Friday 30 September 2016

J P Coates, Stitching, cake baking & MacMillan Day! .











We are like snowflakes
all different in our own
beautiful way.







Its a bits and bobs kind of day.  Today is the biggest coffee morning day and it is universal MacMillan day in aid of cancer.  My friend and neighbour across the road always does this day and we all support her.  I have made a cake which I need to just put finishing touches to today and from midday today I will be there all afternoon helping.

This is a cause dear to my heart because for one I lost a dear friend and neighbour 2 years ago and he is sadly missed her.  I think about him all the time.  If you have not been reading this blog for that long I will explain.

 He used to work for J P Coates and of course I love stitchery and vintage.  When I started collecting I would go and show him what I had truffled and he would say 'my my my' or 'I remember that or those' ... what made me laugh one day was that I had bought some very old J P Coates threads and took them for him to see.  I was very interested and told me about each one.  Then he got to the last one .. his faced changed, and he said 'this one, in my opinion, should never have been made!' it gave us so many problems! .. not long after this he died of cancer and had put up such a tremendous fight to stay.  I have kept this thread because it makes me laugh when I see it.

Today is about him for all of us in our road and others who are bravely fighting as well.  So this
morning is a little bit of stitching until 11am then finish off the cake and over for midday to help.

I use J P Coates threads for embroidery, even though they are not embroidery thread.  I adore the old colours and hues and of course when doing fine detail there is nothing like it, in my humble opinion.
I am a collector of them and have a drawer full now.  I like to be able to go to it and choose a cotton thread that I can mix in with my embroidery and I know there is a little of my gorgeous neighbour there too.  He was the one who encouraged me and who looked at my new sewing machine with interest and who on some evenings with his wife shared a glass of wine with us and told us lots of stories not only of bygone times but of the workings of J P Coates and their threads!  We still of course get together with his beautiful wife and one of my best friends is their daughter .. we all talk about and miss him.  So this afternoon I will get my pinny on and will be slicing cakes and serving drinks and washing up whilst having my own personnel memories of this wonderful gentleman.

On my work table are some more of the vintage quilt pieces and I am stitching away.  I am hoping in the next week or so I can show you what I have stitched for us and which ones that will be for sale once I have had them professionally framed ..

I have a button box out as well to see which button will be stitched to each one ... I like to do that the very last so none so far have buttons on them...

Well it is a short one today because of time but I hope that you all have a wonderful day and if you are going to a large coffee morning then enjoy with neighbours, family and friends.  In addition and as always Happy Stitching! XX




8 comments:

  1. On the tea related theme, don't forget to measure the circumference of the teapot for the tea cosy you've commissioned. How lucky you were to have known such an interesting gentleman, and it's lovely that you have such fun memories. Have a lovely day x

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  2. Thank you yes I am honoured to have been a friend...
    Will get a tape measure and decide which pot to use it on ..
    Sarah xxx

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  3. What a lovely memory of a dear friend, he would be so pleased. I love to hear people talking about times past and their work,,especially if they were craftsman. The cake looked amazing. Well done Sarah xxx

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    1. Hi Dawn
      Glad you enjoyed the blog.. I thought so highly of him.. it was a fabulous turn out!
      Thank you the cake went down well ..
      Sarah xx

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  4. What a lovely post Sarah. We should all be thankful for the people who have come into and been part of our lives - they all leave a bit of themselves behind and we get to carry the memories with us. I do hope you had a lovely afternoon. We will all now think of this lovely story when we see or use J.P. Coates threads. Mo xx

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    1. Thank you Mo!
      Well he would be so pleased as he truly felt they made the best threads!
      We all said today how he is truly missed but all of us are so thankful to have known him.
      We had a fabulous day and so well attended..
      Sarah xxx

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  5. I saw your cake - flipping heck Sarah, it was amazing! No wonder your husband likes cake!! Mo xx

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    1. Lol thank you Mo! .. but he has always loved cake and I do not make them that often. I love cooking so love to have a go at things!
      Sarah xxx

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