Keukenhof

I've just had an email today Keukenhof in the Netherlands saying that they are open now and in full bloom. If you've never been to Keukenhof and have the chance to go, I would definitely urge you to do so at this time of year it is stunning.

Keukenhof is the largest bulb flower garden in the world, dedicated to spring bulbs, tulips, narcissi, hyacinths the list goes on!  They say more than 7 million flowers!

I've been looking back at photographs of a trip we took there when we went to Amsterdam for my birthday in 2010, and thought I'd share a few of the photos with you.


Just drink in the colours of these stunning flowers....

Spectacular view across the bulb fields

Just one small corner of the glass houses - so many varieties!

 

Its definitely on my list of somewhere I would love to revisit.   Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Sally xox

Specs Appeal!

Wow what an amazing day! I've just stepped outside to take some photos and its like a summers day!

With two upcoming craft fairs (one this weekend and one the following weekend), I realized I'd better get busy with some new things for my stand.

Today I've been using this gorgeous linen that I bought last week from one of my favourite quilt shops to combined with pretty liberty prints to make these lined specs cases!  

 They are appliqued and then handstitched and I had such fun drawing all the different style specs.

  The Rose Edna Everage stylee ones are my favourite.

 Which are yours?!

 I also made some cute little heart key rings to match.  

Thats a start anyway! Lots more to do before Saturday...  

Off to take my diet coke outside now for and catch some sun for the last half hour before school pick up, clubs and mum tax service starts.

Enjoy your day x0x

A workshop with Janet Clare

Saturday was a day I'd been looking forward to for a while, a workshop at Hope and Elvis with Janet Clare, whose work I had loved when I first saw it at the Festival of Quilts last year.  Janet creates gorgeous unique quilts and stitcheries using applique and free machine drawing.  

Examples of her work (some from her Freya and Fred book) were laid out for us to admire...

Janet gave us all jointed applique templates of Fred!

Getting ready to start!

 First of all Janet demonstrated writing with a sewing machine.  She told us all to be confident when free machining and it would happen!  We all started by drawing our names with the machine. 

The Lovely Janet Clare

Once we had mastered our names, she then showed us how to draw faces, apparently this can be one of the trickiest things to do, so once we had mastered this we would be full of confidence to tackle almost anything! She said you never knew who would appear until you started stitching, which was so true, some interesting characters appeared from under our needles! Houses followed, and then on to choosing fabrics, and appliquing! 

 Louise had been truly generous with her fabrics and stash of beautiful of old quilts, and had put out beautiful pieces for us to use.  I selected two really gorgeous textural worn handquilted pieces to work with.  

First I appliqued Sunbonnet Freya (from Janet's Freya and Fred book), which I bonda-webbed on and then free embroidered onto the applique and finished with some handquilting.

Next I had fun using scraps of vintage fabrics to make a crazy patchwork, trimmed to make a cup of tea.

The day was also a lovely opportunity to share creative time and catch up with my very good friend, (super talented!) who free machined these wonderful pieces all about her family, home, allotment and garden. 

(She's also a guide leader, and found just the right fabric for her camping applique!)

At the end of the day it was really enjoyable to have a show and tell and see what everyone else had been busy making.  

Everyone produced such beautiful individual pieces and it was incredible to think that some of us had never free machined before.  Such an enjoyable day and Kirsty is absolutely right free machine embroidery is definitely the crack cocaine of craft, I can't wait to have another go at home today! xox

Threadless carpet

I hope you all had a lovely mothers day, I received some beautiful handmade cards and presents!

And...my husband hoovered the house - including my work room.   It's carpeted up there and as anyone who sews (and is as messy as me) will appreciate it seems to get carpeted in a layer of threads that are a nightmare to get up.  Or is that just me?! Shamefully it had got very bad.......

Wow look at it now!  Not a single little thread! Thank you wonderful husband for one of the best mothers day presents!

xx