... Lovely ladies - set 2

So, as promised (ok so maybe a little later than promised) the next 4 ladies in the series  I have been making.

Need to blog faster - my making is outstripping my blogging by some way!

My first pair!

 

10 more pieces for hoops got designed, transfered, applique pieces cut and attatched.  Time to begin the furious sewing!

 

(All the pieces you can see here are available for sale as of the date of the post at my Etsy shop - if they are not they have sold (hooray) and there will be new, exciting things in there.)

... lovely ladies

So, last week I promised I would explain why I, seemingly out of the blue made an embroidery lady holding a pie (not that there's anything wrong with this).

A few weeks ago i had the chance to have some time spend making things.  After getting a few jobs done I had on my sewing pile my thoughts started to turn to things I have long wanted to do.  A big one of these is more embroidery work. I love sewing.  I really love sewing, particularly hand sewing and making beautiful things.

I started to learn to sew long before I could do more mundane things like maths and writing, consequently I have had plenty of time to get the practice in!  My undying thanks go out to my Mum who was solely responsible for this wonderment.  She was a needlework teacher before I pursuaded her (though being born) that she wanted to spend time with me instead.  So I was lucky enough to grow up with my own, incredibly clever and talented needlework teacher.  Lucky me!

Thankfully enough of her enthusiam, skill and love of all things crafty rubbed off on me so I can wield a needle and crochet hook in pursuit of lovely handmade things too (although i will never, to my undying sadness be as good at dressmaking as Mum).

Consequently I spent a glorious amount of time as I grew up in sewing departments and habidashery stores as my Mum was purchasing her sewing paraphernalia.  If you have never been in one you have missed a treat (well i think so anyway).  They are places of wonder full of fabrics, buttons, ribbons, sequins, fastenings and all manner of glorious things.  As a child who loved art my particular favourite were the patterns and pattern books containing all the wonderful designs that we could buy and my Mum could make - for me if I was lucky!  I loved the ladies on those patterns.  They are tall, graceful and beautiful and were wearing the most amazing, luxurious clothes.  Now I promise this is not an envy thing but even when I was young it was obvious I was not going to be model or ballerina material.  I don't think I will ever forget the Dr saying if they got a hundred children I would be the smallest or second smallest.  I have, what we call in our family, flatteringly, a 'low slung bum', - my Dad has one too - basically I have very short legs (and in fairness short everything else.  So all people tall and graceful were wonderful to me.

My love of embroidery, patterned fabric and vintage patterns has collided in a pleasing way to make these lovely ladies.  These were the starting point for my journey to pie lady.  Making sense now?   These 3 are the first set - set 2 tomorrow.

... Embroidery Lady with a Pie

I am not boasting here but I am better at making than I am at blogging.  At least I should be thankful it is that way round I guess.

If I was better at blogging it would be perfectly obvious to you why I have made the lady above as you would have seen all the other things I have made but I am not good at blogging so you have no idea!

I have been embroidering for a while now, making all sorts of images but the main pieces I have been creating are a series of ladies based on images from vintage sewing patterns or, like this one 1950s adverts.

This lady is very happy with the pie she has made and who can blame her a good pie is a wonderful thing.  She was made as a gift for a friend who, like myself loves food and cooking and I have many fond memories of sharing wonderful feasts with her.

In an effort to explain how we got here I am going to blog the other things I have made over the next few days until we are all caught up and know where we are at (as best as is possible).

I am planning on making a few more things in hoops as I bought 135 of them today. Wow that is going to be a lot of hoops when they arrive!!!

... Bradley Wiggins

Well an embroidery of Bradley Wiggins anyway - I would be super proud if I had made the real thing!

Thing is, I love sport.  Not one sport.  All Sport (well maybe there are a few things I wouldn't watch).  I used to love playing sport and now I can't I adore watching it.  Bar all the usual stuff (rugby, football, snooker, cricket, multiple motor sports etc) I have reveled in the woodwork world championships, marvelled at Jack Russell racing, got up in the middle of then night to watch olympic performances, stayed up ridiculously late to watch my beloved Green Bay Packers win the Superbowl, spent whole weekends watching sports and recently spent two weeks solid watching the wonderous olympics (seriously - two weeks solid).  But I had never really got into road cycling.  Obviously being British I adore track cycling (we win a lot) but had never really tried out the wonders of the road race.

I had cause recently to see quite a lot of the Tour de France (the second half where wse all reveled in Bradley Wiggins & Team Sky whupping everyone) and then was locked into the Olympic cycling like the rest of the country.  I can't ride a bike to save my life but I adored watching the amazing, complicated, tactical and physical performances required to suceed at this demanding sport - inspiring.  Now I am loving the Vuelta (the tour of Spain) have sat through terrible coverage of the American Pro Cycling and watched a couple of other races too.  I am hooked!

Yes, unashamedly, I started loving it cause Bradley did well (hence my tribute in fabric and thread) but it has gone beyond that.  It is great sport, fascinating tactically, full of superhuman endeavour and absolutely beautiful to watch.  For someone who loves  colour and the outdoors there are the fantastic colours and forms of the riders in the peloton (officially my new favourite word) and the glorious scenery.  As a bonus it is also great to have on when I am making.

This piece is staying with us at home for our own personal shrine but it is also a test piece for a cycling based series I am planning on making - more soon. 

Fingers crossed everyone for the Tour of Britain (9th - 16th Sept) - see website for more info  - can't wait.

... a potting bench

Something a little different today on the making scale, my new potting bench.  I can assure you this is real woodwork - not crocheted, embroidered or constructed from fabric in any way!

This is another 'miriacle of leftovers' project where seeming scrap that is clogging up your life (in this case the shed) gets turned into something distinctly more wonderful and useful that rather than clogging up your life, in fact, enhances it.

I love gardening, particularly veg gardening but it really takes it toll on my less than robust back and knees so we have been on a making it easier to garden campaign for some time now.  I have wanted a potting bench for ages as I end up doing a lot of potting up on the floor (hence the complaints from my back and knees).

I have looked round for some time for a bench I liked to buy and there seemed to predominately be two choices.  Cheap and rubbish or expensive and swish.  I refuse to buy cheap and rubbish and I can't afford expensive and swish.  The will we, won't we debate about whether to make on has gone on for some months.

Anyways as I am not currently working the debate is over - make it!  Especially when you work out all those leftover bits of wood that you trip over every time you go into the shed add up to a simple, robust and very lovely potting bench.

Thanks to Dan for doing the cutting for me thereby leaving me a bit of shoulder function for today.  My bust shoulder didn't think much to the drilling and construction workbut on the upside this means I now have very cool looking (thanks to the Olympics for making strapping trendy) blue and black magic shoulder strapping which has amazingly made my shoulder stop hurting.

I am truly blessed - a free potting bench and a shoulder that looks cool and doesn't hurt.  Result!

...mini monsters

As promised, more of the things I have been squirreled away making....

Mini monsters are both cute and safer to have in your home than fully grown monsters which can, at times, be known to cause certain problems.

Not these super cute lovelies.  They are housetrained, safe and looking for a good home.

They can be found hanging out in my Etsy shop - Debbiemade.  Give one a home, some love and most importantly a name.

... shoes, glorious shoes

I love shoes.  I really, really love shoes.

Ironically however I cannot wear my beautiful shoes very often anymore due to my joint problems.

So I made these beautiful shoes instead.

Mmmmm, shoes.

These are the latest additions to my Etsy shop, pop on over to have a look and see more close up photos - http://www.etsy.com/shop/Debbiemade

... a shop

So, as admitted recently, I have not been overly good a blogging my work.  All that is about to change now as I can reveal my latest makes and why I have not been blogging them.

Debbie made... has branched out and now has an Etsy Shop - Debbie made shop.  I have been squirreled away over the last few weeks getting together a bank of new makes to go in the shop.  The piccies above give you a sneak preview of what can be found in there but feel free to head on over and nosy around at all the new stuff I have been making.

I will blog all my new makes over the next few days - promise!

... Magical Monsters

Some time ago I let on that had a project on the go involving monsters.  Between then and eggmen, beardy egg men, bunting, football hats, kneelers and a whole load of other stuff I have made but not blogged I have been working on these fellas.

The idea behind Monster Magic was that I sent Dan's nephew's a 'Monster Magic' pack and encouraged them to design some monsters for me - who better to design monsters than kids? I would then turn those drawings into real toys for them.  Super cool.

Below are the incredibly brilliant drawings they sent me and my soft and friendly interpretations of them.  The smiles in the photo I have seen of the boys with their monsters makes me think I did an ok job :)

See what I mean?  I could never ever have designed anything this cool!  They were such fun to make I am hoping to be able to do more soon as part of a plan I am hatching to sell more fo my work.  Sadly I can't call my idea Monster Magic as someone has already nicked that name (damn them). 

There is some kind of lovely hand made prize is on offer for anyone who can come up with a better name that no one else has bagged yet.  Thinking caps on and watch this space!

Here they are, one more time....

If any of you have kids and would like drawings made up get in touch.  I can't wait to gte more amazing inspiration in the post......

...Norwich City bunting

I have been making bunting recently for a variety of reasons (more to follow).  As part of Dan's Norwich City themed birthday gifts I made him some 'Norwich City' bunting. 

This is one of those wonderful moments when you think of something you want to make, go into your materials and ribbons to find out that, gloriously, you have all the right stuff and it looks lovely.  Once again, bless my love of (obsession for) saving stuff!