Third Degree (Robert) Burns

Being married to a bagpiper leads to a surfeit of invitations to Burns Suppers round about now.   We always go to the village one, which has few speeches, plenty of haggis and loads of Scottish dancing.   Some villagers even remember the steps from year to year.   Tonight we're going to some friends for another one.   This time - loads of speeches, plenty of haggis and hardly any dancing.  

This is the Supper that I made the two corsages for.   The girls are wearing their kilts and I've felted some merino with a touch of alpaca and silk to try and echo their tartans.  The top one is Ancient MacDonald and the lower one is Black Watch with my version of a Scottish thistle.    The photos don't really show the colours all that well, but everyone seemed more than pleased with them, which was a big relief.   It's aways slightly nerve-wracking making things specially for people.   But, as the owner's cat curled up on the Black Watch brooch, I felt reassured that it had at least one fan.

amo, amas, amat

Always feel a bit guilty about cutting up even old decrepit books but closed my eyes and punched some hearts out of The Oxford Book of Latin Verse.   (Thrifted, of course.)

Still got loads of brown wrapping paper from Amazon deliveries, so made a 

 bag with rows of layered hearts machined on

 a big 2" version with enough hearts to make a 3D bauble on red thread

 and a wee one on a tiny cream coloured tag

with a dangly red thread

Are you feeling all Valentinesey now?

OK, I'm off to practice my "Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie" in case I'm called upon to contribute to the evening's entertainment!

               See you soon

Chrissie

Brightening up Boston ... and a brooch

A lovely lady who is a favourite and faithful Etsy customer needed something to brighten up her Valentine's Day.   Now there's a girl who plans ahead - me, I've only just got the Christmas tree down!   

I usually send her Etsy parcels in a muslin bag, tied up with a pair of stringed hearts. 

So, at the lovely lady's request, I made a bundle of heartstrings and sent her a photo, which she somehow managed to access on the train into work in a cold and gloomy Boston, (that's Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire).   Isn't technology wonderful?

I'm also experimenting with some new ideas for brooches and playing with merino that I 'drizzled' flax and silk fibres on to and wet-felted some sausages.   The ones below are a bit short and sturdy to bend into petal shapes, so something else will become of them, but the longer ones worked quite well and made a big 6" daisy brooch.

And I've now got a commission to make 12 different coloured egg cosies with contrasting bobbles, so the kitchen is about to be invaded by big bags of bright merino wool in every shade under the sun.   And since we've got rain and lowering skies (it's 'dreich', where I come from..) for the next few days, I shall welcome the invasion of some cheery colours.

I've also been asked to make a couple of corsage brooches which can be worn on Burns Night in a couple of weeks, so I can be mulling over some ideas for them while I'm rub-a-dub-dubbing at the sink with those cosies.   Don't worry, there's sure to be some photos in due course!

If you want to brighten up a grey day, click on the link on the right to go to Emma's Silverpebble Splash of Colour page - lots to cheer there!

Lots of love

            Chrissie                                             

....and a Happy New Year!