… the journey

Posted in: Made by hand, Out and About

Apparantly, it is not all about the destination. Oh no, there is much joy to be had on the journey too. And the beauty of making things is that you can be on several journeys at the same time …

… yes, it’s another one of those quilt blocks ~ one a month, following Jeni’s tutorials here

HST August block

… and I’m getting better at matching up those points now …

HST August block

… eight done ~ four more to be made …

Eight HST blocks

… quite a learning journey it is turning out to be. I am also journeying towards another quilt, this one is simpler, and very pretty, and I have now stitched up a back to match the front I made a week or so back …

Vintage Sheet Quilt back

… I am love, love, loving those vintage sheet fabrics and colours!

Vintage Sheet Quilt back

I started another journey last week ~ towards twenty metres of bunting ~ cutting the triangles with pinking shears for some zig-zaggy goodness …

Bunting flags - detail

… yes, more vintage prints with some gingham too!

And who knew that all those stitchy journeys would lead to one very lovely destination …

Fish and Chips at Bognor

… YES!! Fish and chips on the beach at Bognor! What could be better?

Wishing you all a week full of bright and beautiful journeys.

 

… stitching beauty

Posted in: Made by hand

A little pile of fabric scraps …

fabric scraps

… some stitching …

bunting flags detail

… a pile of progress …

bunting flags in production

… some spots, some gingham and some gorgeous scandinavian style flowers …

bunting flags

… all waiting to be stitched onto a length of tape to make a gloriously cheerful string of bunting!

Yes, the summeriest of summery afternoons found me sitting at my sewing machine … Lisa Hannigan singing on the ipod … curtains billowing in the breeze … ice cold zinfandel in my glass … some days are made of perfection!

And then … as if things couldn’t get any better …

summer sunset with swallows

… summer swallows swooping and diving as a glorious sun burns in the evening sky …

summer sunset

summer sunset

… a beautiful end to a beautiful day.

And here’s wishing you a fabulous start to a new week ~ happy Monday folks ~ wishing you a good one.

 

… five steps to happy :)

Posted in: Made by hand

First choose your fabric ~ pink comes with extra happy built in!

fabric for bunting

Next, cut into triangly flags ~ or whatever shape you fancy …

cutting fabric

… then stitch …

sewing bunting flags

… bind ~ which really means stitch some more …

binding bunting flags

… and display …

Pink bunting

… stand back, admire and feel the happiness fill you up!

Of course some of you will find your happy is hiding in other places … maybe in the garden, or on a hilltop, or in a basket full of tiny kittens … wherever it is, the same principles apply! Set aside some time, take the necessary steps, and let the happiness in!

Go on, you know you want to!!

 

… swapsies

Posted in: News

A small but very eagerly awaited package arrived at my door one morning this week … it had been posted in Canada over a month ago … and made it’s leisurely way across the Atlantic … or maybe it travelled Westwards and came the long way round!

Whichever way it came, it was the arrival that mattered. Because inside the package was this little beauty …

Crochet Poppy Pin

… a hand crocheted Poppy Pin made by Helen from Stitches Studio. And because we traded by barter, I sent in exchange a string of these …

Spring Greens Bunting

… which are now gracing her home. You can see more of Helen’s crocheted and knitted goodness here in her shop!

Swapsies are the Best!

I’m planning more time at my sewing machine this weekend, so who knows what delights will be conjured up … I have a few requests which require some attention, and a few little fabricy adventures of my own to explore too. Maybe some of the results will appear here in the not too distant future.

So all that remains for me to do now, is to wish you a weekend full of all the stuff that YOU love.

 

… making bunting

Posted in: News

Here’s some I made earlier!

Rose garden bunting

Rose Garden bunting

 

Blueberry bunting

Blueberry bunting

 

Daisy daisy bunting

Daisy Daisy bunting

 

Spring greens bunting

Spring Greens bunting

 

Vintage rose bunting

Vintage Rose bunting

 

I’m getting addicted to making these jolly flags of joy! The house resembles a garden fete with strings of bunting adorning every wall, across the tops of pictures and mirrors, cheering my days.