Flutterby Patch

Spring is so near and yet so far.

Walking round our garden last weekend I noticed a few brave blooms peeping through to see if spring had arrived. Poor little things, I hope they have survived their bravery as snow fell on us on Monday and they were all buried alive.

I ventured outside during the morning but only stayed long enough to find the sweet scented blooms of the hamemalis (witch hazel) hanging like fragile yellow ribbons. They looked as if they were turning their backs on the unwelcome clumps of cold white stuff that had landed on them overnight. But they are hardy souls so I know they will pull through. 

Amazingly the delicate little snowdrops seem to relish the thought of blankets of snow and never look worse for wear. Most of our clumps were buried up to their necks but these brave little blooms had found a sheltered spot under an azalea bush.

 I like to think that long ago,
There fell to earth some flakes of snow
Which loved this cold grey world of ours
So much, they stayed as snowdrop flowers.

This little poem has always been a favourite of mine. I think it's attributed to Mary Vivian.

What a nice warm feeling you get sitting indoors on a day like this. Here is the view from our sitting room window across the patio to the wood beyond.

Logs crackle as a warm fire burns brightly in the grate and I happily nestle in a cosy spot surrounded by.....

....yes, you've guessed it, knitting yarn. And the result of my snowy day spend indoors...

...a little lady who is getting ready to pose for a new 'flutterby patch' banner at the end of the month.

Until next time,
Eli

Blossom-top pin cushion 'give-away'

I can't believe I've gone through life without owning a little pin cushion to sit on my wrist. A couple of days ago I decided to make one and what a useful little thing it is. I'm so pleased with it that I've made a second pin cushion as a special 'flutterby give-away'.

A cute little stuffed cotton parcel is held firmly on the wrist with a scrunchie (fabric covered elastic). The cushion is decorated with a satin ribbon flower, beaded at the centre.

If I'm using pins away from my machine then its no more pins in a saucer for me, from now on I'm a wrist cushion convert.

I hope you'll enter the draw, it's open to all no matter where you live in the world. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and your name will be entered. I'll announce the winner on Friday 6th February....Good luck.

Until next time,

Eli

One things leads to another

I don't know whether its the grey skies of winter, or a sudden burst of energy after Christmas, but January is a month I often find myself having the urge to freshen up the house and do a bit of decorating and DIY. At the end of last week I emptied the contents of a crockery cupboard in the kitchen so that I could give everything a good wash.

I've always been an avid collector of blue and white china. I mix and match all shapes, sizes and patterns and no piece ever seems to clash with its neighbour. I love it.

When the sparkling crockery was back in the clean cupboard the kitchen curtains were next for the freshening-up process. I've always been fond of these curtains with their warm creamy background, scrumptious pink roses and sprays of pale blue lilac. Into the washing machine they went.

But what a nasty shock I got when the washing cycle had finished. Mysteriously most of the darker pink roses had developed gaping holes in their centres. As you can see from the picture the fabric was ruined and beyond repair. I remain mystified as to why this damage should have occurred only on the darker pink roses. These curtains have been washed several times before with no damage at all. (Does anyone out there have any ideas?)

In typical 'flutterby' fashion I had gone from crockery, to damaged curtains in one morning and was now thinking that new curtains were essential and with them the possibility of a new kitchen colour scheme. Out came the paint shade cards and the usual inspiring magazines. No more cleaning for me, I spent a happy afternoon and evening looking at pictures of beautiful kitchens and making plans.

Along the way I fell in love with this picture of pretty bed linen in shades of aqua with pink roses. I love this combination and kept returning for another look. But hey! I was supposed to be looking for kitchen inspiration not ideas for bedrooms.

Oh dear! I have a confession to make. I have succumbed to temptation. On the following day, during my search for curtain fabric, I found myself in the local Laura Ashley shop. In a corner of the shop was a room setting that had a bed with linen in the same delicate shades of aqua and pink that I had admired the day before. I immediately fell in love with the quilted bedspread. In the end of season sale it was reduced from £80 to £31, can you believe that? It was a bargain too good to miss.

The sale at Laura Ashley has some remarkable reductions at the moment. So with the 'country kitchen look' uppermost in my mind I headed for the stands of curtain fabric. I was immediately attracted to this woven gingham in just the right shade of pale blue. It was reduced from £14 per metre to £7... wonderful. So now I have some curtains to make.

The kitchen walls are going to get a fresh coat of paint before the new curtains go up and I'm going to renovate this little spice cupboard ready to hang on the wall. I shall paint it and perhaps give it an 'aged' look but can't decide which colour to choose. So its back to the shade cards and the magazines for more inspiration. What fun!

Until next time

Eli