A Little Embroidery ♡

Hello lovely lovelies, lovely friends♡ I hope your week was a pleasant one.  Down here spring is awakening. The daffodils are still putting on quite the show and the bluebells are beginning to pop up and sprinkle dabs of blue here and there. Soon the bluebells will be everywhere. The blossom trees are beginning to bud and unfurl and the pretty pink magnolias are swelling and bursting from the confines of the scale-like buds. When the magnolia is in full bloom 'tis a sight to behold.

Pete's knee is progressing well and now that he's up and around more there's less need for me to be nurse, chef and chief bottle washer. He's at the stage though, where he's chomping at the bit to work in the garden but alas he will have to wait a little while longer. Pete is  that guy who gets bouts of cabin fever if he's idle for too long inside  There's book readin' and snoozin' of course, but he much prefers to be outside tending his garden.

This week I've been enjoying a little embroidery. I actually imagined a pretty way back in summer when the dahlias were the belles of the garden. I put the fabric in the embroidery hoop and then set it aside, promptly forgetting about it.

Now that warmer days are not too far away I thought I would pick up this pretty again and incorporate it into a blouse.  I'm using a linen floral fabric for the bodice and a sweet check for the sleeves and for the gathered piece circling the bottom.

The linen fabric is pretty.  It's a remnant that I purchased at a market years ago.  I just had to have it. I was taken with the painterly smudges of watercolour flowers and leaves in  pastel shades. The name 'Wisteria' is on the selvedge. I love that.  I remember at the time thinking that the fabric could be incorporated into something for the home. But that was then. Now, while Lady Spring is sprinkling the garden with pretty in pink, blossoms and fragrant magnolias, I've a thought of how lovely the fabric would look if I was to embellish with a little embroidery on some of the flowers and leaves. Nothing complex just chain stitch perhaps, maybe feather stitch, back stitch, lazy daisy stitch, french knots; any stitch I dream up along the way. I bought a little crazy quilt book by Judith Baker Montana  years and years ago called Elegant Stitches where within the covers are oodles of embroidery stitches and a plethora of stitch combinations. It's a fabulous book with myriad of ideas re all things crazy quilting, embroidery and embellishments. 

So, with the book close by as inspiration and embroidery threads in variegated pinks, mauves and purples together with an assortment of greens, the embroidery has begun. There's chain stitch skipping merrily along the rim of the petals and french knots happily gathered together in clusters. I envisage the gorgeous print to be the star with simple embroidery highlighting the flowers and leaves, adding a little more interest.

Today, I'll enjoy a little more embroidery because after all it is Sunday. I'll embroider some more of the leaves, me thinks. A little hand sewing is always relaxing, meditative........therapeutic, is it not??  Thank the Good Lord for slow handwork is what I say. =) May you, too, joy in some slow stitching, or something pleasant to veer your mind from all the craziness. Sending you sprinkles of love wrapped in sweet-scented magnolia petals; and many a hug♡ Take care, lovely lovelies, lovely friends♡♡ 

Until the next time......

A Host of Daffodils......And A Quilt Finish♡

Good morning lovely lovelies, lovely friends♡ A lovely welcome to my little springtime place where a host of daffodils are dancing in the spring sunshine♡ Gotta love happy daffodils♡

Yes indeedy, my garden......and all the gardens in this rural paradise have exploded with a host of daffodils, jonquils and snowdrops. So, so pretty; and the scents?? In a word; divine! My home is beginning to take on the appearance of  a florist again. And. I'm beside myself with great joy about that.

I have a quilt finish♡ The Fusion quilt dancing in Tilda and floral fabrics, with crochet skipping around and around is finished, and has been gifted. I don't know if I mentioned that this pretty quilt isn't for me. No?? This pretty is for a very dear friend whose husband passed away a couple of months ago.

I wanted to wrap my friend with love and kindness, where each stitch, both sewn and crocheted, is imbued with beautiful thoughts and sweet memories of the many  times Pete and I enjoyed my friend and her husband's company.

My friend's husband was a raconteur with the best stories of his adventures, and misadventures throughout his life. Oh, the stories! The seemingly improbable but true stories he chronicled. It was always a delight to sit and converse, to laugh hysterically at his many stranger than fiction  yarns. He lived a life bigger than Ben Hur. Many a lunch slipped into dinner when the convivial and companionable conversations seemed to have no end. Hopefully, this quilt will embrace my friend with love and beautiful memories, and when she's feeling sad or a little how's your mother, this quilt will envelope her with the warmest of hugs♡

To finish off the crochet edging skipping around the quilt I was going to crochet a fancy schmancy row but I decided upon scalloped chain stitches. I feel the simplicity of fine scallops dancing around and around is more pleasing. As always my motto of  keep-it-simple-stupid reigns supreme. =)

The fashioning of my friend's quilt can be seen here,  here, here, and here if perhaps your interest is piqued with my process of this fusion quilt. This was the first time I've played with a fusion quilt, and I must say I want to fashion another, for me. I would love a fusion quilt added to the mix of my other pretties, here at my little place. A quilt dancing with a plethora of different fabrics, both on  the front and the back. Scrappy, scrappy scrappy! Love, love, love!

The quilt has been gifted to my friend and she loves it. We were born in the same month, in the same year. We are kindred spirits in many ways, but one of the many threads that weave our friendship together is our floral addiction. She adores flowers as much as I. Indeed, she dances with myriad of flowers swirling and swirling around her in floralicious delight; as do I. My wish is that her fusion quilt wraps her in love and friendship, sprinkling many a smile into her days. Those good days. And, those not so good days.

May your day be sprinkled with many a hug and much love. Perhaps, dance with a friend among the daffodils.......or perhaps, among the carpet of autumn leaves♡

Until the next time..........

Goodbye Old Man Winter

 

Hello, lovely lovelies, lovely friends♡ A beautiful welcome to you on this Sunday morning. The last day of August. Tomorrow my calender flips over to September, which means Spring, Spring, Spring! Old Man Winter is hanging around though. A polar blast has hit Tassie this weekend. I suspect 'tis Old Man Winter's last hurrah before he heads off to the northern hemisphere.  There are hints here and there that Lady Spring is getting ready to sprinkle her floralicious magic all around. Why, outside my sewing window the daffodils are beginning to burst into drifts of sunshiny yellows.

This week has flown by.....again. Pete had knee replacement surgery so I've been busy, busy, busy. In those free moments I've continued to join the squares of my fusion quilt together. But oh my goodness, what a chore it's been. I feel as if I got nowhere fast. I can't believe the mistakes I've made in crocheting each square together. I've used the join-as-you-go method and even though I've used this method for all the crochet garments I've fashioned, and for the most part this method has always been problem-free,  for this fusion quilt I've been continually frogging what I've done. Usually, I crochet three double crochet then chain one, but for these squares there is only one double crochet then chain one, thus making the gaps smaller, which, if one doesn't concentrate one can miss a gap throwing the whole row out. I guess I just slipped into the groove of happily crocheting along and at times skipped a gap or two, or three...... It seems this week, my muddly mind has been well, more muddly than usual. But, I will keep on keeping on.

Someone asked if the placement of the squares was random. For the most part, yes. Though, some fabrics didn't always play nicely together; hence a little consideration of placement was needed. There's always that one or two fabrics that stands out like a sore thumb, isn't there?? The back was a bit tricky at times as the placement of a few fabrics wasn't pleasing to my persnickety eyes. So, getting some of the front fabric with the backing in a merry position proved a tad iffy. Again, not a lot; just a few. I actually made a few more extra squares and selected a backing fabric to fit in. I think the next time I make a Fusion quilt I will give a little more thought as to the placement of the backing fabrics, if indeed each fabric is different. I will audition both the top and backing at the same time.

In those free moments where I haven't been nurse, chef and chief bottle washer, or indeed, exasperated with crocheting, I had a little time to capture happy snaps. =) After all there's always time for a happy snap, or two♡

Three rows finished, three rows to go. Then I need to figure out a crochet edging to dance around the quilt. Maybe when Lady Spring is in her full regalia this Fusion quilt might be dancing among the spring flowers. Maybe?? In the meantime I am going to take some moments this Sunday, this very last day of August, and winter; to crochet more pretty squares together, hopefully without too many boo-boos. =) Perhaps my muddly head will be less muddly. Have a lovely day, lovely lovelies, lovely friends♡ Let your light shine bright in your little corner of the world♡♡

Until the next time........