Vans and Buttons

Thank you for your lovely comments last week, I really do appreciate them as I'm sure all you bloggers out there do too!  Things have thankfully slowed down a little this week, I have been able to start swimming again  at my local outdoor pool, just 10 minutes walk away and had a bit more time to contemplate the wedding dress.

The 25m pool is beautiful and feels so warm when you get in at this time of year as it's so chilly outside.  It is a wonderful facility to have on the doorstep and as I usually go to an adults only session at lunchtime it's quiet too!

Wedding Dress Progress

I have managed to devote a little more time to the wedding dress, which I am pleased to say is coming along nicely, and have now worked out the skirt and train and attached it to the bodice so am feeling a little happier.  Only a total of about 5 tries!!  Each 'try' meaning creating a paper pattern, sewing the calico back together (that I used previously) so it can be cut out in a different way (waste not want not!) and finally cutting it out and attaching it to the bodice (the deciding moment!).  Wish I could show you pictures but I can't risk the groom catching a glimpse of it!!!  

Dorset Buttons

I have started making some different Dorset Buttons as I have a workshop coming up on Wednesday 13th May. The last workshop went really well but was only half a day and so we really only managed to get a Dorset Crosswheel button finished.

We have a complete day this time so I am trying out some alternative designs.  Below is the one I have been working on this week.

And here is another one I did a while ago with tiny crochet flowers.

I'll try a few more over the coming week so hopefully will be able to show you them soon.

And finally!

A bit more progress has been made on the van conversion.  All the seats are now out and the roof lining is off so we can see what we are left with.  If you didn't see last week's post, here is what the van looked like before.  The roof space will need insulating and all exposed metal will need covering to prevent condensation when we are sleeping in there.  Now is also the time to decide whether we add wiring for lighting or just use portable battery powered lamps! The jury is out on this one for the time being (I need to work on Mr FF to persuade him it may be worthwhile!).

Side panels are next to come off but we've had a look behind them and it all looks very similar to the roof.  May as well leave them on until we're ready to do the insulation.

I do hope the weather has been reasonably kind to you all over the bank holiday (those in the UK anyway!) and you have been able to get out and about.  I shall look forward to finding out what you have been up to over at Lucy Blossom Crafts on Handmade Monday.

See you there!

Take care!

Itty Bitty Week

Thank you for all your interesting comments on my previous post.  I am so pleased it inspired some of you to have a go at Dorset Buttons they can have many ingenious uses. The ladies on the workshop I did last week were also very taken with the idea.  It was only a short workshop at Spin A Yarn my wonderful local woolshop but was such a success that we have decided to make the next one in the Spring Term a whole day!

I had a lovely time at my daughter's last week and thoroughly enjoyed spending my prize money.  I now have a few outfits to wear and we also managed to squeeze in a couple of bits for her too.

On the craft front, it has been a rather itty bitty week.  I am still working on my mandala which although complete, needs attaching to a hoop - very kindly cut out by my OH I may add.  So another 2 or 3 rounds needed to attach this to the hoop.

I have also started another crochet project called Sophie's Garden which I found on a wonderful site called Look At What I Made.  It's packed full of wonderful crochet patterns to fuel the imagination.
You can see what I've achieved so far, but the picture is a little odd as I was crocheting in the car on our way to stay with friends!

I am using Axminster carpet yarn which is at least 80% wool and intend to make a loose cover for a foot stool.  I want to be able to wash it and expect it will felt slightly which will be interesting.  I'll let you know how it goes.

My OH is on an acrylic painting course this weekend, so I thought I would share his creation with you.  It's a little different for him as he often works in water colour but I rather like the effect he has created. They were painting in some woods nearby and he was trying to capture the light shining through the trees.  See what you think.

Today he is painting 'water' so I am looking forward to seeing what he arrives home with later. Watch this space!

I'm off for a quick walk now whilst the sun is out, but will be linking up with Handmade Monday when I get back.  See you there!

Halloween Dorset Button Earrings

I'll start with a big thank you to all of you for your comments last week. We were away for a few days so I didn't have enough time to leave you each a personal reply.  I tried to visit as many of you as I could to see what you had been up to, but there are only so many hours in the day.  If I missed you out please accept my apology.

I'm afraid I may struggle to leave comments this week also, as I will be visiting my youngest daughter. About this time last year she very kindly entered me in a competition and I won! Unfortunately being ill for most of this year I have been unable to claim the prize until now.  A drum roll please!!! A Personal Shopper and £250 to spend in Debenhams.  Whoopee!!

Shopping isn't really my thing so to have a Personal Shopper to tell me what looks good and be given the money to spend, topped with the added bonus of spending some time with my daughter, whom I don't get to see nearly enough these days, is so exciting, I am really looking forward to it.  So I hope you will forgive the administrative disruptions again this week!

Anyway, on to the nitty gritty of this week's post.  A few weeks back I promised a tutorial on how to make Dorset Buttons.  I did a workshop on these last week and one lady said how they reminded her of a spider's web.  So the cogs started turning and I thought as Halloween is coming up they would make perfect earrings.  Here is how you do it - minus instructions to make a spider though, as I ran out of time and I'm sure all you crafty folk out there have little spider buttons lurking around somewhere or could rustle one up somehow!!!!

Firstly, you will need a thin, lightweight ring. I used a gardening ring with the join taped over with masking tape as it was all I had! This one is just over an 1" wide but you can make any size you wish and plastic curtain rings are just fine too.  About 3 or 4m of thread, measured from fingers to shoulders of an outstretched arm!! Nothing too precise!  And a small piece of card to use as a bobbin.

Having wrapped your thread around your bit of card to create a bobbin, trap the tail end below the stitches as you work a sort of buttonhole stitch over the ring, leaving the little knots on the outer edge. This process is called 'casting'.  Continue this all around the ring.

As you are making earrings you will need to add a ring to attach them to the earring hook.  Just before you reach the end of the ring, unravel what is left on your bobbin and feed a closed jump ring onto the thread.

Trap the jump ring on the inner edge of the next stitch and continue around until you have covered the complete ring.

The next process is called 'slicking' and it just means turning the knotty edge into the centre as in the next picture.

The jump ring will now be on the outside edge.  Now the slightly tricky bit.

Change of ring I'm afraid as I forgot to photograph this bit on the orange one!  Take your thread from your bobbin and thread it through a needle. Wrap the thread across the ring in 5 minute intervals like a clock face.  You will end up with 12 spokes.

Secure these spokes with a couple of cross stitches which will then pull them all together into the centre.

The next stage is called 'rounding' which, in this case, involves taking the thread under two spokes and down over one.  Make sure your thread starts at the back, come up on the left hand side of a spoke, go down on the right hand side of the same spoke, pass under this spoke and the one to the left of it, bring your thread up to the front and down again on the right hand side of this spoke.  Continue all the way around keeping everything firm.  For a complete Dorset Button you would continue like this all the way to the outside edge, but to make it look like a spider's web just complete the amount of rounds to make it look right.

Ta dah! Finish off by tucking in your ends neatly on the back, make a second one, then just add it to your choice of earring post.  Oooh and don't forget to add that little spider button, you found in your stash!!

And there you have it, Halloween Dorset Button earrings.  See you over on Handmade Monday, have a good week.