by Helen on March 19, 2013
Wow!! I think this was the best giveaway ever! I have the most amazingly inventive and imaginative readers – thank you so much for all your suggestions for naming my little green bear. I only wish I could give everyone a prize. Sadly I can’t – so I visited the random number generator website, entered my numbers and pressed the button …. and the winner is ……
Helen Jane – and the little green bear now has a name as well as a new home for Easter – his name will be “Moss”. Well done to Helen Jane (I have emailed you) and thank you to everyone else who entered. The pattern to make your own little bear just like Moss will be in the April issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine – out on Thursday 28th.
And if you are still looking for a cute softie friend to join your family this Easter, then I still have two little knitted bunnies seeking a kind new home …… Blossom and Poppy (at either end of the line up) still need kind new homes …. you can find them listed in my Etsy shop.
by Helen on March 16, 2013
Last year I hosted my first St Patrick’s Day giveaway, and enjoyed it so much that this year I’ve decided to do it all over again! I myself am not Irish, but my grandmother (my mum’s mother) was an Irish McDowell whose family came to England in the early 20th century. She was a brilliant needlewoman and seamstress, training as a “lady tailoress” in the 1920′s, and her skills were much in demand in the “Make Do and Mend” years of the second world war. My mum has many memories of ladies and girls trooping in and out of the house and up the stairs to her sewing room where their worn out or outgrown garments would be transformed into wonderful stylish new creations.
So, once again in honour of my grandmother, from whom I am sure I inherit my love of stitching, I have a giveaway for you. You may have spotted in a recent post, when I mentioned the bears softie pattern for the April issue of my magazine, that one of the little bears was a beautiful soft shade of green – and this little bear is the prize for my St Patrick’s Day giveaway…..
All you need to do to be in with a chance to win this adorable little fellow is to leave a comment below telling me what his name should be. You have until midnight GMT on Monday 18 March to leave your comment and the winner will be chosen by random selection. I will post worldwide.
And don’t forget to download your free St Patrick’s Day bunting from Flapdoodle if you’re marking the day….
Just click on the link above to join Jacqui’s newsletter list and receive your free St Patrick’s Day gifts. Meanwhile, don’t forget to leave your comment below – and I’ll be back next week with the results. Good luck everyone!
by Helen on March 12, 2013
You might meet a little black baby bear!! At least that’s what everyone has been calling that naughty Miss Daisy. Ben is feeling much better now, and the simple expedient of removing his collar has stopped her pulling and twisting his neck. I don’t think he’s very likely to run away while we’re out, and if we did become separated (1) everybody round here knows who he is and where he lives; and (2) he is micro-chipped.
Meanwhile, as well as black baby bears, here at Coombe Leigh we have other colours too …..
A new pattern for the April Bustle & Sew Magazine. I’ve never created a bear softie before as there are so many wonderful bear-makers and designs out there – but these little creatures are, I think, some of the easiest to make you’ll find. Once I’d worked out the pattern pieces and sewn the trial version, each bear took me about 2 1/2 hours – and they’d be wonderful little gifts for special people. They’re not jointed so their limbs don’t move, but for me simplicity was everything – as well as cute appeal of course! There’s a bit of a bear theme developing for the April issue … I’ve also finished a new and very simple stitchery also featuring bears ….
This little couple have launched their sky lantern (balloon) for a lifetime’s luck and hope that their happiness will last forever. This is a really simple design and would be great for a beginner – or just a couple of hours stitching for the more experienced. I do hope you like them both.
by Helen on June 26, 2012
All year round Ben and I go for walks …. along the beach, around the Ley, through the woods at the back of the village – we must cover hundreds of miles in the course of a single year. I accept that during the winter months quite a few of these walks will be more of an ordeal than a pleasure – wrapping myself in coat, scarf, hat and donning my trusty wellingtons before setting out into the howling wind and driving rain. But that is February … NOT JUNE!! This is not how it’s meant to be!!
Here in Devon we specialise in mud – thick and gloopy, thin and slimy, slippery mud, slidey mud, sticking to your boots and paws kind of mud – however by June it’s mostly disappeared – but not this year – this is NOT how it’s meant to be!! Anyway .. it’s still nice to get out and about, and Ben does love his walks. Yesterday in the woods we were startled by shrill squawks and crashing noises – then – no more than about 3 or 4 feet over our heads – a hawk came fleeing through the branches closely pursued by two enraged blackbird parents – each no more than about a quarter of his size – but bravely protecting their young.
After this drama, the rest of our walk was uneventful and I settled down for an hour’s stitching on the sofa in the kitchen, with a nice cup of tea and Ben slumbering next to me. I finished off the Australia block for my Rosie & Bear Diamond Jubilee Quilt (coming with this month’s Bustle & Sew magazine)….
.. in which Bear is pretending to be a Koala Bear. Not sure he’s very convincing though!!
At about 4 o’clock I’d finished stitching – time to get up off the sofa and pop to the post office before it closed. As usual Ben was deeply asleep – worn out by the events of his walk that afternoon … and, as usual, I was too tender-hearted to disturb him. Ben, as you know, is extremely large. And my legs are not very long. So every time this happens I go through the following gymnastic exercise…
And I am convinced that this is not how it’s meant to be either!!
