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A Bustle & Sew Publication

Copyright © Bustle & Sew Limited 2013

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

Christmas Hare Card Holder Page 5

A Seaside Artist Page 8

Sparkle Reindeer Applique Page 12

Christmas Cards & Crackers Page 16

Mr Fox: Wish upon a Star Page 18

Feed the Birds this winter Page 21

Marching Elephants Page 23

The First Christmas Tree Page 26

Holly & Berry: Baby Reindeer Page 29

Traditional Parlour Games Page 32

Santa Christmas Apron Page 34

Nativity Set Page 37

Templates Page 46

Hello,

And welcome to the December 2013 issue of the Bustle & SewMagazine. Another year is drawing to a close, but there’s still plentyof fun to look forward to in this month’s issue. I’ve designed all theChristmas patterns to give the best results - but without taking too muchtime - I know what a busy time of year this can be!

But if you’d like a little slow stitching to enjoy while taking a breakfrom the seasonal rush, then do check out my Mr Fox: Wish Upon aStar pattern - which comes with its very own video tutorial - my firstever as part of a pattern.

It’s hard to believe that this time last year Ben and I were counting down the days until the arrival ofhis baby sister! Daisy is one now, and such a big part of our family, it’s hard to imagine how boringpeaceful life was without her! This year she’ll be sure to want to join in the fun whether it’s thetraditional Parlour games on page 32 or stealing the camel from the Nativity Set on page 37!

So, wherever you are, and however you’re spending your holidays, I’d like to wish you a very happy,healthy and peaceful Christmas.

Best wishes

Helen, Ben and Daisy xxx

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Christmas is fast approaching, and we’re alleagerly anticipating all the festive traditionsthat surround this most wonderful of holidays.

A warm glow comes over my home as I light festivecandles and bring holly, ivy and other evergreensgathered from woods and hedgerows, into the homeand later - the Christmas tree. The fragrance of pine,cinnamon and oranges fills the air as I bake mincepies, ice my chocolate log whilst listening to carolson my trusty kitchen radio.

Although living in the countryside has its drawbacksin winter, mud, lack of local facilities (in January I’llhave to travel nearly 30 miles to our local hospitalfor my long-awaited knee op), in my opinion theseare more than compensated for by the wonderfulcoast and countryside around me, and the friendlycommunity in which I live. I have only to move frombeside my log burner and step outside to enjoy crisp,fresh walks through our woods where I’m sure tomeet other dog-walkers for a friendly chat, or along

the now mainly deserted beach where Ben and Daisycan romp and play without a care in the world.(CLICK HERE for a little bit of sedate (Ben) andsplashy (Daisy) swimming at Batson Creek on a stillfrosty morning)

Our village really springs into life at Christmas. Wehave the Pensioners’ Christmas party, carol singing(complete with band) around our Christmas tree, theCandlelit Carol Service at St Michael’s Church inStokenham - where Rosie and Dan will be gettingmarried this year - as well as a host of other events.I’m wondering whether to attend the Christmaswreath-making workshop in the Parish Hall, orpossibly the great Stir-Up Sunday gathering - ormaybe even both!! Then there’s the Pantomime -another great Christmas tradition. This year it’s Pussin Boots. Rosie and I both know Puss so we’re offto support her and the rest of the Dartmouth Playersafter Christmas - it’s even more fun when you knowsomeone in the production! “Oh yes it is!!”

Merry Christmas everyone!!

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Christmas Hare Card HangerA Nordic heart and winter hare - nice and cosy in his woolly scarf - could there possibly

be any nicer way to display your cards this Christmas (great for all those Valentinetributes too !!).

Finished hare and heart measures 8” from the point of the heart to the tip of the hare’sears.

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A Seaside ArtistAn interview with designer and illustrator Jacqui

Bignell

Jacqui is not only a talented artist anddesigner, she and her husband Cliveare also very dear friends of mine.

The next two patterns in this issue, theSparkle Reindeer and Wish Upon a Star:Mr Fox are based on Jacqui’s linedrawings, and so I thought you might liketo “meet” her properly. Jacqui is inspiredby country and seaside living and therhythm of the changing seasons here insouth Devon. Her passion for drawing andcreating has lead her to establish her ownbusiness, Flapdoodledesigns, offeringcommssioned artwork as well as printablescrapbooking designs.

What do you love most about living herein south Devon?

I love living near the sea and thecountryside. Every morning I walk my dogLionel down the marsh to the estuary. We

normally walk with three other people andwe have seven dogs between us all runningand playing in the open space. We oftensee a pair of herons, who don’t seem to beat all bothered by our dogs, severaldifferent types of ducks, geese, swans andegrets. The wild flowers are beautiful andencourage butterflies whilst the hedgerowis full of blackberries and sloes in theautumn.

And about your own home?

The view (that’s our view below!). Webought this house three years ago becausewe fell in love with the amazing view ofthe farm land, marsh and estuary. It isforever changing and in the evening wesee the lights of Salcombe twinkling too.I love to watch the tractors ploughing withthe seagulls swooping around them.

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Sparkle Reindeer PictureSimple hand and machine applique - lots of vintage buttons and some sparkling battery-operated LED Christmas Lights make these two little reindeer from Flapdoodledesigns

simply sparkle for Christmas!

Finished picture measures 16” square and is mounted on an artist’s canvas block to beable to fix LED lights from the back.

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Two of the most popular latecomersto our Christmas festivities cameabout as a direct result of Victorian

enterprise and technology in the 19th

century. Christmas crackers were inventedby a one man – a man with a great idea;whilst Christmas cards were the outcome ofa series of improvements in printingtechniques together with the introduction ofthe penny post.

Controversy surrounds the date of the firstChristmas card and the name of its creator,although the credit is generally given to SirHenry Cole, the first director of the Victoriaand Albert Museum, and artist John CalcottHorsley RA. In 1843 Horsley designed acard following the suggestion of his friendCole and in 1846 a thousand copies weresold at a shilling each by a printing companyin Old Bond Street, London. The image onthe card is of a family merrily drinking wineand the two side panels show charitableactivities. It bore the greeting “A MerryChristmas and Happy New Year to You.”

Christmas cards didn’t become generallypopular until the development of cheaperprinting techniques (a shilling was a lot ofmoney back in 1843 - round about £40 intoday’s money) and the introduction of ahalfpenny stamp for cards in 1870, but theythen quickly became so popular that by 1880the Post Office was asking everyone to posttheir cards early to be sure they’d reach theintended recipients in time for Christmas -sounds familiar!!

Early Christmas card designs were moreDickensian than religious and often featuredstagecoaches and snowy landscapes,Christmas puddings and Yule logs and theever popular robin redbreast. Indeed, theidea of the robin as a Christmas bird wasreinforced as the early postmen deliveringthese cards were also known as Robins dueto the colour of their uniform.

Over the following decades, cards becamemore and more exotic, featuring silk fringes,gilding and satin and plush insets. They

Christmas Cards and CrackersSending and receiving cards is still an important part of Christmas, even in the age ofthe email, whilst we all love the silly jokes and paper hats found inside our Christmas

crackers. But have you ever paused to wonder how these traditions began?

The first Christmas card

A Victorian card

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Wish Upon a Star: Mr FoxCute little fox wishing upon a star for his dreams to come true. From a drawing by

Flapdoodledesigns, the finished embroidery is shown mounted in a 7” hoop.

Pattern includes link to video tutorial on stitching Mr Fox’s fur - it’s easy when you knowhow!

© Bustle & Sew 2013

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Feed the birds this winter ….

As truly wild habitats for birds become fewer and farmsprovide fewer opportunities for foraging, our gardens arebecoming increasingly important for the survival of manyspecies of bird.

Centuries ago many birds would havelived through the winter months onthe rich pickings found around farms

and in the fields when men and machinerywere not as efficient as they are today, andplenty of nourishment was to be found lyingin rick-yards and at field edges months afterthe harvest had been gathered in. Today cropsare gathered quickly and precisely and storedaway into vast secure silos that offer no accessto wildlife. Species that once sheltered andlived along hedgerows are increasinglymoving into our towns and villages andgardens where they rely upon humans forproviding much of their food - whetherintentionally or not.

When we plant fruit trees and plants thatproduce berries and seeds we are providingthe means of survival through the harshestmonths of the year to many species of birdsand animals.

Small birds are generally seen as beneficialvisitors to our gardens - and I know I love towatch the antics of my winter visitors. As achild I remember hanging up scraps of fat and

coconut halves for the birds with my mumand now we are likely to provide peanuts,seeds or special bird cakes too. I don’t throwout scraps such as bread crusts as these arelikely to attract both hungry Newfoundlanddogs and vermin such as rats. It’s much betterto hang things that will keep the birds busyand that will feed the most number of species.

Fruit left to ripen then drop from trees or vinesgives rich pickings to many birds at thebeginning of the winter, whilst some crabapples and dessert apples are very late tomature, so are excellent for birds when theweather grows colder and food is harder tofind.

Try not to be too tidy in the garden, leavethistle-type plants to flower and resist cuttingthe dead blooms so that finches and otherseed-eaters will be able to enjoy them.Cotoneaster and pyracantha will hold theirberries for weeks, and are often visited bybirds in England in late winter once moreperishable fruits have all disappeared. Manysmall birds rely on over-wintering grubs andinsects in tree bark so avoid pesticides anddon’t be too quick to clear away old or deadbranches.

Goldfinch on thistle

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Marching Elephants AppliqueThis is a really easy, but amazingly effective design to make for a child's room, or simply

for yourself if you love cheerful colours! The pattern is taken from a mid-centurycolouring book - it's simple machine embroidery, with a few hand-stitched details. Ihave created my elephants on a 12" square panel, but you can resize the pattern to

whatever size you want … a cushion would look great - or why not trim some bedding or

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(traditional story)

Once upon a time, in a forest faraway grew a great many pine trees.Most of them were tall trees, higher

than the houses that we see, and with wide,strong branches. But there was one tree thatwas not nearly so tall as the others; in fact,it was no taller than some of the children inthe kindergarten.

Now, the tall trees could see far, far out overthe hilltops and into the valleys, and theycould hear all the noises that went on in theworld beyond the forest, but Little Tree wasso small and the other trees grew so highand thick about it that it could not see norhear these things at all; but the other treeswere very kind, and they would stoop downand tell them to Little Tree. One night inthe winter time there seemed to besomething strange happening in the littletown among the hills, for the trees did notgo to sleep after the sun went down, but puttheir heads together and spoke in strange,low whispers that were full of awe andwonder. The Little Tree, from its place closedown to the ground, did not understandwhat it was all about. It listened awhile, andthen lifted its head as high as ever it couldand shouted to its tall neighbour:

"Please tell me what is happening?"

And the big tree leaned down andwhispered:

"The shepherds out on the hilltops aretelling strange stories while they watch theirsheep. The air is filled with sweet music,and there is a wonderful star coming up inthe east, travelling westward always, andthe shepherds say that they are waiting forit to stop and shine over a humble stable intheir little town. I don’t know why it isgoing to stop there, but I will look again andlisten."

So the tall tree lifted up its head again, andreached far out so that it might hear moreof the wonderful story. Bye and bye it leantdown again, and whispered to the LittleTree:

"Oh, Little Tree, listen! There are angelsamong the shepherds on the hills, and theyare all talking together. They seem to beawaiting the birth of a little child, who willbe a king among the people, and thebeautiful star will shine above the stablewhere the little king will be laid in amanger."

The tall tree again raised its head to listen,and Little Tree, much puzzled, thoughtwithin itself: "It is very strange, indeed,oooh, how I wish that I could see it all!"

The Little Tree waited a little longer untileverything grew quiet, and a great peacecame upon the forest. Then suddenly thetown, and even the forest was illuminatedwith a strange, white light that made

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Holly & BerryInspired by vintage design - and brought right up to date for this Christmas - meet Holly

and Berry, the baby reindeer. They measure just 10 ½” tall and will make a perfectaddition to your decorations this Christmas.

Holly and Berry have wired legs, button noses and black beads for eyes so are not suitablefor toys - they are decorative only.

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Traditional Parlour GamesChristmas is the time to put away the X-box or PlayStation and enjoy some traditional family

fun - and if you’re stuck for ideas here’s a few traditional favourites to choose from …

None of these games require any specialist orexpensive equipment or supplies - most ofwhat you’ll need I’m sure you’ll already havein the house …

Hunt the Ring

Thread a ring or key onto a long piece of stringwhich is then knotted to form a circle. Thecompany stands in a circle holding the stringand slides the ring or key rapidly from hand tohand. One member of the party stands in thecentre of the circle and has to guess who holdsthe ring at any given time. If s/he guesses rightthen the holder becomes the hunter.

The Minister’s Cat

This is probably the best known of manyalphabetical games.

The first player might say “The minister’s catis an angry cat;” then the other players n turnrepeat the sentence each using a different

adjective to describe the cat beginning with theletter “A”. They then move onto “B” and so onthrough the alphabet. Players who cannot thinkof an adjective beginning with the right letter,or who repeat one already used, drop out untilonly the winner remains.

Elements

One member of the company throws a soft ballto another, at the same time naming one of theelements - earth, air, water or fire. If one ofthe first three elements is given, the personcatching the ball has to name an animal livingin the element within a count of ten. Forexample, if water is called, the catcher mightsay, “Whale.” Anyone speaking when “fire”

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Santa Christmas ApronIf your Christmas jumper’s too woolly and you’re beginning to feel as roasted as theChristmas turkey - then help is at hand! Keep the festive feel with this Santa apron

featuring an easy machine applique Santa - but wear as much (or as little!) underneath asyou like! Comfort guaranteed!

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Nativity setColourful collection of Nativity figures guaranteed to brighten up your home this

Christmas! As well as Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and the Shepherds, this month brings theThree Kings who have travelled from the corners of the globe - Africa, the Arctic and

Europe - and there’s even a camel!

Figures stand approximately 4” tall.

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