The Cottage Smallholder

Goldfish in water hand painted silk lavender bag

It’s been all quiet on the eastern front for far too long so I thought that I’d show you what I’ve been doing while there has been a break in blog transmission.

Actually it’s been quite noisy here with the whirr of my sewing machine. The Min Pins want to sit with me as I work but the sound drives them dotty. They also hate the foot pedal and have a tendency to take a short cut over this. Sometimes with disastrous results and always evoking a roar from me. Their response is to stare into the middle distance and refuse any attempt at peace.~

I’ve been painting on silk. It took me a while to get the hang of it but once I’d worked out how to use the gutta to stop the paints creeping across the silk I began to have a lot of fun. I used an old box type picture frame as a frame for the silk. I did invest in silk pins, which hold the silk tight and don’t damage the material.

Hand painted silk lavender bags with satin ribbons

I’ve turned some of my painted silks into lavender bags. These deluxe bags are double lined inside with plain white silk – which looks pretty and makes them even more robust. The opening at the top is tied with a satin ribbon. These bags can be hand washed and are refillable.

Each silk bag is a unique original piece of art work. Some may be similar but they are all unique.

Talking about the whir of the sewing machine, my brain has been easing noisily into gear too. “What shall I paint on the silk?”
I decided to start simply with patterns and ditched the more adventurous ideas!

Selection of cotton lavender bags

I’ve also made some snazzy refillable/washable cotton bags with double hems. All of my bags for girls can be filled with either lavender or a spiced rose mix – both of these repel moths.

Last year the surprise success was the men’s shirt sachets. These hold a mix of fragrant anti moth herbs, spices and flowers. They smell gorgeous and The Chicken Lady’s husband S tells me that the scent has not faded in his chest of drawers since last Christmas. Last year this special mix was only available in organza bags. This year I have made small refillable pockets in gingham – these are a deep pillowcase design, have double hems and a neat button closure. Very robust and masculine.

These new designs are made to last for years and we will be offering refills in our online shop. All my lavender and spice mixes have been fixed with calamus root soaked in essential oils so that the scent will last for as long as possible. If the bags are placed in a confined space such as a wardrobe, airing cupboard or drawer, the scent will last for even longer.

The fantasy bird lavender bags, gingham hearts and organza filled bags that sold so well last year are also still available in my online shop. These new products will be available through my online shop by tomorrow evening – Danny is Master of the Emporium and he has gone to bed early having got up at 2.30 am to complete a task for work.

Meanwhile my sewing machine continues to whirr away, building up stocks. Danny is cooking supper every evening. And even doing all the washing up too.  Maybe if I keep on making things he will forget who used to do that and assume it is his regular duty.

We live in hope! That’s me and the Min Pins – more time to snuggle up together on the sofa under the rugs can only be a good thing.