Summer mindful sewing joy.

 

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows. Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows. Quiet over canopied with luscious woodbine with sweet musk roses with eglantine.

William Shakespeare - Midsummers Night Dream.

Mindful quiet sewing being done on these beautiful Summer days really is a joy.  Often when I stitch in the garden my mind wanders to my dear Mum.  I keep thinking she would have loved Thimble Cottage and being in my studio.  My Mum loved ironing ( yes I know, I did not take after her unless its beautiful fabrics!!) and because my Mum had alzheimer's she never saw the cottage.  She lived literally 9 miles away from and she would have turned up for coffee here and would have happily stood and ironed for me .. not only fabrics but any domestic ironing that I may have had.   My sister and I called her Mrs Tiggy, after Beatrix Potters Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.

 I try very hard to just remember her before her illness and the good times and laughs we had.  She would have come over with her little doggy who now lives with her Sister and they would have stayed a few nights a week for sure. Now though I smile at my peaceful memories whilst listening to the birds sing and the beautiful smells of a Summer garden and the sound that a needle and thread makes when pulling through beautiful linens and fabrics.

I have to report I am still obsessed with hexagon making and there will definitely be a hexagon wall hanging I just can not stop at the moment, the trick is that I do have to stitch them together at some point ( I give a little hysterical laugh to myself) the antique paisley fabrics are so very beautiful and that is what I am using.  My collection is being finally used in a wonderful way and not just neatly stacked in a drawer and stroked weekly!

We might think we are nurturing our garden,

 but of course it's our garden that is really nurturing us.

jenny Uglow

 A planned day to go to the Jurassic coast to go rock pooling for more seaweed after the bank holiday
weekend is now in my diary.  I will go and enjoy the fresh air and try hard to find a particular seaweed I would love to press and any sea glass that may have washed up.  Apparently a few years ago there was a
cliff landslide, not really bad but it unearthed a Victorian rubbish dump basically and there is treasure in them there hills!!  It went into the sea when the tide was in so it has been happily giving treasure for us hunters for a while now. I will go a little more prepared this time having bought the press and the book.

I am hunting for a particular seaweed and have smallish lock and clip box to safely transport the treasure that I find.  Sea glass is always a joy to find and a few years ago now I found a red piece in the shape of a heart.  This little piece of antique glass still gives me enormous pleasure and I think I might have it made into a necklace or a ring in silver setting .... It will be enjoyed so much more this way. It is a precious stone to me ..

Several projects on the go right now and some taping for my YouTube channel is keeping me so busy. My head is full of new projects to so I have been writing down my ideas frantically in my notes so that I remember everything and can transfer to my design book for later this year,  some Autumn sewing projects to curl up with in maybe October.

Also I have been writing quotes and sayings in my special journal for those.  If I am looking for words for a piece of my stitchery then I have a look through that and it is a time thief sometimes as I read them all and smile. Sometimes with a slow stitch project a lovely quote or even a word with evoke something and make that piece of fabric art a little bit more special I find.

Sorting through my projects I have been doing project bags and baskets so that everything I believe is needed to start and finish each one is contained and ready to just pick up.

In addition I have treated myself to a cross stitch chart, linen and all the threads which are hand dyed.  It is a beautiful Autumn one with a gorgeous crow at the centre of it.  If you have been a reader of this blog then you will know that I moved home 4 years ago and I had to leave behind my very tame Lady blackbird who I called Miss Muddy Beak and it really did make my heart ache, if only I could have take her with me ...

Well since being in my cottage I feed a crow who was just an abandoned baby crow I believe.  Now fully grown and with a partner now comes every day and calls me from the top of my Studio for some

food.  I love him and have named him Russell ... yes I know Russell Crow but hey! His feathers were all white and lacking food and how to hunt for it.  I am now proud to say he is very black and shiny and he does hunt but does come daily for some food before roosting time and he chatters away at me.

So when I saw this wonderful cross stitch pattern I just fell in love with it.  I had to order it from America and the pattern was in a booklet with other patterns so I was thrilled.  I also purchased some beautiful linen to stitch on it and all the hand dyed threads that go with it.  It is so beautiful and this Winter this is my personal project and would love it finished and framed by next Autumn/Fall.

I would also like to do a fabric art one to go with it and maybe a crow sat on a pumpkin with be just the thing. Now after 4 years my crow comes into the little garden and drinks from the bird bath and he also has a bath ( only just fits too)  We have mutual trust in one another and find its so wonderful when nature trusts a human.  I worry if I am not there but have great neighbours who feed him for me and although he keeps his distance he will come down to eat.  I can literally be home all of 10 minutes and he comes down and calls to me, he knows my car !

I have so many plans to take me through the Winter months this year, I am  though, somehow not ready

for it to happen. Normally I look forward to my Seasons and love the cosy of open fires and candles everywhere but I just wish Summer would keep going a few more months but hey I am determined to stitch my way through it.  I think its the long dark nights and tiny stitches are more difficult in artificial light I find.

Well its not yet so I must just enjoy it to the full for now.  Getting dark around 9pm so its still good really.

Well that is me all caught up with my ramblings,  So for now take care of you and of course as always ..

HAPPY STITCHING!

Sarah XX