Thoughts from the Bus Stop

Captain Jack Sparrow knitted doll

Captain Jack Sparrow knitted doll (c) Kristen Bailey, 2008

It was The Blonde's 30th birthday, so I thought I'd better whip up (that's 'whip' with the emphasis on the 'h', Family Guy fans) something special. So here he is - a Captain Jack Sparrow doll, based on Jean Greenhowe's 'Pirate' doll pattern, from her Storybook Dolls booklet.

I ran out of time to knit a bandana, waistcoat and sash, so they're made of remnants from my fabric stash. His hair was done by French knitting (on a Clover Wonder Knitter), and then beads were sewn in. Yarrrr!!!!!!!

Two Princesses

Two princesses, adapted from a Jean Greenhowe pattern

It is my great honour to introduce to you Princess Isabel and Princess Roxanne of Lewes. They are going to go and live with two very special young friends of mine who just happen to be obsessed with princesses!

These dolls were knitted from the wonderful Jean Greenhowe's Christmas Tree Fairy pattern, taken from her Little Gift Dolls booklet. I then added felt and beaded flowers to the skirts, and felt crowns with sew-on jewels.

I'm such a big fan of Jean Greenhowe's toy patterns. They're colourful, simple and fun to knit - perfect for the amateur knitter who has a short attention span and is easily confused! If you've knitted one of her designs, why not join my Jean Greenhowe knitted toys group on Flickr?

Pirate Penguin for The Blonde

Pirate Penguin doll (c) Kristen Bailey 2008

This little fella was knitted for my pirate- and penguin-obsessed sister. He's adapted from Jean Greenhowe's Christmas Penguin pattern (from her Knitted Animals booklet).

I added a bandana in 'skull and crossbones' fabric, a gold hoop earring and a cutlass and eyepatch stitched from felt. Click on the pic for a closer look. Yaaaarrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

The Queen's Progress: Knitting Elizabeth I

Knitted Elizabeth I doll in progress, next to the 'Pelican Portrait' of Elizabeth I, c1574

When my M.E. forced me to jack my job in, my beloved colleagues at 24 Hour Museum threw me a party and presented me with my very own spoof homepage, which included personalised links to (made-up, sadly) sites such as BuildABaptistBoyfriend.com and KnitYourOwnTudor.com. It's the latter which has spurred me into action!

Using Jean Greenhowe's Pedlar Doll as a base, along with the wig from her Cinderella doll, I have started to create a likeness of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I - in knitting. (It's already been done but I wanted to have a go myself.)

For inspiration, I consulted my gorgeous glossy catalogue from the Elizabeth I exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in 2003.

I'm concentrating on two portraits in particular, both from the 1570s and both depicting the Queen wearing deep red - Nicholas Hilliard's 'Pelican Portrait' of Elizabeth I, c1574, which is in the collection of the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, and the 'Plimpton Sieve Portrait' of 1579, by George Gower.

I'm also looking at portraits of Elizabeth I in the National Portrait Gallery's collection, concentrating on those from the 1570s, and researching fashion in hairstyles and clothing in the 1570s.

As you can see she's taking shape. Now for the fun part - beading, braiding and embroidery-a-go-go!

See also:
ElizabethI.org.uk: Elizabeth I - Appearance
Elizabethan Geek: Elizabethan Costume Review
Extreme Costuming: Two Elizabethan Hairstyles
Elizabethan-Era.org.uk: Elizabethan Hairstyles
themakeupgallery: Queen Elizabeth I
Semptress: Elizabethan Costuming
ElizabethanCostume.net: Elizabethan Hairnets, Cauls & Muffin Caps

A book for Lisa at 30

Here, finally, is the special card/bookform I made my cousin for her 30th birthday. Yes, finished way behind schedule - she turned 30 in June - but leave me alone, I'm not well!

Lisa's my cousin, but she's also been a close friend. We were penpals from the ages of 12 and 10 - you know, back when folk used to write on paper, with a pen - and worked through a lot of teenage (and twenties!) angst together. Our correspondance went on for almost fifteen years, and is now meticulously archived in a series of shoeboxes kept on the tops of wardrobes in Galway City and Brighton.

Over the years she's acquired a husband, a house and a daughter, which I still can't quite get my head around... they grow up so fast, don't they? She's also a very busy wedding photographer, which I'm dead proud of.

These days we don't write letters to each other, just the occasional email or text. Sometimes one of us rings the other to note how crap we are at keeping in touch. But mainly we keep up with each other's news via my mum and her dad!

Dearest Lill, we are crap at keeping in touch...

Fifty Tiny Bobble Hats

Fifty bobble hats for Innocent smoothie bottles (c) Kristen Bailey 2007

Well, they've gone off in the post - only managed to contribute fifty hats towards the target of 400,000, but it was fun playing just a small part in it.

Look out for Innocent Smoothie bottles wearing hats in branches of Sainsburys from 7th November - and buy one, it's in aid of Age Concern!

Sussex teatowel bag

Click on the pics for larger versions (c) Kristen Bailey for Little Fish

Oh Sussex, Sussex by the Sea
Good old Sussex by the Sea
You can tell them all that we'll stand or fall
For Sussex by the Sea

I found this lovely linen 'Sussex' teatowel in a charity shop last weekend and I've made in into a bag, because I love Sussex and I especially love the map, with all the place names on it - so many which hold meaning for me.

Am on the lookout for more 'map' teatowels now. I've got loads of satin scarves with maps on but linen teatowels are easier to work with and make sturdier bags. Another fad is upon me!

Also:
Flickr: More Little Fish bags

Lucienne Day and a bag for Anra

Click on the pics for larger images (c) Kristen Bailey

This bag is for my lovely colleague Anra, who I recently lent a book about Lucienne Day's textile designs. I'd bought this 1950s curtain fabric in a charity shop ages ago. I think the print must have been inspired by Day's designs - look at her Flotilla fabric.

I paired the vintage fabric with some lime green jumbo cord and lined the bag in a polycotton - white with red polka dots. It's got a phone pocket and white plastic hoop handles.

Centre for Advanced Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art: Classic Textiles to order - Lucienne Day
V&A Museum: Designing Britain 1945-1975 - Utility/Austerity Textile Design
Dioramarama: Fabric Friday: Lucienne Day
The Observer, April 15, 2001: Festival of Britain - Lucienne Day

Nobody move - he's got a kimble gun!

Red button bag by Edson Raupp, suitcase-london.com

Mmm... a beautiful Edson Raupp handbag from the Crafts Council's Well Fashioned: Eco Style in the UK exhibition, which I've already posted about.

Many moons ago, when I was a Saturday girl in a haberdashery, I used to look at the kimble (tagging) gun we used and think, "Wouldn't it be cool to use long kimble tags to attach loads of sequins to curtains?" But kimble guns were beyond my budget, so that idea never came to fruition.

So it's cool to see this bag - and I love that he's used red kimble tags to match, and in all different lengths. Although it's probably best I don't own one - I'd doubtless end up getting constantly tangled up with doorhandles (and members of the public).

There's a lampshade in Habitat which has small pearl buttons all over it, attached by kimble tags. (Slight pause while she Googles for more info.) Ooh, turns out it's by Tracy Kendall, who does all that fantastic wallpaper.

And look - while searching for this lampshade I found another button lampshade you can make yourself - I've done something similar with beads and bits but I'd never thought of doing one with buttons.

Tracy Kendall 'Button' lampshade for Habitat (c) Habitat.net and button lampshade (c) hgtv.com

Easter Flowers On A Shoestring

Click on the pics for larger version

I was asked to sort out Easter Day flowers for the side windowsills at church (the big arrangements were already sorted). They had to be silk not fresh, there were eight small arrangements needed and it needed to be done as cheaply as possible.

First stop was the £1 shops - I tried three before I found a good selection of silk flowers. They were all those ones where a whole bunch comes on one stem for £1.

I wanted daffodils but the only daffs available were two daffs attached to a hideous bunch of orange and white flowers. There were some relatively untacky-looking bunches of small yellow and white flowers, so I grabbed four of those - planning to use half a bunch per arrangement - and four of the bunches with daffs in, so I'd have eight daffs, one for each arrangement.

Then I had to find receptacles for them. I'd hoped to find some small glass or china vases - even pretty china mugs - in one of the £1 shops but found nothing suitable. I prayed for a solution! Then it struck me - as water wasn't part of the equation, I could use card. So I bought packs of A4 card in lilac and pale yellow, and made tubes by cutting one sheet in half longways and taping each half into a tube shape.

I cut cubes of Oasis (a bread knife works a treat!) out to fit snugly inside each tube and then stuck one daffodil and half a bunch of white and yellow flowers (cut from their bunch into individual blooms with wire cutters) into it.

I finished them each off with a small glass cross (20p each from Brighton Bead Shop) hung on sewing thread round the tube, from a notch cut in the card at the back.

They they turned out OK and cost just over £11 for eight, so didn't break the bank. Thank the Lord for divine inspiration!