Last week was my first full week with both girls back at
school. Bunny loves being in secondary school, she was ready for the challenge
of a larger school and all the new subjects and extracurricular activities and
that it offers.
She’s even looking into the school orchestra – I’m not sure
they’ve ever had a harpist!
Little Flower is settling in nicely into
Reception/Kindergarten. She loves being there, but Wednesday morning last week the
novelty wore off – you know how it is with small children, they love donning
their school clothes, carrying their backpacks and lunch bags, staying all
day...
...until Wednesday, when they realise that this is actually
the way of life now, and the lazy days of summertime are over. So the rest of the
week I had to contend with tears when I dropped her off. The crying stopped about
thirty seconds after I left each day (luckily the teaching assistant is a good
friend of mine, so I have a first-hand account!) as she got down to the
business of playing. I know the waterworks are just for my benefit. Hmph.
I have filled my calendar with craft workshops. Not taking
them, but teaching them! I’m very fortunate that local haberdasheries and craft
workshop venues are including me on their course rosters. In addition to the
crochet courses I’ve been teaching for a good while, I’ll be holding workshops
ranging from beginner’s embroidery to simple cushion making. I am so excited to be spreading the crafting love!
I spent a good part of my bloggy break developing these
workshops, creating projects, writing handouts and running some mock-courses
with friends acting as crafty guinea pigs to make sure all ran to schedule.
Last week was the first lampshade workshop at The Cotton Wool Store in Petworth. Part of the fun of teaching here was that we had the
shop full of amazing fabrics to choose from!
I made one in advance using the “Wee Wander” range by Sarah
Jane Studios for Michael Miller. I love this enchanting line! I could make an
entire bedroom set with the fabrics in this range...
Look at that sweet boy sitting in the tree, you know he’s
imagining all sorts of magical adventures...takes me right back to the crab
apple tree I spent hours in as a child.
I wanted to highlight this whimsical tree for the lampshade.
Embroidery is perfect for this, lending just the right touch of embellishment.
Lazy
daisy stitches are ideal for the leaves, and as I started rummaging through my
floss stash I realised that I didn’t have to choose one colour, I could make a
rainbow!
No need for ribbon trim with the focus on what I’ve dubbed
The Dreaming Tree, but I encouraged the class participants to choose pretty
trims for their shades. They had such fun!
Guess which workshop participant made this doozy of a shade? None other than Naomi
from Redeem Creations – you might recognise her work here:
 |
| Photo courtesy of Redeem Creations |
She’s the cover star of Mollie Makes Issue 43! It was so
lovely to meet her, she has such a creative flair (and she makes *fabulous*
bags!). The room was brimming with inspiration!
Naomi and others left with extra kits to make more lampshades at
home. The possibilities are endless – embroidery, patchwork, trims galore...and
all bespoke. Hooray for handmade!
Happy crafting!
Chrissie x
