Inspired by Charleston

 This felt has appeared before.

 Its mellow palette was inspired by the interior of Charleston Farmhouse Sussex which we visited just before this time last year. 

I had been thinking about what to do with it and recently I got down to it and produced a whole pile of little pieces as is my wont....which I then stitched to a background.

 Near to it was ok, but from a distance....

 too confusing.

So I made a nice neutral piece of felt, got out my un-picker and re-positioned the pieces.

 I am really quite delighted with the outcome.

 Thought I'd share.

 It looks sort of Heraldic

 Well....anyway..there it is.

 This exact time last year we were in Symi...ahh Symi...Blue...hot....delicious..sea swimmy Symi.

However funds this year did not stretch to that bit of heaven so as I felt the need to be on an Island we went last Sunday to Anglesey in order to walk to Llanddwyn Island. Bu all accounts a very special place. However when we arrived after a 2 and a half hour drive we found there was a dog ban between 1st May and 30th September,  so we were confined to this beach..which was very nice but not Llanddwyn. 

(See the kite surfers? It was windy.)

And definitely not Symi.

I liked this though.

Blast from the Past I

I had quite a few inquiries about my blank sketch books.
I have one or two left and have just listed this one on etsy. I am only listing them one at a time as I have another craft fair imminent and don't want to have them sitting there doing nothing.
(SOLD, new one listed now;


OOOPS! SOLD NEW ONE ..will list a third now.
Only three left after this.!)



The weekend at Art and garden was, as ever, delightful.



My stall was a bit different to last years. Maybe I didn't have quite as much stuff but I still did quite well. I have one or two little sketch books left and might list them one at a time on etsy. an you see the taller red one peeping out on the bottom row? That will be first.
Even if I didn't sell anything I would probably still go, just to be able to sit in such a gorgeous place, chatting to such wonderful people, catching up with old friends and meeting new.
If you live near and didn't come then shame on you!
You missed a lovely time and place.


The weather was absolutely perfect.
I did meet a fellow blogger but I am reluctant to link to her because she has a picture of me on her blog.
Go on then its only fair. Its Lyn at Everyday Life.
She is a friend of Shan who is very beautiful but refused to be photographed! Come on Shan, click that blogger button!
I am wearing a voluminous cotton shirt and wish I had patted it flat before the picture.
But lets face it, it wouldn't have made that much difference.
Some, but not a lot.

I thought I would show a some of my past triumphs in the next few posts.
I am a great fan of hand stitch and used it for my very first City and Guilds piece in 1993.
You can click the pictures for details.

This piece is my interpretation of a little hollow in a rock wall on st Martins Isles of Scilly.

We went in June the first time and the walls were covered with Hottentot figs and Rock Pennywort.

I was cleaning today in preparation for our visitors in two weeks and I took this off the wall to dust it and was quite delighted with it.
I hadn't really looked at it for years.

I used Picasa to blog these pictures on advice from Julie and because I'm panicking about my 'using 34%' of my space. I don't think I did it right because I still notched up another few MBs.
I usually go to the blogger compose box, upload pictures in 5s(and thats when the numbers appear at the bottom) and then do the writing.
How do you blog?


Update: Gretel from The middle of Nowhere has explained all to me. My pictures are too big so for a try out I have added a new one that has been re sized. Its the top one.
Thank you! thank you! thank you!
xxxxxxx