The night is dark and the dog is snoring!

Just a little hello in the wee hours, I've given up trying to sleep tonight.  My ears are driving me crazy, I suffer from tinnitus due to the Menieres and it's screaming at the moment.  I managed to have an episode while visiting Carolyn in her shop yesterday (or day before yesterday now), she had to phone her husband Gary up to come and get me, so I'm still off the hooks tonight (or is that today).  

I have managed to get on the sewing machine today though, just for a little while.  Because my daughter Jessie suffers from agoraphobia I signed us both up to a course in creative textiles at Manygates Adult Education Centre in Sandal.  We get a taxi to the train station, the train to Sandal, then back again later and her dad picks us up at the station at teatime.  So it's planned like a military operation but it's getting her out (and mum).  So as our homework we had to sew an A3 piece of work for surface design, otherwise known as lots of random lines and fabrics.  Fortunately my machine has a lot of stitches and I have used most of them.  There are bits of cola can and bubble wrap on it as well, just a bit of applique fabric tomorrow and a bit of embroidery and it's done.  It looks pretty cool actually, I'll get the camera out in the morning and take some photos.  I keep planning these little trips to get her back into the world and she seems to enjoy them as long as it doesn't involve too many people.  Recovery is a long and rocky road I'm afraid.

We sound like a completely dysfunctional family don't we, a cross between the Addams family and the Simpsons!  It's just the last couple of years it's all gone awry, I think me being ill has impacted on everyone as well as a couple of deaths in the family.  Just keep taking the pills and carry on I  think!  I'm just debating whether even though I'm wide awake if I can be bothered to get something out to work on.  There is nothing on the TV, the dog's under my feet snoring and Jessie is fast asleep on the sofa.  She stopped up to look after me and fell asleep, but it's the thought that counts.  I have Jessie's blanket to finish, which I have been avoiding as I'm fed up of it, my coursework to do, some new rubber stamps to play with and an art journal that wants updating.  But they all involve getting up from the sofa and moving, so it looks like another night of You Tube videos and reading craft blogs.  The dog is now yapping at me because I'm typing and not paying attention to him now he's woken up.  He is 13 in November and is turning into a grumbling, creaky old man, it's like having a toddler wanting attention all the time.  I'll have to try and keep him quiet, he'll shut up if the TV or radio is on.  My husband Paul has an early start in the morning as he is off to take his motorcycle competency test tomorrow/today(I'm confusing myself now), that's Sunday.  He used to ride years ago and wants to start again, the words 'mid life crisis' will not pass my lips!

So what does a dysfunctional, poorly, middle aged insomniac crafter do at 2.30am to keep herself busy.  She writes her blog, looks for ideas on the internet for pretty things  to make and wishes life was a little more normal.  Although I think normal has never really applied, I'm quite fond of being odd, but a little less stress would be nice.  I shall have to try and get down and see Carolyn in her shop again (and not take ill) she had some lovely new bits in, a pack of red and white fat quarters caught my eye.  It was quite Scandinavian looking and will make a nice Christmas stocking, but that might be for next year at the rate I'm going!  I just like nice fabric, sometimes it's so lovely you don't want to use it. You'll have to pop in and see her and see if there is something I didn't spot.  She is on South Elmsall Market on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday near Pastures Green and the Market office.

Well it's gone 3.00am now and I'm going to have to move because nature calls! I'm hoping for a nice quiet day when the sun comes up and if all is well I'll be on again with something I've made.  I feel like having a creative day, it's just deciding what.  Nothing too strenuous otherwise I'll be bad again.

So when you read this I hope you at least will have had a good nights sleep and if not to my fellow insomniacs we'll have to start a coffee morning but in the dark hours!

Lots of love 

Louise xx

Sewing, actual sewing!

I haven't written as much this week as I have been a bit poorly (after effect of day out on Friday).  But this morning I thought I would sit and make something,  so this is just a short blog.  It's a step by step guide of how I made a cute pumpkin bag for all those lovely sweets the little ones will collect on Halloween.  I saw the pattern in this months issue of Crafts Beautiful, there is a Halloween supplement with it.  It has some nice patterns and recipes to follow, so here is my take on the bag.  

The instructions on the patterns in the back of the magazine tell you to enlarge the images in a photocopier, but I haven't got one of those!  So I just used a ruler and scaled the project up, I doubled the size of the pattern but you could make it larger.  I made it in felt but it would be stronger in cotton, some of the patterned ones Carolyn (Make Me Fabrics) has for Halloween would be good.  If you did want to make it larger she has some stiffener as well, it's for bodices (summer dresses etc), this would give it more structure if you used it like ribs at the joints.

So here are the photos and instructions, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out and it only took about an hour.

I used three sheets of orange felt and one green.

These are the patterns I made from the magazine.

I cut six panels and six leaves.

Stitch two together at a time.  I used blanket stitch on the outside, but you could stitch right sides together on a machine.

This is what the three pairs of panels look like.  The blanket stitch creates a ribbed  effect.

 Then stitch the pairs together to form the body of the pumpkin.  There should be enough felt left to make a handle.  I cut one from green felt and two from orange, the orange ones were slightly narrower.  I stitched these together in a sandwich and then added a strip of green glitter ribbon to the top.

Then attach the handle securely to the bag.  I added green bows in the same ribbon, secured with a few stitches.

In the magazine they had added buttons to the panels, if you are going to do this I would add them before you stitch the pairs of panels together.  You could add a face or any decoration you like.  It doesn't take much fabric and doesn't cost much either, probably less than a shop bought one.  There are some other really good Halloween projects in the magazine to try, some felt ghosts and monster that would be nice individually or made into bunting.

I hope this has inspired you to have a go, I am going to leave it on Carolyn's stall for a few days if anyone wants a look.  I know sometimes that's how I work out how to make something, by picking it up and having a look.

Well bye for now,

I'll be back soon with some more makes,

Love Louise xx.

  

A lovely day

Well today my daughter Jessie and I have had a lovely day, we have been to Nostell Priory on a rag rug making day.  I can remember my dad saying he used to make them with his mum out of sacks and old clothes.  The lady that was in charge of the course explained how to start and what the colours used  meant.  Apparently they always had a dark edge to hide the dirt and if it had a red diamond in the middle it was to stop the devil coming down the chimney!  As successive rugs were made they got moved around the house with the new one in the parlour and the oldest ending up as a doormat.

The older ladies on the course all remember making them as children and old maiden aunts having houses full of them.  We were given a large piece of hessian and a dolly peg with one of the legs cut off and whittled into a sharper shape.  We had taken some old clothes with us and cut these up into 3 inch by 1 inch strips.  We drew a pattern on the back of the hessian and started pegging.  It is quite a time consuming job and we brought our work home with us to complete,  I think it may be this time next year before it's finished.

It was a lovely day with a group of equally lovely ladies, they were 12 of us in all.  We all had different crafting experience, but there were quite a few quilters there.  This is something anyone can do though, even children.  I am sure there are many of you out there who have memories of making these rugs in your younger days (even if they aren't fond memories!).  The day cost us £25 each but included a really good 2 course lunch and a very large piece of hessian.  I would recommend this course to anyone as a good day out, maybe booking with friends.  They have the courses throughout the year, as well as a range of others.  We enjoyed it so much that we as well as others on the course booked for a knitting and crocheting course for beginners that's in a couple of weeks.  Again this is for the day with lunch included and one to one tuition with National Trust volunteers who are knitters or crocheters and is again £25. We have also booked on a wreath making course in December, this is a Christmas course including mulled wine and a mince pie, all for £15 .

So we have had a lovely full day, my fingers are a bit sore (the calluses must come with practice!) and I'm definitely tired.  Paul's going to have to get his own tea because I'm still full from my lunch and now I have yet another project to finish.  But it's nice to learn something new and nice to meet new people.  Nostell Priory is a great property to visit and it's right on the doorstep, the volunteers and people who work there are genuine people who have a passion for what they do.  I shall be keeping an eye out from now on for what courses they are offering and visiting the craft fairs they hold. You can find details on the National Trust website. Carolyn has asked me to show her what we have done and how we did it, so watch out for rug making supplies appearing in her shop (Make Me Fabrics) if she takes to it !

Talked to you all again soon, 

lots of love

Louise xx

The Irishman, the sheep and a pram.

There was once an Irishman called Harry, now Harry was only half Irish (on his mother's side), but he had all of the luck. He had three children, Harry the eldest, Elsie in the middle and Roy the baby. Harry was a miner, he worked hard for his family, but he liked a drink and he liked a bet.  He was a very happy man who never worried.

Now although he worked hard for his family they didn't have much money and Harry and his family lived in a time before the welfare state, the mines were privately owned and times were tough.  Once when times were especially hard Harry and his friend came upon an idea, the originator of this idea was a few too many drinks.  They would steal a sheep, a bit of mutton would go down well.  They agreed with another friend, a local butcher that he would butcher the sheep in return for a share.  Alcohol made all of this seem like a very good idea, so on a cold winters night the adventurers set forth. The butcher went to await their return and Harry and his friend went in search of some sheep.

Having found a field that contained the animals they were after they started to chase them around and around.  The adventurers didn't have a rope, they didn't have anything with which to catch a sheep.  So around and around they went, chasing the sheep in the wet field in the dark.  Maybe one would get tired and just give up! So they would herd them all together and then the sheep would make a break for it and the dance would start again.  But did these would be sheep rustlers give up, no they did not, the thought of some free mutton drove them on.  Eventually the intoxicated pair managed to catch one of the older animals and hanging on they brought it to the ground.  But what to do now,  with no rope to lead it how would they get the animal to the waiting butcher.

Then Harry was struck by inspiration, he knew how to move the animal. Leaving his friend hanging on for dear life Harry made his way home.  Now, when he got there he went for a vehicle to put the sheep in, and what do you think it was?  It was the baby's pram.  He also took some blankets, the baby's bonnet and a hammer with which to render the animal senseless. He made his way back to his friend in the field, who was now beginning to tire from wrestling his future dinner.  He lifted the pram over fences, through gates and over muddy fields, finally he made it.  The animal was swiftly knocked out and together they lifted it into the pram, they laid it on its back and tied the bonnet on, tucking the blankets around it and off they set. It wasn't an easy trip, but the warmth of the booze kept them going.  

By now it was in the early hours and what a sight it must have been, two men struggling with a pram with the strangest occupant a pram has ever had.  Surely if anyone had happened upon them, they would have thought it a very ugly baby.  Eventually, with the luck of the Irish and not running into anyone who might inquire upon what they were doing,( to which you can only imagine their answer) they made it to the butcher.

So as harebrained as the scheme was they had got away with it and mutton was enjoyed by all.  Now Harry's friend decided a few weeks later to repeat the adventure, but he went on his own (why not have all that tasty meat to himself).  This time he strapped the unfortunate animal to the seat of his bike and preceded home.  However, this time he wasn't as lucky and chanced upon a strolling policeman. There really wasn't an explanation for what he was doing and so he went to prison for a while.

So Harry's luck held, although he never thought to repeat the trick, the baby got his pram back a little worse for wear, he got his bonnet and his blankets (hopefully after a wash).  This wasn't the first of Harry's misadventures nor would it be his last, but it must have been his strangest.  So that's the story of the Irishman, the sheep and the pram and every word is true.

Photos, Photos, Photos.

Here are some photographs of my art journal and a few other bits as well.

This is the first page of my new journal.

This was a  therapy page, underneath the painting you had to write down your negative thoughts and then add a positive phrase on top that those thoughts were pushing you towards.

The cover of my first journal.

It soon gets thick with all the embellishments.

Just a couple of the pages where I tried out new things.

A lot of the pages are me trying out new techniques or mediums.

Just glued on loads of random stuff and then painted it!

One of my favourite things is playing with ink.

This is just me practicing eyes and faces.

A bit of embroidery.

This one's painted upside down in my journal as I wasn't paying attention!

These sample cards are what is in the pocket below.

First play with Pan Pastels.

Both this and the flowers above are stamps coloured with watercolour.

A bit of therapeutic zentangling. 

This is a work in progress, it's felted together and is for a wheat and lavender sachet. 

Flowers made with a paper punch.

 They may not be great works of art but I had fun with each and every one.  There are a lot more pages in my journal but as it's also a diary I have kept those private.  I hope this encourages you to have a go at something yourself, whether its journalling, card making, painting or sewing, just have fun.

All my love 

Louise xx.

A Wuthering Heights kind of day

As I sit here listening to the wind howl I am reminded of what a Gothic county we live in, just think Whitby Abbey or the North Yorkshire Moors.  With the lashing rain and hovering storm clouds it brings out my inner darkness, I think we all have some in there somewhere.  I have just joined a forum site called Smeared and Smudged, it has some amazing pieces of art on there, all rubber stamp based and all just a little bit twisted.  I love it, or should I say the girl inside me who used to wear crosses and leather bracelets does (it was the 80's).  I like using dark and supernatural  objects in my art, I find it fun.  That might sound odd, but making a beautiful 1950's style dress with material that has something subversive on it, something that you wouldn't expect on that style of dress is what makes it more interesting.  

There has always been a juxtaposition of light and dark in art, you cannot portray light without shadows.  Surrealist art is one of my favourites as it seems to encompass these ideas and I just like plain weird sometimes!  The idea of a field of beautiful flowers, with insects drifting in and out and stitched across the sky a message, 'Life's a Bitch and then you Die'.  That's the sketch for a cushion cover I have in my notebook and it just makes me chuckle.  My notebook is where I sketch my ideas for cards, canvases and fabric pieces, they don't all make it to a physical reality, but sometimes a bit of the idea makes it into something else.  I also keep an art journal, although mine is more of an art diary as I write in it as well.

I not a great artist or even a good one but I enjoy what I do and I do it for me.  Look up art journalling on Google or YouTube and see if it's something you might be interested in.  I have kept a diary on and off for years, but this is the form I have enjoyed the most, think of it as an illustrated diary.  So tomorrow there may be a Yorkshire inspired Gothic themed page, putting down on paper what has passed over the weekend (not much actually) but even the minutiae of life may be interesting to future generations.  What you did on a wet day in September can fill a page, you'll be surprised.  Or maybe make a dress, bag or cushion with a twist.  When you visit Carolyn's shop look at the fabric in a different way, envisage it in dimensional form as a soft furnishing or item of clothing, embellishments can make a difference as well.  Who doesn't love a few sequins or a pompom trim and look at those Halloween or Christmas fabrics with a fresh eye.  Christmas fabric would make a nice skirt or dress for a child (or even an adventurous adult).  Carolyn's shop (Make Me Fabrics) seems ready to burst at the seams and she has more to come in stock yet, she really does need bigger premises! 

So on this dark autumn night contemplate starting an art journal yourself, you don't have to show anyone else and it can contain what you want.  Think as well of what you could do with that favourite piece of fabric or that stash of buttons and trim, all of these can crossover into mixed media pieces.  I am in truth a jack of all trades and master of none, but learning all these new skills has opened up a whole new world to me.  I have found an interest in art I never knew was there and rediscovered a love of sewing and textiles.  I like the fact I can connect with someone half way around the world and find something in common.  So let out your inner darkness and find the fun in the macabre, make a skirt from some Halloween fabric. If Christmas is the time to be jolly then this time of year should surely be the time for a darker merriment.

Encouraging you all to try something new and make time to rediscover your inner self,

all my love

Louise xx.

The thorn in my soul

It may be the dreary past couple of days, that feeling of life winding down for the winter.  But I have found myself thinking about how my life is at the moment and the impact of being chronically ill for five years and the effect it has had on me and my family.  On the positive side I have found myself exploring new crafts, reading blogs on subjects from crafting to healing to spirituality.  But I can't deny my life has changed in ways I would never have thought, I can no longer drive or work, I miss my sense of independence.  I now have to rely on others to take me somewhere and I am financially dependent on my husband as I am not entitled to benefits because he works.  Don't get me wrong our wages always went into a joint account anyway, but this is the 21st century and it bothers me that I am treated as an appendage to my husband.  I have always worked, whether full time or part time, fitting around my family, I didn't have a grand career or a profession.  But I enjoyed working, not just because of the money, but because of the friendships I had.  I contributed national insurance from being 16, so why am I not entitled to it now, the death of the welfare state seems to hover over all of us.

It isn't just me my illness has affected, my family have been put under pressure too.  Paul stresses out over money, he tries to do things around the house to help.  He works full time though and can't do everything, he said to me recently that he 'could tell I was really ill because the house was filthy' and then back tracked rapidly saying 'no that's the wrong word, I mean untidy and a bit dusty'.  Bless him but he always manages to say the wrong thing!  But I know what he means, I have to decide what I can do in any one day.  Sometimes (in fact most times) I do too much and end up so ill I can't get out of bed.  However, I can only stand the dust for so long or have to clean the bath because I want to get in a clean one when I have a shower, even if no-one else does!

It has had a massive impact on my kids as well.  They may not be children anymore, being 19 and 20, but they miss the mum they grew up with.  The mum who could do anything, who used to chuck them in the car and drive to York for a day out.  The mum who helped at Brownies and took them to Cubs.  It's not just me who's had to change, everyone else has as well and that leads me to the thorn in my soul, the thing I suffer from that isn't always visible,  depression.  I suffer from ME/CFS, Menieres and Fibro, but depression crept in there as I became progressively more ill. It's as though I can talk to people about my illness but we don't mention depression do we.  It still gets talked about in hushed voices and people soon change the subject.  Why is mental illness such a taboo subject?  I suffer from depression and take medication for it, will this stop you reading my blog?  People seemed surprised that I have depression as I always seem happy, but I just hide it well.  To start with it was incredibly hard to ask for help, I am intelligent, independent, creative, I could cope on my own.  But I couldn't, when I ended up sat in the middle of the bed sobbing, not being able to let anyone near me, in actual physical pain from the depression, I knew I needed help and I finally asked for it.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done, admitting there was something I couldn't cope with, I who prided myself on being able to cope with everything.  I had hid my depression, it was mine to deal with, it felt as though no-one else noticed, I carried on as normal until it got to the point where I could not physically move.

That was four years ago and although I am now back in control, I still have days when the depression appears out of nowhere.  There doesn't have to be a reason for it, although stress doesn't help and I know it's something I will always have to live with.  So that's the thorn in my soul, the thing that's hidden but always there.  Crafting has done as much for my mental health as any pills, the things I make may not always be brilliant and I don't make to sell.  But every penny spent on crafting goodies has been worth it.  I wish I could be on that market stall with my sister chatting to all of you, becoming a part of what you make.  So this blog is my way of connecting to the wider world and if no-one reads it it doesn't matter because I enjoy writing it and that is what matters. 

My blogs won't always be so deep and philosophical, but I know I am not the only person out there who is physically or mentally ill.  So yes it is alright to speak out and say 'do you know what I have problems', maybe we all just need to relearn the skill of being  good listeners.  If you have never tried any form of art or craft please try one, I cannot recommend it enough.  So now I have that off my chest I am off to find a project to share with you, something cheerful.  I'll get the camera out and document it as I go along, we'll share the good things in life as well as those darker days.

Thinking of you all with a smile on my face,

all my love

Louise xx

More enthusiasm than skill - the photo evidence!

I made this for Jessica's birthday instead of a card.  The sentiment is in the space in the back.

This is me playing with some new stamps, the ribbons of seaweed are glue from a glue gun.

Michael's blanket, I made it in long strips

and then stitched them together.

This is a blanket I made over 25 years ago from odd balls of wool and it's still going strong!

Owls and cake!

My nieces cupcake card

The bottom opens for a message

My autumnal wreath with owl

I think seeing these two photos I will trim some of the ribbon

The felt is stiffer and keeps its shape better

I did think about using some spray starch

Do you think he needs a branch?

Add caption

 Don't these piles of granny squares look scrummy.

Rugby, my crafting assistant.  He is 13 in November.