Not quite spring

 Most of the country has had a bit of this but last Friday night was the most severe snowstorm we've had for ages. Horizontal drifts and complete coverage!

 What better way to cheer the house up than some tulips and hyacinth? We saw these when were out shopping and couldn't resist them. A little extravagance in these austere times.
I added a few bare twigs and some  dead montbretia heads and they look even better.

Such pretty colours together and I suddenly wondered why I hadn't used them in my sewing.

So I had a go.

 I wasn't entirely happy with these yesterday. they seemed a little smaller than usual and I just wasn't in the zone as I have mentioned before.

 But they look very pretty today under the flowers.

 The light was so good today that I went on a bit of photo spree.

Staying in the Spring green mode, two large hearts.

 This is one of the smaller hearts and wouldn't go into a display with the others but its a pretty one and took just as long to make, not only that but I think I'm almost out of that colour velvet. 

Oh No! That means another dyeing session and you know how much I hate that.

 Here's the most gorgeous deep pinky purple..it doesn't look like the picture. Its juicy!

 I loved plonking these little red darlings under the flowers..

 so I did it twice!

 Colour! I love it.

(See what I did there?)

I was asked some time ago to review these two books and they arrived last week.

The first one is just about all you could want to know about history of colour and dyes in textiles. I haven't had time to read all of it but its full of fascinating facts.

 The illustrations are detailed and the information is comprehensive.

 There are chapters on all aspects of colour

 and I think its a must for the textile student, as well as being a good read for the hobbyist .

The second book I hadn't thought I'd like as I am not going to wear Vintage clothes unless I lose about 4 stone, but I can't put t down.

 It comes with a dvd full of patterns for the projects in the book. 

I haven't tried it but each pattern can be printed off in a sort of jig-saw format, many pieces for each pattern. In the front of the book there is a chart of numbers which you have to follow when you lay pattern which will give you a full size pattern for each project. 

For example.. 

 The instructions are in the book. 

Here's another:

 As well as the patterns you can print (and there are quite a few) there's the historical context of these and other styles showing how the same item evolved through the decades up to the 1970s.

If you are a sewer of clothes its a really neat way to get hold of a whole lot of patterns and information.

I was just a wee bit disappointed that they didn't have a utility coat pattern after all the illustrations of it.

But you can't have everything.

Another super book especially for the fashion student and maker/wearer of vintage clothes.

For more information about these and other craft books go to

 http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/special-interest/visual-arts/fashion/

Meanwhile I'll be making more of these.

New Year New flame?

 This is my first batch of brooches fro 2013. I started with a new shape. I was a bit unsure about it until I posted it on Facebook and wow! For those who don't do fb its a hive of activity on my page. I am overwhelmed.

On the one hand, I love all the affirmation it gives me, but on the other, I'm a bit stunned by what happens when I put a new batch of brooches on for example. 

 It gives me instant feedback so I can see whats popular or not.

Mind you, prices can put people off. 

I've had a (yet another) rethink about my prices. They are higher in my etsy shop to keep my things in line with stockists, but I always give discount for returning customers, or perhaps fb 'likers' so its not too bad. 

So here they are..the greens...

 ..the pale turquoises......

 and the ambers.

 But this is my favourite..pretty and romantic.

I enjoyed making this.

Winner and rosettes.

All the comments about the reindeer have been read and re read. Forgive me if I didn't manage to answer you.

The random number generator (My completely impartial husband being asked to give me a number between 1 and 36) has been pressed into service, and I can announce the winner of the reindeer. 

Its KATHLEEN from Kathleen's Creations. I realise with this win, two people win if you look back to her comment. 

Congratulations. Let me have your address and I'll send the two spare reindeer to you and you can decorate them to remind you of your Scottish Holiday.

Speaking of which....I bought much of this tweed on my Scottish holiday a few years ago and have just decided to make a few Harris Tweed rosettes like the ones on the dog coats. 

Very pretty they look too.

 They are in my etsy shop now.

The Joyful things

As the New Year starts something happened today which made me want to record all the small joyful things of 2013.

More later of the joyful thing that happened today. First a think back at the risk of sounding like Pollyanna ..all the things that have made me glad so far.

The first joyful thing was to be in the company of good friends as the New Year came in.

The next morning I felt a little worse for wear and took Hetty for a walk in the mist. Great lungsful of fresh winter air rejuvenated me and made me feel fantastic and glad to be alive.

Later in the week I treated myself to a new watch with my christmas money. A small joy, choosing, selecting, trying and deciding, having had a very cheap one with  a broken strap for quite some time.

The joy of Friday was being able to help my Mum sort out her tripped out electricity circuit...she was so relieved.
Of course Hetty always makes me glad especially when she sits with her legs out like this.

 And now for the thing that happened today and started it off.
I was in church at the Epiphany mass.
We had just had communion and were all sitting quietly for a few moments meditation when little Annie-Rose Perkins the almost 3 year old daughter of a couple started to sing. No one had put her up to it.  She just began.
Her little piping voice went through two verses of 'Away in a manger' almost perfectly.
Its a very small church and everyone was listening with bated breath (including the priest) and when she finished there was a collective almost audible smile of joy.
Its something I'll remember for a long time.

Christmas is over, and the tree comes down tonight. Its been a nice tree and I'm sad to take it out.

 Here are two fine fellows new to my Christmas story.
Would you like two the same?
I got them from Homecrafts direct who asked me to review the product in return for a pair of my own and a pair to giveaway. Do click the link and have a look at their website, there's tons of useful stuff there, its amazing. They are papier mache and are meant to be decorated but I didn't have time to do anything with them before christmas so they just stood in the window in their birthday suits and I think they look lovely from inside...

 and from outside.

If you would like to win a pair for yourself just leave a comment here with some sort of related message. Perhaps you have some ideas of what to do with them? I might paint mine white and add some decoration.

You might have better ideas. There's a whole twelve months to get them ready for next Christmas!
Over to you.