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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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Hello,

And welcome to the August 2013 edition of the Bustle & Sew Magazine.There’s a bit of a coastal theme in this month’s issue - you’ll discover seagullsand seahorses as well as a bevy of Bathing Belles inside, together with Sidneythe little dog softie and English cottage tea cosy.

You’ll see I’ve used the most delicious icecream coloured fabrics for these

Notes from a Devon Village Page 3

Sidney Page 6

Vintage Idea; A Basket for Baby Page 11

The Colour Orange Page 13

Seahorse Dorothy Bag Page 16

An English Country Wedding Page 20

Noah’s Ark Transfers Page 22

On the Beach Page 23

Bathing Belles Applique Page 25

Marvellous Muslin Page 28

English Cottage Tea Cosy Page 31

Recipe Corner

Journal Covers

Seagull Place Mats

Craft Traditions: English Narrow Boats

Summer Gypsy Cushion Cover

Garden Harvest

patterns - a new Susie Watson shop has just opened in my local town - Kingsbridge - and I’ve beentaking advantage of their remnants and sale lines. If you’re not lucky enough to have one of her shopsnearby, then they offer mail order worldwide. I love their ethos of using handmade, fairly tradedmaterials, and there are two great videos on their website about the manufacturing of their pottery andtextiles in Sri Lanka and southern India.

My final project - Summer Gypsy cushion cover was inspired much closer to home - by learning aboutlife on English narrow boats during the 18th and 19th centuries and I’ve included a little of what Idiscovered in case you’re interested too. You’ll also find an update on Rosie’s country wedding, myRecipe Corner, the next instalment of my series on natural dyes as well as much more too.

All this month’s patterns were very much created with the idea of taking your stitching outside to enjoythe summer sunshine - so I hope you’ll have time to do just that this month!

Happy stitching

Helen xx

PS The September issue is published onThursday 29th August so watch outfor it then!

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Here in Devon summer is at its height and all aroundmy garden the air is alive with the sound of bees busyin my flower borders. Earlier in the year they lovedto visit the pale pink roses that scramble through myapple trees before transferring their attentions to firstthe lavender which thrives in the hot and sunnygarden at the front of the house, and then just latelythe ice-plants which are beginning to come intoflower. They are so funny to watch when they visitthese, they seem to adore the nectar, becomingdrowsy and heavy, hardly able to summon thestrength to lift themselves in flight!

Of course the ice-plants flowering is the signal thatsummer will soon be over and autumn will be uponus. I love autumn, the whiff of wood smoke on thewind as everyone begins to tidy their gardens, thefirst chill in the air and the woods just edged in gold.

But there’s still quite a lot of summer left as I sittyping this in the summer house on a warm and sunnyJuly afternoon with two rather over-warm newfiessnoozing happily by my feet.

Notes from a Devon Village

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SidneySidney is the most cheerful little canine with his cute button nose and shiny inquisitive

black eyes. There is some simple wiring in his legs so they’re nice and firm, helping himto stand securely as he surveys the world around him.

Sidney measures 8” tall approx - but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make him largeror smaller - just resize the pattern accordingly.

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Welcome to the next stage of our armhair travels around the world seeking out the historical dyes once usedto transform all our textiles from dull, neutral colours into vibrant fabrics in all the colours of the rainbow.For many hundreds of years natural dyes were the only choice for dying textiles, since synthetic coloursdidn’t appear until the 19th century.

We’re looking back at some of the amazing and inventive ways humans learned to colour clothes beforethat time, as well as discovering some interesting and little known facts about colour history. Last monthwe discovered the cochineal bug and its lesser-known European cousin the kermes insect, and this monthwe’ll be learning all about orange.

This month in our journey through the colours of therainbow we’re looking at orange – and feeling madabout madder! The richest orange-red natural dyeswere from a small bush with a pink root calledmadder. Madder roots have been used as a dye forover 5,000 years. Archaeologists have found tracesof madder in linen in Tutankhamen’s tomb (1350BC), and in wool discovered in Norse burial grounds.

The roots of the madder plant grow so long and soquickly that in 17th century Holland, where madderwas extensively grown, farmers working on landreclaimed from the sea were legally obliged to

harvest their madder crop after just two years in casethe roots grew too long and strong, burrowing toodeeply into the dykes and so causing floods.Although the root of the madder bush is actually pink,the addition of alum to a madder dye bath means thatany white textile treated in it will emerge the mostvibrant shade of orange. The bright orangey-redcolour “Turkey Red” was produced in this way bythe dyers of the old Ottoman empire. It was one ofthe best-kept secrets of the dying world and it tookEuropean dyers several centuries of bribery,espionage and negotiation to discover the secret inthe early 18th century.

The British took another 50 years to uncover theprocess and were finally helped by two brothers fromRouen, Louis and Abraham Henry Borelle, whoarrived in Manchester in 1787 and offered the secretof Turkey Red to the city’s Committee of trade.

It is safe to assume, even through the mists of time,that the city elders would have leapt at theopportunity to be able to produce their own TurkeyRed dye, as throughout the 1790s, the Red Bandannawas every fashionista’s must-have item of apparel.Today these items are worn only occasionally –probably more frequently by style-conscious dogs

The madder plant

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Seahorse Dorothy BagI’m not entirely certain where the term “Dorothy Bag” originated, but I have always loved

the rounded plumpness of these little drawstring bags. My version is easy to stitch andfeatures two little seahorses, with eyes only for each other!

Finished bag has 5 ½” diameter base and measures 8 ½” tall (approx)

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We’re very proud of our “save the date” bunting,created specially for our cards. Rosie and Danarrived the night before our planned photo shootand we all set to work.

It was very much a team effort - and we were really pleased with the results. You

could use this method to spell out any message with bunting flags - it’s really

easy to do, but the finished result lookedvery professional (and I’m sure would have

been quite expensive to purchase too).

To make bunting like oursyou will need:

� An assortment of medium weight fabrics instripes and florals for the flags - don’t chooseany patterns that are too bright as your letterswon’t show up.

� Another(!) assortment of quilting weightfabrics in bright colours for the letters.

� Bondaweb

� 1” cotton tape - or you could use bias bindingand fold it over if preferred - long enough toattach the tops of all your flags. I didn’t leaveany gaps between the flags as I wanted themessage to be easily read.

� Embroidery foot for your sewing machine

� Light and dark thread

� Pinking shears

� Flag template

Here at Coombe Leigh we’re all very excited about Rosie and Dan’sengagement and wedding next June. Over the coming months I hope you’llenjoy hearing about our preparations - starting this month with “Save the

Date” announcements …..

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On the Beach …..I know I’m very lucky to live in such abeautiful part of the world, close to the seaand surrounded by open countryside.August of course is the time that many ofus love to spend time by the water, whetherwe’re year-round residents or simplyvisiting for a week or two.

We all love to collect shells, pebbles and driftwood, (although these days we’re veryenvironmentally conscious and careful not to take too much of course - or alternativelypurchase your shells from specialist shops) so I thought you’d enjoy one or two vintagesuggestions of things to do with your beach combing treasures…

Shell Lights

The best shells to choose for lights are those with awide bowl-like inside such as conch, helmet andmurex. The outside of the shell should have bumpsor ridges so that it will stand firm and level and theoil doesn’t run out.

The ideal shell is one that has a channel running veryslightly downwards. If this channel is too steep theoil will drip out, but if the slop is absent the wickwill dry up, so choose your shell with care.

When you’ve found a suitable shell then you’ll needa wick. You can either purchase these or make yourown. If you’re making your own look at the channelalong which the wick will run and decide on thethickness. A large shell with a wide channel willneed a thicker wick than a small dainty one.

Use soft cotton such as dish cloth knitting yarn andcut off three strands about 10” (25 cm) long and foldthem in half. Loop the cotton over a hook attachedto a firm piece of wood. Plait the strands of cottonfairly loosely together to make a 5” (13 cm) longwick. Trim the ends level and your wick is complete.This will be thick enough for a small shell, but you’llneed to make one thicker than this for a bigger shell.

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Bathing Belles Applique PictureHere in Devon, as the summer really gets under way, the first of the season’s bathers arespotted on our beaches. You have to be brave to swim in the sea here in England as evenwhen the sunshine’s warm, the water is likely to remain chilly until at least September.

Shown mounted on A3 (approx 16” x 20”)

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Marvellous MuslinThink of a flimsy, diaphanous cloth, that filters harshsunlight into a gentle gauzy glow, but is strongenough to be used in cheese, butter and jelly-making– for example to wrap the curds for cream cheese sothey can be hung and left to drain overnight.

Yes - muslin - mentioned in Jane Austen'snovels as a favourite material for ladies'gowns in the Regency era (early 19thcentury), though the practise of dampeningpetticoats to encourage the thin fabric to clingin a revealing manner was apparently muchless common than we think. The origin ofthe word "muslin" is uncertain - it may derivefrom the Hindi word "mulmull" which hasbeen used in India for centuries to describe aplain woven, sheer cotton cloth - or possiblyfrom "Mosul" - an area in Iraq.

Butter muslin,cheesecloth,gauze and flagbunting are alldifferent types of muslin. The first two namesrefer specifically to their original culinaryuses - to strain or to wrap butter, cheese,bacon and puddings. Butter muslin is stillused for this purpose today, and for strainingand clarifying soups and sauces. Thesepractical uses are reflected in the coarse,unbleached cloth that still retains the smalldark flecks of the cotton seed that areremoved in further refining and bleachingprocesses.

In contrast, more than three hundred yearsago craftsmen in Dacca (now part ofBangladesh) were spinning and weavingcotton into the most fine and beautiful clothused only for royal and ceremonial occasions.This cloth was so light that, yard for yard, itweighed less than a quarter of the weight ofa fine quality muslin today. As fine as acobweb, with dainty "butis" or floral sprigsembroidered in a slightly thicker yarn, itcaused a sensation at the Great Exhibitionheld in Hyde Park, London in 1851.

Today the best and finest muslin cloth ismade from Egyptian cotton - a name whichno longer refers only to its country of origin,

Regency Muslin Dress

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English Cottage Tea CosyInspired by those lovely vintage patterns, and brought right up-to-date with freestyle

machine embroidery, this little tea cosy is sure to please.

Mine is shown on a 2-cup pot, but I’ve included instructions for measuring your teapot sothat your cosy will fit snugly over your own choice of pot.

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Auntie Joyce’s Lemon Curd

“When life serves you lemons make lemonade”so the saying goes - but I think lemon curd andlemon ice cream are even nicer still! This recipeis courtesy of my Auntie Joyce who was a WIstalwart in the 1960’s and 70’s. I think it mustdate to the latter part of this era though as wecertainly didn’t have our first microwave untilthe mid-70’s. Using a microwave really cutsdown on the preparation time for the lemoncurd - about 10 minutes as opposed to nearer40 minutes if you’re making it in a bowl overa pan of hot water.

The good thing about this recipe is that the eggsand the lemon juice are measured, so youobtain a consistent result whatever the size ofegg or juice content of your lemons. I

sometimes use up to four egg yolks in themeasured egg (left over from meringuemaking) and make up the rest with whole eggs.

This recipe makes about 3 lb of lemon curd andshould take you no more than about half anhour in total. (excluding time to sterilize yourjam jars). You can do this by rinsing your jarswell in boiling water, then turn them upsidedown to drain. Place them on a cooling rackon a pad of kitchen paper and heat in the ovenat 160o C/325o F/Gas Mar 3 for 10 minutes oruntil completely dry. Allow to cool beforefilling.

Ingredients:

� 7 oz (200 g) butter, preferably unsalted� 1 lb 9 oz (700 g) granulated or caster

sugar� Grated zest of 4 - 5 lemons� ½ pint (300 ml) lemon juice - usually

about 4 - 5 lemons� ½ pint (300 ml) beaten eggs - usually

about 4 - 5 eggsMethod:� Place the butter, sugar, lemon zest and

juice in a large bowl and microwave onfull power for about 2 minutes or until thebutter has melted and the sugar has

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Vintage-Style Journal Cover PrintsWhether you want to make a diary of your seaside adventures, record yourhopes and dreams or simply like a nice notebook to write your lists and thingsto do, it’s fun to make a shop-bought book into something special byproviding it with a lovely fabric cover. And the good news is that it’s easyto transfer the cover to another book when your current one’s full - or youcan make a new cover for each one if you’re tucking them away safely forthe future.

A fabric notebook cover is so easy to make - here’s a link to my “SweetHome” cover - and why not ring the changes with these vintage designs too?Just print onto cotton fabric - you can purchase ready-to-print fabric ortransfer sheets from most good stationers, stitch the text with backstitch forthat special handmade touch, trim the edges with pinking shears and sewonto your background fabric.

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Seagulls Place MatsBring a seaside feeling to your table with these easy patchwork place mats. Choose a

selection of bleached cottons, denim and linen - and perhaps some fussy cutting too if youfind a suitable print - then add a fat little felt seagull applique for easy coastal chic.

Finished mats measure 17” x 11” (approx)

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Craft Traditions: English Canal Narrow Boats In the second half of the eighteenth centuryEngland was becoming an industrialised,commercial society. Manufacturing hadalready developed from local craftsmenmeeting local needs to home-workersproducing for regional merchants. But nowit was moving from cottage industry tofactories, where the workforce could bemore easily supervised.

Good transport networks were vital tomove raw materials to the factories andfinished goods to consumers, includingthose in the expanding British Empire.More roads were being built and improvedbut they couldn't easily handle heavy bulkmaterials like coal, or fragile materials likepottery. One horse could pull fifty tons ina boat, and there were over a thousandmiles of navigable rivers that could be usedfor this purpose, but their potential wasbecoming exhausted, they didn't go to theright places - the new manufacturingcentres - anymore.

The St. Helens Canal, near Warrington, andthe first part of the Bridgewater Canal wereopened on the 1750's. From this timeonwards many more canals were built and

the 'Canal Age' began in the 1750's. Duringthis time the watersheds of the RiversMersey, Trent, Severn and Thames wereclimbed and crossed by canals and therivers linked, and two thousand miles ofcanals were built. Whole regions like theStaffordshire Potteries and the midlandsBlack Country were developed and becamewealthy because of their canals.

But by the end of the eighteenth century theboom was over, most British canals werecompleted by 1815, and within ten yearsthe coming of the railways broughtcompetition and rivalry (after 1850) andcanal traffic began to lose its importance,though canals were still an importantmethod of transport for another hundredyears or so.

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Summer Gypsy Cushion CoverCombine bright colours and a cheerful scarlet geranium - pom-poms and hexagons to

evoke something of the feeling of the old English narrow boats travelling up and down thewaterways of middle England.

Easy faux- piecing technique make this cushion a lot easier than perhaps it looks!

© Bustle & Sew 2013

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Handstitched Christmas - a collection of seasonal designs from

Bustle & Sew - now available from my website -and from

Amazon too! Just click here to learn more.

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