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

Patchwork done! Quilting next.....

Wow, three years ago I started a big project, a super king patchwork quilt!

Well last week I stitched the last square, so that is the first part done.

To make the quilt wide enough (to hide all my rubbish under the bed!), I edged both sides with two rows of plain squares - rather than squares made up of three rectangles - quicker that way.

Second part is to now to attach the wading and the backing, But I think I will wait till the summer, as its a large beast and none of my rooms are big enough to spreed it out flat in.  

So I think the garden will be my best option

Really pleased how it has turned out, but now thinking plain curtains would be better......

patchworking for a few years I think......

I think I will need to lay this issue at my Mothers feet!

As I was growing up, the moto I absorbed is that 'there is no guilt in buying books or fabric'

And I still live by that!

So now I have over flowing book cases (which I love)

 and a fabric hoard that fills one whole cupboard

and two large boxes under our bed.....

......and a lot are very silly sizes, mere scraps, something needed to be done.

 

Well I was introducing my self to Pinterest and came across some amazing patchwork quilts, and that really was the kick up the watsit I needed.

I have always loved the look of a traditional English Paper Piecing quilt, using lots of scraps of fabric that hold memories for you.  But I had never done any patchwork at all ever. And I want to make this for our bed.....which is a super kingsize. Is this a good idea?  Have I bitten off too much??

Well there is only one way to find out and that is to go for it!

 

This is a brilliant tutorial that I found a huge help http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/english-paper-piecing-where-to-begin.html

 

The pattern I decided on was traditional but not so common, three little rectangles.  And I am working them in squares, so five little squares by five.  This photo above is nearly three of them. 

The reason being, that if I feel this project is tooooo big then by doing it in squares at a later date I can just make it in to a throw to go over the sofa or something?  Its my 'get out of jail free card'!

 

 

I really love how its looking already, there are scraps from our curtains, my Liberty shirts, Chris's old work shirts, tops I had as a teenager, dresses I have made, bits friends have given me, all in all a proper memory quilt.

Though I must admit I have brought a few pieces for it, so maybe it has achieved my aim entirely!

 

Think this will take rather a long time to finish, but I am loving doing it and will do some more posts on it later (months or years who knows!)

One of my most satisfying commissions so far ;-)

I had a lovely commission earlier this summer, for a wedding present for my clients niece.  We worked together on the design trying to get in as many subtle clues abut their life and loves

 Emily and Phil are very out doorsy people, so fleeces were the order of the day,

 and his red plane had to be doing a fly by!

They are also from Yorkshire and Lancashire, so we have red and white roses in the undergrowth 

And they love spending time with her Aunt in Sark, so the island features on the horizon

So very pleased with how it turned out, you know what it is like when things just click, well this was one of those.  And from what I understand, they are pleased with it too!

ooh so very very V.V!!!

I lived and worked in London in the late 90's, and my last job there was setting up and opening the second branch of V.V.Rouleaux in Marylebone High Street with my friend Cat.

Marylebone Lane, from V.V.Rouleaux website

This shop is an amazing ribbon grotto, there are literally thousands to choose from.

from V.V,Rouleaux website

I loved working there, we met some amazing people, made some pretty fantastic things, but must admit hated stock take, all those rolls of ribbon have to be unrolled and measured.......

from V.V.Rouleaux website

But when I left to move to Sussex, I brought loads of 5cm samples, thinking that one day I would need them as reference.  Not quite sure what?  But its always good to be prepared!

Roll forwards 15 odd years (ouch) and all those samples are still kicking around.

 and it was about time I did some thing with them,

 So ta dah, ribbon cards, little samples of V.V.Rouleaux

now just need to get them all packaged up,

And then deliver them to Lovely Pops in Mill Street.

a project in the pipe line

Well just had a brilliant week away, and back to reality!

The Tapestry Gallery is opening in just over 3 weeks time and still need to get the stock take done and finish a project for my old school.  But first I wanted to show you a peak of something I am working on with the Priaulx Libary, but my lips are sealed!  

More later :-)

Amazing Maicies Imagination

Wanted to show you a commission I did just before Christmas.

Maicie is beautiful daughter of a friend and she loves butterflies, bumblebees and....fish!  Not the easiest to combine, in the end we went for two little Maicies!

One above the water....

...and one below the water!!

I was really pleased with them, and I believe Maicie is too.

Houichepotte de' Noue

Now Christmas has been and gone, so I feel I can now share this years card with you.  Had to wait till I knew everyone had received theirs!  As you can see its a Christmas pudding, but look closer.....

 

Underneath it says 'Houichepotte de' Noue' which is Guernsey Patois for the said pud, and isn't that a fantastic word for pudding?  When I first found it, it didn't have a pronunciation, and I though it might sound something like Who-chi-potty!!

Well I was wrong.

Its a Wish-pot!!!

Love good words.

Well I hope you all had a great Christmas and hope you have a fantastic New Year.

getting people started

Well it is November and so I am teaching again!

Last year I ran a course at the Tapestry Gallery teaching people the stitches used with in the panels, and then I promised I would show them how to design their own piece.  So this year we are.

Its being kept simple, a small pin cushion using 4 or 5 different stitches, and I did two samples pieces to give them ideas, and have to admit I am rather pleased with them.

This is a very simple design, decorative boarders round a plain striped tent stitch centre  Then the whole think is lifted with a three dimensional flower in needle weaving and French knots.

The stitches used in the boarder included blanket, upright cross and chequer board cross stitch.

The second one used only three stitches, upright cross, mosaic and tent, but I blended the threads so you get a softer almost tweedy look.

Then because the pattern was so regimented, I added the random with the uneven amethyst beads forming the fringe boarder.

So go on have ago at designing you own, it will be a one off and so much satisfying than a kit!

so angelic!

Welcome to my Angelic Donkey!

Already to add a small dash of heavenly happiness to your life



He's very happy hanging against something, but need to get the balance worked out if he is going to possibly, dare I say it, go on a tree!  At the moment he nods forward.

Just needs to have a think on that, but will take this chap down to Hannah at Lovely Pops tomorrow.

written in stitch

Well after so many posts on Guernsey, I thought I prove I was still doing something creative!

This is a project I did in 2010, which is a diary of the whole year, stitched.

It was quite a year, we moved house, I started a new job, we got married (and I got tied up with the volcano mess when collecting my wedding dress!), my darling Aunt sadly passed on, trips to London for country Living Christmas Fair and Newcastle to visit my new step son, on and getting stuck in St Lucia due to snow!  Just to point out the snow was in Gatwick!

Oh and I made my first Christmas Pud, and I will never by shop brought again, so easy and delicious.

I have also done embroidered birthday notes.

and anniversary ones

and now I am now doing them through Lovely Pops (Mill Street, Gsy) or direct.

So if you have something special you would like to say, or remember, and would like to preserve it in stitch, send me a comment!

first attempts, will start at the head and work down....

Well I promised I would have a go at my own ideas, and this little head is done using the remains of the fleece from the kit. Which is why he is turquoise!

do rather like him, but not sure how to use him.......

So I had a rethink and was given some natural coloured fleece by Iris and Dora www.irisanddora.co.uk

Thank you girls!

And so I decided to do a donkey

The donkey is the symbol of a Guernsey person, just like the British Bulldog.

Some say its because we have short legs and are stubborn, but unfortunately the reason is a lot more mundane, it was a football insult hurled at us by Jersey supporters in the early 1900's....oh well.

But I am proud to be a DONKEY!!!!!!



And am also rather proud of him,

 might make him in to a broach, or maybe something else?????

But first I am going to set myself the challenge of making the rest of him!

Wish me luck I will keep you posted ;-)