The Burger Bear Challenge Continues

burger bears mark I, II, III & IV

What do you call a gathering of bears?

A batch?

A bevvy?

A brood?

Apparently it is a sloth or a sleuth of bears!!

Who knew?

mark I, II & III

I have now made a total of 4 versions of the pattern I developed for Burger Bear Tom and I am not sure if there is one that I prefer over another.

Each one is a slightly different size and each has characteristics that I like. Perhaps I need to combine those features and bring all the best parts together into one bear.

But……

mark II

Before I embark on how I think they should be, Tom’s input is key. Let’s not forget that they are actually for him and his customers and I am making them on the back of his challenge…..

mark I

As always when being judged on my makes (I really can’t understand why people put themselves under the pressures of something like the great british sewing bee – I’d be in bits!!).

Anyway, I was slightly apprehensive and worried the Tom would hate them once he’d seen them face to face (so to speak).

mark II

My concerns were completely dispelled as Burger Bear loves them and likes bits from each one.  He is also quite happy that there is variation from one to another and he even suggested pink for his moma bear fans.

ickle mark III

Different cheeses get used on burgers so different yellows work, the brighter green is fun and the faces all have slightly different expressions so they can be as individual as we are.

Burger Bear version 3 is his 0ver all favourite size (it is slightly smaller than the others and very cute!).

I’m busy costing them up at the moment and thinking about the orders that Tom has had for a few already!!!  I may be a bit busy but it is great that people like them and want them.

Woop woop!!

more unfinished projects

hand appliqued leaf detail

In between burger bears, loo roll bags and cushion commissions, I have been quietly wading through my unfinished work.

There was so much more than I realised but the pile is slowly diminishing.

the finished cushion

This week I managed to complete a cushion I was trying something out on.

It’s a nice leafy fabric that is quite current in design. Although completely lovely, I don’t add twiddly bits like piping or frills to my cushions generally so they are quite simple.

leaf details highlighted

My thinking with this fabric was that I could make it slightly three dimensional by appliqueing the leaves on top of the fabric again (if that makes sense). I picked random leaves but generally with a band leaves across the middle.

ikea small worktop ironing board with folding legs

It is a lot simpler than most things I make but I like it.

The best thing about it was being able to finish it off in my new work room; the first thing to come out of there but it isn’t my first complete creation to be made in there as I have yet to find the time to do that.

ironing the finished item

Can’t wait.

at last………..

lots of lovely threads

I am sitting typing this post in my new workroom and I am sooooooo excited about it.

It is the perfect easter present to myself and tinyinc.

organised and accessible

I have ALWAYS had to set up my sewing on the dining table but now I finally have a dedicated space that doesn’t need tidying away of moving around and I am absolutely over the moon with it.

The dining table is now free and our living areas are living areas again.

Our spare bedroom, however, is now set up for me to sew and work in AND JC has a space to work in too that is all his own, opposite mine and all thanks to his DIY efforts this easter weekend.

long lost gheko pin cushion filled with sand for sharpening pins

It is a tranquil little room with a lovely silence and peace about it. The patio doors are south facing so it is flooded with sunlight when the weather is right and it also gives you access out into our garden.

I can’t wait for the first time I can work in here with the doors thrown open listening to the sound of birdsong.

We have achieved the best of both worlds with the changes to this room: we have a dedicated workroom space that keeps our flat clear of the mess of laptops and sewing but we have the facility to wheel in the sofa bed and turn it back into a bedroom when necessary.

my sewing space

We did it on quite a tight a budget although we have overspent slightly (thank goodness for the nightmare that is Ikea, however and £60 desks!!).  That said, the results are perfect for us and I am ecstatic. Wish we’d had the funds to do it a long, long time ago!!!

I now have all my sewing and making ‘things’ in one place. No more trailing from one end of the flat to the other for a piece of fabric or a certain colour of thread.  Everything has a place and everything is in it’s place.

I have unearthed some things that I forgot I had because I’ve never had the chance to use them so it was a bit like an easter egg hunt opening the boxes and organising where everything went.

my work space

My threads are all in the top drawer of the desk now and laid out so they are easy to see instead of being in a handful of different boxes, my fabrics are all neatly stashed in one cup’d (except for a few storage boxes under my desk that I need to sort through!) and I have shelves on which to display my little collection of vintage sewing stuff.

There are still a few finishing touches to make but I couldn’t be happier.

my wonderful work room

The Burger Bear Challenge

burger bear

Tom, of ever increasing Burger Bear fame, has been trying to get a crocheted burger bear for his fabulous street food stand at Harringay Market and elsewhere.

He tried to buy a pattern from the Internet but wasn’t successful.

cheesy poncho

One week (long before Christmas I am embarrassed to admit), he asked me if I could crochet one for him. It wasn’t quite as random a request as it sounds as he had seen me crochetting away while is was at my stall at harringay market.

attention

I tried to get the pattern that Tom knew was available out there somewhere but it was no longer available. Not to be deterred and liking the idea of the making challenge, I promised Tom that I would work up my own pattern if necessary and see how I got on making something similar to it for him.

I did that very thing this weekend.

what?

I wasn’t particularly well prepared so had to make do with wool that I had to hand that were the right thickness but only roughly the right colours. I searched the internet for more reference images but the one Tom uses on his twitter account was the best guide. Armed with nothing more than wool, a size 3 crochet hook, a lot of determination and a bit of crochetting knowledge ecrued over the years, I got to it.

a tomato and lettuce neck warmer

All my knitting, tatting and crochetting friends out there, know that developing a pattern can be tricky.  There is lots of back tracking, undoing and redoing, scribbling and correcting. Not remotely put off, I crochetted on, adjusting, stuffing and correcting as I went until, by the end of saturday, I had what I thought was shaping up to be a half decent first attempt.

a bald bear

I sent Tom a photo on twitter yesterday and he seems to like the look of it so far  which is a great start.  I won’t be at the market for a few weeks yet, but I’m not 100% happy with it yet so it gives me the chance to have another crack at it with a few pattern tweak, stuffing it differently and trying some colour changes to see if I can get it exactly how I want it.

I am onto prototype 2 and it is going well (and a lot neater without all the undoing and redoing!) so watch this space.

Then it has to pass the burger bear test!!!!

a give away

ripple crochet scarf

I was very lucky to be the winner of Laura of the very lovely ‘cute as a button‘ give away in January.

The parcel arrived with a pretty spotty tape decoration to the wrapping, it was almost a shame to unwrap it. When I did, though, I found lots of lovely things nestled in shredded brown paper.  There seemed to be so many more jewels in the box than I recalled from the give away. I enjoyed a few iced gems with a cup of coffee before I pored over everything in the box.

a box of goodies

Decorative pegs now, a fabric coursage, beads, buttons, a badge, egg cosy, little bells and a tasty jar of iced gems!

pretty decorated egg cosy

All so delightful and it felt soooo very much like christmas all over again.

pretty corsage

It seemed that as I lifted each item out of the box, another equally lovely thing was revealed,

buttons and badges

The ripple crochet scarf goes perfectly with my green jacket and I wore it that very day.

ripple scarf

The pictures speak for themselves and everything is beautifully made and joyful to receive.

I was so delighted with it and loved enjoying someone else’s makes so much that I am inspired to do the same thing myself and I will do a give away too.

So before too many more blogs and as soon as I have had time to decide what would be appropriate as a give away, I will be posting a give away blog.

LOVE is in the air

heart of buttons

I really am being rubbish at the moment but work is very full on and there seem to be sooooo many demands on my time

but

I did get another of the unfinished projects finished.

Alas, I have probably missed valentine’s day shoppers as it is a tad late.

Still, very much along the same lines as my last post about the valentine cushion, this one has the word ‘love’ on it but the ‘O’ is a heart and it is covered in buttons.

love heart cushion

It’s quite cute and a completely different shape to all the other cushions I have made in the past.

It’s nice and neat and I have been thinking about doing some doggy cushions and think this one lends itself to a dog image. however, since I still have a load of things to finish and a commission to squeeze in, I will have to hold onto that idea and do something about it another time.

Valentine Cushion

love cushion

I have finished one of my many ‘unfinished’ projects and here it is.

I adored the ‘love’ cushions that I made for friends & colleagues wedding gifts and while I was designing them, I had looked at different colours and combinations before settling on the cream ones.

Anyway, whilst trying to find the right combination for the presents, I had prepared one cushion in cream with red letters. It wasn’t subtle enough for a wedding gift but I did think it might make a nice valentine gift for someone.

red needle cord letters

The letters are in red needle cord and although it is quite simple, I really like the effect. I love red.

I am definitely going to make more of these and I have some more ideas for a similar cushion with button/beads and other decoration added to the letters or I might try the letters in patchwork or multi colours.

I still have lots of unfinished things and I must get on with those first.

So, for now though, this one is finished and in perfect time for Valentine’s Day!

matching accessories

grey tote bag for work

One of the presents that I gave to my sis this christmas was a grey tote bag with a brightly coloured lining like the one in the photos.

She had asked me to make her one ages ago when she saw some I made and I got it done just before Christmas so wrapped it up along with her other gifts and despatched it

lined pocket

The brief was simply that the bag needed to be grey. Black denim is robust and serves brilliantly for a working tote bag and should go with almost anything grey.

I love making these bags especially as the variations are endless and have finally decided to use one for myself.

the finished bag

Imagine my delight (and Liz’s too) when I got a thank you text to say that it matched her new grey mini perfectly!

The lucky girl had been given a grey mini cooper for christmas from Kit, her other half.

tag

New year Resolutions

sorting out projects that need finishing

I’m not big on new year resolutions but I do try to make a few:-

So:-

1   have a good sort and clear out (ouch!!)

2   detox again (did it in November and it was amazing)

3   stop spending and start saving (LOL now that I have just finished all my internet shopping!!)

4   list all the wonderful things that happen in 2013 (great idea from little room of rachell)

5   finish ALL the projects I have started

So, resolution number 5 – projects;

I have had to resign myself to having a restless creativity that means I flit from project to project and will always have a few on the go at one time.

I’m very focused when I am working but need the challenge of variety to keep my attention. It is the same in my job as a designer project manager.

I always have a million ideas going around in my head and committed to my sketch book, some become real, some get started but falter and but some are simply condemned to my eternal ‘to do’ list because I don’t have the time to realise every idea.

I have a written list (I love a good list) and I have an actual list (that takes the form of a basket that is full of part finished work).

At any one time, I will be working on 2 or 3 different things anyway. It isn’t as random as it sounds. I work a bit like a production line, albeit a production line of completely individual things. For example, I cut lots of things out at the same time, I do lots of machine sewing at the same time, I do lots of applique at the same time and generally add my labels to all of the finished items at the same time.

There is an efficiency in there somewhere, I’d like to think.

I do tend, however, to lay some of these many projects aside. The reasons could be any of a number – I’m not happy with how it is progressing, I have run out of time, I have run out of interest for it, I am bored with doing the same thing over and over, I’m not sure it is right etc etc etc.  Most of them are eventually revisited with a fresh enthusiasm, and although some seem to remain unfinished for an eternity, I do get there.

A busy 2011 & 2012 has meant that ALL the things that I set out to complete previously (I have said this before) are still waiting to be done!

So on new years day, I went through them all and have transferred them from the ‘to do’ basket into my ‘doing’ work bag so that I WILL work my way through them and get them finished.

valentine bunting

There is bunting for valentines day.

lavendar cushions

There are lavendar cushions for valentines day.

patchwork

Patchwork for blankets and cushions.

dog neck ties

Dog neck ties, aprons, cushions, bunting, jungle chums blanket, patchwork blanket, bags and food savers to name but a few.

I completed one of the handy shopper bags and a dog neck tie this week and I prepared some of the applique for bunting and cushions that I wanted to do. They will keep me busy during the dark wet evenings before the weather changes.

When they are all finished, they will help swell the stock in my internet folksy shop and my facebook shop back to where is was previously and I will take some of them to Harringay Market when I am next able to do it on the 3rd of February.

I expect to be ticking them off my list over the next few weeks before adding a few new ones (of course)!

a new cousin in canada

steph and sweet alessia

I have family in Canada.

They are cousins, whether that is 2nd, 3rd or 4th,  25 times removed or not, I’m entirely unsure.

steph and pat

I do know, however, that I like them all enormously and don’t mind what distance the actual relationship is. What is a real shame though is that the real geographic distance they are away from us means we see little of them. I miss them!

emotion

Thanks to the delights of email and particularly Facebook, though we are able to keep in touch.

awww!!

I’d go so far as to say that I know far more about what they are doing in life than I might if they lived round the corner  I love face book for bringing old, new and distant friends and family into my living room and onto my phone. I actually know more about some friends now that they have emigrated or live in the sticks now because of FB than when they DID live round the corner.  Nuts isn’t it?

the ciccone family

Anyway, FB is not the reason for the blog entry although FB is the reason I knew immediately that my lovely cousin Steph had a little girl in mid October. Steph and Pat got married about 2 years ago and are now 3 thanks to a very sweet looking little lady called Alessia who has joined them to make up their little family in Toronto.

Steph told us about the baby when she and Pat got the great news and I have been making odd bits with the possibility of this baby arriving as a girl (and because I seem to have a lot of pink fabrics) very much in mind.  I was lucky!!

sweet little alessia

So, I have made Alessia some bunting for her nursery and the snuggle/cot blanket I made in August goes with it perfectly. Both are now on their way to canada!! Alessia may need the blanket as the weather closes in and Canada gets some fearsome winters.

lovely shot

I have raided some of Steph’s fabulous photos from FB and I hope she doesn’t mind the entry.  Flicking through them has made me quite emotional, I don’t mind admitting!!

alessia bunting

Congratulations Steph and Pat, she is a little cutie and you both look so happy. I couldn’t be happier on your behalf.