Crochet Tea Cosy

What exactly is it that makes a tea cosy so pleasing?  Is it the nostalgic reminder of a bygone age when every home in the land had at least one?  Is it the association with hot, comforting, freshly brewed tea?  Or is it simply the fact that all tea cosies, regardless of style or shape look like rather comical hats?  I'm not entirely sure but I often find myself lusting over tea cosies, despite not even owning a teapot at the moment.

 It was my mum's birthday at the weekend and she'd asked me for a new teapot to replace her broken one.  I duly located a pretty teapot, four cute cups and saucers and a vintage style tin to store them in, but the set just didn't feel complete without a tea cosy.  So, with approximately 12 hours to go until I was due to see my mum, and 8 of those hours to be spent asleep, I decided to have a go at crocheting a tea cosy.  As my mum's teapot was an unusual shape, I eschewed the many tea cosy patterns available online and winged it, adapting my pattern as I went.

I'm rather pleased with the results...

 

'Seriously? You're taking photos of a teapot when I'm right here?'

I used cluster stitch, increasing and decreasing as necessary according to the shape of the pot.  When I'd finished, I edged the cosy in single crochet and added a vintage button and chain stitch closure under the handle.  The only part I didn't edge was the spout opening as I liked the way it looked.  The beauty of bulkier stitches, such as cluster, is that they work up in no time, making this an enjoyable, speedy little project for an evening.

I hope you like it and as I'm planning to rectify my lack of teapot shortly, I am pretty sure I'll be making another one in the near future!

Jenny

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Tea + Embroidery

This time last year, I had just completed my first ever embroidery.  It was done freehand, featured applique, was a present for my mum's birthday and had a tea theme.  Never one to push the boundaries too far, I have once again completed a tea-themed, freehand embroidery featuring applique for my mum's birthday.  She asked me for a teapot and some nice teacups so I though this would be a nice accompaniment to her pretty new crockery.

And get this, it's BACKED so it looks all neat and pleasing.  I don't know why the back pleases me almost as much as the front but it does.

I love embroidering by hand - there is something very soothing and mindless about it - but I am itching to try freehand machine embroidery.  I didn't think a birthday present needed at short notice (my mum's birthday is on Sunday) was the best place to practise this but I will be frantically seeking advice on here and Twitter when I do have a go!

Jenny

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Lavender stuffed crochet heart

A lovely Mother's Day heart for my lovely mum...

The heart is based on a pattern from The Complete Guide to Crochet from the people who publish Inside Crochet.  I don't usually buy crochet magazines but I couldn't resist this massive issue with 43 patterns!

I used a finer yarn and smaller hook than the pattern suggests as I didn't want it to be too big.   After stuffing with the filling and lavender sachet, I added a little loop as I think it 'll make a really nice hanging heart.  I'm going to make one for my Gran as well as a little Mother's Day gift so I'd better get a move on as I'm seeing her tomorrow...

Wishing a very happy and relaxing Mother's Day to mums, mams, mothers and mummies everywhere!

Jenny

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Crochet bunting

My little niece, Sophie, is shortly moving into a new bedroom so I've offered to decorate it.  I've been getting ideas from Pinterest and have started making a few bits and pieces ahead of painting the room in a couple of weeks.

The first thing I made was this crochet bunting.  I absolutely LOVE how it came out and I think I might have to make some for my own room now in few different colours.

You can find the pattern I used for the motifs here.  It's been modified from an original pattern published in 1893.  I used a 3.5mm hook to keep the flowers tight and neat instead of the 4mm hook the cotton yarn called for.

 

I strung the flowers together using a simple crochet chain.  I was going to crochet over/around the chain with single crochet to strengthen it but I don't think I really need to.  

It's a really simple pattern so would be brilliant for a crochet beginner tired of scarves and granny squares!  The motifs work up really quickly so it's a great project for a weekend. 

Jenny

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DIY Christmas Giftwrap

I love browsing all the luxury giftwrap available from the likes of John Lewis and Selfridges but for the past couple of Christmases have been going low-key with brown parcel paper. I love it for various reasons:
❆It's cheap
❆ It's really good quality so is easy to wrap with and doesn't tear
❆ You can dress it up in many ways and with any colour theme you want
❆ It looks really classic and timeless
This year, I was inspired by this lovely idea from www.robbieanderin.blogspot.co.uk.  I originally found it via a Pin on Pinterest and loved the idea of using doilies as gift tags.

It just so happened that I had loads of paper doilies sitting in my studio, leftovers from a long forgotten project.  Mine weren't as pretty as the ones on Robbie and Erin's blog but I still wanted to incorporate them into my wrapping as I love the way they look against the brown paper.

I decided to just use doilies as embellishment, tie them into place with raffia ribbon, and make my own gift tags.  I say 'make', but all I did was buy a huge quantity of those cheap card luggage tags you can buy from any stationery shop and punch Christmas trees into them with a paper punch.

I really like the end result.  I also like that all the wrapping is totally recyclable or, if it's going to a crafty or frugal recipient, re-usable.  

For smaller items, like the little Disney rings and bracelets I bought as a stocking filler for my four year old niece, I made the doilies into a little pouch and tied them with ribbon.  I love the way these look and will be using this method again.  

Using the same technique with lace doilies would be a brilliant way of wrapping jewellery for big girls too :-)

Jenny 

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Culture Label

Chances are, if you're a regular Internet user and based in the UK, you've already come across Culture Label's fabulous website (www.culturelabel.com).  If you've ever been stuck for a gift for someone and Googled 'unusual gifts' or 'gift ideas', it's usually up there near the top of the search results.  Founded in 2007, the aim was to create an online store that offered affordable style, and where money spent on shopping made a positive difference to the arts.  Their founding partners included iconic and internationally renowned British institutions such as Tate, V&A, Saatchi Gallery, and the Whitechapel Gallery. Five years on, Culture Label is now home to over 200 brands and designers, including, as of March 2012, my very own Bluefinch Boutique.  


It's early days for my own little corner of Culture Label, and I have lots of exciting plans for an exclusive range of jewellery which will only be sold through there, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some of my favourite pieces from other Culture Label sellers.

Green and Gold Cup Necklace by Louise Buchan £32.50

Cat Scratching Decks by Maiden £16.50

Blue Birds Purse by Custom Made £13.50

His 'n' Her Set of Mugs by Rob Ryan £17.95

Retro Green Printed Clutch Bag by Anna's Design £19

Sew-Your-Own-Fox Tea Towel by Maiden £10

See anything you like?  I particularly love the Sew-Your-Own-Fox Tea Towel - it would make a really cute gift for a fox lover or a crafting virgin!

Jenny

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