Vintage Knitted Slippers Pattern

A while ago I wrote here about some lovely knitted slippers I purchased at our local thrift shop and so many of you have asked me for the pattern which I didn't have.  My comfy slippers have now sadly worn through on the balls of the feet, perhaps because I wear them just about every day!

Well good news! I found a loose piece of paper inside an old craft book I purchased the other day which turned out to be a photocopy of a pattern for some knitted slippers.  I couldn't believe my luck!  So for all you home knitters who would like some cosy slippers for winter, here is the pattern.

I can't trace it's source therefore cannot give credit to its author but it does look rather old, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind someone at home making a pair for themselves...

You will need to click on the picture to enlarge it.

Although I can knit, there are many people who are much better than I, so hopefully I might be able to trade something in exchange for someone making me a pair...

Happy knitting!

Yellow & Grey

 

Cheery yellow wool ready to be made into a little cape for winter.   Although I suppose yellow is traditionally a spring/summer colour,  I just love yellow when the weather is cooling off and the leaves are starting to fall.   It is rather happy and warm don't you think?

I'm planning to pair it with this soft grey and gold cotton lining, and some of my handmade wooden buttons to fasten.

I think this weekend will involve some raking.  The leaves from our old oak tree are falling thick and fast and gathering in drifts around the pots and doorways. Quite lovely really.

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend and see you back on Monday.

xx

Red Poppies for Anzac Day

Art by Laura Milner Iverson

Today is Anzac day here and I have some poppy things on my work table.  

A little purse I made from lovely soft recycled linen embroidered using a simple chain stitch, and some tiny baby shoes from a beautiful vintage doily I found some time ago.  The artwork is by Laura Milner Iverson.

Our family will also be making Anzac cookies.  This year I plan to use the classic recipe from the NZ Anzac memorial site you can also find here.  It makes a chewy, moderately sweet cookie.

Recipe

Melt 115g butter and 1.5 tablespoons of golden syrup. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Mix in 1 cup of rolled oats, 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of coconut, ½ cup of sugar. 

Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto baking paper, and bake until a pale golden colour (about 15 minutes) at 180°C.

Happy baking everyone!

Old Stitchery Books

I loved poking through the old needlecraft books at the local book fair over Easter - I found these little beauties for just $1.

The idea of a "stitchery walk" on the last pic is wonderful and I hope to make my own soon.  The idea is that you take a walk around your neighbourhood, or the seaside or anywhere really and recreate what you saw by stitching it onto fabric.  You can include houses, gardens, trees etc.  This is such a nice idea and a fun thing to do with children I think.

Isn't it lovely how the same simple stitches have been used by generations of women over the years.  Hopefully I will be able to teach our little poppet to embroider, just as my great grandma would have taught my gran.

Happy stitching everyone.

xx

Tomato Seed Saving Tutorial

I bought a bunch of heirloom tomato seeds about fours years ago and since then, each year I have saved the seeds ready for planting the following year.

Here is a tutorial of the process I use, so you can give it a go yourself -  it is really easy.

Have you noticed tomato seeds have gel like coating around them?   This stops them from germinating immediately when falling on the ground at the end of summer.  What we are doing in this seed saving process is naturally removing this "gel" so when you plant them, they will pop right up.

Select the BEST tomato on your plant for seed saving.  You only need one, as the seeds in one tomato will be more than enough for you, your neighbours, friends and family!

Scoop the tomato seeds into a jar and add some water.  Place a lid on top but don't screw it on.

Leave them for a few days to a week until they get a bit of a mouldy crust on the top.  Sometimes this process can smell a little so the gardening shed is a good place.

Rinse the seeds.  I like to slide the crust off the top, then tip them into a fine sieve and rinse under the tap.

Dry the seeds on some baking paper (not paper towels).  Label and when dry, store in a cool dark place until ready for planting the following year.

Super easy and free - just the way we like it :)

I have saved quite a few seeds from this year - enough to give a few packets away, so if you would like some just leave me a comment here then drop me an email at thebiglittleshop@gmail.com with your address and I'll send you some.  (New Zealand addresses only because of postal restrictions on seeds.)

Happy growing!

Lisa x

Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Ok, so it might seem a little late for posts about Easter but I just found these pics on my camera...

Easter seems to be all about chocolate these days, but we opted for hot cross buns for our Easter treat this year. These homemade lovelies weren't baked by me or my honey, they were the handiwork of Poppet's granny. 

As we were visitng the Grandparents this Easter, my honey put in his request for "hot cross buns coming out of the oven on his arrival"  Cheeky devil :)  Although I must say, they were really good!

These were Poppet's first ever hot cross buns and she approved too.  I think she would have happily eaten them all day if only we would let her...

Here is her recipe if you would like to try them.  I think they would make lovely buns year round, if you left off the cross :) 

HOT CROSS BUNS:

4 cups bread flour (high grade)
1 – 2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp salt
½ cup caster sugar
30gr (1 oz) fresh yeast or 3 tsp/1 sachet easy blend yeast
112g (4 oz) butter
1 cup sultanas
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup lukewarm milk


Sift flour with salt and spice; rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, stir in sultanas. Make a well in the centre. Add yeast and sugar to warm milk to dissolve completely. Add yeast mixture with beaten eggs to the flour, mixing well to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. Shape into ball and place in a clean, greased bowl. Turn dough over so that top is greased. Cover and leave to rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, approximately 1½ hours.

Turn risen dough onto lightly floured board and gently press out to 1cm thickness. Divide into 16 pieces (or 20 for smaller buns) and shape each into a small ball. Place buns on greased oven tray, cover and leave in warm place to rise until a good bun size. Bake in hot 200˚C for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with glaze, put back into open, off, oven to dry. Pipe white icing crosses on each bun.

Yum xx

Horsing Around

Last weekend Poppet sat on her first real life horse! 

Her daddy is an experienced horseman, and has been dying to share his love of horses with his little girl.   Although she was a little small to go for a ride, she did all the right things. Held on and even managed a pat or two.  Daddy was so proud :)

She is really gentle with animals and pats very carefully, it is ever so sweet.

I hope she maintains and develops this love of animals. I think it is so important for children to learn empathy for other living things and it would seem that caring for animals would be a lovely way to begin that journey.

Unfortunately we are not allowed pets we were are living, but I am looking forward to having some furry friends around sometime in the future.

Butterfly Pixie Hat

I actually made this hat a little while ago - but with autumn on our doorstep and the start of making this season's woolen embroidered winter coats , it seemed a good time for it to come out of the box. It was made with lots of love to keep a certain little noggin of ours snug and warm ready for this winter.

Hankering after something sweet and girly, I decided to use a similar butterfly design to the one used a while ago for my Bambi cape.  A simple design, but I think it has enough detail...

This beautiful lilac wool is a recycled sweater in a blend of angora and cashmere.  It is gorgeously soft and feels amazing to touch. 

I made a bunch of snowflake pixie hats from this sweater last year, and this wee hat used up the last of the lilac, but have recently sourced a bunch more yummy sweaters in a variety of colours.  Yay!

I am almost wishing the cooler weather to arrive so she can wear it :) 

In the meantime I plan to enjoy the warmth while we still have some, and spend some time outside playing in the leaves with Poppet.  She just loves scrunching them between her fingers and hearing them crackle. 

Wonderful that small things like this hold such delight!

Xx

PS:  I do plan to make more of these little sweeties ready for the winter if you would like one :)thebiglittleshop@gmail.com   

Grandma's Beach

 

The beaches are lovely at this time of the year.  The searing heat has gone along with the crowds, but there are plenty of small "beachy treasures" still to be found. 

Poppet collected a bunch of finds to hand one by one to Grandma.  Shells are a favourite - I guess they look like precious jewels to small eyes.

Lovely she is able to spend this time together with her Grandparents - they have such a special relationship growing already. 

Xx

Pirate Jacket Pattern Release!

 My Pirate Jacket PDF Pattern is finally here!  

We all know there are loads of gorgeous garments out there for girl's - so I wanted to create something super cool you can make for the boys...

The pattern comes in sizes 12 months - 4 years.  Fantastic for using up leftover pieces of fabric, or even repurposing inexpensive garments from an op shop/thrift store.  Old blankets and tweed trousers are perfect!

It is an EASY SEW pattern, a confident beginner would be able to complete this easily.  

There are some hand sewing elements which add to the time involved - but handmade takes a little time and that is where the love comes in, right?!   

The pattern includes templates for the:

• Treasure Map
• Dagger
• Loot Bag
• Buckle
• Pirate Flag...  

Everything you need to create this super cool little coat.

I would like to say a big thank you to all my pattern testers who have each made a little coat (or two!) and provided fantastic feedback. 

I thought you might like to see their finished results.  Louana and Joan are not professional sewers, just everyday (wonderful) people with a love of crafting.  How amazing are their coats :)

So if you would like to have a go at making a Pirate Jacket for a little person you know, you will find the pattern for sale in my shop here.

Happy sewing, and I would love to see pictures!

Finally, I am now starting on a pattern for a special girl's Pirate Jacket.  If you have any ideas, or elements you would like to see, leave me a comment or email me at thebiglittleshop@gmail.com.  

xx