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A Bustle & Sew Publication

Copyright © Bustle & Sew Limited 2015

The right of Helen Dickson to be identified as theauthor of this work has been asserted inaccordance with the Copyright, Designs andPatents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system ortransmitted in any form, or by any means, withoutthe prior written permission of the author, nor beotherwise circulated in any form of binding orcover other than that in which it is published andwithout a similar condition being imposed on thesubsequent purchaser.

Every effort has been made to ensure that all theinformation in this book is accurate. However,due to differing conditions, tools and individualskills, the publisher cannot be responsible for anyinjuries, losses and other damages that may resultfrom the use of the information in this book.

First published 2015 by:Bustle & SewCoombe LeighChillingtonKingsbridgeDevon TQ7 2LEUK

www.bustleandsew.com

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April is a month of change as spring advances steadily bringing us the first green leaves in thehedgerows, blossoms in the garden, longer days and shorter nights, only to seemingly disappear in atorrential downpour and icy winds as the weather swings back towards the colder months again. Butthere’s no denying that winter is now behind us and, as Easter approaches, we can begin to spendtime in the garden once more. Indeed, Easter is the traditional start of the gardening season here inEngland and, along with digging and sowing, I shall be washing down my summer house walls andmaking new cushions for its furniture in anticipation of afternoons spent stitching there in themonths ahead.

There’s a definite spring feel to this month’s issue, with lilacs and blossoms galore, as well as thefirst of my Wind in the Willows-inspired softies, Mr Badger. I’ve been asked for softies that wouldbe suitable for boys as well as girls and I’m hoping Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad will fit the bill.We also have patterns, tutorials and other goodies from some very talented contributors (for detailssee page 5) and learn how Kate of The Homemakery took the plunge and left her day job to set upher own successful online fabric business.

I do hope you’ll enjoy this month’s issue and have time to fit in some stitching in the busy daysahead.

Helen xx

Hello, and welcome to the April issue ….

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When you return home with your lovely stitchy shopping, be sure to unwrapall your floss and wind it onto cardboard or plastic bobbins each carefully

labelled with the shade number. If you keep your floss well-organised you’llbe able to find the perfect shade right away – and order more if you run out!

It’s no fun rooting through a messy basket of floss.

Tips for Stitchers

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Between the Covers ……

April Almanac Page 6

Gather Lilacs Tea Cosy Page 7

Poetry Corner: Spring has Come Page 11

Meet the Maker: Frances Bluebird Page 12

In Pursuit of Perfection Page 14

Dutch Rabbit Doorstop Page 15

Afrodite’s Kitchen: Nutty Brownies Page 18

Star Baker; Lovely Baking Goodies Page 20

Wind in the Willows Page 21

Mr Badger Softie Page 23

April’s Favourite Blogs Page 26

Dream it, Do it! The Homemakery Page 27

Lovely Idea: Fox Basket Page 30

Forest Florals Zipper Pouch Page 31

The Happy Stitcher’s Hints & Tips Page 36

Molly & Mamma Felt Pear Tutorial Page 39

Lovely Idea: Quilted Notebook Cover Page 42

Leaping Fox Hoop Page 43

Meet the Maker: The Cotton Potter Page 46

Cole & Taffy: Finishing Your Hoop Art Page 48

The Easter Egg Hunt Page 50

Busy Bee Peg Bag Page 51

Teatime Trivia Page 54

April Calendar Printable Page 55

Baking Conversion Tables Page 56

Templates Page 57

ContributorsRosie Studholme

Puts together all our lovelyideas, shopping and bakingpages as well as researching& editing our features andinterviews.

Angela Ryan

Is inspired by nature to createbeautiful goodies for hercompany Frances Bluebird.

Christina Loucas

A food photographer andwriter who lives with her pugErnie, who loves eating asmuch as she does!

Kate of The Homemakery

Speaks to us about setting upher online business & turningdreams into reality.

Emma Verner-Webb

Creates lovingly made gardenbirds, using Harris tweed andother pure wool fabrics.

Molly & Mamma

Lauren is the friendly facebehind Molly and Mama. She’sall about sharing childhoodimagination & energy.

Taffy & Cole

Michelle lives in Sydney whereshe homeschools her 4children. Her blog is namedafter her two rabbits of course!

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Gather LilacsTea Cosy

Materials● 12” x 14” medium weight cotton fabric

for reverse of cosy (I used a nice SusieWatson stripe fabric)

● 12” x 14” cream medium weight cottonfabric for embroidery panel

● 3 rectangles each measuring 7” x 2 ½”printed cotton fabric - I used Tilda quiltingweight cotton

● 24” x 14” pre-quilted fabric, felted blanketor felted knitwear for cosy interior

● 30” ric-rac braid

● DMC stranded cotton floss in colours

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Stitching Notes:

● Use two strands of floss throughout.

Incorporating a 1930’s vintagefloral transfer, this tea cosy will beperfect to snuggle your pot thisspring and summer if the sungoes behind a cloud and it startsto get a little chilly!

My cosy is sized to fit my largeEmma Bridgewater teapot, butit’s easy to resize the pattern tofit your own pot if needed.

All measurements and quantitiesare given to make my cosy whichmeasures 12” along the bottomedge and 10” from top to bottom

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Spring has come ….

Hark! The tiny cowslip bellIn the breeze is ringing;Birds in every woodland dellSongs of joy are singing.Winter is o’er, Spring once moreSpreads abroad her golden storeHark! The tiny cowslip bellIn the breeze is ringing.

Spring has come to make us glad,Let us give her greeting;Winter days were cold and sad,Winter’s reign is fleeting;Hearts are gay, blithe as May,Dance and sport the livelong day;Spring has come to make us glad,Let us give her greeting.

William Wordsworth

A seventeenth-century folksong.

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“Always remember toimmerse yourself in the

positive and extendgratitude for all that is

good in your life!”

talks to us about her creative process,finding inspiration in nature and how she started her

business,

Meet theMaker

Angela Ryan creates whimsical, freespirtied embroidered jewellery andhoop art. She finds her inspirationin nature and fits in her stitchingaround looking after her life’s‘greatest work’, her two young sons.

I've been crafting from a very youngage. My grandmother was a verytalented seamstress (this is where theFrances part comes from in mybusiness name) who was alwaysmaking beautiful things with herhands. I spent most of my childhoodat her house, learning how to sew andcreate.

I decided to open up an etsy shopwhen my oldest son was a baby,something I started as a "hobby"quickly turned into a business about2 years ago when I started to sell oninstagram as well.

My "Step outside and explore as oftenas life allows" hoop is probably myfavorite. It's my life motto and a goodreminder to get out there and explore!There is so much beauty all aroundus. We are big into exploring,adventuring, camping and are natureenthusiasts.

The creative process is so much trialand error, there have definitely beentimes when I've created somethingthat just didn't quite work out as wellas I'd imagined in my head. It's all apart of the process and I think youneed those bumps in the road in orderto grow creatively.

Don't give up! Don't pay attention tohow many sales you've made, orhow many followers or "likes" youget. Those things are not important.Keep creating from your heart andfinding your own happiness. The restwill follow.

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Dutch BunnyDoorstop

We couldn’t let our April issue go bywithout including one last bunny -though this little fellow isn’t just forEaster - he’ll be useful the wholesummer long to stop your doorsfrom slamming closed in thosepesky breezes.

This doorstop is quite substantial (tostop my naughty Newfies fromcarrying it away!), measuring 9” tallx 7” square at the base.

There’s a handy zipper in the baseso you can remove the stuffing towash your bunny, or if you plan touse rice or beads to weight him,then you could always make aremovable liner.

Materials● ½ yard medium weight cotton fabric

● 6” square brown felt

● 6” x 4” white or cream felt

● Small scraps pink felt

● Pink, black and white stranded cottonfloss

● 7” zipper

● Bondaweb

● Temporary fabric marker pen

● Embroidery and zipper feet for yoursewing machine

● Black and cream sewing thread

● Suitable filler. I used toy stuffing andbeach pebbles, but rice, polybeads anddried beans would all work just as well.

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> 56 grams unsalted butter> 42 grams all Purpose Flour> 28 grams good quality cocoa powder> 1 teaspoon baking powder> 1/2 teaspoon salt> 85 grams unsweetened chocolate (brokeninto small pieces)> 56 grams semi-sweet chocolate (brokeninto small pieces)> 3 eggs (room temperature)> 227 grams caster sugar> 1 teaspoon vanilla extract> 56 grams sour cream> large sea salt flakes for sprinkling on top> 227 grams unsalted macadamia nuts,roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Butter and flour an 8 by 8 inchsquare pan.

2. Sift and mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, bakingpowder and cocoa) in a small bowl.

3. On a double boiler, gently melt the unsweetened chocolate,semi sweet chocolate and unsalted butter and set aside.(Remember that when melting chocolate and butter it canseparate if it is too hot, so I like to start the melting process ona double boiler and then remove it and stir).

4. In a large bowl, with a hand held mixer, mix together on highspeed the caster sugar, eggs and vanilla extract for about 1.5minutes. Add in the sour cream and mix together.

NuttyBrownies

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Sophie Allport Cake Tins,www.sophieallport.com

Chicken & Egg MeasuringSpoons, Laura Ashleywww.lauraashley.com

Sophie Allport Chicken WireEgg Rack Stand

www.sophieallport.com

Wildlife Garden Oven Gloves,The Contemporary Home

www.tch.net

Carrot Whisk, Maidenwww.maidenshop.com

Mary Berry Cake Stand, Getting Personalwww.gettingpersonal.co.uk

StarBaker

Bake up a storm in thekitchen this Easter

with these lovelygoodies…

Easter Cookie Cutters, Drift Livingwww.driftliving.co.uk

National Trust Egg Cup Tray,Creative Tops Ltd

www.creative-tops.com

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The Wind in the Willows is one of thosequintessentially British childhood classics of thelate nineteenth and early twentieth century.Written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908 itspopularity has endured for over 100 years assuccessive generations of young readers(including myself!) have thrilled to the tale of thefour animal friends, Mole, Ratty, Badger andToad.

I’ve decided to create a set of four softiepatterns based on these characters, beginningthis month with Badger whom you’ll discoveron the following pages, as well as a brief extractfrom one of my favourite parts of the book.(Watch out for Toad coming next month). As Iwas working on Badger I was thinking aboutthe Wind in the Willows, and realised that Iactually knew very little about its author andhow the book came to be written. I thoughtperhaps you might like to know a little moreabout Kenneth Grahame too ….

He born in Edinburgh in 1859, but when hewas five was sent to Cookham in Berkshire tolive with his grandmother after the death of hismother in childbirth. Kenneth and his siblingsenjoyed an idyllic childhood in her spacioushome where they were first introduced to thejoys of the riverside and boating by their uncle,David Ingles, a curate at nearby CookhamDean church. It seems most likely that thishappy childhood would have inspired thesetting for Wind in the Willows.

Kenneth Grahame was an outstanding pupil atSt Edward’s school in Oxford, enjoying unusualfreedom to explore the old city with its ancientbuildings and cobblestone streets. He wantedto attend Oxford University, but sadly fundswere not available to support him and he spentnearly thirty years working at the Bank ofEngland in London, retiring due to ill health in1908.

Upon his retirement from the bank, Kennethand his wife, Elspeth returned to Cookhamwhere he wrote his masterpiece, turning thebedtime stories he told his son Alastair into theWind in the Willows. Sadly Alastair (nicknamedMouse) was born blind in one eye and sufferedhealth problems throughout his short life,before committing suicide on a railway trackjust two days before his twentieth birthday.Out of respect for Kenneth Grahame his deathwas recorded as accidental.

Grahame himself died in 1932 and was buriedin Oxford. His epitaph reads

The Wind in the Willows

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Mr BadgerSoftie

Materials● 10” square black or dark charcoal wool

blend felt (don’t be tempted by cheapacrylic felt, it isn’t nice to work with andyou are likely to be disappointed with theresults)

● 6” square cream wool blend felt

● 6” square grey wool blend felt

● Scrap of printed cotton fabric forneckerchief

● Two small black spherical beads for eyes

● ¼” button for nose

● Toy stuffing

● Stranded cotton floss or cotton pearlthread in black, cream and grey

Note

All pieces are joined by hand using two strandsof floss. Place right sides together and workhalf cross stitch over the edge in one directionalong the seam, then return in the oppositedirection to complete the stitch. This makes anice strong seam that won’t unravel if a stitchis broken.

Mr Badger is the first in my series offour softies inspired by the childhoodclassic by Kenneth Grahame “TheWind in the Willows”

Sturdy and stocky with a beautifullypatterned head, he does take a littleconcentration to put together - butis well worth the effort. I’ve beenasked for softies suitable for boysfor some time now and I’m hopingthis set of four will fit the bill (thoughthey’ll be good for girls too of course!)

Mr Badger measures 7” tallapproximately.

Watch out for Toad coming nextmonth!

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Down Grapevine Lane is the work of Australian“Mother, wife, fabric lover, craft addict” Sedef

Sewing Room Secrets is packed full of quiltingtips, tutorials and know-how with a dash ofquirky humour, well worth a visit.

Crochet lovers everywhere will know about Lucyat Attic 24, but if you haven’t already found it docheck out this colourful, cheerful blog.

Belle & Boo showcases simply the mostadorable, covetable, cutest designs forchildren everywhere.

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This month we’re excited to beginour new series of articles aboutnewly established micro-businesseswhose owners had a dream thatthey’ve turned into reality. We’redelighted to welcome Kate fromThe Homemakery as our first“Dream it, Do it!” business owner.

Kate began her online store back in2013. Before then she had beenworking in London as a PortfolioManager for an investment fund.That basically meant she had aportfolio of companies which shemanaged and monitored to makesure they were performing to planto meet her investors’ expectations.She had always wanted to have herown business and loved workingwith such driven, motivatedentrepreneurs who were makingtheir own ideas and dreams cometo life. Kate found it a really inspiringplace to work and after 3 years shedecided to switch sides andbecome an entrepreneur herself.

A switch from working in the City tooffering all kinds of crafting goodiesonline wasn’t an obvious move youmight think, but Kate had alwaysbeen a passionate crafter, neverhappy unless she had multipleprojects on the go! She told us that“Whether it’s crocheting, quilting,sewing or embroidery I like to do itall!”

Kate’s business training helped herto identify a gap in the market, a gapthat as a crafter herself she’d foundso frustrating – that there was nosingle outlet where she could sourceall the lovely things she needed tofeed her obsessive making habit!She identified a need for an onlinecraft shop which bought togethergorgeous craft products in oneplace. Her vision was that if youwanted to buy some fabrics to makea quilt you could pick up the fabric,thread, wadding and notions fromone place and if you needed acouple of extra balls of yarn for theblanket you were crocheting thenyou can get it all in one order. Sothe idea for The Homemakery was

We spoke to Kate about turning her dream into areality, her hopes for the future and the inspiration

behind The Homemakery

“Starting abusiness is not likegetting a new job,the buck stops

with you”

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Look!a lovely idea

Fabric EasterBasket

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This gorgeous fabric Easter basket by the lovelySara from Tell Love Chocolate is super easy to

make and is the perfect accessory for any egghunt this Easter!

Image and FREE Tutorial: www.tellloveandchocolate.com

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Forest FloralsPouch

Materials● 10” x 8” cream cotton fabric

● 1 fat eighth printed cotton fabric (I used aprint from the Tilda Spring Lakecollection)

● 10” x 18” oilcloth for lining

● 10” x 18” lightweight fusible interfacing

● 12” zipper

● Zipper foot for your sewing machine

● Temporary fabric marker pen

● DMC stranded cotton floss in shades

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Notes:

Use two strands of floss throughout.

This is a pattern of two halves -firstly the embroidery and thenmaking up your pouch. It wasinspired by a visit toAnthropologie in Bath where Ispent a long time admiring all theirbeautiful things. I so love theirstyle and thought that this pouchwould fit in beautifully on theirshelves.

The pouch features an oilclothlining a has a curved zipperclosure. The stags are a vintagetransfer, but the florals are all myown.

Finished pouch measures 9” widex 7” high x 2” deep (approx).

A full alphabet to work the initial of yourchoice is included in the templates section.

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Look!a lovely idea

QuiltedNotebook

Cover

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Pretty up your notebook with a gorgeous quilted notebook coverby the lovely Sara from One Radiant Home. Be sure to pop overto her website for the full tutorial!Image & Tutorial: www.radianthomestudio.com

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Leaping FoxHoop

This little fox is leaping for joy -surrounded by a garland ofbeautiful spring blossoms.

Floral embroidery is very popularat present, and this design isdeceptively simple - only thebullion stitch roses require a littlepractice, but it would be easy toreplace them with a woven wheelstitch if you’re not too confidentwith bullion stitch. The appliqueis also simple - but do be carefulwhen you’re cutting the fox’s legsas they are quite slender.There’sroom to add text of your choicetoo if you would like.

Shown mounted in 7” hoop.

Materials● 10” square cream or white fabric suitable

for hand embroidery

● 5” x 3” fox red wool blend felt

● Bondaweb

DMC stranded cotton floss in shades

Temporary fabric marker pen

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“My main source ofinspiration is nature, Ilove having birds in the

garden, watching them andobserving their habits

through the year”

talks to us about her interestin ceramics, where she finds her inspiration and how

she started her business,

Meet theMaker

Emma Verner-Webb runs herbusiness from her home in a quietvillage in Norfolk. She combinesher interest in ceramic and textilesto create lovingly made gardenbirds, handsewn using harris tweedand other pure wool fabrics.

As a child of the Blue Petergeneration, I was always drawing,painting or making things. I watchedmy mother sewing, making all myclothes and picked up my sewingskills from her. I went to college tostudy general art and design,specialising in Ceramics and thentook a degree in Ceramics at Cardiffuniversity.

I really wanted to combine myinterest in ceramics with my love ofsewing and textiles, so I started tocreate a range of cotton vases andjugs, (cotton pots - hence the name'The Cotton Potter'). With the arrival

of online shopping I was able to finda market for my work and mybusiness began.

I have favourite pieces and oftenrevisit ideas or past work to tweakand improve on earlier versions. Ihave recently re-created one of mymost popular birds, the Blue Tit.There is something about thecombination of colours of thisbeautiful little bird, together with alittle artistic license that alwaysmakes it very special to make, forme and so too, my customers.

Maybe not disasters, but plenty ofmistakes. I really have to thinkthrough and plan every design thatI make which means lots of time isinvested in each piece. It doesn’talways pay off and ideas that takeages to come to fruition cansuddenly go down the plug hole!

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Turn your hoop over onto theback and trim the fabric back toabout 1cm (1/2”) from the rim of thehoop.

Run some hot glue aroundthe inside rim of the hoop and stickdown the backing fabric. Watch yourfingers – that glue can burn! You canskip this step if you only have the onelayer of fabric.

Then run some more hot gluearound the top edge of the rim andfold down the main fabric.

Place your hoop face downon some felt and draw around it witha pen or pencil.

Cut out around the circle,about 3mm (1/8" ) inside the pencilline. I like to use pinking shears!

Now is the time to add anylabels to the felt.

Centre your felt piece ontothe back of your hoop, and start glu-ing. I like to glue at 12, 6,3 and 9o’clock, and carefully pull the felt toflatten it out nicely and press down.Then just fill in the extra bits with glueand press down some more.

Admire your nicely finishedhoop art!

> glue gun

> pen

> ruler

> pinking shears

> felt

> label (optional)

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Busy Bee PegBag

Here in Devon, once April arriveswe can be fairly sure that therewill be at least a few nice fine dayswhen we can hang our washingout of doors. I don’t know aboutyou, but washing hung outsideseems to smell so much fresherand nicer than that dried indoors.

The Busy Bee Peg Bag is perfectfor those drying days ahead, witha button strap to hang your bagfrom the line and nice and deepfor your pegs - and the odddropped sock too if you’re like me!

Super easy machine applique anda simple shape make this a niceeasy make.

Materials● ½ yard medium weight plain fabric for

exterior

● ½ yard lining fabric

● Scraps of coloured fabric for flowers,together with two shades of green andyellow felt

● 1” button

● Black and cream sewing thread

● Bondaweb

● Embroidery foot for your sewing machine

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s magazine. Watch out forthe May issue published on Thursday 30 April and in themeantime please do keep in touch over on the blog or find uson social media….