Some New Books and Banana Bread

 

 

I mentioned before that I really enjoyed The Great British Sewing Bee and on the back of that I ordered the book that goes with the series here. There aren't that many places I know that sell a good range of fabrics at reasonable prices where I live. I think this is a reflection of just how much sewing has decline as a craft over the last few decades. However, my Mam pointed me in the direction of a warehouse type place on an industrial estate and it was packed with all kinds of crafty things! We both spent nearly two hours in there, in fact my Dad was so worried about us that he called me on my mobile just to check we were ok. My Dad never calls me ! I really enjoyed looking through the large pattern books and there were loads of 50's style dresses to choose from. I held back though because I have a few inherited vintage patterns that I'd like to look through first and possibly adapt. I would also like to try a layered circle skirt (possibly one of the layers being net, though not sure how to sew this ?). Also The Great British Sewing Bee  and Merchant & Mills books contain some great sewing projects to try, so I will possibly try one of those first. It was such a treat being able to enjoy a bit of reading in our back yard over the last couple of days, although I can't quite believe we still have daffodils just coming out in May.

 

A whole week has pasted and I haven't done any of my Emily Peacock tapestry but I'm at my craft club tomorrow afternoon so I'll pick it up again in between nattering with the other ladies there!

 

Tom has been spending a little time in the kitchen recently and has made two very yummy and delicious loafs of banana bread from The Hummingbird's recipe.

 

Ned, Skimble and Archie continue to watch the comings and goings in our life from the comfort of the dog basket - they are so adorable! xxx

 

Embroidered Bags

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently purhased a wool work vintage bag from the internet. Occasionally you come across something really quite wonderful like this one. When it arrived in the post however, it was a real disappointment. Firstly, it honked of cigarette smoke and the main body of material was very dirty. It didn't look anything like the picture advertised, so it had obviously been digitally enhanced (beware of this if you are purchasing online). I wouldn't have been able to use it in that state so I had to try and clean it very gently in a cool wash and with plenty of soaking. I was really happy with how it came out and with all the grime gone, it showed off the true colours of the wool threads. (I haven't touched up these photos at all!!) The silk lining is in need of replacing and I'm looking forward to doing that soon.

Lulu Skye really suprised me today by stitching and making a shoulder bag!. She was working away upstairs for most of the day and did this all by herself. I can't express how thrilled I was with it. She designed and stitched the whole project herself and I think she did an amazing job. Love the colour choice too!!! Lots of love and kisses to you, xxxxx

The rabbits were enjoying their afternoon exercise in our back yard. Its great there because its totally secure (which is what you really need with rabbits as they do like to dig!). They have to be supervised at all times, though, as they do like to munch on my garden plants, not being particularly fussy, anything will do. I found this out, much to my horror last summer when they must have eaten over £60 worth of plants in about 10 minutes, and they had just had their bunny brunch! They are just so adorable though and very fluffy. They are losing their winter coats at the mo and there are big tufts of fluffy fur all over the hutch and garden. We have been grooming them and Miffy (the white one) really doesn't seem to mind at all, in fact he gets quite relaxed and floppy when brushed.

I've been inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee to make a garment this summer. In my teens I would spend many a night making skirts, blouses & dresses with some pretty fabrics bought locally and from John Lewis. I'm looking for a pattern to make a dress, hopefully 50's style so will blog about that soon. Also, the Emily Peacock 'Kiss' cushion is almost complete so I am looking for suitable fabric/trimming to make it up. I didn't realise how expensive zips were so I may have to re-think how I do the closing.

I love stop motion animation.

Nannou by Aphex Twin.

Crocheting moments...

 

Skimbleshanks and crochet...

Blog Pictures

above is original picture I took

this picture is digitally enhanced

 above is original picture I took

this picture is digitally enhanced

this picture is digitally enhanced

above is original picture I took

this picture is digitally enhanced

I had a debate with my Dad the other day about what is true photography in the digital age. He (a professional photographer all his life) has the view that a true photograph captured a moment and that using a graphics package altered the picture and it wasn't a true image of that moment. I thought that by the very act of taking a picture, we alter the true image/moment. Even the very camera/film/tripod/equipment I believe alters the final result of a picture. We agreed to disagree...! It did get me thinking though that on the internet there are many images posted that look truely professional, that to get this result you would need a studio/lighting/expensive cameras etc. and you know I decided to try a basic graphics package that is available for free on the internet. I've posted the results above. the original being the first and the others being the edited results. I think the results speak for themselves, the edited results are more vibrant, sharp and interesting and look more like the real image I was trying to capture in the first place. I'm even tempted to go back through my posts and edit my piccys so they look better, its actually quite good fun to do !

Somewhere in time.

 

I'm fasinated with history, with the past. I bought a very old house because I love its sense of having a past life and the lifes of people who have lived here before. How I work with stitching also embraces my love of history. I love buying preworked tapestry and examining how others have worked on a particular piece or pattern. There is a vast amount of this type of work on the internet to buy and I'm always staggered at how cheap some of these pieces are. I have bought some rubbish bits but on the whole they have been of excellent quality and stitching. I laid out some of my collection of pre-worked pieces to photograph the other day, and even in this state they are lovely to look at. My most recent piece I have mentioned before here and I'm still working though unpicking some of the less desirable stitches. Good light is crucial to make sure I don't remove the wrong ones. More often than not I will received additional pieces attached. I've had some lovely examples and pin them on my sewing room notice board. Even on these small pieces, it is apparent that many hours of work have gone into completing these works.

Happy Easter

 

Schnauser Snouts

One of the best things about owning Minature Schnausers are their noses. They remind me of the ones that go on teddy bears and if you are lucky enough to see one in real life they don't look at all real. I love how they are plonked in the middle of their fur, so very cute.xx. Progress on the Emily Peacock cushion is coming on well. I'm really enjoying doing this project and the colour combinations she uses are such a delight to stitch with. Even doing the filling stitches are fun. Its given me the idea to do one for Lulu's bedroom, but to stitch her name using the same alphabet. I think/hope you can buy the complete alphabet, so must check her website for that.  Mam has just completed a beautfil knitted cardi for Lulu. I hope the pictures do it justice as she knits with such an exquisite tension, making her work so neat but springy at the same time. I have some vintage crochet cottons to use in my embroidery, some are from my grandma, others I have bought as a job lot from the internet. The colours are fresh and the cotton is of a very good quality. I have used some of these sucessfully on the borders on my minature cross-stitch bookmarks and would like to experiment further with different colours/designs. Yesterday I got a freebie kit to stitch from this months CrossStitcher Magazine. I'm really interested in stitching on different media so I'm looking forward to trying this one out as its on wood. I've been compiling a PinBoard on some examples which range from camper van doors to frying pans! I know it sounds crackers, but if something is beautifully stitched then it will always look incredible. How cool are jigsaws?? sometimes I forget about childhood activities and how much I used to enjoy them.

Threads From The Past

Finished this Victorian cross-stitch minature, just needs to be pressed and i think I will frame it. I was going to originally use it as a front for a needle case but think it will work better as a tiny picture. I have been sourcing some vintage/antique tapestries that are part complete. This panel is quite large (over 1 metre) and has some beautiful stitching on the main flower part, however the infill is badly done and I'm in the process of unpicking the brown and blue stitches. It is going to be a cushion and I've bought pom pom edging to finish this. Also bought bundles of coloured threads from the internet. I think they must come from house clearances and all seem to come with there own histories. Notes are made on card holders and some are sorted into colour bundles for roses or leaves from past projects. So I'm sorting through them at the moment and its nice that they are being put to use once more. The weather is changeable. Bitterly cold one day, sunny the next. Ned and Archie however, like to go out in all weathers and socialise on the beach.



Happy Mothers Day

Wishing my Mam a lovely Mothers Day. We really enjoyed having you and dad over. Thank you for being such a lovely mam.