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Leah Day: Free Motion Quilting

An interview with Emily Taylor

New feature: Rosie’s Recipes

Issue Eighteen: July 2012

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Hello,

And welcome to the July 2012 issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine. July is the month for heading outand about .. venturing a little further afield than the bottom of the garden! School’s out in July andmany families will be heading off on holiday - at the end of the month - so you’ve still time to stitchyour Birdie Beach tote! Also on the travelling theme, I’ve included my interpretation of a vintage shipembroidery transfer - hope you like it - and you’ll also discover some exotic visitors to my garden -Monty the parrot and his friends.

Of course no expedition is complete without a picnic (just ask Ben!) and this month includes the first“Rosie’s Recipes” where she brings you some of her favourites - I’m definitely planning on includingthe mini-Victoria sponges in my next picnic hamper. Being a youngster, she’s all metric, but you canfind plenty of conversion charts online for older UK readers (like me!) and also those of you fromoverseas.

That’s all from me - I hope you enjoy this month’s issue - and have a wonderful July wherever you areand whatever you’re doing!

Best wishes

Helen xx

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ContentsWhere shall we Adventure? Ship Applique Page 4

Organic Fabric in Quilting Page 11

Monty the Parrot Page 13

Vintage Pattern: Picnic Blanket Page 19

Emily Taylor talks to Bustle & Sew Page 20

Children Around the World: Vintage Applique Page 23

Leah Day: Free Motion Quilting - Troubleshooting Page 28

Moon Bunny Patchwork Quilt Page 30

Four Seasons Embroidery: Summer Page 34

Blog of the Month: Bearpaw by Jo Avery Page 39

Vintage Idea: Wadded Patchwork Quilt Page 40

Birdie Beach Tote Page 42

Rosie’s Recipes Page 49

Rosie’s Recipes Embroidery Pattern Page 54

A Bustle & Sew DesignWhere shall we Adventure?

“Where shall we adventure, today that we’re afloat…….. to Providence, or Babylon or off to Malabar?

Reinterpretation of a 1930s pattern combining freestyle machine embroidery, applique and hand-stitching. If you’re not confident with free-style machine embroidery, then stitch the whole ship by handinstead… it will look just as lovely! Then add this verse from the poem by RL Stevenson - providedwithin the pattern for you to print onto fabric yourself. The finished picture is shown mounted on 40cm square artist’s canvas block.

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You will need:

22” square piece of background fabric - mediumweight linen or linen blend in neutral colour.

Scraps of cotton fabric for the sails - choose fabricsthat complement each other. I used fabrics from the“Salt Air” collection by Moda

Scraps of bright fabric for the flags - ideally theyshould contrast with the sails to make the picturemore “lively.”

DMC stranded cotton floss in black, medium and darkbrown, dark blue and 4025 (blue variations)

Bondaweb

Black thread for your machine needle.

Scrap of cream fabric measuring 8 x 3 ½” for poem.You may need to cut this from a larger piece afterprinting the poem - this depends upon your methodof printing. If you don’t want to print, then you couldwrite the poem onto the fabric using a fine-tip markerpen instead.

40 cm square (16” square approx) canvas block formounting

Staple gun

Self-adhesive fabric tape

PVA Glue

Working the ship:

The actual ship embroidery measures 11” wide. I havegiven the transfer actual size on pages 6 & 7 of thispattern, with a complete (reduced) picture on page 5.

� Transfer the design to your background fabric,positioning centrally on the fabric.

� Trace the sails onto the Bondaweb. ApplyBondaweb to the reverse of your sail fabric and cutout. Position sails onto your transferred design -noting any overlaps - and when you’re happy withtheir positions, iron into place.

� With black thread in your machine needle and creamin the bobbin, stitch twice around the edge of each

sail - not too neatly - you’re aiming for a sort ofscribbled effect.

� Using the transferred lines as a guide, machineembroider the rigging and masts, again going overeach line twice. If you’re not confident with yourmachine embroidery skills, then hand stitch usingblack floss and back stitch.

� Apply the flags using the same method.

� Hand stitch the main body of the ship, using stemstitch and 2 strands of floss. Use the picture on page1 as a colour guide.

� Work the waves in satin stitch using 2 strands of4025.

� Press lightly on reverse. Your ship is now finished.

Print the poem:

I have used the middle verse from the poem “Pirates”by RL Stevenson and an old typewriter font. Bothoriginal and reverse versions are on the next page to suityour preferred method of transfer. Alternatively, youcould write the poem in fine-tip marker pen, or omit italtogether.

When your poem is printed, cut it out raggedly and fraythe edges - as though it had been torn from a scrap ofsail fabric.

Place to one side.

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Assembling your picture:

Position your completed applique right side down on your canvas block, centring it vertically, and with thehighest mast ½” down from the top edge.

Hold in place and flip everything over. Fold your fabric around the edge of the canvas block and secure in placewith your staple gun. Start at the centre of the top side and work outwards, then pull taut (but don’t stretch) andrepeat. Turn over and check you’re happy with the positioning before completing the sides in the same way.Mitre the corners, trimming away any excess fabric.

When finished, trim away excess fabric fromthe back and cover raw edges and staples withthe self-adhesive fabric tape for a neat finish.Turn back to front and secure poem in placewith PVA glue.

Allow to dry, then hang picture. FINISHED!!

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100% organic cotton fabric is a new arrivalto the quilting industry. Until just a fewyears ago, it would have been unthinkable topurchase quilting fabric labelled "organic".With the recent advent of "modern quilting"an eco-conscious trend appears to havedeveloped among manufacturers, fabricdesigners and consumers.

Organic fabric can be identified by lookingat the selvage (or un-printed edge) of afabric. Here you'll find the informationidentifying the manufacturer and fabric lineand if organic, the tagline "100% organiccotton". Although the cotton itself is 100%organic as stated, once the dyes hit thefabric things get a bit dicey. The cottonfabric has been grown without pesticides anduses organic farming processes as promisedbut what about the dyes?

Robert Kaufman, a very prominent quiltfabric manufacturer, provides copies of theirorganic certificates online. Anyone can seethat as promised, all cotton is 100% organic.

The dyes are referred to as "Low Impact".What this means is that they are printing onthese fabrics using dye components from apre-approved list of chemicals.

Is there a dye that that is 100% eco-friendlywith absolutely no impact on theenvironment? The answer is yes and no.Vegetable dyes are chemical free but notcolourfast. They fade within a few washings.There are ways to make the colours "stick"but they may not actually be a more eco-friendly choice due to the chemical bindingelements needed to keep the colours fromfading.

That leaves us with "low impact dyes andinks". Why are they better than traditionaldyes? Through a fibre-reactive process thedyes won't fade and will maintain theirvibrant colours. They require less rinsing soputting fewer chemicals into the watersupply and do not contain heavy metals whichcan be toxic or chemical carcinogens.

Heather Mignon Banks

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How can you know if the fabric you are usinghas been printed with low impact dyes? Lookfor a GOTS certification rating. If you visitthe Robert Kaufman website, you will see aGOTS certificate next to each of theirorganic fabric lines. GOTS stands for GlobalOrganic Textile Standards. This body coversproduction, processing, manufacturing,packaging, labelling, export, import anddistribution of all natural fibres.

Important to note is that the dyes allowedunder GOTS are limited to natural dyes andsome synthetic dyes that meet their specificrequirements, i.e. no heavy metals,formaldehyde, pesticides or dyes consideredto be chemical carcinogens. In essence, if youpurchase fabric certified by GOTS, you arebuying the most eco-friendly version ofquilting cotton on the market today.

Lastly, what about more long term sustainablefabric choices such as hemp, soy or bamboo?Although they are starting to show up theyare not in any way competitive with cotton asa choice for quilting. Additionally, they areeasily twice as expensive as organic cotton.Already, 100% organic cotton is moreexpensive than traditional cotton fabric.

To avoid some of this sticker shock amongtraditional cotton buyers, vendors are sellingorganic cotton fabric in smaller quantities.Online store owners are parcelling organicfabric into 1/2 yard bundles versus the

traditional 1 yard. This means when a consumerlogs on and peruses the organic fabric section,they are not met with a large difference inprice between the traditional cotton fabricsand organic fabric.

It is impressive that quilting manufacturersand fabric designers are taking steps to curbthe pollution and toxicity associated withgrowing and producing cotton fabric. Already,manufacturers are stepping up the number oforganic lines being offered and customersseem to be meeting these choicesenthusiastically.

Heather BanksQuilt Pattern Designer

http://www.apassionatequilter.blogspot.com

Give an Eco-Friendly Gift...Denim Pocket PotHolders lined with Organic Fabric!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/apassionatequilter

A Bustle & Sew DesignMonty the Parrot

Monty and his friends have travelled here on the trade winds from Malabar and set up home in the oldapple tree! These parrots with their black beady eyes and fine felt feathers are huge fun to create and willmake a colourful addition to your home. (They don’t require much looking after either!!)

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Monty is a most inquisitive looking bird, stitched fromfelt and fabric, he measures 12” from the top of his headto the tip of his tail feathers.

The parrots in the photographs were made from felt andfabric from the “Salt Air” collection from Moda.

You will need:

Selection of printed fabrics for the parrot’s body. Thetemplates are given actual size so you can determinewhich scraps you have that might be suitable. You willneed four pieces of fabric that measure 7” x 4” and therest are smaller.

You will also require felt:

2 x 2” square pieces for beak

1 x 6” square for large wing feathers ( A )

1 x 8” x 4” rectangle for large under-tail.

2 x small black beads for eyes

Wire for legs (I used an opened-out paper clip).

Toy stuffing

Pinking shears (optional)

2 x ½” buttons for wings (optional)

To make your parrot:

� Cut out 2 body pieces (1 reversed) in fabric

� Cut out 2 large tail pieces - 1 in fabric and 1 in felt

� Cut out 2 medium size and 2 small tail pieces in fabric, reversing your template between cutting each piece.

� Cut out 2 large wings and 1 gusset piece in felt

� Cut out 2 medium size and 2 small wings in fabric, using pinking shears (optional) and reversing yourtemplate between cutting each piece

� Place your 2” squares of gold felt for the parrot’sbeak on top of each other and draw round thebeak template onto the top square. Machine thetwo parts of the beak together along the line youdrew. Trim seams to ¼” or less, then turn rightside out and stuff very lightly.

(When stitching very small shapes together I find it mucheasier to stitch them first, then cut - avoids them slipping ordistorting)

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� Place the parrot bodies right side together andposition the beak between them, facing into the body.

� Stitch around parrot body from half-way down theback until point X shown on template.

� Turn right way round and check you’re happy with thepositioning of the beak - it should be curving backround towards the parrot’s neck.

� Turn inside out again and stitch gusset into placematching points x and Y on template.

� Now make your tail.

� Place the two large pieces right sides together andstitch around edges, leaving the top (short) edge openfor turning.

� Turn right side out and top stitch lines for feathers(shown on template). Put to one side.

� Repeat with medium and small sized tail pieces.

� Place tail pieces on top of one another, smallest ontop and matching open ends

� Fold in half lengthways and machine baste top edgesto secure

� Insert tail into body (body should have wrong sidestogether and the tail will be enclosed within it withjust the short ends poking out).

� Finish stitching around body, leaving a 2” gap in theback for stuffing.

� Turn parrot right side out and press the body and tailas these may have become creased during the turningprocess.

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� Stuff your parrot firmly. Add the stuffing in small pieces,pushing it up into the head and neck and making surethere are no gaps (or he will have a wobbly head!).

� Top stitch the opening closed.

� Add wings, layering them with the largest on the bottomand secure in place on back with a button on each side.

� Stitch on black beads for eyes.

� Push wire through underpart of body, just above thebottom point of the gusset. This can then be twistedaround any item you want your parrot to perch on.

Please note: as this parrot has beads, buttons and wire he isnot suitable as a toy for young children. If you want to makehim for a child, then stitch his eyes with black floss or wooland omit the buttons on his wings, securing them in placewith a few strong stitches.

Instead of wire legs for perching you could make his legsfrom rolled up felt, stitching it firmly to the underside of hisbody and add star shapes for his feet.

Are you missing any issues of the Bustle & SewMagazine? Do you want to complete yourcollection, or simply build your library of Bustle& Sew patterns at the best possible price?

Back issues are available on the Bustle & Sewwebsite, and you can find them listed here:

http://bustleandsew.com/store/publications/

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A little extra:

Vintage baby elephantttransfer for you

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Emily Taylor is the creative force behind some beautifulfabric collections, including the lovely “Verona” fromRiley Blake, featured in the June issue of the Bustle &Sew e-zine.

But did you know that Emily once worked as a muralartist … and amazingly has no formal design trainingwhatsoever!! Learn more about Emily in this exclusiveinterview for the Bustle & Sew e-zine…..Hi Emily .. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us … I’d liketo start by asking you a little about your background in the arts…

Hi …. I have always loved to draw and paint - as a child I lovedhorses, and learned how to draw them beautifully!

But I wish that I’d had the confidence then tobelieve that I really could be an artists. In fact Igraduated in Political Science and it took years forme to understand that I have to be what I am - I’man artist who loves to create!

It was fascinating to hear that you worked as amural artist, but how did you come to make thetransition into fabric design?

My transition into fabric design was a blessing ofgood timing:

I had walked into one of my favorite local quiltshops (Pine Needles in Gardner Village), and hada burst of inspiration that I must figure out howto design fabric! I figured, correctly, that it wouldbe a perfect job for me as a mother and allow meto stay home with my children. I also had the goodfortune of knowing some other designers whoexplained that artwork nowadays has to be digital.

So, I bought myself a computer as well as thesoftware that I needed to get started. I trainedmyself at home, reading books and usingLynda.com, often working late into the night aftermy family was asleep.

One of Emily’s murals

After I had acquired the most basic skill set, afriend suggest that I present some ideas to RileyBlake Designs.

I did that at a time when they were just lookingfor designers (that's the perfect timing part ofthe story).

Fortunately for me, they have been a perfect fitfor me and I LOVE being a Riley BlakeDesigner!

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Your fabric ranges are beautiful - I adoreyour colour palette - but please do tell - asyou are a self-confessed non-domesticdiva - how did you come to design yourDomestic Diva collection?

The Domestic Diva collection is a tributeof sorts to my mother and grandmother(and all of us women), who sacrifice time,talents and energy to create a pleasanthome for family and children. The recipepattern even includes my grandmother'schocolate snack cake recipe written in herown handwriting!

Another of Emily’s murals - this one was in her daughter’sbedroom as a baby.

Designs from Emily’s “Domestic Diva” collection

How do you create your designs? Do you work in atraditional way with paper and pen or do you use acomputer program? Could you describe yourjourney from idea to final design?

The process for creating fabric designs depends uponthe design. Most of the time, I do sketch ideas withpaper and pencil. Then I scan those drawings orpaintings into the computer, and "redraw" them usingmy Wacom tablet in Illustrator.

Once the design is good, I LOVE to play with thecolor palette, because it's so fun and easy to do inIllustrator. I work and rework a design until it hasthe "It" factor. Then I create coordinating piecesusing elements from the original design, and shiftingthe colors around.

When I feel like I've got something that might work,I present it to the Riley Blake design team for critiqueand suggestions. After Riley Blake accepts one of mydesigns, we work with the manufacturer in Korea toget the printing just right. We go through 2-3 sets ofstrike-offs until everything looks just like I designedit.

One of the many pots Emily painted whilstworking as a mural artist.

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Working with fabric manufacturers must be very exciting - please tell us a little about the process -what's great and perhaps what isn't so wonderful?

My favorite part of the process is feeling like I've created something that is "working", and theanticipation that with a little work, this might just turn into my next collection! My least favorite partof the process is... hum... I can't think of any of it that I don't enjoy!

Well, to be honest, I don't enjoy blogging~but that doesn't have anything to do with the design process.It's just something that I feel like I have to do to increase exposure for my fabric.

What are you working on at the moment - is there any chance of a sneak peek?

At the moment, I am right in the middle of the process of creating what I hope will be anothercollection... but I can't share it with you just yet! Above is a sneak peak of Avignon (debuting inSeptember), and Pirate Mateys (debuting in October).

Thank you so much for talking to us Emily … I’ve loved hearing and seeing your wonderful work -you are a very talented lady!

If you’d like to learn more about Emily, you can visit her website: www.emilytaylordesign.com

Or follow her blog: www.emilytaylordesign.com/category/blog/

Emily also sells a selection of her patterns (yes she creates patterns too - is there no end to her talents!!)on her website here:

www.emilytaylordesign.com/products

Pirate MateysAvignon

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Children around the WorldVintage applique from the mid-20th century.

This pattern is taken from a 1956 edition of Stitchcraft magazine. Unfortunately I don’t have thetransfers - these were not included in the magazine, but had to be applied for by post. I have traced

my own transfers from the design however, and I think that it should be quite straightforward towork out where everything goes - provided you are well organised that is!! Good luck!!

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Leah Day

This month we’re looking at troubleshooting some of the morecommon problems you may experience whilst quilting at homeand Leah gives us some tips on resolving these difficulties….

Stitching Problems:

I can’t count the number of times my bobbin has suddenly become possessedby demons. It stitched fine 5 minutes ago, but suddenly it's making aCLACKETY CLACKETY CLACKETY noise that's loud enough to wake thedevil.

So here's a simple checklist if your stitches go suddenly, inexplicably ugly:

1. Rethread your whole machine.

Take out the bobbin, take out the top thread. Start over from scratch and don't rush through it. It's reallyeasy to miss guides when you're in a hurry and getting frustrated.

2. Change your needle.

Chances are this wasn't the issue, but it never hurts. A bent or dull needle can wreck havoc with yourstitches so it's always a good idea to change it when things get ugly.

Try stitching again after completing #1 and #2. Don't stitch anything super complicated - just try straightor slightly curvy lines.

Then try a deeper, stippling wiggle. Did the issue come back again? If you saw long loops pulling up inthe deep curves, try speeding up your machine in these areas.

If the problems persist, try this:

3. Return to Piecing. Change all the settings of your machine back to how you have it set up for piecingand actually piece a few scraps together. Are you still having issues?

If you suddenly stop having issues chances are you are doing something - dropping your feed dogs,changing thread, changing feet, changing tension, changing SOMETHING that is screwing things up.

If your machine is still having issues with piecing and you CAN'T get the tension corrected by any means,chances are your machine is actually broken in some way and the best solution is to see a repairman.

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However, most often your machine is NOT broken.Most often there's just a single issue stopping youfrom finding good looking stitches.

You'll need to begin the process of diagnosing theproblem step by step.

The most important thing is to keep quilting. Don'tlet the loops beat you down! Don't let eyelashesbest your spirit! Just keep trying it, keep playingwith it, keep working at it until the pretty stitchessurface.

One more note about stitch quality: I received thisquestion from Kitty May on Facebook:

Why don't my bottom stitches look as good asthe top ones? I'm using the same thread, Aurifil?

This is a great question because the fact is - evenmy stitches look better on top than they do on thebottom. Seriously, out of all 365 of my little designsquares, even the ones stitched on black fabric onboth sides, I could flip it over and look at it closelyand see which side faced up while it was quilted.

So this leads to another point: Stitch quality isalways a work in progress.

Everyone is always working to have better looking,more balanced stitches, but it's not going to happenovernight, and it shouldn't be something stoppingyou from quilting your own quilts.

Please keep in mind that it is SUPER easy to obsessabout tension issues, a wobbly stitch in the sea ofperfect stitches, a slightly longer string of stitches- but think about when and where you're doing thisobsessing: you're sitting at your sewing machine,with your face about 5 inches from your quilt, withbright lights all around so you can see every issuein clear focus.

You're going to see every mistake, but you reallyshouldn't berate yourself for them! Just keepquilting.

This is the main reason why I beg you to matchyour thread colors. It's really difficult, if notimpossible, to get absolutely 100% perfect tensionall the time while free motion quilting.

If you have red thread on top and yellow thread inthe bobbin, chances are some of that is going toshow on either side and it will drive you crazy. Doyourself a favor and:

� - Match your thread color - save your sanity!

� - Give yourself a break about thread issues - it'snot worth agonizing over!

� - Ignore the issues and GO QUILT - threadissues WILL become less, but ONLY if youkeep quilting.

I really hope you don't take this as a flippantresponse. This is my truthful solution to 100% ofsmall thread issues, even the ones I see in my ownquilts. Perfection does not exist in free motionquilting, and you can drive yourself crazy searchingfor it.

One last note and I really will shut up about this:

There is a way to hide 90% of your thread issues,100% of small line wobbles and noticeable startsand stops, and 80% of massive tension problems.It's a really simple solution:

Wash your quilt!

Seriously, you're agonizing over your quilt whenit's flat and perfect and fresh off the machine. Ofcourse the thread issues are going to be noticeable!All that thread is still sitting slightly on the surfaceof the quilt. It's not yet gotten happy and soft withthe other fibers of the quilt.

So throw your quilt in the washing machine, crankthe temperature up to HOT, then dry that sucker onthe hottest setting in your dryer, and I bet you'llhave to SEARCH for those issues you were so upsetabout when it's finished.

Leah Day

A Bustle & Sew Pattern

Moon Bunny Cot QuiltDiscovering Leah Day’s site, and learning her techniques gave me the confidence to try free-

motion quilting for myself. Here is a simple patchwork quilt, with a little applique quilted in amixture of stars and straight lines - as though it were an astronomer’s chart.

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In England, we all know to look for the old man inthe moon on clear moonlit nights. But other culturessee different images in the shadows on the face ofthe moon. The Japanese and other Far Easterncountries have the lovely legend of the Moon Rabbit- which inspired my design. This is a really easy littlequilt, based on 3” squares (I used my Accuquilt Go!Baby to cut the squares) with larger squares at thecentre of each side. The fabric is from the Kitzbuhelcollection by Westfalenstoffe.

You will need:1 FQ each of dark blue, 2 medium blue and 1 yellowdesigns

1 ½ yards white fabric for white blocks and quiltbacking

36” x 42” light-weight cotton batting

1 LQ mint fabric for borders

6” square yellow felt, 4” square brown felt and 12”square light blue felt - use a wool blend felt -acrylic won’t feel nice or wash well.

Bondaweb, Temporary fabric marker

Stranded embroidery floss in brown, dark brown,pink, dark blue, black and white

Gold machine thread

4 ½ yards bias binding

Method:

Applique:

Cut 6 ½” x 9 ½” piece of white fabric for yourbase.

Using the template at the end of this pattern, whichis given exact size and reversed, trace your appliquepieces onto the reverse of the bondaweb.

Before ironing the bondaweb onto the felt, make acut into the middle of each shape. This will help youremove the backing paper without damaging theedges of the shape. All you will need to do is folddownwards and the edge will be easy to peel away.

Iron the star and moon pieces into place on thewhite fabric. Secure the edges with a decorativemachine stitch using gold thread in the needle.

Iron the rabbit into place. Secure the edges withsmall straight stitches using brown floss (to matchyour felt). Use a darker brown floss to outline hislegs, ears and head. Work his eyes in black flossand ear/cheeks in pink. Add whiskers and tail inwhite floss and back stitch a line down to the starhe is holding in dark blue floss. Use 2 strands offloss throughout.

Quilt top:

Cut your 3 ½” squares as follows:

13 x first medium blue

18 x dark blue

11 x yellow

48 x white

Cut 4 x 6 ½” squares of second medium blue

Cut 2 x 6 ½” squares of white.

Star squares

Trace onto Bondaweb, iron to felt and cut three5-point stars measuring 2 ½” wide and two 5-pointstars measuring between 4” and 5” wide.

Secure the smaller stars to three of the 3 ½”squares and the larger stars to the two 6 ½”squares with decorative machine stitch in goldthread.

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Piece top

Piece the patchwork top following the layoutabove. Press seams in opposite directionswhen assembling squares to minimise bulk onreverse.

Borders

Cut two 36” x 2 ½” strips and two 33” x 3”strips from your mint fabric and join to edgesof top. Press.

Assemble quilt

Place your backing fabric right side down on aclean flat surface, then your batting andfinally your top right side up. Ensure there areno wrinkles and that your batting and backingextend beyond the edges of the top.

Pin or baste all layers together.

Quilt

I outlined the applique design and the stars,then used a zig-zag and stars free-motion

pattern, also outlining a few of the blocks as Iwent along.

Bind

Bind as preferred.

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A Bustle & Sew DesignFour Seasons: Summer

The second in my series of ladies - re-working the same pattern in different colours and textures toreflect the changing seasons of the year. Here is summer - the pinks and reds echo the roses blooming in

my garden, her skin is a beautiful golden-brown and small beads sparkle in her hair.

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Regular readers of the Bustle & Sew Magazine mayremember that, back in March, I began a new series ofembroideries using a vintage 1970s pattern - full ofstylised curves and squiggles - with lots of scope forexperimenting with different colours and textures. Ithink the design is also a little reminiscent of thetraditional “Green Man” - appropriate in its reflectionof the seasons changing all around us.

You can see from the picture of the two embroideriesI’ve worked so far that my palette has changed as wemove from Spring into Summer.

Orchid in the woods

Gone are the pastel colours of spring blossoms, replacedby the more vibrant hues of summer, includingwonderful purples, reds and greens inspired by thehedgerows and gardens blooming all around me in thebeautiful countryside of South Devon.

Roses in the garden

Like the Spring Lady, Summer is also stitched in DMCstranded floss, but instead of the subtle tones of naturalshell buttons, I have included masses of seed beads inpurples, golds and pinks, together with some small redflower-shaped beads. The leaves are appliqued withfabric scraps and you’ll see her skin tone and eye colourare also much more vibrant.

The design is supplied actual size, though you may wishto resize it yourself if you prefer. I wouldn’t recommendgoing smaller though, as this will make the project veryfiddly and difficult to work. If you go very much larger,then you may need to choose cotton perle instead ormaybe use more strands of floss to achieve a good result.

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You will need:

7” embroidery hoop10” square white or other neutral coloured background fabric6 x ¼” flat red beads or buttons - flower-shaped if possibleApprox 60 small seed beads in purples, pinks, gold and whiteSmall scraps of fabric for leavesDMC stranded cotton floss in colours 310, 321, 333, 598, 676, 701, 829, 4045, 4100, 4110Sufficient fabric (light or medium weight) to cut or tear into ½” strips to wrap outer part of hoop.Bondaweb8” square card8” square cream or other light-coloured felt (for backing work in hoop)9” square fabric for backingHot glue gun

Note: 2 strands of floss are used except where otherwise stated. Instructions for each flower aregiven working from the centre outwards.

Wrapping your outer hoop:

This is a very simple process. All you need to do is to cut narrow (about ½” wide) strips of your chosenfabric. Secure the first end onto the very edge of the inside (up by the screw) of the top of your hoop usinga hot glue gun. Then simply wrap the hoop, securing with dabs of glue on the inside of the frame along theway and at the end.

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This month’s focus is on the entertaining,educational and totally good read that is JoAvery’s blog - Bearpaw!

Jo is a 40 something mother of 2 grown up sons,very happily married to Jonathan (25 yearssince we met the other day!). She runs a shopin Edinburgh, Scotland, selling lots of lovelyhomewares, gifts, and now fabric and wool (nowavailable on-line too!), and teaches patchwork,crochet and lots of other things at the weekend.

(However does she find the time to blog?)

Jo also designs her own embroidery patterns -here’s her set of 4 woodland friends - myfingers are itching to stitch that gorgeous owl- as well as being a keen (and expert) quilter.

BLOG OF THE MONTH

But Jo isn’t just a very talentedcraftswoman, she has a great sense ofhumour ….

…. And PS - did I mention she crochets too?

Check out the Bearpaw blog here:

http://www.bearpawandbearpaw.blogspot.co.uk/

And do take a look at her online shop,Avery Homestore too:

http://averyhomestore.co.uk/

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A Bustle & Sew DesignBirdie Beach Bag

Those pesky parrots (pattern available from Bustle & Sew) get everywhere! But Monty does look rathercute accessorising the Birdie Beach bag. Generously sized at 17” deep, it’s a bucket shape that sits firmly

on its oval base.

It has a magnetic closure and contrast lined shoulder strap, and a nice deep internal pocket that closeswith a 12” zipper, so there’s plenty of space to keep your sunglasses, phone and keys safely tucked away

inside.

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You will need:

¾ yard of 44” wide exterior fabric

1 yard of 44” wide medium weight canvas fabric

1 x FQ medium/light weight fabric for interior pocket

15” square oilcloth for interior bag base

30” x 2 ½” strip of patterned fabric for strap reverse

12” zipper

Magnetic clasp

Large (1 ¼” or bigger) button

3 assorted smaller buttons

Selection of fabric scraps and ric rac braid for bag front

1 ¼ yards ric rac braid for trimming bag interior

DMC cotton perle no. 5 in 187 (turquoise), 600 (pink),704 (green) and 785 (golden yellow) - or use colours tocomplement the fabric scraps and ric rac braid you’vechosen.

Temporary fabric marker pen

Bondaweb

Zipper and embroidery feet for your machine

Black and cream machine thread

Pinking shears

Cutting out:

Cut the following pieces from your exterior fabric:

1 oval measuring 15” long x 6 ½” wide at widest pointfor bag base.

2 bag sides each measuring 20” along the top, 17” downthe sides and 15” across the bottom (see diagram atbottom left)

1 piece for strap 30” x 3 ½”

From your canvas cut:

2 bag sides as before

1 piece for button tab (see diagram above)

With your pinking shears: 12” square for applique panel

From your oilcloth cut:

1 oval measuring 15” long x 6 ½” wide at its widestpoint.

From your pocket fabric cut:

2 rectangles, each measuring 15” x 10 ½”

From one of your larger fabric scraps cut:

1 piece for button tab as before.

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Create your applique panel:

The template below is given at 50% of actual size, and reversed (though this doesn’t really matter) forcutting out your Bondaweb shapes

This is a really easy applique design. Cut and position your shapes before securing to the base fabric withBondaweb, then go around the edge of each shape twice with black thread in your needle and yourembroidery foot. You are aiming for a sort of scribble effect - not too neat (but not too messy either!).

Then with your temporary fabric pen draw on the the stitching lines and stitch using the photo on thenext page as a guide. (Or make it up as you go along!) Add decorative buttons as shown.

After stitching position your panel on the front exterior piece of your bag on the diagonal. When you’rehappy with the positioning topstitch into place, with cream thread in your needle.

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Add ric-rac braid in assorted colours to the front of thebag - see photo above as a guide. Press lightly on thereverse.

Assemble Bag Exterior

Seam allowance is ¼” throughout unless otherwise stated.

Attach one half of magnetic closure to the top of the bag- positioning centrally vertically and 1 ½” down from thetop edge. You may wish to reinforce the back with ascrap of canvas to avoid excess strain on your fabric.

Place two exterior panels together, right sides facing andjoin seams.

Insert the oval you cut for the base, right sides facing andjoin to panels. Go around twice for extra strength, thenclip curves. Place exterior to one side.

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Assemble Bag Interior:

Insert Zipper pocket

Stitch over the ends of the zip to hold them together

Then take one of the pieces you cut for your pocket and, right sides together, place it onto one of thecanvas panels you cut for the bag interior, positioning it centrally and 5” down from the top edge.

Take your zip and measure the length of the zipper teeth (not the zip itself).

On the pocket panel mark a rectangle that is as wide as the length of your zipper teeth and ½” high.

In the centre of the rectangle mark a line with a triangle at either end - see diagram below.

Stitch the pocket panel to the bag interior alongthe RED lines only.

Take your seam ripper and cut the black lines inthe diagram taking care not to cut your stitching.

Pull the pocket panel through the hole you havejust made - every single bit of it has to comethrough that hole, and this might require sometugging and wiggling!!

Sew the zipper to the bag lining about 1/8” fromthe hole edge. (Make sure you put it with thezipper pull on the side of the interior panel!).

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Now you can finish assembling the pocket. Place the secondpocket piece on top of the first, right sides together and pin.

Machine stitch around all four sides of the pocket and press.

Assemble bag interior:

Stitch ric-rac braid to top of bag interior panels, 2 ½” down from the top.

Join bag along sides, leaving a 4” gap on one side for turning.

Stitch oval base to bag, going around twice for strength. Clip curved seams. Place to one side.

Bag Strap:

Place your two long rectangles for the strap on top ofone another, right sides together.

Turn over the sides of the outer rectangle twice,enclosing the raw edges of the lining rectangle - pressfirmly and top stitch into place.

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Tab Closure:

Insert second half of magnetic closure into the canvas tab, 1 ½” from pointed end.

Place two parts of tab right sides together and stitch around 3 sides, leaving the short straight sideopen.

Turn out and press. Top stitch around 3 sides - again leaving the short straight side open.

Attach decorative button to tab on the patterned side positioning it over the top of the magneticclosure.

Assemble your bag:

Place exterior inside interior, right sides together. Position tab at centre back and strap ends at sideseams, then pin or baste in place.

Stitch around top edge.

Turn bag right side out through the hole in lining.

Topstitch hole closed.

Press bag, then topstitch around top edge.

FINISHED!!

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Summer is just around the corner (really itshould already be here butthis is England!) and what better time tointroduce my very first ‘Rosie’s Recipes’.

When I think of Summer I think back towhen I was younger, of days spent on thebeach darting in and out of the sea,listening to the sound of seagulls soaringoverhead and collecting shells andpebbles that I could add to my collectionwhen I got home. We always took a picnicon these trips to the beach which waslovingly made by my mum. Oursandwiches always seemed to end up witha sprinkling of sand (mum liked to say itadded  ‘texture’) once knocked out of ourhands by our rather excitable dog, Susie.

Enjoying picnics on the beach is one of myfavourite things to do in the summertimeso I thought it would be a good theme formy first ‘Rosie’s Recipes’.

Ever since I was a little girl I have enjoyedhelping my mum in the kitchen, whether itwas helping to ice chocolate fairy cakesfor a birthday party or wrap mini sausagesin bacon at Christmas time.

Each month I will share some of myfavourite recipes –some that have beenpassed down to me by my mum and somethat I have found in the numerous cookbooks that line my book shelf. This monthI will be sharing some of my picnicfavourites.

Homemade Sausage Rolls

Ingredients:

4 large sausages1 onion2 teaspoons of mixed herbs1 egg1 teaspoon of milkFor the pastry:175g butter225g plain flourPinch of salt

o Wrap the butter in foil and place inthe freezer for 15-20 minutes.

o Sift the flour and salt into a largemixing bowl.

o When the butter is chilled, removefrom the freezer. Keep the butter inthe foil to keep it cool.

o Using a cheese grater grate the butterinto the flour and salt mixture (becareful not to grate the foil!). Tip: Dipthe butter into the flour every sooften to make it easier to grate.

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o Using a palette knife, coat all thepieces of butter with flour so that themixture becomes crumbly. It is reallyimportant  that  you  don’t  use  yourhands to do this as it will melt thebutter.

o Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water overthe mixture (add more later ifnecessary).

o Gently bring the mixture togetherusing your hands until it forms adough that leaves the side of the bowlclean.

o Wrap the dough in cling film or placein a polythene bag and leave in thefridge for half an hour. Tip: Don’tworry, if you don’t have time to makeyour own, ready-made pastry worksjust as well.

o Preheat the oven to 220˚C.o Place the sausage meat into a large

mixing bowl (remove the skins first)and grate the onion into the mixtureusing a cheese grater. Tip: When I ampreparing onions I always put on mysunglasses to stop my eyes stinging somuch!

o Add the herbs – you can use sage,thyme or parsley depending on whichyou  prefer.  When  I  don’t  have freshherbs to hand I sprinkle in somemixed dried herbs which are just astasty.

o When you are ready to make yoursausage rolls sprinkle your worksurface and rolling pin with flour toensure that your dough does notstick. Roll the dough into a long, thinrectangle

o Divide the rectangle into 2 or 3smaller pieces and then divide thesausage meat equally.

o Fold the pastry in half and seal at theside using the milk and egg mixture.

o Using the back of a knife make smallindents all down the side of thepastry.

o Brush with the milk and egg mixture –remember that wherever you brushthe mixture on will go golden andcrispy in the oven.

o Cut into sausage roll sized pieces andscore with a knife to let the steam outso they don’t go soggy.

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o Leave to cook for 20-25 minutes untilgolden. Tip If you don’t want to cookall the sausage rolls at once you canfreeze them and cook them at a laterdate.

Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes

The traditional Victoria Sponge was namedafter Queen Victoria (Queen of England from1819-1901) and she often enjoyed a piecewith her afternoon tea.

Queen  Victoria’s  sponge  would  have  beensandwiched with jam alone – the cream was a(very yummy) 20th century addition. Thesemini Victoria Sponge cakes are a modern takeon the classic cake and are the perfect size tofit in your picnic basket.

Ingredients:

200g butter200g Caster Sugar200g self – raising flour4 eggsStrawberry/ raspberry jamCream for whippingIcing sugar to sprinkle

o Pre  heat  the  oven  to  180˚C  (160˚C  ifyou have a fan oven).

o Mix the sugar and butter in a largemixing bowl until it is light andcreamy. You can use either an electricwhisk or wooden spoon (if your armsare stronger than mine!) to do this.

o Gradually beat in the egg. Once youhave incorporated all the eggs intothe mixture, fold in the flour.

o Spoon the mixture into a fairy cake tinor muffin tin depending on how bigyou would like them. Tip: I used asilicone muffin tin and found that thesponges were just the right size to cutin half.

o Pop in the oven for 12-15 minutes oruntil golden brown and firm to touch.Once cooked, leave on a wire rack tocool.

o Once the mini sponges have cooledcompletely carefully cut in half.

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o Spoon a generous amount of creamonto one half of the cake and top withjam. Pop the other half on top andsprinkle with icing sugar. Tip: If youare taking these on a picnic you maywant to pack the jam and creamseparately and assemble when readyto eat to avoid getting sticky!

Coronation Chicken

Coronation Chicken is one of my favouritesandwich fillings – an absolute must inany picnic!

Coronation Chicken was first created tomark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth IIin 1953. It was important to create a dishthat was not only easy and cheap to makebut could also be enjoyed in front of thetelevision so that the British people could

eat their lunch whilst watching theCoronation – the very first TV dinner! Itwas originally eaten as a dish on its ownbut is now a firm favourite in sandwichesas well as jacket potatoes.

Ingredients:

Chopped chickenMild curry powderBlack PepperMango Chutney3 tablespoons of mayonnaiseSultanasFresh herbsFlaked Almonds

o Mix the mayonnaise, mangochutney, curry powder, sultanasand pepper in a large bowl. Makesure that it is all blended togetherso that there are no powdery bits.

o If you like, add fresh herbs andflaked almonds depending onyour taste. Tip: Use medium currypowder for a bit more of a kick.

o Add the cooked chicken and stirinto the sauce.

o Chill in the fridge until ready toserve.

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Elderflower Cordial

Every summer my mum makeshomemade Elderflower Cordial using theElderflowers from the bush at the end ofthe garden. It’s the perfect addition to anypicnic!

Ingredients: (Makes one pint of cordial)

12 heads of elderflower1 lemon, 1lb of sugar2 teaspoons of cider vinegar1 pint of water

o For each pint of water add thejuice and grated zest of a lemon,1lb sugar, 2 teaspoons cidervinegar and a dozen heads ofelderflower.

o I always peel the lemon ratherthan use a grater.…I always gratemy fingers! Boil the sugar andwater together and pour themixture onto the elderflowers,lemon and vinegar. Stir well.

o Leave the mixture to infuse for 24hours – it makes the kitchen smelllovely!

o Strain through muslin then pourinto sterilized bottles.

o The cordial has to be keptrefrigerated even before it isopened, but it does keep for up to3 months in the fridge. The tasteof summer!

I hope you have enjoyed my very first‘Rosie’s  Recipes’  and have fun making allof  my  picnic  favourites.  Next  month’srecipes will all feature my very favouritefood….CHOCOLATE!!

Rosie x53

© Bustle & Sew 2012

Rosie’s RecipesA Bustle & Sew Design

Every budding celebrity chef needs a special apron … .and here’s my design for my daughter Rosie, the newestcontributor to this ezine.

It’s really simple to stitch and is based based on a vintage pattern - the calico kitten,combined with a freehanddrawing of a delicious-looking cupcake. Why not personalise for the cook(or cupcake-lover) in your life?

You will need:

8” square background fabric - choose a medium-weight cotton or cotton blend in a light,neutral colour.

DMC floss shades: 310, 315, 325, 326, 746, 828, 966, 996, 3713

2 strands of floss are used throughout.

Eyes are worked in 310 (black)

Letters are worked in a mixture of colours - whatever I had to hand.

Stitch Guide:

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That’s all for this month folks - I do hope you’ve enjoyed this, theeighteenth issue of the Bustle & Sew magazine. Next month we’revisiting the Great British Seaside with my coastal themed issue andRosie will be concentrating on her favourite ingredient - CHOCOLATE!!

Copyright © 2012 Bustle & Sew

The copyright of this magazine (including without limitation the text,artwork, photographs and images) is owned by Bustle & Sew. Youmay download and copy this magazine and the material in it andprint pages from it for your own personal and non-commercial use.You are not granted any other rights in relation to this publicationand the material within it. In other words, all other rights arereserved.

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CLICK HERE to learn more and to subscribe to the magazine.

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http://www.bustleandsew.com

And keep up to date with all the latest news from Devon, England onthe Bustle & Sew blog

http://www.bustleandsew.blogspot.com

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