Crafting a little felt bunny & shop news

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Hi everybody,

what a turbulent start to the new year. On top of pandemic fatigue (yes, it's a thing).

We've been in a partial lockdown since January and by the end of February it will be one year that I've been sheltering at home with the occasional trips to the supermarket. Plus earlier this month we were hit by a massive snow storm - which, if you have been following my blog for some time - you will know is quite unusual. My area is known for rain, but not snow or subzero temperatures. We were completely snowed in for an entire week, and I'm just glad I had the foresight to stock up on food.

I remain hopeful that with more and more people getting vaccinated there will be a shift by the end of this year. Until then we will still need to remain cautious and follow the hygiene guidelines including wearing a mask.  

Needless to say the international trade fair that I used to go to every year won't be taking place this year. Instead there will be a digital version. I am curious how that will work out, and I truly hope it will be better than the zoom meeting I had the other day with about twenty other people - one guy obviously had his laptop on his coffee table, because we were looking at his knees the entire time haha. Don't do this.

Anyway, on to the purpose of this blog post. If you have been following me on instagram you will have noticed that I've barely posted anything crafty. Truth is that I've been feeling unmotivated and seem to have lost my creative mojo. I was really unhappy about it and tried to combat it by going through diy magazines, looking for inspiration online and I even bought a few sewing/crafting books to get me going. Thankfully one of these books reignited my creative spark! 

Making Marmalade (this is what the bunny is called) by illustrator Simone Gooding is a sewing book that uses wool felt and quilting fabrics. It looks simple enough, but don't be fooled - there is a lot of handstitching involved and some of the steps aren't explained - it is assumed that you have basic sewing knowledge. So if you have made dolls/animals before and especially doll clothes, this book is for you. For beginner sewists it is not.

The projects are divided into seasons. The main project revolves around Marmalade and corresponding seasonal outfits, plus an adorable baby bunny (see above). I appreciate that there are large photos of the finished projects as well as close up pics throughout the book. And Simone's illustrations, of course, are lovely. I just went ahead and made a few projects regardless of the current season, with a few changes here and there to suit my taste. Marmalade measures about 12 inches. You need a lot of patience sewing doll clothes this small.

Instead of glass eyes I simply stitched the eyes with black embroidery yarn. I used cream colored and white felt for the body and exchanged some felted items with my favorite fabrics. I especially love how the sweet pillow and quilted blanket turned out. You don't require a lot of fabric for these projects - all of the fabric I used here are from my remnant bin! One of the best things about this book - the patterns at the back of the book are all actual size!

Now that my creative flow is back I will be continue making outfits for bunny (I think there are two outfits left) and I also have spring/summer craft ideas lined up. Can't wait to share :)

Note: this is not a sponsored post or book review. 

In shop news...

As mentioned in my previous post I have been waiting for fabric deliveries longer than usual due to the pandemic. Thankfully this spring collection by acufactum is now on its way to me. Just looking at these fabrics makes me happy. The details are adorable. Honestly I can't wait for Spring!

Easter post card in soft pastel green from April Rose 

Well that's it from me. I hope this post brings a spot of cheer to your day! Stay safe and healthy and let's do our best to look out for each other.

Final Post in 2020 plus Fabric News & April Rose

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Hi everyone!

2020 is coming to an end and what a tough year it's been for all of us! Especially these last few months have really taken their toll, as I was anxiously watching the US election. My brother and family live there so it does affect me. While I am truly relieved at the outcome and eternally grateful for everyone that came out and voted despite the pandemic, I'm only cautiously optimistic as Joe Biden hasn't been sworn in yet. Even as I write this the current occupant of the White House is implementing destructive policies - honestly, Jan. 20th cannot come soon enough! If you want to know what totalitarianism looks like - check out my childhood home of Hong Kong. Within just one year this vibrant, efficient and sometimes quirky world city has turned into a police state! Ordinary, hard working citizens can and are being snatched off the street for arbitrary reasons by the new "special police". Ring any bells? Hong Kong is officially dead and I can't even begin to describe my screwed up feelings. I'll save that for another post. Top this off with the turmoil in the US plus the raging pandemic (the vaccine will probably only be available to the general public mid to end of next year) and a wannabe dictator vying for the position of chancellor in the election here next year - is it any wonder that my anxiety levels are through the roof?

Sorry, I just needed to vent. Better move on to the pleasant part of this post...

I'm not sure if I've shown these before, but the latest fabrics by Tilda are all about sweet roses in mauve, mint, warm orange and sand. There are some cute buttons to complement the range.

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Some lovely Christmas fabrics from German company acufactum have arrived recently. I'm happy to say that most of these have sold out, but they are on back order and should be back in stock mid-December!

In the card department I have a lovely range of postcards with Christmas motifs and all sorts of useful items for gift wrapping from Krima & Isa. 

And last but not least there's a wonderful collection of retro inspired Christmas card sets with a "Keep Calm" motto from my lovely friend Siobhan at April Rose. These are exclusively available in my shop. Each set contains eight cards with two designs to easily mix and match and included white envelopes. 

If you're wondering I have temporarily switched off the English version of my shop, because there is a bug that needs to be fixed. I do, however, ship to countries outside Germany. Simply drop me a line if you're interested - duni.buesken(at)gmx(de).

For those who wanted to know - after nursing little Sumi back to health she's is doing much better now, even with just one eye. This makes me happy and I'm so proud of her!

Finally, I just wanted to let all of my long time readers know I appreciate and think of you, even if I may not drop by your respective blogs that often. Wishing you all the blessings of peace and the spirit of love this Christmas season and let's all remain hopeful for the coming year. 

(p.s. I have been receiving loads of spam comments, so I have turned off comments for this post)

New arrival! Card range from April Rose

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April Rose

Hello lovelies,

as I mentioned in my previous post I had been collaborating with my good friend and illustrator Siobhan from April Rose on a new card range. Well, they've arrived fresh from the printers in the UK and are now available in my online shop! The range is a "Keep Calm" series that includes ten original designs in Siobhan's inimitable vintage retro style! I absolutely adore these. The cards are made from FSC certified 300 g paper and have a wonderful matte finish. Here are a few examples...

Apart from the craft-themed cards, there's one for people who love to bake, garden and more. Check them out and all the other cute items at Duni's Studio. 

As mentioned, the regular postal service from Germany to USA and Australia is still suspended, but with cards it shouldn't be a problem, because I can send those as documents. Just a heads up - there are a lot of shipping hold ups currently regardless of where you live, so expect a longer wait time. If you have any questions about these cards or shipping simply contact me at duni.buesken(at)gmx(dot)de.

For readers wondering how my sweet little cat Sumi is doing. Well, it's been touch and go for a while. She's just skin and bones now despite feeding her enriched food several times a day. The trauma of losing an eye seems to be a bit much for an 18 year old. She had been recovering in a room, which I had decked out in blankets and pillows and my heart simply soared when she finally left it on her own almost three weeks after the surgery. It's slow going, but she's learning how to navigate with one eye. Poor baby. My deep wish is that she improves daily and lives out her life as happy and comfortable as possible.

In the meantime, we have been steadily working on turning our garden into a low-maintenance one. We didn't realize when we started this project that it was going to be so time consuming! Then again, it's not like we're going anywhere what with the second wave of the pandemic sweeping through our country. We're keeping our fingers crossed that we finish the big jobs by the end of this year and maybe next year we can start on the fence construction. I admit, I'm not very adept at gardening and the big jobs mostly fall on my hubby's shoulders.

I will end this post with a picture of my handmade cat - which I had to sew twice, as the first one resembled a mouse ;-). Wishing you all a happy Sunday and stay safe wherever you may be in the world.