Birds of a Threader...

Abigail and I both love the work of illustrator Charley Harper (so much that i'm sure we'll do a much longer post on him one day!), so we were both delighted when we saw these wonderful, hand-painted, needlepoint canvases on The Purl Bee, the rather marvellous blog of craft boutique Purl Soho.

Each would make a marvelous wall hanging or cushion, and would be a fabulous way of having your very own piece of Harper's stunning work in your home.

We're thinking very, very carefully about which one we may have no choice but to invest in..!

ryan@abigail*ryan

Cushions that make Chairs Happy...

We made a little animation - our first abigail*ryan motion picture! ;)

Just a bit of fun to celebrate all the hard work on the stacks of new products and designs we'll have in the shop very, very soon.

While working, we wondered, and pondered, what would make our well deserved, relaxing sit down after all this hard work even better?

The answer was obvious...

One of our cushions! ;)

We hope you enjoy this as much as we did making it...

xo Abigail&Ryan

(music: "Bathtime in Clerkenwell" by The Real Tuesday Weld)

New drawings for New goodies...

Today has been a busy day! And it's not nearly over yet...

I was in the workshop making lots of jewellery this morning, and so snapped some pictures of our desk to give you a wee hint at some of the drawings I am working on which will become patterns and products galore in the coming months!

I have such a plethora of photos of blooms - from the botanics, the back garden and beyond this Summer I have so much to choose from it's pretty tricky to know what to get started with first. I will be drawing more in earnest next week... so will share more then...

Other happenings at chez abigail*ryan today - quilt number THREE is being worked on (ready to go into the store soon!) and this time it's Coral and Seafoam Ginkgo pattern... so, the sewing machine is whirring away as I type and I will be hand binding this evening no doubt!

I was also working on prototypes for TWO new products today (you may be able to spot the peg-bags hanging in one of the photos, they are set to launch soon too!!) - but more on all that soon ;)

But now? Dinner!!

Abigail@abigail*ryan

p.s. thank you so much to everyone who ordered during my birthday sale! I am working through all the orders as quickly as I can and will be dispatching everything this week... we are run off our feet and delighted to be sending so many of our goods all over the world! :) xo

Too-wit, too-woooooooo!

I'm loving this fantastic owl jumper I found in lovely knitting blog, "needled". The writer, Kate Davis, is currently recuperating after an illness, so we're sending her some patented abigail*ryan good vibes!

Kate's use of a simple cable and buttons to create such charming little animals is genius, and the other patterns she has made available are just as lovely (if a bit beyond my basic knitting skills!).

You can nab the pattern here, and it's also available in child sizes...which, as you can see, are even more adorable!

ryan@abigail*ryan

Annual Birthday Sale...

It's Abigail's birthday today, and she always runs an annual Birthday Sale in her jewellery shop - this year, we have decided to extend that to our abigail*ryan homewares too! Just for fun! ;)

She's turning 27, so we are giving a massive 27% discount on all abigail*ryan goodies... so, treat yourself and a touch of colour and pretty to your home or put some gifts aside for Christmas (not so far away now!)...

Enter ' BDAYSALE2010 ' at checkout to recieve your discount in either shop!

Happy Shopping :)

Colour-me Good...

It is my birthday tomorrow, and so, we celebrated it at the weekend so everyone could be there (now I am an ex-pat you see)...and I got a head start on my AW2010 wardrobe when I was treated to the super soft and slouchy bobble hat you see above (from NewLook) and the gorgeous Nude/Blush/Mink Mimco Handbag too! Mmm... me likey!

Frankly, I think both need to be flanked by these gorgeous new season nail colours from NailsInc (at Asos) otherwise I would look horribly ungroomed and it would all be in vain... am I right ladies? ;)

Guess which direction my birthday spends might be going??

Abigail@abigail*ryan

p.s. watch out for a very special birthday sale happening tomorrow ONLY! I'm turning 27, so that's a big clue to the discount we will be offering to all you lovelies!

abigail*ryan Pop-Up Shop...

Last weekend, we packed up the studio and headed for Castle Ward, a beautiful National Trust property where the annual fair, Craft Fest, is held... we attended last year as stall holders with our jewellery, remember?

This year, we were hired to create a pop-up shop inside one of the Castles historical rooms - and we were lucky enough to land the Housekeepers Parlour! Complete with an amazing original range, large windows, wood panelling, china cabinets, old singer sewing machines and many beautiful antique chairs, it was a fantastic space to style and dress and I think we did a great job!

It was lovely seeing our textiles in a thoroughly historical setting, and everyone who passed through (including the staff) loved seeing our new take on the space and how our fabrics and homewares lifted the room and made it feel lived in again.

Here are a few images from the weekend! Enjoy... :)

Many thanks to the Staff at Castle Ward for having us, and to Jan at CDC for thinking of us for the job! Thanks too, to all the hundreds of people who came through the room and admired our wares!

Abigail@abigail*ryan

p.s. Our anemone tea-towel (available in Olive and Granny Smith) was designed last year after attending Craft Fest - I photographed the blooming Japanese Sea Anemone's in the amazing walled Garden at Castle Ward and drew them once home... nice how things come full circle!!