Bibelot » Handmade

Dec 12

by bibelotm_wp in Craft 0 comments tags: Collars, Fairytale Collars, Handmade

Fairytale Collars – Emma Morgenthaler – Interview

Today we chat to crafter and maker of cute custom-made collars Emma Morgenthaler from Fairytale collars. Emma shares her future ambitions, inspirations, and what she’s learned about finding that creative streak and keeping it, with Bibelot. 1. What’s the first piece of art you can remember making? The first collar I made was a Disney princess inspired Snow White one, but I think my first make was a purple cat at primary school. It was made from a scratchy tweed material and it wasn’t nice to cuddle at all! 2. Describe your working routine – studio, kitchen table, caffeinated beverage of choice, music, silence? I work from a spare room in my house. The morning starts with coffee in bed, where I check emails and catch up on Instagram, and when I do go to work, music and lots of singing along is a must! 3. Do you think living by the sea in Devon has helped shape the kind of work you do? The sea is extremely inspiring to me – it de-stresses me and helps me to stop and think. I often get ideas on my daily dog walks by the sea. 4. Nature […]

Aug 14

by bibelotm_wp in Craft, Creative, Fashion 0 comments tags: Caroline Stansfield, Children's Clothes, Handmade, The Little Cloth Shop

The Little Cloth Shop – Interview

Today we chat to North London-based seamstress Caroline Stansfield, the woman behind children’s wear brand The Little Cloth Shop. Launched when her son Drake was born, her collection specialises in traditional and vintage inspired designs. Caroline talks Liberty fabric, vegetable dyes, and what she’s learned about running a creative business, with Bibelot. 1. What’s your first sewing memory/experience of sewing? I grew up in a house where my mother sewed everything for myself and my two brothers. She would often be in her study making something beautiful. I would sit on the floor and look through her mothers old silver buttons; I thought they were magical. On every special occasion she would make a new dress for me, I remember there was a particularly horrible pink puff sleeved affair that I loved more than anything. It was the 90s. 2. Your mother was a tailor and your Grandmother a seamstress, when did you decide to continue the family tradition? I have always been interested in sewing, and used to like making costumes for competitions. I started The Little Cloth Shop after my little boy was born as I found it impossible to find alternative but traditional boys clothes. […]

May 09

by bibelotm_wp in Craft, Interview 0 comments tags: Dolls, Embroidery, Handmade, Robyn Weening, Vintage

Robyn Maryke – Interview

Robyn Maryke has always adored dolls, but after ten years working on a wide variety of creative subjects decided to focus exclusively on making her own. She makes charming characters from vintage fabric and felt, and uses appliqué and stitch to add the details that bring them to life. She favours floral motifs and flowing lines, and her dolls often depict iconic women, animals and parenthood. Bibelot caught up with her to talk vintage fabric, inspiration, and the simple joys of life. 1. What is it about dolls that interests you? So many things! Mostly that they reflect who we are. Dolls have been around forever; archaeological evidence points to dolls as being the oldest known toy. In other words, we humans have always gotten a kick out of creating these mini versions of ourselves. Whether they are made as toys or high art, dolls say something about our culture and what is meaningful to us. Everything from the shape of a doll, to its clothes and face or lack thereof, tells us something about its maker. 2. How do you create your dolls? I like simple silhouettes that I embellish with my favourite things: embroidery, needle-felting, and […]

Mar 03

by bibelotm_wp in Craft, Learn 0 comments tags: Book, Craft Book, Crochet, Crochet Chic, Handmade

Crochet Camping Throw – Tutorial

This is the ultimate easy-to-make crochet project – a fabulous, brightly coloured, enormous granny square, finished with a great fun border. It is a perfect blanket and you will have it for years and years, be it as a picnic blanket, a baby blanket, a throw for the sofa, a bedspread or an essential camping companion, which is what I use this one as! I’ve used a hardwearing merino yarn that you don’t need to worry about being used and abused – it can take it! Yarn Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran (100% merino superwash) Aran (worsted-weight) yarn, 50g (1¾ oz), 100m (109yd) balls 4 balls in Sun Yellow 67 (A) 4 balls in Coral 78 (B) 4 balls in Melon 06 (C) 2 balls in Red 08 (D1) 2 balls in Brick Red 07 (D2) 4 balls in Candy 16 (E) 2 balls in Cream 61 (F1) 2 balls in Natural 60 (F2) Hook and equipment 4.5mm (US G/6 or H/8) crochet hook Large tapestry needle Size 123 x 123cm (48½ x 48½ in) Tension 5 groups of 3tr and 4 ch2 spaces, and 8 rows over 10cm (4in) using 4.5mm (US G/6 or H/8) […]

Mar 16

by bibelotm_wp in Craft, Creative, Interview 0 comments tags: Gretel Parker, Handmade, Needle Felting

Gretel Parker – Interview

Gretel Parker invites us into a miniature wonderland where pink cats perch, geese zoom around on wheels and elegant ladybirds don handbags and rouge. But how are these fantastical creatures made? Gretel uses the little-known art of needle felting – for the uninitiated, this involves taking a handful of wool and jabbing it repeatedly with a needle until it takes form – to bring her little animals to life. To see the technique in action, have a look at the video tutorial on her website. Bibelot joined Gretel to talk about the healing power of creativity and how to avoid stabbing yourself in the finger. 1. What first attracted you to needle felting? Frankly, I wasn’t at all interested in it at all to begin with. Previously, I was a freelance illustrator and artist. My speciality was painting old imaginary toys, which I often posted pictures of on my blog. I had a few comments suggesting that I should ‘needle felt’ them. This was back in 2008, when needle felt was only just beginning to trickle over to the UK and very few people knew about it – including me. I did some Googling and wasn’t impressed with what I saw. […]

Feb 19

by bibelotm_wp in Competition, Craft, Creative, Interview 5 comments tags: Earrings, Handmade, Jewellery, Lasercut, Lorelai, Necklace, Win

Lorelai Halls – Interview + Competition!

Colour, pattern and 60’s kitsch; a groovy new jewellery brand inspired by all things retro – we’re sold! Lorelai shares her future ambitions, guilty pleasures, and what she’s learned about running a creative business, with Bibelot. 1. What was the first piece of jewellery you ever made? In primary school, I used to make earrings and necklaces from small toys and other bits and bobs. Once I dismantled a necklace full of fruit charms to make in to earrings, which I then sold to my friends for £1 a pair. So I guess it’s only natural that I gravitated back towards jewellery making as an adult. 2. The 60s and 70s clearly influence your work. What is it about the past that captures your imagination? I have always loved vintage styles in clothing and homewares and I particularly love the Sixties and Seventies because of all the bright colours and psychedelic patterns. I shop in vintage and charity shops for all of my clothes and home decor, and I take a lot of my design inspiration from my own collection as well as from museums and other vintage collectors’ Instagram accounts! 3. What is your creative space like? […]

Jan 18

by bibelotm_wp in Craft, Guests 0 comments tags: DIY, Fabric, Handmade, Liberty Fabric, Make, Sew, Up-cycle

Liberty Print Elbow Patches – Live it Love it Make it

What a treat to be posting a tutorial on Bibelot, we hope you like what we have in store! We decided to keep it British and use some lovely Liberty print fabric we had lying around to jazz up a plain jumper. I do love an elbow patch, maybe it’s the geek in me! So I thought it would be great to update the look. You will need: Jumper Scissors Pinking shears Fabric Bondaweb Patch pattern (in whatever shape you want – I went oval, but you could do heart, diamond etc) Embroidery thread Needle Tape measure Tailors chalk Iron You will need to pop your jumper on so that you know where your patches need to go. Use some tailors chalk to mark where your elbows sit and a rough idea of top/bottom and edges so that when you take off the jumper you will have it nice and straight. Use your tape measure to measure down from the shoulder seem so that they sit around the same area on each side. Cut out a rough size piece of fabric and add the bondaweb to the back. Using your […]

Nov 23

by bibelotm_wp in Craft, Creative 0 comments tags: Handmade, Instagram, Lucky Dip Club

Lucky Dip Club Meet Up

This month the first EVER Lucky Dip Club Meet Up happened at The Hoxton Hotel and it was set to be a night filled with the kind of fun that this particular Club specialises in; rainbows, popping candy, kittens – you know the drill. Featuring workshops with some of the hottest names on the scene, we knew this event would be irresistible and that we absolutely had to take a look. The lineup featured pompom making with Caboodle magazine, retro brooch painting with Hollie Harris, unicorn marshmallow decorating (and mostly eating) with B from with Nugget and Mallow, and superbly kitsch kitten decorating with In Twos and Threes. With Kelly of Sun Jellies fame on party bag duty, our lives were complete. At The Hoxton we discovered a room filled with people who knew one another by their creative work and the Instagram community, rather than in REAL life. It was everything we had hoped it would be; Lucky Dip Club came to life in a world of candy floss, pastel paints and huge happy mantras floating like flags. We overheard people being addressed by their Instagram handles and girls getting to know one another around wonderfully overcrowded tables, […]

Oct 21

by bibelotm_wp in Craft 0 comments tags: Handmade, JaneFoster, Miffy

Miffy

Dutch artist, Dick Bruna created the classic children’s character, Miffy, in 1955 whilst on a rainy seaside holiday in North Holland. A little bunny kept hopping around the garden of his holiday home – he sketched it by day and at night Dick Bruna made up stories about it to entertain his one year old son. That bunny later became Miffy. 60 years later, there are 33 storybooks about Miffy, which have sold over 85 million copies and are translated in more than 50 languages. Now published in the UK by Simon and Schuster, 16 Miffy storybooks have been refreshed for a modern British audience by award winning poet, Tony Mitton and are available from all good bookshops. Give something unique this ‘Miffymas’! Acclaimed Crafter Jane Foster is making a limited edition set of handmade Miffy cushions (RRP £34) using vintage and retro fabrics, just in time for Christmas. Set to be released on the 1st November at 9am, there will only be 20 of these cushions available. Handmade in Britain using vintage and retro fabric from the ‘60s and ’70s, these pieces are truly unique. The 20 products will be available from Jane’s online shop. […]