selfsewn

a quilt in a bag...and some blog lovin

2012-02-09T11:01:00.000Z

Not just any old bag however..

Recognise the red perle hand stitching?

Yep it's a MollyFlanders original.
And it's just perfect for housing my latest patches.
Plus it's made from fabric by Melody Miller,
swooning now..somebody catch me!

My husband thinks we are having an affair...

he is right of course..

it's just a little patchwork love affair!

with a lot of fabric eye candy!

Mary rocks if you haven't already popped over,

go there now!

You will find the most awesome star roses.

Thank you MM

I shall be paying this suprise gifting forward for sure!

Someone else who knows me well

is Claire Jain @ sewing over pins (great name)

Claire has also been taking part in my star rose block party,

and has just written the post of all posts

about moi!!

It's quite a funny read and she has captured me perfectly

although with a little more eloquence!

Do take a look.

I think she's one to watch!

I want to thank you for all your kind wishes regarding my shoulder.

It's still an issue,

but one I'm trying to cope with.

I am sewing far less, which is hard when you have an addiction.

So what am I doing making another quilt, you ask?

It's okay it's a mini.

I'm taking part in the modern mini challenge over @ Ellison Lane Quilts

And yes it's paper piecing again...

I really need to get machining!

rose star link party

2012-02-06T10:30:00.000Z

jenny makes stuff, klynq, yarn wrap, tree casiano

charm about you, molly flanders, shadrach, jerri currl

jerri currl, sew kalico, woodcut55, sunni love affair

charm about you, fiona poppy, woodcut55, woodcut55

The rose star block party is still going strong..

though I do feel a bit like the pied piper(thanks mary)

leading you all into a cave of doom..

...at least you wont be bored...

someone remember a candle!

now dont forget to share a picture of your latest rose star and link to your blog.

baby it's proper cold outside

2012-02-03T10:45:00.000Z

Okay so no snow apart from the quilt...

but my god is it cold today.

I had visions of beautiful sunlit quilt flapping as per norm.

This will have to do...it's too cold..did I mention that?

Back inside for now.

After much head scratching I came to the conclusion that my thoughts on yellow and grey had changed. The tones of grey are actually more on the green side, so I've gone for a turquoise palette

to keep it clean and crisp.

It reminds me of driftwood and the sea

(well in my head it does!)

I'm thinking of a turquoise back and binding

with turquoise and maybe a little red or rust hand quilting.

I'm off to make some butternut squash soup

before venturing out with a friend and our cameras.

Have a great weekend.

Wrap up warm...it's taters.

small wonders...

2012-02-01T10:29:00.000Z

..or one day at a time..

..daydream believers..

All is calm all is bright.

There has been a shift in my sewing of late.

Just an hour or two a week.

I am seeing an osteopath.

(for pain not for drinks)

Have you ever timed how long you sew?

Me neither.

Have you ever thought about the bad habits of sewing?

(and blogging)

Me neither.

No more lap topping for me, just table topping.

No more resting my head to one side whilst stitching.

And no more stitching marathons.

Sorry if it's a little melancholy

There is a dove pining for its dead mate in my garden,

as I am pining for my beloved patchwork...

So it's quality rather than quantity for now at least.

Have I told you lately that I love you?

xxx

Off to bury the feathered one.. second thoughts..it's too cold!

very cheery

2012-01-31T11:52:00.000Z

I think my 'spring around the corner' statement was a little premature!

Thought I'd spread some cheer with a little colour.

keep on the sunnyside

2012-01-27T12:44:00.000Z

Then there were two!

This idea was totally stolen from Posy,

I'm not a fan of plagerism, but to be fair Posy herself got the idea from

Caroline Zoob.

I am like Jim Carey in liar liar.

I cannot lie!

I do believe in showing your working out,

which is why I always link back if possible.

I'm so sick of reading new blogs who have a million devotees and not an ounce of originality.

Ooh getting off my soap box!

Let me distract with some pretty vintage hexagons.

I've finally got round to sewing a back onto this gorgeous vintage piece
thats been floating around the house.

I love this mash up of colours (obvious)

the fabrics are just lovely.

Do you buy patchwork?

I made these with the mind to sell them.

238 squares each!!
Insane!

They remain patchwork pieces, should I make them into curtains?

hope you can all keep on the sunnyside this weekend...

I think spring is just round the corner.

Clare xxx

resolved to sew 2012

2012-01-24T10:05:00.000Z

I may well have left this to the last minute,

but it was always there

filed away in my to do head.

So here is my 2012 resolution post for

Ali at veryberryhandmade

who has brought together such a fabulous group of sponsors for her amazing giveaway.

My first resolution is well on its way to being realised.

My word for 2012 is connect.

I'm not good at joining things,

but it seems I am good at hosting a sewing party

(see sidebar).

What a great way of meeting like minded friends,

so more connecting for sure in 2012

The second is to finish what I've started,

and if it's not right bin it!!

My third is to actually get my online shop up and running

like I've threatened to many times.

This also includes to make less fiddly things!

My last resolution is to buy less ugly fabric online.

Therefore my choice of prizes to win would be from

fancymoon.

They are new suppliers to me,

I expect I will be a customer this year,

even if I don't win!

rose starlets update

2012-01-23T11:13:00.000Z

life under quilts, carefreegorgeous, dukesayssewwhat, fionapoppy

jennymakesstuff, yummylavender, shadrach, sewkalico

dukesayssewwhat, treecasiano, sewliz, charmaboutyou,

mollyflanders, shadrach, sewkalico, klynq.

Happy Monday everyone!!

I just had to share with you the latest creations from the rose star block party.

I am blown away by their beauty..each one such a gem.

I love this explosion into paperpiecing, I really was on my own for quite sometime

when I made my first paperpieced star quilt in 2009

It's never to late to join the group.
We now have 125 members!!

rosestarblockparty

how's it hanging?

2012-01-20T16:51:00.000Z

Yesterday I finally got round to hanging my

beautiful quilt from Mary@ Molly Flanders.

Now this is something new to me,

as usual my attempt was somewhat adhoc.

If you want to see how it should be done please hop over to

Stitched in color who yesterday also posted a great how to!

If you prefer to wing it with whatever you have

stick with me!

The idea is to make tubes of fabric with which to hold a piece of dowel.

Ever the corner cutter, I struck on this old apron that I'd been chopping up.

The ties made perfect tubes for the dowel.

That's one step down.

Now all I had to do was hand stitch the three tubes to the back of the quilt.

I chose three tubes as this seemed to hold the quilt straighter.

I did feel strange sewing my stitches on to Mary's quilt,

I like how my addition is so me!!

After cutting my dowel with a saw on the kitchen work surface,

I placed it through the stitched tubes.

Next step bang two nails in the wall,

using the hammer as a measuring implement.

Spirit level? I have eyes.

So there we have it.

One beautiful quilt hung.

How can I possibly go wrong now that Mary has my back!

In case you didn't know I'm a big lover of independence.

Indie music, indie movies and indie quilters!

Are you an indie girl like me?

thursday therapy

2012-01-19T11:18:00.000Z

Don't ever assume that sewing squares is a simple task.

she soldiers on

with a shoulder that's wrong..

wordless wednesday

2012-01-18T14:54:00.001Z

procrastinating already

2012-01-16T13:13:00.000Z

procrastinating, putting things off, in a creative hiatus, sewing block, sore back, losing my mojo.

My resolution this year,

when I feel one or all of the above,

is to cut scrappy squares!

I'm in a state of decluttering my ~~doss hole~~ work room.

So being ruthless with my scrapage is partly useful part creative.

I still have far too much stuff....

but I'm getting there.

And now I have my new radio for company.

So I can at least rock out with planet rock or ken bruce!!

ps. off to the osteopath tomorrow to find out the correct term for my bad sewing shoulder.

too cold to snow?

2012-01-15T16:41:00.000Z

New Forest Ponies

You just cannot have a warm day in winter with such beautiful clear skies,

but you can wrap up, go for a stroll and enjoy the sun.

I've just finished attaching the border to my flowering snowball quilt

Now I have a dilemma.

(the tiny squares joining the blocks are still holes)

Do I go with

my original concept of tonal greys,

grey and yellow

multi coloured

something else?

Quilting

machine narrow lines following the design

hand quilted in a lovely jewel colour??

Backing

???

Binding

???

Help

???

rose starlets

2012-01-14T18:27:00.001Z

rose starlets, a photo by selfsewn on Flickr.

sew kalico, daddys lil hurl, tree casiano

sunnilove affair, the wee pixie, molly flanders,

fiona poppy, sunniloveaffair, life under quilts,

molly flanders, selfsewn, selfsewn.

Here are some of the latest rose star blocks
from my brilliant starlets over at the flickr block party.
I love their vintage feel,
wouldnt these make an awesome quilt!

These are not all mine, go to the block party to check them out!

Happy Saturday everyone!

We now have 100 members woohoo!!
I am beyond thrilled
thank you
xxx

spinning starlets

2012-01-11T14:04:00.000Z

Here are my latest efforts to add to the rose star block party

Thanks to all the starlets

for showing my little group some love!

My inspiration came from this sweet plate.

And yes I am cutting up my favourite vintage skirt (blue)

I've had it many years and never worn it.

I find that I prefer to mix vintage and new fabrics when using this sort of block.

Though I do love the green moda ric rac which is new.

Here you can see I've tried different fabrics for the points.

I like the green...but I went with the orange..but I like the green too!

I love how the plate inspired my colour palette..sublime!

Next up I'm now using the green points..

Some may consider paper piecing tiresome..

but when it all comes together

it's so worth it.

I love the back with papers as much as the front!

I have something in mind for the centres of these two.

More to follow!

For more beautiful starlets

have a look at my rose star block party

flickr group which now has 89 members!!!

ps.

It's never to late to join.
pps.
There are some wonderful techniques & tips for Epp
being shared on the flickr group.
I'm learning lots!

rose star tutorial

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000Z

Its Monday (for most!)
we know what that means..
..its time for my tutorial for English paper piecing

of the rose star block.
yay!
May I suggest that you read through a couple of times
so you really get to grips with it.
Have fun!

When I was looking for a design for Marys mini quilt

I found Eileen and her beautiful quilt on her blog at

my quilting porch
Her blocks are quite a bit bigger than mine.

Eileens quilt

After much head scratching and puzzlement

I realised the pattern is actually a lot easier than it looks.

As you can see from my sketch it's basically dissected hexagons.

To start with work out your desired size of hexagon.

I used one that measured 3 inches across
from point to point.

I found a hexagon shape from google images
and printed it.
Edit
Kreatives von mir has just shared her template (on flickr)
drawn up on squared paper.
It's a really helpful idea..
wish I was that clever!

Measure halfway along on the sides shown above

and draw a line across to make the disected shapes.

note:

You can either make 3 cardboard templates to draw around
or you can just draw and measure as I have done.

For one block you will need

1 hexagon

12 petal shapes

18 kite shapes

Cut out your fabrics roughly an extra 1/4 inch larger than your papers,
and tack them with large stitches holding the corners down as you go.
Before you begin to sew them together,
make sure you like your composition.
Don't be afraid to try different fabrics,
I quite often find clashing fabrics can work really well.

I am using a mixture of vintage and new fabrics.

I've chosen to keep the centres solid as I'm going to hand quilt them.

With all your fabrics tacked to their templates

it's now just a case of sewing the correct pieces back together.

I don't think it matters what order you do it in,

as long as you end up with hexagon to hexagon.
Just check back with my original drawing if you get lost.

Hold the pieces together and whip stich over the edges

until you run out of thread.

Here I'm using a pale grey thread to blend better,

though on paler fabrics I've used white.

Here you can see my progress and see the hexagons reforming.

The finished back complete with papers,

which can be removed from the inside and used again.

Always keep the outer edge papers in place until you have sewn into your desired project.

So here it is

the rose star.
Once you understand how the jigsaw fits together
you can join blocks with a solid colour
still using the same templates.

The fun thing about this pattern is choosing the colours and fabrics.

I like to use mixes that you might shy away from.

I do try and link the overall quilt together.

The dominant colour was turquoise,

which featured on every block.

The finished size of the quilt is approx 20x30''

If you would like to have a go or see more.

why not join my block party on flickr

Click on the picture to take you there!

edit: I have recently discovered that this pattern may also be called
the kite pattern, as it is possible to make with just one template..the kite.
However, me being one for an easy and faster method,
I simplified the design by using one whole hexagon in the middle.
(for fussy cutting you could use the kite method instead)

Apparently the kite pattern is in the book Material Obsession two,
I don't own any material obsession books,
maybe I should!

If you love this pattern but can't sew by hand I think there is possibly
a machine technique out there somewhere.
I prefer paper piecing for it's accuracy
and take anywhere approach!

second edit:
There are some great hints and tips being posted in the flickr group,
do take a look!
Inspiration.

The colour palette for this project was inspired by my

hand pieced quilt which I named.

summer of love

ready steady...

2012-01-08T12:30:00.000Z

sew!

Just a little teaser for Monday.

Hope you are all as excited as I am!

I will be opening the block party flickr group

to recieve your progress reports,

all stages welcome.

Join in anytime.

See you tomorrow!!

the basics of english paper piecing

2012-01-05T21:30:00.000Z

I always assume that because I've seen something on another blog,

then everyone has right?

This post is a basic guide to English paper piecing (epp) for those who haven't read the blogs I've read.

Firstly it may not be obvious,

epp is a hand sewing technique, if you love your machine

you might not like it...I'm just saying...you need patience.

My home made templates.

I love epp because I like the control, the accuracy and the ability to sew anywhere

especially in the garden!!!

Draw around your cardboard/plastic template.
Cut out your paper template.
Cut the fabric with a 1/4'' seam all around
Tack the fabric on to the paper piece.

Place two pieces right sides together and whip stitch across the edge,
taking care not to sew through the paper.

I've opened the pieces out above to help you understand how it works.
Carry on stitch more pieces together with the same thread,
when you cant join any more tie it off with a knot.
Paper pieces are removed at the end.

The bigger the pieces the quicker your project will come together.
The above picture is my current epp project,
the circles are the size of dinner plates.
Epp is a great way to make trickier quilts by hand
if you are a machine-phobe.
I do use my machine for patchwork,
I just like hand sewing.
If you have any question or are unsure,
take a look at my fussy cutting tutorial or leave me a comment.

I liken epp to that of a jigsaw,

only with simpler pieces.

If you can wrap fabric around a paper shape and sew them together,

then you can paper piece it.
I like to use a bright coloured thread for the tacking
so when you come to cut out the thread it's obvious which knots to cut.
Believe me I've cut the wrong ones before,
it happens!

connection

2012-01-05T10:32:00.000Z

My word for 2012* is connect.

with 60 members already signed up for my first flickr group,

roll on the connections!

My favourite connection right now is my friend across the pond,

Mary from Molly Flanders I think I may have mentioned her before LOL

She is my partner in crime and is on a one woman mission to get me out there!

I think it's working Mary..thanks x

My connection today is to share my inspiration for
the rose star block party
(click on the sidebar pic to join in)
If you are struggling with a colour scheme
why not get inspiration from something you love.
I love this little plate,
the colours are fabulous.
It takes out the guess work when you know a scheme already looks great.
Whats your inspiration and your word?

*word of the year idea courtesy of Simone from Linden Grove

*green tunic Zara sale

*red leather radio Santa Claus

*patchwork pickledish quilt Molly Flanders

*music playing in my head Connection by Elastica

calling all rose starlets

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000Z

With my rose star block party on the way,

I thought I'd give you some pointers
to get you in the mood.

Firstly, my discovery of this quilt
led to my little creation.
It's a beautiful quilt,
thanks for the inspiration Eileen.

The mission: should you choose to accept

is to learn the way of the epp

(english paper piecing)

to further the fun if you already pp.

You will need:

inspiration!!

4 fabrics that clash or blend

at least one plain fabric (but not essential)

computer type paper/old envelopes work too.

needle and thread

nimble fingers

(cod liver oil may be needed, depending on ones age!)

I am calling this a block party and not a quilt along,

as I find the latter can sound like a terrifying all encompassing chore!

Plus I am not making a quilt, so why should you!

This is a fun join in anytime sort of thing.

Click the button to sign up!

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Shall we kick it off next Monday?

(with a tutorial of course)

forward thinking

2011-12-31T16:25:00.001Z

quilt featured: rose & star

I'm not big on look backs...

...if pushed I would say

the highlight* of my 2011 was inspiring a colourful swathe of paper piecers

with my 'summer of love' quilt.

I think I've flogged it enough here there and everywhere,

so here's a snap of whats to come

in 2012.

Get ready with your scrap bags to join my rose star block party!
tutorial to follow.

*ps. finding Molly Flanders and Anthropologie
come a close second and third!

xxx
Clare

2011-12-23T18:05:00.000Z

To all my beloved friends old and new.

Enjoy the festivities!

See you next year....

...with a star and rose paper piecing tutorial...

...and maybe a quilt-a-long...

anyone interested???

so here it is...MARY Christmas

2011-12-18T13:26:00.000Z

After a number of months of secret squirrelling

I can now do the reveal.

Mary (Molly Flanders)has received my parcel now, so I can show you what

an unbelievably beautiful quilt she has made me.

We decided to have a little swap as we both admire each others work.

The idea was to make a mini quilt...

though Mary got a bit carried away with hers!

I don't know what I've done to deserve this,

it's really humbled me;

has all this generosity from across the pond.

Mary is well known for her gorgeous hand quilting.

I now know how amazing it is.

Just look how it transforms her quilt.

I also received the lovely C from 'our'

favourite shop Anthropologie!!

And a cute hankie Mary bought from an Amish store.

C is for Clare or C is for Christmas?

Thankfully it's been a crisp but sunny day,
so you can see how beautiful the colours are.
It's so me!

You are my sunshine

my only sunshine...

ditto!

Thankyou Mary for your generous gifts and your wonderful friendship.

Please pop over to Marys place...

make sure you have plenty of time though

because you will be there some time!

Here is the mini quilt I sent Mary.

Fabric wise it's a close relative to the summer of love quilt,

which Mary loved so much.

Though I've used a mix of vintage and modern to keep it up to date.

I pieced it by hand using the English paper method.

The pattern is called rose star,

I shall write an in depth post in the new year,

as well as a tutorial.

I also sent some goodies.

A gingerbread lady and a homemade layer cake.

So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun....

*lyrics courtesy of Slade!

joy to the world

2011-12-16T11:07:00.000Z

I couldn't very well leave you with the creepy Christmas!

This year we have bought an artificial tree*.

After a couple of years of real Christmas tree allergies,

we have succumbed.

I do love a real tree...

...however I'm really loving the flexibility of our new one.

That and the fact that it doesn't need watering!!

I have quite an eclectic mix of decorations..

maybe a little on the crazy side,

and ever so slightly reminding me of ELF.

(which I watched yesterday whilst teaching Karen to crochet)

There is still plenty of tweaking time and I'm off to

Winchester Christmas market today,

so there may well be more decs to come...

...I'm thinking something santa-ish.

*Christmas tree john lewis

creepy christmas

2011-12-14T17:46:00.000Z

Apologies for the creepy post.

You see every year I hand make something for my friends children.

With my shoulder issues I wasn't sure I would make anything.

But I got an email from her saying how much they look forward to my parcel every year!

Why the day of the dead?

Well on a visit this year I discovered that the sweet hello kitty loving kids have

progressed to a more ghoulish taste.

I just hope they don't give them nightmares!

Kids!!!

*day of the dead inspiration courtesy of Mexico
bowl anthropologie!!!!!!!!!

glad tidings

2011-12-13T11:25:00.000Z

There are many weeks throughout the year that slip pass unnoticed..

then sometimes a week occurs like no other..

These adorable pottery ornaments are from

Cathy at Potter Jotter

whose giveaway I was so fortunate to win.

thankyou Cathy, I shall have fun playing about with them.

This little notebook is a very special gift.

My friend Karen of 20 years gave me this little book last week.

It will be a book of special memories

the first will be to Muffin the fluffmeister

Karens cat who passed last week.

Next to arrive my secret squirrel parcel.

Which contained such delights I cannot put it into words.

I do know that I was heard to say

Oh my god a number of times.

I shall tease you with this snippet for now...

I can also reveal that one of the lovely packages contained this lovely C.

It's from Anthropologie in America...an inspiring shop.

And yes last week I also took a trip to the capital

and discovered their London store on Regent Street...

....and I quite agree Mary it is a little piece of heaven...

thankyou

itty bitty crochet star tutorial

2011-12-07T09:32:00.000Z

I am a firm believer that if I can think up a crochet pattern,

especially one so easy,

then probably somebody else has too.

I don't believe that simple crochet patterns belong to anyone.

This is my first ever crochet diagram.

Isn't it pretty!

It's pretty self explanatory really if you already crochet.

I used some kool cotton from my stash.

to begin
(I'm using uk terms)

chain 5, slip stitch into the first chain to create a ring.

{1 dc, 1tr, 3ch, 1tr into the ring} repeat 4 more times

finish with a slip stitch into the first dc.

With a darning needle weave in the ends.

To produce a pointy star,

pin each 3chain point to a folded towel/old cushion

and spray with water and leave to dry.

For a stiffer star I like to use spray starch,

found in the laundry section.

And there you have it.

I strung mine on a piece of twine,

but you could hang each one individually..

..or make pretty parcels like below!
In answer to Deborahs question
I used a 4mm hook :0)
Why not try my recycled christmas cards tutorial in my side bar,
any card will do!

secret santa

2011-12-06T10:58:00.001Z

..have yourself a mary little christmas..

itty bitty stars tutorial to follow!

paper from whsmiths

shelf life

2011-12-02T14:46:00.001Z

Hey!

I wasn't going to post today,

but I wanted to let you know that after resting and not sewing

my shoulder is feeling a lot better.

Although I'm still taking things easy,

typing doesn't help!

I have found that things get attracted to hooks..

...how does that happen?

The 'shepton mallet' shelf has added a new
and ever changing creative dimension

to what was a bare and bumpy wall.

I have finally ~~given up~~ finished decorating the hallway

(all three levels!)

The colour ~~battleship grey~~ misted hills from dulux, other paints are available.

This photo is our old house and the lady was Mr Fetes Great Grandmother plus dog.

Have a lovely weekend and wrap up warm it's getting colder at last?

xxx

stitch n bitch or pain stops play (again)

2011-11-30T13:37:00.000Z

Well I've started so I'll finish!

Appliqueing that is: my flowering snowball to the polka dot border.

Why is it that I cannot seem to make something that is regular and easy?

I swear my next quilt will be plain old squares.

I am not advocating this technique,

I just want to keep the border whole,

and this seemed the easiest way?

Remember I reported a bad wrist,

well I have worked out that it's actually my shoulder causing the problems.

Falling off my bike is not so funny now...

...where is the cod liver oil?

I'm trying to do a little at a time...

...and that's not an easy thing for the chief creator here at selfsewn headquarters!!

*don't forget to click on the flowering snowball label for progress on this quilt.

amendment: currently on a creative rest
due to pain.
Now I'm thinking it could have been my fall on the beach in Devon.
I may be having a trip to a chiropractor.
Either way it sucks....I must stop falling!

hot cakes

2011-11-28T11:15:00.000Z

Roll up roll up!!

Not only have I been a creative advisor and part window dresser for my friend Rachel

whilst she was setting up her new business Rosie Lea Tea House and Bakery

in Brockenhurst in the New Forest.

I am now selling my wares in the tea shop!!!!

The gingerbread men are selling like hot cakes!

Rachel has kindly set up an area to sell local handmade products.

Recognise anything?

I knew there was a reason for my rsi!

gingerbread and crochet bunting
now sold

If you are local to the area then do pop along,

you will be treated to delicious homecooked cakes and a choice of loose teas,

all served in lovely vintage china with proper teacups!

Rachel also runs her events and wedding catering business from the premises,

including the baking of bespoke cakes, gluten free etc..

This the first time I have sold anything in an actual real life shop!!

Watch this space for some exciting window changes,

and maybe even selfsewn online!

*need some sweet looking labels for your crafty products?
selfsewn tags and business cards produced here..just drop me an email.

new forest friday

2011-11-24T13:40:00.001Z

Friday again!!

This my patch..not bad heh?

Happy weekend!

paws for thought

2011-11-21T21:04:00.001Z

It's surprising to me that I can live in a house for a number of years and not notice

the immortal kitty print in the brick

right next to our front door!!

It reminds how the little things in life can mean so much,

especially when they are right under your nose.

Take a moment right now..you might find something*...you might not?

*this should not include any new wrinkles, heaps of washing or an untidy house,
we already know we have them
we just don't show them!

three little words

2011-11-18T10:26:00.001Z

These three little words just about sum me up this week!

Leave me a three word comment to describe the kind of week you've had..

Have a great weekend everyone!

happy mondays

2011-11-14T11:00:00.001Z

Like the return of the happy mondays

I had a reunion on Saturday night with the old me and the dungeon*

I channelled the inner goth in me...

...and went back to my roots...

...to some good old fashioned grunge.

Fashion and music come and go..

but cut me in half and I will always read

rock chick

through and through.

*****

fashion

polka dot bow top ~ dorothy perkins sale £15 (2011)
biker boots ~ vintage dune**

alternative attitude ~ models own

**for future reference

my use of the word vintage regarding my fashion

generally means something I have in my wardrobe that is more than a year old,

and quite possibly purchased in a sale.
ammendment also includes clothing I've had for many years!

*the dungeon

nightclub/meeting place for people who enjoy different.

not a place where people get locked up

though now I mention it......

just one minute

2011-11-11T12:12:00.001Z

This is me today.
And this is where I held my minute of silence.
I have rsi in my wrist which is a pain
when there is sewing to be done,
but I can't complain really,
not today.

feeling dotty

2011-11-08T15:57:00.000Z

I have six more pieces left to stitch on my flowering snowball.

So I'm trying out the idea I've had floating about my design studio*

*aka. my head

What do you think?

I am thinking of appliqueing the quilt top to the border,

and then cutting away the excess fabric.

Anyone done this before?

I like the continuous pattern of the dots,

so I don't really want to cut it about much.

Obviously the batting will be of a light colour

so the white will pop and make the grey fabrics stand out.

I am also thinking of using yellow for the inserts,

and possibly for the binding...

...but that could change!!

material possessions

2011-11-07T12:09:00.000Z

I love fabric.

However I don't really purchase a whole lot.

Now that my struggle is over, I felt I deserved an unashamed

bit of comfort purchasing!

I don't have much in the way of red,

and I'm really fancying a red and white quilt.

How cute is this!!!

They had it in blue too.
I'm not into any designers,
I just buy what I like.
I'm not interested in the newest thing,
sewing isn't a competition for heavens sake!

I chose fabrics that I really loved,

instead of ones on sale.

Oh how did that turquoise piece sneak in?

LOL!

These came from fabric rehab who are a UK based company.

I thought rehab was a place where you went to get clean?!?

If you have a serious habit or maybe just want to have a peep,

pop over, they have a great selection.

If you follow on facebook they sometimes have special offers.

I got 10% off my order.

If i've not managed to thank you for commenting on my quilt festival post,

THANK YOU!!!!

It was amazing, all the links can be found here

Also hello to my new followers, I'm really glad to meet you.

I have 297 only 3 more to 300!!
Awesome!

secret squirrel sunday

2011-11-06T11:27:00.000Z

After a late night watching fireworks,

I'm catching up with the dancing,

and doing a little stitching for a special project.

All will be revealed soon..

..until then,

you'll have to make do!!

fresh air friday

2011-11-04T11:31:00.000Z

I thought todays post might not happen,

what with all the rain.

But I've managed to take a few snaps between the showers.

I have been lusting after a garden obelisk,

and now thanks to the wonderfully skilled Mr. Fete

I have one!!!

In fact he spent a fair part of sunday bending metal and the like!

I think it's awesome

thank you dear.

I can't wait for it to turn rusty and ancient looking!

I've tied my gertrude jekyll rose around it,

as she needs the support.

Roll on summer!!

Fennel not just good for feeding the birds....?

I shall once more wish you all a wonderful wintery walking weekend!

And leave you with the beautiful silver birch.

(Mr Fetes tree)

winning wednseday

2011-11-02T10:59:00.000Z

I have a new book for my bookcase!

A few months back I won a giveaway hosted by

Pomona at little cottage comforts

It's a really well researched book with lots of great information,

which I'm sure I will be thumbing through next year.

So thank you Pomona for your giveaway,

and thank you Linda for an inspiring guide on lovely places to stay

here in our beautiful country!

candy girl

2011-10-31T09:58:00.000Z

BOO!

Happy Halloween!

Candy corn from across the pond!!

I have had the wonderful fortune of finding a kindred spirit

this summer who goes under the guise of Molly Flanders.

And look what she has sent me all the way from the USA,

thanks Mary you're sew sweet!

If you are into patchwork I'm sure you have already delighted in her wonderful

piecing and hand quilting, but if you haven't do pop over,

you won't be sorry.

These candies are like tiny pieces of fudge,

though my husband thought they looked like a bag of pulled teeth!!

And that's where I'll end this.

Have a ghoulish day!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival Fall 2011

2011-10-28T14:23:00.000+01:00

I'm entering Amy's

bloggers' quilt festival.

If like me you have never heard of it go take a look

there are some amazing quilts to swoon over.

I'm sharing my hand sewn English paper pieced summer of love quilt

that I finished this June.

I suppose you would call it a scrap quilt,

as no two stars are the same

and the majority of the fabric came from my stash.
Some are from friends and some are from France
and one is from my childhood!

My inspiration was a vintage hexagon patchwork cushion.

So the fabrics are a mix of vintage and new,

with an addition of solids to break up the busyness.

I backed it with an old duvet,

as I'm all about using what you have.

When I found the scrap for the binding

I couldn't believe how well it matched the scheme.

As I'm not the worlds greatest quilter I did simple machine diagonals,

also I didn't want to add to the fussiness,

though I'm probably regretting that decision now!

It took me at least 6 months to complete,

though I really motored on during winter/spring

I learnt about fussy cutting through this quilt,
it's a real joy to see how the patterns form.
Well for those of you have seen it all before

hope you enjoyed the re-run!

And to those that are new to me

welcome

I hope it has brightened your day!

Pop on over to Amy's blog for details on how to enter,

or just to revel in the glory!

the 400th tale

2011-10-27T13:37:00.000+01:00

The elves and the quiltmaker.

Once upon a time in the valley of Bun Mountain there lived a girl called SummerFete who was seamstress to the queen. She lived on the beautiful tree lined street Linden Grove but often dreamt of life on the coast where the
silver pebbles shimmer and the sea is forever peacock blue.
The everyday life of our friend is filled with little cottage comforts
and her house filled with needles pins and baking tins. When she is not indoors she likes nothing more than to take her sketchbook into the garden and do a bit of potter-jottering, you see she likes to sew and sow for she has quite a love for gardening there are only a few ungardened moments.
Summer likes to live a colourful life and loves roses most of all and this is why she calls her garden my rose valley.
Every morning she takes a stroll with her two cats jumble and jelly, past the newly planted tree with the heart shaped leaves,
and down to the hen house where she is greeted by her beloved chickens Andamento, Monda loves, Gilly flower, Dosie rosie and not forgetting her favourite Bobo bun.
It is here she can be found sipping tea and enjoying her favourite treat a millefeuilles (vanilla slice) and lusting over lifestyles in the glossy magazines she loves so much, Sals snippets is her first read, followed by Green rabbit designs, Lilys quilts and the wondrous Fabric of my life.
You see our Summer is a dreamer and likes nothing more than escaping into worlds that are not her own, as you can imagine she is quite the bookworm, to spice up her sugary life her favourite read is the intrepid tale of Moll Flanders where she gets so caught up with the intrigue that she often gets behind in her work...
One fine day Summer is commissioned by the Queen of bun mountain to create one hundred patchwork quilts in one hundred days! Now all you crafty people will know that this is no mean feat and our Summer is easily distracted. But her dream of living by the sea urges her on to fulfill the order.
Being a thrifty mrs, fabrics are gathered hither and thither,
vintage materials are found at Suzy's vintage attic and at the Vintage and handmade fair, which in France might be called troc, broc and recup
(now that's another story!)
Summer works day and night until her fingers ache! Her sew wonderful life has turned into a nightmare where mountains of fabric fill every inch of her sweet house, she is quite literally spending her life under quilts.
After ninety nine days stitched in colour Summer comes to realise that she cannot possibly finish the queens order in time, so with a heavy heart she put down her needle and thread and drifts off into a deep sleep, so deep in fact, she dreams she is visited by the Felt fairy who creates a Busy bee studio. With the help of her elves Rainbow hare quilts, Serenata, the Blue patch quilter and Izzy quilts, the works in progress are soon basted, quilted and bound,
each one made with love..

On the one hundredth day Summer awakes to find one hundred beautiful quilts tied with ribbons, all ready for delivery to the queen, so her patchwork n play dream came true and so to did her dream of living by the sea...
Summer often wonders just how the quilts were selfsewn?
And ponders if this is the end of my life in stitches? What do you think?

Of course not, because Summer love love loves creating and with the help of her friends she will always sew on and sew on....

This is a fictitious selfsewn tale.
The animals may be imaginary but the people are real!

On this my 400th post I would like to thank everyone who has ever commented, I'm sorry I've not mentioned you all (I'm not super woman!) but thank you because without you I might not be typing right now.

Clare xx

ps.apologies for the overly twee tale, you try making a story out of your commenter's!

edited: very loosely inspired by the elves and the shoemaker!

toffee air friday

2011-10-21T13:09:00.000+01:00

I couldn't really move on with life under the duvet.

There's far too much going on in the world, to wallow.

So I've planted a tree as a fresh start.

I spent days looking for the right one to plant in the new bed.

I have chosen a cercidiphyllum japonicum

also known as a katsura or toffee apple tree.

It is potentially going to be a large tree,

so I will keep it in check by pruning.

I shall be very excited come spring to see the fresh new leaves.

You may be asking why toffee apple tree?

All the books say that in autumn the leaves
give off a delicate aroma of burnt sugar

reminiscent of toffee apples!

And it's true!

The late Geoff Hamilton said it was his favourite tree

and he wouldn't be without it.

I can totally see and smell why..

..and now I want a toffee apple!

moving

2011-10-19T13:03:00.000+01:00

Hey you guys really moved me yesterday.

Thanks xx

I know it's not fun to read about sad stuff,

I just needed to get it out there and clear my head.

Now back to the good stuff!

Remember the flowering snowball?

This progress snap is just for you.

xxx

just the two of us

2011-10-18T10:01:00.000+01:00

Sometimes looking on the bright side of life is hard...

..but I believe whatever makes you happy should be encouraged

and things that make you sad..

well, they should end.

Over the past horrid nine years I've lost myself,

and with each loss, the hope....

So we are moving on.
I know it's the start of a new chapter in our lives.
I just need a moment under the duvet.

Clare xx

build it...

2011-10-13T10:29:00.000+01:00

...and they will come.

To me a garden is all about the wild life.

I've been trying to attract robins since we moved here,

and there are a few about.

I've noticed how they like to flit in and out

perching on pot plants and anything off the ground.

So yesterday I made this makeshift bird bath.

And today it was found.

The robin has also visited,

though as usual the sparrows are the majority!

At least our cohabiting friends are a little fresher now.

I think we need a bigger bath!

It's the little things in life which make me smile.

What can you do today that will make you smile?

new coat..new season?

2011-09-28T11:17:00.000+01:00

Well I've done it again folks!

Why didnt anyone tell there was a heatwave arriving?

Just look at that blue sky.

I've needed a new intermediate coat

to wear for Autumn.

Something that keeps me warm but not sweaty

well it's definitely warm,

and if I keep it on any longer it may well

get a little sweaty today!!

I love the early morning light,

especially on these white swan

echinacea.

(grown by me)

I'm making good use of this lovely weather.

Isn't it uplifting?

I will not lie,

the ever growing garden can be a real challenge!

I thought I'd show you some out-takes,

and why I generally crop out my head.

Check out my hiking boots!!

Reacting to a camera on a gorilla pod is not a thrill.

and generally the first photo is the best.

Scowls aside..

look at the vintage sheet I picked up.

Donating books to declutter can be dangerous for ones house!

It's an addiction..a bit like buying plants when you already have too many..

Loving the elbow patch detail!

I shall not be hoping for cooler weather

just so I can wear my new coat*

Because I have still lots of pottering to do..

..and it keeps the spiders from envading our house!

( spider count last week 5 )

*belted coat Zara

just because..

2011-09-27T18:04:00.000+01:00

Posterized@picnik

lost in Austen

2011-09-22T12:00:00.000+01:00

When we set off along the coast path to Hartland Point in Devon.

I had no clue I'd be stumbling into the pages of a Jane Austen book.

I recognised it straight away as the cottage from the bbc adaptation of

sense and sensibility.

It was a totally stunning surprise.

I did enjoy the series..however I haven't read the book,

so I'm not entirely sure of how truthful they were to the story.

That said I love this house!

Look at the wonky roof.

Whats more it sits right on this rugged Devonshire beach,

which I'd already professed to be the most stunning coastline.

The cottage is Blackpool Mill.

And get this, you can rent it!!!

I can just imagine waking up here in this wondrous isolation..

..I'm just looking for some romantically minded friends to share it with?

Romance aside.

One shouldn't throw scorn.

You see, when it rains, this ancient floor becomes

incredibly slippery.

Just picture me if you will,

somewhere in the middle curled up in a puddle after taking a tumble.

The romantically minded may be thinking..

did I get carried off by a gallant young man?

Or did I spend the next hour trudging through the countryside,
lost

whilst the rain fell like stair rods?

I'll leave it up to you.

I did feel the irony of the Austen connection at the end of the day.

Only I ended up more like Darcy in his wet shirt rather than the

sensible Elinor Dashwood.

I feel the need to escape my life right now.

I think I shall hunt down Sense and Sensibility and..

.. once again get lost in Austen.

* stripy jumper H&M

secret squirrel sunday

2011-09-18T16:03:00.000+01:00

Oh man I wish I could share my current sewing project with you!

But as its a secretish swap of the squirrelling type,

you will have to wait it out.

Lets just say it's a jazzy little number,

closely related to my summer of love quilt.

It's grabbed my attention away from the grey patchwork;

muted colours are totally gorgeous, just not that exciting to sew.

I feel a tutorial coming on..

playing favourites

2011-09-16T17:50:00.000+01:00

This post should be dedicated to favourite fabrics,

those that have been used to within an inch of their lives.

Mary from Molly Flanders and Suz from Patchworknplay

are having a party to celebrate their love of fabric.

However me being a vintage lover,

I couldn't very well come up with a fabric I've loved and lost

(not yet anyway)

So I've spun this post

to favourite vintage finds that have yet to be cut...

...or special items that will remain just so.

Starting from the bottom.

A pair of barkcloth curtains that I wish would fit one of my windows.

An amazing handmade skirt.

A lovely feedsack from America.

A huge stash of Grandmas green floral fabric

(given to me after her death, I'd love to know what it was for,

I found a sticker on it that said 'alternative fabric',

I think it may have been for bridesmaid dresses!!)

The blue is a French overcoat I bought at a flea market,

which I modelled in one of my Brittany posts.

And the top is a lovely vintage floral, which I've used once,

but now I'm waiting for the perfect project,

as this one is a keeper.

La overcoat.

barkcloth curtains I cannot cut up!

Awesome 70's skirt, that I've owned for years

but which I can't fit into,

yet can't bare to cut into it, look at the lining for heavens sake!

It even has amazing buttons.

These next two are my favourite scraps.

I really will miss them when they disappear.

At least I have my summer of love quilt to remember them with!

Do you have a loved and lost fabric?

Why not join the party and share your link over at

patchworknplay

fresh air friday

2011-09-16T11:28:00.000+01:00

I love September much in the way as I love March.

The brashness of summer is over

and the garden gradually fades to it's mellow self.

It's also a month where I'm amazed by the sudden growth of greenery.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Crazy things you may have spotted?

A lupin still blooming.

A day lily very much alive.

Sweet peas.

Blue sky!

Have a super weekend whatever the weather.

xxx

useful and beautiful?

2011-09-12T13:03:00.000+01:00

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful

or believe to be beautiful~William Morris

Whilst I would love to adhere religiously to this philosophy,

I fear over the years I have collected far too much clutter

which fits neither category.

Let me present then, our new hugely useful hemnes* display cabinets.

Creating a relaxed inspiring room is all about balance in my book.

I am big on recycling the past and pre-loved items,

so I'm trying to reign in the love of the clutter inducing stuff,

by keeping the items which really mean something to me.

Don't neglect your friendly flat pack store*

to prevent your house resembling a ~~junkshop~~ museum

and keep things modern and fresh.

*ikea

ps. do I spy patchwork?

been on the road again

2011-09-09T19:12:00.000+01:00

outside..

or in.

You can't beat a spot of travelling.

secret squirrel saturday

2011-08-27T16:06:00.000+01:00

I spy with my little eye something beginning with P.
(keep it clean!)

Happy weeekend all!

sunshine..

2011-08-25T11:56:00.000+01:00

..on a rainy day.

Thankyou Lisa.

feeling jammie..

2011-08-22T16:04:00.000+01:00

..and jelly.

the jewel garden

glorious ingredients

juicy brambles

straining stewed fruit to make jelly.

note.

gingham is not a necessity..muslin is fine

(if you have muslin)

the wrinkle test and a blackberry stained finger.

*apron debenhams clearance

(more to follow)

So are you feeling jammie?

Raspberry jam is probably the easiest place to start as generally I have found raspberry jam easy to set.

The recipe I used is here.

Given the choice jelly will always come out tops for me.

There are four stages of jelly making.

1. stew the fruit gentle to release the juice,
with 1 pint of water for every 4lb of fruit.

2. strain the juice

(the correct method is to use a jelly bag and leave it to drip over night)

who's got time to waste doing that.

You are also not meant to squeeze the bag,

because it makes for cloudy jelly.

Well I am a squeezer it's a good stress relief!

3. gentle dissolve 1lb of sugar/1 pint of liquid

4. boil rapidly stirring all the while.

I have found that different fruits take longer to set.

It's always an unknown, as fruit varies from day to day,

I have made runny jams and toffee jellies before.

It can be hit and miss,

but so worth it even just for the wonderful aromas filling the house.

There are a multitude of recipes online.

which is why I have River Cottages Pam Corbin

Preserves book on my wishlist.

Happy Jamday!

fade to grey

2011-08-17T10:13:00.000+01:00

Well folks my well tuned seasonal intuition has kicked in.

Yesterday I noted a distinct difference in the air.

I'm not sure how it works, I just feel Autumn is on the way.

Which is true of course...but with the garden still in bloom,

it seems a little off!

Strange then how my latest wip has already predicted the end of summer!

Funny how freakishly hot it was in spring

when I was sewing the 'summer of love'...

Maybe I should get out some sunnier fabrics!

I am unsure of this project.

I'm just not used to two tone patchwork.

I purposefully left the mini squares blank,

to fill in later when I decide how the quilt is working.

At the moment I am thinking dark grey for a border,

(paper pieced of course),

because I want the circles to really pop.

Finishing off with white binding with rounded corners.

Though this could change depending on the weather!!

a ghostly apparition

2011-08-12T13:04:00.000+01:00

I wonder if you can remember something I shared a while back?

Maybe the 11 year old creases will give you an idea?

My favourite detail.

Bows that hung off my shoulders and down my back.

Watery stitches and..

..sequined swirls.

Any ideas?

Does it have silk appeal?

How about now?

Of course this is my wedding dress!!

And these are the first digital photos ever taken of it.

We were married in the year 2000.

An era when weddings were not a common event.

(apart from the 2000 surge)

I already knew I would never wear white.

I had been following the designs of a London design team

called Ghost.

Who were the only people making pretty embellished dresses.

Which seems quite odd these days what with all the

fancy stuff bounding about.

Remember the millennium was all the rage,

clothes were all plain and made of futuristic fabrics.

So with my Mum in ~~toe~~ tow

up to London we went, and this was the first dress I tried on.

I have over the years wondered if I should have at least tried on
a wedding dress,

but whenever I get my dress out

I fall in love all over again...

...best wishes to anyone getting married tomorrow..

..may your day be as splendid as mine was xx

ps. no, it doesn't fit me anymore!
and yes, it is our camper x

wordless wednesday

2011-08-10T16:30:00.000+01:00

it's a family affair

2011-08-09T19:09:00.000+01:00

Saturday.

The 100th Annual Horticultural Show

held in the village I grew up in.

Not much has really changed over the years,

the society are a well greased family,

and the show always runs as smooth as clockwork.

Everyone doing their part to make for a wonderful day.

After a major flap trying to get all his entries displayed before 10.30,

my Dad won the cup for his vegetables.

(though he had to share it with a fellow competitor, much to his dismay!)

He definitely had the biggest prize winning onions however!

I even managed a second for my raspberries!

More prize winning tomatoes from father.

(bottom right)

My Mum is the secretary and spends, all year it seems

procuring raffle prizes for the grand raffle.

My Grandma used to help fold the tickets,

but since her passing I have helped out,

as it really is a nonstop job.

This year however my Aunt F helped out

along with my brothers girlfriend.

My Brother and Dad act as parking attendants

Not forgetting my Aunt M who dressed this huge teddy

and asked if you could guess her birthday?

Well I didn't get a prize for my cushion

(mine is the middle one, my friends next and my Aunt E)

I was a little miffed as mine was hand sewn..

..it's the taking part!!

oh I suppose I did get commended.

commended scmended!!

Look at this entry!

Those aren't real veggies

they are all knitted by my Aunt F!!!

Awesome.

In the floral section this was my Mother in laws entry,

not bad out of 12

especially as she was getting ready for her bric a brac stall

which locals have come to love,

and which I was helping on.

Well it's all over for another year.

The months of preparation all over in the blink of an eye.

I'll leave you with a last glimpse of my Dad's cabbages!

faf

2011-08-05T10:08:00.000+01:00

It's time to have an update on the garden.

I have almost finished digging the new bed,

it's completely the wrong time of year to be doing this,

but needs must!

So far I've filled it with

seedlings and plants I had growing in the wrong place.

I'm going out there right now to finish that bed.

Have a lovely weekend.

I shall be helping at my Mums horticultural show this saturday,

fingers crossed for the weather please!

feeling misty

2011-08-04T11:50:00.000+01:00

There are days when you can't see the woods for the trees..

The fog...

...lifts!!!

Don't you just love new beginnings?

*sailor trousers vintage boden - these are my favourites

*patchwork inspiration - Molly Flanders my favourite

wordless wednesday

2011-08-03T12:40:00.000+01:00

okay so not quite wordless.

My parents bought me this stack of fat quarters

on their trip to Canada.

(remember the cushion present)

I just love the way it's folded,

And it shall stay that way until I decide...

slowing things down

2011-08-01T13:30:00.000+01:00

ing

Sometimes we forget to relax and take a few moments to live.

Whether it's work, blogging, children, gardening, diy, or just

trying to be the perfect house wife..

all work and no play...

I made this little pin cushion house from Marys tutorial.

I think I needed a little project to complete in one day.

As per usual with me I winged it,

which is why it's a bit stretched.

I think it looks like it needs eyebrows!

I've also finished my hexagon cushion

for my local horticultural/handicraft show.

I'm not sure about the busy binding,

but that's me..

..always a little flawed.

It feels like summer has returned at last,

so taking it easy is a must,

especially when one has a new allotment,

plenty of painting still to do and a new bed to dig!!

Of course I cannot stop my mind

thinking up new creations.

I have a few ideas up my sleeve,

and that's where they are staying for now.

I do believe in having a good inspiration

for projects rather than starting something

without much thought...

So if you don't mind I shall do a few hours of

~~procrastinating~~ pondering...
...care to join me?

tools of the trade

2011-07-27T10:57:00.000+01:00

There seems to be a wave of paper piecing in blogland..

a fair few of the big hexagonal nature.

I wonder..

That said, I thought I would share my
homemade templates,

as I am often asked where I get my papers from.

These are made from card, and yes I even have templates for squares!

I keep them here.

(zipped bag that some pillow cases were wrapped in

makes me wonder how the world got in such a financial mess with such waste)

Really!

I mean really how could I throw away something with a zip!

I use computer paper for the templates or used envelopes etc.

I am ~~up to my eyeballs~~ often surrounded by
paper templates!

I reuse them until the corners get squashed.

Paper piecing tip: use a bright coloured thread for tacking pieces.

So when it comes to cutting out the papers it is eay to see which knots to cut,

and not your whip stitch patchwork knots.

Of course some help with cutting out the fabrics

would be handy!

You cannot have missed the baby go

it's been everywhere!

If you haven't

then GO and take a look*

*yes this is an unashamed plug to catch the eye of the people at

Accuquilt

just...

2011-07-26T10:04:00.000+01:00

..me and the radio*

*other paints are available

tis the season...

2011-07-25T10:20:00.000+01:00

....of the raspberry!!

I have shared this recipe before,

but it's so good I'm rolling it out again!

And as you can see

thats how much we ate yesterday!

This is the easiest recipe

and a great way to use fresh rasberries.

I imagine it would be good with cherries too,

I liken it to a bakewell pudding.
ps. just wanted to add that I used less raspberries,
and it turned out well enough.

Whilst I'm on the subject of fruit,

here are my gooseberries that I picked on my birthday.

It was the second picking of approximately 1kg

which I made into 3 jars of gooseberry sauce,

as I had already made 3 jars of jam.

The sauce I just added some sugar to stewed the fruit,

which made a pale green sauce on the right.

The jam recipe was a Mary Berry

which I found here.

I'm fearing another week of painting..

and no patching of the fabric kind

Ooh la lemon!

2011-07-19T12:48:00.000+01:00

No painting so far this week.

So with a clear head

I bring you

mes souvenirs française!

Les details importants:

polka dot scarf €11 Bonobo jeans Vannes

green enamel coffee pot €2 vide grenier (loft clearance)

lemon plate and cream dish €5 vide grenier

white and green floral Quimper jug €25 brocante

stripe Breton style top €19 Bonobo jeans

turquoise cushions €6 sam textile

lime cake box free

tarte au citron priceless..

Models own:

cut offs new look jeans

crinkle skirt (vintage) d perkins

lemon cardie £19 gap sale

sandals merrell Florida

satchel €2 france last year

shelf £40 shepton mallet

rope doorstop st ives

lovely floors mr fete
giant hollyhocks the garden

patchwork selfsewn..

fresh air friday

2011-07-15T11:45:00.000+01:00

Again fresh air most definitely needed this week.

A week of painting has left me high and dry!

This post was going to be devoted to hollyhocks,

but they seem to be nothing new on the blogs.

So instead I'm bringing you a post on poppies.

They always crop up in the veg patch!

These are a first for me.

A few years back my mother in law gave me seeds from her garden.

And here they are, I always find poppy seeds take a couple of years to come up.

This morning they are all a buzz!

I am glad that they chose the veg patch to grow in,

as they are not something I would want in my garden.

Colourwise I mean.

They are much brighter in real life and very frilly
like a queen mothers hat.

Looks like a rainy weekend ahead

so enjoy these before they become bedraggled.

talking of bedraggled, I better brush my hair...

just a little diy this morning,

but that's it for now!

Enjoy the weekend again!

stash dash

2011-07-13T13:34:00.000+01:00

I've taken time out from the diy to show you my new fabric purchase.

These came from the great UK company Simply Solids.

Why such a great service?

The majority of fabrics are sold as half metres

which is two fat quarts.

Fat quarts are great, but always seem so precious!

On top of that there are no delivery charges,

so what you see is what you get.

It's bonus time at the moment with a great sale.

These beauties cost just £2.50 each.

I have been coveting the sweetwater sunkissed collection from Moda.

It's different.

I feel like a change from all the colours.

Well most of them!!

maniac monday

2011-07-11T11:53:00.000+01:00

Actually it's not just today that I'm a maniac.

Sunday, on a whim I painted the kitchen,

totally
un~~intelligently~~ unintentionally.

I figure whilst I'm feeling energetic of mind

I may as well put it to good use.

So now I just have

kitchen worktops to sand and oil

all the woodwork (incl doors) in the house to paint

front door to paint
hallway to paint

kitchen table legs to paint

two more chairs to paint

loft room to paint

new front fence to stain...

So not much sewing doing,

except..

GIANT patchwork!!

I am intending this to be a cushion.

(but unlike my friend Diane

who sets out to make quilts and ends up with cushions,

I always set out to make cushions but end up with quilts!!!)

Wouldn't this make an awesome quilt though!!!

* designer jeans models own

As requested a before and after.

The paint was a left over,

the orange was not our choice!!

Not that exciting really!

fresh air friday

2011-07-08T10:29:00.000+01:00

Well looks like we missed the whole of June

in the garden!

Is it July or April?

I'm not sure today..

..here's a quick snap out the back door

before the next blustery downpour.

I've been doing a lot of pondering in the garden this week.

It's good to get away,

find inspiration

(mainly from the garden in France)

and take a fresh approach on the garden.

You can see in the above photo a change I'm trialling.

I'm thinking of making a pathway on the right,

and digging up some of the grass.

Love/hate.

When I'm in the garden I rarely relax!

I'm constantly moving plants in my mind.

The above tree is a catalpa,

better known as an Indian bean tree.

On one hand I hate it,

in certain lights it looks horribly yellow/dead,

but then there are the days when it really shines.

I had decided in spring that it was for the chop,

but now it's a keeper!!

Throughout the year there are
pockets of the garden that look

especially good.

I'm loving this area next to the bean tree.

It really shows off my gardening style,

and what I like.

Wild types, splashes of colour and subtle romance.

I've noticed that I have a lot of pointy perennials,

so many in fact that I cannot remember their names,

which is not like me at all!

I know the purple is a salvia of sorts.

The pink flower is very cottage garden,

lychnis coronaria,

that I grew from seed last year.

It's a biennial, but I've heard its a prolific self seeder!

Just a quick peek at the edibles.

I have a 2/3 year old grape vine

(cutting from Ma and Pa)

which has many bunches of grapes!!!

I've never had my own grapes before,

and by the sounds of it there might be a fight between

me and the blackbird!

Here are my dwarf french beans,

with their sparrow proofing cage.

The veg patch

including marigolds!

So far we've eaten lettuce, carrots and strawberries.

I've also had a bumper crop of gooseberries,

which I've turned into jarred goodness

(to follow)

Looks like a good year for fruit,

the raspberries are huge and plentiful.

I told you a while back that I'd reduced the veg plot this year.

The reason?

I'm getting an allotment!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brand new allotments are being developed for our village and I have one!

Actually I'm just going for a half jobby,

mainly to grow potatoes en masse.

So my veg patch will be know more..

..but don't worry I have plans!!!!

ps.
Fresh air is very much needed today.
I'm painting the woodwork downstairs
and oiling the kitchen worktops.
Is there any wonder why last night I dreamt
It was okay to walk down the road with no top on!!!

summer of love quilt reveal!!

2011-07-05T10:34:00.000+01:00

The day is finally here..

about blimming time I hear you say!
I hope you love it like I do!

Between loading and unloading the washing machine

last week I made up this

cute label.

Here you can see my choice of binding too.

It was an online buy,

which can be hit and miss,

but I think the colours work perfectly.

The binding fabric was a metre square,

so lots of joins!

Luckily being striped they dont show.

My inspiration for this quilt primarily came from

here

I was quite smitten,

and so the journey began.

Searching out fabrics from

junk shops, charity shops, friends and the www!

Previous to my discovery of the want to make quilt

I had bought some

lovely

vintage patchwork,

that I made into cushions..

which influenced my colour combinations.

To tell you the truth some of the hexagons,

in my mind are downright hideous!!

But strangely they do work together as a whole.

THE GALLERY

(please click on pictures to get a closer look)

FAQs

1. This quilt is a hand sewn English paper pieced quilt.

Check out my tutorial at the top of my blog to see

how it's done.

2. I made my own templates with computer paper.

The diamonds measure from point to point 4.5"

Which makes the hexagon sides a little over 5".

3. I didn't use a pattern from anywhere,

it's not necessary really.

4. The quilt measures approx 70" square,

which fits a UK double bed,

not entirely as I didn't want the pillows covered.

5. I used heirloom cotton/polyester mix batting,

which I got here.

6. The fabrics are a mix of vintage and new,

with solids mixed in to calm it all down!!

7. The bulk of the sewing was done this year.

Totally crazy!

8. The backing is an old duvet cover,

recycle recycle recycle!

9. Each block took roughly an hour

which includes cutting the templates etc.

10. 68 block and 8 half blocks.

11. Find similar quilts here

a quilt along flickr group for all things diamond!

12. The quilting is basic straight line machined,

I'm not great at hand quilting.

13. The binding was machined on the front

and then hand stitched to the back.

I'm sure there are many more unanswered questions,

so feel free to ask me anything!!!

To retrace the progress of this quilt

click on the summer of love label in the word cloud

in my sidebar.

I know that I am responsible for this heirloom,

and yet it still amazes me that I made such a crazy quilt!

I hope I have inspired you to create your own..

if so why not join the flickr group

and share your journey!

j'aime...

2011-07-04T10:43:00.000+01:00

....le van en France.

Okay so here we have Brittany France (again!)

3 weeks squeezed into one blog post.

I'd like to say it was beautiful weather like this,

alas we did see some rain..

Globe artichokes.

who's this dork?

Random knocker.

Quilting inspiration Mary?

We ate A LOT!!

Lovely house we stayed in.

Email me for info.

Enough cushions?

Monty chat noir.

Van view.

Heaven..

Bye Brittany,

thanks for the lovely food and the rain!

I highly recommend Brittany for anyone who
loves camping.

Quiet roads, unspoilt beaches, lovely food
and interesting shopping

(this years buys to follow)

I imagine it does get busy through the summer months,

so booking may be advisable.

French campsites are brilliant,

most have swimming pools and restaurants.

When I have a dry spot of blogging I shall do a guide to decent campsites and nice places.

So now it's back to tackling the ever growing jungle outside my backdoor

and getting round to the big quilt reveal,

which I can now say is entirely finished

label and all!!

2011-06-30T11:19:00.000+01:00

back then..

2011-06-06T13:26:00.000+01:00

Right..I'm off.

It's time for a blog break.

Back soon with lots of fun things, the quilt reveal

and possibly something a little continental!

kiss kiss

fresh air friday

2011-06-03T10:15:00.000+01:00

Is it me or are Fridays coming round too fast?

Its a crazy hot day here today.

But I realise after a trip to Somerset last weekend,

not everyone has had this dry spell.

I have been praying for rain,

whilst they have been praying for sun!

Anyways above is a santolina or a cotton lavender,

I love it!

The lawn really is very brown already,

I'm just wondering how things would grow

with a downpour of lovely rain!

My goal is to cover the ugly fences with greenery.

The next two blooms were grown from seed last year,

purchased online from real gardens.

Above is lychnis coronaria,

a good one for dry gardens.

And this one is the well known

knautia macedonica,

which the bees love.

On the shady side I have two astrantias

this one is claret.

All this sun has been great for lots of plants this year

including this peony.

My favourite geranium of the moment has also

popped open this week.

Ann Folkard.

Another sun lover is this white rose,

though it tends to suffer from droop,

because the blooms are so huge!

Although gardening has slowed down now,

there is still lots to do.

Like tying in a new climbing rose,

this one is 'new dawn',

and should be a pretty pale pink.

I've also visited an NGS garden,

called White Barn near Ringwood,

It's a stunner, they are open every Wednesday,

if you live in Hampshire it's well worth a visit,

truly inspirational.

I cant publish any pictures I took,

for their privacy, but I did buy the campanula from them,

which is a tiny part of what their garden looked like.

Did I mention they have over 200 clematis?!

Hmmm what else have I been doing??

Have a super weekend all,

don't forget the suncream!

Ps. I dreamt last night that Monty Don (British gardening presenter)
came to my garden,

and he was thinning my apples.

(which I've already done!!)

Lets see tonight if he does any thinning of apples,

how spooky would that be!!

patchwork cushion

2011-06-02T10:59:00.000+01:00

Just a quickie post to show my latest creation.

Mary this is what I was working on
when we were emailing each other.

This cushion is a present for distant relations in Canada.

I have no idea what their taste is so I tried to keep

the colour scheme fairly neutral.

(I have robbed the white stars from another project!)

I did use a pink vintage fabric that to me looks like
maple leaves.

My parents are visiting them so my Mum asked me to make them something!

It's paper pieced and bound like a quilt,

which I think ties it together nicely.

This is my first ever cushion with buttons,

so I'm pretty proud,

even if it did take me all day!

ps. just to let you know I shall be taking a blog brake for most of June,

don't forget me!

pps. Hello to Rachel's Mum,

Thanks for reading my blog and glad to keep you entertained!

ppps. Nearly flipped out last week trying to change my blog layout.
There's a lesson, don't try and fix things if you don't know what you're doing!
Big phew!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fresh air friday

2011-05-27T10:40:00.000+01:00

It's Chelsea week again.
There has been lots of talk

about gardening for wildlife.

I'm already doing my bit,

so here is the part of the garden that

I call the wild.

It's hard to believe its little more than a year

since I began digging this area.

It's the shady side of the garden,

so I've used woodlandish plants.

It's also intended to be low cost,

with mainly plants already growing in the garden

like this rhododendron (which the bees love),

but also selfsown plants and plants I've divided.

So there are ferns and hostas from my Mums garden.

Self sown vebascum mullein.

Primula bulleyana

I love their silvery stems topped with the orange buds!

White foxgloves

a throw back from free seeds three years ago.

This is becoming my favourite spot in the garden,

maybe because of the lack of gardening needed,

it's just so relaxing..

and goes to prove you don't need a fortune to create

a ~~show~~ lovely garden.

And the rewards for wildlife gardening..

the wildlife of course!

I love the chirps of baby birds especially black birds.

Looks like the weather maybe a little dodgy this weekend,

but to be truthful

'the garden needs it!'

Have a great weekend everyone!

Clare

still suffering with the worst hayfever
since records began!

this garden might turn into an all green affair...

wednesday workshop - easy sugar flowers

2011-05-25T16:09:00.000+01:00

Now for something completely different!

As promised when I learn a new skill I like to pass it on.

Especially one so simple yet so stunning.

I am lucky enough to have a friend who is learning

all things cakey.

She lent me her tools of the trade,

thanks Rachel.

These really did help me,

though I imagine you could find the equivalent

if you rummage about the house.

I used Squires sugar florist paste,

which is suitable for making flowers

as it dries rock hard.

Available at your local cake shop,

as is the gold dust.

Warm up some sugar paste in your hands,

keeping the rest in the sealed bag,

dust your surface with cornflour,

roll out thinly

(I think I made mine a bit thick)

cut out your flower.

Here is where a pallet knife comes in handy to scoop them up.

Then use a round ended tool

to gently press out the petals one at a time.

You will find if you drag into the centre this will form a flower shape.

To help keep their form, or to mould them more

I used an egg box to hold them in until they were dry,

which took about a day,

though they begin to harden straight away.

Here is the bigger flower,

which is like a dog rose.

Before the flowers were dry I added the centre pieces

which I stuck on with water.

Using the gold dust mixed with vodka/alcohol

I used a paintbrush to apply it to the edges and the centres.

I did have an issue with the gold tarnishing,

so I had to re-paint on the day.

There are lots of gorgeous colours to choose from,

just imagine pink or red...

The cakes were ordered from M&S

and the colour match was really good.

I used royal icing from a packet

to glue the flowers on,

just make it nice and thick so you don't get any sliders

As you know I was copying a 50 year old design

hence the bells.

Which I also made using a bell mould,

and the 50 was made using my Nigella cookie cutters

With help from Rachel and you tube,

I found making this a dream,

I could spend all day making sugar flowers

its so relaxing!!

And believe me it really is that simple.

I did this myself because I had

a bad experience in a cake shop,

where the assistant said it would cost me £300!!!

Well I don't think we would have been happy

especially with her uninterested attitude.

I'm glad..I think I made a good job!

The cost of this two tiered cake plus two extra cutting cakes was approx £80.

(incl decorations)

I can highly recommend M&S cakes to

very yummy...

ps. anyone want any flowers made let me know!!

almost a quilt

2011-05-23T09:40:00.000+01:00

Here at last is a sneak peek at the quilt

very nearly a full functioning bed adornment.

I really didn't enjoy the number of hours it took me to remove the papers,

though their flights of fancy round the garden amused me.

I have to say I've never enjoyed a good iron so much!

And if I could I would have left this top as flat as a pancake,

but needs must.

SOAP BOX WARNING!!

I have backed it with a piece of old duvet.

Before any one wants to lecture me on the
rules of quilting,

(I've had this happen)

I would like to say that quilts

were originally made from recycling old unusable fabric,

there were no 'quilt shops' back in the olden days.

I like using one whole piece of backing,

I'm not into back piecing,

for one who's going to see it?

and two I've just made the quilt top,

you really think I want to make a back piece?!

I remembered this old duvet cover that we stopped using,

it's fine, it's recycling it's turquoise and it didn't cost me a penny!

Okay I'm done..I thankyou.

When basting I need the television!

It's too uncomfortable and dull not to have

some kind of distraction.

Mine was a recorded programme
about British landscape artists,

I love art and I've decided to gain more
arty knowledge this year,

I may even go back to college.

Anyway with the Augustus John thing on

I began.

Wadding wise I am using

heirloom 80% cotton 20% polyester.

(the lemon meringue sample)

from the cotton patch

First I pinned with safety pins,

then tacked it together with thread,

folding it over as I sewed.

With the pins removed I got on to quilting.

And here we have the dilemma.

After many hours of research I came up with a
straight line..

Before you all gasp in horror,

(believe me I've done a lot of gasping)

let me give my reasoning, before casting judgement on my wicked ways.

1. This is my first big attempt at machine quilting

2. I am still very much a novice

3. I had a stinking cold,

so not entirely responsible for my actions

4. I'm a lazy a@s

5. The real reason:

after basting I found a few seams had pulled apart,

due to

~~some rubbish sewing!~~

the vintage/new mix of fabrics.

I felt it all needed some secure quilting,

I fear this quilt is a little fragile

and certainly will never be machine washed!

So here it is..

I do feel a bit ~~peeved~~ annoyed

with myself, for not waiting.

But you know when the moment takes you,

even with a fuzzy head full of cold.

I think with the reasons I've given

I should be able to forgive myself.

And at the end of the day it's still a nice quilt.

So I was going to sew diagonals the other way too,

what do you think?

I'm swaying right now.

Just binding left now,

I think it has to be turquoise or white,

I'm not sure?

I'd love to know what you think?

If you love this quilt pattern

there is a group on flickr

if you would like to see more.

Jessica from life under quilts

is writing an update this week and is also sewing an awesome

hand pieced quilt!