course you can make it personal to that person. I know quite a few people for whom this one would be perfect!!! I'm sure you do too. :o)

You could of course put the panel in a frame but I saw this way of hanging a project on Claire's Sweet Birdy Love blog last year and wanted to try it. It was a steep learning curve and I made a few errors along the way - including trapping my thumb in the wire cutters! But the next one will be better, not least because I'll buy wire that is easier to bend. I used a wire coat hanger and it was very difficult to work with.

And inbetween times I'm working these little patches that will eventually turn into a baby quilt I have planned. I much prefer having more than one project on the go as it stops me getting bored - but then of course there is the danger of nothing getting finished!!! But knowing there is a definite recipient out there and a definite time scale is an incentive to keep going, so I'm not bored yet!

I used these little drawings for my patterns.  Some of them have been slightly altered so they would fit into the square patch.  Designed by my favourite embroiderer Priscilla Mary Warner in the Dryad Press  leaflet Embroidery for the Nursery.