Autumn

I went into Manchester this morning to visit the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair and was struck by how beautiful the city looks on a sunny autumn day. Sometimes I think trees make a city.

Didsbury craft fair

I'm very excited to say I'll be taking part in the One Big Craftea Charity Day at The Albert Club in Didsbury on Sunday. It'll be my first event in Manchester and I can't wait to get involved in the city's craft scene - fingers crossed it'll be a fabulous day for all!

Japanese cats

It was a very good friend's birthday a few weeks ago and to celebrate I made her this applique picture of two cats. It's based on a photograph another friend took of a drawing in a hostel in Hiroshima, Japan. I have no idea what the lady-cat is holding in her little paw, but I quite like that it's a mystery, and I love how serenely happy both cats seem to be.

Lavender pandas

The weather may be getting wintrier by the day and the nights may be drawing in, but all is chipper at Panda Perdu HQ, as I've been filling the place with these little darlings... lavender pandas! The name pretty much says it all - they're mini cushions filled with soft toy stuffing and lavender - and I can't stop making them!

The original lavender panda... this is the first one I made and has taken pride of place on the sofa 

Desk panda - to egg me on when I'm doing boring admin-ey type things

Lavender panda number three is guardian of the DVDs and particularly enjoys 24

Bathroom panda dreams of sailing the seven seas... if only he had a bigger boat

Quilting

I went to the Festival of Quilts 2012 at Birmingham NEC recently for work and was amazed at the variety and quality of the (very many!) designs on show. It was absolutely crowded and by the time I left, my head was spinning from information overload. Here are some my favourite quilts from the day (taken on my phone so please excuse the blurry nature of the photos).

I think I'd like to live in one of the houses in this quilt - very idyllic looking

This is my favourite design, I love how realistic it looks

Wish I could sew like this!

Everyone loves a landscape

New designs

It's been a bit quiet round here for a few months as I've been busy working on a new and exciting craft magazine that will be launched in February 2013... more of which later. 
I've also been cracking on with some new product designs for Panda Perdu, including a rather snazzy zip-top tote/cross-body bag which I'm quite excited about. Here 'tis:

You can't actually see the zip closure in this photo but trust me, it's pretty cool

The birdie applique design is something else I'm a bit proud of, he's quite a chubby little thing isn't he?!

Why I love Ted Baker

I used to think of the Ted Baker brand as, frankly, a bit chavvy. But over the last year or so it's been using some really beautiful prints on its clothes and has become one of my go-to high street stores for inspiration (and daydreaming about winning the lottery). Ted Baker handbags are often made of some sort of high-sheen plastic material which I find less inspiring - but a quick look at the website today has convinced me that the brand can make a good bag, too. Look at what I found...

The 'Parit' leather shopper bag

The 'Mollie' - from the Ted Baker/Brady bag collection

The 'Makani' maxi leather bag

A good day

I had such a good day today, for a number of reasons. The first is that last night I cycled home from work, Stockport to Altrincham. It's about ten miles and I was quite nervous about it as I've not done a lot of urban cycling; I tend to stick to country lanes. But I did it, and it was terrifying (anyone ever cycled on a roundabout in which four of the five exits are for the motorway? I was petrified), beautiful (I went right through the middle of Didsbury Golf Club) and absolutely exhilarating. When I got home I felt like I'd run a marathon or been to the moon or something much more impressive than just riding a pushbike along a few roads. Now I just need to figure out a way of avoiding that dreadful roundabout.

Today, I finished a few bags I'd been working on, had an inspiring chat with the lady who sells my handbags at the Bluecoat, followed by a very encouraging meeting with my business advisor about my bag-making shenanigans. All in all it was a very pleasant day indeed, despite the relentless rain. 

Detail from one of the bags I made today for the Landbaby shop at the Bluecoat

A small Panda Perdu satchel, also now on sale at Landbaby

Bottle plant pot

This afternoon I went into Manchester again to meet a friend in Teacup, a lovely but slightly pricey tearoom owned by the DJ Mr Scruff. I had an infusion tea which was disconcertingly called Brain Tonic Tea, and very nice it was. On the way in I spotted this plant pot, which is the cut-off bottom of a fizzy pop bottle, covered in printed paper. "What a great idea," I thought. So I'm off to finish the ginger beer so that I can create something similar!

The plant itself is a bit minimalist for my liking, but imagine the plant pot on a window-ledge in a kitchen, filled with parsley or other such herbs. Lovely

Northern Quarter discovery

This morning I ventured into Manchester to have a wander around the Northern Quarter. I used to go there quite a lot for my previous job, but every time I go I still discover something brilliant that I hadn't noticed before. This time, I found a shop called 'A Few Fine Things'. It's owned by a group of handbag makers who hand-make beautiful leather bags in a workshop beneath the shop. They used to be based at the Manchester Craft & Design Centre, which is next-door, and now own an entire shop which exclusively sells their bags. Something for me to aspire to!

A gorgeous bag by A Few Fine Things

Sunshine surprise

I was expecting it to rain all day today but it's been quite sunny and warm. I've been working on a new order for the Landbaby shop in Liverpool (part of the Bluecoat), and this afternoon the sun started shining through the craft room window, right onto what I was sewing. I love sunlight. 

Panda Perdu survey

I'm putting together a business plan for Panda Perdu, and a big part of it will be market research. So, I've created a survey of 10 questions for everyone to do. 


Everyone who responds to the survey will be in with a chance of winning a lovely Panda Perdu tote bag (pictured here) if you write your email address at the end of the survey.


Here's a link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PSXZTMF

And this is the tote bag you could win by entering!

Cycling

Hello there! It's been quite a while since I last did a blog post, and there have been a few changes, the best of which is that I got rid of my car and bought a shiny new bike! 


In Liverpool I was doing a seven-mile trip along Otterspool Promenade a few times a week, as it was the best place to go to get away from all the traffic. Where I am now, in South Manchester, I only have to cycle for a few minutes before I reach winding country lanes and rolling countryside. I like it a lot. 

My fancy new bike on the prom

This morning I cycled to Dunham Massey, which is about three miles from where I now live

Winter sunrise

I've been going to Crosby beach before work recently and as it's still winter-time, the sun has only just popped over the horizon by the time I get there. There's a little marina where people windsurf in the summer, followed by some sand dunes, then finally the beach with the cast-iron men looking out to sea. 


The best thing about it is that there's hardly ever anyone there, so even though it's very close to Liverpool's industrial docklands, it's lovely and peaceful.

A colourful mural next to the car park for the marina. There should be more of this sort of thing in Liverpool

The marina looking very still of a crisp winter's morn

Aren't sand dunes brilliant?

Enter the dragon (happy Chinese new year)

Hello and happy new year! Gosh, it's been a while. I'd like to say I've been busy taking over the world but I fear it would be a transparent lie. I've mainly taken over the craft room (technically it's mine to do what I like with anyway but I shall cling to this minor accomplishment as it's all I have to show for myself). 


Suffice to say I've been taking a bit of a break from blogging. But as it is now the new year in Asia, it's time for me for me to draw a line under my laziness and get things back on track. 


I have done two new bag designs - one for myself and one as a commission - so to celebrate  2012, the year of the dragon, here they are for you to see.

New year bag number one. It's made with lovely olive green cotton and some fancy Sanderson fabric which I could look at all day. It's also my first ever bag with a zip-top closure (get me!) It was quite tricky to get it right and it was the first time I've ever had a shouting match with a zip, but I won in the end and it was definitely worth it

My new laptop bag for my new laptop. I've been meaning to make a bag with the embroidered houses on for ages and I'm really glad I finally did it. I'm thinking of making a bunch to sell on my Etsy store when it is in better health (new year's resolution number one)