HAPPY HALLOWEEN...please don't knock!

I love this time of year, the falling leaves and the arrival of a breeze that chills bare finger tips. I don't even mind the arrival of commercial Halloween from the other side of the Atlantic. In fact I think it would be a lot more fun if we embraced it whole heartedly.

But there is just one problem. I have a rescue dog called Bella, and she is a self appointed guard dog. She will bark loudly and sometimes viciously at anyone who steps within five metres of the house. If I happen to be at home in the morning she spends a total of 25 minutes watching the postman work his way down the street and back up again, and by the time he gets to the house her hackles are fully raised and she is literally jumping up and down on her hind legs in the bay window! Any dog trainer will tell you this is bad, very bad. But it has been very difficult for us to manage, as we both worked full time when we had her, and the behaviour is far too ingrained now for any protest from us to make a difference. But there is a plus side to this. Quite a few times since we moved here we have had a letter from the Police saying that a house in our street has been broken into. So far we have been untouched, and I like to think that no thief in his right mind would bother tackling a psychotic looking dog!

Now this is all well and good most days, but I have an 18 month old toddler who goes to bed fairly early in the evening. So Halloween and the trick or treaters presents us with a problem. Barking dog + sleeping toddler = unhappy household.

I was pondering on this a few weeks ago whilst I was taking Bella for her morning walk. I didn't want to put up a mean sign to make the trick or treaters go away, so in the spirit of Halloween I came up with this rhyme. I intend to put it out with a bucket of sweets on the door step so hopefully we won't be seen as Halloween grouches!

It goes like this...

Behind this door lies a beast that snores

and if you knock you will hear her roars.

As our baby sleeps this night

we ask you not to give him a fright.

So help yourself and enjoy the feast

but whatever you do don't wake the beast!

Happy trick or treating :-)

The Beginning of the End.....

I am always moved this time of the year by the subtle changes in nature...

...the pale misty mornings...

...the reaping of her bounty...

...the cool loamy scent of the woodland path...

...reminds me to be thankful...

...for beauty, simplicity & freedom.

For centuries man has tried to crack...

...the science behind her rhythm...

...but the wise will surely know...

...her greatest secrets must remain hidden.

I have been working on my first Christmas present, an embroidered leather notebook for my cousin who is a teacher.

I have also been researching quilting designs to make use of my childhood duvet...

...it reminds me of my emerging consciousness and long lazy childhood dreams.

A Cover Story

Thanks to the producers of Mollie Makes magazine issue 14 I finally got to cover a ghastly pouffe my partner insisted we kept as it belong to his mother. The original cover was a drab chocolate brown velvet circa 1970 that was starting to wear. I have been wanting to cover it for years but haven't had the know-how.

My first step was to strip away the old cover, so I took a pair of scissors to it with glee! Inside, all the padding was falling apart so I stripped that back too. I was then suprised to find that the pouffe itself was just made out of one big lump of polystyrene. Although thinking about it now I don't know what else it could be made out of. My partner has a massive aversion to polystyrene and ordered me to do something about it before he really freaked out. So I was banished out of the room until I sorted it out. I simply took the old padding and stitched it back around the polystyrene. I then got some spare cotton fabric that I had in my stash and wrapped it around the pouffe as if you were wrapping a circular gift, and put in some stitches to hold it in place.

Finally I could start working on the proper cover. The magazine provides instructions for producing a patchwork effect of 8 segments. I throughly enjoyed taking the measurements and drafting the pattern as it was something I haven't done before. I then popped along to Hobbycraft to see what gems of fabric could be found. I quite liked the style on the pictures in the magazine so that's what I aimed for when making my choice. They had a lovely basket full of Amy Butler fat quarters, out of which I picked the wavy stripes and the funny orange tree fabric. I then purchased half a metre of the green spotted fabric which is also Amy Butler. As you can see, I decided to use 3 different types of fabric instead of four like the magazine suggests, as I felt this offers a bit more consistency to the design. I also purchased some green and blue trimming to go along the top and bottom edge. The magazine features pom pom trimming which I would've like to have used but couldn't get any.

So here is my finished result. I am very pleased with it but the trouble is now the pouffe is so bright and colourful that it makes the rest of my living room look really drab!

Having completed the segmented version, I see no reason why it wouldn't be easy enough to cover a pouffe in just one sheet of fabric. You would just need to cut out two separate pieces, one for the top and a strip to go around the bottom according to your measurements and adding on 1cm for stitching it together. You could then trim it with any embellishment that takes you fancy.

Now, on to the next project!

Gingerrose x

Follow Your Childhood Dreams

 It occurred to me the other day whilst making a cover for a very old fashioned Pouffe, that when I was little I was always at the dining room table making something. This varied from a new toy, to a bag, an outfit for a doll or a collage. They never amounted to much, but I recall that sense of excitement and anticipation that I was creating something new, clicking my fingers with glee as I went along and rushing to finish the piece. I stopped to try and recall the time when this passion was lost. I can't put it down to a precise moment but it was somewhere between Barbies and the hormone infused penchant for teen mags, boys and fashion.

I now deeply regret not persuing that passion into my teenage years. I took GSCE Textiles and achieved a C through arrogant disinterest (English was my strength back then). I then attempted to carve out a career by studying A-levels in what now seem like completly boring and pointless subjects. I completed a degree in my chosen career path and achieved a first, but later left my profession through dissillusionment. I spent the rest of my twenties trying to figure out what to do next, which left me no more satisfied then a dog chasing its own tail. Now I've turned thirty and become a mother I've decided enough is enough. It's time to reclaim that old childhood passion and to see where it takes me.

 

Here are the things I have made so far this year, plus a vase of flowers which I thought was too pretty to leave out!

 

I have plenty more ideas which I will be working on over the next few months so please do watch this space.

 And remember, if all else fails follow your childhood dreams, they are always the best!

Gingerrose x

If you like the butterfly wreath go to fellow blogger Gingerbread Snowflake at http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/177  for the guide on how to make it.