So tiny, so perfect

I was in London over Christmas and was able to visit Loop up by Angel tube station. What an amazing wool shop, stunning yarns in silk, wool, linen, cashmere etc. Also some gorgeous scarves and necklaces by Sophie Digard, i love her work so much, they aren't cheap and they shouldn't be, but one day, one day.

I got to the till, was getting some beautiful silk for a summer scarf. When i saw these tiny boxes. Their contents I totally feel in love with.

Tiny, tiny scissors! They are perfect, and work really well. I couldn't leave them, well we all need to buy our selves a Christmas present dont we!

at last, after four years........

As some of you may remember back in 2015 I started a big project, it had actually been the Christmas 2014 when I started the first square.  Well Christmas(ish) 2018 I have finished it!

The whole thing is handsewn, 

 had tried years ago to do some patchwork by machine, 

but I didnt feel I had enough control.

I am so pleased with the finished quilt, I love the colours and the look.

With hindsight it maybe be it was too big a project for a beginner, but I stuck with it.

The only problem is I feel with such a busy bedspread we should have plain curtain at the windows.  But that will be have to be a job for another time.

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!

Least we forget

This weekend it seems very apt to share this.

In the Town Church we have this wooden cross,

 it is one of the original wooden crosses from World War 1.  

Later they were replaced with the headstones we are all so familiar with.  

This cross belonged to Eric D'Auverge Collings, 

he gave his life for his country at the age of 19 on 23rd August 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.

I wear my poppy with thanks for that great sacrifice

dreaming lampwork

Last year when I started making these fabric necklaces, 

it was because I had always loved lampwork beads 

so I was trying to do my version in fabric, but I still lusted over those beautiful glass beads.

So when Iris and Dora announced that a lampwork tutor was coming over 

 and was going to do courses, I was beyond excited!

Well it was last Saturday afternoon, and it lived up to everything I had hoped.

There were 6 of us, each with our own station and a very powerful gas flame, first we selected our colours from the rainbow for glass rods. Unsurprisingly I went for blues.......

The actual technique was pretty simple, but just like machine embroidery it is practice and control, control and practice, but I was hooked.  Our tutor was very patient and by the end of two and a half hours we had all produced about 12 beads, 

sadly my favorite one, that looked like a sputnik - all spiky, cracked.  

But all the others came off the rods easily. Really pleased.

Can wait to have ago at wrapping, winding and spodging molten glass again!

Loved it so much I actually drempt about it that night......