a sprinkling of gold 

As I write, it is the eve of a new school year. Bittersweet. Trying to squeeze every last drop of sunshine and of freedom from these last days!
 My small boy has been asking me to make him a golden crown for some time now, its been on my summer list of 'luxury tasks' I wanted to make time for. He chose all the colours and shapes/symbols and I worked from his simple drawing. He waited impatiently, I stitched while he slept and while he ran wild with the cousins long after bedtime...it seems to celebrate the elusive sun of an Irish summer  : )

I would've loved some golden thread to weave in here and there but alas, I was on the road with limited supplies though I did find copper in my small box of tricks. I worked with pure wool felt, next time I'd favour my own handmade felt... I keep seeing a sunset crown in my mind's eye : )

 I've been lucky enough to be around some other crafty mamas who've inspired a creativity different to the kind I've come from. Thanks to Liz and our school Craft Group, projects like this are an ease and a pleasure now where I totally shyed away from stitching before.

Speaking of the promise of gold, heres a silk we dyed with onion skins. Still fantasising about how I could use it as a panel in a nuno felted garment... maybe. It's subtle hues are lost in translation here. I've been told the colour shines through more beautifully when the silk is ironed, somehow the use of an iron just doesn't seem to be in my nature ; )

Another fun thing to be borne of this summer were a few sweet hogs. It all started when my lovely niece and I sat up late one night crafting pom poms (hers was gorgeous). Next day I thought 'what to do with a pom pom..?' hmmmn and wondered if I could needle felt wool into it. I'm constantly amazed with how wool wants to fuse with wool in all kinds of felting contexts. This works! 

Children seem to really fall for these little guys, their softly spiked and rounded bodies feel delightful in the hand. I was thinking it would be an ideal handwork project where wool is used for its therapuetic properties. And it makes a really warm toy. 
Amazed to find conkers on our local river walk when it's barely September, smallie filled his pockets and once home carefully left them for the hedgehogs to nibble on. I happened upon this scene on the living room rug : )

Autumn has indeed crept up on us this year. Welcome!