Sewing and crochet

I have a mega stash of new Rowan Kidsilk haze wools at the moment so am steadily making one beret in each colour. This wool is so amazingly soft and cobwebby. I have also been making some tops from the Kaffe Fasset Shot cottons I have.

Lola, the face of Moshi-Moshi

A customer of mine recently said that they thought of Lola as the face of Moshi-moshi, so here she is in all her It Girl loveliness. She is a customised Saffy.

New fabrics..

I recently went to New York and was able to go shopping for fabrics that I usually can only get over the internet. It was so great to be able to lay things out next to each other and see how they looked. Came back with a fabulous stash. Also my local fabric shop has been doing some gorgeous new lines too, so I feel like I am spoilt for choice at the moment.

I should probably sort out some of my fabric into scrap pieces for some other people to use as I have way too much.

Yesterday I was feeling bored and decided to cover my IKEA drawers with old maps. I think it turned out quite well.

Sewing

Been working on lots of new patterns recently, and having fun with embroidery. I have a really inspiring book called The Art of Embroidery by Francoise Tellier-Loumagne. (Thames and Hudson) It is making me want to do more and also making me feel inadequate in the face of such brilliance!

Shop Windows, Hay-on-Wye

I love shop windows, and there are some very pretty ones in Hay.

London Inspiration

The Tea rooms in Liberty



Perfume bottles in the window of Penhaligans



Macaroons in the Burlington arcade.

Royal Academy - Summer Exhibition

Recently I went to London to visit my brother and family. This is always a real treat for me as I get to spend time with my family and visit lots of nice things in London. I used to visit the Summer Exhibition every year when I lived in London, but haven't been for ages.

I really enjoyed it this time, as usual there is always a mixture of awful and lovely stuff, but it was really great to see so much art al together and the best bit for me was the architecture section, which was brilliant.

I took Lotte with me and got some funny looks when taking her picture, but I thought "Who cares, nobody knows me, and even if they do I really am not bothered!"

Sewing Commission

This was the beginning of a commission for a lovely customer of mine, who has been supporting my shop since we started. I like to document some of the fabrics and patterns I use, as sometimes I have too many ideas and they get forgotten about.

Busy, busy, busy.. buzz buzz

The last week has been mad crazy busy, I ordered some new fabric from America, and have been trawling the shops for vintage fabrics. There is a great antiques market near me that has an excellent vintage clothes stall. I found some old fifties aprons in really good condition, and the fabrics are so gorgeous. I also got a new pattern book, so have been trying out new patterns. Some of the japanese patterns are really tiny, so I needed to scale them up by a couple of per cent just so that the tops would do up. Also added some moshi-moshi variations, like bias binding at the neck.

Got some gorgeous patterned bias binding from France and some tiny buttons too, only thing is I don't have enough time to make all the things I want to. I will have to make the girls sew faster!!

Carrie Loves...moshi-moshi

Carrie Loves...

And also found this

http://athome.kimvallee.com/2008/12/i-dream-of-blythe-dolls/

Popper madness

The worst thing about the moshi factory is the popper issue. It is the least favourite of my jobs. I could sew all day, and most of the evening come to that, but I always put off the poppers till the last, and then of course have to sew on loads at once. My girls always have dresses that are merely pinned at the back, like all the models on the photoshoots, with pegs and bulldog clips holding their clothes on.



Today was a big day for orders and it took me ages to do all my posting, got distracted at several points, or could that have been procrastination, so had a look at my button drawer and wondered what to do with my lovely old mother of pearl buttons.




Finished off the day sticking fabric into my notebook, so that I don't forget what it is I want to make from everything.

All in a days work

Get up in the morning and check the internet

Write a list of things to do, and start the day. My studio is a great inspiration, there are always pics and bits and pieces around that have given me ideas throughout the week.

Fabric and new thread from my friendly local material shop.

My little Mannequin, made from fimo, and some found in charity shops.

My thread spool holder, which is brilliant.

My corkboard inspiration.