WOYWW - "There's needle felting Jim, but not as we know it"

Hello there folks, welcome to my weekly blog about all things textile art - part of What's on your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW). The keen eyed regulars will have noted my absence last week - the inmates of Tilly Tea Dance Towers all came down with a bug.

I'm back on form now though so here's my workdesk for you this morning...

I'm trialling some new ideas again and this time I've moved away from my usual garden / hedgerow scenes to try something a little different.

It's needle felting, but not as I know it (ok, the Star Trek script robbing ends there!)

These have been assembled using cream and grey pre-felt, vintage lace, lilac wool roving and pale pink chiffon. These have been layered and felted down then hand embroidery, beads and buttons have been added on top.

Not sure what they'll be - either tiny pictures or brooches.

I guess I'm channeling inspiration from my newly redecorated sitting room, which is grey and lilac (and totally lovely - big thanks to Twiglet for shortening curtains and making blinds!). You can get an idea of the new decor in this photo of Benjamin's workdesk, a new addition to the sitting room. Perhaps he'll be joining in WOYWW one day soon!

Also on my workdesk are three fabulous ATCs I have received from the WOYWW anniversary swap. Thank you very much Kyla, Sandra Dee and Sylvia - your work is beautiful and each so different.

Kyla also sent me some lovely crafty goodies which I will endeavour to use to create something pretty to share with you at a later date.

I've really enjoyed the ATC swap this year and I'm determined to make a few more to swap next year (that's 358 days I've got to get my act together!)

Right that's all for today folks! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've enjoyed reading.

Happy crafting

Max x

WOYWW

No time for crafting this week and a broken laptop - how to spoil a girl's WOYWW fun hey!
No doubt the rest of the WOYWW bunch will make up for my feeble effort so I shall try and find time to sneak over to The Stamping Ground and find out what's going on out there.

Just a quick picture post then...

This is my freebie Tilly Tea Dance banner from Vistaprint. I thought it would look good on our craft fair stall in the Autumn. My cousin has a fantastic banner printing business - so if I want anything else, I know where to go, but Mum got this for free, so I am not complaining! It looks pretty good - can you tell I love buttons and lace!!

Bunting seems very popular at the moment  - this is part of a length I made for my craft stall in pink and grey cotton fabric. I have a spare length with about 10 flags on which I might pop in my Tilly Tea Dance Etsy shop.

And lastly my latest little button cushion - gorgeous red velour with a heart made from vintage buttons. Curious George thinks its fab cos it matches his hat! He has been all over the world with me, when I was little, and even has his own passport. I think his chair is ripe for renovation - maybe a bit of chalk paint?
Have a great Wednesday all - see you on your workdesks - I just hope I get my laptop back in time.
x Max

Photo collage fun

 It's a nail-biting day of sport with the F1 at Silverstone and the Wimbledon final with Murray v Federer. Hence I'm sat on the laptop to give me a distraction that will save my nails (having discovered I can watch TV and type at the same time).

I've got so many lovely photos of my button creations that I thought I'd create a collage using my latest discovery - Picasa.

I've seen lots of these collages on Pinterest and think they are a really effective way of collecting together pieces of inspiration for a new project or showcasing the outcome of your labour.

I'll have to make some more things so I can keep producing more collages with the photos :)

A stitcher emerges from hibernation

After a fairly long winter lay off from sewing I'm back in action. A busy few months doing things around the house and garden, plus a hectic few months at work have left me with little time or enthusiasm to sew. I managed a nice set of quilted greetings cards as a Mother's Day gift for my mum, Twiglet, and a quantity of vintage button cushions (joint venture with Twiglet) but not much else. Therefore I'm giving it some effort this bank holiday so we'll see what I can rustle up.

As I've been a little focused on buttons recently I've fired up the 'dumfer' ready for a bit of machine felting for a change of scene. I'm thinking I'll produce some greetings cards to replenish my supplies ahead of birthday and weddings season!

A weekend of crafting with mum is calling!!

Well I've said "jog on" to the working week which means I can look forward to a couple of days of self-indulgence with mum, crafting 'Twiglet-style' :)

Im beginning to prepare my bag of materials but I'm a bit lost for inspiration about what the final creation might be (a couple of glasses of wine ce soir might rectify this creative block!)

Im loving fuschia pink and hessian as my latest colourway and have picked out a few choice buttons and postage stamps to tone in. Just need the idea!

It's gotta be more than just a mood board so any ideas will be warmly received!!

Handmade homeware

After just under two years, my home decorating project is complete. I've finished off the decor in my guest room with one of my handmade cushions. This is a very special room. Not only does it mark the end of my interior decorating project, but it's the room that contains my most precious piece of furniture. Although to most, my mirrored wardrobe may look like a functional guest room essential, to me this piece of furniture says 'I love you'. By a random twist of fate, buying this wardrobe brought me together with my man :)