Crazy to Cut?

Well perhaps not a suprise but today whilst eating what counted for lunch I had a crisis of conscience. Who in their right mind would cut up near perfect lengths of barkcloth some of which is approaching 50 years old. What if no body likes my Folly&Glee lamp shades? What if we move and I need to make new lampshades for our home? What if their is a state of national barkcloth shortage emergency declared?  .......I'll feel like a right NUMPTY. That's what.

The furry one said just take a look around you. Do you need any more lamp shades? No. Do you feel pleasure everyday because of the ones you have? Yes. Wouldn't you feel good sharing some of that joy? Suppose so. Do you need the dosh to buy those Camper boots? Definately.

So.....I did some cutting and some laminating and some stitching and some rolling and there are 3 more vintage barkcloth lampshades in the Folly&Glee shop or if you prefer to but in US Dollars over at my etsy shop.

Vintage Barkcloth lampshades

Yea well it only took me 5 years to feel brave enough to cut up some of my treasured vintage barkcloth. Don't know what it is about the stuff but I do love it so.

At the risk of "teaching granny to suck eggs" barkcloth , also known as Dobby, is made of 100% cotton, it has a very rich look and feel and is extremely durable, and long lasting. To be honest I think that unless someone puts some actual barkcloth in your hands and says, "this is barkcloth" then it's next to impossible to really understand what it is... However technically barkcloth is a Momie Weave  used primarily in furnishings. The interlacing pattern usually uses spun yarns and creates a fabric with a rough texture somewhat like that of tree bark, hence the fabric's name.

So the legend goes after WWII American GI's stationed in Hawaii saw these brightly colored barkcloth curtains and other home furnishings (as well as some shirts) and brought or sent them home. In the years following  the late 1940's through the 1960's, bark cloth became a staple fabric in the home interior textiles market. The most collectable of these barkcloths are the atomic "Eames era" prints popular in the 1950's and early 1960's.

I fell in love with my first piece of barkcloth after pulling and old curtain out of a black bin bag at the local Scout Jumble sale. Totally unexplicable why... its was faded, it was almost a paisly pattern and worst of all it was mauve.....but there the love affair began.

It has finally dawned on me that I cannot curate a barkcloth museum from the linen cupboard in our spare room so now its open season on my precious bolts and scraps as they one by one reform themselves into......lampshades. Why lampshades? Well a great lampshade is always hard to find. You can never have enough lamps in a room. I'm lucky enough to have access to the professional materials needed to make them well. And most importantly they show the wonderousness of the fabric off to perfection.

I'm not so good at photographing them yet. Just look at all those shadows.....and it took me hours! Any tips greatfully received.

All from Emma Lamb's shop on Etsy

Whilst on the subjected I'm so greatful to Emma Lamb for posting about my shades. I've been a fan of her crochet for a while now as her designs and colours are always so contemporary and just a bit more edgy than most. Emma also manages my two favourite Flickr group "granny chic" and "all colours in" as well as producing the best etsy collages  or roundups on her blog. You have an extraordinary eye Emma. Cheers.

Geometric gorgeousness

Always having been a sucker for florals I didn't think I'd fall for the current geometric trend. But oh I was wrong.

Now I spend my sofa evenings huddled over a pile of hexagon cut outs. I cannot say it is the most enjoyable patchwork project as its a fiddly process but its very rewarding. I love that the old fashioned classic cuts of floral linen appear transformed into something so much more contemporary just by virtue of being an angular shape. Its a slow grower but my plan is to finish a length for a new FollyandGlee lampshade.

Triangles haven't escaped my attention either. I love the simplicity of this little coffee set of cups, saucers, cream jug and sugar bowl. Perfect for expresso or maybe a little after supper chocolate moose? If you love too you'll find it in the shop.

The current obcession with shapes has extended to our wallpaper lampshades too. First to succumb was this lampshade made in an ivory lace vinyl and then strung with bunting. The bunting was fun to cut from tiny scraps of vintage wallpaper laminated onto triangles of the lampshade PVC. I used Divine Twine's gorgeous new candy pink baker's twine which I'm delighted to now have in stock.

I've missed these blog posts over our eventful summer. Whilst it sometimes feels a little self indulgent blogging does give you that reflective time to stand back for a moment and appreciate......whatever. Promise to be back soon.

Crochet Therapy

Why am I hooking away with my feet up at 10.30 am when there are a 1000 and one things I should be doing?

I am crocheting for my sanity! Being a newby hooker I wondered how such a seemingly fiddly process should calm the senses. I had read that it was so from those whose work I admire. And I had sensed a whiff of cheerfulness and serenity from those that hook regularly. But I had not experienced it for myself until now.

Our boys have started their summer in some style.

With one doing this....

and another doing this...

...it is perhaps no suprise that we might have already incurred an injury.

Always armed with dressings and my trusty antiseptic cream I am no stranger to scrapes and cuts. Sadly Big J's accident on Friday whilst dirt jumping was more serious. He has fractured his wrist in two places and needs an operation next week to "bolt" the break together. Oh my goodness .......typing the words makes me feel more than queezy. There is NOTHING worse than having your child suffer.

A difficult few days in and out of hospital waiting rooms has passed and J must now cope with the dissapointment and frustration of cancelling all those holiday activities with his mates he had been so looking foward too. We know we are in good hands for the operation to come nonetheless I am feeling somewhat anxious but at the same time VERY thankful that his injuries are not worse.

So that I'm afraid is my reasoning for why for a few moments the washing, cleaning and the business can wait a while and the hooking takes over. To have found the donkey brown Rowan cotton in a charity shop for only 50p helps lessen the guilty pleasure even more! And dear Anne (aka Cloonty) if you're reading this thank you so much for teaching me how to wield a crochet hook. I'd still be staring at written pattern instructions in total confusion without you!

For those of you who might be interested....yes I was sitting here first. As usual the Furry One is by my side and saw a photo opportunity plus a ready warm spot to steal.

Porcelain Lace and the case of the missing Mojo

I think I lost my blogging mojo. Lack of time to oneself is of course also a possibility. However I must be honest and admit to several occasions when I have been oggling the work of truly talented artists and crafters. Inspirational yes.....but viewed during a busy end of term stretch filled with seemingly endless demands for lifts and laundry and the work of the truly talented has left me feeling a bit inadequate.

Delighted as I was to find a way to incorporate crochet lace doilies into lampshades (without creating a fire risk) it is nothing compared to what Kristen Wicklund can do.

The Porcelain Lace in the exhibition photo above is made by dipping the doilies in porcelain clay and then firing them. The crochet itself is burnt away leaving behind the moulded procelain. Beautiful. And look at this.....

called Reincarnation, a work-in-progress crocheted entirely from used plastic shopping bags gathered in New York.

Until my mojo returns x

Badgers, Biscuits and a Brainwave

Posts have been scarce this week. I've been blogging 3 months now and although I haven't yet established any kind of regular rhythmn or special time to blog I must say I do miss it if I don't. So a quick summary of my week would include lots of badgers, very few biscuits and a long awaited brainwave. Let me explain....

Images from BBC Wildlife

Far, far away in an ancient and beautiful land called East Sussex lived a portly couple with their two strapping boys. They had chosen to live in the countryside moving from the big shitty (London) as soon as they could (at the worst time for property prices which some would call foolish but so what) because they loved to walk and to enjoy the wildlife. 

The purchase of a large and very hairy canine friend was both a blessing and a curse in their pursuit of country ways. A curse in that being a sheepdog (of sorts) he had what the professionals would call "plenty of voice when working" which translates as a very loud and chatty bark when hearding his family. However, needing lots of exercise the furry one was also the excuse for dail, and sometimes twice daily, walks. Most of these walks might be descibed by others as stalks for they are often conducted in silence for fear of startling any deer. After something had been spotted the atmosphere is more relaxed and said portly couple  chat (or moan) about the days events. 

Over the years we've had some great spots -snowy owls, barn owls, weasles, stoats, hares, foxes, roe deer, red deer, fallow deer.....but oh dear NEVER a badger. Until that is this week. Because readers on 3 seperate evening walks at 3 different locations around these ere parts we have seen 5 yes 5 badgers. The 3 that crossed our path on Friday evening almost tripped us over and one actually brushed against the furry one and growled at him. What funny grumpy creatues they are and well worth the wait.

Sadly all this walking does not mean that the portly couple from the City are any slimmer. Drastic action has been called for and I've taken our weekly packet of Digestive Biscuits off the online shopping list. It has been 3 and a half weeks since I have eaten a biscuit of any kind. If temptation does become too much rest assured it will be Digestives I reach for first. True Brit blog puts i so much better than me as to why Digestives really are Michael Palin in biscuit form! I miss them.

And finally the Brainwave. Well I've been worrying,  as I do, about the propensity of fabric lovers - especially granny chic affecionados of doilies- to drape said textiles over their lampshades. Is this not a fire risk I fret? Well yes it is. 

What said doily lovers need is a professional lampshade PVC or vinyl that is properly fire retardant and is non flammable but which looks like lace and  can be adorned by doilies in all their glory. And so patient readers here is is....the first Folly&Glee doily lampshade.

7 of my favourite doilies were stitched on by machine. I'd like to try one with contrast colour thread next. What do you think?

Handrolling the edges to the lampshade frame takes ages but the end result is worth it.

I'm going to keep this one but they'll be a couple more in the shop by mid week. I'd would love your feedback.

So my 3 B's this week and now is time for b-----ed x

Patchwork Maker at the V&A

I like to think that when I am too old to be of much use to my brood I will don a lovely little hat, my best fitted coat and a treasured brooch and take the train to the Victoria and Albert Museum every ......say Wednesday. Here is I will wander through the lastest exhibitions, re- visit my favourites from Celia Birtwell and Missoni in the fashion collections,  do some people watching over tea and a cheese scone and catch the pre-commuter rush train home.....probably to feed an assortment of anxious waiting pets.

For now I must content myself with a few minutes of distraction, from the endliss list of STUFF that I should be doing, on some of the Victoria and Albert's online tools. A BIG thank you  for the tip off  to Jessica  who has some amazing "timewasters" on her blog  HowaboutOrange .

 My current favourite is the Patchwork Pattern Maker.  You just upload an image and it will convert into a pattern for making a quilt. You get to choose how many colours you’d like your pattern to have (up to 20) and the level of difficulty (larger squares = easy, small squares + triangles = expert). The pattern maker creates a complete pattern to download. You could use it just as easily for a paper collage or I guess even crosstitch or paint by numbers maybe?

I loaded to some 70s wallpaper in and went from these ......

to these.

Going to have to do something with one of them.