Friday 6 December 2013

Stitching down the Wind


Wow! What a storm! I do hope that you aren't among those poor unfortunates who have lost their homes, or have had to move out while repairs are effected. We escaped here in our corner of West Norfolk but up on the North Norfolk coast they took a real battering, and I know in other parts of the UK the wind, rain and high tides have wrought devastation and loss of life.

In expectation of a couple of days of bad weather Jim and I planned for staying home and 'pottering' - home chores, long coffee-and-crossword breaks, and blissful hours to tie flies and order from fishing catalogues (Jim) and sorting threads and stitching (me). Mind you, the wind was so strong on Thursday afternoon in the little conservatory that is my sewing room, that I thought the roof would be ripped off and judiciously repaired to the Big Table in the dining room!


I made more headway into the task of tidying up the thread straggles - you know, when you cut into a skein of thread you always end up with an impossible tangle eventually, so I have started to wind the threads onto bits of card. It's a deliciously mindless occupation, high on the list of anyone with OCD I'd imagine! If you do it before things get too bad it's not such a task.


I did a little more on the Farmhouse Quilt. Some of the fabrics are quite gorgeous to quilt through, and this pale flannel here is one of them - see how the stitches just melt back into the cloth?


All the applique pieces will be embroidered when the quilting is finished and I have bound it. Yummy!


I'm using one strand of a hand-dyed 21st Century Yarn 4-ply cotton to quilt with - so much softer than quilting thread against the flannel, and I love the way the variegated colour changes just add a little something to the stitches.


A little Christmassy felty something. Bet you can't guess .......


And some more wool felt bangles. On a roll with these now. The bowl in the top photo contains tiny felt squares ready for embellishing the bangles. I must get my bead boxes out and see which ones will work with the wool.

So that's how I've spent these last couple of stormy days, stitching down the wind and really quite enjoying being 'stuck in the house'. I hope they have been good days for you, and if not, my good wishes to you.

Now then before you whizz off to your next blog stop, do me a favour and pop over to Potter Jotter, as Cathy is doing a really fab give-away of some of her lovely ceramic buttons. Hop across and say hello!

Bye for now and thank you all for your lovely comments these last couple of weeks about my lengthy wait for a hospital appointment. Believe me I know I am not in dire straits and other bloggy friends have been having a much more drastic time of it, health-wise. But it has been so good to read your remarks, thank you.

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful stitching as usual, love the way you've wound the threads onto card, a picture in their own right, I usually pass mine on to a grateful friend, not wound onto card though!
    SueXxx

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    1. I had to do something, Sue, the mess was getting to me. It's ok if you are very very careful as you unwind a length, but it soon gets in a bit of tangle. So I must make an effort, as I unwrap each new skein to do it there and then. And you are right, they look quite nice on the cards. Oh dear, I am going to need a new ORGANISER!!! (OR TWO....) Lxx

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  2. Hi Lynne, I'm just trying to catch up! Sorry to hear about your delayed hospital appointment, that's not good. We had quite a storm didn't we, friends have been evacuated in other villages but we escaped the worst of it luckily.
    Take care. x

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    1. Not sure where you are, Jay. I know the coast was hit badly and have now seen pictures of the Quay being inundated. We live about a mile in from the shore of the Wash but the water would have to come right up the marsh to reach us and I don't think it has ever happened. (Touching wood etc!) Such sad news about folks who have lost homes and belongings.

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  3. I love the bowl of bits at the top, rather like a bowlful of liquorice allsorts. Do you make the felt for your things or get it in? DB invested (not much) in a little thread winder contraption for putting his threads onto cards. He is the stitcher in this house but I love the way you appliqué your things I really must give it a go.

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    1. Hi Dc, I have 'wet-felted' but it is such a messy, laborious job I buy the wool felt or pieces of tweed (my next bangle attempt!). i LOVE the wonderful effects you get with hand-dyed wet felting but I just can't be getting into all that, not these days. D'you know I was looking a t some haberdashery last night (get a life Lynne!!) and saw one of those little winders - under £2 if it is the same one you have. I think I shall get one now that I'm reslly into using all these skeins. (Some I've had for years and years.Others from Harrogate or online.) I enjoy all kinds of applique but for simplicity and enjoyment working with wool / felt can't be beat.

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  4. Hello Lynne
    Really sorry to hear about the long wait for your appointment, hope it comes soon! Your farm house quilt is exquisite as usual and it just makes me want to stitch seeing those pretty photos of all your hard work. Take care and I am really pleased you survived the storm with no damage xxx Penny

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    1. Hi Penny, thankyou, I'm over my rant now, and while I am pain/swelling free I will put it to the back of my mind. I'm really enjoying my stitching these days, and yes, we did ok in the storm but there was quite a bit more flooding in town at the quay than I'd realised. Lx

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  5. Lynne I really am in awe of your lovely little stitches, I love how you mix up the colours and textures.....we had some damage, fence panels and shed roofs, actually it was quite comical watching Frank Spencer, whoops Mr Bea I mean, do the repairs! :) x

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  6. Hello Ada! Lovely to hear from you - gosh you must have felt the brunt if you had that kind of damage. And some chaps just aren't cut out for DIY - my mister is great at it but neither of our sons have the repair gene! And you know, folk art and felt is very forgiving, I am not an Embroiderer by any means but I do love what I'm doing at the moment. Lxxx

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    1. Thanks Jane, I'm enjoying the colour very much.

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  8. I can see those bangles becoming the latest 'must have' amongst young girls... are you going to sell them, or the pincushions?

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    1. OOh that would be nice , Edwina! Yes, they are/will be for sale. I've sold wo, given one as a present and have four more lined up as presents (shhhh!) I hope to sell LOTS at Open Studios next May so am getting into my stride well ahead of myself. Also, as I make each one I am learning what works and what doesn't, and have some ideas for different designs.

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