Most students were likely excited about expected things like carnival games. And although Maisie would gladly participate in these with her tent-mates or other friends should they wish to, she had a certain penchant for something much closer to home: sewing and craft-making. Here, at the camp, she would be able to do these beloved hobbies not entirely entirely on her own.

That was the beauty of this place: everyone had the opportunity to share skills and creative ideas in the art fair. Not one to be shy, Maisie had been quick to set up a booth. That is, set up and set it apart. Her booth would be like no other: yards of skirt adorned the front of the booth along with strings of ribbon in various lacework patterns. The sign above, also crafted in ribbon, described the obvious: "Just Keep Sewing: Sewing, Cross-Stitch and Crafting." Smiling up at it, Maisie imagined how proud her mum would be.

Inside, there was a menagerie of artistic pursuits. Manquins framed the entryway with dresses she and her mum had designed and made, including some for the fall ball. On the back wall, she had hung various circles of her cross-stitch patterns, most of which involved rabbits who may or may not have had a striking resemblance to her own bunny, Mischief. But Maisie didn't just want a place to show off her own work, many of which might be too niche for the taste of others.

In addition, she had a long table at the back set up with some remnant fabrics, ribbons, yarn, and needles and threads. If anyone wanted to just sew something or make something, they certain could. But she did have a few ideas: she provided instructions for sewing together headbands and scrunchies as well as some basic cross-stitch (of rabbits of course).

And with her own cross-stitch in hand, she would wait for others to come to stop by if they chose to.

Hello and welcome! Here are some optional activities:
- Sew together some remnant fabric. Maisie has provided instructions to make headbands scrunchies.
- Work on some cross-stitch. There are patterns and materials available.
- View some of the dresses and patterning Maisie has made, though it may not be to everyone's taste.

Avis made her way slowly down the gradual beaten down path lined with booths of all shapes and sizes. After an impromptu stop at one of them earlier, she was now on the hunt for her best friend and tent mate's sewing booth that she had been so excited about weeks before the event. Avis, being the loyal admirer of Maisie's crafting skill that she was, had promised to make an appearance and try out some of the services offered.

She reached into her overall pocket for the package of Bertie's beans she'd stuffed in there earlier as she walked, but to her dismay, it seemed she had eaten them all without realizing. A part of her was quite relieved. She'd never had such an unlucky selection in her life. The only "good" flavor had been coconut and she didn't even like coconut. Avis frowned and stuffed the empty package back into her pocket.

Finally, she spotted Maisie's booth and with a cheerful wave, she traipsed up to the stand, admiring the set up with wide eyes. Yards of colorful fabric lined the sign above the entrance and full dresses stood waiting on mannequins for all to see.

As soon as she spotted her friend, Avis rushed up to her. "Maisie! This is brilliant! The dresses are gorgeous," she gushed, glancing around the booth once again. The table in the back caught her eye and she made her way towards it. The Ravenclaw admired it for a moment before seeing the instructions for a scrunchie made out of the remnant fabric lying on the table. Avis scrunched her nose up for a moment, immediately knowing whatever she'd try to make would most likely end up looking like her side of the room in their dorm (a complete mess). But straightening, she realized she had to try for the sake of Maisie's booth.

Picking up a bit of light blue fabric with tiny dark blue birds printed onto the surface, Avis walked back to her friend and held it up, a bit hopelessly.

"I'm going to try a scrunchie. Where in seven hells do I start?" she implored, a bit of desperation edging into her voice. Creativity was most definitely not her strongsuit.

"Maisie! This is brilliant! The dresses are gorgeous."

There was no denying Avis' voice, both familiar and comforting. Quickly she put down her cross-stitch and ran over to give her very best friend a hug. "Aw, thanks so much. Mum helped me come up with some pieces that would be eye-catching for the booth," she explained as she gestured to to the mannequins which had dresses with sequins and ribbons and huge circle skirts.

"Oh good choice," she said to her as she watched Avis pick up a piece of fabric with blue birds like her namesake. But she seemed a little lost, which was perfectly fine. Maisie was here to teach! Reaching for a piece of remnant for herself—the green and blue Gemmell tartan they often used—she grabbed some scissors and began to explain, "Okay, you want to make a long rectangle like this," as she cut the edges to be more straight, "And then you want to fold it over itself. You can pin it on the edge if you want before we fold the inside."

She was about to fold over one side into thirds when she looked up and noticed a small boy staring at the booth. Her brown eyes looked across at Avis to see if she recognized him or if she'd noticed him at all. Turning back, she waved him over, "Hey there! You want to make accessories with us?" Boys at school didn't usually want to talk about sewing, but she knew from her mother's business that fashion was not exclusive to women. In fact, men had some excellent ideas about styling. She hoped he'd feel welcome enough to join in.

@Avis Greymond & @Nicholas Lazarus

tags: @Maisie Gemmell & @Nicholas Lazarus| date: 19-08-2025 | fit: x

Avis echoed Maisie's reach for some scissors and grabbed a pair of her own from the well-supplied table, watching her friend carefully straighten out the edge of her traditional green and blue scrap and hold up the long rectangle piece of fabric for example. The Ravenclaw studied it for a moment and then began to hack away at her own, the tip of her tongue sticking out a bit in concentration as the she attempted a straight line with scissors. She cocked her head at the cutesy fabric, unsatisfied but resigned to her skill level. The result wasn't quite as neat as Maisie's but it would have to do.

Folding the fabric into thirds, Avis grabbed a few pins as Maisie had suggested and was just pinning the last edge of her fabric down when she realized her best friend was greeting someone. Distracted, she glanced up...only to stick herself in the thumb with a pin.

"Oi!" she hissed, dropping the pin and bringing her thumb up to her mouth. She sucked on the punctured skin with an annoyed look but took the time away from her project to glance at who had walked in.

A boy about their age had entered the booth and was perusing through Maisie's dress designs. She glanced at her friend when she called him over, fixing a smile over her pained expression and lowering her thumb. A tiny bead of red emerged but she ignored it to give the new kid a friendly wave. "Yeah, I'm making a scrunchie. But I'd be careful with the pins if I were you," Avis said sheepishly.

Date: 19th August

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Location: Summer Camp Art Expo Booth: Just Keep Sewing: Sewing, Cross-Stitch and Crafting

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Interaction with: @Maisie Gemmel @Avis Greymond @Nicholas Lazarus

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Seraphina moved slowly through the bustle of the art fair, her gaze flitting from one colourful display to the next. The air was thick with the mingling scents of paint, fabric dye. She lingered here and there, but it was the sweep of fabric and the soft glint of ribbons ahead that stopped her in her tracks. The front of the booth was a curtain of skirts and lacework ribbons, with a sign above that read, “Just Keep Sewing: Sewing, Cross-Stitch and Crafting”. Stepping closer, her eyes widened at the craftsmanship — the mannequins at the entrance wore gowns that appeared ready for an elegant evening event, with every seam precise and every fold deliberate. She found herself tracing the patterns with her eyes and taking in the intricate details of dresses for the fall ball. Her attention wandered to the back wall, where neat rows of cross-stitch hoops hung, each rabbit rendered with such care that they seemed almost alive. This made her smile faintly, though she quickly looked down again. She glanced at the two girls and the boy who were already inside the booth. She fidgeted with her sleeve and stepped closer to them. When she was close enough, she spoke softly. "Excuse me, who made all these beautiful dresses and cross-stitches? Would you be able to teach me how to cross-stitch?”

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She winced almost automatically as Avis stuck herself with a pin. It was a feeling she knew well, even if it seemed to sting less these days. "You okay?" she asked. For a brief moment, she wondered if she had a muggle first aid kit around here. If she didn't, it was likely that someone did.

But as Avis seemed to move on, Maisie took the opportunity to encourage her, "Right, good. Just like that." It was a bit messy, certainly compared to her own, but that's what learning something new is. Her job in the booth was simply to teach—and make sure no one had to run off to the camp's equivalent of a hospital wing. As such, she trusted her best friend to follow instructions, but new people were a different story.

Although the boy waved a bit awkwardly, he had an idea—a headband—and Maisie could work with that. She believed an idea was half the battle. "Okay, great!" she said, waving him further in and placing materials in front of him: scissors, elastic, and fabrics. "Are there any colors or patterns you like?" she asked, hoping to pull some fabrics towards him that he might like.

And then there was another voice, albeit softer: "Excuse me, who made all these beautiful dresses and cross-stitches? Would you be able to teach me how to cross-stitch?”

"Me," she said, raising a hand, "My mum and I really, but we can certainly get you going on some cross-stitch!" It was exciting, really: everyone was picking a different creative avenue to explore. Just like earlier, she waved the girl towards a seat inside. "I have a bunch of different patterns," she explained, "I do a lot of animals like pine martens, or eagles for our House, but if that's not really your thing, I have some cityscapes, plants or abstract patterns...oh and this one is a cupcake." Her tone was bubbly, but nonchalant: every pattern was viable no matter how it might seem to someone else. As she waited on the girl to make her choice, she went to pull out materials for her to use, including a plethora of threads in every color.

By the time, she circled back to Avis, she realized though it wasn't like her mother's business, this was kind of fun and she liked to think she had a knack for it. "Just let me know if you have questions," she said to the table, "Thanks for stopping by. I know there's a lot of booths. Is it your first summer camp?" Of course, she and Avis had plenty of plotting and planning to get to, but customers first. Besides, they might be fellow students too soon enough.

@Avis Greymond, @Nicholas Lazarus & @Seraphina Vale

tags: @Maisie Gemmell @Seraphina Vale @Nicholas Lazarus | date: 19-08-2025 | fit: x | notes: avis has left the thread.

After the boy had greeted them, Avis returned to her scrunchie, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth in intense focus and as she made the finishing touches, she held up it up warily to Maisie. It was really more of a ball of fabric than a hair accessory but at the least the pattern was cute? Avis sighed with a sheepish smile. Ah well, trying was half the battle.

"Think I'll stick to Quidditch," she joked half-heartedly to her friend and stuffed the "scrunchie" into one her overall pockets. Turning, she gave the younger boy a smile and wished him luck on his headband. The Ravenclaw then bid goodbye to her best friend, realizing she was probably going to be busy with more customers in a minute or two. "Probably gonna head back to the tent and see if I can get Mylo to do something fun," she said with a laugh.

As she walked out, the Ravenclaw passed another young girl and gave her a friendly nod. Avis began whistling a familiar Irish folk tune as she ducked out of her best friend's tent, satisfied with her attempt at crafts today. Maybe Maisie could help her a bit more later, but either way, she was happy to have stopped by to participate a bit in her friend's happy place.

𝕽uth was finally done with her booth. Or, at least, was taking a break. Having helped her mother around her own boutique, Ruth knew that it had been a slow day for her. Not that she particularly minded. Out of all the bustling booths and stalls available, waxes and seal stampings weren’t always the go-to destination for one. Hell, Ruth doubted that she herself would have made a pit-stop by her booth had she not had a keen interest in stamps. Walking around, she was delighted to find that her eyes were first drawn to a familiar figure in the distance, the entrance of her stall littered with mannequins, each donning on such beautiful, stunning dresses. As she drew closer to the stall, the intricate stitches on the dresses began to take shape, and the Hufflepuff couldn’t help but admire the way the fabric had been woven together. If only she had the ability to stitch just as good as Gemmell.

She straightened up and headed into the stall, smiling as she caught sight of the patterns on the wall. Cross-stitching. Ever since colliding into the Ravenclaw back in, gosh, December last year, Ruth had been frequenting the Muggle section of the school’s library to read up on sewing, even bowling back home to request guidebooks on making small tidbits like stuffies…Not that they came out particularly well. Ruth had never truly had much of an artistic thumb, so overall it felt like a surreal experience, countless hours spent poking a thread through the miniscule needle and accidentally piercing herself with it. Despite having learnt it so that she could fair better with Maisie, Ruth found herself never getting the opportunity to share the knowledge with her.

But it was never too late. Squaring her shoulders, Ruth set forward deeper into the stall, making her way to the long table up in the back. Maisie was already busy with another, so she decided to wait for her turn to speak. Meanwhile, she picked up a pamphlet, reading through the methods to making a scrunchie and a headband. Well, that’d be nice. A scrunchie. Ruth often kept her hair in bands, dark colours that blended against hers. Maybe it was time for a change.
Setting the pamphlet down, Ruth reached forward to grasp a scrap of fabric, the colour a pale carmine. Right. Time to cut rectangles.

CAT'S GRACE EVASIVE MANEUVERS

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𝐒𝐭𝐚: 𝟔 |𝐄𝐯𝐚: 𝟏𝟎 | 𝐒𝐭𝐫: 𝟒 | 𝐖𝐢𝐬: 𝟗 | 𝐀𝐫𝐜: 𝟒 | 𝐀𝐜𝐜: 𝟖

Mention:@Maisie Gemmell