What a week!

 

But in a GOOD way!

It's been a pretty exciting week here in our household.

But first.....working back from today.... a cushion that has been in my mind for a while has taken shape over the last couple of days, and finished off this afternoon after a trip to the dentist to have impressions taken for trays for teeth whitening - what a messy process that was, pink sticky gunk everywhere - yuk!


 

So this is the harlequin cushion cover, machine pieced in natural osnaburg and white cotton. Am pleased with the overall look of it, albeit the machine piecing was not perfect - practice needed I think!

 

I lined the pieced back, and the back of the cushion is made from osnaburg.

I plan to make more of these. Lots more. And in different colourways.

Still on the sewing front, earlier this week I made a cover for a footstool - no pattern, just scissors and fabric and tape measure, and it didn't take long to make.

 

I used some Laura Ashley fabric I'd had in my stash a while, in cream and green.

This footstool started life with brown stained legs and a rather dreary shiny fabric top.
So I painted the legs off white, and made a new cover, and voila!

 

Oh, yes, back to this morning. I forgot I'd put in some photos of this "find" in a junk/antique shop this morning (photos all uploaded in order so I'm weaving the "story" around them!) after the trip to the dentist.

Praying that I wasn't still speckled in the yucky bright pink stuff they use to make the impressions, I bravely stopped off in one of my fav shops and found this lovely vintage linen curtain.

In pretty soft, muted colours, it's one of those old toile type fabrics with bucolic scenes that remind me of the fabrics you used to see a few decades ago in old country pubs that still served a ploughmans lunch as the only food option.

 

It's a gorgeous linen, not a hunting scene but country vignettes featuring shepherds and shepherdesses, and little lambies (lots of cute real ones in the fields at the moment!).

 

 

Will be making lots of vintage cushion covers from this...........watch this space!!


OK, now onto the important stuff.
Here's a few clues.........

 

 

vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing and fresh raspberries.......

 

 

The reason?

Our daughter Bella celebrated her 18th Birthday at the weekend!!!!


 

I also made a Birthday Cake which I forgot to take photos of as guests started arriving whilst I was still  finishing it off.......so well organised I am - not!!!

The cake was a moist, chocolate moussey one made from dark chocolate, ground almonds and lots of eggs, simply decorated with fresh raspberries and strawberries, and 18 pink candles.

Here's the Birthday Girl - 18!!!!!
When did that happen......


 

 

I think one of her favourite presents was this album which I filled with photos of her growing up.......


And if that wasn't enough excitement, a few days before her 18th Birthday Bella passed her Driving Test!!!!!

YAYYYY!!!!! Well Done Bella!!!

So this past week has been a week to remember, a week of celebrations, happiness and excitement!

 

We've also seen the sun a few times this past week too - most importantly, on the day of Bella's Birthday, so we could have our family party outside in the garden.

 

And today, Bella bravely drove alone to school and back for the first time, through country lanes and town traffic. I'm not sure who was more nervous...........

So. A bit of a milestone week for her. One she won't forget.
Nor will her proud parents.

 

Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my last post, so very kind and encouraging.
Very much appreciated.

 

Wishing you all a sunny weekend!

Flapjacks, a skirt makeover, and some ruffles

 

 

 

 

 

Another Monday already - this year seems to have flown past, and I find it hard to believe it's early October already.

Outside it is very autumnal today - grey and wet, and the lanes around here are slippery with the autumn leaves which seemed to appear overnight after one blustery evening last week.

Despite the fairly dry weekend, we spent most of yesterday indoors. We had the wood burner alight this weekend for the first time, and both Saturday and Sunday nights were spent cosied up in the sitting room blissfully dozy and lazy with the warmth - it was almost too much effort to get up to go to bed!

Despite that, I managed to drag myself out of bed early(ish) Sunday morning, and before breakfast was wearing a "new" wool above-the-knee skirt.

I transformed an overly long and out of date lined wool skirt into something that I will wear, simply by laying out a favourite length skirt over the top then cutting very boldly thru both layers of wool and lining - no finesse here! No messing around with tape measure and pins!


 

I allowed about 1 1/2" for a generous hem, then turned the wool fabric over once inside and machined the edge using a darning stitch which both bound and secured the hem so that it hardly shows on the right side.

 

I then hemmed the lining in the usual way, turning it under twice.

And voila!

A "new" old skirt in less than an hour.


 

There is also enough fabric left over to make my daughter a mock wrap-over version too, although hers will be more of a mini than my more sedate above the knee length!

I would show you the photo I took of me wearing it with winter tights and boots, only when I looked at the photos this morning it appeared my knees were covered in bits of thread picked up from kneeling on the sewing room carpet - not a good look!

As it was so wet and miserable when I came back from the school run this morning, I decided to make some Blackberry and Almond flapjacks.

I used a recipe I adapted a year or two ago from a Rachel Allen recipe, and I usually use frozen raspberries but had to substitute frozen blackberries today.

These make lovely soft and sticky flapjacks!

RASPBERRY AND ALMOND FLAPJACKS

(my recipe based on basic recipe from Rachel Allen)

350g (12 oz) butter

2 generous tblsp golden syrup

175g (6 oz) soft light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

75g (3 oz) plain flour

375g (13oz) rolled oats (ordinary porridge oats)

Handful or two of frozen raspberries (or blackberries)

Small handful flaked almonds

***

1.     Pre-heat oven to 180c (160c fan, 350F)

2.     Place top 4 ingredients in large saucepan and heat gently, stirring continuously to prevent burning, until a smooth sauce is made.

3.     Remove pan from heat and stir in next 2 ingredients thoroughly, then stir in the last two ingredients, crumbling them by hand as added.

4.     Spread mix onto a pre-greased swiss roll tin or flat tin approx. 15” x 10” (38x25cm),using the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread evenly.

5.     Bake for 20-25 mins in middle of oven until golden brown, then remove and allow to cool in the tin.

6.     When cool cut into squares or wedges taking care not to damage your tin!

Optional Chocolate Topping

Melt 250g (9oz) plain or milk chocolate by chopping and placing in bowl over pan of simmering water – do not let bowl touch water.

When completely melted and smooth, spread over cooled flapjacks then cut into square or fingers when cooled and place in fridge for 1 hour to set.

**

Note : These are seriously good with blackberries, sort of fragrant and almost scented - very moreish - am just munching loads one as I type!

By the way, the pretty red and cream mug here is one I picked up at the American Musuem in Bath gift shop - it's by Gabriella Miller Designs and is my current favourite coffee mug!

Yesterday I made a couple of ruffled cushions for the sofa in the sitting room.

I wanted to have some warmer colours in the sitting room for the autumn, and used some of the gorgeous raspberry red vintage floral linen fabric that I bought a few months ago at the Decorative Living Fair (mentioned in this post.)

The other ruffled cushion I made from a brown and white cotton gingham.  I shall make two more of these as I am so happy with them, as they give a cosy, cheerful, country feel to the room, so I shall then have another pair for the other end of the sofa.

 

Hope you all had a cosy weekend too!

Cushion Love

 

 

 

 

Thought I'd share with you a cushion I've just finished today.

I made the patchwork front from pretty 30's style fabrics a few months ago, then finished it off today with embroidered red hearts and a plain cream back trimmed with a natural colour linen ribbon embroidered in red.(whoops no photo of back!)

I have been invited to sell my cushions and other goodies at a festive charity fair in December, so shall be busy sewing for that in the next few months. I hope to make a few more of these 30's style cushions to sell, some with genuine 30's feedsack fabrics which I have bought, as well as the linen cushions I've been making with vintage 50's and 60's fabrics, and some antique grain sack cushions.

I shall also start making some Christmassy (sorry, there's the dreaded C word already) goodies to sell, including the painted wooden tree decorations that I have been making for a few years now, and some embroidered vintage wool hearts, Xmas stockings and other vintage fabric items.


 

 

I'll share some of the new makes in the next few weeks - hopefully I've plenty of time to get everything done in good time. In the past I've been frantically finishing off stuff the night before!

Thanks for your lovely comments on my last post, and WELCOME to some new followers!

A Birthday and other things

 

It feels like it's been busy this past week

 

Bella's 17th Birthday last weekend 

( 17 presents here!)

early(ish for a teenager!) morning tea and biscuits in bed along with the present unwrapping

 

balloons

 

a birthday cake - cake decorating is not my strong point so I kept it simple!

 

celebratory drinks, a family birthday tea, a meal out with friends......

 

and the highlight for Bella......

her first driving lesson!!!!!!!


 

I know you saw lots of photos of my "sanctuary" in my last post, but bear with me here as I must just share a recent eBay purchase with you vintage lovers out there - a vintage pale pink checked chenille bed cover!

 

I am so happy with this pretty addition to my room!

 

And speaking of pretty, a new book full of prettiness.....

 

Rachel Ashwell's "Shabby Chic Inspirations" - if you love shabby chic style then you will love this book.

 

It is full of gorgeous shabby vintage interiors, including photos of her own homes and those of others, "home" being the common thread that unites these interesting, unique and varied shabby chic interiors and the people who live in them. Amongst the interiors photographed are Rachel's idyllic "Prairie" property in the US, her laid back beach house, both of which are full of faded beauty; Sharon and Ozzie Osbourne's house; a quirky houseboat and other fascinating homes full of vintage and pre-loved objects.

 

If you love old and faded textiles, chipped and painted furniture, and real homes that reflect the inhabitants tastes and personalities, then you will love this book.

You can visit Rachel Ashwell on Facebook and she also has a blog.

I have only found time to sew one cushion this week, using a gorgeous vintage blue roses fabric backed in pure white linen.

 

To use every scrap of fabric I made the cushion with a flange, and added vintage turquoise buttons to the back

 

Hoping to make more next week.


Wishing you all a Happy Weekend!