Crewel Intentions

After last weeks post complaining about the dullness of November, today has been a lovely day. The sun was golden and so were the leaves, the house felt warm (could it be because I've switched on 'The Dragon', our little oil filled radiator in the kitchen at heaven knows what cost) and we were a bit tidy! 

Thats because I had a visitor last night, an old friend who had commissioned me to do some pieces.

 But I can't show you those until after the weekend so I'm going to show these instead.

I had a piece of felt in the 'awful swirly carpet' shades.  I started making brooches but then I got a bit carried away stitching something that wouldn't really work as a brooch. 

 And then another.

 They remind me of Crewel work motifs, and rather than put them in the 'not quite a brooch' pile I mounted them on small card covered with calico and I shall put them in my etsy shop. 

 I followed the contours of the coloured areas in the felt and added some deep jewel coloured velvets and stitched with two lovely shaded Natesh threads.

 I put them on this magazine for scale but then realised you might not know its a small half A4 magazine.

 Well I've told you now so you know. 

 But just in case, I've stood them up against my sewing box in all the muddle on the table.

They make a lovely pair.

I keep looking at them wondering where they came from.

My head does surprise me sometimes.

Every picture tells a story.

The brooches standing up on their pins have given me an idea. I might make a 'Theatre' someday with felt figures. Watch this space!

Here are 'Ma boys' sitting by the river at Art and Garden.

 Sunday when this was taken was a nice sunny day but Saturday...well.....shall we draw a veil over Saturday? Late friday night it was cancelled due to waterlogged car parking field. Early saturday morning a phone call.."Jackie, Its on again..get out of bed!" I was pleased it was on but sitting all day in a marquee in the rain was a bit reminiscent of childhood caravan holidays in Abergele.

Anyway Sunday was nice and I took courage and did something I have been meaning to do for all the years I've been there. I walked over the bridge.

 And I walked back again. My knees were like jelly when I got back on dry land but I did it.

                                          On the way I caught sight of the minutest bit of garden.

Here's the Summer house with lovely paintings.

Overall it wasn't a bad weekend, its alway enjoyable socially but financially it was very poor.

It was a great joy to meet one of my favourite blog readers 'JP" who came with the other 'JP" her husband.   I also met Sarah and her daughter from 'The Art of Moodling' whose sunny smile exactly matched her blog profile pic!

It was a delight to meet them all and makes it all worthwhile.

Oh AND I WAS on the radio and it wasn't bad at all. I didn't tell anyone because it would have made me nervous if I imagined my Mum and my friends listening. I told my husband not to listen and I didn't mean it but he's very good and he didn't! 

I made him listen on iplayer and he said it was good. So then I listened and do you know what? It was quite alright. I sounded a bit fat though!

I hadn't realised it would be live. They just sat us down, Chris who owns the garden and me, and started talking to us. When the music was playing the presenter discussed the next question. 

So..as well as the crossing the bridge, I've been on the radio.  Bucket list?

Now, this is the inspiration for the title of this post.

Can you tell what the story is?

The bird box covered with much gaffer tape because a few weeks ago the bottom dropped off. The nest, full of baby blue tits,was dangling on a twig below, the cat was licking his lips, the dog was chasing something around the garden, and the parents were having hysterics on the washing line.

 

 We fixed it all back together and the parents came back and raised the babies. The I found one on the path. I think it had tried to fledge and not made it so I stuck it back in the nest and when we opened the box the other day I'm afraid it was dead. It had a kitchen roll shroud and  cremation in the wood burner.

Anyway look whats in the nest.

A little bit of lime green merino wool which Hetty had been playing with outside.

Now here's another glimpse of our garden. 

 The bit I ignore has blossomed. We have a fine show of what some might call weeds but I love them.

 Such a fantastic pink.

 They are taller than I am when I stand on the path.

 Hetty demonstrates.

 Hetty has had a trip out to meet Donald, The Nova Scotia Duck-tolling retriever. I hadn't heard of them either!

 He's just a baby.

 The meeting went well.

 As usual..there are brooches! 

 Brooches for Woolfest and brooches for an order.

 I love the background colour of this felt. I used a horrible orange lumpy felt to start this off and it gave a lovely glow.

I'll be at Woolfest on Friday and on the IFA stand from 1-3 pm.

And finally......

Love is in the air

Love and some very hastily taken and badly edited photographs but its busy busy busy here at Dogdaisyhill.

Last week I made a 'card' for a lady to give to her friends for their 50 years of marriage.

 I layered sheer fabric and machined leaves and then cut them out and made them into a heart.

I've scribbled their names out (Badly) because just in case anyone reads this blog who knows them..and everyone in the village knows them...it wouldn't be a surprise. 

A lovely couple, kind and generous . I hope they have a great day.

Next a bit of a loss.

Our garden is not the best or the easiest but was dominated by a larch tree. In the summer we would sit under it(Although that hasn't happened for a while) and its gorgeous drooping boughs hung over us like a waterfall.

Birds nested in it and midges made merry in the evening preventing us having chinese lantern lit soirees I used to dream about.

When the wind blew as it does so readily here at 800ft above sea level, branches full of cones hurtled across the garden. In the Autumn the path was a mat of needles. They drove me mad.

It was in the garden when we arrived and had only reached a fraction of its potential height and width. 26 years later that was unfeasible in our narrow space and sadly we had to do the deed.

 Which now means our garden is TOTALLY boring and so is the view. but we do have a goodly stack of wood for the fire which we will need, as we now have no money left for the gas bill. You would not believe what two men up a tree for two hours charge!

Maybe it will improve growing conditions for next year?

I have also been busy making ..as usual. This seedhead was a commission.(I am not Anna Wales..it was just a convenient white background for the pic)

 Then yesterday was a craft fair in Preston. Moderately successful but sometime you wonder if its worth the effort. I met nice people and there was a percentage commission for a soldiers charity. 

I made almost enough money to pay for half the cost of the cat to have his teeth out next week. 

Sigh.

 Then I came home and catalogued a large part of my stock and listed and numbered and posted off for this event.

If you are in that vicinity you might like to pop in. There are some very good makers and lovely quality of work.

These are the ones I didn't send!

Harris Tweed brooches. 

 Of course felt brooches. I kept the hearts back, 

 but there are plenty of paisley, and  fronds, and leaves.

Today I should cleaning because...and I don't know if I mentioned this....

someone is coming.

Tomorrow.