Suffolk puff ball necklace

I was recently wasting time mooching through Pinterest and I came across this link

suffolk puff necklace
Definitely pick my interest, especially as I had a box of Suffolk puffs I had made a couple of years ago, I had made a blue and white necklace/scarf with them which I really like but was a little fragile.

Basically I just had to undo them, stuff them and do them up again,
a good sitting in front of the telly job.
But just one long string as in the link wasnt going to work for me.
I suit shorter necklaces up round my collar bones,
other curvy ladies will know where I am coming from....
So I added a couple of beads at each end and knotted it.
neeeahhh, not sure.

So off came the beads and the ends sewn together, and amazingly it was the perfect length.

ta da!

Love these colours and the size of it, think I will be wearing it a lot this summer

Though I must not leave it on the bed, or I will loose it!

Perfectly camouflaged.

You can see they both came from the same fabric stash.

Actually used some of the original Suffolk puffs to secure my quilt.

Really pleased with how they both turned out.

so much love in those sawdust hearts

You may remember that back in July I submitted a sawdust heart to WW1 heart project , well last Monday we were up in Yorkshire visiting Ollie, and we were able to go over to Scarborough to see the exhibition. It is on till the end of November and if you are in the area I definitely recommend it. My husband came to support me in a project I had been involved with and he really was moved and very impressed. This is the Link.  The heart above is one of the originals from the Great War and this was the one that inspired Helen Birmingham to start this project.

She made 1,568 sawdust hearts - one for each day of WW1.

Nearly all were returned by crafters all over the British Isles, 

and they were displayed in groups of 25.

What was amazing was how different they all were, as well as how moving they were.

From the traditional....

....to impressive embroidered boats

patriotism from north of the boarder

raw resent memories

simple images from children

complex works of beading

my favourite!

family tragedy

stunning embroidery and design

one to attempt to read later...

and Chris found mine first, I walked past it twice....no excuse...a bit embarrassing

Very proud to be the most southerly pin on this map of British crafters!

Hearts for WW1

Earlier this year I read a piece in a magazine about this amazing project

and I signed up straight away.  I have found these hearts fascinating since I first saw one in the window of an antique shop here.  They are the first example of Occupational Therapy 

being used in the UK and they are stunning.

Mine blank heart arrived and was numbered 43, I obviously was very early in ordering as she has made 1,568 blank hearts, one for every day of World War 1.

I did attempt to decorate with beads and sequins, not sure what I was doing wrong but just could not get the sequin pins to stay in.  So I went back to what I know, embroidery.  The lines of back stitch are to represent the contour line of the horrendous trenches with the poppies then rising out of them.

I made the poppies by first ironing black interfacing on to some red and black shot fabric I had, then cutting out oval shapes, as I wanted them to be stylised like the poppies we buy for Remembrance Sunday.

They were then anchored in place with two sizes of black beads.

Pleased with the end result, but there really are some amazing ones being sent in which are being posted of their Facebook page.  I do hope I can get up to Scarbourgh to see the exhibition in November, I think it will be very moving indeed.

Freedom shoes (Liberty Espadrilles)

Earlier on this year I noticed that my local haby Creaseys was selling espadrille soles, what a lovely idea!  They very kindly ordered them in in my size, have rather large feet.....and I started looking for inspiration. 

I have box of fabric strips, mainly Liberty Tawn Lawn which I had used for decoupage, 

that were perfect. The backing was just a pair of old jeans. 

You draw round the pattern provided with the soles and then get creative.

I simply stitched the stripes down with a line of back stitch in embroidery silk, 

so that the fraid edge of the fabric was a feature.

It was only after I had finished the tops that I realised the denim had some stretch....

not what you want for the top of a shoe!  So I backed them with a woven interfacing. 

Creaseys by now were also selling the espadrille thread, a nice strong (red)  cotton, 

perfect for doing the traditional blanket stitch to hold the top to the bottom. 

The only problem I had was as you fold the fabric under to do the blanket stitch, it meant I was sewing through two layers of denim and interfacing plus the rope sole, so I ended up having to use a pair of pliers to pull the needle through!

Must say I am very please with how they turned out, I decided not to do the backs as when I used to wear espadrilles a lot and you always stood on the backs, so why bother with them in the first place?

And today they have had their first outing in the sun!

sunnies needed!

An the sun kept on coming (well until today when we have fog....).

Summer handbag came out, smaller and off course blue, but then I had a first world problem, my sunnies case was too big.

Now I just love my sunnies, they were a present from Chris,

a good colour and just the right side of a bit querky.

But the pouch that I had that was the right size wasn't the right colour or querky

So I made one!

The fabric is from one of Chris's old work shirts,

and I drew round my glasses to get the outline and then followed that with back stitch,

a lovely job to do while sitting in the garden in a deckchair on a Sunday. Heaven.

And I must say I really am rather chuffed!!!

Resting our feet

A few weeks ago, Chris and I were having a good rummage around in a second hand shop,

and ended up with our arms full with books, a piece of Poole pottery, a wooden bowl, a wooden tennis racket, writing paper and this foot stool.....all for a tenner! Bargain.

The foot stool does need some tlc,

Chris is going to look after the base,

and we are going to put a deeper piece of foam on top to make it higher. 

But my job is the cover and I wanted another project to get my teeth into.

I decided on a plan of St Peter Port and the harbour and I will mark our house on it.  Gridding up a local map was the easiest way of transferring the image to the canvas (16hpi).

Then I cracked on with the sea.  All the swirling blue just sort of happened, it was a case of using up all my little bits and pieces of blue silk, and ended up being rather pleased with it,

almost gives an idea of all the eddies and currents moving round the harbour

with all that going on I decided that the roads should be plain as a contrast

As it looks like the land is going to be a haze of bits and pieces of green from my silks box!

I am enjoying stitching this, I find it very relaxing in the evening just to sit and sew, not really thinking, especially with the last few fires of the Spring crackling in the grate beside me.

Will keep you posted on how it gets on. xxx

True Granny knots

I didnt know my Granny very well, sadly she died when I was about 6, 

but I think we would have got on very well.  

You see she was a dress-maker, that talent totally skipped my Mum, 

she couldn't sew to save her life, draw yes, sew no.  I remember her hemming my jeans with staples!  

So I think Granny and I would have got on very well. 

By the time I appeared (a bit of an oops moment for Mum and Dad ;-)), 

she was rather elderly and not quite with it,

 but the other day I re found a dress she had made for my older sister when she was little.

 

Its a stunning gingham dress, the attention to detail is brilliant, 

from the little tucks down the bodice, to the run of French Knots round the waist

And when you look really closely it is all hand stitched, everything....

.....you then take into account the amazing band of embroidery going round the skirt 

and the time it must have taken is a true expression of love.

Even more so when I think she made a matching one for Serena's doll, 

which sadly now has gone walk about. I will treasure this.

 Its an important link to another woman I wish I had known as an adult.