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A Bustle & Sew Publication Copyright Š Bustle & Sew Limited 2017 The right of Helen Dickson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Every effort has been made to ensure that all the information in this book is accurate. However, due to differing conditions, tools and individual skills, the publisher cannot be responsible for any injuries, losses and other damages that may result from the use of the information in this book.
First published 2017 by: Bustle & Sew The Cottage Oakhill Radstock BA3 5HT UK www.bustleandsew.com
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Welcome to the January Magazine January is traditionally the time to hunker down and sit out the winter months. Although the days are growing longer again at last, spring is still a long way off, though if you look carefully, especially during a mild winter, there are already the first signs appearing in the hedgerows. This month brings the 84th issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine - I can hardly believe that it was SEVEN YEARS ago that I sat down at my (then brand new) laptop and began to put the first issue together. Things have come a long way since then and I do hope you’ll enjoy all that this month’s issue contains, and if you’re thinking of starting your own craft business in the new year then please do look out for our new series “From Passion to Profit” that begins this month. I think that’s enough from me - just a quick reminder that the February issue will be published, as always, on the last Thursday of the month - in this case Thursday 25 January. So if you’re a subscriber watch out for it arriving in your inbox then! Until then, have a very Happy New Year!
Helen xx
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Between this month’s covers … Tips for Stitchers
Page 4
Seasonal Ingredient: Leeks
Page 36
January Almanac
Page 6
A Very Little Guide to the Flame Test
Page 37
Enjoy the Little Things Hoop
Page 8
Instagram Favourites
Page 38
Lovely Idea: Mason Jar Terrarium
Page 10
Macrame Succulent Hoop
Page 39
Meet the Maker: Laura Brown
Page 11
Winter Hyacinths
Page 43
Country Diary
Page 15
The Countryside in January
Page 45
A Little Look at Linen
Page 16
Your Indoor Plants
Page 47
Felt Rhino Trophy Head
Page 18
Lovely Idea: Fox Pot
Page 48
Farewell to Christmas
Page 20
Wilderness Bunting
Page 49
Nature Notes: Rainbows
Page 22
From Passion to Profit Part One
Page 52
A (very little) History of Honiton Lace
Page 23
The Thimble - Love or Hate it?
Page 55
Animal Friends Cache Pots
Page 27
Llama Sewing Machine Cover
Page 56
Poetry Corner: Milk for the Cat
Page 30
Home Comforts: Sage Tea
Page 59
Seasonal Ingredient: Citrus Fruits
Page 31
In the Kitchen: Conversion Tables
Page 60
Rosie’s Recipes: Winter Warmers
Page 32
Templates
Page 61
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January January is named after the Roman god Janus, the guardian of doorways and bridges. Janus had two faces, looking in opposite directions - back towards the old year and forwards into the new. Although the shortest day is past and gone, January is a dark month in northern Europe. The nights are still long and in dull weather it can feel as though there is hardly any daylight at all. Frost, ice and snow make life hard for our nonhibernating wildlife, especially birds and small mammals, whilst also causing major problems for travellers motorists and pedestrians alike. Once the New Year celebrations are over it’s time to return to work - gone are the days when the festive season lasted for the full twelve days of Christmas. It’s not just in modern times though, that nobody wants to go back to work after the holidays. The words on the right are from an old song called “The Painful Plough” which captured the hardship of agricultural workers in times gone by. It was often sung on Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Night. From the Middle Age
onwards this day traditionally marked the beginning of the ploughing season and so the official start of the agricultural year. But the cold weather and difficult conditions in the field meant that workers were
“Come all you jolly ploughmen, of courage stout and bold, That labour all the winter in stormy winds, and cold; To clothe the fields with plenty, your farm-yards to renew, To crown them with contentment, behold the painful plough”
not enthusiastic about their return, preferring instead to decorate their ploughs, drag them through the village and ask for money. There were dark days 78 years ago too, during WW2 as food rationing began on 8 January 1940, four
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months after the outbreak of war. Prior to that the UK had imported over two thirds of its food supply. As enemy ships targeted incoming merchant vessels, supplies became scarce and the Ministry of Food issued ration books to every person. A typical weekly allowance for an adult included one fresh egg, 4 oz margarine and bacon, 2 oz butter and tea, 1 oz cheese and 8 oz sugar. Cheaper cuts of meat became more popular as they required fewer tokens. The Dig for Victory campaign encouraged people to be self-sufficient and grow their own vegetables. Many used their gardens, digging up the flower beds, and the number of allotments soared. Pigs, rabbits and chickens were reared for meat and a bartering system sprang up. Alan Alexander Milne (who died in 1956) was born in London on 18 January 1882. In the 1920s he began writing poems and stories for his young son, Christopher Robin, creating characters such as Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore that were to win the hearts and minds of generations of children worldwide.
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Look! -------------------
a lovely idea
Mason Jar Terrarium
Terrariums are so ontrend right now, and quite different to the dusty bottle gardens of my 1970s childhood! This is such a simple, but cute idea for displaying a selection of succulents in that old crafting favourite - the Mason jar. Scatter around your home, or one would make a lovely gift too! Thank you Susan for sharing this idea with us.
Free from OhMy! Creative : Mason Jar Terrarium 7
End of the Day Pendant
Plique a jour technique Dreams of a Fox Necklace
Leaping Hare Pendant
Debra’s work is so unusual and original, making use of everyday objects from the past to create beautiful miniature houses. Do visit her Facebook page and shop to see more of her work ‌
www.facebook.com/vintagemissclementine www.etsy.com/uk/shop/missclementineonline https://www.instagram.com/miss_clementine_
Thanks for joining us today Laura, your jewellery is so beautiful and we’d like to learn a little more about you and your business. So without any further delay, can you tell us please ‌.
How did you choose the name for your business? It took me so long to choose a name. I wanted to make pieces that have a story element to them and wanted my name to reflect that. It felt good to have historical local Southwest connection of smugglers and pirates - say 'Them Silver Seas' in a Southwest accent and I guarantee you'll feel like a pirate (Arrrrh). Starting out felt like a bit of a journey to me, knowing nothing about the business at all, learning as I went along. The last part of the name was bound up in my love of the sea, the shimmering silver, the endless horizon - my thoughts were that I am only limited by my imagination and so when I began making the name is a reminder of that. I am using my own name more and more now and will probably changeover at some point when the time is right. .
How did you get started? I took two short adult evening courses, 10 weeks, one evening a week at a local college to learn the basics. From there I used (and still do use) the library a lot. I bought one tool, then another... You don't need much to start - a saw, a bench peg, a kitchen table, an idea and a flame torch and you're away.
What do you wish you'd known cleans oxides off of silver is made of salt and vinegar and warm water. before starting? Be kind to yourself! It can be quite emotional so be prepared for that. When you work independently, it is for the most part amazing but when things go wrong, you have a slow day, or a bit of a block with ideas you're responsible. It's hard to put down sometimes when you put so much of yourself into something. You will always feel like you never have enough time.
Your pieces are quite unique - how do you find your inspiration? So much inspires me, nature, art, poetry but folklore, fairy tales and storytelling are my main inspiration. When I am making a piece I create a story around it or I am trying to set up a scene. For example, when designing my 'At the end of the day' pendant I was thinking of the low lights in Autumn (my favourite kind of light) and silhouette of birds coming home to roost. My most recent 'Leaping hare' is also the story of Autumn, falling leaves, the swallows leaving. In my head there was a glimmer of another story happening where I was thinking of a man turning into a hare, I'm not sure why. It's funny what pops into your head. Also, I live and work off grid in a field in Cornwall. This means I am driven to think about how I use resources. I use traditional hand powered tools in the main. I use eco silver too which is the same quality as sterling but 100% recycled and I substitute chemicals for natural products that won't harm the environment around me. For example, my pickle which
How long does it take to create, for example, your dreams of a fox necklace? Well, that necklace has over 50 holes drilled, using a bow drill* in the front part alone and then each one of those I saw out to create a 'trees' so that is at least four - six hours. I would say the necklace takes about 50 - 60 hours in total. I hand sand everything working up from coarse 240 to fine 2000 paper so that in itself is a bit of work. I think perhaps half my work time is spent sanding! *A bow drill is a traditional tool, you put the drill bit in the chuck, spin the twine up and push a handle up and down, maintain momentum, which spins the drill bit and a hole is drilled - it is an amazing tool.
Can you tell us just a little about the different techniques you use? Two techniques really. One is based around use of the saw. I love my saw. I cut out details and then build back layers into pieces so they become three dimensional. I like to put small details and texture in and I always like to see how shadows play on the pieces from what I have cut out. The other technique I use is enamelling. I use graphite on enamel, you can draw directly onto the enamel and fire to a permanent finish, which just opens up endless possibilities in my mind. Another enamelling technique I use is plique a jour - which means 'glimpse of the day' - I cut out spaces and fill them with washed
Country Diary Still snow, a vast quantity fell last night and now it continues to snow. Mr Amen snug at home tho’ I have work for him in the barn. I see people moving about at the ends of long rusty guns, I fear mischief will be done. A brace of woodcocks and a goose brought me from Rich of Pepperill. I took the goose out of compassion for a large family but the woodcocks were immoderately dear, besides I have a woodcock and a hare and snipes in the house, and another to be brought today from another quarter. Master Morris put on boots that I gave him to walk in the snow. I told him I did not give them for that purpose, had they been old thick rusty boots, it would be another thing. What terrible weather this is for all kinds of birds, no food to be found anywhere and man, cruel man, adding to their calamity by hunting after their lives in every quarter, the whole region resounds with pops and explosions. Ann went off before dinner to her Father’s being Old Christmas Day when all the family are to meet. I like the plan very much and I find it much practised among the lower orders in this country. Betty, under the direction of Margaret, managed the dinner which was sent up very neatly and we enjoyed ourselves. 10
A Little Look at Linen ….
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Queen Victoria described her choice of dress in her journal : “I wore a white satin dress, with a deep flounce of Honiton lace, an imitation of an old design. My jewels were my Turkish diamond necklace & earrings & dear Albert's beautiful sapphire brooch."
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Milk for the Cat When the tea is brought at five o’clock, And all the neat curtains are drawn with care, The little black cat with bright green eyes Is suddenly purring there. At first she pretends, having nothing to do, She has come in merely to blink by the grate; But, though tea may be late or the milk may be sour, She is never late. And presently her agate eyes Take a soft large milky haze, And her independent casual glance Becomes a stiff hard gaze.
But the cat is grown small and thin with desire, Transformed to a creeping lust for milk. The white saucer like some full moon descends At last from the clouds of the table above; She sighs and dreams and thrills and glows, Transfigured with love. She nestles over the shining rim, Buries her chin in the creamy sea; Her tail hands loose; each drowsy paw Is doubled under each bending knee. A long dim ecstasy holds her life; Her world is an infinite shapeless white, Till her tongue has curled the last holy drop, Then she sinks back into the night.
Then she stamps her claws or lifts her ears, Or twists her tail and begins to stir, Till suddenly all her lithe body becomes One breathing trembling purr.
Draws and dips her body to heap Her sleepy nerves in the great arm-chair, Lies defeated and buried deep Three or four hours unconsious there.
The children eat and wriggle and laugh’ The two old ladies stroke their silk;
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Tastes of the Season: Citrus Fruits It's perhaps somewhat surprising that these sunniest of fruits are at their best during the bleakest of months. During the winter, oranges supplied to the UK from southern Europe (particularly Spain) are high in quality and low in price. Apart from forming a vital part of an unlimited number of delicious juices and smoothies, oranges can be used in sauces for savoury dishes and in fabulous desserts where they form a heavenly match with chocolate. Oranges are thought to have their origin in a sour fruit growing wild in the region of South West China and North East India as early as 2,500 BC. For thousands of years these bitter oranges were used mainly for their scent, rather than their eating qualities. The Romans brought the fruit to Europe and later oranges were spread to Spain by the Moorish conquests in the eight and ninth centuries. The sweet orange familiar to us today probably developed somewhat later. The fruit arrived in Central America with Columbus in 1493 and soon afterwards the Portuguese introduced them to Brazil. Sweet oranges imported from Portugal were enjoyed by wealthy Britons in the late sixteenth century.
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Rosie’s Recipes: Winter Comfort Foods
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The often gloomy month of January is brightened by fragrant winter flowering Hyacinths reassuring us that spring arrive again this year
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From Passion to Profit
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It’s wonderful when you discover that it’s actually possible to earn some money by doing something you love - like sewing! Over the next few issues I’m going to be offering you some hints and tips on successfully selling the items you love to make … before you begin creating - or you might be stuck with a large number of purple velvet frogs that cost you time and money to make, but that nobody wants to purchase. You can market research both on and off-line - in fact the more methods you use to gather this information, the better!
As you probably know, I'm more than happy for you, as an individual stitcher and craftsperson, to use my patterns to make items for sale, as long as you credit Bustle & Sew with the design. After all, I don't usually make items for sale myself, and so it's lovely to think that others are using my patterns to bring pleasure to others. So, as we begin to think about next year’s bazaar, fete and fair season and crafters begin planning product lines for the summer, if you're considering starting selling your makes, or even if you already do so, I thought you might enjoy my tips for a creating or perhaps growing your own successful hobby-based enterprise.
Good ways to do this online are to visit websites already selling similar items to the ones you're thinking about making to sell. Browse around sites such as Etsy, Folksy and Not on the High Street and you'll soon begin to discover popular items and identify trends. This isn't copying others, a definite big fat NO, it's simply getting a feel for what's on-trend at the moment.
What shall I make?
Visit social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to find out what's out there and what people are commenting about them. You can even purchase from existing sites to see how their products compare to yours and get an idea of what they're doing well (Are their postage costs reasonable? Products nicely packaged? etc) and also not so well (Poor communication?). Then, if you decide to sell your makes online you'll have some ideas about what you like - and also dislike!
I guess my first tip would be sure to choose to make something you love - in fact I'm sure if you're reading this, then you're probably already sewing and making things that you're both good at and enjoy doing. But if you're serious about turning your hobby into even a very small business then you need to be really passionate about it, and have the enthusiasm to keep creating. If your business takes off, then you might find yourself needing to create 10, 20 or more of the same item, perhaps with just minor variations. If you are the sort of person that constantly likes to move onto new things, then you may want to consider offering limited editions so you don't find yourself stitching your 45th pink felt chicken at midnight to fulfil demand!
It's also a good idea to read homes and interiors magazines as again you'll quickly spot the latest trends and become aware of what everyone will be wanting for their homes this season. The good thing about being a small business is that you can respond to the market quickly, so if you spot that something's trending then you can offer items that satisfy current demand. Try and go to craft and other handmade fairs, department stores and even just walk down the High Street studying shop window displays. Take a notebook around with you to jot down ideas copying existing items is obviously totally wrong (and you could find yourself on the wrong side of copyright laws), but if you notice that, for
And thinking about chickens …. it's absolutely vital that you research your market, and find out what your customers really want. You may love making purple velvet frogs, but find that they have a very limited market and that those pink felt chickens appeal to a much wider audience. Be sure to get some idea of what's popular
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Home Comforts Now is the time of year that coughs and colds take hold, and often seem to linger far too long. Sage infusions are very effective for treating sore throats and mouth and gum inflammation due to the symptoms of a cold. If you’ve never tried a sage infusion before, you’ll love this - not only does it soothe your throat, it tastes good too. Bring some water to the boil in a small saucepan. Put a teaspoon (3-4 leaves) of sage leaves in a cup and pour the water over them. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes then strain and drink. The word “sage” derives from the Latin “salvare” which means healing. The essential oils contained in sage leaves are anti-inflammatory and antibacterial which is why they are so effective.
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