Ruby's Button Tin

Here fishy fishy ...

Okay, this is about as good as my instructions get.  If you fancy making a fishy cushion here's how ... 

Don't try and use 'normal' knitting wool if you're new to needlepoint.  It frays too easily.  You need to buy proper tapestry wool which comes in every sumptuous shade you can imagine. 

You'll also need a blunt tapestry needle.

Lots of books and websites will give clear instructions on how to do a basic stitch.  Make sure you use a reasonable length of wool.  I tend to use a piece about 40cm.  Any longer and it might get tangled and knotty.

For this pattern, I'm afraid I couldn't manage a super-duper diagram but these shots should show clearly the fish design.  Each rectangle is 14 stitches wide by 27 stitches high.  Either go for a colour scheme (lights and dark blues and white for eg) or just pick every colour of the rainbow you can find.  If the photo isn't clear enough then tell me and I'll draw and scan a diagram ...

actually, I'll do that anyway.  But maybe tomorrow - I'm all computered out today!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along with the attached PDF you should be okay.  Fingers crossed

Blimey, writing instructions is trickier than it looks ...

 

 

Download Fish instructions

Getting ready to scan

About 9 years after everyone else I've joined the 21st century.  Specifically I've bought a scanner.  This is my first attempt at mastering the even-I've-got-to-admit easy process, a photo of me as a nipper.  That's me and my mum in front of our garden shed!  Ahh, bless!  Look at my bow.   For some reason my mum was forever tying my hair up in ribbons, and I was forever removing them.  

I can see lots of happy hours ahead scanning family photos and adding them to Flickr.  It's a great way of ensuring that even if the worst happened - the originals were destroyed by fire/flood or were lost in a house move - your memories would still be there at the click of a mouse. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                       

Hello sunshine

Ooops, the fishy cushion how-to hasn't made any progress, and you can blame the sunshine for that.  As well as my guilty secret - 'Britain's Got Talent'.  

The sunshine - because it's been such utterly gorgeous weather that I'm just spending as much time as I can outside.  'Britain's Got Talent' because I spent an hour last night watching it instead of being good and doing crafty type things.  (Not that I entirely approve of BGT.  The little girl who performed last night and cried her eyes out was just way too young to be on the show.  She looked terrified and it was very uncomfortable viewing.)   So between doing laundry, watching that and doing a mountain of washing up, I didn't craft at all yesterday evening. 

We'll see what today brings - though I'm definately spending a few hours on the allotment today - oh heck!  I need more time!!  For now,here are some pictures of little knitted houses. 

 

 

 

 I've been experimenting with attaching them to ric-rac to make bunting.  Here's the first one I've finished. 

 

 

Fishy cushion how-to

Okay, this is going to be a basic 'how to make a needlepoint cushion with a fishy pattern' post.  At least it'll be the start of one.

 

You'll need an assortment of tapestry wool and a piece of 10-count canvas.  The teeny-tiny mini cushions are approx 21.5cm x 19cm when finished, so you'd need a piece of canvas a good 5cm bigger, making it about 27cm x 24cm. 

A more standard sized cushion, when finished measures 33cm x 35cm, so you'd want a piece of blank canvas approx 38cm x40cm to start with.

 

Start stitching in the bottom right hand corner of what will be your cushion.  You're going to stitch the background of what in this photo would be the bright blue rectangle with the pink fish. 

 

Now, at this point I'm going to have to stop as I've just spent half an hour drawing a diagram of the fish shape but have got to work out how to add it on this blog.  Hmm, I really do need an I.T. man on permanent stand-by.  Will have another crack at this tomorrow evening. 

P.S. You're welcome to visit me on Flickr ...

Do stop by at Flickr if you're in the mood to browse.  I'm listed under the name rubykittyruby, and always love to come across new contacts. 

I did have a Flickr link further down the page but it seems to have wandered.  Technology was never my strong point!

 

Life on the allotment

After work it was on with the jeans and tatty gardening shoes and off to the allotment.  Everything's growing like crazy, and the rhubarb plants look spectacular.   

 

I'm so pleased with the cream and pink foxgloves too, and they look especially good next to the valerian. 

 

 

Watching and reading ...

A few recommendations:  am a third of the way through Rose Tremain's 'The Road Home' which is proving an extremely good read.  It's the story of Lev, an economic migrant from the East who arrives in London and sees the city - and the English - through an outsider's eye.  It's wonderfully readable and I'm not suprised it was awarded the Orange prize.   

Also worth a look are 'Madelaine' and 'Blithe Spirit', two David Lean films I watched yesterday while it poured down outside.   'Fopp' were selling a boxed collection of his films for the bargain price of £12, so I've still got lots to watch - Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and Hobson's Choice, not to mention Brief Encounter.  Bliss!  Plus 'The Thin Man' with William Powell and Myrna Loy and series 1 of 'Kath and Kim', also 'Fopp' bargains. 

On the crafty side of things the bird embroidery has ground to a halt until I can get to a haberdashery shop and stock up on embroidery silk.  Still, there's plenty to catch up on - just look at the unfinished projects cluttering my desk! 

More on the embroidered bird

It's pouring with rain outside, so today will probably be a good day for crafty-type goings on.  Last night I snacked too much (no change there despite futile attempts at dieting!) and watching the hysterical Eurovision Song Contest.  Just when you think you've seen it all, on comes another scantily clad woman but she's backed up by scantily clad male dancers in Chippendale-style gladiator costumes.  Bonkers!!  But very enjoyable.  I sewed and watched, so the bird embroidery has made a bit of progress.  It doesn't look like much at the moment, but hopefully will start to take shape soon.  I don't claim to be much good at embroidery, but - like sketching - I enjoy combining colours and coming up with something that pleases me.  We'll see how it goes.  Meanwhile it's after 9.00 on a Sunday morning and I'm still browsing websites in my dressing gown.  Time to stop being a couch potato and do something a bit more active before I take root here.                             

Two things before I go - (1) how much fun is all the scandal over MPs expenses!!  Yes, I know, there's a serious side, it has implications for our democratic process, it's public money, etc, but on a frivolous level - it's hilarious.  Glitter loo seats, horse manure, £18,000 bookcases, and to top it all - a story about moat cleaning.  You really couldn't make it up.  (2) If you like music and want to get access to it for free - I've just discovered (belatedly) Spotify.  What a fantastic source of free legal music.  I'm listened to loads of Eighties stuff.  Great fun, I'd recommend it.

Embroidered birds

I was standing in Borders leafing through a copy of Country Living today which is always a gorgeous source of images - they have wonderful photographs of the natural world as well as featuring artists/crafters homes and work.  Anyway, I saw these fantastic embroidered birds by Helen Ashton.  Haven't got any pictures of them, but if you google her name you'll find them.  They're so sweet, so prettily made that they inspired me to have another go at embroidery myself. 

Every so often the embroidery hoop and basket of silks makes a reappearance.  It's a wonderful way of being creative, and I'm so glad people like Jenny Hart at Sublime Stitching have made embroidery hip and 'cool' again.  No longer your granny's craft!!

So I dug out a stash of old magazines and found some photos of birds to use as source material.  Then out came the sketch book and - my favourites - the watercolour pencils.  I did a quick drawing and am going to start stitching tonight (to a background of the kitschy campness that is Eurovision). 

My sewing might turn out to be okay, might be a nightmare of tangled threads that look like something genetically modified!  But we'll see. 

Picture this

I came across a really interesting, quirky little shop yesterday and for once had my camera on me, so tried to take a few shots of the window display.  It was partly to get inspired by the selection and arrangement of goodies, but also as a reminder to pop in next time I'm free and do some serious browsing. 

I'm pretty useless at taking photos anyway, but I quite like the odd way these pictures turned out.  They're a bit blurry and the reflection shows up, but in a strange way they appeal to me. 

You can't see much, but there were lots of small ceramic pieces, including some lovely birds with very pleasing plump shapes, and an elegant three tier cake stand.  Which I can't buy ... no I can't ... I really really can't ...

Oh, to have lots and lots of dosh.  Or alternatively run my own shop.