The Midget

Hi everyone!

I recently bought this hand held sewing machine in a box of jumble from my local antiques center. I can thread the top up but cannot do the bottom. Has anyone seen anything like this before?/got any advice?

It has 2 labels on it one saying "The Midget. Hemmer Stitcher. Automatic" and the other saying "Made In Japan".

Thanks,

Toby.

Presents galore!

Hi,

These are just some my wonderful birthday presents!

At the top is a watercolour card that my mum made me it is inspired by a pair of swedish curtains i was bidding for on eBay, but lost. Next is the present from my dad, it is a whole set of attatchments for my drill. After that are the trims and buttons that Dons ; http://www.countryhouseantiquetextiles.co.uk/ added to the package my mum bought, which was full of wonderful vintage fabrics my for my patch work quilt that i am making, which is in the next photo. Finally is the hand knitted scarf which my mum commissioned from our friend Sybille : www.magpiemagic.blogspot.com

Thankyou!

Toby.

25th March

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOBY !!

Bedroom

Toby made a model in wood, of a bedroom, in his Design and Technology lesson at school. He bought it home to decorate, painted it white all over, make the bedding, rope ladder up to the raised circular bed, all the bits and pieces. The wardrobe door has a button for a handle, what a suprise!!

Slack and link

Hello everyone, sorry to have been slack in blogging, but we have had a rather hectic week. Laurence has had a major operation on his spine, which was very worrying, and is in hospital the other side of Leeds (miles away), and my Mum was taken into casualty last week, so is in hospital as well, but a different one, in Halifax. So, Toby and i have been spending hours travelling in the evenings after school and work, eating sandwiches for dinner in the car, and visiting hospitals.
On a more positive note, more fame!! our blogging friend, Karen, has added a link to Toby's 'Attrills' range, on her website, have a look here:
http://ocellusartanddesign.co.uk/catalogue/links.php
Thanks Karen!
Penny.
x

Jewellery Workshop

Toby belongs to Woodcraft Folk http://www.woodcraft.org.uk/ they meet up each week, and for the session tonight I have volunteered to run a jewellery making workshop (they wanted Toby to, but he declined, said he would help me though) So, here are samples I have made to show the kids (Toby made the yellow one). I have bought keyrings, brooch backs, grips and also tried to use recycled or cheap materials, coloured electrical wires, parcel string etc. We will take along a box of goodies, safety pins, wire, felt, string, wool, cardboard, buttons and beads, and hopefully the kids will remember to bring along some things themselves. I am looking forward to seeing what they create!

Fame at last !!

This is really exciting, 'Attrills' have a link on a 'real' company website !! have a look here: http://www.makepiece.com/about/about2.html

Makepiece is the shop that stocks a range of Toby's jewellery, along with 2 other designers, Hannah, who has just graduated with a first class degree and makes jewellery with knitted linen and brass, and Claire, who is an established jewellery designer making beautiful pieces using twisted wire with beads and gemstones, there is a link to her website as well.

Makepiece is a local ethically run business making and selling their own designer knitwear, recently seen at The Paris fashion show, and London fashion week.

Spot the dog the bowl

Hi,

This is another result of my hard work at pottery class! This is a bowl, with holes in, that has been made using inlay techniques, a clear glaze, and a 'hump-mould'. First you roll out a slab of the base colour, in this case being terracotta, you thenmake whatever shapes you want in the other colour clay, stoneware buff, roll them into the base slab, and, drape over the mould till it has dried. You then fire it. this has just been dipped in a clear glaze to show the pattern. It also has a small spot of iron oxide in the middle of each spot.

Toby

x

Cats for sale, Bradford and indigo

Here are 2 little necklaces that Toby has made using tigertail strung with tiny seed beads and cat charms. When open, the white cat necklace is approx 43cm long, and the black cat on the moon is a little smaller, approx 40cm. Email Toby for prices and orders at: info@naturalattrill.co.uk

A cheque came in the post yesterday, hurrah!! Toby has sold a necklace set and a bracelet at the gallery in Bradford we told you about last year: www.uniquearts.co.uk

Laurence, Toby and I went to the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester on Sunday, for a family day out, which included a curry in Rusholme! As usual there were many interesting things to see at the Whitworth, paintings, textiles, and especially at the moment an exhibition: 'Indigo, a blue to dye for' was showing www.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth, well worth a visit. 'Indigo' will also be showing in Plymouth from mid May, and Brighton from end September this year.

Anyone reading this, please leave us a comment, it is good to hear from you!

Penny.

Scarf and Beads

We have made some knotted jewellery for our 'virtual' friend, Sybille, see her blog here: http://magpiemagic.blogspot.com/ After Sybille chose the colour of hemp she liked (from the photo we posted on our blog ages ago) Toby and I sorted through a vast collection of buttons and beads and laid out a selection that complimented the cord. I knotted up the little raspberry coloured bracelet, which is adjustable in size, it has a loop at one end and buttons to hook over at the other. Toby made the green lariat which can be worn as a necklace or wound round the wrist 3 times as a bracelet.

Sybille hand knitted me this wonderful scarf, it is striped, black, long, and really soft, made from various wools which I am afraid I dont know the names of, but Sybille will tell you if you ask. It arrived in the post yesterday morning and I have been wearing it ever since! Our house is quite cold (we dont have central heating) and so it is lovely to wear my new scarf in my studio.

Laurence commented that I'd be wearing a hat indoors next! so of course I went and put one on, but that was just too hot, and I couldnt hear properly, so it came off, but the scarf stayed, and I have been wearing it all day today as well (I did take it off to go to bed last night though!) There was also a suprise present with my scarf , that cute little beaded stick pin. Sybille will take commissions for hand knitted scarves when she has the time, ( I am after a green one next!!)best to contact her direct to discuss wools, colours, prices etc, and take my word for it, they are beautiful.

Incase you are wondering about Toby, and what he gets out of this, well, he and I have an agreement. He is doing really well with his jewellery business, and I help him with various things, lending him money for materials, sorting out paypal, writing emails sometimes, packaging and posting, I am the Natural Attrill taxi servive for deliveries to shops and also general helper, etc. If I want a piece of his jewellery for myself, or to give to someone as a present, he will (usually!) make it for me. This time Toby has also been after my old scarf, which is actually quite new, it's a mans, long, very soft, and dark green, which he is now has!

Penny.