Stitching, sewing, experimenting.

I have always made things. From clothes for my barbies and other dolls to my first handbag experiments. Since finishing my degree and living in this state of limbo that I am now I have returned to my making things ways. Only now instead of keeping all my experiments for myself I am attempting to sell them to the world. Or at least the locals who frequent craft fairs. (ps - the photo above of an apron, in case you couldn't guess!)

I am a collector of off cuts of fabric, whether I have inherited them from someone's scraps box, found them at an end of line sale or bought small amounts of interesting but potentially expensive fabrics. One of the first things I started to make last year was make up type bags, from these off cuts, scraps, and one off pieces.





Last summer I was at Spitalfields market in East London (which is a wonderful place, that I wish I could visit more often), and I found a necklace, an owl (which has been sometimes been mistaken for a fish) on a very long chain. This, along with an old money box provided inspiration for a line of pin cushions, needle cases and brooches.



This simple shape with pattern inserts type thing inspired me towards my new (and still in development) line of pin cushions, still on an avian theme, but slightly different.



I love brooches. They are easy to wear, and are capable of turning a boring outfit into something much more exciting. So I decided to turn my owl and bird shapes into something I could wear. (I keep having to restrain myself from keeping them all for myself, its dangerous making things)



Before this there were the other brooch experiments (which I still like, but I haven't had much interest in, which is sad).





Inspired by my mum's love of everything heart shaped dangling from every door knob, I made stuffed hearts, all from odds and ends I have picked up during my fabric shop investigations.



These are just some of the things I like to make, they are the most successful ones (I don't dare show you the ones that failed miserably), and the ones I like the most. I also do bags, but that's going to have to be a whole nother post (because I keep changing my mind about them, but you can see most of them on my folksy shop - see below for more details!)

Most of the items above are available on my folksy shop (www.folksy.com/shops/annalou56) and everything is available from my stall at craft fairs. My next fairs are Sunday 28th March, Nature's World, Middlesbrough (http://www.naturesworld.org.uk/holding/index.html). This fair runs from 10am till 2pm and is free entry. I will also be at the Manor House Hotel, West Auckland on Sunday 4th April (Easter Sunday), for a Charity Craft Fair. This fair runs from 10am till 4pm, and costs 50p to get in.

Check back soon for more info on things I make, and where I will be in April, as well as my new collection of things (which I think may be inspired by my crazy fish Horatio, but I'm not sure yet).