Spinning and Sewing

I don't know about you, but we are great Tour de France fans, Richard and I have been watching since it started, the scenery is breathtaking and the race exciting. I have joined in with the Tour de Fleece Group on Ravelry again this year and I am spinning with Andrea's team called Team of Wonder. So far I have spun up this beautiful fawn baby Alpaca roving that I bought from Juno Fibre Arts. It is so wonderful to make spinning a part of my everyday activity while the tour is on:) This roving weighs 3.5 ounces and is 186 yards long.

I have been meaning to share this beautiful piece of embroidery that I have hanging in my entrance hall. It was gifted to me by my mother-in-law for a past birthday. I just love it, the stitching is so fine, it almost looks like a painting at first glance but when you look caerfully you can see the stitches. This is such a treasure, I just adore it. She must have worked for many hours to finish this beautiful piece... she is an amazing woman...

Jenn and Erin have been transferring Kye's drawings onto material and then carefully embroidering little sewn pictures. We will be hanging them up around our home soon, too precious....

I am off to spin more rovings for the Tour de Fleece, just love it!

Suffolk Sheep Knitting Pattern and a Giveaway

I have a new pattern to share, the Suffolk sheep pattern... I have always thought that these little sheep are the sweetest creatures, with their black heads, tails and ears. He is knitted differently to my other white sheep. The Suffolk sheep have longer legs and more bulk in the girth of their body. He is knitted flat on 2 needles with increases and decreases. He also has knitted ears and not woven ones. I have added this pattern to my Etsy shop and I am giving away a pattern to two readers:)

Giveaway:

If you would like to be entered into the giveaway, please leave a comment and a contact email so that I can reach you if you win:) The winners will be announced here in this blog post on Tuesday.

Have a wonderful day,

Warmly

Linda

Giveaway Winners:

Congratulations to:

Kelly

What a lovely sheep! Thank you for doing the give away.

July 3, 2011 9:08 PM
and
K
Right now. I am joining this giveaway. I will tell you why: when we were in England, we were staying at a farm-gone-bed-and-breakfast up near Shrewsbury. In a small pasture, surrounded by a low and pleasant fence, was the new Suffolk ram - whose name was Martin. Martin spent a good deal of his day gazing through the fence to the wide pasture across the road - the one where all the girls were.
He was patient with our ministrations - much patting of ears and noses as we leaned across the fence - sometimes with our bums right up in the air. And one day when Murphy and my daughters were out there with him, Martin started talking to them. He talked - and talked - baaing along, and they were utterly delighted.
So Murphy decided to answer him. And he did. In his best suffolk, Murphy baaed right back at him.
Martin's head jerked back. If ever a sheep looked surprised, it was this one. Surprised, and then offended. Immediately, Martin turned his back on all of them and marched away. And that was the last conversation they ever had with a Suffolk sheep.
Yours is exactly right. A simple pattern that captures all the fat, round charm of the Suffolk. Another triumph for the Linda needles. Hear! Hear!!
July 3, 2011 2:34 PM

Cloth Pad Tutorial

As promised, here is our cloth pad tutorial:) I have taken plenty of photos so you can see exactly how Jen made her cloth pads. It was lovely to work together on this project with my Jen. She drew the designs for this pad herself and is so happy to share her creative process with you:)

Materials:
Flannel material (we recycled some pyjamas that are no longer worn)
Towelling material for the inner pad
Sewing machine
Scissors
Cotton
Metal press studs and gadget to attach the press studs

These are the drawings for the towelling inner pad on the left and the outer flannel pad on the right. Jen drew both of them on an A4 size piece of paper. The left pad is 8 inches from top to bottom and the right pad is 8 and a quarter inches from top to bottom (slightly larger).

This is the pad base diagram, 9 inches from top to bottom and 8 inches from side to side at its widest in the middle.

Cut out cardboard templates for the pads.

Trace around the templates. You need 2 pad bases cut out.

And two of these pads covers cut out in flannel.

Trace and cut out 4 of the smaller towelling pads for the inner pad.

All the pieces cut out.

Sew all the 4 toweling pads together.

Then zig-zag around the edge.

Put the two right sides of the pad bases together and sew all the way around.

Just cut a straight line opening through one side of the pad base and turn onto the right side.

Zig-zag around the outer edge of the outer pad.

Put both of the pad cover pieces right sides together and sew all around the pad cover.

Cut a straight opening on one side of the pad cover.

Turn onto the right side.

Put the towelling inner pad into the pad cover.

Zig-zag all around the pad edge.

Finished pad base with sides and pad. Place the cut pad openings together so that they will not be visible when the pad is finished.

Cut pad openings are placed together and are not visible.

Sew two straight lines either side of the middle of the pad to secure the pad to the holder. The cut openings will also not be visible if you lift the pad on the sides as the pad has been sewn on either side of the middle.
Attach press studs to either side of the side flaps.
And you are finished!!

Jen and I have spent wonderful mama daughter time together by making this tutorial, having many conversations about the menstrual cycle and all the other changes that are taking place too... I really feel that this is a wonderful way for her to transition into womanhood, slowly and mindfully... Have a lovely day,
xo xo
Linda and Jenna

Creative Friday

I am having a pattern giveaway over at Nicole's beautiful blog Frontier Dreams:)



Welcome to Creative Friday :)
Thank you so much to everyone who shares the love and posts their links to their amazing work:) Please feel free to post your links to anything you have created and would like to share, it can be a recipe, sewing tutorial, knitting tutorial, felting, crochet, crafts, art, spinning, weaving, working with fibre, photography, poetry...etc...

I also love to hear from you, so if you have a moment, please leave a comment:) Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with us! Just add the name of your blog to the widget and then add your blog link with the http:// at the beginning of your link address:) I have added a Creative Friday button on the sidebar of my blog, please feel free to add it to your blog for Creative Friday and link it to http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/ so others can find this space and share their creativity too:)

July 1st

A warm welcome to our July sponsors on Natural Suburbia:

The Little Gnomes Home - A beautiful, Steiner inspired, creative space

Woolies - Beautiful heirloom quality toys

Colour Spun Yarns - Gorgeous natural designer yarn

Ecomilf - A wonderful eco friendly blog

Hip Mountain Mama - Natural designer wear

The Waldorf Connection - A Waldorf Homeschooling resource

 

If you have a moment, do pop by their wonderful websites and see what treasures and pearls of wisdom they have to offer.