The best mail

I arrived home this morning to find this:

See that.  Yes, on top of the letterbox.  The very best kind of mail.  We have a night in tonight, so I'll be on the sofa absorbing some lovely images from a few new Japanese craft books.  When I find some time I'll scan some images to share with you.

For now I'm madly packing orders.  While looking for stock in our storage room I spotted our Christmas wreath tucked away.  Now it is on our front door, reminding me that I only have a few weeks left of madness on the work front.

Crochet obsessed

Lately I've had crochet on the mind.  This was further fueled by a happy browsing session at Kinokinuya in Sydney on Friday, where I came away with this book:

As always, there are some refreshing Japanese takes on what can sometimes be a daggy craft.

As far as crafts go, crochet was my first love.  My grandmother taught me when I was around four and I was hooked from that moment on. (Pardon the pun.)

At four all I could manage was one long chain.  I would keep going until the yarn ran out, then pull it undone and start again.  My grandmother got sick of this and soon taught me a few new stitches.

In the junior school I attended, we could earn points for our house by crocheting or knitting squares to make into blankets for the homeless.  I crocheted many hundreds of 6 inch granny squares until the age of eleven.

I used to crochet granny squares in the dark after I had been sent to bed.

Now I'm casting around for a crochet project.  I think I'll have to give these slippers a try.  They are very sweet.

I've been tagging my favourite crochet images as I come across them.  I've had this little flickr gallery to inspire me for a while.  More recently I've joined Pinterest, which I am really loving.  I've started a little inpiration board on favourite crochets over there.

And today I came across this yarn.  I wasn't sure whether I wanted wool or cotton.  This Rowan yarn is 50% cotton and 50% wool.  Together these balls look like a big bowl of icecream.  The colours are very appealing - of course they are, when Amy Butler has put her name to them. 

For now I'm too busy to start any new crafting projects.  This is something for the summer, when I take a break from Townmouse and the other couple of jobs I'm working at the moment.

Mathilda's Market Melbourne

Townmouse will be at Mathilda's Market in Melbourne this Sunday.

 
There are over 120 stalls at this, their biggest market to date.

I am looking forward to this market.  I have roped in a friend to help me, as last time I was a little swamped.  She's not too happy about the 7.30am start, but on the bright side she will get to peruse the stalls bright and early!

This market is going to be a busy one, and with all the lovely goodies on offer, I can see why.

Townmouse will be on sale tomorrow, while stock lasts.

A few markets

I'm blogging from Sydney today. I'm here for three days at the Lindesay Gift Fair. It operates from 10 till 4 today (Thurs), tomorrow and Saturday.

Right now I'm sitting in the sun, making a few sales, while I take in the harbour views. Now that's how I like to do a market.

Meanwhile in Western Victoria, there is a new market taking place in Hamilton this Friday and Saturday at the Racecourse. Drop in to the inaugural Three French Hens Boutique Market where you will find a friend of mine selling the Townmouse range, along with the wonderful Mini-Micro scooters.

In both cases the Range is on sale. If you drop by, please come and say hi.

Smocking

I'm pondering what to do with this panel of smocking.

This has been hanging around my studio since before Adelaide was born.  I unearthed it while hunting for something else (time for a tidy-up perchance?).

I think a simple little sundress with ties at the shoulders might be the ticket.  Now I just need to find a spare hour to make it a reality.  2am is looking like the only window of opportunity this week.  I think this one might have to wait.

Come down from there

I still remember my father throwing me in the air like this when I was a child.  He would arrive home from work and we would beg him to toss us as high as he could.

Which is just what Henri did when Will arrived home tonight.

With the camera set on a high shutter speed Adelaide looks freakishly weightless.

Pretty Liberty dresses

Last night, in the middle of screenprinting butterflies for t-shirts, I was stopped in my tracks when a fabric I'd been pondering caught my eye.  I decided then and there to make Adelaide a dress for today.

She has been wearing this top a lot, so I wanted to make a dress version, which is cooler for hot days.

Again I used food to keep her still enough to photograph.

I do love a little flutter sleeve on little girls.

I had thought about making the bodice with a higher neckline - just to provide a little more sun protection; but I do love the look of this pattern from the back, with the two little buttons in the centre.

Shhh, don't tell Mummy, but I'd prefer to hang out in my PJs.

Monogram Embroidery

A while ago I posted about a monogrammed pillowcase I was working on.

I offered to email readers the instructions that I had written on this technique.  I fear I have lost a couple of recent commenter's email addresses and can't send on the instructions.  So I have uploaded the instructions to flickr.  For anyone who wants them, they can be found here.  The document is just legible if viewed in the large size.

Food for thought

A rather eye-catching piece of junk mail hit our letterbox last week.  A tapware company distributed their brochure in our area and I fell in love with this image.

I've filed this away for future reference, as I'd love our next kitchen to look like this.