My hook and hoop

It's been cold and damp here this week with grey skies and fog.  It feels like winter!  There has been a crackling fire in the fireplace each day and our little house feels warm and cosy.  I finished crochet fingerless gloves for myself from a Mollie Makes magazine, issue 22.  The wool was some I had already but it feels scratchy against my hand so I may make some more one day with a softer wool.  I have also started making a crochet cushion for Josh's bedroom, so far with wool from my stash.  It's now waiting for me to buy a few more colours.  In my embroidery hoop this week I have been plodding away at the Mrs Beasley's sampler quilt, enjoying taking my time.  And I have started a small embroidery for Charlie's room, something little and pretty to hang on a hook.  And now it's Friday evening and I have that lovely feeling knowing it's movie night and the weekend tomorrow, Wendy xx

BOM's

I have been having fun with my new BOM's and am really enjoying working on smaller sized quilts!  The first one is Chateau Hexagon by Lynette Anderson and I have finished month one.  There is space for a cute birdhouse button.  The second is Mrs Beasley's sampler quilt from the Vignette magazine.  I have actually finished piecing it together since the photo and can now work on the applique and hand stitching.  We have had so much rain lately with the promise of more to come at the end of the week.  The nice thing about that is the chance to stay indoors near the fire and catch up on my sewing.  And a little bit of baking too.  These biscuits are becoming my favourite chocolate chip cookies to make.  The kids seem to be enjoying them too judging by how quickly the cookie tin empties!  I have put the recipe on my recipe page if anyone wants to try them.  Wendy xx

Vintage finds, sewing and distractions

Two new vintage finds.  I found the lovely old sewing case at my local second hand shop, at $45 it wasn't cheap so I deliberated for a couple of weeks.  In the end I decided it needed to come home with me! The beautiful little plate I bought at Threadbear Cottage and it is perfect for my rings and earrings at the end of each day.

My finished Vintage Home bag, designed by House on the Hill, so difficult to get a good photograph in the dismal grey light.  I made so many mistakes with cutting out this bag so it has ended up about an inch shorter and an inch slimmer than the pattern.  I'm not sure how I managed that!  I am continuing with my Vignette quilt and have got the next blocks ready for hand stitching. Following Marina's advice I am attempting to work on different projects each week of the month to keep my Vignette progressing!  And in case I run out of things to work on the rest of the month, I have two new projects - Mrs Beasley's sampler quilt from the Vignette magazine and Chateau Hexagon, Lynette Anderson's new button club quilt.  Last night I did most of the cutting for Mrs Beasley's sampler quilt and today attempted to lay out block one.  I say attempted, because I soon gave up thanks to Barney's invasion!  

To be honest, I have been very unmotivated lately and some of that is because of books!  I usually save my reading for holidays as once I start reading I find it hard to do anything else!  But lately I have lapsed and have been enjoying books written by Julie Klassen, in the style of Jane Austen.  I have one more book to read at some stage and then I better return to normal!  Wendy xx

Christmas and autumn

This month I felt like doing something quite different for my Christmas item so got out my crochet hook and wool.  I made a Holiday Eggnog sprinkled with cinnamon and with a sprig of holly and a Mulled Wine decorated with cinnamon sticks and an orange slice (blood orange in my case!).  The patterns are from the Mollie Makes magazine, issue 21.
After a week of mostly wet weather, today is a beautiful autumn day.  I was able to go for a walk for the first time for ages and think about how blessed and thankful I am for the little spot of the world I live in.  I do enjoy this time of year; it's time for fires, bowls of soup, stitching at home, and little cats making nests in blankets left out by the kids.  Wendy xx

A visit and vignette

 

The weather this week has been damp and foggy until yesterday when I woke to a perfect autumn day.  I had been wanting to visit Julie at Threadbear Cottage for what feels like ages so I decided to ignore work and make the most of the sunshine.  Julie lives only 30 minutes away from me and the countryside is beautiful.  Everywhere looks lush and green again, I guess the drought is definitely over.  Julie's house and shop are so beautiful and inspiring, full of the many gorgeous things she has made.  I bought a sweet little doll for Charlie's room and hung it beside her noticeboard.  Charlie noticed as soon as she came home from school and loves it.  The little red doll I bought for me, it looks really cute with my red and white things.  Julie was so generous and gave me some of her famous potpourri and a lavender heart, my house is smelling amazing right now!  Thank you so much Julie, visiting with you was the highlight of my week!
As for my sewing, I have been plugging away at my Vignette quilt and have finally finished two more blocks, so that's ten blocks done and six more to go!  Wendy xx

Mother's day swap

Round two of the Let's Celebrate swap with Mrs Martin's Quilt shop.  A fat quarter and sewing supplies in time for Mother's day.  I went with a Lynette Anderson fabric and buttons for Michelle and made her a little pincushion too.  Michelle knew exactly what I would like and bought me a little bit of French General, Liberty fabric and a gorgeous binding.  Love them all!!  Next up is a mug rug swap, sounds like fun!  

Paul worked on Sunday but he more than made up for it by cooking me a delicious dinner.  I love how he arranged the roast vegetables, very Master Chef!  He also bought me a beautiful bird feeder, knowing how I enjoy having birds around.  We get tuis, white eyes, grey warblers and fantails and I'm hoping they will find their new feeder, Wendy xx

Pretty crafty home

Our bedroom is finished!  Paul actually finished wallpapering and painting it before Christmas, I told him it was the best gift he could give me.  The curtains and blind were installed about a month ago so it really feels finished now.  I absolutely love it, it feels like a calm peaceful place to be.  In fact, I have sometimes been found hiding there with a cup of tea, enjoying my own space (and Paul's of course).  I added the mosaic of photos of how it used to look, half stripped and rather ugly, and also one where we were down to bare bricks before the insulation was added.
The room is a mix of new fresh things and old treasures.  The more expensive items were the insulation, the curtains and blind, and the ironing cupboard.  Some of the vintage treasures we thrifted from second hand shops and TradeMe (like Ebay) are the tall mirror, the chair, the thread holder and the china plates.  Inherited treasures are the chest of drawers from Paul's parents and the crystal clock from my mother.  I had written a list here inspired by Sandra at Cherry Heart to make my home prettier and it included purchasing a bookcase for the bedroom and tidying craft supplies.  In the end we didn't buy a new bookcase, Paul was coerced into painting yet another piece of furniture white which breathed new life into an older bookcase and little shelf. I had fun tidying my quilting supplies and magazines in their new home.  I love that I now have my own little sewing supplies corner, pretty and crafty!
I also love the ironing board cupboard; we tend to leave the ironing board out so we can iron most days; now we can tidily fold the ironing board away into it's own cupboard.  For me it was the perfect solution.
I have one question for you, do you think I should leave the old chair as it is or paint it white?  What do you think?
Now where's Paul, I want to tell him about my plans for the lounge!  Wendy xx