Back in my Garden

 We,ve painted the summer house ,put up some pretty dolphins , chased away the spiders, moved out our grandsons toy tractor...so now I can sit and relax in there once again.
 Thats my daughters little dog ....and do you like my new summer dress ? I bought it in the CHSW  Childrens Hospice South West shop in Helston....raising money for those short and precious lives and their families .
I am so pleased with it ! It is nice and cool and loose over my sore tummy .
.......and  purple ! : )   I ,ve also got out that old straw hat again . I,m abit of a " Second -hand Rose "
         Aaah ! It's good to see a bit more of the sunshine once again  .

                                                 I,ve been stitching this .....

                                       
              .....but now I,m stitching this ....and as I sat and stitched ,  I looked across the garden and noticed something peculiar going on with this Agave potatorum .

                                                       ....what's going on ?

                                       
                                       It's beginning to put up a flower spire !
       

Toadstools in Crewel Wool

A little project that I took on holiday with me , because I always have to be stitching something .
 I'm making  a little nature sampler book , of embroidered cloth pages .

      I'm stitching with Appleton's crewel wool .

  
                 I stitched another , which I intend to make into a small purse .

                         I love toadstools and cant wait to stitch some more .

                                                                 

Saint Patrick's Church Patterdale Lovely Lake District

 Hallo again my dear friends !  Me and my toothache have been away on a little holiday .
Spring comes early to us down in Cornwall and so lovely , we decided to go up country and see it all over again up in the lovely Lake District .We stayed in Ullswater for a couple of days .....and it is just so so beautiful the misty mountains , the lake, the wild flowers the sheep and the little lambs ....we have stayed here before and love it .
  I was determined this time to visit  Patterdale  which is just a short drive away ,at the other end of the lake . I was SO looking forward to stepping inside Saint Patrick's Church .

I wasn,t to be disappointed , We were given such a warm welcome by the ladies there , setting up ready for the 11o'clock Sunday service . They were happy for me to take photographs and show me around . ...and for this I thank them from my heart ...

Some few months ago , I was lucky to find and buy this lovely old needlework book . Well , It's actually a folder of embroidery patterns.I cant wait to stitch something from this treasure !
              A Portfolio of Designs for Embroidery   by  Joan Drew  1929

I have been trying to find , well , anything really about her .
 So I was delighted to see this wall hanging that she had made  .

Then I discovered that here in the church are  also  three important works of art  ,in crewel wool embroidery , by Ann Macbeth . Both of these gifted ladies have a history of studying and working at Glasgow School of Art . Ann Macbeth 1875-1948 became Head of the Embroidery Department . Both ladies very important names in the Arts and Crafts Movement . I really want to know more , so please tell if you know more , especially about Joan Drew, please let me know !

                                     The Good Shepherd by Ann Macbeth

                                     The Patterdale Nativity  by Ann Macbeth
           This is sadly only a copy, the original ,I am told , is in a museum in Glasgow .
                  It should be here in Patterdale ! The lovely ladies told me that they have been to see it and it is beautiful ! ...but this is a very good copy of it !
I love the intimate scene .... sweet Virgin Mary looking on as the Angel tickles the little Lord Jesus on Hos nose with a dandelion clock !
I love the wild flowers in both these pictures ..and we saw most of them as we walked through the countryside .

I loved this banner too, though not sure who made it. It says " PEACE WHEN THOU COMEST AND WHEN THOU GOEST THY FOOTSTEPS ECHO PEACE "

This church is alive and faith filled ! You always know when you see the children's corner and things they,ve made. Here's the colourful " Our Dale....Patterdale Quilt "

 I love the fox and that fat old owl and the mother badger nuzzling her little cub below a cresent moon up in the deep violet night sky .
The kneelers , as usual so many little personal works of art  and the Altar Cloths ....

...and lectern covers ..simple but beautifully executed gold-work and silk embroidery .

                Saint Patrick's  is a uniting Anglican and Methodist Church .

                                          Sunday Service is at 11 am

                                                Everyone welcome

More fun !

                                I,m having such fun doing these daft birdies !

Another big storm forecast for tomorrow and it is not looking good for rest of the week either . . . more heavy rain then turning very cold . We are cancelling our trip to Charmouth till better weather .
 Bringing in logs for the wood burner , gathering fir cones and kindling .
Our new sweep , has done a superb job of laying new Cornish Slate hearth , re placing flue and refitting the wood burning stove and cleaning the chimney and climbing up onto the roof and checking it is all done thoroughly  and put a camera down it to check and show us that it is clean and safe...and fixed the new cowl on top with two strong straps  so it doesn't come off in the gales and keeps the rain and the crows out . And never was there such a clean and tidy sweep !
   Thanks Sir Sweep A lot ! You did a great job !  Sir Sweep A lot is in Helston
http://www.sirsweepalot.co.uk/index.html Helston Penzance and surrounding areas .
Thanks also to Expertrees Ltd who did such a great job on our trees ( massive pine trees) ..and their link is
http://www.expertreesltd.co.uk/ also in the Helston Mullion Lizard area . They really know and care about trees . Thanks Tom !
 So now I,m sorting through my seeds and making plans for my garden ... I have brought in a tray of pelargonium cuttings to be sure they get through this next cold snap , I ,m pleased with them ,about 9 of them have taken root .... and I still have the original one in the greenhouse.
    Cheerio for now , keep safe and warm in this cold weather and dont forget to feed the birds  xxx

Maritime thread winders !

 Back in the summer I had a go at carving a spoon , a couple of very simple crucifixes , a few nalbinding needles and a medieval lucet .  My father and his father before him were great carpenters..I could never be that good ! ...but whilst growing up just watching in the wings so to speak , I also love wood ....the look of it ...the smell of it and am having fun with it in a more humble way....the way of whittling !  So , along with what I,ve seen my father do , I am pretty much teaching myself .
 I have a simple sort of steel pocket knife which was easy to find in Wesley's hardware shop in Helston , it has replaceable blades , and folds up safely in my pocket .
I also invested in a treasure of a knife made by Ray Iles . It is curved for carving spoons .
 In the photo above .

 I am carving myself some jolly maritime thread winders in the shape of whales !

I make a little cut for the whale's mouth.... to catch and hold the end of the thread .It must all be smoothed with sandpaper and I really need to work on smoothing them some more .

I will use navy blue permanent pen to mark the whale's eyes on both sides Scrimshaw style...and give them a coat of " Traditional Treatex Hardwax Oil " which I bought online ...it brings out the beautiful natural colour of the wood .

 My tools.... and a few precious threads waiting to be organised .

How nice he would be wound round with blue thread , like a beautiful Blue Whale !
 He looks a little hungry ! : )

I could make a "Stargazey pie" of thread winders !  Actually  I need to make quite alot more to organise all my threads !      I hope you,ll be inspired to have a go at simple whittling . Keep warm ! x

Winter Whittling Me

I dont think that the weather will be anywhere near so bad here in Cornwall , as you are having up North . I,m feeling so sorry for you all up in Scotland where thousands are waking up to find they have no electricity.
We have been bringing in more firewood for our fire and as I sit whittling...I am thinking of you and pray it will pass over soon .
 I pulled this chunk of wood from the pile of split logs in the woodshed and with my little knife whittled into three not quite equal pieces . I do everything by eye and it really does not matter to me that these are going to be all slightly different sizes .

Whittling , whittling , whittling .... any ideas of what I might be making ?  Apart from a sore thumb that is  !  : )

Needle case Completed !

With Christmas fast approaching , I have really been working hard to get this little project completed which will be a gift for my mother ....and I am pleased to show it to you here .

I had to unpick the little rabbits head and re-stitch it, not sure if you can see in the other photos I,ve been posting , but it looked more like a donkey , so I just unpicked it and made his nose a little shorter . I love the way ,that with this kind of needle painting , you can just unpick and re-model so to speak .
 This Stag turned out much sweeter looking than the other one (which looked more like a Moose ! ). Mum loves all God's creatures , I know she will love these  .

....I found these gorgeous little wooden buttons in Truro Fabrics Store  the other day and thought I,d sew one inside as an extra little surprise for mum  .
I used a simple botton stitch around the edge of the felt cover , stitched a blooming fiddly loop to hold the little glass red berry bead .

 I found some maroon cord to tie around the centre of the needle case... just tied a knot and frayed out the cord to make a simple tassel . I was very pleased to find lots of pretty colours within the opened out cord , see top picture .
 As I am writing this I realise that I haven,t stitched in the scissor holder ....oh...no !
  It wont take long to stitch that in ....but other than that here it is completed now and ready to wrap ,n, send off in time for Christmas .
         Hope mum likes it !  : ) and enjoys gathering all her sewing bits and bobs to put inside it .

Little Jacobean Rabbit Pocket

So I finished the little rabbit and am now pencilling in and "roughing out " the pockets for the other needlecase. In the beginning I was going to just do some simple feather stitching along the top of the little pockets ,I didnt think I could possibly draw them well enough to embroider , but I pushed myself  and now I am going to unpick that yellow feather stitch .
 I wont have much more time today to stitch since I am looking after my two year old grandson this afternoon .......and belly dance classes this evening in Falmouth !

Little Stag Pocket Completed

Here is the little stag , looking so much better without his tongue sticking out  .
 The St Jude Storm wasn't too bad here after all......and my greenhouse is still standing .

Little Jacobean Creature Pockets

A very useful book to have in your crewel needlework travel bag is " Crewelwork " by Jacqui McDonald from the RSN Essential Stitch Guides book collection.
 I have been dipping into it every now and then .... I have drawn with pencil, freehand, the stag and rabbit on pages 20 and 21.They are from a much larger piece of work in the Royal School of Needlework collection English 20th century .....and perfect for my needle pockets . Although a little clumsily drawn , it'll be fine for my guidelines , to stitch over .

I am looking after my daughters little dog and she has taken a particular interest in my needlework.....she thinks the Stags head looks a bit odd..like his tongue is sticking out !
  So I'll just have to unpick and do it again ....hmmph !

Crewel work Needlecase Construction Time !

 Next ... I took one old and totally rubbish hardback book and rip out the pages .
...and completely cover the cover with quilt wadding , not too thick as you can see.
I gathered together some pink upholstery fabric , some lovely ivory linen and cotton and cord ... made myself a nice cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit ...and then just sat looking and thinking about it .

                As a matter of fact , I went to bed and slept on it as they say .

Next day and I almost finished it and put together the other one ....and more French knots , maroon around the edge of the needle-case and sewn on tapes to tie into a bow with at the side . I have no sewing machine ,  smoke began to pour out from it when I last switched it on , cant afford another one , so everything I make is entirely sewn by hand .
 The thing is......... I am no good at measuring and calculating and any thing to do with numbers in general really.
 So , I  do everything by eye and instinct  making it up as I go along .
Next I will be working on the inside of the needle cases , little pockets and padding to hold my best needles .
 This is not a very good picture of it but I have pencilled on to the pockets a little rabbit and a stag....tonight ...while the big storm rises...I will be embroidering these ..quite possibly by  candle light  : )

Unpick those acorns !

  "Those acorns just dont look right ! " said my little helper  ...so I had another look and

 yep...agreed ....snip snip snip...lets get it sorted straight away . Then to rework them in a more mellow yellow than the "Heraldic Gold "....which was such a gorgeous colour but didnt really work .
Whilst I stitched , some of the petals fell from the dahlias in the vase and I was taken with the streaks of maroon on the yellow petals ,so lovely. I love how nature teaches me how colours work together .

I decided to rework the acorns with  layered satin stitch, which gives a raised effect that I am very pleased with .It wasn't going to be a Stumpwork piece...but there you go ....now it is !
   I know that if this was to be for a hanging picture I would have made the last layer be worked from acorn cup to acorn tip , but since this is going to get alot of use as a needlecase , I would be very sad , if they were to get caught or snagged on something  .