Buttons and Ribbons

Summer is the quiet time

No, scratch that. Summer is the quiet time for selling buttons and ribbons, as I'm spending most waking hours outside battling the wilderness and trying to coerce recalcitrant poultry into doing what they are told

A job that goes about as well as you might expect.

Been a  bit damp, this summer, though, so I did for once have time to play

New at PaperSpill are these mixed packs of ribbons and buttons

in rose

in spring leaf

and in winter red

Creative Frenzy

Well, not only has there been digging, playing with fabric, taking silly arty pics, but there has also been knitting. I had a little break a few days ago - it seems to have put the lead back in my pencil when it comes to new ideas.

I have felted one rug and knit another:

Scraps and oddments of blues, greens, purples and greys. 3 strands on 15mm needles. The main strand is a frogged Noro sweater. Heresy? Maybe, but it made me look worryingly like a boiled egg topped with an egg cosy and besides - I can no longer wear wool. It has, however, made a very pretty felted rug!

And while hunting out all my bits and bobs of colours for the rugs I found these:



A whole box of Colinette Giotto pieces. They're not full skeins, so I have the fun of combining colours (something that can keep me amused for far too long). I've used these in the past for the Ribbon Scarves but this time I've decided to go for something lighter and lacier. Something that might just work well with the new shawl pins in stock.

Eye of the storm

Amidst the weeks chaos I did get a couple of straight hours to work on the site. Ribbons are now up, as are felt squares. The squares I scannned as we were having a typical Derbyshire spring day (wet, blutery, lights on in the house at midday) and I though I'd get more accurate colours.

Hm.

The colours are accurate. Better than the camera would have given...but...resizing and cropping has led to some odd effects. Essentially, any stray fibre - and felt is never completely one colour - has pixillated itself like nobodys business! Hence the colourwarp.

The plan (stop laughing at the back. I always have a Plan. Whether or not life conforms is another matter) is to get the commercial items finished this week. I have the first of the handmade buttons here (and being treasured), the first of the handmade sewing items. I have 3 different makers lined up to produce buttons in different materials - but I want to give them all sufficient limelight. I also need to give people sufficient time to make.

So, once the commercial items are listed then we start on the handmades and the Maker Pages. If you are making for me, be assured I will be in touch soon asking all sorts of inconvenient questions!