Let's Get Back To Business!

Hello my dears!  Yes, yes, I know it has been a long time.

2013 into the beginning of 2014 was a super busy time for me with my work which put a bit of a dampener on my crafting time.  I had some great experiences but some great challenges as well.....

.... As you might notice above the blog has had a name change.... I can no longer call myself a crafter at sea because I am no longer at sea!  That's right, my land legs have called me home and I am now a land-locked sailor.  I am currently looking to get into the theatre scene here in England.  It's all a bit scary but what I needed to do in life.  It has given me time to craft and catch up the blog though!

I have a few projects on the go right now and I have a few things to catch you guys up on that I worked on but didn't get chance to blog about.  Keep your eyes open in the next few weeks for posts on the following projects:

I finished adding the second layer to my beer cap belt.

My friend had a baby and I made her an embroidered gift.

My friends got married and I made them an embroidered wedding album.

I played around with eco-dying some fabric from natural elements I found on a walk.

I made a necklace organiser for my travels.  It is now going to be very useful at home as well!

I have an embroidery based on a song by The Band Perry... this is still a work in progress....

And finally, I worked on Legally Blonde: The Musical.  It was a very interesting challenge but I made it work!

I am also working on some online courses which I would love to share with you so there is a lot to come!!

Sea Gypsy

You know those Home Sweet Home samplers that you see? You know how you expect to see them? Well, I decided to put my own spin on it. This was how Sea Gypsy was born. My home is not really bricks and mortar. My home, I suppose, is a cruise ship. It is a different one every time, but it is home for the space of time I am on it. When I am between contracts I go back to my parents house to visit, granted, but it's not really where I live anymore. I don't really live anywhere but the sea.

I took the Home Sweet Home concept and fit it to my lifestyle. Instead of using the usual house motif, I used a ship. Sprawling mountains range behind it and the sea swirls around the hull.

I used a verigated thread that reminded me of the art work on the side of the first ship I worked on (and, actually, the ship I just got off of). I experimented with waste canvas so that I could cross stitch the recognised phrase down the side of the ship, as if it were the art work itself. The rest of the piece is my usual embroidery, bringing myself and the traditional together.

This piece is simple in both it's style and execution, however, the meaning behind it is quite complex and full, particularly to me. And that's what art is really about.

A Very Royal Wedding....?

Um, yeah.... not very stitchey but quite funny! I was in Grand Cayman the other day (as you do...) and found this photo of William and Kate where you could be in the picture and just had to take one :-)

There was also this amazing sweet shop where the window display had dresses decorated with sweets in it - awesome!

I ♥ my job!!!

A Cheeky Christmas

Here's a little Christmas gift for your eyes. I stitched his scarf for my friend Elvy Rose with patterns from Sublime Stitching and French Knot.

I'd wanted to use that dancer for a while! I think it came out pretty well and she loved it.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Introducing Frankie!

One of our Guest Entertainers is a good friend of mine and bought me an early Christmas present. We were walking around Walmart and saw in the toy department a set of fashion dolls based on movie monsters. When I wasn't looking she went through them and found me the perfect one....

Please meet Frankie Stein!

Not only is she based on Frankenstein's monster (ie awesome) but she takes Home Ick class at Monster High! How funny is that?! She has scissor earrings and came with a tiny reel of cotton and a needle - she's a mini me! We have decided that Frankie is now coming everywhere with us - she even has her own Facebook page with photos of her travels.

In my free time I'm making her some new outfits and already she has admirers following her around! It doesn't matter how old you are, toys are still fun to play with!!

More adventures with Frankie to come!!

Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! Some Sweden!!

.... did you see what I did there?! I used a Abba song while talking about Sweden..... no? Just me then? ok.....

Anyway! I only got to go to Sweden once while we were there, but we made our way to Stockholm and saw, as always, awesomeness on the streets there. Take a gander!

Fun shaped buildings in interesting colours


I love the spikey-ness of this statue


And here it is on fabric... stitching idea maybe?


Swedish fountain gargoyle!


I loved this embroidery store window display, unfortunately it was Sunday so it was closed :-(


Interesting shutters


I loved the tapestry in the back of this store that was based on carnivorous plants


Just really interesting window displays in Sweden!

Love it! ♥

Medieval Tallinn

Visting Tallinn, Estonia made me want to sew. The medieval town had such gorgeous colour combinations and styles that I just want to depict it in stitch. Estonia has a love of wool, so while there I bought some hand dyed wool which will undoubtedly make its way into my pieces. Here are some of my favourite sights...

Winding streets passed castles and inns


A page showing the way


The handmade guild - I saw some gorgeous stuff in here


Random graffiti


A shadowy figure creeping down the street


Such gorgeous colours!!

Only a few more places to report on in my Europe round-up, then we'll get back to some sewing - promise!!

Ra Ra Rasputin!

Wow - that was a long break! Sorry about that! I had the cast change over from hell on my boat and just when we thought we were done a new show was introduced so I have to fit and alter 25 costumes in 24 hours.... got it done in 17 because I'm a rock star though! Anyway, here's the post about Russia I promised so long ago and hopefully posts will be more regular from now on *blush*

I think I've taken the most photos in St. Petersburg. There are so many beautiful buildings to see. The whole place is full of palaces, more than you can see in just one trip. When I was at school I remember doing a history project about Rasputin and his strange involvement with the last Tsar family and his even stranger death. I was lucky enough to go to an exhibit about this event and learn more whilst in Russia. If you don't know the story of Rasputin, look it up - it's a really weird tale!

The Winter Palace, now the Hermitage Museum


The Summer Palace


St. Isaac's Cathedral - that's real gold up there!


Random painting hanging in the street that's been... um.... added to...


Outside the Church of the Spilled Blood


Inside, the Church is decorated entirely with glass mosaics


Inside one of the coppolas

I feel some art coming on.... :-)

Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside... in Germany

Our second port is Warnemunde, Germany. Warnemunde is a cute seaside town, and of course there is lots of beer! Here are a few of my favourite shots:

I love these fold out beach chairs, they look amazing lined up along the beach


The lighthouse and Teepot building


They like to build fancy sand castles here!

Next post we'll travel to St Petersburg and some of the amazing sights I have seen there!

The Delights of Copenhagen

Let's begin my travel posts from my time in Europe - starting with Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen is our home port, which means this is where we pick up new passengers at the beginning of the cruise and crop them off at when it ends. Here are some of my favourite sights...

I want to take this guy home with me!


Whenever I go into Copenhagen with my Production Manager we are on a mission to find flowers - like these, gorgeous!


I found this sign outside a shop - I think it needs stitching up sometime soon




The one thing I wanted to see in Copenhagen was the statue of the Little Mermaid - here she is!

Copenhagen has some beautiful old buildings and cobbled streets, but it also has a gorgeous arty feel. I saw two outdoor art exhibitions here in one day - posts about those to come!

Next post we will visit Germany!