Bits & Bobs ~ Freebie Antique Crochet Patterns..

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!!!

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

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

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

Going greener...Not only in stitching

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.