Woolfest 2008 and other crafty news.

So we'd packed the car and were off to Woolfest... little did we know that half way up the country it would start to pour down...

Maybe sunglasses weren't such a good idea? Maybe I should have another candy!

It's wasn't so bad though, by the time we got to the Lake District the scenery really started to distract us from the rain... it's so beautiful up here... lush green fields and stone walls... beautifuuuulllll!

We arrived by about 4:30pm, so plenty of time to set up our tent before dark and the weather had eased a bit too, which was perfect.

No that's not mine silly... this is mine... standard 4 man tent issue! Boy did we struggle... the granite was everywhere, tent pegs buckled!

Oh and yes, I did forget something... the torches... ooooopppsss, don't tell my boyfriend!

Turns out mother nature was on my side and decided not to turn out the day lights until about 11:30pm... who knew camping by the highest pass in Cumbria would make such a difference... even in the rain!!

Loved the campsite... and I really recommend it (Skyeside)... oh and the food... you need an extra notch on your belt when you have finished... but OMG it was delicious!

Was up reasonably early too... a mixture of excitement and bird's calling saw to that!

So off to Woolfest we went... didn't take too long to get there and there wasn't too much of a cue to get in either. So much to see and do... just where should a girl start?! I took a look around first and enjoyed each of the displays. Here's Ingrid Wagner (http://www.ingridwagner.com/) helping me to knit a stitch for her helping Breast Cancer challenge... I made sure I interviewed her for DIY City Magazine... so keep your eyes open for that one... plenty of opportunities to get involved too.

Phew they were heavy... I need to go see some sheep now while my arms come back to life!

Below is an Angora goat and above is a Herdwick sheep...
This next breed is Gotland... so inquisitive and friendly (I had to battle with the boyfriend not to hide one under his coat on the way out... we live in a flat babe, come on let's go... he's whimpering now and pulling that face... you know the one... with the droopy bottom lip!)

Below is a Hebridean... (the samples of fleece to try are stacking up now!)

And these are baby Alpachas... just shorn they look like they have been knitted! I wonder how their fleece will felt?

There was so much to see and do there, we decided that if we can we'll be back next year...

I tell you who I did see there... Fibrespace... making felt flower demonstrations... which I have to say were fantastic. I've never tried one myself, so I might just have a go... and her stall was amazing, so much to wonder at and so colourful too. Well done Fibrespace... I hope you raked in those sales... you deserved it. Oh and sorry I didn't get chance to say 'Hi'... you were so busy I didn't want to interrupt.

I also took the chance to speak to people about the 'Working with Felt' community I run... lots of great interest has made me come up with some hopefully fantastic new ideas. So now that I am back to work I will be exploring those and seeing if I can really make the community a one-stop shop for all feltmaking addicts.

Here are a few more shots before I leave you today... these cover Hartsop and Lake Windermere.

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

A little crafty holiday!

I've been planning this trip for a while, since I stumbled across a site during some research I was doing for my October Feltmaking workshop... so as you can imagine I'm all excited! Could do with a break...

As I speak my boyfriend is driving us to Woolfest and seeing as I couldn't go to Glastonbury this year (still unhappy about that!)... this is the closest camping opportunity we had for the same weekend, still I'm not bitter... I get to buy some new felting supplies!!

Maybe those of you I know in the industry from the UK will be there... maybe even showing... if I find you I will pop in and say 'Hi'... but for those of you who can't make it I'll be taking my camera to keep a diary of the event and posting a little something when I get back. Don't feel to upset, that you couldn't make it though... today I will be mostly:

• ODing on candy.
• Arguing over a 'stupid' map.
• Wishing I had had the opportunity to learn to drive, so that I could help out.
• Being told off because in my excitement I will have forgotten something important.
• Made up to by being praised for my sandwich making skills.
• Reminiscing about Glastonbury.
• Singing rather badly with the radio.
• Wishing they had invented a 'press a button and it's up' tent.
• Wondering how we've managed 13 years together... and then making up again!
• Getting annoyed by litter leavers... when 'the bin's only over there!'
• getting itchy, crafty fingers for the show tomorrow!

Enjoy your weekends... Sara x

A Day out in London - the South Bank

There are so many things to see and do in London, but where do you go if you are into arts and crafts? Well, in my new feature ‘A Day out in London’ I will be helping to point you in the right direction. Today’s feature is: the South Bank, east side southbanklondon.com. Some say the South Bank is a ‘boulevard’ of historical romance and culture.

I will start by giving you a map for the first part of the journey.

Get yourself to Waterloo Bridge and you are looking to be situated on the Southeast bank, you will see signs for the National Theatre in front of you. Feeling confident where you are, start to walk and enjoy your surroundings. Firstly you will come across a skater and graffiti rink for teenagers on your right… stop for a while and check out these crazy folk practising a mixture of skate, bike and free-jumping techniques. This is a great spot if you are into urban photography. If you’d rather not hold your breath that long take a closer look at some of the graffiti before you go, there is some great street art there.

Moving on you will come to a book market on your left, called ‘the South Bank Book Market’ no less. Take your time and browse the second-hand books for sale, while there are many more novels and reference books, there are also a few craft books to inspire your next project. You will find the prices usually written in pencil on the first page, behind each cover.

As you leave the book market you will notice on your right London’s National Theatre. It’s always worth checking out what’s on as you pass, maybe you can book something for later in the evening? If that’s not your thing, don’t stroll past… they do some great food for lunches, or light suppers!

The Oxo Tower is next on your right, after the street performers on the green… Now here is where arts and crafts really start to take over your walk. Check out the three floors of this tower block… you don’t want to miss anything!

The Oxo Tower Wharf houses a number of design shops. There are 32 designer-makers studios including fabulous contemporary ceramics, glass, lighting, furniture, fashion, jewellery and home accessories.

Shops normally open 11am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday If you are making a special trip to visit a particular designer we recommend that you ring before hand.

These are some of my favourites:
http://www.southbanklondon.com/attraction/oxogallery – fine art, sculpture and photography
Eco Annie (Annie Sherburne) – eco craft supplies, as well as her own art works.
Michele Oberdieck – textile and fashion designer
There also a fantastic milliner there too!

Next up is Gabriel’s Wharf. You will find this on your right and this is a real hidden treat… go in… go on, don’t be shy! Enjoy several indie designers, photographers, jewellers, ceramists and woodcrafters. This is real eye candy for any DIYer and has a real buzz about it during the spring and summer months!

If you can drag yourself away from Gabriel’s Wharf (and if you have any budget left!), why not grab your self an ice-cream and stroll along the river front watching the river boats sailing past, until you find the Founder’s Arms Pub. This is probably a nice place to stop for some refreshments, en-route to London’s Tate Modern.

The Tate Modern is one of London’s newer national museums and hosts a large number of contemporary art pieces from 1900 to present day. Admission is free, but you are always welcome to add a few coins to the donation box on the way in, or out… oh and did I mention they have the most fantastic book shop! Great for art reference, you should be able to find research material for any number of contemporary art styles and periods, including graphics, fashion and much more.

What is the crack in the floor of the Tate modern? That’s art my dear! Unfortunately it’s recently been filled in to make way for a new art installation, but it was quite a controversial piece while it was being undertaken as part of ‘The Unilever Series’. This installation was commissioned in 2007 by the museum from Colombian artist/sculptor Doris Salcedo and since has been a major interactive piece among their collections. Here’s a link for more information.

The final destinations on my walk along the South Bank are steeped in English literary history and are a must see for any fan of Shakespeare. The Globe (shakespeares-globe.org) …
Founded by the pioneering American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, Shakespeare’s Globe is a unique international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare’s work, and the playhouse for which he wrote, through the connected means of education and performance.Together, the Globe Theatre Company, Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition and Globe Education seek to further the experience and international understanding of Shakespeare in performance. (Ref. shakespeares-globe.org/information/abouttheglobe)

Why not take a tour around the theatre or stop and see a show… Once you have finished, you can pop across the court yard to The Swan and spoil yourself with some romantic dinning before the trip home.If you feel like taking a longer walk and encompassing extra hidden away features from the South Bank, or would prefer to split your adventure across two days then here’s a recommended sight seeing walk I found just for you.

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This review can also be found at as part of my contributions on DIY City Magazine

How to Felt Your Hand Knitting

I really enjoyed felting my hand knitted pieces when I first tried it… here’s my tutorial.

Firstly create a test piece…

I always recommend testing your length of hand knit before you start a larger piece as shrinkage can be so unpredictable. I usually start by knitting a square length of around 10cm x 10cm as this gives me a round number to work out the shrinkage on my final project.

Put your square into the washing machine on a 60 degree cycle, adding washing detergent only. Once your square has been washed you can set it aside to dry overnight. You will notice that the surface has become quite fluffy already.

When the square is dry measure it again to see how much it has shrunk. For example if the square is now 5cm x 5cm (apart from having good shrinkage stability) you now know that the shrinkage of your yarn at that gauge is 50% and should therefore knit your final project 50% larger than the required dimensions.

TIP: The smaller the gauge (closer the stitches) the more felting will occur on the surface due to fibre tangling.

Once your testing has finished you are now ready to work on your project… I tried simple rectangles at first and embellished onto them… check out ‘Bubble Knit’ in my photo gallery, or at my website http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

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This article has been reposted at http://workingwithfelt.ning.com/ - A community of feltmakers who love to learn and share new techniques, tips and resources, as well as showing off their own creations.

Little Cloud is now in stock!

Do you remember me telling you about my craft fair demonstrations and how I was making clouds to keep me shaded? Well, the kit is now in stock at Sara's Texture Crafts - Craft Store



Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/

Have You Got Your Copy of Artful Blogging?

Oh my… Thank you Somerset Studio…

I came across Artful Blogging by accident while doing some research on the internet.
Wowed by the covers to choose from (Yes, I know you should never judge a book by its cover! But sometimes the eye candy can get to a girl!!), I decided to send off for a copy.

I only waited a few days and as I carefully peeled back the envelope I felt a twinge of excitement. I have to say I got about half way through carefully peeling before I began ripping away… desperate to take a peek inside! What did I find? Hours of eye candy in the form of blog reading… I’m in heaven!


Here are some of my favourites from this issue: -

http://www.donnaobrien.typepad.com/
http://www.somethingsublime.typepad.com/
http://www.thepastoraldollmaker.blogspot.com/
http://www.lollydoodledesigns.com/
http://www.bellacafe.com/
http://www.oneworldevent.blogspot.com/

Here's where to get your copy - http://www.stampington.com/html/artful_blogging.html

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Crafts of Texture: Sara’s Blog Competition #1 RESULTS

Here are the winners for Crafts of Texture: Sara’s Blog Competition #1



First prize goes to...

And the runner up is...

I will contact you both tomorrow so that I can send you your prizes.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thank you to everyone for taking part... There will be a new blog competition coming soon!

Sara xx

Crafts of Texture: Sara’s Blog Competition #1

Crafts of Texture: Sara’s Blog Competition #1 is now closed... a winner will be picked at random tomorrow.

Crafts of Texture: Sara’s Blog Competition #1

Competition closes at 23:oo GMT tonight, so get your last minute entries in!

Here's the link... Crafts of Texture: Sara’s Blog Competition #1

Shopping Grab!

Here's a new article... Shopping Grab! This is my way of showing you some of the items I currently have in stock ~ Enjoy, Sara x

http://en.dawanda.com/product/55946-Princess-Glass-Flower-Necklace - €25.00

My Greeting Cards are moving Home!

I'm moving my handmade greeting cards off of eBay and onto my other boutique sites and my craft fair stall, due to an increased demand in these areas... I still have lots of papermaking and card making kits though, so don't forget about my Ebay Craft Shop!

Yarn Selection For Felting Knits

My top tip is to use 100% wool that has been untreated (manufacturers sometimes treat wools to make them more machine washable). This can come in many forms:- In the past I have bought fine hand dyed wool and thick slub wool which have both given me very different felted finishes.

My next tip is to avoid man-made fibres at all costs even if they are heavily blended with wool. This is because at any high temperature the man-made fibre will often stretch and melt rather than buckle, crimp and tangle like wool causing knits to become loose and floppy. I have been told that small amounts of man-made fibre content (less than 10%) can work, but I avoid them personally (although this is more of my own preference).

You can also try blends with alpaca and mohair as these are good fibres for wet felting and so should work for knitted felts too.

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This article has been reposted at http://workingwithfelt.ning.com/ - A community of feltmakers who love to learn and share new techniques, tips and resources, as well as showing off their own creations.

I'll be at the Fair!

Back at Merton Abbey Mills Arts and Crafts Market this coming Sunday (22nd June)... do drop in!

Sara x

New shop coming soon...

I have just had some great news about a new outlet for my Boutique Collection... more news coming soon!

Sara x

Stitch Magazine

I rarely choose to subscribe to a magazine, as I often don’t get the chance to sit down and read them. ‘Stitch’ by the Embroiderers’ Guild is an exception though. I’ve just renewed my annual subscription to this 6-issue magazine and love it just as much as I did in the beginning. There is a great mix of traditional and modern techniques, which makes it ideal for the stitch maker, and features some top artists and projects as well as a competition to win the latest book titles.

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I may be slower at posting, but hopefully my gardening will improve!

Diary of an Artist in The Field - Part 1

I've always wanted to be green fingered... it seems long ago now when at Summer's end I would help my mum pick the Lavender bushes and make smelly bags for the wardrobe. Hence my Lavender Heart products!

I envied her garden, it was always immaculately presented, even the veggie patch had neat little rows as I remember... I even enjoyed helping to weed it!

But unfortunately a garden never came my way... I just don't have the room in my flat for plants (although I am always happy when my partner brings me cut flowers! and do tend the few cactus I own). I had to empty my window box too, because the weather was too extreme at this height... even the seedums died off (sounds like I'm at a really high alltitude, doesn't it!!) So it's been a long time that I have been hanckering after a small patch of land to plant veggies and flowers in... many a dreamy conversation with my mother!

It looks like I'm going to get a chance to learn though, which I am thrilled about... I've been invited by my Grandmother to help in her garden this summer. After recently loosing my Granddad, who's funeral is today (Love you Granddad... I miss you xxx) the garden is just too much for my Grandmother, so she is enlisting help and I am more than happy to sign up! It will be a full family effort, spanning the generations... there's my Garndmother, my Aunt, my Mother and me.

I thought it could be a great place to get inspiration for my work too, so this is the first 'Artist in the Field' post of many (I hope). And just to warn you I've gotten in the habit of scheduling blog posts, so for eaxmple as you read this... I may not be at my desk, but contact me as usual and I'll get back to you as soon as I can... that goes for your purchases too! No post runs will be harmed in the making of these blog posts!!

Sara x

An Etsy Treasury... haven't been in one of those for a while!

Hi Guys,

Woke up this morning to a wonderful email from LANCERIKA at www.LANCERIKA.etsy.com, who is a proud member of the Interior Design Etsy Team.

I have been featured in her treasury at http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=49798

I popped over to take a look, it's always nice to be nosey (and to get a screen shot for the blog too!) and I thought it was the most wonderful colour selection I've seen for a while. Please do pop over and show Lancerika your support.

If you want to find out more about Lancerika, please visit my feature of her shop at http://etsyprofiles.blogspot.com/2008/06/lancerika-fine-art-reproductions.html

... Thank you Lancerika!

A bit of Press I missed!

A friend of mine on Facebook left me a message the other day mentioning that I had had some press recently... 'Ow, I thought that's brilliant!' Across I popped to take a closer look...

The lovely ReadyMade Mag's Blog writer Amanda McCorquodale stumbled across my 'Bubble Knit' piece and read up about how I created it. She then gave me a very wonderful write up, which you can find here... http://readymademag.com/blog/2008/06/02/beautiful-mistakes-knitted-bubbles/. She had a rather lovely idea for creating a jumper using my creative method... word of advice... If you are going to do this bare in mind that the larger the 3-d form you create, the more distortion you will get across the surface of the garment as a result. So when you come to wear it you may notice wrinkles... might be better to use smaller 3-d shapes on a test piece, or use this technique as an interesting applique.

Thanks Amanda and Readymade, you made my day!

Merton Abbey Mills - Arts and Crafts Market

So this was my third week at Merton Abbey Mills and the picture is starting to come together… Saturday was perfect weather for shopping at an Arts and Crafts Fair and I had decided to reposition myself in the main square… that way I could enjoy the summer weather and monitor footfall from a different angle. I set up my stand slightly differently too, by hanging some of the larger craft kits, hopefully that would draw customers over.

It really did make a difference and I had much more interest over both days. I think if I continue to work this market regularly I will invest in some more product stands... they will give my work a bit more lift to catch people's eye.

I took the chance on the extra space by demonstrating some crafts too... I decided as it was sooo sunny to make little clouds to help give us all some shade! They went very well and I still have a few left to sell in the shops... so keep your eyes out for stray clouds coming your way soon! I have plenty of DIY kits for the clouds as well... I'll let you know when they get to the shop.

Sunday was so much more sunny and hot, which was great for the 'Birthday Festival' (Merton Abbey Mills Arts and Craft Market was 19 years old!) and brought lots of people to the site, but was bad for sales... I think people where much more interested in enjoying the sun and catching up with friends than shopping. High interest continued though, which helped me to hand out more cards and interact with potential customers. We did however, get some cake after the Mayor made his speech... so that made it all better - yummy!

And we also had the Merton Concert Band play too, which was lovely... and attracted a lot of people to the bandstand, which was just in front of my stall. Here's a small clip of their performance...

Not sure why the picture is on the side!! Anyhoo, it was more for a quick burst of sound... I hope that works!!

So I'm thinking outdoors is definitely the spot for me... I can't do next weekend, but the Sunday after that it will be business as usual.

I also got more of a gauge on my customer base... while my own products appeal to a wide range of ages, buyers mostly between 20 and 40 years old, the craft kits and equipment definitely appealed more to women between 30 and 65. Maybe it was my mix of kits available? Or maybe it was an accurate assessment of the craft kit buyer's profile?? We shall see... the experiment continues!

More soon... Sara x

So Where Does My Wool Roving Come From?

We all know that our wool roving comes from an animal, but what processes does it go through before it gets to me?

‘Greasy fleece’ is the term for wool that has just been shorn from the sheep. The next process is called ‘scouring’ during which the fleece is washed to remove dirt and excess oils from the fibre. (Did you know that the oil from the fibre is called Lanolin and is used in some soaps and cosmetics?)

The fleece should now be almost ready, all that it needs to be brushed into a length of useable roving (wool tops). This process is called ‘carding’. The wool is passed through a carding machine, which untwists and untangles the fibres into one long, smooth length of roving. This process can be performed by hand at home but does take a long time.

The finished roving is also known by the name ‘carded sliver’ and is perfect for dying, spinning and felting.

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This article has been reposted at http://workingwithfelt.ning.com/ - A community of feltmakers who love to learn and share new techniques, tips and resources, as well as showing off their own creations.

Payperpost works!!

I'm always one to try these new schemes, as long as there is no cost involved and I've read up on the terms and conditions and Payperpost was no exception. Today I got my first payment through... yippee! I was paid $7.50 just for reviewing someone-elses blog! Couldn't have been easier... oow I love a new plan!

If you missed my earlier post about Payperpost and how it works... here the link http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com/2008/05/helping-to-pad-out-accounts.html

Remeber... Payperpost has a number of different options for bloggers;

• you can blog about a website, product or service from a choice of advertisers by category... so far I have seen payment offers of between $5-20 per post.
• you can ask to be hired by a company as a blog reviewer... you get to set your own rate ($) per post.
• you can also review blogs from other people in the community too. Simply look for the logo . My contributions for review can be found under my 'PPP contributions' tab, here on the blog at PPP contributions and I earned $7.50 for reviewing someone else's post.

It's very easy to sign up, you just need to create a username and a password, once you have received and responded to the welcome email, you can then add your account details, including the blog you wish to submit articles for payment onto. This will take a few hours/days to approve, depending on the quantity of other blogs pending approval. Once approved, you are ready to start choosing your opportunities and writing your articles for payment. Each advertising choice will have to be individually reserved and posted within a 6 hour period... you simply tell the Payperpost where you posted your article and submit it for approval. If and when your article is approved you will then be paid directly to your Paypal account in 30 days. Here's a link to Paypal if you need it... Paypal

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