Working on some new embroideries, which I'm very excited about!

Meanwhile many of my previous embroidered works are on exhibition at The Hive in Muizenberg.

A pocket full of stars

This August I created two new handmade items for my 'me made' wardrobe, my Orian's Nebula dress and my Hotel of Bees Shawl. The Orian's Nebula dress is made from the Zeena dress pattern designed by By Hand London, it's the third time I've made this dress and I plan to make more. The pattern is fairly simple to construct and I find the shape easy to wear. The fabric, a stunning print of Orian's Nebula, is a silk cotton blend that was very kindly given to me by the beautiful Sian of the Kittenish Behavior podcast when I won her subscriber giveaway (if you want some serious sewing inspiration I highly recommend her YouTube channel).

My second make, The Hotel of Bees Shawl, is a crochet shawl designed by Christina Hadderingh from A Spoon Full of Yarn. The shawl pattern is inspired by a book, 'All the light we cannot see' and references bees throughout. I used three types of sock yarn in making my shawl (Nurturing fibers, Cowgirl blues and a small amount of Elle for the gray) which gives it a lovely drape.

Love Cats

My embroidery has weaved it's way onto the tummy's (and tails) of the cat cushions.  I honestly feel this is some care bears throw back influence from my youth....but I like it. It's fun to find new places to stitch your embroideries, yay for embroidered cat tummy's!  I feel many more of these...um...love cats are in my future.

Oh, so flower power!

Love Cats!

All about the socks

I wanted to knit socks, I'd never really knitted before, apart from once with nanny when I made a scarf full of holes that was about a meter long. Nanny had to cast it on and off...I still have it..a terrible thing. Anyway that scarf (if you can call it such) was years ago before I taught myself to crochet. Now I wanted to teach myself to knit socks...and...I did! (with help from you tube and a lovely friend who is an expert knitter). I am now knitting my second pair but that's another story for another post.

I called the socks The Vintage Rose Socks...I think it's right to name your socks if you are going to spend all that time making them....don't get me wrong, it is time well spent....the good times!

I used sock yarn by Nurturing Fibers based in the Western Cape and 2.75mm double pointed needles.

and...my toes look like elf toes!

Yay!

Because Fabric Men have lives too...

Artwork by Warren Raysdorf

Fabric Men available at Ginas Textile Studio, Muizenberg, Western Cape

and by custom order.

The Wisteria ate my dress

Another me made dress, made using the By Hand London Zeena sewing pattern, which I won (along with many other wonderful sewing gifts) in the Kittenish Behavior subscriber giveaway, eep!

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSGTPd1ZS0rbx-N-2yr1v2Q

The fabric used is an African wax print on cotton.

Love made simple

Spring

I'm still in Cape Town, for the time being, but since it's spring in the UK it felt like the right time to get out the British spring flowers I crocheted last year. I'm wondering what they will become. I've made daffodils, daisy's, forget-me-nots and a large flower whos name I have forgotten. Now, what should they become?

Pass the milk, please.

A succulent coffee cup

The Mushroom dress

The most recent update to my handmade wardrobe is this corduroy pinafore, I made it from a cotton and chalk sewing pattern. I keep referring to it as my mushroom dress and have daydreams of wearing it in the woods while searching for porchini mushrooms. As soon as it rains I'm going to the forest to search for mushrooms in this dress...oh yes I am!

Do you unicorn?

Painted last year and now hanging in my kitchen, so I can cook and think magical thoughts.

Three fine friends

So, as one does...I created 'Victorian' style portraits of animals in crochet.

As they are crochet made they have a slight stuffed animal feel about them and their eyes do follow one around the room...but in the most friendly of ways!

Succulent tea set

Succulents in a tea set, embroidered on turmeric dyed cotton. One more illustration to embroider in this range....the milk jug!

Sew Over It and the Red Shoes

I have found a dress pattern that I love, it has a full circle skirt and wearing it feels like dress up fairy tale time! ...and yes I am supposed to be an adult! It's the Betty dress pattern by Sew Over It, London. I've now made my second Betty in a pale blue cotton and I just want to twirl.

The fairy tale The Red Shoes comes into my mind when I wear this dress, perhaps because I've painted that story with the girl in a very similar dress! The red shoes does not need to be a negative story either, I believe it's about how making things yourself can be empowering and if you let someone cause you to throw these self made things away you will become vulnerable and powerless.
If you know the story you may remember she originally had made herself a pair of red shoes that would of probably served to protect her if she had not thrown them away.

  

Mitsuko, as always, was very helpful while I made my magical Betty dress...