Sowing.

This morning during my quiet time I was reminded of the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.  We had this as a song at our wedding and it is still a favourite.  Sadly it is old hat and we do not get to sing it very often.  In our world at present there is so much heart ache, perhaps this should be our aim.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.

Problem solved!

I have finally finished the piecing for the top of my mini quilt and in so doing have decided to use both the yellow and the green to edge it.  The actual binding will be in green as I have the most of that particular fabric and the hue is heavier.

Hope you agree about the green.

I have learned a lot making this, particularly about cutting and precision of sewing.  My next big learning curve will come when I quilt it.  Do I do it by hand or machine?  Do you use the same thread to do either method?  Food for thought!  Talking of food I made some melting moments the other day.  A moment on the lips weeks on the hips!!

Happy browsing!

I have been looking at my blog layout and decided to find out what a few more of the dashboard icons did.  So I now have a tag cloud, a calendar, and the archives have a new place.  Hope it helps to make my blog more user friendly!  I have also updated my blog roll!  Happy browsing!

Slow but sure.

I have managed to find a couple of hours to work on my mini quilt over the last two days, and am now nearing the end of the piecing stage.

Sorry about the shadows, but it is raining today.  The colours are much more vibrant and there is a blue narrow border .

I was really pleased with this corner.  The seams all matched!

There is just the outer edge to do now and I’m not sure which to go for, so am having a break!

This is option 1.  I am picking up the acid green for the binding.

Option 2 picks up the yellow for the binding.  As it is my first quilt I have been trying to use what I have got in my basket.  The next quilt – yes there will be another! – I may splash out and buy some fabric especially for it!

Mmmmmmm not sure which to go for.

I have also made some more leaf cards come notelets!  I know I said that was the  end of the leaves, but I found these silver ones at the bottom of my paper craft box.

Tea for 2 and 3

At the beginning of the year I wanted to try and make a tea cosy per month, well it is not yet the end of January and I have been bitten by the bug!! Here are tea cosies numbers two and three.

It is the same pattern, but the change in colours makes it look totally different.  The tassels are also better for being thicker.  And one more picture for the atmospherics!  I love the shadows.

…Sew!

Well the light is going now, (we’ve had brilliant sunshine all day), and it is time to show you what I have been up too!  I started my day by making some cards using all the leaves I have been saving and cutting.

They compliment the ones I made for my sister for Christmas.

Then I tentatively picked up the blocks for my patchwork.  An hour later they looked like this.

Then following a bowl of carrot and coriander soup and some crusty bread, they looked like this.

It isn’t perfect, but for a first attempt it isn’t bad!  I have certainly learned a lot and really enjoyed the sewing.  There is still a long way to go and a lot more learning!  Any tips would be appreciated!

Anyway, the last thing on my list for today was to complete the tea cosy for my MIL’s birthday.  So I have lit the fire,  made a coffee and am now going to knit!

Ready, Steady…….

I have given myself a day to sew and craft, -  quilt, knit and make some cards.  I have been making some blocks for a quilt, a mini quilt as it is my first go at not just piecing but quilting and binding.  This is what I have done so far,

So thank you’ Melly and Me’ for the pattern, ‘Crafty Wench’  for the encouragement, and ‘Yarnstorm’  for the inspiration to start, here goes!!!

Colour

I don’t know about you, but whenever I walk into a wool or fabric shop I always feel an excitement brewing up inside!  Why?  The colours!  I went to Heath’s Country Store on Tuesday and marvelled at the riot of colour and texture that abound in this shop.  It isn’t a jumble but a well thought out display of everything for sewing and knitting.  The wall that always draws me to it is the double knitting Stylecraft mosaic.  It isn’t the fact that it is double knitting, it is the colour mass.  Purples and lilacs; blues and greens; yellows and oranges; subtle and ‘in your face’ hues; all vying for position.  A true riot of colour!  Last time I came away with purples and lilacs, this time it was the greens and turquoises.  The project?  I don’t know yet.  I am just loving the colours.  Mix them together and add a base colour of navy and I had my choice for some sock yarn too!

3 b’s or 3 f’s?!

Last night I had my belated birthday bash with the girls!!  A bunch of very talented and fun ladies, and although we don’t get together as often as we would like I know they are always there.  So thank you for the fun (good company), food (Indian take away), and fantastic cake!

Anyone for tea?

At the moment I am reading the Miss Read novels about Thrush Green and quite enjoying the light hearted style of the writing.  She begins the second book by talking about the innocent pleasure of tea time.

The very ritual of tea making, warming the pot, making sure that the water is just boiling, inhaling the fragrant steam, arranging the tea-cosy to fit snugly around the precious container, all the preliminaries lead up to the exquisite pleasure of sipping the brew from thin porcelain, and helping oneself to hot buttered scones and strawberry jam, a slice of feather-light sponge cake or home-made shortbread. – (Gossip from Thrush Green)

While I prefer a good mug of tea, I can certainly go for the scone and jam!!  And the tea- cosy?  Well this is the one that has set me on my path of making cosies this year!

Mum gave me all the pieces to put together. The daffodil heads were quite fiddly but I think it has come out alright.

So on a cold, wet day like today, it really reminds me that spring is just around the corner!