Sunday 17 July 2011

Whatever the Weather

Regular readers of the Make Believe blog will realise that I rarely write entries. Despite being a founder of MBC, I leave much of the actual making to my skilful friends Lou and Emma and delight in reading here about their making discoveries. This wet weekend though I too had a special making moment.

The day started when I put my rain coat on, sank my hand in the pocket to discover a champagne cork and two pound coins. I don’t wear my rain coat often – even in a storm I try to pretend it’s not raining– and I don’t have a clue how that treasure made its way into my pocket. Anyhow on a wet day that would challenge anyone’s good mood, it was a fine find and it made me smile.

With my new found wealth I went forth to the Needlemakers in Lewes and bought some old sheet music. Returning home, my beautiful son and I set about collecting favourite pictures and scraps of paper from round the house and together we set too with a borrowed badge machine.



For about two hours we merrily experimented with old bits of newspaper, Paris Metro maps and of course the sheet music. Pretty soon we had a production line going – I cut the paper shapes out , he pulled the lever on the badge machine and then I fitted the pin. The rain continued to fall and we continued to chat and create our own treasures.

Just as we were coming to the end of the afternoon the sun decided to make an appearance. We were heading off to Brighton that evening to see a friend sing and, not trusting the weather, we popped our damp rain coats back on. This time though we both sported new badges that made us smile – we giggled about being in a secret club – and felt proud to display our home made wears.

Later that evening a friend read our badges and laughed, for pinned to our raincoats we wore little badges that were the antidote to the rain as they proudly proclaimed, “My other coat’s a jacket.” KS x

A Day Out in Camberwell

I braved the rain yesterday and took a train and a bus to Camberwell to visit New Gallery Jumble, the eco friendly jumble sale/café/art/craft happening I mentioned in my last post. It was held just around the corner from a basement flat that I had lived in when I'd first (finally) left college. It was like stepping back in time because all the people at NGJ were the age I was when I'd lived there and Camberwell hasn't changed a bit. I took my friend to a café that my husband and I used to go to for a Sunday breakfast treat. It's name had changed but that was all. The same vegetable shop was there and the bread shop. It was only me that had aged. Is Camberwell some spooky Dorian Gray type attic?

Anyway, I enjoyed my visit to New Gallery Jumble. Sadly I think that the rain had put folks of coming which meant I had the pick of the activities there. So while an illustrator called Kraggy painted a tote bag 'live' for me I sat down and made a creature for my son (who has named him Bob). I also bought a great print which you can see in the second picture down to the right of Tatiana's head, the one with all the heads on it. I did stop short at making a flower wreath for my hair. New Gallery Jumble is run by Tatiana Woolrych and started as a college project. I gather that it is usually buzzing and I know that if I was my younger self and still living around the corner I'd make it a regular haunt. One thing in Camberwell has changed. The art students are a lot more sorted than I was.



Tatiana and her shopping wall





Bob

Emma x

Tuesday 12 July 2011

New Gallery Jumble

I am flattered that New Gallery Jumble 'likes' us on Facebook. Deep down I know that it's about publicity, but I had a look at them and they are pretty cool so I'm chuffed. I  think I might 'like' them back. They are a market where you can 'shop with a clear conscience'. It's all about up-cycling, re-purposing, craft and second hand and it happens in Camberwell on the 3rd Saturday in the month. I love their slogan:

USE IT UP. WEAR IT OUT. MAKE IT DO. OR DO WITH OUT.

They are holding one this Saturday and I think I might try and go.


Emma x

Monday 11 July 2011

How is my Christmas List Going?

A few posts ago I rashly promised to make ALL my Christmas presents. How is it going? Well the hardest thing of all is deciding what to make for everyone. The danger is making something purely for the fact that it's a hand made present. Not everyone likes hand made things. I once made lots of lovely covered coat-hangers (which I love) and no one commented! Were they so well made that people thought they were shop bought? I think I might buy this month's edition of Molly Makes for a bit of inspiration. May be I'll start writing a list...

I have made one thing so far, of which I'm proud:


(He's an Ewok)

I found him on the inspiring blog of Lucy Ravenscar who has successfully managed to combine her interests with those of her sons' and my son's too, which is no mean feat, take it from me. You can buy the pattern for the Ewok and other Star Wars characters from Lucy's Etsy shop.

Following the themes of crochet and the interest of small boys, I am in the middle of making an Adipose which I found on a great site called By Midknight via a very useful site called Free Amigurumi Patterns that does what it says on the tin.




Emma x