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A Bustle & Sew Publication

Copyright © Bustle & Sew Limited 2012

The right of Helen Dickson to be identified as theauthor of this work has been asserted inaccordance with the Copyright, Designs andPatents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system ortransmitted in any form, or by any means, withoutthe prior written permission of the author, nor beotherwise circulated in any form of binding orcover other than that in which it is published andwithout a similar condition being imposed on thesubsequent purchaser.

Every effort has been made to ensure that all theinformation in this book is accurate. However,due to differing conditions, tools and individualskills, the publisher cannot be responsible for anyinjuries, losses and other damages that may resultfrom the use of the information in this book.

First published 2013 by:Bustle & SewCoombe LeighChillingtonKingsbridgeDevon TQ7 2LEUK

www.bustleandsew.com

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Notes from a Devon Village Page 4

Little Felt Bear Softie Page 6

The Auricula Theatre - a brief history Page 9

Auricula Theatre Applique Page 12

Flutter-by-Bears Page 21

Follow your Dreams Page 24

Cosy with Rosie Page 28

Bunny and Balloons Embroidery Page 30

Easter Fun from Flapdoodle Designs Page 35

Pin Cushion Mice Page 41

Playing Hooky Page 44

All the Nice Girls Page 47

Found on Facebook Page 51

Hello,

And welcome to the April issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine. April is themonth that we can really begin to look forward to spring, and I hope you’llenjoy the spring-like feel of this month’s issue.

Rosie is back again this month with the most wonderful (and incrediblycalorific!) recipe for Crème egg brownies. She’ll be here for Easter and I’mvery much hoping that she will bring some samples with her!

She’s also started her very own blog “Cosy with Rosie” and I know she’d love it if you had time to popover and say “Hello!”.

This month as well as Easter, there’s a bit of a bear theme going on with my easiest-ever bear softiepattern, an interview with the very talented Ruth Bowman of Flutter-by-Bears and my “Follow yourDreams” simple stitchery. Even my Auricula Theatre pattern continues the bear theme - did you knowthat Auriculas used to be known as “Bear’s Ears?”

I do hope you’ll enjoy this issue, and I’ll be back next month with a birds, blooms and bugs theme asin May it’s time to venture out into the garden.

Happy stitching!

Helen xx

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Notes from a Devon Village

Light streaming through the crack in the bedroomcurtains. A light breeze, sounds of birdsong - a brightsparkly spring morning. A morning to leap out of bedfull of the joys of life - no more snuggling under thecovers, that's for dark, damp November mornings.Now the year has turned and spring is here at lastwhile the world outside is calling ... come on out andjoin us.

So I swing my legs round, feet to the floor, and tiptoeacross the bedroom. Mustn't wake the dogs yet ... tryto get dressed first - but no - Daisy has the ears of abat and she hears the tiny noises I make on my wayto the bathroom. A large, black, furry face appears atthe top of the stairs, eyes bright with love andanticipation.

Downstairs I hear Ben stretch and yawn - the game'safoot and my cover's blown. So I dress as quickly aspossible - canvas trousers and cotton shirt, pulloverfor warmth - after all it’s only April and the mornings

are still chilly! Then I thrust my feet into a pair ofwell worn boots, forget to brush my hair - and we'reready to go ....

Downstairs a squirming mass of dog-flesh awaits me.Eyes bright with excitement, pink tongues lolling andtails quivering. I struggle past them to grab their leadsfrom the hook. "OK dogs," I tell them, "we're off!"

Immediately excitement turns to frenzy and Daisyleaps through the door as soon as it's opened - thenin her mischievous way waits for Ben to proceed upthe steps in a more dignified fashion, then pounceson him. Having put a stop to his nonsense andescorted the more sedate Ben up the stairs, I pause totake a deep lungful of the fresh, cool air. But whereto go?

Of course it has to be the beach - the tide is low andthe sunlight makes sparkles on the water. Splashingin rockpools, crashing through waves and rolling inthe sand … what could be a better start to the day?

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Little Felt Bear SoftiesI’ve never attempted a bear softie before as there are so many great designs and talented

makers out there. But I was finally tempted - and think this will be one of the easiestpatterns you’ll find anywhere.

Completed sitting bear measures 4” tall.

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Originally from the Alps and other mountainousregions in Europe, Auriculas first appeared inEnglish gardens around the middle of the 16thCentury, when tradition has it that they were broughtto England by Flemish weavers fleeing religiouspersecution on the Continent. A more likelyexplanation is that the plants (also known as Bear'sEar) arrived by interchange between leadingContinental and English gardeners, in the same wayas many other plants.

First grown by the aristocracy, they quickly gainedin popularity and new varieties were continuouslybeing developed. Samuel Gilbert in "The FloristsVade-Mecum" of 1682 described their colours as:

"Their golds, their purples, scarlets, crimson dies,Their dark and lighter hair'd diversities.

With all their pretty shades and Ornaments,Their parti-colour'd coats and pleasing scents.

Gold laid on scarlet, silver on the blewWith sparkling eyes to take the eyes of you."

By 1691, Mary, first Duchess of Beaufort - one ofthe most distinguished horticulturalists of her time,had hundreds of auriculas in pots, beds and borders

in her Chelsea garden. But as the different varietieswere developed and refined, the need to protect themore delicate flowers became increasingly importantas the blooms were powdered with a fine white dustthat even the slightest touch of rain could ruin. Theinitial solution was a covered stand or awning overthe plants in question.

Auriculas are among the most admired plants of mid to late spring, with short stalkssupporting clusters of tiny blooms in a range of shades and colour combinations. Some

blooms are covered in a fine white powder - they look as if they've been dusted with icingsugar. But how did the concept of placing them on shelves in an “auricula theatre”

begin?

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Auricula TheatreHere in England, the traditional way to display your delicate Auricula blooms is in anAuricula Theatre - tiered shelving covered by a canopy to stop the rain spoiling theirbeauty. Auriculas only bloom for a few short weeks in the spring, but you can enjoy

them year-round with this applique design.

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As part of the “bit of a bear” theme that seems to havedeveloped in this month’s issue, I’m delighted to be able tointroduce the amazingly talented - andaward winning - Ruth Bowman ofFlutter-By Bears. The delighful bear onthe left is “Lilibet”, inspired by H.R.Hthe Queen; as a little girl in those yellowtinted photos. She wears a dress oforganza overlaid with antique lace, andcarries a diamante heart to celebratelast year’s Diamond Jubilee. InNovember 2012 Lilibet was declared

Winner in her category in the Excellence in Bear Artistry Awards - and I’m sure you’ll agreeshe is simply the most enchanting little bear.

Hi Ruth, please do introduce yourself andtell us all about your creations:

Hello, I'm Ruth, I live in Staffordshire, UK,with my husband, 3 sons and 2 dogs, where Ienjoy sewing, baking, all things historical, andhoarding as much ribbon, buttons and vintagelace as I can get my hands on!

For the last ten years I have been designingand creating miniature teddy bears and otheranimals of 1 to 3 inches tall. I absolutely lovebeing part of the worldwide artist / collectorbear scene; it is so friendly and creativelydiverse. There is a thriving passion for teddieson every continent.

How did your bear making begin?

I was already a bear collector (an arctophileto use the proper name) when my sistershowed me a book about sewing mini bears.The idea of such small scale teddies was soenchanting that I soon had a go at a readymade kit. For my second bear I plunged rightin with my own design, and the rest, as theysay, is history!

What goes in to the basic construction ofeach bear?

I hand sew the cut pieces, which are typicallymade from Upholstery Velvets withUltrasuede for paw pads, then I turn and stuffthem. Next I work on the head: noses arestitched with embroidery floss, and onyx beadeyes are inserted. The head and body arejoined using split cotter pins and washers,enabling the head to turn. The ears are thenattached, and lastly I give articulation to thearms and legs with thread-jointing, whichinvolves passing stitches through the body and

Golden teddynominee 2011

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Follow your Dreams..A simple stitchery from Bustle & Sew featuring two little teddy bears who have

launched their sky lantern (balloon!) and are hoping that their dreams will come true andthey’ll be happy together forever.

Really easy stitching - a great design for beginners. Shown framed in an 8” hoop.

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There’s a new blog on the block!! Yes, Rosie has decided to start her own blog - a mixture of hercreations, baking and - of course - her two favourite furry friends - Daisy and Ben!! I’m sure she’dlove to see you over there - just visit www.cosywithrosie.blogspot.com to catch up with all her news!

And meanwhile … why not try out these wonderful Crème Egg brownies? Rosie tells me shediscovered the recipe on Facebook and ….. but I’ll let you tell you herself …..

Crème Egg BrowniesAs soon as I saw these on Facebook I knew I justHAD to make them - and clearly I’m not alone.This recipe was shared over 30,000 times (that'sa LOT of brownies!). I mean, what's not to love?A Creme Egg in a brownie...genius!

To make 12 of these delicious brownies youwill need:

� 185g unsalted butter� 185g best dark chocolate (I used Bournville)

� 85g plain flour� 40g cocoa powder� 3 large eggs� 275g golden caster sugar� 6 Cadbury’s Creme eggs cut in half

1. Preheat the oven to 160C and grease yourbaking tin. I used my favourite baking tin fromLakeland - it makes 12 perfectly shapedindividual brownies. No fighting over who getsthe biggest piece!

2. Cut the butter into cubes and break thechocolate into small pieces. Pop them both in abowl placed over a pan of boiling water and stirgently until completely melted.

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Bunny and BalloonsThis little bunny was one of my earliest - and still one of my most popular designs,

though he’s never been included in the magazine. But I - after all it wouldn’t be Easterwithout at least one bunny pattern in the magazine!

Shown framed in 10” hoop.

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Easter Fun from FlapdoodleDesigns!

Jacqui’s Etsy shop is nowopen and selling herdownloadable Easter

bunting. Just CLICK HEREto visit her shop and

purchase the full set offlags.

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Pin Cushion MiceA Bustle & Sew classic, I originally released my take on this old-fashioned method of

making these little mice back in March 2011.

They turned out to be one of my most popular free patterns ever - and now they’re back -and looking even more cute for 2013. They’re really easy to make - great for fetes,

bazaars or for making with children - you’ll have a dozen of the little creatures sitting in

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Rug hooking is both an art and a craft where rugsare made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric througha stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp.The loops are pulled through the backing materialby using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle(usually wood). The craft of making hooked rugsfrom rags is a very old one going back centuries andrecently, as we're all becoming much more interestedin creating our own unique handmade items for ourhomes, it is enjoying an increase in popularity oncemore.

In bygone days, nearly every home would have hadhandmade rugs, both upstairs in the bedrooms anddownstairs in the living room and kitchen. Here inthe UK, the tradition of hooked rug making wasstrongest in the north east where "rye" or "rya" rugs,made by pulling loops of wool through a wovenbacking were mentioned in inventories and wills inthe late 17th century.

Amazingly, fragments of clothing made in the samevery primitive way have been discovered in DanishBronze Age graves. For hundreds of years hookedrugs, made by "rug women" who travelled fromisland to island were part of a bride's dowry inOrkney and Shetland - islands to the far north-eastof Scotland. Like the earliest American rugs, theywere used to warm the bed rather than the floor.

This tradition of rug-making crossed the Atlantic toAmerica, where most of the rugs made before themid-19th century were humble, every-day items,designed at home by men and women who tookinspiration from the natural world around them anddepicted it with child-like naivety in the rugs theycreated.

Life in those days was hard, with long cold wintersand very few, if any, luxuries. Shop-bought textiles

Working on a rug

would have been extremely expensive, so the thriftyAmerican housewife depended upon linen or woolthat was spun, woven and dyed at home. Nothingwas wasted - every little scrap and the least-wornparts of old clothes went into the ragbag to bere-used. Cotton pieces were great for patchwork,whilst the woollen scraps would have been turnedinto rugs.

Life in the countryside and small market towns,where most people would have lived was centredaround animals and crops. So dogs and cats, horsescattle and chickens were favourites choices to depict,whilst beavers were popular in Canada and theseafaring and fishing villages on the cost oftenshowed ships in full sale, lighthouses and whales.

All these patterns, worked in bright colours wouldhave cheered up the rooms through the long, darkwinters. Flowers and fruit were another popularmotif, whilst the maker may have ventured into the

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All the Nice Girls..“Love a sailor .. All the nice girls love a tar! All the nice girls love a sailor…. For there’s

something about a sailor - Well, you know how sailors are!!”

Popular British song - first published in 1909 - and the lyrics probably ring true eventoday!

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Odds & Soxlets is a small businessbased in the north Dorset town ofGillingham, in the UK.

Erica Martyn is the creative forcebehind Odds & Soxlets - describingherself:

"A devoted wife, mummy to a 3 yearold little boy and currently pregnantwith our 2nd child due in May 2013.With a background in dance,theatrical costume and graphic design

I decided after the birth of our firstson to step aside from my previousworking life and develop my own designstudios so I could combine being a stayat home mum with my love for art,creative design and illustration.

Odds & Soxlets was born in May 2011with just a few sock toys andillustrated cards and has sincedeveloped into a creative design housewere I design and make a variety ofhandmade toys and co-ordinatingproducts alongside offering my designservices too"

You can find Erica at her website: www.oddsandsoxlets.co.uk

And also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ericamartyn.oddsandsoxlets

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BUSTLE & SEW

The “Bustle & Sew Magazine” is a Bustle & Sewpublication. To see my full range of Rosie & Bearpublications, together with many more stitching,applique, softie and quilting projects please visit mywebsite:

www.bustleandsew.com

You can also find out about my Bustle & SewMagazine on my website. This is my monthly e-zinepacked with unique projects, articles, features andloads more, and is by far the best (and nicest!) way tobuild your collection of Bustle & Sew patterns…

You’ll never be stuck for ideas again!! Just visit themagazine page on my website to learn more:

www.bustleandsew.com/magazine.