I'm very guilty indeed of absolutely loving every single season and after having quite a rubbish summer here in the Limousin I'm now looking forward to the warm Autumn days and the colours they bring.
Children are back at school next week and we have a huge thing going on because our twins are starting nursery which will feel very strange. There's not been a day go by in the last two and a half years that I've not spent with them both and now all I want to be is a fly on the wall, he he he.
So, looking on the positives, this is going to allow me more time to work which will be fantastic and I can really start to get Button Fayre going, fitting in more orders and generally having a fab time with fabrics and my sewing machine, plus more time to write regularly on my blogs, updating Pinterest and fitting in chats with other crafter friends.
Somehow I've actually managed to come out with some beautiful designs over the summer but it's not hard when there's so much going on around here with festivals, carnavals and general French going's on's, I'm very lucky!
The above cushion was designed during my two week holiday time actually and as I wasn't under pressure, time wise, I was able to pick it up, put it down, and relax with it which was nice. It's the first time I've added quite a large design using fabric paint too ( they're the rays of colour on the left hand side ) and this design is so wonderful simply because I'm able to offer a piece of Button Fayre at a very affordable price and there will be more coming in this range which is exciting.
This gorgeous cat cushion is one of 5 orders I've had under a special offer and turned out so beautifully. I really love it when I'm asked for certain colours because it changes the whole look of the basic design and so I've had real fun with these and am still designing and sewing the last two.
I've also managed to sew up a few Kindle Paperwhite cases too which are all quite beautiful and I love adding vintage buttons to the modern fabrics, it always looks so quirky and works really well.
I'm able to sew up any size case and was asked to make a Samsung Galaxy 2 tablet case which was super fun and these might just be popular in the festive period, hope so!
I could show you more but I'll stop there so that I can tell you quickly about the giveaway I recently run.
It was an amazing experience and I had lots of new visits to my Facebook page which was brilliant, it's always good to keep things fresh and up to date so that when new visitors come, as well as old, things are exciting.
The winner was Sam Belsey and she's very excited about her family tree cushion that's going to take me a couple of weeks to complete but I'm very excited too, even more so by her enthusiasm, and so a huge congratulations to her.
I'll be talking a little bit ( nooooo, it's not too early for crafters, he he he ) about Christmas and the upcoming range ( already started on Button Fayre's Facebook page ) in the next blog post because it's such an exciting time of the year to work towards it all, I love it.
Lucy x
My goodness, it's that time again and I don't think I've ever done such a huge giveaway either!
I'm thrilled to have recently reached 7,000 likes on Facebook and so to celebrate I'm giving away a beautiful family tree cushion. These take me anything from 15-20 hours to design, cut, prepare and sew and so it really is a fabulous opportunity to own something gorgeously unique.
If you would love to win this cushion then please head over to Button Fayre on Facebook, link below, and follow the rules....they're actually very easy and so it won't take you long.
www.facebook.com/buttonfayre
Best of luck to all and I'll be back soon with a more lengthy blog post and lots of summer holiday news.
Lucy x
For those of you who've never attempted a textile art piece before then this could be the tutorial for you.
For this tutorial you will need only you, your sewing machine and a freehand machine embroidery foot ( although not obligatory ) and some spontaneity.
The above piece is part of a piece I made a few months ago now and is rather complex and took a lot more time than the piece will do if you follow the instructions in this tutorial BUT it gives you an idea of what you can complete if you have the passion and time for it and creating art using fabrics is really something super special, another way of using your imagination and letting yourself go into a whole new world.
Everyone has their own unique way to sew, their own style, the colours they like and the fabrics they choose, and no one way is more right than another and so this is an opportunity to really let you hair down and have some fun.
I started this tutorial by deciding that I wanted to challenge myself a little, given the time limit of 3 hours and by means of the fabrics I chose . So, I chose fabrics that are all completely different in textures, strengths and thicknesses.
There's some pink netting, hessian, 100% wool fabric and some velvet cord, oooh, I also decided along the way to add some blue corduroy.
Have a feel of the fabrics in front of you, do they already shout an idea out to you? Do you have a particular style you like, or a particular style you're used to? I followed the theme of flowers that Button Fayre loves so much and everything else was quite literally done and decided as I went along.
Next I started to think about the design I could create with what I had in front of me and used some templates I already have ( I make all of my own templates and then keep absolutely everything for future use ) to start cutting out some flower shapes.
You can make your piece as simple or elaborate as you wish too, you can add ribbons and embellishments, laces and buttons, anything you want to!
I love working with different coloured cottons and so chose a bright pink for the sewing work in my design and then started to cut out strips of the pink netting, twisting it around, to make flower shapes.
Now you're starting to get somewhere, it's an exciting feeling isn't it?
Next I set up my freehand embroidery foot to my sewing machine ( this isn't obligatory at all, I felt it easier with the thicker fabrics I have but you can sew like this with a normal foot too, I even freehand machine embroider sometimes with no foot at all! It all depends what you're used to and feel comfortable with ) and started to sew, twice, around the edges of my flower shapes.
Once I'd sewn all flowers into place I started to prepare the pink netted flowers, just by sewing along the bottoms and cutting any excess away so that it'd be easier to sew them on to the hessian and overall design.
Things really started to take shape at this point but I was also running out of time and so here's a photo of the completed flower design.......don't stop just yet though, there's still some more sewing to do.
I freehand embroidered a name into my design at this stage because I'd decided it would make a lovely gift for a friend and I also added some sequins and a hand embroidered flower. You can add anything you wish to!
The next stage involves securing your edges and you can choose a backing fabric to cover the inside of your sewing piece. Once you've measured your outlines and are happy you have the shape you would like then simply set your machine back to normal, with the normal sewing foot, and sew a tight zig zag stitch all the way around the outside of your piece. This is optional. I'd already decided to turn this design into a wall hanging and thought the outside edges might look nicer if they were finished neatly.
I then simply pinned some ribbon into place and sewed it along the zig zag stitching I'd already done to hide it a little.
Isn't it an amazing feeling once you reach this stage? I'd started this spontaneous piece with no real idea in mind of what I wanted or how it might look once complete and at this point you can sit back and admire your finished work, giving yourself a huge pat on the back.
Don't worry if it didn't turn out as you'd hoped, it's all a learning experience! I'm not a huge fan of hessian but thought this piece might look interesting with so many different textures involved. It was also a relatively fast piece to complete, all in the time limit of 3 hours but you can really go to town with lots of designs once you feel confident enough and never be afraid to try using as many types of fabrics, ribbons and embellishments as you can find.
The finished piece, a unique, handmade, piece of textile art that you can proudly hang up in your own home or give as a gift to someone special.
Enjoy!
Lucy x
I'm feeling very happy right now, so at ease with myself and life around me.
The summer is unfolding beautifully here in France although we've had our fair share of storms and rain now. I quite like it though because it's nature's way of clearing the air or we'd all suffocate with the heat.
Button Fayre's been extremely busy recently completing orders, designing a wonderful Robot blanket for a commission, and of course with the auction to raise money for CICRA.
I'm very happy to announce that the total raised is £231.51 and the donation has now been made. A
massive thank you to everyone involved for your wonderful support, it was a huge success.
I lovely lady approached me on Facebook recently and asked if I could design a cuddle blanket for her two year old son. I was hot on the case and ordered in some lime green fleece ( which is delicious and wonderful to work with, I think I'll be ordering more in lots of colours! ) I suggested doing a robot as I knew this would be a fun thing to work on and she very happily agreed.
Working on a robot design was really great and designing with boys colours in mind and different shapes...well, it was super duper.
Here's the finished blanket and the photo doesn't do it justice but it's so rich, vibrant and fun to look at! My two year old twins have been extremely drawn to it and their faces lit up when I showed it to them, so lovely to see their smiles at my work.
I've called him ' The Raggedy Robot ' because with time, the freehand machine embroidered squares on the main body will fray slightly and really give him some texture and life, I love that effect in my work!
I'm hoping that the next blog post I write will be a tutorial for a quick piece of textile art and so keep your eyes peeled.
Lucy x
This is just a quickie to make sure everyone's in on the action!
I'm holding a fabulous giveaway on Button Fayre's Facebook page and so please do head on over to enter as it's ending this-evening!
The prize is for a gorgeous flower brooch made from vintage linens and laces, vintage and modern buttons and hand sewn embroidery.
The ' GREAT BUTTON FAYRE SEWING BUZZ AUCTION ' is going amazingly! Goodness, what a fabulous group of people there are on Facebook. It's ending this-evening at 9pm and so please do check that out on Facebook too as all items are of an exceptional standard and all very beautiful too.
As always, I LOVE and celebrate handmade!
I've also posted some useful information about Liberty's ' Best of British ' and the ' PopUp Britain ' schemes on Button Fayre's Facebook page and so that's worth checking out too, I think as designers/makers we should grab every opportunity that comes our way.
Lucy x
Great news for everyone!
I've worked for over 2 months to organise the fabulous competition that gave me the entries into the amazing auction to raise money for CICRA ( children with Crohn's and Colitis ).
The auction is now officially open and runs until 9pm on Sunday 13th, best of luck to all as there are some gorgeous handmade designs available and all starting at only £3.50.
Here's the link to take you straight to the Facebook album on Button Fayre's page;
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.262506723929227.1073741901.115156331997601&type=1
Best of luck and hae some fun,
Lucy x
Inspiration comes from so many places, I've even been inspired by smells in the past and the memories they hold.
I've often found that breathing deeply and taking a few minutes out of your day simply to think about nothing, can lead to some quite inspiring off thoughts which in turn take you on a journey of inspirational discovery. I'm pretty good at turning an idea around in my head too as I have a very overactive imagination and when you're very heavily inspired by colour, it's not difficult to think up something new and fantastic.
So, on the way to our local capital town for shopping, I must have passed a certain house dozens of times in the last 6 years since living in the Limousin, France, and although always found it very compelling and quite mysterious, it's always just passed me by and I admire the beauty of it for a few seconds and then it's gone again until next time. This house is nothing extraordinary, quite a humble small village corner house on the main road, but what is really quite amazing is the fact that there are red roses growing inside all of the downstairs windows! I've never actually seen something like this in this kind of setting and yes, we're used to walking into a flower shop and seeing flowers indoors but in an actual house AND up all windows? They are really so beautiful to look at, the bottle green paintwork on the exterior of the windows really looks pretty against the reds too, it really is very picturesque. Little Shop of Horrors also comes to mind and it makes me giggle, especially yesterday when we went past and I saw a super trendy old lady, really quite eccentric looking, cleaning the outside of the windows! She's now added another part to the intrique I have and I found myself imagining what it's like inside her house, what kind of life she's lived, and quite possibly if she's an artist of some kind. I even found myself imaginging a giant, man-eating plant inside calling and singing to her ' Feed me Seymour, feed me now! ' he he he
Anyway, this house became the inspiration for some of my work, mainly the technique I use to create textile art pieces using lots of little flower shapes that I freehand machine embroider to make into a super design like the ' Flowery Snail ' and now my latest.....wait for it......' The Flowery Caravan '.
' The Flowery Caravan ' is a work of art and designers, artists and crafters have the patience of a saint! I spent 20 hours in total on this design and it took me one week of thinking, designing and cutting in preparation and then sewing in stages because this kind of work does actually make my brain all dizzy when I look at the colours and fabrics for too long, 3 hours at any given time is quite sufficient to be sat at a sewing machine under these conditions!
Without further a do here it is and you've been given a brief insight into the inspiration behind it and what motivated me into putting so much time, love and effort into this design. I must say that it's turned out rather beautifully too.
Love it or hate it, everyone has different tastes, BUT one thing's for sure, don't you find it incredible what can be done with fabric?
Lucy x
