two little fairy quilts

We had another chemo trip to Dunedin last week and had a lovely afternoon with icecreams in cones walking round the Botanic Gardens....where there is this enchanting Peter Pan statue.

 

I love the way.....

 

over the years....

 

...lots of little hands have touched the tiny animals....

 

...and burnished the bronze.

 I got out some pretty fairy fabric this week and sewed up two little "Disappearing 9 patch" quilts.  The fabric is very pretty.

 

Perhaps she comes with 

folded wings,

Across your counterpane

to creep;

Perhaps she calls and 

beckons you;

Perhaps you know my 

fairy-sleep!

I love the blue of the fabric the little bugs, the delicate flowers and fairies...

 

...maybe one day a little grandbaby will snuggle to sleep beneath this little quilt....

 

When little children sleep in bed

Fairy cakes and fairy tea

are on mushrooms spread

for merry fairies bright and wee

how they frolic feast and play

thro the night till break of day.

 

I Believe

Fairies are elusive, wondrous little things, 

We saw them best as children, tried to touch 

thier fairy wings.

But now that we are all grown up and adult, 

we don t see,

Those tiny wondrous beings, that we saw 

when we were three.

They visit us each morning flying round as

we get up,

The sleep that we wipe from our eyes, comes

from their fairy cup.

They wait and hope that we will say those

words they long to hear;

"I believe in Fairies", say it loud 

and say it clear.

For every time you say it, another fairy

will survive,

But when you say "I don t believe", 

another fairy dies. 

"I believe in Fairies!"

Felicia D. Browne-Hemans

 

I got out and sorted some Beatrix
Potter fabric for the next two quilts, and have cut out the 9 patches today ready to whizz up on the sewing machine.

Other crafting this week was a coat hanger cover for a special dress, 

 

our little Thrifty Fox has a special day coming up in December ....

 

...I used vintage lace, buttons and an old shell broach.

The hat knitting continues....I really will have to stop!!!

 

 

The garden is getting into summer, putting on a pretty display.

Mary Rose in foreground

 

evening shadows

 

....lots of flowers to pick.

I got some good bargains in Dunedin, a lovely duck egg blue wool blanket, 2 lovely plates and a couple of old books.

 

... on the bench today...

 

and in the porch...

 

 ...a jug of this lovely miniature Rhodo and the streptocarpus sending up some flowers.

Have a happy week doing what you love

x

cold weather crafting

The snow has melted

sparkling drops were glinting on the trees

it was so beautiful.  The weather continues to be stormy....I love it!
I love winter!!!
I love crackling fires, woollen rugs, cosy slippers, winter clothes, hats, scarves, winter skies, winter seas, winter trees, winter food, frosty mornings, ice on puddles, bracing walks, lots of reading, hot soup,  winter crafting!!!
I have quite a few UFO's and a rather large stash of wool and fabric, I am looking forward to getting into some of this over the winter.  I have found rather a larger pile of unfinished projects than I had thought existed!!!  one of these is a sampler started a few years ago, I got heaps done and then came to the wording which is one thread over one thread...and became worried that I wasn't getting it right etc....so filed it...and have put it off until now! what a good feeling it is getting it done, I have set myself a few words each day and its taking shape.  ( I have to wear my new glasses with my old glasses over the top and sit under strong light to see what I'm doing!! LOL not the sort of stitching to do in public)  Now I see the birds on top of the trees aren't very clear so may pull that bit out and darken them...

Yesterday I made a couple of bags for friends who are sheep farmers and love all thing sheepy.  Unfortunately the fabric is new and not from the stash , but the lining is....

love the expressions !

The crochet flowers keep coming, stitched some onto gloves and like it!

Also this weekend, did lots of fabric cutting, I finally have all the pieces cut ready to start sewing.  Its going to be a queen size bed quilt, with large plain squares, some 9 patch squares and some 4 patch squares.  (all from the stash)

 Can't wait to get sewing.

There is a big pot of homemade Pumpkin soup heating for lunch, the fire is on, its cold outside but the sun is shining through the windows, it's Sunday afternoon....bliss.

Welcome June

It's Queen's Birthday a long weekend ..love that feeling of an extra leisure day with no alarm clock.
Looking at other peoples blogs and seeing all the gorgeous bunting , the street parties and festivities in Britain is so cool...what a lovely feeling there must be over there.
June came in with a frost, Jack had been out in the night, I love his art work.

delicate strokes on the verandah glass.....

broader strokes on the lawn....

I have been doing some artwork too

this one is finished I think apart from painting round the edges of the canvas.

This one is very unfinished,

inspired by a very noisy extended family of sparrows who took up residency in the creeper on our verandah a few years ago and who keep us amused by their squabbles, cheekiness, snuggling up to one another, and their babies .

I have been doing some crocheting, a friend has been using the little borage flowers to adorn her grandchildrens hand knits, she has put them on wee hats, boleros and has made a wee broach with some, I think they look cute on this birthday parcel for her too!

Sunday seemed like a good day for a seaside drive and walk, Bluff was our destination, they have absolutely the best Fish and Chips anywhere...the perfect Sunday roast!

 

a couple of oysters in there too...yum

We had great company, a pretty view and the smell of the sea

The famous Bluff sign

The sun had had enough for the day and the rain came in so we went for a walk on the way out of Bluff at Greenpoint.

 lots of native plants

 The Manuka was a bit spindly, sculpted by the wind  some of it looked very Dr Suess.

Manuka flowers, you can make tea from this bush (I have never tried it...I love my Earl Grey way too much)  Manuka honey has wonderful healing properties and is being used by some hospitals now, for its antiseptic anti bug properties. I love the way nature brings us back to herself, we have so much to learn.

Grey skies, cold wind, dulled down, subdued water gave this scene such a sense of desolation and dejection, these boats looked so dismal and  tragic, you could almost feel their  sense of abandonment.

 

I liked the bit on the notice that said their adventures could fill a book...oh if only they could speak!

Maybe on a sunshiny day with gentle waves lapping at their hulls, it may look more as if they are happily resting after along and exciting lives.

Home to the warm fire and cheerful

thoughts of a another day off.

PS hoping the builder may be back this week..has he forgotten our bathroom...

Happy Easter

Happy Easter days of sun and leisure, chocolate eggs and a good book, some of our eggs came in a basket.

this bunny came home with us from Melbourne, I love him!

we actually ate some healthy non chocolate eggs over the weekend, and popped some of "The Fairy" rose into one of the empty shells - it's such a wonderful flowering, healthy rose and perfect for picking.
A night at the beach was wonderful, lots of swimming in the sea, the hubby went biking, lots of reading and some crochet with a garden/flowery touch.  I  have had the book for ages and thought it time to actually get my hook out and get hooking....

some still need some of the ends sewn in,

these were such fun to make, I can't wait to  make some more. I have some ideas of what I want to do with them  so will do some more of this 'clean hands' gardening!
Still with the garden theme, I found this lovely longstitch picture at the Hospice Shop on Thursday, will make it into a cushion...

Hints of autumn in the garden...we are having such lovely warm and sunny weather easing us into winter  gently maybe...

We started harvesting our hazelnuts for the season - we pick them up by hand

it was very pleasant

 with the sun shining on our backs, and some stops for cups of tea from the thermette

Working at the kitchen bench has been a pleasure the last few days as a  friend dropped off this highly scented bunch of sweet peas,  the whole room has been perfumed and they are so pretty too. 

gosh long weekends go very fast, but then again,this will seem like a "short" week, and the weather forecast is for rain...maybe some more hooky flower gardening might be happening round here.