Last images of the year, Christmas

A beautiful sunset taken from my back door at about 7.45am on Christmas eve..... whilst.......

.....indoors I was starting to make trifles, one for my parents and one for us.

My mum stitched this for me for Christmas. I'm into fairies at

the moment and always into flowers.

Our lodger came to stay after Christmas and this is him opening his present.
Some actual stitching. I made this for a wedding anniversary card my Mum and Dad. It is on New Years Eve and will be their 52nd. I couldn't give it to them as I'm not well, so I emailed a picture of it to them. I'll take it in person when i'm better.
Have a happy and creative New Year :)

See you soon!

Christmas towers

Hello again.
Thought I wouldn't manage to post again before Christmas.
I saw the towers in QA gift magazine and wanted to try the idea. I made this for my other half as a Christmas card. It's a flat pack tower, the beads along one edge act as buttons and there are corresponding loops for fastening. I feel it needs more perhaps some wire and beads at the top but maybe that will happen next year. I will use it again but not as a card.

I then decided to do a set of three towers, again flat packs. These are finished yet as I've got to put on the fastenings and any other decoration.
This is the tower flattened, right side showing.
The wrong side, not too bad, could almost use it as the right side.
I like the tower idea because you could use any favourite technique and adapt it to suit. The size and shape could be adapted. There are so many possibilties, my mind goes into overdrive!

Going to finish wrapping presies now!

Merry Christmas.

Stuff for Christmas!

I saw these things in a sweet little shop. I don't usually go for things like this

but I thought it cute and charming.

A Christmas pudding teacosy.

Covers for those well known golden chocolates.
These are covering Heroes.

Merry Christmas.

I'll say it now in case I don't get chance later due to festive stuff or hospital visiting.

TaTa......

The visitor and the tree

Two weeks before Christmas and it's time to put up the Christmas tree. We also have a visitor for the weekend.

The finished tree. I put up our smaller one this year so I don't have to find another home for the table it stands on. I was watched by yours truly (below) who only became interested in one of the boxes of decorations because it made a noise.

My other half went to Old Trafford, it rained practically all day and this is where my mate spent part of that day...watching the front door waiting for his other mate to come home and take him for a long walk. Some decent frosts this week, didn't manage to get good pics of the best ones. Will persevere though, might be good for next years Christmas cards. Cold out though!
Must try and do some textiles in amongst all this festive stuff!

Panic - Big Foot!

Just had a panic.... my Big Foot had an accident! I was happily machining away producing something whimsical for christmas and this happened. Something fell off my Big Foot....aaaarh!!

This one shows it a little clearer. I was shocked. I love my Big Foot! Can I still use it without damaging my sewing machine?


Just as I get going with some stitching I'm thwarted. I want to stitch. That's it, moan over.

Snow! Christmas is coming. More dyeing!

It's been a while but since the last entry it snowed! A big deal in this country. I'd gone upstairs to close the bedroom curtains and I couldn't believe what I was seeing, even though it had been forecast. I belted downstairs, grabbed my camera and took this from my back door.

The day after the snow I went for a walk at a local National Trust property. No snow and nearly all the leaves had gone - beautiful though.

I had to get some more patchwork fabric for a challenge I'm doing with my mum (You'll see it when it's finished). Close to the shop is a garden centre whose carpark is the parking for the patchwork shop also. In the car park were Prancer and Dancer (mother and son). It certainly brings a smile but it's a shame they are penned up like this.

I sorted my pile of dyed fabric from the other week and decided I needed to overdye most of it. Some of it had too much white showing or it was too pale, some needed toning down and some I just didn't like. Dyed this lot on Saturday morning.....

Left it for about 24 hours and rinsed on Sunday morning. Some of them are great and some have improved but still need more work. Some pieces have already made me think about what I want to do with them.

I must find some pictures I took on holiday that will help with inspiration for some of these pieces of fabrics. Trouble is, I ought to be doing stuff for Christmas. I know it'll all get done, it always does but I need to stay sane!

Dyeing and colour!

Decided I needed to do some more dyeing. I found out why my colours were pale and yukky back in the summer. The dyes were old and past their best. Luckily I'd got some new ones. I've learned from this - I just have to do more dyeing, more often!

The results of my labours........

The first results, some good pieces but too much white. Some over dyeing is needed, will show the results later.

Just some close ups.......

After doing this, the tidying up and putting some laundry in the machine to do ( thought I'd better do some) I decided to go to a lovely place nearby called Staunton Harold. Had lunch sitting outside -it's November, no coat or gloves! Then went for a (short) walk to the lakes in front of the house and this is what I found..................

Enough to bring a smile!

The photo doesn't so it justice, the colours were much better.

On the way home I decided to call at another nice place, Melbourne Pool.

A Ginko tree, never knowingly seen one before.

It's lovely at the moment.

Got lots to think about with this blogging business, hopefully the next one will be better! ....and I'll

have rinsed the over dyed fabric.

First blog

Hello and welcome to my world!


I've been inspired by reading other blogs and by knowing that all over the world there are people who 'enjoy' textiles. I felt the need to contribute and share!!!!!!!!

This is Amos, we live in his house. He enjoyed helping me with my sewing machine - by lying as close as possible to it without being on it!

Isn't this time of year wonderful, the colour and things like these pumpkins.

Saw these at a National Trust Property near where I live.

You could walk through a tunnel of pumpkins.

It made everyone smile, first as they saw it and

then as they walked through it.

I think that's enough for now - parents for lunch, first blog and all!