Summercoat Squirrel came to visit me this weekend. He is 3 years old and belongs to Anna who brought him along to say hello. How lovely to see him, and good to see that in travels in style in Anna's beautiful traveling bag.
This was my chance to have a little squeeze of him while Anna (right) introduced Errol who has gone to a very, very good home where he can cuddle the cat, play with the other little friends and also annoy Rupert quite a lot (sorry about that Rupert).
I've sent the next doll for our doll project on her way to Katy. This one will keep me laughing for quite a while, I wish I could show more; Ruths addition is very, very 'special', but it'll have to wait another six months before we can see them. Now I'm waiting for Mandy's doll to arrive.
It was so nice to see some of you at the Notting Hill show last weekend. Such lovely people! it really made the show for me. THANK YOU x x x x
Squeaky Beryl is ready for Christmas! I have been beavering away like an elf making a handful of them, all with different skirts to come with me to the Christmas shows, along with lots of Sleeping Babies in all sorts of pretty colours and different sizes. These are tiny hand-sized Squeaking Sleeping babies in midnight heather tweeds.
It's our Christmas Open Studios open at the start of December. I'm in studio 305 on the top floor. I have been sewing lots of new Little Friends for the Christmas shows and I'll put some photos up over the next few weeks.
WORKSHOP CHRISTMAS SALE 2008admission £2.00
Come early for free mince pies and mulled wine.
A celebration of the unique, and the handmade.
Your opportunity to meet over 30 influential designer/makers,
buy their work and pick up a bargain.
Many of the exhibitors will be selling samples, end of ranges and seconds at less than half price.
It's a little bit late but here is a photo from the open studios we had last month. I tidied up the studio and set-up a few of my desks with cards and Little Friends and was absolutely thrilled that so many of them have gone to good homes; everyone I met was lovely and a few of them have gone in complete families (Daddy, Mummy and Baby)- that is SO NICE! Two of the wool crepe babies (pink and blue) are gifts for a pair of twins; a boy and a girl, I think that is the sweetest thing! They have all gone to their new homes with Adoption Certificates.
This is a peek at the third doll I've worked on for the doll project. This one is the jolliest chap (doll) I have ever met, I wish I could show more because his face is brilliant, but it will have to wait until the end so it doesn't spoil the surprise for the other doll makers. He was made by Ruth Martin and Lucy May Schofield added a beautiful piece of clothing to which I have added a shiny, red heart and a pocket for putting things in. He is off to Katy in America now; a little early but the post will take some time. I'm looking forward to receiving the next one.....
What a treat! The lovely people at Black lark Gallery have made the sweetest display for their Creature Feature show; painted trees with ladders and cages in black outlines on pure white walls. They've also put some of the creatures onto their online shop, the Lumi doll is so sweet, I think I will have to add these to my wish list.
Here is a peek at Raymond the baby elephant who was made, in the Doll Project, by Lucy May Schofield, I have begun his outfit, but can't show anymore of it so it's a surprise for us all at the end. I'm not very good at surprises, I always want to know in advance - this is very difficult!
I'm just sending off a few little families of creatures to the Black Lark for a new new show called Creature Feature. One Little Errol (a raspberry red one) is traveling down to chaperone a collection of tweed sleeping babies (like the one to the right of Little Errol in the flyer) to join a whole collection of gorgeous creatures, they have lovely plans for the display in the show; I think it will be well worth a visit.
This is a character that I made especially for Ann from her most favorite old jumpers and gloves, I made her years and years ago and saw her again recently; Annie has called her Holly Berry (she's not quite Halle Berry, but she does have nice eyes and long legs) this is one of the biggest characters I have made and is doubly unusual as she has an outfit; the shorts have a lacy trim around the top and a tiny doll sized button at the front of them.
It's just less than a week until the next Open Studios at Cockpit Arts... and .... I have some more Little Errols! I'm very excited- I have some now and I'll have a whole lot more in time for the Christmas shows, and also quite a few squeaking sleeping babies. I have all of the new cards on display for the first time since launching them in July, including the Christmas ranges (they're all on the website). Oh.. and the enamel badges, including lots of seconds at discounts.
We've just begun the third Doll Project. I posted mine yesterday (it's a rabbit), you can see more at our group blog here. We won't show a photo all of any of the dolls until the end, so we can keep them a surprise from each other. I'm really excited about it!
I'm only showing this super sickly sweet picture so he doesn't look utterly ridiculous in all of the photos here (rather undignified!).
Because this is how he looks most of the time when he is asleep on us. He is the most sociable and boisterous cat I have ever know, such a sweetie, and so naughty! We have just had him a few months and already he has been to the emergency vet (chewed broom bristles), concussed himself running full speed into a table leg, been stung by a bee so his paw doubled in size, got his paw stuck down a hole.... the list goes on
He loves being on us on all the time, he gets into bed when ever he can, sleeps on his back and climbs into my cardigans to sleep against my chest and tummy when I am working at the computer. He also plays fetch with balls, bringing them from the other end of the house back to us and drags his bed into whichever room we are in - very uncat-like! None of our other cats have been anywhere near this crazily relaxed and friendly, so I'm guessing it's the breed and his good mummy cat?
Last year I made a few sherbet coloured Sleeping Babies from wool crepe- so fine, and delicate colours, and they have chalky white leather ears! I have the plan to make them little homes in these lovely boxes - this is their home, maybe a bed but it still has a long way to go. I'll put a picture up when they are all complete.
Oh Gosh, at last a new picture! I have been sending out orders and working on comissions and not been doing very much sewing at all, but here I have a cross breed! These two tiny tweed twins are a cross between Mischeivous Maud and Bothersome Boris and the little Squeaking Sleeping Babies, They are just less than 3 inches tall and they are very lazy.
I met up with Nina yesterday and we were remembering all of the amazing dolls from the first doll project that we took part in. It was in 2004/5 and organised by Jackie Parsons of Bo Peep Kids, who makes lovely sock dolls and monkeys.
A new little friend has come to live with us, he is the sweetest (and naughtiest) little kitten! We brought him home with us last weekend after a lovely wedding anniversary holiday on the Norfolk Broads - he is a good souvenir! He has utterly won my heart and sleeps on my lap at every opportunity (including now), I can't promise that I won't go kitten bonkers and take photos of him all the time, he is so pretty.
At last, I have some Little Errol and Squeaky Beryl enamel badges - I am very excited about them, I have been planning to make them for a few years, they have been a long time in coming.
We launched them at the weekend at Pulse (a trade show at Earls Court, London), so they'll be in the the shops in the next few months. My Mum has worn her Squeaky Beryl badge every day for the past week!
Finished today! Here is a sneak preview of part of one of the new cards I'm designing at the moment. I've drawn the Sleeping babies for the header of a Friendship Tokens card - it has lots of other tokens drawn on it too, it'll be launched at the start of June with the other new designs but I couldn't resist putting this bit up here now - well it does fit with the little creature theme!
For the first few years that I made Little Errols, they were all sorts of colours, a real mix and match, more recently they became much more uniform with the mustards, raspberry and greens wining out. This picture is a nice reminder of the craziness of those first few years, especially a funny, extra furry, almost luminous pink one that went, very fittingly, to the colourful Suzi of Twisted Twee (The best kiddies things ever). Perhaps it is time to make some more super colourful creatures.... (best wait until the Open Studios and Pulse trade show are out of the way). This Saturday I am planning to go in search of woolen blankets so I'll look out for some bright ones.
We're having Working Open Studios in a few weeks; a bit different from the Christmas Open Studios where we stop work and turn the studios into stalls, for this one, those of us that are taking part are keeping our studios running for a behind the scenes view; which for me will mean the floor and all surfaces being covered in scraps of fabric and threads and maybe not that much room for anything else! I have made plenty of small soft creatures including a handful of (the very rare) Mini Matchbox Monster Babies.
News from a favorite of mine. Anna has sent a photo of Summercoat Squirrel who was a special commission for her. It looks like he has a very, very nice life!
Alice came to help me for a weeks work experience over Easter (THANK YOU Alice!) and at the end of the last afternoon when we were both too tired to do much else, we sat sewing and I showed Alice how to make her own Bothersome Boris. She sent this photo of him and here is a link to see some of her other pretty creations.
Here's Harold.
An exquisite pink knit jump suit by jeweller and illustrator Rachel Eardley. I love the colours and the sweet green stitching down the sides.
And this miniature printed satin bomber jacket by Heather Martin is enough to bring tears to my eyes.
They added to the journal as Harold visited them:
So we didn't have any snow at Christmas, but the start of April brought us a few inches and I quickly muddled together this little snowman before it all melted away again. He was a titchy little thing and only lived a few hours - I think I can see the fear in his stone eyes!
I've been spending the last few months doing commissions and starting designs for my new card ranges for the summer, so I relish my sewing time all the more. I'm slowly building my collection back up after Christmas and Kids.Modern.
These little sleeping babies are made from the softest cashmere tweed and are just big enough (much bigger than Teeny Timmy and Moaning Mini) to fit a squeaker into so they are quite noisy. I lined them up on the desk and played chopsticks on them but they need a bit of tuning.
I'm looking through old photos and findings some nice old friends. Here is Maud before she headed off on her journey to be added to in the first doll project. You can see her finished here.
This little chap is quite old now, I made him for my friend Katys birthday and he was the start of the Mini Matchbox Monster Babies. This one is a bit different though - I had lots of fantastic old fabric patchwork pieces that my mum had left over from a quilt they they made in the 7o's so I lined the box with it and he has a solid bottom (with flower pattern) to stand up on, and nice big stickey out ears (I like stickey out ears). I bought lots of vintage matchbox labels in a junk shop in Bristol (it's gone now) and this squirrel is one of my favorites.
"...two quick snaps. One is Errol enjoying a snack, in the second he has just finished a jigsaw while awaiting Harriet's homecoming. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera when we went dancing. More will follow.... "
"Little Errol Big Ben" 
Some more picture and stories of Little Errols in their new homes!
"Little Errol and his friends" This Little Errol lives with Frida and has got such nice new friends! I love the tiny twins.
"Lots of greetings from Errol in his new Swedish home! He was helping me with the plants earlier this summer and did a very good job!" from Anna