The Tray

 

I woke up with a start at half past midnight and thought, Kuki. Not as in cookies and milk for a midnight snack. And I knew just where to find it.

Seven years ago, I put down a tray of unfinished teddy bears for a few minutes. Where did the time go? I must not have had it back then either, because the teddies in the tray need only small things still to be finished. When I woke up in the night with thoughts of Kuki, I immediately realized that I must find that tray. Not that I could have told you about one thing that was in there. When I unpacked it, I rediscovered many teddies that I would never have recalled if they didn't whisper to my subconscious mind while I slept. 

I designed the Kuki Needle Keeper teddy bear in 2007 in honour of a bear maker and quilter, Kitty, who is a friend. At a time when I needed an extra pair of hands, she was a tremendous help in my studio. Kitty is practical and organized, serene and funny, and I think Kuki portrays those qualities beautifully.

During the next three years, I used the Kuki pattern to teach teddy bear making at a craft fair and over 600 students became the proud owners of their own teddy needle keepers. Kuki was so popular that I decided to publish the pattern so that bear makers all over the world could make their own.

As you can imagine, my original pattern sample soon started looking a bit worse for wear with all the passing from hand to hand in workshops. I started making a new one but like most things, once the novelty of figuring out the process is over, I become bored with it and I'm ready to move on to a new challenge. Kuki was consigned to 'The Tray' in this condition.

She only needed a pair of eyes and her insides. Once I dusted her off and took out my pattern templates to cut the missing pieces, I felt inspired to create and I made her a collar, not part of the original design.

Soon she was assembled and ready to lead a long, useful life.

Magnets in her hands can hold your scissors, and keep the needle book closed when not in use.

She opens up to reveal that at heart, she's a sharp cookie, ha ha.

 Here's the new Kuki, together with the original.

While I was at it, I revamped the pattern sheets, rewrote the instructions, and added some fresh images. The pattern is available to download in my Etsy store, and on my new website.

Now that I've rediscovered The Tray, I might dive in there and finish a few more teddies.

Cupcake, anyone?

In the interest of a healthier lifestyle, I promised to stop stuffing myself with cake in the New Year.  But the craving lingers... Last weekend I made a batch of polymer clay cupcakes.

They are approximately 1cm (3/8 inch) tall, and iced in colours of violet and rose.  I put them on pins so that you can stick them in your pin cushion to enjoy.  Yummy to look at and calorie free!
I have put more pictures on my website, and a link to order if you need a few.

The cupcake pin cushion in this photo is made of felt.  The pattern is available on my website, and in my Etsy Store.

Flamingos

I have a friend who has a bit of a fling with flamingos at the moment.  It's her birthday today.  So what did I make her?  Flamingos!

The pin cushion is made from a tuna can, covered in silk and velvet.  I made the birds and water plants from polymer clay, and attached every piece to a pin.  One can re-arrange the pond if it takes your fancy to do that.  Reminds me a little bit of those zen gardens everyone had on their desk a while ago; sand, pebbles and a tiny rake so you can pretend doing yardwork while at the office.  This is the crafter's version :-)

Singer Sewing Machine, and the Sinister Sister

I feel sorry for people who have to make do with a plastic sewing machine, I really do.  My favourite sewing machines are Singer, the old black cast metal hand operated ones.  Apart from the fact that they will stitch through almost anything without complaining, and will allow the most meticulous and accurate stitches, they look lovely when standing around, and can be accessorized and dressed up.

A while ago my friend Liz, the antique doll restorer, sent me this Singer Sewing machine in the mail.  It arrived safe, can you believe it, but it must have put the postman's back out!
The sewing machine belonged to Liz's mother, who received it new when she was a young lass.  The date of manufacture for the machine is 1884.  If you have a Singer Sewing machine, and would like to know when and where it was manufactured, all the information is available on the Singer website, just key in the machine's serial number. 
Sadly, when the sewing machine came to me it was in poor condition due to years of disuse.  It had been left standing in a damp place and it was rusting badly and the veneer on the case was lifting off.  Probably the worst damage was to the bottom part of the box, all the glue in the seams had come undone and it was falling to pieces.  I delivered the machine to our Singer agents, who spent a lot of time de-rusting it and servicing the machine.  They drew the line at the carpentry that needed to be done though.  I decided that I could do that part myself, and that is just what I did.  It took a day of patient sanding, and lots of glue and clamps, but finally I had it oiled and gleaming again, as good as it will ever get. 
After all that effort I decided that the machine deserved a little something to make it special.  The ladies who used these hand machines usually attached a band of felt around the arm of the machine so that they had somewhere to stick their pins.  From more than a century of sticking pins in the same place, this machine has had all its paint worn off. 

 

So I made it a new pin cushion to cover the spot.  Mine is made of felt, vintage buttons, and scraps of braid.  The doll head belongs to an antique dolls house doll, sadly the rest of her was lost.  My pin cushion is both functional and fun.  I’m calling her the Singer Sinister Sewing Sister.  Now all I have to do is find time to sew up a few of my little projects on the sewing machine.