Hi folks, can't beleive it has been a week since I last wrote! I have been so busy with bunting orders, everyone has decided to buy all at once!
The sun is shining today and it's very hot so after a little trip to the park, we had our lunch out in the garden under the parasol.
This afternoon, I've been working on a new type of bunting; a crochet one. I just crocheted a triangle in White DK, made a shell edge with Pink Cotton DK yarn and then hand embroidered the flowers with a Daisy Stitch.
Quite like the idea of adding letters so it can be personalised. Just as long as the names aren't too long!

In the Pink!

The sun is shining and we're feeling in the pink today!


Decided to make a little skirt for my daughter. It was such an easy pattern, just three pieces of fabric, some elastic and hey presto a new skirt! The fabric was some I found at a local fabric shop, it was very unusual, shaded a bit like those dip dye jumpers you get.


I feel like making some more. so I've sorted out a few bits and pieces to make another one.


Beetroot. These are the only ones that grew this year! Not sure why They didn't do well, but I will persevere with them next year.



Osteospermum, which flowers for such a long time. This one is great because it is winter hardy. Lost three others last year from the snow. It's also very easy to propagate, you just pull off a piece with a root and stick it in a pot with some compost and it will take easily.




Another skirt, this time a fairy princess one! This is made from nylon mesh fabric in two colours. All I did was cut double petals, fold them over some elastic and sewed together for the waistband. The top layer has a gorgeous silver sparkle effect all over it. I want to make more of these possibly using tulle instead as the mesh is so heavy, I think tulle would give a more 'floaty' look.



Love this rose, I think it's like this one Definitely on my wish list, but just need to find room to put it!

Freebie Food

We went to a Wildlife Fun day for children this week at a local Country Park. Whilst walking around the activities, I spyed these little beauties growing in the hedgerow.
I only had a carrier bag with me to put them in so they were a little squashed when we got home! But they were delicious stewed with a Bramley apple and mixed with some yoghurt.

Back home, I harvested some of my Swiss Chard, before the snails devoured it. The leaves are a bit like Spinach so I made a sort of curry with it adding some Chick Peas. The stems are supposed to taste a little like Asparagus but i just chopped them separately and through them in aswell. It went down very well with home made pilau rice.
If you can beat the snails, it's actually quite a good vegetable to grow. Bright Lights is a beautiful variety; the stems are either red, yellow or white. An amazing vegetable for a potager garden. It can also be sown in September for Winter harvesting.

Camping

Just had a lovely weekend away camping in Swanage. Played on the beach with our two and a half year old, building sandcastles. Enjoyed a stroll around the town looking at lots of little interesting shops. Two, in particular, caught my eye. One was Chococo, which sold handmade chocolates. Delicious! The other, Petite Mouette was a really cute little childrenswear shop with some gorgeous little clothes and accessories, both well worth a visit.

This week there is a Carnival in the town, which was planned to coincide with Cowes week. On Saturday we could see the fireworks on the beach from outside our tent.

The weather has been so dire, I have been closeted in my sewing room for almost the whole week. I decided to work on some new bunting designs incorporating applique lettering. Each letter is sewn arond with the 'blanket stitch' on my sewing macine. Using a different coloured thread makes it stand out even more. I thought the neutral shades would look good in a baby's room and the red is great for a little boy.






Also, I made some mini bunting, which I think looks so cute. The star fabric is from Cath Kidston, I bought it a while ago but couldn't decide how to use it. I think it looks great with the different coloured ginghams. I could see this in a playroom or at a summer birthday party.




The sun is shining again today, so I'm going into the garden to do a bit of scribbling in my sketchbook. I'm feeling in a drawing mood today. Perhaps being out in the sun will make me feel inspired.

Sunshine and harvests

The sun has been shining and it feels like summer again. We went to a 'Big Lunch' children's picnic yesterday and it was lovely to see all the little ones running around in the sunshine!

Back at home in the garden, we have had a mini harvest of some vegetables. The carrots and turnips were just thinnings but looked big enough to eat, so we kept them. Always seems a waste to throw them away. The only disappointment is the radishes, think I may give up on them for the moment I just don't seem to able to grow them. Any tips on growing them will be gratefully received.



We have limited space in our garden and so decided to pool resources and use a bit of my parents garden as an 'over flow'. My Mum is also a keen gardener, so it works out well; we do some weeding and digging for her and then we share the growing space. It's a great idea! We have our name down for an allotment but have been told the waiting list could be five years! I also registered with Landshare but it seems spare land is like gold dust in this neighbourhood.


I read this morning that there is still time to do a sowing of runner beans right now, so I might give it a go. If only I had more space!

Wedding Bunting

Well, here is my first tutorial. I hope you find it easy to follow. I was saying how I'm into making bunting and had a great idea for a wedding style one. Today I decided to get on and make it!


I have a huge stash of lace left over from when I used to make Bespoke Bridalwear. So I chose two similar designs with quite a dense pattern, so that it would show up well. The laces are very pale ivory in colour, one with a pretty daisy design, the other with a leaf pattern.





So here's how to make it:
You need:
About a half yard /metre of Lace in two designs
Cardboard
Disappearing Ink Fabric Marker
Satin Bias Binding
Ribbon and/or Silk Roses to decorate

Step 1 - Cut yourself a pattern out of cardboard. I like to make the triangle size approxiamately 7" wide by 8" long (18cm x 20.5cm). You can, of course, make any size or even two sizes, so you have alternate large and small triangles.


Step 2 - Now you have a cardboard template, use it to cut a pile of lace triangles, at least 20 or so. Use a disappearing fabric marker to draw around the shape, then carefully cut with scissors or you could even use pinking shears. When placing out the template on the lace, place one triangle one way, then turn it upside down for the next.


Step 3 - Now, using the satin bias binding, place the top of the lace triangle onto the inside of the bias binding, against the middle and then fold it down so your lace is caught inside. Pin it to hold in position. Space the triangles along the binding with about 3" or 4" (7.5cm or 10cm) in between them. Leave about 2" (5cm) extra at either end. You can tack in place if you wish.

Step 4 - Sew along the edge of the bias binding, making sure the lace is caught in between and that both edges of the bias binding are level. When you have done this you can fold in the edges either side of the first and last triangle and hand sew them to finish off. I added ribbon bow trims and some cute silk roses to the one i made. I just cut lengths of ribbon and tied them into bows and hand sewed them on alternately with the silk roses.You can add co-ordinated coloured ribbons to compliment the wedding colours.

And Voila! Wedding bunting!