Take a pew...

...any old pew.  Perhaps one that no longer has a home.  One that has a resident angel as a companion (with a poorly hand).

Then take a linen table runner and some Katie Jump Rope fabrics and make it feel loved in its new home with a splash of colourful cushions.  (Note: handy place for dumping shoes under!)

There is lots of cushion inspiration to be found on Flickr.  And lots of fun to be had with embroidery floss.

Oh yes, indeedy!

I have collected nearly all of this collection of fabrics - just missing a couple in the green colourway.

The edges of the linen runner were put to good use on the back of the cushions, making nice neat edges for the envelope bit.

Made over the course of a couple of leisurely afternoons last week and making me smile every time I come in the front door.

Pass it on...

Jasmine gave me this award!  I haven't done one of these thingys for ages so I'll adapt it a little to cram in some recent randomness.

I have to list 10 things about me, 5 things I don't like and pass it on to 10 bloggers.

~~~~~~

1  ::  I like colour.  It excites me.  Often, it brings me out in goose-bumps.

2  ::  I like being near water.  Especially on a late spring evening, with the swallows flying low all around.  This is Llangorse Lake.

3  ::  I like drinking latte from a bowl...

4  ::  I like St Pancras International station.  I love the transformation from the industrial-feeling station of my early adulthood to the buzzy place, full of expectation and excitement that it is now.

5  ::  I like photographing flowers.  These ones are by the lake above.

6  ::  I like tulips.  You may already know this!

7  ::  I like fabric.  I might have mentioned this before too...  I love fabric with bees on.

8  ::  I like it when the clock says 10.10 or maybe 1.50 - it is smiling at me!  Ok, so it took me a minute to find my camera!

9  ::  I like it when my garden gives me an unexpected gift. My disastrous cutting garden of last year has yielded me some self-sown delights and I am going to cut, cut, cut them in the hope of them lasting.

10  ::  I like having a tiny wren make a nest and hatch an egg in the nest box tucked inside my clematis. Although I wasn't expecting her to fly out into my face when I tentatively peeked in the other day!  I can see a tiny baby in there - all big beak and eyes!

My dislikes...

...hmmm, where to start...

1  ::  I don't like ferries.
2  ::  I don't like cleaning.
3  ::  I don't like pessimists.
4  ::  I don't like getting up in the morning.
5  ::  I don't like being cold.


Can I opt out of the last bit where I have to nominate 10 others and just say that if you fancy it, I love reading stuff like this!

Enjoy the sunny weekend ahead of us.  Today, I am baking 50+ cupcakes for No2's friends confirmation tomorrow, plus a bit of gardening, plus a bit of relaxing.

Seventeen...

On your 17th birthday...

...twice, one of our songs was playing on the car radio when I started the car...

...I wondered if it was you that made one of your balloons pop in the back of the car as I was driving, nearly causing me to hit a bus(!!!)...

...I found some bluebells in the front garden to put with your flowers.  I hope you like them...

...your cake was delicious and it all got eaten...

I miss you

I love you

xxx

True blue...

It is that time of year again.

I love May because I love bluebells.  I love the colour.

I love them with the acid green of new beech leaves.

I love looking at them through this avenue of trees.

I love the way they mix effortlessly with the ferns newly unfurling.

Did I mention that I love them?

Dark and dramatic...

This will probably be my last tulip post of the year.  I just wanted to show the pots I planted outside my front door.  You may remember them from this post when they were in bud.

They are flowering spectacularly.

This deep, dark red is anthracite.

And this is Paul Schrer.

Velvety and almost black.

The last tulips in the back garden are coming to an end... the sweet-smelling Angelique...

...and a much, much less than before carnaval de Nice.

'til next year, my lovelies.

Uniform...

Kristina and I are doing a skills swap.  We have been talking about it for months.  We've even met on a few occasions to make a start.

Last week we met again and I taught Kristina to crochet.  Our venue was Ginger and White in Hampstead.  (When you see a fish finger sandwich on a menu, it has to ordered.  It was delicious - sorry, no photo!)

Anyway, it seems that a crochet uniform has been unconsciously decided upon...

The hardest part of teaching anyone to crochet is the pesky first row.  You  make your foundation chain quickly and then it just takes ages to do your first row.  It is the worse part of crochet as far as I'm concerned.  After that, the hook just flies...

...I promise!

Another cushion...

I've been scrap-busting again!

And embroidering with variegated floss...

...adding beads because I've heard that little girls like that sort of thing...

...playing with my new sewing machine, experimenting with the different stitches.  Thank you List Writer for your recommendation.

3:2010

This is my first commissioned quilt. 

Nothing too taxing - just 6" squares in pink, brown and orange.

I used some fabrics from my stash that were waiting for the perfect project and I bought some specifically.  I loved this fabric, which I used in Jasmine's quilt and used it as a starting block to build the quilt.  I love putting together lots of different fabrics and most of my quilts have about 20 or so fat quarters.  Although, I usually buy a half yard because I can't bear to be left with nothing!

I made a pieced back which I'm not convinced is a good thing - it was a nightmare to try and align, as I guess, my quilts are usually pretty big!  I loved the main fabric that I used.  I'm sure I had a skirt just like that when I was 6 or 7.  When I asked my Mum, she said it was from Woolworths!  My sister had one in a different colour.  Very 70's!

I always buy the binding when I have finished the front because the quilt usually tells me what would look best.  I love the addition of the white in binding, it seems to lift the other fabrics.  I got it from here.  Though I think it may be out of stock at the moment in this colourway.

As is the norm, I hand-quilted around each square using a bright pink cotton.

It brightened up a greyish day in the garden earlier, blowing in the breeze from my pergola.