Joseph Bunting

November 15, 2015 by tinyinc

My great niece Ella has bunting for her room and although my great nephew Joseph has the jungle chums blanket that I made, he has to have bunting too so that he and his lovely big sis are the same.

S flag

Ella’s bunting is (of course!) pink and largely floral

Joseph Bunting

But Joseph’s is all the primary colours, checks and spots. I love both equally.

I think his nursery decor is quite simple so it should fit in and hopefully last him quite a while.

hanging bunting

I have been banned from buying more fabric since my stash is slightly unmanageable at the moment but it is amazing what I find that I forgot that I had!!

I’m not getting much sewing done at the moment anyway so I shouldn’t buy any more until I have worked my way through what I have.

Joseph Bunting

I think I might have to get on with Christmas bunting next though as the weeks are flying by and the season is creeping upon us.

I haven’t even started some of the things I need to make as Christmas gifts! Aaaaagh!!

Dear Declan

July 8, 2014 by tinyinc

letter ‘D’

One of my most loyal bunting customers, Catherine, contacted me recently to let me know that a friend would be needing some bunting pretty quickly.

letter ‘E’

Although the order for the friend went elsewhere in the end, it was lovely to hear from Catherine again.

letter ‘A’

It was especially lovely because it came with the news that she has a new ‘little man’ in her household. .

Letter ‘N’

Baby Declan has arrived to join brother Ronan.

letter ‘L’

As a token of thanks for all her support, I have made some bunting for Declan.

finished bunting

It is all parcelled up and ready for posting to it’s happy destination in Dublin.

flags

My little Moo stickers came in handy to fasten the tissue paper and this turquoise and blue ribbon is rather cute.

moo tinyinc stickers

I hope to hear from Catherine again when she receives her parcel and perhaps again if the family numbers increase or those of her friends do.

parcelled up and ready to go

If there is more bunting required to travel over the Irish Sea to Dublin, I will be very happy.

congratulations tag

Four Corners of the Globe

May 31, 2014 by tinyinc

flowery ‘A’ flag

Whilst it isn’t quite the four corners of the globe, the places that my bunting has gone are pretty far away. To date they are hanging in nurseries in Canada, new zealand, ireland, Australia & Brazil.

letter ‘O’ flag

This little collection of flags are going to make the 2nd in canada so far.

pink ‘L’ flag

I love making bunting and I have missed doing it so I was delighted to be asked to rustle up something for a little granddaughter Lola Mae.

flags on bias

I have another commission for bunting that will be needed in August. Without knowing whether this little one will be a boy or a girl or indeed what their name will be, I can’t even make a start. Except that I do know it has to be green.

lola mae

Rio

February 1, 2014 by tinyinc

Rrrrrrrrr!

One of my oldest (what I mean by that is longest standing!!) friends Clare became a granny at the end of November.

yes, a granny. Little Rio Harper was born on 30.11.13 to her daughter Hannah who I remember being a baby herself.

o o o o o!!

It is terrifying that she is a grown woman with a little one of her own now!

heart

It is a bit late to be sending her a welcome present but it has been my first chance to do this for her.

rio’s bunting

It’s in the post on it’s way to Granny Clare’s for her next visit.

Bright Birthday Bunting

January 8, 2014 by tinyinc

bright bunting flags

I was pretty busy leading up to the festivities of 2013 and some of that busy was commissions.

My all out favourite was some jolly bunting for 2 little people I met at Harringay Market on the 8th December.

leonard bunting

They have December & January birthdays very close to Christmas and their mum Ellen ordered them some birthday bunting amidst all the festive bits and bobs.

I have a January birthday and always got ‘combined’ christmas and birthday presents when I was little and that meant my birthday became a bit of a none event.

nancy bunting

As a result, I have adopted the Queen’s approach to birthdays and I now have an official birthday 6 months after my actual birthday. It means that I share my official birthday with my mum’s birthday mid July. It work s very well & it means I can barbecue with chilled fizz instead of being on the post christmas wagon and huddled in front of the fire with a mug of coffee.

nancy letters

Thankfully for Nancy and Leonard, Ellen separates her little one’s birthdays from Christmas and they will have their bright bunting presents by now.

more letters

Many happy returns to both!! 🙂

Lucy Bunting

October 19, 2013 by tinyinc

letter flag

Lucy is my sis’s step daughter and she has a cushion that I made which she uses when she visits dad.

completed lucy bunting

The matching bunting is for her room there and it is her Christmas pressy from JC & I.

We will be spending Christmas with them and sharing their present opening and celebration which I am really looking forward to.

It is a little ahead of christmas but another one of my projects to finish is done.

letter flag

Tick!!

happy birthday harringay market

July 9, 2013 by tinyinc

Smile

A week ago was Harringay Market’s first birthday and it was a scorcher too.

happy birthday

It was very hot and sunny and the event was to be marked by lots of visitors and a birthday cake!

pouches and bags

I’m not a regular trader at Harringay Market as my work keeps me away more often than not but I feel very much part of it. I’ve been selling there since not long after it started. I love the sense of community there is and I love the people that you meet.

cushions

Us crafters aren’t the main feature, it is a food market after all, but I like to think we add a bit of interest. We have developed a bit of a following and some people are disappointed when we aren’t there.

my new doggy model

None of us were in a very good spot for the birthday market, unfortunately and although we benefited from not being in the direct sun for most of the day, we were nowhere near the action (unless you consider a loo stop as action!). A real shame and a missed opportunity as were tucked out of the way and were literally in a little corridor on the way to the loos! But I had my lovely friend V to kep me company and we had a good old chat to our neighbour and newcomer Spacedog.

bags and cosies

Anyway, I had made a few new small things recently so I decided to take them to the market to see if they’d be good sellers.

Most of the things I make are for kids but are bought by their parents or a relative as a gift. I’m aware that amongst the shoppers out there, there are a few who are spending their hard earned pocket money too and there need to be some smaller interesting items that are affordable to those little shoppers.

some of the making

Because bags are always needed for boys and girls, I tried out a selection of different shapes, uses and styles to see how things went.

I love them and have made myself a small sewing bag the same which fits in my handbag for the odd train journey.

sold

They went down well and I think I will make a few more with different patterns, images and styles.

the little collection I tried to get done the night before!

The big hit at the moment though are the little summer dresses! I really have to get on with all my new ideas for them

bunting galore

July 1, 2013 by tinyinc

a birthday message for Jo

I’ve had about 3 bunting commissions this week, I’ve finished bunting for a christmas present (yes, I apologise for mentioning that word while the sun is still shining), I’ve finished my own bunting for my work room and took a bunting commission at Harringey Market today.

I love bunting and think it brightens up any event (even if the weather is a bit iffy) but it always surprises me how popular it proves.

baby bunting off to Dublin

The bespoke bunting is especially popular and I get most of my commissions for it from people who want is as a special gift for someone. It is completely personalised but isn’t terribly expensive and will be used once, all the time or kept as a keepsake.

wedding bunting off to brazil

I do them for all kinds of events at the moment; new babies, weddings, naming ceremonies and birthdays for young and old. Babies are by far the most popular.

flag details

They also seem to travel. 1 string of bunting I made is now on Australia, another in new zealand, about 6 strings are in Ireland (with another on it’s way as we speak) and 1 string might end up in Brazil (but it will have travelled all around the world getting there).

This weeks bunting makes were for a baby, a birthday, a wedding and Lucy’s christmas present to go with a cushion I made for her some time ago.

And tonight I will start another birthday bunting for a little girl called Anna who I met today and who was very helpful choosing the patterns, design and colours she wanted. I do love a clear brief!

I love the colours

The birthday bunting was one of the longest I have ever made with a staggering 24 flags and it needed to have some flexibility to it in case it was to be used after the event and words, numbers or just odd letters needed taking out.

I suppose it becomes scrabble bunting and you can make up whatever works you like with the letters that you have.

pastels and primaries

My very creative and clever friend V had recently suggested that I try some way of achieving this so that I can do a load of flags and then people can pick and mix to make up their own bunting right there and then. I put my thoughts for that into play for the birthday bunting and I think I can do it.

B is for baby

Basically each flag is finished off with bias and is threaded on to coloured woven tape. You need no more than a safety pin and some patience to make up any word you like with your letters!

the birthday bunting is off to the party on Friday so we’ll see how it goes down, eh?

New year Resolutions

January 3, 2013 by tinyinc

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)!

Phew!!

December 29, 2012 by tinyinc

I can honestly say, I didn’t really truly see Christmas coming. I have been so busy since September that although I have made some Christmas gifts and some bits and bobs to sell, October, November and December seem to have disappeared and here I am facing the dawn of 2013.

So what has my time been spent doing?

Monday to Friday has been full time busy with a workload that is about 3 times what I would normally expect for this time of year. Add that to some overtime and a little socialising and the weeks get eaten up.

Weekends have been about catching up on important home things that keep life ticking along, some makes for my stall on Harringay Market, a bit of Christmas shopping and some Commissions.

The market has proved great fun and it has generated a lot of interest. My stock is almost depleted and I am thinking of Valentines day already but here are some of the things that I have managed to make between my last entry and Christmas.