Leeds Art Library craft session

On the first Wednesday of the month Leeds Art Library has a free craft session. I've been going for a few months now and it's always a lot of fun. The group is mostly ladies, and we bring projects to work on and share and there are instructions and ideas for more.

This week, a lovely lady called Margaret had some cute little things for us to make - a triangular thread catcher and a tiny crane.

Here's my little fabric box ... I think it would make a great gift with a few choccies inside (if any of my family are reading this you have just found out what you are getting for Christmas!).

And here's the crane. He is called Tsuru in Japanese. I am going to make more of these and put lavender inside (possibly as extra Christmas gifts!)

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Dorset buttons

This week was the monthly free craft session at the Art Library in Leeds. Each time is a different project or technique, usually taught by one of the attendees.

For June, the crafts were Suffolk puffs and Dorset buttons. Having been a WI Member for nearly three years I have made more Suffolk puffs than I've had hot dinners (or so it seems) but I've never made a Dorset button, so I gave that a go.

It's quite simple really - you take a curtain ring or similar circle, doesn't matter whether it's wood, metal, plastic, and do a blanket stitch all the way around the edge.

You then create spokes across the circle and weave in and out like a spider web.

Here are my efforts.

The little one is a glittery thread and is simply awesome. The big one is a lovely soft tapestry wool. I left that one open as the spokes look really cool. You can use all sorts of thread, wool or even ribbon, add beads, weave in different ways etc to make lots of different effects.

Did someone say: "But you don't have enough time for ANOTHER hobby"?!

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