And the winner is…

 

 

Picked by Himself (I hope you didn’t think that was my hand!).

 

 

 

Iz, of Threadnoodle, it’s you! Please email me your address and the brooch will be on its way to you shortly.

I’m grateful to all those who left me a comment, including some who prefer not to do the “Follow” thing – I do understand, and it’s been a really interesting exercise. If you’d still like a brooch, you can use the coupon code frogblog10 to get 10% off a similar one in my Etsy Shop. Or anything else, for that matter… why not make a start on the Christmas shopping?!

(This offer is valid until Monday 12/11/12 at 9 a.m. GMT) 

Winter Lux

Tomorrow sees the opening of this Christmas exhibition at the lovely Platform Gallery in Clitheroe, Lancashire. There’s a nice little slideshow here to tempt you along.

 

“Star Lace – Orion” (above) is one of my framed pieces that’s included, along with a selection of Bloom embroidered brooches (below).

The lacy brooches are also available in my Etsy and Folksy shops if you can’t get to Clitheroe!

New Brooches

This week I’ve been working on some new little brooches along the same lines as my bowls and bookmarks. Well not everyone can offer a suitable home for a bowl that’s not intended to hold anything, can they? And lots of people have Kindles so they don’t need a bookmark…

 

Note my valiant (?) efforts at “styling”… I find this so difficult, trying to come up with suitable props and backgrounds. I need to work on it though, as apart from adding interest, it helps with the problem where pieces show up at many times life size in my shops – NOT flattering for free machining!

The first few of these are in my Folksy and Etsy shops now.

Bloomers

Or, flowers… but did that grab your attention?!

Hot off the Bernina – a batch of “Bloom” brooches, now launched in my Etsy and Folksy shops.

The design was inspired by alliums, and they did start off in suitable shades of purple, but the colours have branched out a bit now… there’s no limit really, I could do rainbow ones! Each flower head is made up of four layers, free machined on dissolvable fabric and put together to make a lacy, three-dimensional structure.  

I made the first few for Textilia’s recent exhibition at Farfield Mill, to tie in with one of my framed pieces, and they sold out. But for this new batch I’ve switched from stick pins to tiny brooch backs. They looked good on long metal “stalks”, but that effect was lost when they were pinned on clothing, and the stick pins were a bit thick anyway. These will work better on fine fabrics I think.

Only trouble is, they look HUGE in the photos in my shops – bigger than life size, of course they don’t seem as delicate and lacy as in real life. Hmm. There’s an awful lot to learn with this online shopping business.

Shop talk

As the sun finally put in an appearance today, I took the opportunity to photograph a couple of new bowls.  They’re now in my Etsy and Folksy shops,  replacing ones that sold.    

While I was playing shop, I thought I’d better review my postage costs. I’ve always been a big supporter of the Royal Mail, and the situation they’re in isn’t their fault, but the recent price increases are stunning. The cost of posting one of my feather-light bowls to a UK address has gone up 55%. For other addresses it’s 60%. Unbelievable.

So if you sell online too, don’t forget to check that you’re charging enough for postage and packing, allowing for PayPal’s cut as well.

And remember that Folksy’s charges for listings and sales have gone up too! 

Back to bowls

This week I’ve had to knuckle down and produce a few more of my “Botanic” bowls. I’d completely sold out of the two most popular designs, Cottage (or Country) Garden and Meadow. It always takes me a little while to remember exactly how to do them, regain the knack, but I think they worked OK. I don’t have a pattern as such, so every one turns out slightly different – that’s the way I like it!  

These two are now in my Etsy shop. 

 

Cottage Garden

 

 

 

 

 

Meadow

Last chance to see!

Once again the garage is bedecked with bunting and transformed into my own little gallery for the final weekend of the Ilkley Art Trail.

I’m showing over twenty wall pieces, a selection of my ‘soluble lace’ bowls, textile jewellery, plus cards, bookmarks, unframed pieces and more. Take a look at my website and Etsy shop to see examples of my work. 

The weather looks promising, so where better for a day out than beautiful Wharfedale?

Full programme (with map) available on the Ilkley Art Trail website, or pick up a paper copy when you visit me (email if you need directions).

Hope to see you soon!

Spring Sale!

Time for a spring clean! I've knocked A THIRD OFF all my felted crochet jewellery, on both Etsy and Folksy (see the SALE section). Grab a bargain now, and help me find space for lots of new textiley delights.

My first Etsy treasury

OK so I'm a bit slow, but I've only recently realised that anyone can create a Treasury on Etsy now -I did try before but they were strictly limited and I never got close.

So to mark the second anniversary of our amazing Antarctica adventure, I've made a Treasury called "Antarctic Dreaming".

Now, if only I knew how to show a preview of it here... you'll just have to take a look. Go on, it's pretty cool (sorry):
Treasury

Water’s Edge Bowl

At last, I’ve added a new bowl design to my collection. This one is meant to evoke the margins of a lake or pond in summer, with impressions of bulrushes, flag irises, cotton grass and forget-me-nots amongst rushes and grasses.

Like my Meadow, Country Garden and Hedgerow bowls, it’s constructed entirely of thread – free machined on soluble fabric.

I’ve made three so far, and the first one is in my Etsy shop. But now I’m wondering (a little late, I know), do those plants have the same names in other countries? My description might make no sense at all to someone who’s not in the UK! Hmm, bit of research needed.