Tree Fall

Race For Life

 

On Sunday Bella and I are running/walking the 5k Race for Life. We've both really been looking forward to it, but Bella's been off sick with a bad chest all of this week, so she's worried that she won't be able to do it. I've already told her that if she's still too poorly then I'll run it for her, but she's determined to do it with me. And I think she's right to try.

The thing that I'm nervous about is the day itself. As we've drawn closer to the actual day I've found myself feeling more and more emotional about it. And rather worryingly, I now have to fight back the tears when just thinking about crossing the finishing line with Bella beside me.

 

The first time that I raced, it was 6 months after my mum's diagnosis of terminal cancer. I felt the need to do something positive and to try and take some kind of control. But I found the day really tough. Every thing was still so raw, and I couldn't even write mums name down as my reason for running. It seemed too real and permanent to take a pen and write the words that said that my mum had cancer.

I hadn't expected it to be as emotional as it was. It was so overwhelming to be surrounded by thousands of people that had all been affected in some way by cancer. I suddenly found myself part of a huge club that I desperately didn't want to be a part of.

 

I feel very strongely about the ties between myself, my mum and my girls. My mum is my best friend, I'm extremely close (probably too close) to her and she plays an enormous role in my family life. And she's very close to Bella and Lily, and is incredibly important to them. They both know that mum has cancer and they both know what the prognosis is. Its a heartbreaking fact of life that cancer is an every day word in our house, as it is for too many others.

 

Which is why running the Race has been so important to Bella. And why I'm so nervous about how I'll feel with Bella there beside me. On the one hand, I'm so proud that she wants to do it and that she's raised so much money, but on the other hand I desperately want to keep her out of that club.I don't want my 7 year old to feel the need to raise money to fight cancer. I don't want my 7 year old to even know that cancer exists. And frankly I'm scared that I won't be able to write on her card that she's running for her Nana. Because although it's been 2 and a half years, seeing it in black and white is still almost too much to bear.

 

I've already warned her that I'll cry. She understands why. Perhaps even better than I do. But we're going to do it and when we do we'll be smiling too. Because we're so lucky that 2 years down the line, my mum will be there to watch us cross the finishing line.

 

 If you would like to help us raise money for cancer research, you can still sponser Bella here.

 

The Basics

 

As much as I love neon brights at the moment, I am still constantly drawn to making baby clothes in the darker colour ranges of blues, greys and black.

I love the juxstaposition of a sophisticated colourway with such a simple, basic outfit.

When Bella and Lily were little I never dressed them in girly, frilly clothes. I much preferred simple outfits in either two tone prints or the less obvious baby girl colours of greys, greens and reds.

It was only as they got older and became part of the decision making process (and by that, I mean 'in control of') what they were wearing, that they started wearing a lot more obvious, girly coloured clothing.

And that in turn led to their tastes having an influence on mine, especially as I grew up a hardcore tomboy and even now struggle with wearing overtly feminine clothing.

If you look at my Pinterest boards you'll see that I just can't get away from the simple lines, even when the colours are vivid. Which has led to me being pretty sure that frills aren't going to feature in my designs, anytime soon.

Much to Lily's immense annoyance and disappointment...

 

Bits and Pieces

 

When I sat down late last night to write yesterday's post, I honestly didn't expect anything back. But it is so, so lovely to see all the familiar and friendly names and to read such great comments. They all took me by surprise and they all made me smile. And without wishing to sound all sappy, reading your comments really has made me realise how much I've missed this place.And they've made me remember why I started blogging in the first place.

I read a a question on Facebook recently, about how to blog and how to get noticed, whether it was ok to comment and leave your blogs name and how to say the right things in your comments that would make people want to click through to your blog. And I realised just how much both blogging and the perception of blogging has changed.

When I started there was a really small number of craft blogs and almost no design blogs. For the first few years all of us bloggers had the same large group of readers and you would see the same commenters from blog to blog. It created a real community. One borne out of most designer/makers working alone, at home and needing company and feedback from people that understood what they were trying to do.

 

In the last couple of years, blogging has exploded and there are now thousands out there. But I honestly believe that if you ask most of the newer bloggers out there why they blog, the answer will be to promote their work, or get free stuff, or create an online presence for their business. Which is no bad thing at all, but it has led to a real change in what people expect to read, and what bloggers expect to write.

Most of the bloggers that I've known for the last 7 years, are in some way like me, their writing has changed, it's become less frequent and is often less personal. And I think maybe in part that's because of the pressure to be more professional, to understand that you need to say the right things and the knowledge that these days, buyers, publishers, journo's and customers could all be reading what you say.

Of course, and thank goodness, there are some wonderful stalwarts out there like Amanda and Alicia who have continued to give us beautiful, daily insights in to their lives as well as their crafting and designing. But it's no coincidence that both Amanda and Alicia are very much writers, more than they are bloggers. And I'm pretty sure that they blog for themselves as much as anything else.

All of this pondering though is really me just wanting to say 'thank you' for welcoming me back and for still wanting the old stuff! That makes me pretty happy.

 

 

The real thing

I haven't written many personal posts lately. Seven and a half years ago, when I started blogging, I wrote about so many different parts of my life, sharing so many things with whoever wanted to read it. And for a long time I was lucky enough to have quite a large, but close group of readers.

 

A few years ago, when I became editor of Sew Hip, how I blogged changed. Partly because I was aware that I was representing something bigger than just me and my family, and partly because there was so much negative stuff going on with Sew Hip that would have been unprofessional to talk about, that I had to censor myself constantly.

After I left Sew Hip, I had hoped to rekindle my love of blogging, but really I just never got it back. My trust in putting so much of myself out there then took another battering last year, and that combined with personal events, like my mum's cancer, has resulted in me shying away from sharing myself and has turned this blog a bit of a dull, baren spot.

 

I was talking to my mum today and she told me that I don't write any real posts anymore. And she's right. And she said that maybe I should. And she's right. So I'm going to try to rekindle my love of real blogging by trying to get back in to the swing of writing real posts about the real stuff that happens in my life!

As well as writing about fabric....of course!!

 

 

Working on

One of my favourite prints, by Heather Moore for Cloud 9 Fabrics, teamed with a new blouse that I'm working on, made from a soft grey dobby that I've just discovered.

 

Open Studios with Lotta Jansdotter

I got this book a couple of weeks ago for my birthday. I love seeing how other people work and what their workspaces look like and was sure that this book by Lotta Jansdotter would make for an interesting read.

The book looks at the workspaces of various artists, living in Brooklyn, Sweden and Japan.

As well as lots of great images, Lotta talks to each artist about what inspires them, how they like to work and how their studios's work for them.

 

It's really interesting to read what all the artists say, especially as they encompass many different mediums and I love seeing how organised/disorganised the studios are.

 

 

Pop In to the Pop Up

If you're anywhere near Winchester at the moment or over the next few weeks, it's definitely worth popping in to the Design Pop Up shop that's currently open in the Brooks Shopping Centre.

 

It's full of some absolutely beautiful pieces and I'm lucky enough to have some of my work included.

 

 

 

 

I've been involved in a few design pop up shops lately, and really do believe that they're a great idea. These shops not only put some of the sadly empty High St shops to great use, they also allow for really top quality work to be showcased in the one place.

Understandably most retailers need to cater for the mainstream with established brands at often much lower prices, so it can be hard to get in to the high street if you're a designer maker and particularly hard to get in to a shop that has a consistant aesthetic.

So please, if you're in the area, go look, go support and go and treat yourself to something beautiful!

 

Catching my eye..

On Pinterest at the moment...

 

Simpatico by Cloud 9 fabrics.

 

Flower Field in Penny Black by Skinny laMinx

 

Sun Chaser by Andrew Holder

 

Cards by Inalux

 

 

Mollie Makes a Princess and a Pea

 

I've had a rather lovely few days, because as well as it being my birthday last Friday, the latest copy of Mollie Makes, featuring my mini princess and the pea set came out!

I'm a big fan of Mollie Makes, so was extremely happy when they approached me about being featured and especially about having my design on the cover.

 

 

And I couldn't be happier with how it's all turned out!

Every issue of the magazine features an item being held in two hands, so I needed to reduce the existing size of my Princess and the Pea set and therefore change certain aspects of the design, which in turn, very fortuitously led to me solving a couple of issues that I've always had with the original set.

 

 

The feature includes a step by step guide to making your own Princess and the Pea set, including a mini Princess with embroidered features and her own tiny, embellished crown!

Of course, if you want your own set but don't have the time to make one yourself, both the original large set, which includes a linen tote to carry the set in, and the new small set, are available to buy here.

If you haven't managed to get hold of a copy of Mollie Makes yet, then you really should and not just because I'm in it! In their own words -

"Mollie Makes is published thirteen times a year. We curate the best craft from around the world into a tactile, collectable and totally irresistible magazine.

We love to make – handmade is more than just a hobby for us, it’s in everything we do. 

We can’t resist hunting down treasures in thrift stores, then customising, re-covering and embellishing our finds with our endless stash of ribbons, buttons, fabrics and felt.

We’re forever on the lookout for new inspiration. Whatever we do, we’re living and loving handmade.’ 

♡ Making ♡ Thrifting ♡ Collecting ♡ Crafting"

As well as being available in most supermarkets, WH Smiths and Hobbycraft, you can download the iPad version from here

THE STALLS ARTS & CRAFTS MARKET & POP-UP SHOP

The Stalls is exclusively organising a Pop-Up Shop and Arts and Crafts Market at The Light in Leeds City Centre (from June 1st-8th). Showcasing the work of talented makers both new emerging and established in order to raise funds towards securing our very own shop on Leeds high street.

Playing host to designers specialising in art, ceramics, glass, jewellery, mosaic, knitted crafts and textiles, it's a not to be missed event with must-haves for any occasion.

Event Details:
The Stalls Pop-Up Shop - June 1st - June 8th 2012 from 10am - 6pm
The Stalls Arts & Crafts Market - June 2nd 2012 from 10am-6pm
The Jubilee Tea Party With Craft Stalls - June 4th 2012 from 11am-4pm

Location:
The Light, The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 8TL
(Shop located opposite JOY and next door to THE BODY SHOP)