Hearts Galore!

 

More wool stockings being made here!

 

Have now used the last of the vintage wool blanket ( the plain part) on these few stockings, but luckily I won a lovely white vintage Welsh blanket on eBay today so I can make some more soon.

The two long sides of the blanket have dark blue stripes which I have reserved for making cushion covers - I should be making a start on those soon.

And the sharp-eyed amongst you will also have spotted some gorgeous red stripes there too - I succumbed at last to buying a beautiful large antique grain sack for making into cushion covers - it is so lovely and thick and soft and tactile! I can't wait to make those up!

 

Back to the stockings - I tried one with blanket stitching in a pale pink cotton yarn, and I like the look of it but it doesn't seem to hold its shape so well when hanging - it kind of flops a bit at the top as it hasn't got a thick seam to support it - but I guess when it's full of pressies it won't matter!

So I'm not sure whether to make more of those - what do you think?
Do you like the blanket stitched edging or prefer it without?

I do like both styles, so when I get some more wool I'll probably make some of each

 

 

I've also started making some smaller items for the Xmas Fair......

 

......some simple, plain white vintage linen hearts hangers for the tree (or for anywhere) - look how fine and crisp this beautiful large old sheet is!

It was hard steeling myself to cut into it, but I purposely bought a damaged one with holes, patches, and a few marks so that I could bear to use it for cutting and re-purposing - and I still have a few other sheets and tablecloths that are undamaged that I would never have the heart to cut, but are great to use on the extended table at Christmas.

 

I wanted these to be pure and simple and white and crisp, with only a scrap of vintage lace adorning them on one side, and plain on the reverse

 

 

and a simple jute twine hanging loop

 

 

So, there seems to be heart thing going on here!

 

Oh, and I must share with you my latest sewing machine accessory - an extension table!

I'm so happy I bought it, it has made such a difference when sewing certain items, and I also bough a quilting guide so I can have a go at machine quilting soon.

 

And just before I shuffle off to don my jimmies and snuggle on the sofa with the dog, I'd like to say a huge THANKYOU to all of you lovely folk who left such wonderfully encouraging comments in my last two posts - it's doing the trick as I'm spending whatever time I can in the sewing room just going for it - thankyou!

Have a good week everyone, and welcome to my new followers!

Busy busy busy!

 

 

.....making Xmas stockings from a vintage cream wool blanket

 

with pale floral cotton appliqued hearts, mostly from vintage cotton bedlinens - I was thinking Winter Whites, something pale and pretty.....

 

 

 

and making some more stamped hessian and vintage cotton pin-cushions

 

 

All in preparation for the Xmas Fair I mentioned in my last post.

I have also just been contacted about doing another Xmas Fair the week before - eeeeekk!!!!

Havent yet decided whether to do that one as well - is a bit further away, and will I be able to make enough stock assuming that some kind people might buy something?

I'm sure I can manage both if I have enough of the smaller things that tend to sell well.

Decisions, decisions!
What do you think? Shall I go for it??

Thank you everybody so much for your encouraging comments on my last post - you all make me feel like I can actually do this!

Your support means so much - thankyou.

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!

Pale Interiors and the passing of summer

 

Picking the last of the garden produce marks the end of summer for me.

But despite the change in the weather, and the resulting urge to make my home feel cosier by adding warm throws and cushions, I still find myself drawn to images of pale interiors.


 

Maybe it's clinging on to the idea of summer................

 

maybe it's because they always look so light and fresh

 

maybe it's because pale interiors appear timeless

 

maybe it's because they offset brighter colours so beautifully

 

maybe it's because they look so restful (see the feathered angel wings!)

 

maybe it's because they reflect the light and make spaces appear larger and lighter

 

maybe it's because they suit country style so well

 

or maybe it's just because they can make a room feel so pretty.

I also have a perennial love of  pretty floral fabrics, preferably vintage..............

 

Loving this simple country kitchen corner

and this pretty pale floral bedspread

 

And, nothing whatsoever to do with pale interiors or floral fabrics, I came across this lovely image, again reminding me of the passing of summer.

I love the weathered door hung with a knitted bag bursting with simple flowers.


 

Thank you all for your interesting comments on the last post about what Autumn means to you - it was great reading them all!

And a very warm welcome to my new followers!

Are you a lover of pale interiors, or floral fabrics? Or do your tastes lie elsewhere??


All Images (except No.1) from Vintage Home Tumblr

Plodding along.....

 

 

 

 

...........with this work-in-progress too, following on from the topic in my last post.

It's interesting, and not really surprising I suppose, to hear that most of you fellow crafters also have this "problem" with project completion!!!  There are just too many wonderful things to make without having to finish what you're currently working on before starting the next project!

So I'm glad I'm not alone, it was lovely reading your comments - and now I feel less guilty about starting my next quilt whilst still finishing off this one!

It has reached "finished " status several times now - I set myself a target saying that once that bits done, thats it and it's finished, then having achieved said target I decide I really want to add some more hand quilting.

As it's all been hand quilted, and the binding was hand stitched, it's been a big job which could go on and on unless I call it a day at some point.


 

 

At the moment I am quilting the plain squares.
This is the first design that I did today, and I'm quite pleased with how it looks, and will probably do a few more of this design spread over the quilt.

 

So I'm hoping it won't be too long before I can proudly do a "ta dah" post on this, my first full sized quilt - a King size one no less, for Bella - I must have been mad to attempt such a large one, but it kind of just grew!

* * *
These gorgeous orange chrysanths caught my eye a few days ago as they are so very autumnal in shade, and have been making me smile every time I come into the house or pass through the hall.

 

They are so cheerful!

 

I love the change of seasons, and after such a wash-out summer here in the UK  (even though I'm loving this indian summer weather ) I am quite glad to embrace Autumn.

When I think of Autumn this year I think of.........

....sitting in front of the wood burner; feeling the heat, watching the flames, hearing the crackle of logs and smelling the occasional wonderful scent of an apple log burning.

......making some late jam from plums, and maybe some chutney with the last few tomatoes that still havent ripened, and the glut of late beans.

.......making Chocolate Courgette cake with the glut of courgettes (see link for the recipe I posted last year!)

......having a go at Crab Apple Jelly with the tiny red, jewel bright fruit now ready to pick from the tree in the garden.

....seeing if there are enough black grapes to make Grape Jelly again this year - I only made a couple of jars last year but it was well worth it - nectar!

Hmm - so it's mainly food that I think of when Autumn comes to mind!

Autumn always makes me feel like the mice in the wonderful Brambly Hedge books by Jill Barklem (Bella and I loved reading these when she was little), gathering up food from the fields and hedgerows to store for the long winter months ahead!

Do you like Autumn, and what does it make you think of?