How (and why) to use a pom-pom maker

Meet my new love... a pom-pom maker. I was a bit sceptical about these when they first appeared; I wasn’t sure how to use one or how you could better the cardboard circle pom-pom technique which had served me well since first school. Well, one very simple reason these new-fangled, technical looking plastic things are better than cardboard is SPEED! They are so quick to use, no cutting lots of lengths of wool and threading through a circle, you just open the arms slightly and wrap.

That is of course assuming you can understand the instructions on the back of the pack. ‘Open deyice’ and ‘will be wrapped in blue plastic part of the wool’ were just a couple of the hilarious directions that got lost in translation (one reason not to buy from Amazon, ahem).

Luckily the pictures were fairly straightforward and went something like this - open the arms on one side of the pom-pom maker. Wrap with wool and cut. Repeat with opposite arms.

Close the arms so your maker is back in a circle shape and cut through the middle of each half circle (like you would for the cardboard method).

Tie a piece of wool around the centre of the maker in the gap you have just cut. Tie tightly, pulling the pom-pom together.

Pull the two sides of the pom-pom maker apart to free your pom-pom and give it a final haircut if needed.

Needless to say I’m now slightly addicted to pom-pom making. So many craft ideas; watch this space. 

A day at the (duck) races

Sometimes I really do love Sussex and I was reminded of this last weekend when the boyfriend and I visited Storrington’s annual duck race. Where, as the title suggests, you pick a duck and then watch it race! The cute rubber ducks are £1 each to sponsor and are simply released into the river and left to race. It’s not exactly nail biting action, as they float pretty slowly (!) but was certainly a fun way to spend a sunny afternoon.

It’s held one Saturday every May in the library car park and there are car boot stalls, stalls from local shops, cakes, a bbq and live music. It’s not a massive event but has a lovely village atmosphere. All the proceeds from the duck races go to the local school, although there was a cash prize for the person who picked the winning duck (there were five heats and a final race) but sadly we didn’t get anywhere near!

Are there any quirky village events near you?

Workbox magazine feature!

Late last year I was contacted by the lovely people of workbox magazine and asked to share a project based on my adventures in needle felting (see my needle felted mouse here). I was super excited to be contacted by a magazine after they’d read one of my blog posts and got straight to work coming up with a needle felt robin tutorial, which you can see in the May/June issue – on sale now!

Workbox is a bi-monthly textile and needlecraft magazine packed full of inspiration, projects and needlecraft advice. You can find it in larger WHSmiths and Sainsbury’s or order it online. Alongside my needle felt robin, in this issue you’ll find a Despicable Me Minion quilt (so, so amazing) and some gorgeous bird embroidery inspiration.

I figured my tutorial had to involve either flowers or something feathery and as robins are probably one of my favourite birds, they won. It was great fun coming up with and photographing the tutorial. Here’s a nice close up of the finished robin.

I think it’s time for another needle felt project...

The view from the top

Whenever we walk into town we do so in the shadow of a substantially large hill and for about six months the boyfriend has joked about when we would be climbing it. We do have a lot of these silly jokes, but the other weekend we decided to actually have a go and climb the hill.

The first set was to find out if it was even possible, but luckily it turned out there were plenty of public footpaths to choose from. Once at the top you could even join the South Downs Way. So we wrote down a couple of directions and set off.

We were out for about four hours and think we walked about six miles, as well as stopping for a picnic and for me to take lots of pictures! The view from the top was absolutely amazing and looking in the other direction you could even see the sea. We saw bluebells, friendly looking cows and some gorgeous country houses.

The hill...

and the view from the top!

I’m so glad we challenged ourselves to do something different and from the way my legs ached the next day it was very good exercise too!

florals and feathers: the April edit

Blossom prints and watercolour feathers - here's fhe florals and feathers I’ve been admiring and coveting this April

florals

Louche Faris flower dress / Joy the store
Well if this isn’t the ultimate summer dress then I don’t know what is. With its white colour, blue blossom print, cap sleeves and pleat waist it’ll be perfect for summer parties, barbeques, weddings...

Navy floral button hair slides / Claireabellemakes
An alternative to full on florals, these cute button hair slides will add just a hint of flower power to your summer wardrobe.

feathers

Feather watercolour / handmade necklace / Brighten the blue
I just can’t get this necklace out of my head maybe it’s the watercolour style, the purple colour or even the gorgeous shape.

Jar of feathers / DIY inspiration / Craftiments
I have a little collection of feathers picked up over the years and I simply love the idea of displaying them in a jar, or several, on a shelf or windowsill.


Which is your favourite?