FRIPPERIES & STITCHERY

Nearly a Year has gone by......

2011-11-08T15:22:00.000Z

Hi my lovely people that have still come to visit my page, even though I have been remiss and not been here to say hello for so long..... and to those special people I say thank you.

A lot of time has passed since I last posted on my blog I know, but a lot of things have changed in my life also... I have been through a huge learning curve this year.... Yes even at my time in life, one of which was at now the great age of 60 ( last May) you can still learn things about people places and things.

I am afraid that I haven't done any stitching at all except for starting a new square for my embroidered & stitchery quilt I am hoping one day to finish.

I lost my mojo for stitching this year.......

..... and have been flying about all over the country visiting new places, and meeting new people too. This was prompted by having to visit a councellor, because of the effects that life in general over last years happenings had affected me, which if you knew of me on the stitching sites I used to visit would have known about.

STASH

On one of my visits to the hairdressers in Paignton, I noticed that a shop which had been empty for a while had opened as a bead shop. Ever hopeful for more stash, I went inside as I had a few moments spare. There were some wonderful beads for jewellery making, but as I worked around the shop, as everything was laid out in trays, and you could pick and choose; I found some wonderful charms, which although were supposedly for jewellery making but I thought would be wonderful for adding to stitched work when I got my mojo back.... The pic below is of all the stash that I managed to find that day, and from another days stash hunting.

I did say in my last post that I had met someone special.... well he turned out to be a rotten apple, and so here I am still single..... and quite happy in my own company now, although it does get a bit lonely at times...... but I do have some lovely friends both online, and off.

I am afraid I am unable to make patterns at the moment, nor have been able to for a long while now, as my big old PC decided to go wrong back in the spring, and after losing half of its memory, but working was too slow for me.... and now it has decided to let its graphics card go bang...... so when funds allow I shall try and get it up and running again so that I can design little bits again.

The picture that you see above is of some fishermens cottages which have been renovated, and are in a little nook of a fishing town of Brixham which is quite close to where I live...... when I have friends to visit they are always in awe of visiting this little town, and they do wonderful fish'n' chips there, so sometimes we go and taste the local delicasies.

I didn't know until a couple of weeks ago after watch a TV programme that Fish'n'chips is not a truely British dish, even though many "Chippies" have claimed it as British Food......... in fact by all accounts Fish and Chips was brought to the UK by the Jewish people who emigrated to the UK way back in the 1800's.

In the summer I had a trip to London, I hadn't been there for years, A friend had invited me up there for a weekend, and I mentioned that I would love to go to The Portabello Road, as one of my passions is small antiques, and objects d'art. For many many years the Portabello Rd had been well known for all those sort of wonderful objects from a bygone era...... When I got there there were only a handful of antique type shops left... I was so disappointed.... and now in their place were shops that had been taken over by cheap imports and tat....... yet another sign of the times.....

I have put a pic below of a shop that was at the entrance of the start of Portabello Rd though, as I thought it may be of interest to stitching ladies and men alike. The window of the shop was absolutely filled with antique sewing machines, from every conceivable country that ever made them, and all displayed all along the huge windows of the clothes store that sold gents clothes.

Another interesting item that I found, not in London, but in Manchester when I visited the Industrial Museum up there was the most amazing jacket/cardigan made out of Dandelion Clock Seeds. The museum has such an amazing amount of information and exhibits about Textiles and design of materials, especially as Manchester was one of the main centres back in the 1800's for the textile industry. I took many photos there too many to add here in my blog, but no doubt when I post again, I shall put them on here.
The Pic below is of the Dandelion Seed Jacket... so delicate, and beautiful.... it must have taken many many hours to join all the seeds together.

I have put a close up below ( as close as I could get)

Below are a few of the things , places, and just strange I have taken pics of this year... I hope you enjoy....

Sunset Last Week

Misty morning accross the Tamar Valley

Very High tides at Teignmouth

Mist at noon over Babacoombe Beach

Me at home

Sir Christopher Wrens House

London.

The formal Gardens at Hampton Court

Hampton Court,

where Henry VIII lived in

Tudor Times

The Grand Back entrance of Hampton Court.

A Creek at Bere Ferres S. Devon

Valley near Canonteign Falls Devon

Art Week in Teignmouth

Sir Francis Drake's monument

Plymouth

The Only Blue Post Box I have seen in England

The Bridge at Salford Quays

An interesting Moss in the woods

the rocks at the bottom of Becky falls

My youngest son Stu, doing his amazing

Long Jump at school

A View of the Arboretum and fountain at Hampton Court

I loved the funny shaped Yew trees

Pixies at Becky Falls

2011 a New Year , and a New Woman....

2011-01-08T18:09:00.012Z

Well a new year and a new woman as the title says.... and gone are the blues from that dreadful year of 2010.

With losing over three stone, I feel amazing, and have lost a lost of medical problems regarding high blood pressure, and all that goes with that. I don't recommend doing it the way I did the weight loss, as it is not good for the soul, but here I am again unscathed, and to boot a new hairstyle.

Talking about the new hairstyle; for years now I have had curly hair, and have wished and and wished as all we women do for hair other than what I have been given.... If we have straight hair we want curly, and if its curly we want straight. I suppose we are never satisfied.... always wanting to improve on our persona, and I am no exception. I know I have been slow on the uptake of new inventions when they have come out on the market, but Oh!! how is wish that I had discovered ceramic straighteners when they first came out.

When I went to the hairdressers in October, because I had a new man in my life and I was going to visit him 287 miles away, and I needed a nice new haircut, they showed me all different styles, and then afterwards straightened my hair...... I felt as if I had been reborn. No longer did I have to stand for hours in front of the mirror trying to tweak and tease the curl out of my hair...... it was so simple after getting the ceramic straighteners, and now I only have to spend 5 or 10 minutes each day getting the look that I really want, and not having that feeling when the face in the mirror looks back at me saying OMG I need to put a hat on to cover this mess up on my head.

To my ladies who have followed my blog in the past... my sweet friends who have still stayed and looked to see if I am back all these months I say '' I love you all''. I have learned too this past 10 months who my real friends are, and who are not... and I have been on a huge learning process in that time... with many different aspects and challenges thrown at me.... but now I feel that I am a better person for that, and can see that we need these trials and tribulations in our lives in order that we don't get complacent about things, and that we have to move on, and improve.

I will in the near future be posting something that I have designed, albeit small to start again getting back into stitching... for these past months I have not wanted to even look at a needle let alone do any WIP's or start any new projects. I know it is very remiss of me too for not even taking part in the Groups that I belong to..... but I am sure that they will understand as to what depths I have been trawling..... and no sympathy needed !

I think that in the future too I will be posting a lot more about photography too, as I have a great interest in this, and my new man is a far more accomplished, and better photographer than me... and he wants me to join a photography group that he belongs to so that I can learn more about lighting, and using different lenses on an SLR camera. At the moment I have just been using an Olympus small pocket digital camera, as this was easy for me to slip into my pocket, and go off and be snap happy in the country side.

What has been happening to me since I have seen a whole new world you may ask.....

Well I have discovered that it is great to leave the car behind, and travel by train, since my guy would not have me travelling all those miles up the motorway and back for fear something may happen whilst driving, and also the fact that it would be less stressful. Well he was sure right there. So he makes sure I go by first class travel, and am able to enjoy the country scenery fly past as I travel too and fro.

I have also found that I love City life and that there are just wonderful things to be seen and heard that never happen down in my neck of the woods in this sleepy old town that I live in. So it may well be that sometime this year I shall be moving away from Devon to find out what life is like actually like living in a part of England that I have never really discovered; with a completely new life up North to look forward to....... fingers crossed and God willing.

I have also started working voluntarily for a charity, as a part time teacher, teaching IT and computers to adults with disabilities, both physical and mentally affected. I find this so rewarding..... so this makes things doubly difficult in moving up North... so a great deal of thinking on my part will be the order of things to come.

Well that is enough about me for now....... I hope that you all have a wonderfully prosperous new year, and may it be a very happy year for you all.

To end on I was sent this very true and funny email this morning which I think the more mature ladies that read it, and gentlemen if they secretly follow me will find very amusing

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family, for less grey hair and a flatter belly.

As I have aged I have become kinder to myself, less critical of myself, and I have become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie,or for not making my bed, or for buying that sill cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde sat there on my patio.

I am entitled to treat, be messy and extravagant.

I have seen to many dear friends leave this world too soon, before they understood the great freedom that comes with ageing.

Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play on the computer until 4.00am and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes, of the 50's,60's & 70's, and if I, if I wish to weep over a lost loved one.......I will !

If I want to walk on the beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten.

And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure over my life my heart has been broken.

How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or when someones beloved pet gets hit by a car?

But broken hearts, are what give us strength, understanding, and compassion.

A heart never broken is pristine and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning grey and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

What can I say.... Hi again ladies

2010-07-26T23:40:00.020+01:00

Well ladies it has been a long time since I last told you what was going on in my life...... I know that some of you have known what has been going on, and others must have thought I disappeared from the face of the earth without a word.

I know that this has been mainly a stitchy type blog with a bit of everything thrown in from time to time for good measure. Well todays blog is slightly different ; as many of you share your trials and tribulations with your family of online friends. I too am about to tell you why I had disappeared for so long, and I am so sorry that I deserted you all.

You see back in March the man who I thought was my soul mate, and the love of my life turned around one day, and said that he was leaving me, for another woman. Without going into great detail you can imagine what depths I have trawled......... but now I am back.

I am afraid that since that day I found out this traumatic news I just couldn't stitch, I couldn't concentrate long enough to be able to. Life has been very difficult for both me and my son . But now with the support of some very lovely online friends I am going to try and start over again with my stitching. They have lifted me from that unhappiness to a place where I can find joy and happiness again. The hollow empty feelings have gone, and in fact now I think.... I have found a person who would make me happy again.......yes a man!!! So watch this space, as it is early days.

I may not post so often, as I am having to play a different role, and there are many things that need my attention. However, in all of this it has done me a great favour..... as you can see the pic at the top, this was me before all the heartache.... you could say a bit on the large side. Today I am 3 dress sizes smaller, and I feel better for losing the weight. This is a pic of me now below. I do wish though that I hadn't lost the weight from my face, but I am sure when I get eating properly again, no doubt it will fill out a bit more again.

I am afraid too that I have let my lovely garden get overgrown, and unloved, as I have not only been unable to tend it because of how I felt emotionally, but also because I have now been diagnosed with a neuropathy in my leg which makes me feel that I will fall over if I turn quickly or am on uneven ground, I have lost a lot of sensation in it, and have a numbness that affects the way I walk particularly in flat shoes, so I have to wear high heels most of the time when outdoors. I really need to get someone to help with the garden, but because things are a bit grim financially now I cannot afford to pay someone to do it. So I am sorry but there are no nice pics of my garden to show either.

Before the school holidays, I took my son and his friend to a beautiful place on Dartmoor one lovely sunny sunday. We took a picnic, and the dingy, so that the boys could have fun on the shallow river that is interspersed with boulders which came down into the river in glaciation times.The place is called Dartmeet. Below are a few of the pics that I took that day.

Stu & James

Stu acting the fool,

Stu trying to go cross eyed

Below are some pics that I took when Stu and I went to a motorbike show, on the seafront at Paignton one wet and windy Sunday lunchtime..... we even had a cone of chips each....... and Stu said to me ""this is good being able to walk along and eat them in the street, Dad wouldn't have liked us doing that"".

Spring has sprung ,a couple of stitcheries, and a WIP,& men and sheds

2010-03-17T08:33:00.017Z

Spring I think has eventually sprung in my neck of the woods, down here in South Devon, although we have had a few sharp frosts here in the mornings, we have been having brilliant sunshine to melt it all away very quickly. All the little spring flowers are popping up all over the place. Don't you think that nature is just amazing, all those beautiful delicate flowers which pop up each spring after having to force their way up through hard compacted soil which has been frozen for many months. It's truly miraculous.

I have put a few pics below of the little miracles that have managed to emerge after being out in all weathers in my garden, so too are the snowdrops which are pictured above.

First Polyanthus
Miniature Daffodils

Mahonia

Hellibore

Life has been getting in the way of stitching recently, what with my dear son having to go to hospital after gashing his leg wide open to the bone, whilst out riding in the woods on his bike, falling off, and falling on a broken bottle left by some stupid person. This happened on his half term holiday, he then couldn't go back to school for a week and a half while he still had stitches in.

Then with the job that my DH does he gets up very early in the morning, so having to go to bed early at night in order to get enough sleep to muster up the energy for the next day, I haven't had time really for much stitching between doing the dreaded chores. I have been making the most of the brilliant sunshine, and getting the laundry out on the line rather than wasting expensive electricity drying in the tumble.

What is it too, about men and sheds!! My DH says he has to have a shed in the garden..... well we had 2 up til the weekend before last..... then another arrived..... this time it was not a small one... I was told it was going to be about the same size as previous....... but no. Mind you DH is not the tidiest of men when it comes to sheds....and the other two were bursting at the seams. Oh what a Sunday I had, I head cook and bottle washer that day, with not being able to get out of my back door for mountains of tools and "and things that will come in handy", (junk); and I just supplied streams of coffee and food all day. The new shed was 10 ft square. I suppose it really did need replacing as the floor had gone in one of the old 6ft ones, but now I haven't got a view of the garden when I put the kettle on for a cuppa..... I have a view of the shed, yet to be finished with roofing felt.... it does have some water resistant roofing material on, but is not "Perfect yet".

I have managed to do just a little bit of stitching. I started to do a sort of RR called weatherpoems...... there is no time limit on getting it finished thank goodness, as there are 12 patterns to be stitched. It may turn out to be quite expensive if I don't have all the colour threads I need. I have already substituted a couple of colours in the first one called MAY which I have started. see below

The two pics below are off two more stitcheries which I have embroidered for my quilt.

Stitchy updates, and a Valentines Freebie

2010-02-09T11:54:00.018Z

Hello my faithful followers, and a warm welcome to my new followers, I'm sorry that I have deserted you for so long, but life, and illness have got in the way, but now I am back into the swing of things. I have a freebie which I have designed for you all to stitch which is on a Valentines theme, and I hope I am not too late for you all to have a go at stitching it. It is not very large and can be found further on down the blog.

The picture above is of a beautiful little freebie cross stitch pattern which I found some time ago on a blog belonging to Sablaise,thank you Sablaise; and which I stitched sometime before Christmas. I thought it most apt now that Valentines Day is on this coming Sunday. However, I love hearts, and I think they are great anytime of the year. I haven't made the piece up into anything yet, but I thought I may make it into a Pinkeep, as the one that I use now, is a little bit worse for wear. The link for this pattern can be found here

The following pics are of some more stitcheries which I have stitched that are to be included in the quilt which I am going to make for my bed.

The pic below is of the Winter birds, part of the seasons set from My Aunts Attic which I have now finished. I do intend at a later date to do all the seasons.

My Gift to you for Valentines Day.

please click on the Pattern Pic to enlarge and then print

Valentine Rose

Happy New Year, A Winter Wonderland, a WIP, and a finish

2010-01-06T12:53:00.023Z

A Happy New year to all the lovely visitors to my blog, may 2010 bring forth, health and happiness and peace to everyone.

The above picture is of a gift from a lovely stitching friend DJ who lives in the USA. She was working so hard before Christmas putting in all the hours God made where she works, and yet she still found time to make and send me this gorgeous little ornament. Isn't it cute!!

For days the weather forecasters have been saying we were going to have snow.....normally living by the sea we very rarely have snow, but this year is an exception. The rest of the UK have been suffering really badly with snow and freezing conditions. This morning was our turn, and we awoke to a smattering at 5.45am with regular falls later on, so much so that the schools have closed as teachers couldn't get there, and with my husband being told by his boss that he would rather him stay at home with pay than drive and have an accident. Of course neither of them complained. My son was eager to go out into the cold as he has never seen much snow at all. We have more snow forecast for later on today, and freezing temperatures tonight, so it may be everyone home again tomorrow.

After having a cup of coffee we decided that we would all go out in it, so after clearing the path by the drive, and having a snowball fight; we went for a walk. I thought that I would share with you some of the pics that I took whilst out.

DH & Son

DH not looking too happy at having his pic taken

Sub tropical plant in Garden

Teasels in the snow

Wild Dog Rose hips in the snow

Snow Angel

The next pic is of a small stitchery quilt that I did for a present for my DS and his family as part of their Christmas present to hang in their hall of their new house.

The next pic is of a stitchery which I did for myself which was intended to be on the wall for Christmas, but with everything that was happening before Christmas I never got to make it into a small quilt pic. I will finish it into a quilt pic, as soon as everyone has gone back to work, and school.

The stitchery was supposed to be in redwork only,but I thought it would look much prettier in a few colours. I worked the piece in DMC thread with Krienik metallic filament and Spirelli metallic thread.

The pattern is a freebie, and can be found at http://thepaintedquilt.blogspot.com , thank you to Kaaren for this lovely little Stitchery.

My last pic is of the WIP that I am doing, I have been stitching this for the past two evenings whilst watching the TV. I thought that I would do it in white on the Dark Coffee Belfast 32ct that DH bought for me, along with some new gold needles, that he put in my stocking for Christmas. It seems to be more apt colours for this time of the year.

NB :I think that most of my pics I have posted this time will enlarge if you click on them.....if you have found previously that they wouldn't I have now found out that I was reducing the size of them too small, and therefore they wouldn't open up to a large size. Sorry for this previous boo boo.
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Info for those US genealogists out there!!!!

If you have European ancestors who migrated from Europe to the US from the middle to late 1800's until 1914. I have recently discovered that if they left Europe from the Port of Hamburg, they will not have sailed directly to the USA, and will have arrived in Hull, England first before travelling by train or carriage the next day to Liverpool,England and then going on to the USA.

In Hull Records Office they do hold lists of passengers, occupations, dates etc of all the passengers who arrived there to be migrating to the USA.

They would have stayed in a lodgings house on or very near the quayside before they continued their passage to the USA.

Victorian Christmas Market, Fairies in a garden, Gingerbread Men & Blackberry Ice cream Recipe

2009-12-07T11:43:00.037Z

I shall do my little rant, and then I will get onto the nice things.......

Oh !!!what a week last week was, it started of awful with my big PC having the black screen of death , and me thinking, as was DH that the motherboard had blown. Bless him he lent me his, but oh it was so slow and glitchy, and it just wouldn't let me do all the things that I love doing, like making cross stitch patterns, and it also didn't have my Paint Shop pro so I couldn't get and do anything graphics wise. It took me nearly quarter of an hour just to open each email. Nightmare.

However, DH after finding out that microsoft had issued a couple of security patches which some people in the techie world thought were not good, and gave people black screens of death, he decided to ring them, and try and get the PC sorted(but it wasn't that). To cut a long story short he played around with the workings of the PC, and discovered that 2 sticks of memory which he upgraded my PC with some weeks ago, had blown their solder completely off.

Now my PC Lives again !!! and I am over the moon.

What a clever hubby I have.

Then to top it all my 13yr old Stuart was riding home ,on the pavement luckily, an he caught his foot under his bike wheel which made him fall off, and parts of his bike and his glasses went into him whilst skidding along on his face, and shoulder. Luckily he was not badly hurt, just bruised, and grazed badly with a black eye. He had the day off school on Friday to recuperate, and to go and get new glasses, as he can't see too well without.

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Friday morning we woke up to a heavy frost. I went out to help clear the car, and DH's lorry off before work. This was the heavy frost we had glaze the whole of the car.

On Sunday was my wedding anniversary, and I had thought since last week when we went for a little ride in the country that I would like to go to a Victorian Christmas Market which was to be held on Sunday at a little village which nestles within the rolling hills and dales of the Devon Countryside fairly near to where I live. The village is called Stoke in Teignhead, and is like one of those typical chocolate box villages which you see of Devon.

We had a leisurely breakfast, and then went slowly driving down the narrow country lanes. When we arrived in the village there were many cars parked all along every road that you could see. We managed to park, and walked back to the village hall, which was a very new building, but on an old design in keeping with the village architecture.

Inside the village hall there were tombolas for Christmas hampers, wines, and lovely gourmet things..... stalls which were selling small gifts which were very nice presents for stockings, home made preserves & pickles, handmade cushions made from Sari silks, speciality fireworks, and much much more to mention. Some of the ladies attempted to dress in Victorian dress, but not very successfully, however I did find one man who had tried. His photo is below, stood very proud in his bowler hat.

Outside was a man selling Hot roasted chestnuts, a stall where a man was selling hot spit roasted pork which could be eaten in a roll. There were stalls of locally produced wines, and beers, of Barbecued Choritzo and pickled garlic, and a butchery stall where you could buy locally produced meats; sausages of every flavour, some made of pork, and some of venison.

The stall that I made a beeline for was a very Christmassy feeling stall with all sorts of trifles, the pictures of which are below.

Needless to say a lady just has to buy something for her stash, so hubby bought me two reels of the braid that was for sale on this stall.

This was a Stitchery of an Angel which I made into a small quilted picture, and a pendibule which I made for a dear friend Margaret in Australia. I can addthis now as she has now received it.

Going back a day to Saturday after shopping I had the cooking bug, and I made some Gingerbread men and ladies which I yet have to decorate, and I also made a Carrot cake which for some reason this time turned out a bit heavy.

On Sunday I made some delicious ice cream from blackberries which I had gathered in the summer and had frozen.

This is the Recipe

Blackberry Ice cream

250g (8.75oz) Berries defrosted, or fresh

125g(4.5oz) granulated sugar

I tablespoon lime juice

200cc(7floz) cream ( whipping or double)

100cc(3.5fl.oz) whole milk

Clean the berries, or defrost completely. Puree the Berries,with the sugar and the lime juice. Pour the milk and the cream into the mixture. Make sure that the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.Pour into an Ice cream machine that is switched to firm setting and leave to churn for 40-45 mins.If you don't have an Ice cream machine, put in the fast freeze part of your freezer in a suitable container, and mix with a fork every 2 hrs to break down the ice crystals.

Enjoy!!!!!

A Freebie.... the end of a rainbow, and a finish.

2009-11-26T15:25:00.024Z

We have been having a lot of heavy rain with sunny spells in between lately, and this is a pic of a rainbow that appeared one afternoon...... it seemed that the crock of gold must be down a neighbours chimney!!

I feel that I should be doing more about Christmas as it will soon be upon us, I really should be in the kitchen making Christmas cake, but I seem to have lost my mojo at the moment. I have been stitching for Christmas, but just cannot work up the enthusiasm to think about the shopping, and the food making. I suppose with all the works that have been going on, on the house it has detracted from the Seasonal feelings. I am sure that come the 1st day of December, and I will get the feeling come back to me.

Here is a pic of a beautiful Christmas orni which I was sent by a stitching friend Abi from Yahoo Friendly Stitchers Group which I also belong to.

The pic below is of the Christmas Orni that I did for Mouse in the same ornament swap on Friendly Stitchers Group. The pattern is called "White Christmas",and was a free pattern which can be found at Drawn Thread

This is the back of the Orni

I have been doing a lot of Christmas stitching, but unfortunately I cannot show you what I have done, or it will not be a surprise for the recipients, as they are all bloggers.

I just had to show a pic of my Lipstick Plant. Despite the mistreatment it gets, and the lack of water most of the time, it survives despite everything. This is the third time that it has flowered for me this year. Its home is on my stairs on the windowsill next to my pottery Camels. I don't know the real Latin name for it, its just known as lipstick plant.

Free Small Lace Sampler Pattern.... and a gift from Australia

2009-11-11T13:34:00.001Z

I would like to share with you a picture of what my lovely friend Margaret in Australia sent me. I had said that I liked the Koala bookmark that she had made and had posted a pic of on her blog...... but I didn't expect to receive the two beautiful bookmarks that she sent me. I love the Koala, but aren't the Gum Tree Blossoms gorgeous. Australia must look wonderful when those trees are out in bloom.

I have been busy this last week trying out my upgraded pattern programme, and would like to share with you the little Small Lace Sampler that I have made.

I have yet to find out how to encapsulate a pattern in a PDF, but no doubt I will find out in the near future. So please bear with me for putting the seperate parts of the pattern for you instead of just clicking on a button.

Just click each picture to bring up a full size pic.

Please send me a pic of your finished pieces, as I would love to show them on my blog. I have done purple, but you can choose whatever colours of thread, or fabric you like.

I can't wait to see all the different stitcheries.

This pattern is for personal use only, and not for commercial purposes. It may not be sold, or be published on another blog, or,website

I hope that you enjoy this little pattern.

A Small Finish, My own Stitcheries for patchwork, and more.........

2009-10-27T16:47:00.002Z

A touch of Autumn in my garden

Autumn is most definitely here in England. My small Japanese Acer on the left with the pink Ixia's peeping through, and the Mahonia in the pic on the right are just a sample of natures rich colours. Isn't mother nature amazing, only a few weeks ago the Mahonia was a dark rich green, and the Acer was a beautiful burgundy copper colour.

Well my faithful followers I haven't really been doing a lot of stitching the past few weeks, especially the week before last, as I had the builders in my kitchen laying down a new floor surface which needed a latex screed spreading all over before laying the final finish. This had to be done over 2 days, so the kitchen was a no go area. It was awful as I had to have most of the kitchen appliances etc in my lounge Ugh!!

However, I did get to make a little key fob from a pattern that I found some time ago on Corinne Leroy's beautiful blog, the pattern can be found here. I used 18ct white hardanger, and DMC 817. The gold chain edging was a piece of gold coloured thread that had been knitted through one of those knitting dolls that children have where the cord comes out through the bottom of the doll.

My~~~Happiness Is~~~ Blocks for patchwork

I have designed a series of Stitcheries, which I hope to be able to sell if they seem to be popular.

Below are a couple which I have stitched up to show you.

I would really like your comments about the stitcheries to enable me to judge whether I should carry on with the project, or give up now.

Pinkeep WIP

This is a work in progress of a pinkeep which I have worked on 36ct raw linen. When I found the pattern which is a freebie on Sablaise's blog, I thought how lovely it was, and could also be used for a Christmas ornament, especially done in these colours.Thank you Sablaise.

The pattern can be found here.

The cards below are just some which I came across a couple of weekends ago at a flea market.

The two with the brightly coloured flowers are Dance cards dating back to the 19th Century. The one with Cinderella printed on it is dated 1889.

The other with the white Chrysanthemums on is a Christmas card dated 1888, and says on the back Edies' love to Nellie.

I just couldn't resist them. I bought 13 cards in all, and will post some more another day.

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The Dividers which I have used on my blog are courtesy of the Gutenberg Library which I found whilst downloading some free books, and of course are free to use under UK & US Law as they are now copyright free.

Three Finished Stitcheries, and a wonderful gift

2009-10-08T10:32:00.000+01:00

I wasn't looking forward to this week as I was going to have my kitchen turned upside down in order to have a new floor laid. It was going to be necessary to have all the appliances, and the table and chairs in my lounge, as we don't have a garage attached to our property where I could store everything while the floor layers did their work. The Garage is round the road, and everything would not be insured there. Anyway, they have had to delay work until next week...... thus delaying the turmoil.

However on Monday morning, after advertising a velvet button backed rocking chair on Freecycle to giveaway, and a lady replying by phone and asking me after having a chat with her after me saying the chair was no good for Stitching in. She said to me, "but would it be good for Spinning in", and me saying yes; she turned around and said would you like a spinning wheel.

I have always wanted a Spinning Wheel since I had visited a County Show some years ago, but could never afford to buy one, as something always came up where I had to for go having one.

About an hour and a half after ringing me she brought me this beautiful Ashford Spinning Wheel. Apparently she belongs to the Spinning Guild in Exeter, Devon, and it was surplus to her needs. I was so amazed at her generosity, I was speachless nearly......(not the normal me)lol! And.... she even brought me a fleece to start spinning with.

When I last had a go at the spinning I was a natural the lady had said....... but now I think she was sooooo wrong. I need to have loads more practice before I can spin any yarn suitable for knitting. I will get there though!!!

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My latest stitchery finishes

The Peaceful Bird is a freebie courtesy of Betty at Primitive Betty's.

I thought it was beautiful, and will look lovely in my quilt when it is finished.

I just love the Attitude Fairy..... my husband says it is so me!!

I just love doing these stitcheries, as they are so quick to do, I can do a couple in an evening.

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A Frugal Dessert Recipe. Yummy!!!!!

serves 3

I had a few fruits that were left from last week,

One white peach with a beautiful red centre,

One Necterine,

One Large Black Plum,

One small cooking apple.

I took the skins off all the fruit, cored and stoned, and sliced into a dish.

sprinkled with 2 desertspoons of muscavado sugar.

Topping

Take two crusts of the end of a pre-packed loaf

(normally these get left in our house)

Blitz the crusts in a processor,

add 1.5oz butter, and two tablespoons of muscavado sugar,and

two generous tablespoons of dessicated coconut.

Blitz again for a couple of seconds, and then spoon over the fruit.

Bake for about 20-30 mins until topping truns a nice golden brown, and the fruit starts to bubble through, depending on your oven, mine took 20 mins in a convector oven, at 180 deg C, or Gas 5., 350 deg f.

Enjoy!!!!!!!! We did.

Blackwork Finish & A Game and Craft Country Show

2009-09-29T11:45:00.039+01:00

Thank you to all of my followers who left a comment for me last time. All comments are much appreciated, and it is always nice to hear what you all think about the things that I blog about.

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The picture above is a small blackwork piece which I worked on 22ct Hardanger fabric. The pattern was a freebie by M.Brouwer, who I must thank for the lovely little pattern. It was a delight to stitch, and it will be made into a needle case. I will also make a scissors fob to match with part of the design. ( Please click highlighted word to find pattern). You may also find another seasonal pattern on the link at the moment.

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Day out at The Game and Country Show.

The weather was beautiful at the weekend, and for a long time my Husband has wanted to have a go at Falconry. Recently I was emailed that a Game and Country show was to be held fairly nearby, at Powderham Castle in Devon. The castle is home to the Earl of Devonshire. So I decided on reading that there was to be many falconry displays, and that the public would be able to fly the birds of prey, that we would go. Unfortunately after being there most of the day, there wasn't the chance for him to have a go at falconry, but we had the most wonderful time looking at all the crafts, and seeing the birds fly.

I had a Harrier Hawk land on my head whilst trying to take a photo of it in flight, and I was amazed that even with its long talons it didn't stick them into my head. To the contrary it was so gentle sat there upon my head like I had been crowned with a bird hat, and it sat there for about 3 minutes. My husband was so thrilled to see it up so close to him. Me not so, as I have a fear of birds up close.

This is a pic of the very bird.

Harrier Hawk

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More birds which we saw

Barn Owl

Merlin

Golden Eagle

Falcon

Eagle Owl

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For Some who like Knitting

There was a lady at the show who was displaying knitted rugs to cover picnic chairs, and the for the floor, all knitted on what looked like broom handles. Enormous needles about three to four feet long. The yarn that she was using was a double knitting wool multiplied up 15 times. When she was demonstrating she had 15 cones of wool on the floor at one time. I asked her how long it took to knit a row, and she said she could do 2 rows in 2 hours.

Here are some pics of what the rugs looked like.

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Other Crafts that we saw

There were local blacksmiths who had taken mobile forges so that they could do a demonstration of their craft, the items that they made were beautiful. I have shown some of their work below.

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Woodcarving & Hippy Hut

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Items made of Driftwood

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Some Cute Dogs

Jack Russell Pup

Lurcher Shaking Hands

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Our Stuart Slaying a Dinosaur whilst having his first go at Archery.

He got the Dino right in the top of its head.

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I did buy a bit of Stash......well it had to be done!!

Dear Hubby has a new mobile phone that has a screen that is always on display so it needs a case. Also I thought I would make some little slippers for our little grandson who is a baby of 5 months. So as I was walking past this small marquee I saw that they were selling the softest of fine glove leather, it was a regal blue..... I just couldn't resist.

The lady who served me told me that they have a website, but they don't list the fine leather as a product, but if you contact them they will always oblige in sending you some, if so wished. They also sell beads, and other general craft & leather craft supplies, & leather accessories.

They can be found at http://www.theidentitystore.co.uk/

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And On The Way Home we saw.....

The most wonderful Fallow Deer Stags.

I thought you would like to see this beautiful building. Its called the Minadab Restaurant just between Dawlish and Teignmouth,Devon, I used to live near to it, but have never managed yet to go to dinner there. I really must do sometime, just to see if it is as pretty inside.

Just going down in to Teignmouth looking at the mist over the water, where the sea meets the River Teign

Autumn Mists and Mellow Fruitfullness....

2009-09-21T12:50:00.011+01:00

As I drove through the Devonshire countryside yesterday my thoughts turned to the richness of Autumn with all its majestic colours about me with the fruit trees absolutely laden with wonderfully huge scarlet and golden apples hanging on the trees. Pears too, the biggest I have ever seen. One tree reminded me of the Nursery Rhyme "I had a little nut tree nothing would it bear, but a silver nutmeg and a golden pear". The pears were shining a beautiful rustic gold in the heat of the Autumn sun. Even the Farmers were taking advantage of the good weather that had been bestowed upon them, busying themselves with the last of the haymaking. It seems they have been lucky this year with two cuts, so the animals will be well fed this year.

With these thoughts, and sights, I remembered a saying that my Dad used to say, and which I had only repeated until now, never questioning where the words came from. Today I have found out where, and this is where my title for my blog has come from. A poem "To Autumn" by the famous poet John Keats. Obviously my Dad must have learned this poem at school, since I can never remember him reading poetry otherwise.

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The Winner of my Giveaway Pattern

was Kate who is from France.

Congratulations!!!

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My Recent Makes

This lovely biscornu was made from a pattern which was a freebie from
http://battybat.free.frI thought that it was quite seasonal with Halloween coming up.

This is the back:

This pattern for stitchery,is from Primitive Bettys

A Little Christmas Gift Bag

Thank you to all of the lovely visitors to my blog, even if I don't reply to all the comments, I always read them and appreciate the messages that you leave.

A Rummage in the Attic, a Finish, and a Giveaway

2009-09-08T15:41:00.024+01:00

Thank you to all the ladies who posted a message to my blog last time. All messages are greatly appreciated. To those of you who just come to have a quick peek, just say Hi, I would love to hear from you.

As you can see from the picture above, I have been buying yet more stash. The pattern that you see I bought online on Saturday from a site that is new to me. The lady who owns it is called Fee, and I think, but wouldn't be sure is a fairly new designer. If you click on her name it will take you to her site. The site is a bit strange in the fact that when you get to the site you need to scroll down to see what you have clicked on, after choosing what you want to look at.

I really fell in love with her little star and thought it quite different to the normal patterns for Christmas.

The Hardanger was a snip on Ebay, and the two reels of heavy Braid are what I found when I visited our local recycling centre. I was amazed that anyone should throw that away. All they charged me was £1 for the two reels.

The Stef Francis thread is gorgeous, and I am going to use it to embellish ornaments at Christmas. If you click on her name that I've highlighted it takes you to her website for the most gorgeous of stitching threads, silks, linen thread, hand dyed threads etc., which you can buy online much more cheaply than through retailers.

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I have been driven mad for a while now wanting to find a Deighton's book of patterns that I had bought back at the beginning of the 90's. After turning out every conceivable drawer and cupboard I tuck things into, and still not being able to find it, I decided that it must still be in a box in the attic which I hadn't sorted out when we moved to this house 7 years ago. Much as I hate heights, I endeavoured to climb the ladder into the attic, I just couldn't believe all the boxes of stuff I had made my poor suffering husband Phil, put up in the attic. I sorted through kids toys ,to wallpaper, to boxes of pottery and porcelain, records, and you name it it was there, but no pattern book. I knew exactly what things it was with too. Eventually after turning much rubbish out I was ready to get out of the attic, and frustratedly said to my husband well I expect it is staring me in the face but I can't find it. I just turned to get on the ladder, and it was there right in front of me. It would have hit me in the face getting in the attic if it could have done. So now I am happy, and can do some Italian Quilting..... I believe some people call it Trapunto.

Another treasure I want to share with you is from my childhood. Whilst in the attic I found a little book that my Granny gave to me, as I was sooo into books, fairies and poetry. Alas, I have found out that the little book would have been worth about £250 today "if", I hadn't have drawn dear little pictures above each poem. The book is a first edition of Rose Fyleman's " The Fairy Green". The little book was printed in 1919. Here is a pic of the book and one of my favourite poems from it. I don't care of the value it would have been. Memories of childhood, and the love of a Granny mean more than money to me.

The Fairy Green

Upon the magic green I stood

within the fairy ring,

Close to the little rustling wood

Where fairies always sing.

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I was a little bit afraid,

I kept my eyes shut tight,

While all around they danced and played-

I felt the shining light.

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Nearer and nearer still they came,

They touched my dress and hair;

They called me softly by my name;

I heard them everywhere.

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I never moved, I never spoke

(oh,but my heart beat fast),

And so the little fairy folk

All went away at last.

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To-morrow I shall go again

And seek the magic place,

I shall not be so foolish then,

I shall not hide my face.

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But I shall stay for hours and hours

Until the daylight ends,

And we shall dance among the flowers

and be the greatest friends.

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And I shall learn their fairy song;

And when I come away,

Shall dream of it the whole night long

And sing it every day.

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Giveaway

Whilst searching I came across a cross stitch pattern that I know I will never stitch, as it was when I used to be interested in all things mystical. So I have decided to do a giveaway. If anyone who would like to have the pattern ,put your email address on a message at the bottom of this posting, and then I will put all the names into a Randomiser so that the giveaway is fair. I will do the drawing of the names on Sunday 13th September, and post out the following day.

This is the pic of the pattern, click pic to enlarge:

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My Latest Finish

Unfortunately I had to take the pic through the glass of the picture frame, so if things look a bit cloudy you will know why.

And this is a little stitchery treasure pod I made whilst watching TV

A little bit of Needlepoint and a couple of stitchery blocks

2009-08-26T14:02:00.014+01:00

This is my Alla Turca Sampler that I finished quite a few weeks ago. Everyone else on the Stitchers Heaven group I belong to have been putting their pics up since the beginning of August, when I finished mine, but I have been a bit lackadaisical lately. What with school holidays( and they are still not over until Sept3), then a 'holiday', and then having to take things easy because of extremely high blood pressure, I just haven't had the energy to get and do everything. Hopefully now the doctor has sorted me out.

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A little bit of Needlepoint

This lovely little pattern I found on the Danybrod blog before she stopped offering freebie patterns because of some unscrupulous person taking liberties.

The original pattern is for a needlecase, and this was the pattern for the back. However, I have stitched this 1 over 1 on 22 ct evenweave which has made the design small enough to make a scissors fob with. I thought at a later date I will make the needlecase to go with it. Threads were DMC, and fine Spirelli metalic thread which I worked the crown in.
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My WIP which is an old SAL

I have been wanting to do this pattern for a long time, as I kept seeing it made into beautiful haberdashery boxes, on the French blogs. I eventually tracked it down, and found that it was an old SAL called SAL Couture, and was originally designed by Fannyandco. I still have quite a few more squares, and embellishments to make before I have finished. I have also found that the simplest looking designs are more difficult to do than complicated looking ones as with this piece. I got in a real pickle with the box that has the little lady with a needle and thread in it, as it had cross-stitched lace all around the inside of the box. After frogging about 6 times, I gave up, and added a piece of old lace above the lady instead. As you will see when I have finished there will be other notions added to this lovely little sampler. If you wish to stitch the same, then click on the link, which takes you to a complimentary pattern page.

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Designing my own stitchery blocks.....

A couple of weeks ago I got up really early while everyone was still in bed, and thought, I can design my own stitchery blocks.... you see I like Primitives......

Would you believe how hard it is to draw Primitive when you are able to paint and draw properly....... I sat there trying and trying, but it all came out very wobbly as if I had ,had a tipple or two. I then got to thinking, think like a child.... and I think it worked. I started off with these two stitcheries below which I took off my drawings with a lightbox, and an embroidery transfer pen.

Because of these I was on a roll, and I have designed a number of themed patterns which if I knew how to market them in large quantities or in a simple manner, then I would sell them like many other people do.

A Couple of Finishes, Pretty Linens & My Biscornu Pattern

2009-07-31T12:00:00.017+01:00

Hello ladies, I am afraid I haven't blogged for a little while as I had a bit of an accident with my gate at the side of the house, and I have found it hard to sit for any length of time. My DS went off out and left the side gate open which is made of wood, and has to be banged shut quite hard. However, unbeknown to me the top had seen better days, and it came off in my hand leaving me flying backwards into a couple of my sons bikes that were laying behind me.

I can laugh about it now, as it poses quite a funny picture, but at the time, I was laid in a heap amongst the bikes with a chain wheel digging into my leg...... needless to say the air was blue.

Perhaps I should draw a stitchery block depicting me sat in the middle of bicycles.

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My latest finished blocks

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I have been wanting to buy the new sewing mag which came out about a month ago, but haven't been able to get hold of the first one. The title of it is "SEW", but last week I shopped at a different Supermarket, and was able to get No 2. It is a brilliant magazine, with all types of sewing, with a free dress making pattern along with it.

On reading through, I came across an article about a new book which has just come out called "Sew Sunny Homestyle" using loads of Tilda products. Having a friend next door who works for the publisher, I asked her if she could get it for me, as I have been wanting to make some of the primitive angel dolls for a long time and the book has all the patterns. At the beginning of the week she came up trumps...... so now I have started to make an Angel Doll.

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* Freebie * Blackwork Biscornu Pattern

I made this little Blackwork Biscornu pattern yesterday, if anyone wishes to have a copy please click on the link below the pic. The pattern is for personal use only, and is not for commercial distribution.

Click Here: Blackwork Biscornu
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Lovely Vintage Linens

These are just a few pictures of the lovely household linens that I have collected on my travels.

Passing on Award....

2009-07-31T11:23:00.003+01:00

A while ago I received this award from Michelle, and its is high time I sent it on to some of the beautiful blogs that I read and see. It was very difficult to choose, as there are so many lovely blogs , but these are the 7 people I am passing it on to.

Carolyn NC
Joanna
Shay
Constance
Rosalie
Terry
Abi

Bits & Bobs ~ Freebie Antique Crochet Patterns..

2009-07-20T14:39:00.029+01:00

Just how thrilled was I to receive this lovely blog award today from Michelle one of my blog followers. This has started my week off to a much better start than I thought it would be. You can see her blog at:http://michellesstitching.blogspot.com/ . Thank you Michelle, and Hugs x.

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Mary Wigham SAL WIP

I recently decided to join the Ackworth School, Mary Wigham Sal and have after having to rip out the first motif twice the pic below is my stitching so far. I have decided to do the Sal in only four colours of DMC 779 chocolate,841 Coffee, 152 Muted Pink, Ecru, the fabric is an evenweave 28ct linen. The pattern calls for a 32ct, but I thought 28ct would be better on the eyes. I was reading on the Ackworth School site that the students back in the 18th Century used a 40 ct fabric originally. Can you imagine what their eyes were like with the lighting they had way back then.

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DH's little Finds....... when he was clearing out a house in the course of his work.

He found this little 1940's to 50's Needlekeeper with screw on thimble lid.

Another great find was some crochet edging which a lady must have made way back. When DH brought it home the edging was all discoloured and brownish. I have given it a bleaching, and a good wash in the washing machine, and it is as bright as it is ever going to be, with just two little iron stains in a couple of places there it must have been up against some metal at some time. Along with the crochet piece which is not quite finished, as is appears it was an edging for a table cloth or similar, there was also two patterns. One dated June 27th 1914...Pansy edging, and the other which could be the pattern for the edging I have shown a picture of, dated September 6th 1924. I have taken the pictures in Super Macro, so that anyone who is into doing crochet can have a go at the pattern if they so wish. I hope that if you click the picture of the pattern that the blog will allow it to enlarge.

If you would like to have a copy of either of the vintage crochet patterns please email me at:fripperiesandstitchery@googlemail.com
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The weather hasn't been very good this past week, and now the children have broken up for the school holidays, I do hope it will be fine next week. They have forecast rain for nearly every day this week its such a shame for the kids. But on another note the weather as it is is good for my vegetable garden, and everything is just producing nicely. We have had two pickings of succulent sugar snap peas, and I picked nearly half a washing basket full of broad beans last week. They were yummy. The rain is great for my courgettes too, I have been having to pick them every day. I think that I shall have to freeze some for the winter.We have tiny cherry, and plum tomatoes in the green house, and I am waiting on the large ones yet too fruit. The Khol Rabi is coming on. I can't wait to try that. Apparently you can shred it and eat it with salad. The oak leaf lettuce are doing well too, and I am waiting for the beetroot to get a little larger before I pull them. The copper ribbon seems to have worked a treat at keeping the slugs and snails from eating my purple sprouting, and they are nearly a foot high now.

I hope you have found something here to interest you, I must really go now as it is time that DH comes in from work, and I have to go and feed that man!!!

Gorgeous freebies, SAL update,& Grannys' Album

2009-07-06T12:28:00.022+01:00

Hello, lovely people, what a strange week we have had.Searing heat up in the high 80's, and then turning to extremely heavy bouts of rain the next.

Here is something I thought you may like whilst I was having a surf around the stitchery sites. I found this gorgeous little rabbit block as a freebie at http://zuill.us/andreablog/category/embroidery/free-patterns/ I just couldn't resist. Thank you Andrea. I have stitched it with 2 strands DMC on Calico. Andrea has quite a few cute little patterns which are intended for patchwork, but could be used in many other ways.

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The picture below is of my sewing efforts so far, of the free Stitch A Week SAL that I am participating in on the Yahoo Friendly Stitchers Group. ( The link is at the top on the left). I am a bit behind, but am catching up gradually.

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I must tell you of another stitchery site that I have found which has some delightful little embroideries/stitcheries which are supposed to be used to make a small quilt. The lady who is offering the blocks called 'Verandah Views' is Cheryl, and the Freebies can be found here at Willowberry Stitchery:http://willowberrydesigns.typepad.com/willowberry_designs/verandah-views-free-stitchery-patterns.html

As yet I haven't started stitching, but no doubt I will start stitching them shortly. They are in my list of to do's.

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Granny's Visitors Album.........

As I don't have a lot of stitching to show you this week I though you may like to see a few things from my Grannys' Visitors album. I inherited this album before she passed away back along in the 1960's, as she said she wanted me to have it, especially as I was interested in Victorian times and history, and also art. I don't think that it was actually her visitors book, but more so the ladys' whom she worked as a Companion for, back at the turn of the century. The lady was quite elderly, and Alice, Emily Garrett, my Granny, I believe was given it for some reason unbeknown to me.

The earliest date in the album is 1834, and it seems has been added to gradually over the years. There are many lovely little drawings, and poems in it, in the most beautifully elegant writing. Quite a few of the written pieces are in French. As I do not speak French and have to use translator tools to read it, I find it most frustrating that I don't know what these pieces of literature say.

If I have any French readers of my blog I would dearly love to know if you are able to decipher this beautiful French text. I think that if you click on the pic it will go large hopefully.

This is some of the art that is in the album, I have tried to look up the artist, of the Turkish style man but to no avail. If anyone reading this blog has heard of W.Warman...... could you please let me know what you know of this artist.
This next picture is a pencil drawing of an African scene, back in the 1800's

Christmas card from the 19th Century

Early Victorian Christmas Card

Next time I blog I will try and decipher some of the poetry, I don't know who the poems are by, but some are very beautiful.

SAL Progress, Patchwork Blocks,Lavender Make....

2009-06-26T12:13:00.016+01:00

This is my Alla Turca SAL progress, all up to date with part 6 finished, and part 7 eagerly awaited any day now. I just love ding this SAL it is to relaxing, and easy going.

Its been a funny sort of a week, starting very peculiarly on Saturday evening, when a sort of semi connected person in our family telephoned us to say that my Daughter and her family are stuck in Goa with no money as her income from an Internet business had ceased. I haven't heard from her or from any of the grandchildren in 9 months. I have tried to get hold of them but to no avail. I would have thought that if she was in such a predicament she would have gone to the British Embassy out there, and we would have heard something.But no! We spent quite a lot of time on Saturday evening until midnight trying to find out what had happened to them, via the Foreign Office, but to no avail, as they said if they didn't want to be found, or had not requested assistance there was nothing we could do. They did suggest other agencies such as the Police, but they were unable to help, as they said unless they were wanted for something they couldn't help. Apparently too they have moved house from where we knew they were living too, so that doesn't help matters.

All I have been able to think of is awful thoughts, and worrying about the grandchildren... ages 14,12 & 7. I really can't keep my mind from wandering, so please forgive me if my blog is a bit disjointed.

If there is a likelihood of Joanna reading my blog......please get in touch to let us know you are all OK.

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On a happier note......Lavender Room & Drawer Fresheners

I have discovered on another blog which I can't seem to find the name of I found this wonderful idea of making these gorgeous little Lavender room and drawer fresheners. I thought they are ideal for someone who is allergic to the commercial type of freshener products. As my lavender is just about ready for picking now, I thought I would have a go. This is the pic of the end result

How to make them is quite easy. You cut about 10 stems from the plant as about 12" or more. Get all the heads together evenly, and just under the heads, wind some thread around about 6 times and tie off( I used crochet thread). Then about 6 inches down the stem wind the thread around again 6 times and tie off tightly. Then bring the cut end of the stems back up towards the heads one at a time,(it doesn't matter if they crack slightly). Then push the end of some 1/4" to 1/2" ribbon into the centre of the bunch to hold the end of the ribbon whilst you weave it in and out of the stems on the outside. When you have woven all the way up the stems, tie off ribbon and add a loop through the tied off ribbon for hanging the completed piece. Trim off the end of the stalks of the lavender at that end to make it neat. Add a bow to the bottom.

And there you have it sweet scented lavender pretties for decorating about your house. It keeps flies away too and soothes the mood, and aids sleep.

Two Finished embroidered Patchwork blocks.

These two blocks stitched up really quickly, and I thought they were just lovely, so I am going to make them into large cushions for my lounge like I did with the peacocks that I showed last posting.

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This is a pic of one of my paintings that I did some time ago. I usually use watercolours, and gouache, I think that this one was done in watercolour.

This one I painted whilst sitting by the river Dart at Dartmeet.

A Finish,a Find, a Gift of Stash, and Antique Porcelain

2009-06-16T12:04:00.016+01:00

After Much umming and ah-ing, and lovely helpful Marl, a stitching friend from one of my groups trying to help me decide what to actually turn my "Lovely You" peacocks into. I have now made a full size cushion.... sorry Marl, but Hubby liked it so much he decided he wanted it, so it wasn't to be a flat fold.

I had some natural fibre upholstery material which has a lovely stringy type thread running through it, so I used that to mount the cross stitched piece upon it. I used a red thread to attach it to the cushion cover, and added some 3/4" red buttons which I had in my button stash, to it. I am quite pleased with the overall effect. I was going to sell it, but when DH got home from work he said " I like that, I would like that as my cushion". Trouble is now, I have to make more. I shall use the same materials that I used for this cushion as the colours blend with my lounge walls and sofa, but I will be doing other designs on the centrepiece.
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A FIND..... Cross stitch book....Teddy....Sandwich Plate......Porcelain

At the weekend we decided that we needed to clear out some clutter, so we decided to go to a Boot Sale to actually sell some stuff that we didn't need anymore...... However, I came away with some little gems..... couldn't resist.

Whilst we were at the boot sale someone who decided that they had enough of selling and didn't want to take their wares home was giving away all their things.... totally mad if you ask me in this present financial debacle in the UK.

The guy even gave his wind surfing board away. They must cost pounds.

Of course I couldn't resist, and just had to say yes to the most softest of tiny teddy bears, it was one of those raggedy ones that you see that have their eyes hidden amongst their fur.He seemed brand new!..... I have a habit of rescuing teddies you see. Also they gave me a really nice Majolica sandwich plate which fits nicely in my kitchen.....I collect Majolica too.....

The pic below is of the finds that I had..... a nice cross stitch book " Your Home in Cross Stitch",by Barbara Thompson & Ann Green....publisher David & Charles.There are absolutely loads of different charts in the book depicting all rooms of houses, and their furniture etc. Most are to be stitched separately, but I have had an Idea that I may buy a huge piece of Linen and make like a outline of a dolls house, and fit all the charted rooms into the house, and make it into a huge sampler.

My other find of the most beautiful porcelain Teapot I have shown down further along with some more of my pieces of porcelain that I have collected over the years.

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A Gift of Stash

On Saturday I was browsing what was on Offer on Yahoo Freecycle Group to see what people were offering, and whether anyone wanted anything I could give....... when I came across something for my son. I emailed the lady who didn't live far away, and she said to go and collect this item that evening. When we got there we were having a chat .... as you do, and we got talking about cross stitching. She said that she couldn't be doing with it as it was too complicated, and that she really didn't have time for it with 5 boys in her family. With that she went and got a Beatrix Potter Birth Sampler which she said she had started but given up on...... and didn't want to stitch again. Although I don't need a birth sampler I thought I may just do the different characters as a sampler without the Birth bit in the middle, or perhaps chose an excerpt out of one of the Beatrix Potter books and stitch it in the centre.

So more stash.......

What a lovely lady she was, and if she has time to read blogs......a big thank you again to Shelley!!!!

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We were forecast terrible thunderstorms and hail yesterday, so I went and cut my best roses thinking that they would get spoiled with the hail, and that we might as well enjoy them in our lounge. So here is a pic of my old fashioned cabbage head roses which have started to ramble amongst the other plants against the fence in our back garden.

Below is the Faberge' Imperial Egg Teapot...made by the Franklin Mint, which I could not resist even though it is not an antique, but beautiful just the same.

This is the other find that I had at the weekend.

From top to bottom it stands about 9" tall.

I think that this is the most exquisite teapot I have ever seen, and not a mark, or a crack on it.

This is one of my oldest cup and saucers that I have. I am not really sure as to which manufacturer made this, as the gold back stamp is feint, and blurred, but I believe it to be made by Mintons in the 19th Century, and one of their oldest cups and saucers.

If anyone would know any information to the contrary I would dearly like to know.

This Is my favourite Mug, which was an export piece of Embellished Dresden. It was made as a souvenir mug, back in the 19th Century when the English ladies and gentlemen started to travel for the season, on the continent.

Stitchybits, Classic cars, and Cake

2009-06-08T12:27:00.018+01:00

This lovely little design was a freebie that I found at http://www.xstitchhappy.com/ some while ago. I just love the design, as it is so fresh and bright. It was one of my UFO's that I couldn't finish really until now, as the mobile that I had at the time wouldn't fit into it.

Now I have the right sized mobile I feel reluctant to use the case as I don't want to spoil it, and have to keep washing it.

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Since last weekend I haven't really felt like writing my blog, as the weather has been brilliantly hot here in Devon, and I had got behind with my A Stitch a Week SAL that I have doing along with many other ladies in the Friendly Stitchers Group which belong to.I caught up on three of the motifs, but by now we have another one. That leaves me 11 motifs to catch up on. It is particularly hard, as I elected to do the ASAW SAL on 28ct linen, and the motifs are only about 1.5" square, so everything is minute sometimes, and very slow going when stitching. Hey Ho!!!

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Gorgeous Plum/Apple Cake Recipe.

This is one of my families favourite dessert cakes. You can eat it as it is, or with cream poured over a slice in a dish. It is best when it has been in a plastic container in the fridge. It keeps up to 4 days in the fridge......... that's if you can resist it that long.

Ingredients

5oz butter,

2 large eggs,

8 oz caster sugar,

1 teasp almond essence,

8oz S.R. flour,

1.5 level teasps of baking powder,

1.5lbs of Plums (stoned),or apples before peeling.

Icing sugar to dust when cooled.

Method.

Grease well, but don't line a 10" spring loose bottom cake tin. Heat oven to Gas 5, 375 degF, 190 degC.

Melt butter in a pan over med heat until just liquid, and pour in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, sugar, and almond essence, and beat until well mixed. Fold in the flour, and baking powder.

Spread just under 2/3rds of the mixture into the baking tin. Then straight away peel & core the apples,or stone plums. If using apples ,slice, if using plums just halves will do.Arrange the fruit roughly over the top of the top of the mixture that is in the tin. Then spread the remaining mixture over the top of the apples/plums. It is difficult to get the top of the mix smooth, so blobs of the mix will be OK, as it evens out in the cooking..

Bake for 1 and a half hours until the fruit is tender. I usually stick a metal skewer in to test the middle isn't still runny after an hour. If it comes out clean then the cake is ready.

Loosen the sides of the cake from the tin with a knife, and carefully tip it upside down on a rack to cool. Invert it right way up on plate when cooled, and dust with icing sugar.

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The week-end prior to the one just gone, we went on our travels again, and went to see a small Steamfair, and Vintage Automobiles and Bicycles.

Below are some of the sights we saw. Amongst others are some Morris Men/Mummers who decided to come along and jolly the atmosphere up. For my readers from foreign climes, Morris Men/Mummers are Country Folk Dancers with their own musicians, who pretend to fight with sticks whilst dancing. A very old custom in England.

Jaguar Panther
1935 Auburn 851 Speedster
Model T Ford
This was the Yuckie sign on the side of the ratcatchers vehicle.

I just had to photograph it as I just couldn't believe what I saw. Lovely stained glass window

Secret peep through a gateway.

Bluebell fields on Dartmoor

Redwork Flapper & Lovely You............

2009-05-28T15:15:00.007+01:00

This lovely little pattern has been a delight to stitch, I cannot for the life of me remember where I found the pattern, but I do know it was a freebie I believe on one of the French sites that I visit..... I would dearly like some ideas as to what I should make the stitched piece into. The whole size of the linen it is stitched on is approx: 12" x 8.5". I did think of making it into a box for my husband as he really likes the pattern, but we have so many trinket boxes etc.

If someone has a brilliant idea, please leave me a message as to what I should turn it into.

I stitched it in DMC 817 on a raw linen,24ct which I found in a wonderful little shop called the "Hessian Shop" in a town nearby called Paignton. I have loads more of the raw linen, so I am going to be busy in the next few weeks.

The weather this week has been ideal for stitching, since most of the week it has been cold and wet outside. School half term and not having to do the school run has given me extra time to stitch.

The pic above is of a Redwork Flapper Lady hand stitched on Calico. I have decided that I am going to do more Redwork squares, and incorporate them in a patchwork quilt cover for a duvet.This will be an ongoing project which I will show pics of from time to time. The Flapper lady only took two evenings between watching TV, so I should be able to get quite a few done in a month.

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N.B.........Tip
I must share with you for those of you who like doing redwork my new source of finding pictures to stitch. Although you may already do the same!! I went on some of the card stamping sites yesterday, and found a lot of the blocks which the card stampers use, are ideal outlines for stitching. The pictures can easily enlarged for stitching, and then you can trace over the design either with greaseproof paper, or using a lightbox. You can then transfer the pattern after using a Sulky transfer pen.

These flowers were getting a bit beaten down by the wind and the rain yesterday, so I thought I would bring a few indoors to brighten things up a bit. The lilies have come out slightly lighter than they really are. Their proper colour is a dark crimson. I snipped the stamens off as they make such a mess when they drop their pollen, and actually it stains whatever the pollen lands on, and you have a terrible job trying to get the stain off.

Just a little warning: if you have cats, pollen from lillies is highly poisonous to them.

The Iris which are with the lillies in the vase, are most unusual, as they have an almost chocolate beard to their petals. They are an early Dutch variety.

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The two delightful miniature pictures below, are a couple of the things which I found for sale at the weekend. We went on our adventures of trying to find a bargain again between the showers.

A Finish, Redwork, and Yummy stuff........

2009-05-21T12:41:00.010+01:00

This is the picture of the Mystery Sampler which I have now finished. All I have to do is to go and try to buy a frame for it. I really enjoyed stitching this little piece, particularly because of the variety of stitches which were used in it. Some of which I have never stitched before, and this gave me the satisfaction of not becoming bored with the middle parts as I usually do when doing something that is not a small item. It took me just over a week of evenings for about 2 hours or so each evening.
As on my previous blog, the site where the pattern came from is:http://pagesperso-orange.fr/anne-les-petites-croix/ . Thank you Anne for the beautiful freebie.

I don't normally do Redwork, but I came across a site the other day,( of which I cannot remember the name of) , when I was looking at patchwork things that people had made.

Yesterday after having finished the mystery sampler, and not having much else I wanted to do I printed out the picture, and decided to try machine stitching these gorgeous little mice. I thought originally that I would make it into a tote bag seeing as every supermarket now doesn't like giving polythene bags out to put your shopping in, so I will make a calico bag, and stitch the redwork to it as a motif, along with some buttons and things.
I don't have a fancy embroidery machine,although it does about 9-10 different stitches, but I thought I would give it a try. I did find that the smaller parts were quite difficult to stitch with the pattern paper placed under the calico, and I had to keep maneuvering the corners of the paper underneath the main body of the machine. However, after about 2 hours this is what my first machine Redwork turned out like. I think that if I were going to do a piece for an exchange for someone else then I would have to hand stitch, as I don't like the bits where the machine had to stop and start, but no doubt this would get better with practice.

Spring Food

On Tuesday it was a beautiful sunny day, and I thought I really cannot be bothered to eat a large heavy meal when DH comes in from work, so I cast my mind back to Spring and Summer past, and remembered Pie Saladiere.
Although the pic has come out a bit blurred this is what the finished dish looked like before popping in the oven.

Recipe..... of a fashion.

I made 10oz of Shortcrust Pastry to cover a Swiss Roll Tin 7" x11"...roll out not too thinly, nor too thick.

Spread over base, about 2 large tablespoons of tomato puree. Sprinkle with ground sea salt. Clip the leaves of a handful of Basil. and put on top of the tomato paste. Grate some Cheddar Cheese, or any other kind of cheese you care to have in your fridge.,about 8oz. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the basil.
Finely slice a long red pepper and sprinkle over, then Halve 4 small sweet juicy tomatoes, and finely slice, and sprinkle over the rest of the Pie Saladiere. Finely slice some chestnut mushrooms. I only used 4 small ones.Get one red onion, a bit larger than a golf ball, and finely slice, and scatter over the whole dish.

Bake for approximately 30 mins, or until the vegetables are just coloured and starting to turn a little soft. Gas Mark 6, 400deg F, 200C

I served mine with a chopped salad dressed with honey and mustard dressing, and a small serving of Tuna.

I hope this has whetted your appetite. Its lush!!!

WIP, Swap and cakes for tea.......

2009-05-18T15:08:00.017+01:00

Sorry to all the lovely people who normally follow my blog for not writing last week, but last week is best forgotten as far as I am concerned.

The picture above is of a WIP that I have nearly completed.I have altered it in places to suit me, and have stitched different colours to which the pattern stated. The pattern is a Mystery Sampler ( a freebie)which I found on http://pagesperso-orange.fr/anne-les-petites-croix/ . It has a good variety of speciality stitches which I found quite absorbing, and a change from just doing cross stitch.

The vase of flowers is a mixture of the many Aquilegia we have growing in our garden together with what I call popcorn grasses.I was so upset because the wind had been very strong for the past 3 days, and that along with the rain had been beating their tall stems all down onto the lawn.

The above picture is of the scissors case and fob which I stitched as my part of a swap to Irene in the Netherlands.Now that Irene has received her swap I thought you may like to see what I made. The swap was through one of the groups that I belong to Yahoo Group bbinteractive. The link can be found at the top left of my blog. The stitching was done on a 28ct even weave linen with a French Navy pure silk lining. I sent a little card which I made. I cross stitched a hedgehog on perforated paper, and decorated with a frame then made it into the card.

For many years I used to bake cakes, biscuits, pies etc, but up until the recession I am afraid I haven't been as good as I should and have been buying ready made.Today though I thought this must change.Not only is the price of some shop bought cakes ridiculous,but you really cannot trust exactly what is going into them. I feel so strongly about the fact that some unscrupulous manufacturers are putting hydrogenated fats( causing heart disease), into our food that I thought it was high time I went back to making my own goodies. I was trained in catering before I made the great decision that, that wasn't what I really wanted to go into job wise when I first started work; and eventually ended up being a window dresser for a large high street fashion store for while before getting married.

The pic above is of a Victoria Sandwich Cake which is sandwiched together with Damson Jam, and lightly dusted with icing sugar over a doily; which I made this morning. This is the start of me making and baking my own again.

The teacup in the picture is my favourite vintage teacup, of which I have many. This one is made by Royal Cauldon. This cup makes any cup of tea taste wonderful.

This is my favourite Picture for May, it is taken on Dartmoor, and when I took it I was surrounded by Bluebells. The scent was heavenly.

More Stash, Dartmoor & the Sun was Shining......

2009-05-05T09:20:00.021+01:00

New addition to my stash..... the haberdashery is laid on about 4mtrs of 32ct pink linen which I was lucky enough to acquire this weekend.

Saturday was a gorgeous sunny day, and the family and I went down to Tavistock which is a small town nestling on the edge of Dartmoor. Although having passed quickly through the town previously, we didn't realise what a beautiful and bustling market town it was. It quite took me back three or four decades to how life used to be, before life had made people not have a lot of time for each other, and the faster way of life had taken over.

When we arrived at the centre of the town the first thing we saw was what we thought was an outdoor market, only to find later that it was a local art exhibition for all the artists who live in and around the Dartmoor area. Their stalls decked with bright green and white stripes were arranged outside what we later found to be a pannier market, which sold all sorts from speciality foods to small antiques. I was in my heaven, and of course, I just couldn't resist.

When entering the pannier market, I felt like I was transported to a bustling bazaar in some far off Country. All the stall holders were very friendly, and wanted to chat; not like the people in the town where I live. I took a few pictures of some of the stalls to show the amazing things that they were selling. In particular I was amazed at some beautiful quilts which one lady had on sale for such a reasonable price; and which had been hand quilted. Their prices ranged around £65-£70 ($98-$105) for a double quilt.

There was another lovely stall which had hand woven shawls, scarves, and bags.

Of course what I was really looking for was more stash, as I have a scissors case & fob made for an exchange at the moment, and I wanted something suitable for finishing the two items off.

I did find a stall in the market which sold a few items, but not what I really wanted urgently. I bought the pins which are showing in the pic at the beginning of the blog, and also some white cord.

After visiting the market, we wandered along the small streets of Tavistock peering into the small, almost Dickensian type windows to see what treats we could see. All the buildings are built from a dark grey granite, and are all very similar in design above the shops. Many of the buildings, and houses in the town are Georgian. Suddenly we were drawn to a particularly gorgeous shop by the smell of freshly ground coffee. We entered the shop to find it was like a modern version of a Victorian Food Emporium. Even the gentleman behind the counter looked the part. It was a beautiful sight with shelves upon shelves, of Epicurean jars of pickles,chutneys, jams. There was a cheeserie which sold every conceivable cheese you could think of. We of course were drawn to the coffee section, where there were sacks of coffee beans in front of the counter, and Tin upon tin of various blends of coffee, and on the counter was the grinding machine, where you could choose which bean you wanted ground, and have it freshly ground for you. We purchased some wonderfully aromatic Colombian coffee, which I must say was not really much dearer than the supermarket sells in ready packets. Needless to say we sent a coffee aroma all around us when we were walking down the street.

Further on down from the Coffee Emporium we came across a wonderful craft shop which sold mainly stuff for making cards etc, and art products, but they did have a lovely collection of beads,ribbons, and cord....... and dare I say I succumbed again.
In the part of Devon where I live we don't have many Rhododendrons in peoples gardens, but In Tavistock they seem to thrive, and there are many mature Rhododendron plants which have been trained into trees. One of which stands in the grounds of the Church in the town square.

For those of you who follow my blog you will know that I cannot just walk past a bargain piece of antique porcelain or pottery, well yet again I couldn't resist this piece which I have posted a pic of below. I believe that it is Chinese, and quite old, but I haven't yet been able to read the backstamp, as it is a white seal on white. I need to get more advice on it. I think it was a steal at £5 even though some of its enamels have been chipped, but its age and beauty outweighs this I think!

Some Pics of the buildings in Tavistock

We thought that it was strange that a statue of a man be built into a wall of a very ordinary end of terrace cottage. We have yet to find out who he was, and what his claim to fame was. Here is the pic.Here is a pic of the first hospital( Georgian in design) in Tavistock....... now a dentists surgery.

The Trip Home Across DartmoorOn our way back over the moors we delighted in all the beautiful flora that abounded. The bright golden Gorse shone and stood out in great clouds of gold even out on the horizon. With bluebells, primroses,wild orchid, and wild garlic(ramsons)which lined the hedgerows where the terrain wasn't quite so Savannah like. We wended our way through from two bridges, and on to Dartmeet where we stopped for an home made ice cream....made with clotted cream and real strawberries; not good for the waistline but....yummy!

Whilst getting to two bridges, a herd of about 30 wild Dartmoor ponies were stood by the roadside blocking the right hand side of the road. We had to slow down right to a stop... my husband not realising his window was open then had a fully grown pony stick its head in the car, and nuzzle him.With that a funny little mini moke type vehicle came tearing up the hill to where the ponies were, a man jumped out with about three children then herded the ponies all down the hill, and tried to get them to go to his remote farm. Obviously they had escaped from their field and wanted the freedom of the moor. They stampeded down the hill, and right through the car park where we had eventually gone to watch what was going on. Most of them galloped past to where they should go, but three very naughty ones decided they liked the taste of freedom.

This is a pic of the naughty three.

Two New Cross-stitch Books

2009-04-20T10:49:00.009+01:00

These two books which I have shown here are my new acquisition from Freecycle.com. I can't believe my luck in someone wanting to get rid of these books which are new and never been used, and me being able to have them for nothing. The lady who gave them away for recycling had bought them with a thought of starting cross-stitch but never had the courage to try and stitch. I am just amazed.

The "Cross Stitch techniques and design encyclopedia", is absolutely full of projects and charts, and have chapters of Celtic & Medieval, Traditional,Folk Art,& Contemporary.

The Teddies book has some really lovely samplers and cute things to make. I have never been into teddies in cross-stitch much, but there are a few small items which I am going to make, like the pin cushion, and jam pot covers etc. I shall not be doing a large sampler,as I like smalls best. I will put pics on my blog when I have stitched them.

I think that when I have done the items that I want to do, I shall have a little competition on my blog, so that one lucky winner can have the book of Teddies for their own..........keep watching out for this. I will put a note on all the stitching groups I belong to when I have organised how I am going to arrange the competition.

What a weekend........

All weekend the sun shone, we had to go down to Cornwall to take a few bits and pieces that DS had left behind when he moved, and to see DGS, I was feeling a little apprehensive about going since there had been three nasty accidents in the past week on the A38 where people had died, and I just couldn't help worrying. That road is not good at the best of times.

On the Thursday afternoon prior to us going to Cornwall my arm and shoulder started to give me grief to the point where I couldn't even sleep. I got progressively worse, and no painkillers would stop it hurting. I got in touch with the out of hours doctor, and he was worse than useless, and said just to take paracetamol, and some brufen which I already had. They didn't touch the pain. By Saturday morning, I couldn't even dress myself. Every time I moved I shouted out like a banshee. No doctors available Saturday, and anyway we had to go to Cornwall. Worst of all, I couldn,t do any stitching either(total boredom & misery).

I can now fully appreciate how difficult some peoples lives can be, not being able to do the simplest of things for themselves, like going to the loo, dressing themselves, washing etc., the list goes on. Do you know just how many times you use your favoured arm!!

Finally after a long Saturday, and not sleeping, and ouching constantly I got to see a doctor at the hospital who said that I had Tendinitis in my shoulder joint. He reckoned that I had injured it by straining my arm by lifting something heavy or awkward. He prescribed me some hefty painkillers, which when under the influence of I have no pain, but I cannot drive, and have to rest my arm, but at least I can now sleep of a night time.

Needless to say DH has had to do all the household chores this weekend, as well as the cooking, and mowing the lawns. I did appreciate all that he did for me, bless him, but I was so bored with not being able to do anything, I thought I would go mad.

By the way the sun is still shining. Spring is finally here.

Little Alphabet Sampler......& Spring Holidays

2009-04-15T14:24:00.006+01:00

I just loved stitching this small alphabet sampler. I have stitched it on Belfast Linen 28ct, and used DMC floss. I found it a while ago as a freebie. Its title is " Bluebirds and Daisies", and is a complimentary design from: www.blueribbondesigns.com . I found it very easy to stitch, and I thought I may incorporate the design again along with more motifs to make a larger sampler.

My latest stitching project is a birth sampler for my new little grandson, when finished I will show it on my blog.

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Spring Holiday..... Well a rest for DH anyway....

The weather was beautiful, and silly me I thought that we might go out and about for a few days, especially as it was Easter school holidays and all that. We had even talked about going up to the Fleet Air Arm Museum, and the American Museum up in Somerset, as DS wanted to go there, but no such luck, DH just wanted to rest up. I suppose I can sympathise in a way as he does have a strenuously gruelling job,but I would have driven, and all he had to do was to sit there and look at the countryside.....but no. He just wanted to stay at home. I think that he was just enjoying the fact that my eldest son had moved out the week prior to that, and he just wanted to enjoy the peace that now reigns in our house. I did manage to get DH to go into the garden, and finish digging the veggie patch that we have decided to have this year, especially as people in the UK are being encouraged to grow their own fruit and veg. We have planted Tomatoes, Courgette, Broccoli/Purple sprouting, Lettuce..various varieties, carrots, peas, broad beans,and aubergine, also a custard courgette.

We did however manage to get down to visit the newly arrived Grandson after him being born about 10 days previously. He's so cute,he weighed in at 6lb 6oz and is now gaining weight, and getting stronger every day. They are all coming to see me tomorrow, so I will get to cuddle him again. I do love tiny babes especially when they are not your own and you can hand them back when they start crying.

Easter Saturday, saw a big spring clean out, we had so many old books, and clutter, that we thought it was time to get rid of the excess. Doesn't it take an amazing amount of time, as if you are like me you seem to come across things that you have forgotten and than you start to look through them all particularly photos, or that little memento you had kept for posterity. Eventually we had a huge pile of books which we put on our local Freecycle.com group, www.freecycle.com and there were many takers. We still have loads to do, and get rid of before we can even start to think about decorating. I really must stop hoarding, and stashing.

On Easter Sunday there were many bootsales, and flea markets on, and it was wonderfully warm so we decided to go to one. Yet again I couldn't resist, and found some fabric to add to my stash. Not only do I like doing cross stitch, and blackwork, but from time to time when the mood takes me I do like to do patchwork. I was lucky enough to get about 4 square metres of Calico for £1, and 2 metres of really nice checked material suitable for all sorts of projects. The colours were not too dissimilar to the colours I used in the ABC sampler above.

I also added to my cross-stitch stash, as a lady was selling a piece of 14ct Aida, and all the threads to make a teddy bear sampler. I don't fancy making that up, but the threads, and aida will come in for something. I also was lucky enough to get Donna Kooler's " 555 Fabulous Cross-stitch Patterns" book for 50p. There are so many nice little motifs that I am sure I can incorporate into things that I will make, both for exchanges, and for myself.

Its amazing what people will get rid of for next to nothing. I also had the pick of whatever I wanted out of an old sewing chest. I had a powder bowl full of pins, some with nice heads on, and some buttons for covering, and a velvet press type brush. I shall be covering the little buttons with some cross stitch flowers I think.That all cost me £1 too.

My Antique Porcelain find......

I was just about to leave the bootsale/flea market when I came upon this stall that just had a load of old junk when I found this wonderful little Dresden side plate decorated with purple pansies, and hand gilded with little dots of gold on the pansies, and gilding to the scrolled edges.The age of the plate is around the 1880's-1900.

My Friendly Stitchers Sal stitching so far......

2009-03-27T15:31:00.012Z

This week has been a bit busy so I haven't got around to a lot of stitching. I had got a bit behind with the Yahoo Groups Friendly Stitchers ASAW Sal and had only done about 5 motifs out of the 12 that had been charted, so I decided to catch up on that before starting on any other projects. I think my most favourite out of the motifs so far is the ' Mole '. For my US readers I don't know if you have moles in the USA but they are little animals about 8" long, and are virtually blind, that make a terrible mess of your lawn if you get them burrowing. They leave little hillocks of earth all over the place, and are very difficult to get out of your garden. Their main diet is earth worms.

These are a few close ups of some of the motifs.......

The Sal has been stitched on DMC 28ct Linen, in DMC threads.

The link to the Friendly Stitchers Group is to found on the left of my blog page.

Hopefully next week I shall be able to get on with other patterns that I have been wanting to stitch for a while.

A Bit of Victoriana

2009-03-18T13:10:00.005Z

Little did I know 16 years ago when I made the pattern'Lace Trifle' just for me to stitch (pictured here), that it would be so popular with other stitchers.Not having any crossstitch programme at the time, let alone a PC, and wanting to make my own patterns, I had to get the graph paper out to do my own thing.
I have always had a mania for Victorian things, so I decided that I would make a pattern that looked a bit like a victorian calling card. At that time there was nothing in the rectangular space, I added the heart, and the rose and love later.
I have had some lovely comments from the fellow stitchers in the Groups that I belong to, as I have offered this pattern as a freebie to them. My Groups can be found on the side panel of my blog.

For many years now I have wanted my own cross-stitching site, but finances never allowed me to do it, nor did I have the time to keep the site maintained. But the children are older now, so I think it is time I did something about it.However, is this the right time with the economic climate as it is. Only today I heard that my next door neighbour is to be laid off from her job, along with all the rest of her workmates at a well known Mail Order Stitching Company, which is linked to a well known Publishers.There is a lot to be considered.

I would like to show you another picture of a pattern I designed two years prior to the one above. I don't have the pattern anymore, but I do have the piece which I stitched, and have never framed it, which I suppose I should have done. Its just been tucked away in my great big sewing box.

Another little Finish.....Pendibulle Ornament

2009-03-16T12:54:00.010Z

This little pendibulle was supposed to be a Christmas Pendibulle originally, but I have prettyd' it up with a little bit of rouched lace and a little 3mm burgundy satin ribbon. The pattern is part of a set which also includes a Biscornu, another Christmas Orni, and the Pendibulle. I have stitched the little ornament with a an brick/burgundy coloured thread, and seed pearls, on 14ct aida.

The pattern was offered on the www.waldchamps.com webiste as a freebie.

Spring has Sprung

2009-03-13T11:47:00.007Z

Polyanthus,Hyacinth, Grape Hyacinth,Wild Garlic, For-get-me-not,Primrose, Mary & Joseph,

Isn't it funny who you remember just by saying a phrase! Just by the title of my blog today, I have suddenly remembered my Grampy. He used to have a saying " the spring has sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies is".

On that note the seagulls this morning were kicking up a heck of a row, their cries almost sounded like a tiny child crying. The house two doors up from us always has seagulls building nests on its chimney, and when they have young hatched they are quite nasty when you have to go out into the front garden. I dread the spring each year because of them. They have even attacked the children when they have been playing outside when they were younger.

Yesterday was not a very bright day until after lunch, but what brightened my day was when I went into the garden,and saw a lonely purple wood anemone.It looked so beautiful. Only about three weeks ago we had snow, but already the flowers are really starting to spring into early bloom.

What I cannot understand is that the primroses have come out before the violets this year, normally it is the other way around. I have had some beautiful Mary & Joseph (Pulmonaria officinalis) this year their colours have been more vibrant than other years.

I am rather upset that the snails and slugs have already started to attack the plants, in particular the hyacinths and the miniature daffodils. I really hate having to use pesticides in my garden, but I am going to have to do something about the pests this year.

With the job that my husband does, he gets a lot of offcuts of copper wire, so I am going to lay rings of the wire around each plant that is susceptible to snails and slugs. I have been told that they hate crawling across copper. I looked in the garden centre last weekend for the metal strips that readily available, but they are no good for laying in the garden as they are self adhesive copper leaf on paper. £4.95 for 4 metres and only any good for pots. Rip off.

Mary& Joseph (Pulmonaria officinalis)

I have put together a collage of all the spring flowers I have out in the garden at the moment.

Top Left: Hellebore (Red) or Lenten Rose,Little Purple Anemone,Miniature Daffodils.
Top Right: Forsythia
Centre: Green Hellebore/Lenten Rose, Camellia

Bottom Left: Bergenia,
Bottom Right: the first Buds of a scarlet Japonica

Two little Finishes

2009-03-13T11:35:00.005Z

Matress Pinkeep Finished

Small notebook which I covered with some chintz, and did this little blackwork motif just to set the front cover off.

I recall that the pattern was found amongst many in the http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/completelist.htm

Yet to be finished Mattress Pin Cushion

2009-03-09T11:45:00.015Z

I don't know where this pattern came from but I thought it was so pretty. When I first looked at it I thought it was fuchsia's that were depicted in the stitching, but having got halfway through with the purple I realised that the plant was a bleeding heart, and that I had done the wrong colours. C'est la vie. I did originally mean to make a biscornu, but since finishing the pattern I am going to make the stitched piece into a mattress pin cushion.

Weekend Antique Finds

My family really do have the bug for getting up on a Sunday morning, and going to local Boot Sales/Trunk Sales, and flea markets. DH and DS go off looking for PC bits and pieces, as that is what they are into. Under sufferance they start off with me looking for little pretty bits of porcelain of days gone by, but as I get slower and slower with my rummaging, and avid scouring of the stalls they disappear. Only to meet up when our paths cross at the end.

This week I found this beautiful little hand painted Japanese visiting card tray. I just love the colours. I also found a near set of Japanese Lithophane cups, saucers,cream jug and sugar bowl, and cake plate. A lithophane is like a photograph of a person which is incorporated into the eggshell porcelain and when held up to the light you see the picture.

As well as those finds, I also found these darling miniature Victorian Mantle vases which stand approximately 3.5inches tall. Their appeal to me is the little pansies which are on the front. I just have a passion for pansies.

Finish to Scissors Case

2009-03-05T11:08:00.004Z

This is my finish for the Quaker " Mes Ciseaux" pattern for a scissors case. I thought it was lacking when I had completed it, even though I lined it with a patterned silk; so have made a little scissors fob echoing part of the design on each side. I have finished the fob with a 2mm cream satin ribbon, attached to the fob on either side with a single Mill Hill glass seed bead ( no02068). The linen which I stitched the piece on is a 36 count off white linen. I cannot say what make the linen is, as it was part of a professional soft furnishing persons stash, which she kindly gave me.

The pattern once again was a freebie pattern from http://www.carinne.ht.st/ which was kindly offered back in 2006.

Going greener...Not only in stitching

2009-03-04T10:47:00.017Z

Having had a' bit of a week' last week, it was nice to see the sunshine arrive in our little part of the world on Sunday. Although D husband had other ideas I was able to nudge him up the garden with me to clean out the greenhouse. In it we had a collection of Cacti which I had inherited from my D Daughter when she went to live in Goa, I am really not into Cacti even though some of them produced the most beautiful flowers for one day or so in the summer. I therefore had decided that they were taking up valuable space, and that they had to go in order that I could get my vegetable seeds under way, and in particular my tomatoes. This year I am going to grow them in the greenhouse, along with cucumbers, so that no matter what the British weather throws at us we will have luscious tomatoes all summer.

By the way don't be sad for the cacti all thirty odd of them. I listed them on http://freecycle.org/ and gave them away to a home, and to someone who would appreciate theThe rest of the garden is going to be redesigned this year. We have been here now for seven years this year, and after having to start my garden from scratch in the beginning as it was like a wilderness, I think it is time for a change. Not only that,but in England now the powers that be are encouraging people to try and grow their own Veggies and fruit. Well we already do that but not on a very large scale, so I have decided that the round lawn has to be moved, and the shrubs and put into either the front garden, or to be arranged somewhere else. That way where the lawn has been, and is virtually virgin soil can be my new vegetable patch.

These are some of the pics of the plants in my garden last year.

Clematis

Aquilegia

Spring.....Dutch Iris

Calla Lily

Rose: Dawn Chorus....has the most glorious scent

Voodoo Lily

Lavender

Australian Bottlebrush

Spring....everything not out yet.

Blue Angel Wings

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Still on a Green Note

I got to thinking last week apart from all that we have done to be "green with our electricity", I cast my mind back to when I was a child and thought about what my Mum used to have in her house that was different today which didn't use electricity but was so useful. Do you remember those carpet sweepers that you push along to pick up the bits? I really thought this would be a great idea to get one so that when I had finished stitching I wouldn't have to get the vacuum out just to pick up the ends of threads etc., and it would also be eco friendly. I hadn't got a great deal of money to spare this month, so I put a "Wanted" on http://freecycle.org/, and 'voila', some dear soul had one that I could have. So I am now saving money in electricity bills, and it takes less time to pick up bits.

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Stitchers Heaven Group SAL......Finished part three of Alla Turca

Stitched in French Navy DMC 311 on 28ct evenweave linen

My WIP at the moment

I have quite a few freebies stored in my stash on the PC and yesterday I wanted to do a small for me. I decided on this beautiful little Quaker Scissors Case pattern which was offered back in March of 2006 on http://www.carinne.ht.st/ for personal use only.

I have cross stitched it, and have decided to line it with some contrasting patterned silk that I had in my stash, yet to be finished, but here is the pic before finishing into the scissors case.

It was one of those evenings.......Argh!.....

2009-02-25T09:12:00.014Z

Last night was just one of the worst evenings for a while. Having two sons of very differing ages is very stressful sometimes. One wanting to act older than the other, and the other just plain irritating because he has been used to living in his own place, but now returned home.

As usual I collected the youngest from school in the car in the afternoon. He came out in a good mood for a change and said that he had, had a good day.Oh! thanks heavens I thought, as some days he comes out acting like the whole world is against him, or that some other child had done something to him that has agrevated him. He's at that age you see....( an inbetweenie) a month to go before being a teenager. When we get home and go through the usual ritual of having a drink getting changed etc. , he decides that he is going to see his friend who is mother lives very nearby. He gets his beloved BMX bike out and off he goes, and shouts back to me that he will be back at 4.30pm.So then I decide.....Mmmmm a bit of Stitching might not go amiss, as the big son is out.... 10 mins goes by.........No Such Luck.

Big son comes in, blusters through the door, huffing and puffing because he has just had a strenuous Badminton game. He promptly plonks himself down at my computer, and decides that he wants to make a new blog, and doesn't know how to go about it. Bang goes the stitching since he keeps saying Mum how do I do this, and how do you do that. I give up the thought of ever trying to stitch, and besides it is now 4.00pm and I should really think about what we are going to have for dinner as hubby usually gets in at 5.00pm or thereabouts. Not that he is worried as to whether he has dinner on the table when he comes in or not.....bless him.....he's just the most easy going man I have ever come accross. He is a Libran and very easy to live with.

4.30 comes and goes and young son hasn't come home.....4.45 comes and I start to worry since you hear all sorts of stories in the news. I couldn't get him on his mobile and I was worried, as it said he was unavailable. Then I get a call to say Hubby will be late...no probs. Eventually young son rings on home phone to say he's sorry but he had to go to the friends Dad's house which is miles away,and that his friends bike was broken and he had to help him home, and that he would be home in 10 mins. ............Not!!!! 20 mins later at 5.50 young son comes in, new jeans ripped on one leg up to the knee, and said he caught the hem in the bike chain........Urmmmm!

After dinner, elder son got on Hubby's nerves, and we went out to get a breath of fresh air. Came back and thought Ah! I will now do a bit of stitching as everyone had settled down doing their own thing....... But no........ they had remembered it was Pancake Day.......... Now I was going to lose it, as I detest having to stand there and make numerous amounts of pancakes while they stand there with their plates waiting for another, and another. By this time I was getting to the point where I felt I was being deprived because I really wanted to do stitching, and had wanted to do so all day, but to no avail. Eldest son offered to make them, but he is just so hopeless at doing any cooking without making a mountain of washing up, and mess in the kitchen I said no thanks. Hubby came down from having a shower, and said he would make them. Bless him.

Don't you just love your kids!!

I then got my chance............ Stitching .....Yes!! I got out the SAL that I am doing with Yahoo Stitchers Heaven Group, the pattern is Alla Turca by Pelin Tezar. I wanted to get on with it as I am behind most of the others in the group, only not having completed part 1 yet, and most of the stitchers have finished part 2.

I suppose I had stitched about an inch of the design on the right when I realised I was 1 thread out way back, and had to pull out all I had done. I suppose that's the trouble with stitching at night, and when you are not at your best.

This is my WIP so far on the Alla Turca SAL

Eyelashes the Giraffe Ornament

2009-02-20T13:06:00.013Z

I was so chuffed the other evening when my husband came home. Look what he brought me. I just love giraffes. Only on Sunday we were watching a programme on TV about Paignton Zoo, and how the zookeeper was having trouble trying to hand rear this baby giraffe when it was born, as its mother had rejected it and kept kicking it, and at the end of it all the baby giraffe died. I was so saddened, as the baby giraffe was so cute you just wanted to reach out and help it.

Animal Prints and Fabric and Crossstitchers.

I have a passion for animal prints in particular, zebra, and leopard imitations. However they have to be not garish, for me anyway. I really don't like these faux fur fabrics you see and the prints that the manufacturers put onto throws.

As I am in the theme of animal prints I though you may care to have a look at the link I have given, as there is a very nice scissors case, biscornu, scissors fob, and needle case, all stitched in cross-stitch. The pattern is by Sharon Manspeaker, and she is offering it as a freebie for personal use only. The link is:-
http://www.xstitchhappy.com/2008/10/cheetahleopard-needlework-set-scissors.html

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My Eldest Son Justins' Design & Finished Piece

Through the winter when the weather was bad, and when my son was feeling a bit poorly he decided that he was going to do his own design rather than using a chart made by someone else. He is a very fast stitcher, and completed it in about three days, I was amazed. This is the result.

He has always been artistic, mostly nudes, but he has recently started a new style of art, modern, clean curving lines that would fit in with the minimalistic style that a lot of people like today.

This is one of them painted in acrylic on canvas .

Bookmark Swap.......

2009-02-12T12:19:00.004Z

I just had to share this beautiful bookmark. It was stitched for a bookmark swap by a lady called Nessa in the USA, who belongs to a group that I also belong to.

One of my Favourite emails arrived today.........

2009-02-11T09:25:00.002Z

Today I had an email from one of my most favourite sites http://www.thetoymaker.com/3WORKSHOP.html which is delightfully illustrated by Marilyn Scott-Waters. She is an amazing paper toy designer, and story teller/author. I have been receiving her emails now for about 4 years now, and everyone of them is a delight. On her site you can download free paper/card toys to make for your children, or for yourself. She also has wonderful little free cards and boxes to make.

It is a truly unmissable site. Today she is offering beautiful little valentine cards,valentine stamps, spinners, and a card model of an elephant which delivers an itsy bitsy valentine card.

Go have a look, also have a look at her journal/blog while you are there.

I also found a lovely saying on her site today which is so true. " To be loved, is to feel the sun from both sides.

On a cold Februay Sunday.....

2009-02-09T12:04:00.006Z

Yesterday was so bitterly cold, but we ventured out to a nearby bootsale, as my youngest son adores rooting through other peoples clutter. It was hardly worth going as there were only a handful of poor souls who had decided to sell their wares. However, I was really delighted when I happened upon a beautiful Victorian Cake Plate. I must confess I do have another passion apart from Cross-stitch and sewing etc, and that is pottery and porcelain, especially of the Victorian era. My husband dreads me going to flea markets, and bootsales, as I always end up " saving a piece from the clutches of the great pottery graveyard in the sky"Lol! I have boxes and boxes of beautiful china stored away.

Stashes

Since joining various stitching groups I have come to realize that I am not peculiar, and not alone in hoarding material which I know will be sat for years in some box waiting for the time when I suddenly remember that ' piece' of material is the exact piece that I want to use for some project or other. For years, more than I care to remember I have had a stash, of fabric, lace, beads, patterns etc the list goes on and on. My poor dear husband looks in despair sometimes, at the huge stash that I have collected, particularly when we decide to move a room around, or decorate. I only wish like some ladies have that I had a room specifically for it all.

I suppose I am a confirmed obsessive stash collector!!

Yesterday's Finishes

I have just put together two smalls:- needlebook and ornament by Windy Willows

I also decided that I would try making some covered buttons worked on a natural linen and stitched in crossstitch with a valentine theme.

The Chair Back...

2009-02-03T14:39:00.011Z

With thanks to my needlework teacher Miss Cheffin, God bless her, I am able to work my cross stitches with confidence. More than 40 years ago now she taught us to neatly sew with 10 stitches to the inch when dressmaking by hand. The first crossstitch piece I ever did was down to her when she thought we would all enjoy making something useful, but at the same time decorative, and had all of the girls make chairbacks made from a large even weave fabric in pale blue. Sadly, I don't have this piece to show, as it disappeared many years ago, but it was decorated in a Norwegian design with little flowers and patterns. It took pride of place on Dad's chair, although I used to be a little disgruntled as my Dad used to wear Brylcream on his hair, and the chairback used to get all messed up. However, that is where it stayed for years with a regular wash each week.

Nostalgia Ahhhh!!

I feel I was born in the wrong era. I would have been much more suited to living in Victorian Times with all their fripperies, and lacey bits. I just love all the special little trinkets, and sewing tools which they had then. Although there are some really beautiful things around now too.
A couple of my favourites are:- http://www.cherishedstchs.com/IndexNEW0109a.html and

http://www.needleboxesetc.com/index.php?cPath=34

My Latest Finish