A Couple of Finishes, Pretty Linens & My Biscornu Pattern

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My latest finished blocks



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* 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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lovely Vintage Linens

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

Gorgeous freebies, SAL update,& Grannys' Album

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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....

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.