What Delilah Did

And the Cindermice Stitch-Along winners are...

The winner of the grand prize for our overall favourite photograph is...Christina Snellgrove!

Nicole and I were blown away by all of your fantabulous #cindermicestitchalong entries and saw some especially excellent eleventh hour photos submitted in the final days, but after much deliberation we agreed that Christina (aka @gussetsandgodets) had really gone above and beyond the call of duty when it came to capturing such wonderfully imaginative images of her little mousie characters.

We struggled to choose just one of her pictures - the above is probably my personal favourite, but the four below are some more examples of the almost impossible cuteness to be found in her feed. Well done Christina!

    

    

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NEW CATEGORY

The winner of my favourite unique Cindermouse variation is...

Miranda Mae Turton!

This wasn't even a category originally but one of my favourite things about this stitch-along has been seeing the unique variations that some of you have made to my Cindermice patterns, and I felt that this little beauty of Miranda's deserved a special prize - she has combined the Cindermouse body, Fairy Godmouse dress and Mouse Charming crown to create the most beautiful little Princess Cindermouse - well done Miranda! For your prize you get to choose any kit from my shop, be it hoop kit, cushion kit or supply kit :)

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 And the runners-up are...

(L-R: @weefairytales, @sophiemay103, @fairygirltoo, @doesmostthings,@misslavelli, @nanniebirdie, @lemmingkings, @zusenfluf, @daisyeyes)

 

...all of you!

This race really was a very close run thing, and choosing the main winners wasn't easy at all; it genuinely could have gone any number of ways and I think that everyone has done such a stellar job and put in such a lot of effort that I want to offer a personal thank you treat to all of you who submitted images of your projects!

And so, I am offering everybody who took part in the Instagram contest a free What Delilah Did PDF pattern from my shop; yay! You can pick any one of these that you'd like. To claim your pattern, just send me a private message to @whatdelilahdid on Instagram (from the account where you shared your pictures), telling me which pattern you would like and which email address you would like me to send it to :)

 

Thanks again for taking part; it's been a ball!

 

Delilah x

The one where I make a cosy floral blanket cape for Mollie Makes

 

A few months ago Mollie Makes asked if I would turn this £3 Ikea blanket into a pretty cape for them - I can't deny that I was a little dubious about it to begin with, partly because I generally only work with natural linen and cotton fabrics, and partly because I thought it would take me an eternity to make (when the deadline was super-tight), since blankets are obviously massive and embroidery is small and time consuming.

I persevered with the idea though, and I am so glad I did because it turned out really nicely and was an absolute pleasure to stitch. Sometimes I think it is a very good thing to push your boundaries and try something totally different; the unknown is where the magic happens after all!

 

 

To make the project work, I decided to use a combination of leftover knitting yarn and tapestry wool to make big, chunky, freehand stitches that are simple to copy, beautifully textural to look at, and cover a very large area in a relatively short space of time. Bargainous supplies, enjoyable stitching and a usable finished object = a very satisfying project.

 

 

If you'd like to make yourself one you can find all the details on page 40 of the latest Mollie Makes (issue 61, pictured above) - and if you share your make on Instagram be sure to tag it with #whatdelilahdid as I'd love to see it!

Delilah x

PS, I saw that Ikea make that blanket in cream and red too - if I was making one to keep for myself, I'd go for cream with pretty coloured flowers; perfect for keeping on the back of my sofa ready for winter swaddling.

Fairy Godmouse PDF pattern + a stupendous grand prize!

Fairy Godmouse, the third and final character in the Cindermice Stitch-Along, is now available as a PDF pattern in my shop!

Hop over to order your copy and complete your set of beautiful little mice in time for Christmas.

We have put together this rather stupendous Grand Prize for our favourite #cindermicestitchalong photo on Instagram and you have until 25th December to submit your photos!

The prize is jam packed with goodies, including bright and beautiful 100% wool felt sheets and balls, gold glitter fabric, pretty ribbons and gold striped baker's twine from Cloud Craft; and one of a kind loveliness from me in the form of a peg doll trophy, handmade feather necklace, a special edition green and pink Fanciful Flutterbies cushion kit and some stitchable postcards.

Thank you to all of you who have taken part in this stitch-along. Nicole and I have loved every minute and we hope you have too :)

Delilah x

Another Kind of Trophy

Watching all of you share your Cindermice Stitch-Along photos has brought be so much joy that I wanted to give a little something back. So I have been busy dreaming up a stupendous prize for the winner of our favourite photo competition, something really special that money can't buy. The first part of it is this trophy doll - she has taken me the best part of two days to make and is completely one of a kind. I have poured all of my thanks into her and hope that she will be cherished by the winner for always.

More exciting things from both me and Cloud Craft will be added to the winner's pot in the coming week so this will definitely be a prize worth winning. The final kits will soon be on their way, followed by the release of the final PDF pattern, and then the race is on to submit your photos by Christmas Day. I can't wait to see what else you come up with!

Delilah x

Little Skein Interview + Secret Garden Knitting

A couple of months ago Annie from Little Skein in the Big Wool contacted me to ask if I would consider being interviewed for her shopcast, as part of the activities surrounding the launch of her Secret Garden knitting kit. Now, if you have followed me for a while, you will know that as well as being addicted to stitching, I am also a voracious knitter. So when Annie explained a bit more about her project I just couldn't say no.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Little Skein, it is a small independent knitting business with a bit of a twist. Annie makes limited edition kits based on classic children's books, with an exclusive pattern inspired by the story, luxurious fine yarns, custom project bags and all manner of associated optional notions and add-ons, like copies of the book in question, sweet little themed stitch markers, handmade porcelain buttons and metal shawl clips, and other lovely items that fit with the theme. For her latest kit, the Secret Garden Shawl (a beautiful, super-soft, leafy wrap designed by Alana Dakos), I was one of these add-ons. Or at least my book, Secret Garden Embroidery, was.

Annie normally sticks to knitting but, like me, she is easily persuaded into other crafts too, so my embroidered take on the secret garden theme fitted right in. In the shopcast we talk about how Secret Garden Embroidery was made, my inspirations and experience of running a craft business, stitching, knitting and myriad other things. Our connection wasn't great so you will need to bear with the sound at times, but Annie was so charming to talk to that the resulting interview is really quite lovely. You can listen to it here.

As a thank you for taking part, Annie very generously offered to send me one of the shawl kits to have a go at myself, and I cannot tell you how much of a treat it was to receive. In fact when I came to choose my options, I was so enchanted by the kit that I ended up buying some extras from her too. The kits are now officially sold out, but Annie has said that she will try to put a few more in her shop in case any of you would like one too - thanks Annie! Find them here. They are not cheap, but my goodness do they live up to the 'Luxe' in the name. The new kit, Salutations (based on Charlotte's Web), looks similarly spectacular.

As you will see from my photographs, I have been so overrun with Cindermice that I have only gotten as far as winding my skeins into balls (my shawl should look like this when it is finished), but even this was a pleasure because the yarn feels divine. And I get to use my wonderful wool winder and nostepinne. The former was a gift from my grandparents and it has revolutionised my knitting. I used to spend approximately five hours trying to wind a skein into a ball from the back of a chair, or contorted on the floor with the wool around my knees. This led to nothing but knots and frustration. The wool winder makes it infinitely easier. And as a bonus, I am totally in love with the box it came in. Utilitarian and stylish and lovely. Why don't more things look like that these days? I got my nostepinne from Unravel earlier in the year (much better looking and easier to store than those new-fangled plastic things). The other thing in the picture is my yarn butler, a present from last Christmas which I don't know how I lived without. No more chasing balls of wool around the floor and picking off the bits of fluff they collect on their way. I need another four of them.

Oh, knitting how I love you!

Delilah x

Disclaimer: I received the Secret Garden Shawl Kit as a thank you gift from Annie at Little Skein and was under no obligation whatsoever to write about it; I did so because it is lovely and I thought you might like it too!

Mouse Charming

Kit No.2 from the Cindermice Stitch-Along is now on sale at Cloud Craft, and it's a corker - meet Mouse Charming!

If you signed up for the whole series of kits at the start then there is already a Mouse Charming kit reserved for you at Cloud Craft HQ, but if not then hop over and order yours now.

I know I shouldn't have favourites, but this little guy is mine. His tailcoat and epaulettes just kill me with their cuteness. And despite looking quite complicated, he is actually quite a lot easier to make than Cindermouse, I think.

I love photographing these little mice. I really like working with small things and think there may have to be a couples photoshoot in my not too distant future, to celebrate the love of Cinders and our dapper prince.

One of my favourite things about this whole project is seeing the adventures that your mice have been getting up to as part of the #cindermicestitchalong on Instagram:

  

Photo credits @gussetsandgodets, @susiefish60, @bobbypinbandit.

It's going to be so hard to choose a favourite for our prize at the end!

Delilah x

Free Workshops @ The Handmade Fair

It is so busy around here at the moment that I just realised I haven't had a chance to tell you about this yet!

I will be running free drop-in workshops at The Handmade Fair this Friday (18th September) - find me in the Mollie Makes tent between 1pm and 4pm.

We'll be cross stitching a selection of my most teeny tiny patterns and I'll have a few different fabrics with me, so if you are a complete beginner and want to get started, or want to make the leap from aida to linen, come along and have a go.

See you there!

Delilah x

Coming Autumn 2015

I can't wait for you all to meet this little lady and her friends! Register for updates here.

Delilah x

Happy Things: 4th August 2015

An exciting delivery arrived with the postman: it's the Korean edition of Secret Garden Embroidery! The cover looks so amazing; I just love it. How is it that the Koreans are at least fifteen times better at creating beautiful paper goods than the rest of us? They truly have the golden touch.

I am currently surrounded by bundles of felt and pretty supplies, for a new and top secret project I am working on with Cloud Craft. I am buzzing about it quite a lot. It is very cool. It's for a bit later in the year, but if you keep your eyes peeled there may just be some glimpses of it coming up soon...

My sweet peas are in bloom - sweet and simple and perfect. I didn't even know they were there; they just popped up. Sweet peas always remind me of this book. As soon as I saw them I wanted to read it again, but my copy is still packed up in a box somewhere and I can't get to it. I do so miss my books. Unpacking them when the house is further along will feel like Christmas come early (assuming it happens before Christmas that is. I live in hope!).

We can't really use the new garden at the moment, but just having one is lovely - the promise of how it will be in the future is enough for now. And seeing all the little surprises bloom from nothing is quite exciting in its own small way. I wanted to make a list of them so that I didn't accidentally pull the sleeping bulbs out when I come to tidy things up later, but that hasn't happened... Never enough time. Once the house is habitable I can turn my attention to cultivating some green fingers. I hope.

And I found these brilliant, huge ball headed pins for my notice board. Small things like this make me so happy! They are the exact shade of zingy turquoise as the Korean book cover. The notice board itself has yet to arrive but it is eagerly anticipated. It is for my studio, which is slowly coming together, but I am being very impatient about it all. It has been such a long time coming. Almost ten months since we took this house on and still not ready. Hmph. It will be lovely when it is done though. It had better be! I will show you when we get there.

Delilah x

Secret Garden Embroidery: New Felt Kits

Afternoon lovelies. Thank you so much for all of your orders and love for the new book. I always get incredibly nervous when I release something new, so it means a great deal to me when you take the time to write and tell me you're enjoying it. Thank you, thank you! I am excited to start seeing pictures of your projects from the book - I just discovered Instagram hash tags and have been looking at all of your wonderful #whatdelilahdid projects. I can't quite get into posting pictures there myself but I will be sure to keep a closer eye on all of your makes there from now on. It makes me so happy to see them! 

In shop news, I think I finally got the launch kit quantities right this time around to avoid disappointing people. They seem to be holding up quite well, though the Honey Bee Pin Cushion kits are almost all gone. I hope you have all managed to get the ones you wanted - if not you can find them here.

And today there is one more kit to add to the mix! Have you ever seen flags as pretty as those in my Arbour Alphabet? Love them. They are probably my most favourite project of all from the book and I knew I wanted to make a kit from them, but whenever I have tried to source 100% wool felt to make kits with in the past, I haven't been able to get the stuff without it making the kits prohibitively expensive. However, a chance meeting with Nicole Twena from Cloud Craft last September has now remedied that - hurrah! The two of us have teamed up to produce these beautiful flags as a limited edition supply kit, available in a bundle with the book or on its own (if you already have the book) from Nicole's shop.

These kits are seriously lovely, and you get a lot of bang for your buck - felt, waste canvas, threads, needle, ribbon... Each kit contains enough materials to make four flags (enough to spell out home/love/wish/etc.), or you can buy multiple kits if you want to spell out a longer name or word. I made the flags into 'Willow' name bunting for my newest niece at Christmas and it hangs beautifully in her nursery; the perfect new baby gift.

Find the kits here in Nicole's shop.

Delilah x