Home Sweet Home

Hello there! It’s been a while, how have you been? We just got back last night from a little family holiday, and now I’m in post-holiday stupor, trying to maintain the lovely relaxed vibe while unpacking and sorting laundry and toiletries...

How can one describe the feeling of returning home after a truly wonderful, relaxing trip – that moment you walk through the door after a day spent packing, travelling to the airport, hurtling through the air in a plane, travelling home, unlocking the door, stepping inside?

There’s no place like home.

I don’t need to click together sparkly red shoes to know this (but oh, I wouldn’t say no to a pair to give it a go!). I love travelling, I absolutely love visiting new places, learning niceties in other languages, eating new foods, strolling through local streets...but I also love coming home.

I love walking from room to room, reacquainting myself with the home. I slip my feet into my recently repaired purple slippers. I spot the decoupaged bookcase in the kitchen, and it’s all new to me again. My eyes spot the granny stripe blanket I made for Bunny and I feel happy. These little crafty creations – and I’m speaking for you, me, all of us, we crafty folks – are more than a hobby, much more than a way to spend a few hours here and there. These are treasures that truly make our house ours. Our home.

That’s it from me for today, no photos, no WIP updates I’m afraid, just a little hello and a promise to post something clever and crafty ASAP!

Chrissie x

Stitches...&Stitches

The summer holidays have indeed been fun and busy. I love not having to stick to a routine, letting the kids play around in their pyjamas til late morning, or staying out later than normal just because we’re having such a great time.
I have managed a bit of progress on some WIPs, so without further ado...
The Blossom Bag is blooming nicely – the first half is complete!

This crochet project, first mentioned here, whips up so quickly, the flowers are fun and easy, and the pattern is simple to remember. Now I’ll move onto the other side, then I have to decide which colour should make the band at the top that will connect the handles to the bag. Any ideas? I’m considering the lighter green, or perhaps the rose...

The only drawback to the pattern so far, as with every crochet flower, granny square or stripe pattern actually, is this, the backside:

AAAAACK! Strikes fear in the bravest of crafters...as I’ve said before, they can put a man on the moon, but they can’t invent a tool to sort out yarn ends. Priorities, people!

Moving swiftly on, Sam-I-Am is done, so I will start to stitch green eggs and ham next:

I won’t say much about him yet, other than I’m learning a lot with this project, my mistakes, my good decisions, some techniques I’d change next time...but more on that when it’s a FO. It is fun stitching something so different from my other projects - the bold, cartoonish black, red and yellow, the sketchy style...

And I’ve even managed my ABCs!

This sampler is a delight to stitch, and I’ve only done three letters! It is very easy to pick up when I have a spare 10 minutes, as the piece is made up of a lot of little components. 

Pop over to the lovely &Stitches site today and you’ll find the guest blogger is...me! I did a little interview with Sophie Long, author of a fantastic new tome entitled Mastering the Art of Embroidery. Sophie is a professional embroiderer who trained at the Royal School of Needlework, and she also happens to be one of the team who embroidered Kate Middleton’s wedding dress! Last summer I took part in a wonderful silk ribbon embroidery course that she was teaching, and I kept in touch with her afterwards. She’s an expert, a terrific teacher, and she keeps centuries-old techniques fresh with her contemporary designs. I’ll give a proper review of her book soon...

I’ve put a lot of topics on my Blog To-Do List, haven’t I? Better stop writing, get crafting, then get blogging some more, focusing on one project at a time...

Happy crafting!

Chrissie x

Stitching season

I’m still stitching away at various embroidery projects, and if I haven’t finished them by next week then I will at least post WIP photos to show I am making progress with them!

I wonder if there tends to be a ‘season’ for particular crafts? Obviously, when the weather gets warmer we tend to put away the wool and crochet hooks – who wants to make a blanket in the hot summer sunshine? (Baby blankets don’t count, I had to work towards my friend’s due date!) And there’s nothing better than to huddle up next to a fire during the dark days of winter, hook in hand, crocheting the cold away...I’m not sure if there is a season more conducive to sewing – I’m still too much of a newbie; I’m happy to get any block of time to get the machine out, no matter what day of the year!

Embroidery is very suited to lazy summer days, whether it’s sitting outside in a shady corner of the garden, or indoors on the sofa watching the rain through the window. Little Flower agrees – she decided to snuggle up next to me and do some of her own stitching!

I received a little treat the other day that will get me started on another project from The Hand-Stitched Home...

I have been teaching a friend to crochet, and she has taken to it like a fish to water. She also happens to be married to a very skilled woodworker, so she asked him to cut some triangular blocks so I could make the bookends! A little present for me so I can start a new project. Yippee!

Chrissie x