Create your own happiness ...

....... With gentle threads of love, slow stitched

and woven into the old weaves of gorgeous

linens and fabrics - add to its story.

Gently Spring is arriving here, I had a walk up to our seafront yesterday to blow away the cobwebs and was able to photograph a few things along the way.  I saw a few little wild flowers along the pathways and green parts of the seafront ( at least I think they are because some things considered weeds can be very pretty indeed) and later I will get my dear little wild flower book out and have an investigation.

It is still cold and only in single figures temperature wise but I can see the signs and smell it in the air.  I am not sure though if Winter is ready to give up her season yet.  Reports are there could be a cold snap over Easter next week.  Still my snow drops are still hanging on and the daffodils are nodding there beautiful heads in the breeze.  There are buds on our pear and elderflower trees and encouragingly enough some great looking buds on my fig tree that I have high hopes for this year.

I have started to see the birds busy themselves and I am thinking they may be getting ready to feather their nests for the new families that will appear in our garden this summer all fluffy feathers and playful.  I have been keeping my tiny scraps of soft eiderdown and paisley fabrics for them ... they seem to like it and I hope it keeps their young warm and cosy.

The weekend is upon us and I have some relaxing stitching planned today.  I have sorted out my little basket of stitching and have printed out my dates of when I need to have some designs ready so this weekend I can get thinking and sketching out.  We are at home this weekend and we are going to see where it takes us with no firm plans and some relaxing time together.  In addition I am writing up my family history and feel I can afford myself several hours doing that as well.

Sorting out some beautiful fabrics is on the menu and I will be using some and putting some aside for packs.  I realised how much stunning fabric I actually have in my cupboards and drawers here in my sewing room and some delicious hand dyed threads to use with them and I feel so lucky, they have to be used though as I think it is a terrible waste for it all to be nestled snugly out of sight.  I am going to use some today and it will hopefully see my large needle case finished  for me to put in my sewing
basket.  I am enjoying embellishing it for me to use and there is a bit more work but I have more time now and then of course there is Easter coming up and a long weekend for us and for me to continue my personal stitchery.

I have got back into my reading at night before going to sleep and I am engrossed in a book at the moment, also I have heard the new Kate Morton book will be out this year and that is a must.  When I get one of her books they are hard to put down and I may take a few days out to just have a few book worm days .....Hopefully it will come out this Summer, there is nothing like reading outside with the wild life busying about and the sweet smell of summer flowers in the air.

Life in the slow lane and hand sewing is my order of the day and I was busy early this morning sorting through my treasures and truffling happily away and it struck me that I am no longer doing this in the dark .... Summer time hours are creeping in and the promise of warmer days a head and slow stitching outside. Normally I have all my lamps on in my sewing room and a torch for looking in backs of cupboards, today at  6am it was not needed .... 

The vintage fair season has kicked off and my dairy is starting to fill up with wonderful events all over the country with goodies not discovered by myself yet.  So a few days going through all my
fabrics is a must. There is The  Fair in the Square on the 14th April in Midhurst and there are always lovely stalls there and more often than not gorgeous fabrics on offer as well.  So it is a must to have a stock check and see what is not needed anymore and make way for new/very old treasures for me to work with.

I need to get to the framer as well because I have some gorgeous button cards to get framed to hang on my sewing room walls.  As tempting as it is to use some I think these are complete and need to be saved for prosperity.  You saw the button card I bought at the VB and you have seen the others in historical blogs, I can not resist such history.  I am always afraid they will be cut off and used and never seen as a whole again.

Well that is it for today as I really must get on with my working day.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will see you back here on Monday.

As always Happy Stitching! XX