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Countryside Softies: Make ALL the Things

Countryside Softies

I have in my possession, via my gorgeous Sister in Law Donna, a book called Countryside Softies.  It’s a selection of animal patterns made from felted jumpers (sweaters) and printed fabrics and basically just oozes adorable and cheerful. It’s by Amy Adams, who has created a series of British Woodland Creatures including otters, badgers and hedgehogs.

They are, basically, fantastic. Full of character and joy and whimsy and fabrics and yum. Now, my fabric stash is not by any means huge, but it’s also not by any means being used up. And so, I have decided to make not just one or two things from this book, but all the things from this book.  Oh yes. I have made my start with a set of bees.

Bees

Slightly out of focus due to breeze and also rush – I had the dog out in the garden with me and he tends to wander off and get lost in a bush if he’s not called back.  (He did dash off as it happens, but was found talking to the other dog through the gate, and not splashing around in next doors’ dam like he usually does).

Bee Singular

This is my favourite of the three. I didn’t have any old jumpers to felt, and while I am planning a trip to the Op Shop to see what’s there (yes okay therefore adding to the stash – sssh) I couldn’t possibly wait a single moment to make a bee. These ones are made of fleece. No machine sewing which may explain their slightly distorted forms (the elongated one I suspect was the last of the late night sewing sessions).

They are now cheerfully hanging in the window above my pitcher plants because that amuses me. I’m easy to amuse.

Next project: Not entirely sure, possibly the fox. Or the otter. Mind you the bunnies are cute…

 

Back to the Elna

In 2007 I splashed out on a fancy pants (although heavily discounted) new sewing machine. Gosh it was exciting. Clean white plastic, loads of knobs, dials and buttons, various stitch designs (some of which I even used occasionally) and a complete set of exciting feet (none of which I used apart from the standard one). In 2010, while trying to sew a piece of cotton to a piece of denim, this new machine basically had a nervous break down. The bobbin holder bent rather spectacularly for one, and various other internal bits went out of kilter. While I could probably get it fixed, I’m a bit worried it’ll cost more than the actual machine did.

So, for my current project, I am back on the Elna. The Elna was given to my mother for her 21st birthday, which was in 1968. Solid metal body construction, the Elna is perfectly portable if you lift it with both hands. And warm up first, by the way. You have a choice of zig zag or straight stitch with 4 variations in between. You can also change the tension of the stitch. This is about it for stitch variety.

However, in the 40 or so years it’s been in use, the Elna has only broken down twice. It has sewn horse rugs (made of thick oiled canvas), jeans, curtains… everything you can think of has been under the foot of the Elna and the thing never complains. The only issues with it currently are the kind of thread I’m using, which is admittedly cheap and a bit nasty. The high quality thread just runs on through with blissful ease while the crappy stuff tends to snap and snarl, catching the bobbin into a mess of exploding thread.

I think next time I buy a machine, I will get a second hand oldie. Sure they’re not as whizz bang fancy. They don’t have a line of stitches that looks like little hearts or birds or butterflies, but at least they don’t need to go into therapy if you show them a bit of denim.

As for what I’m working on, well the Platypus Festival is next week so I’m making up some platypi for my stall.  Here are the first three, which I finished tonight.

The pattern is available from Funky Friends Factory.  I have 7 more cut out, one of those is half sewn and also one extra made out of Batman fabric because I’m engaged to a nerd who likes platypuses.