Another Embroidery and some Festive Patterns

After writing about my Mum's embroidery last time, I remembered another picture from the 1950s to show you. I found this one in an antique shop and, as you can see, it commemorates the Festival of Britain of 1951. 

It's an interesting design. On the left are pictures representing 1851 when the Great Exhibition was held, the modern equivalents are on the right. Of course, things that would have seemed very modern in 1951 now look dated to modern eyes.

Near the top right is Battersea Power Station which was certainly a great advance on the windmill. I remember the power station still working but now Battersea is a shopping centre. I also like the horses ploughing on the left and what is now a very old tractor to the right. My Dad was a tractor driver in the 1950s and 60s;  I remember watching the harvest and thinking how nice it was they'd put his name on his tractor ... how was I to know that 'David Brown' was also a make of tractor?

The embroidery is a bit stained and has been damp at some point. I must clean it and find it a frame; it deserves to be on display.

I also wanted to tell you about a couple of Christmas patterns that I've managed to finish recently. The first one is a crochet version of paper chains where each chain buttons on to the next so that the colours can be swapped round. I've put this together as an advent calendar for myself and thought others might like to make one too.

I wound 24 little balls of yarn, each with a matching button in the middle and wrapped them all in tissue paper. Then I added numbered tags so that I can make one chain a day during advent. If you'd like the pattern, it's available free on ravelry - Advent Chain. There aren't any photos of the finished chain as I've only made one so far to work out the pattern. I'll show you how it's coming along next month.

As you can see, I also crocheted a drawstring bag to hold all those balls of yarn. Needless to say, this was much more complicated than the chains and took a while to make. I learnt how to crochet a nice cord though so that was fun. I think my favourite bit of this bag is probably the little crocheted snowballs on the ends of the cords. The pattern for the bag is published separately and would make a nice gift or project bag if you don't happen to have 24 tiny balls of yarn in need of a home.

Advent Chain Bag

My other festive pattern is yet another wreath. I think this might be the fifth one I've designed and it's the smallest of the lot, being only about 20 cm / 8" wide. Despite that, it took me more than two years to design this one, my Long Covid kept getting in the way. So it's a great relief to have finally finished it.

The decorations on Christmas Cheer are all inspired by festive food and drink. Well, apart from the fairy lights. I needed something to fill in the background and they added some colour to the design. The pattern for covering the wreath is available now; the six sets of decorations will be published on alternate days, starting on 1st December with those fairy lights. If I can get them written, there will also be a short blog post to accompany each pattern, talking about my inspiration for each of them.

There's not much progress to report on my new bedroom as I'm now waiting for my bed and mattress to be made. They should be ready in a few weeks so I'm hoping to move in before Christmas. In the meantime, I've finished re-vamping the floor and have moved my desk and chair back in.

It's actually my daughter's desk (an old double school desk I bought her years ago) but she says I can keep it for the time being. I also found some tiebacks for my new curtains. Did you know you can get magnetic ones now? Well, I didn't. What a clever idea.

The other thing I've done is to work on the bedroom door which was chipped, dirty and battered from years of furniture moving and general living. Doesn't it look nice now?

Would you believe, all I did was fill in the chips with a dark wood stain felt pen and then give it a polish with a dark beeswax? A bit of Brasso on the door knob and it looks beautiful. I'm very pleased with my 'new' door.

Bit by Bit

It's been a while since I posted here. It's hard keeping up with things when you're always ill and it doesn't help that I haven't been able to sort out a place to take decent photos in my new room yet. I set up a rather haphazard arrangement yesterday which involved the cables from my big lights stretching across the room at knee height and, miraculously, I managed not to fall over once! So, here are some of the things I've been working on lately, a little bit at a time most days.

First of all, I've been doing some English paper piecing with scraps from the two big baskets of scraps on the top landing (needless to say, both baskets are still full).

I'm using pre-cut squares and honeycomb paper pieces from Sew & Quilt and, so far, I've tacked enough shapes to make 50 blocks. I've been better pleased with my stitching since discovering this extra fine thread by Gutermann which really makes the stitches invisible. I shall arrange the blocks like this so will need to add extra squares between the blocks later.

One of the things that bothers me about doing so many crafts is that I never really make any progress with some of them. If I only practise them once or twice a year, there's always a lot of re-learning to do when I go back to them. This year I've decided to be more consistent so that I develop the muscle memory for some of my often neglected crafts.

This is working well with Dorset button making. I am steadily working through this wonderful book by Gina Barrett which has detailed instructions for over 70 traditional buttons.

As you can see, I've made eight so far so there's quite a way to go. Here's a close up of the first six.

I'm trying the same approach with tatting but this is a much steeper learning curve. I'm trying to tat this motif over and over and then use the finished shapes as gift tags. As you can see though, my second attempt is worse than the first! More practice needed I think.

The design is 'Christmas Rose' from the book New Tatting by Tomoko Morimoto which, I'm sorry to see, is now out of print. This was the book that re-sparked my interest in tatting although I would also recommend any of Mary Konior's wonderful books. Don't be put off by the black and white photos and the lack of diagrams, these are brilliant for beginners in particular. The prices that old copies of her books go for tells you something about how good they are but you can find them reasonably priced now and then. I recently found this one on World of Books for just over £6.

The author helpfully marks patterns suitable for beginners with a dagger symbol so I obediently had a go at the first one in the book - an edging called 'Betsey's Downfall' (poor Betsey).

That was easy. It's so small because I was using up a length of thread on a bobbin, not because I got bored. Even I have more staying power than that.

I've been doing a bit of the next ongoing project every day since just before Christmas. Can you guess what's in this pretty tin?

Appropriately enough, it's full to bursting with ... snowflakes.

Every day I crochet another design from 100 Snowflakes to Crochet by Caitlin Sainio. Again, I fear this book might be out of print. When I first got the book several years ago, I started crocheting the snowflakes with thread as the author recommends but I didn't really like the result so, this time, I'm using Stylecraft Special DK and a 3.5 mm hook. They don't take long and I'm over half way through the book already and learning a lot about snowflakes on the way.

What am I going to do with 100 quite large snowflakes you may ask? Good question, I haven't decided that yet. I am considering sewing them together into big panels to hang at my windows next Christmas although I suspect that it would be a case of 'that way madness lies'. In the meantime, don't they look nice?

I have also been working on more Colour Pop knitting ideas. This is my technique for adding texture and colour to plain knitting which I have been exploring for a while now. You can see the Colour Pop patterns I've published so far here although I did experiment with the idea in a few early patterns too.

At the moment I'm knitting Colour Pop squares for a baby blanket using some very pretty colours ...

.. and I've also finished a collection of Roly-Poly purses using  the same technique.

I'm particularly pleased with these as they're just one rectangular piece with the sides gathered into circles and a few buttons added - nice and simple. I'm hoping to get the pattern written up soon.

Have you ever considered using 92 different colours in a knitted scarf? Of course you haven't but this is what I'm doing here ...

This is my shade card scarf which will have a stripe in all 92 of the solid shades of Stylecraft Special DK. I'm knitting it in the round, mostly so that I can knot the ends together and hide them inside. I may be daft but not so daft they I relish the thought of sewing in 184 tails of yarn.

I'm not very good at doing 'random' when it comes to colour selection so I decided to knit the colours in alphabetic order (and why not?). What you see in the photo above is letters A - C. Adopting this approach throws up some very bizarre combinations but I think it will all turn out well in the end.

I use my trusty Stylecraft Colour Pegs a lot when planning designs and they're starting to look a bit fuzzy and tatty now so I'm also crocheting these little circles to act as an alternative to the pegs.

I was going to do just plain squares but they seemed a bit dull so decided on textured circles instead.

I am still making progress with sorting all my piles of craft stuff on to shelves in my new room although I'm finding it slow going. It doesn't help that I think I've slipped another disc so lifting things is tricky - also moving, sitting, sleeping ...

Anyway, this is the state of the big shelves so far.

I've done cross stitch, needlepoint, embroidery, tatting, beading, toy making and I don't know what else but there's still quite a lot to go. Meanwhile, there are a few new additions to my desk. One is this pretty clock from Dunelm Mill which I'm rather pleased with.

The other 'new' thing is actually 67 years old and I've had it for a while.

This is a Singer 99, made in Scotland in 1956 which I've finally got cleaned, oiled and working. This was advertised as a 'portable' machine, despite being made of cast iron (guess how I hurt my back?) but, with a new foot pedal from Couling Sewing Machines, it sews beautifully. I'm planning to have a sewing machine on every floor of the house. This one on the top floor will mostly be used for patchwork, as will my Featherweight which lives in the scullery downstairs and is nice for sewing by the open back door in then Summer. That leaves my modern machine - yes, I do have one of those too - for the middle floor. That machine comes into its own for dressmaking, bag making etc. Also, you don't do yourself an injury moving it around!

I have plans to keep the old Singer out all the time in my craft room but am hoping to move it off the desk, possibly to that little space to the left of the desk in this photo.

Today I had a lovely time cutting out rectangles to start a new quilt for my son who has just bought his first house so that will be the first thing I make with this machine. I'll show you pictures once I've done more than cut out pieces.

Going to the Library

 I've always liked libraries. When I was little a mobile library used to come to our village and I remember climbing the steps up to it and being very excited about choosing books. Then, when we moved into town, the library was the first place I was allowed to walk to on my own - after a re-run of my Mum's "what do you do if a strange man asks you if you'd like to see some kittens?" talk (she knew me well). It wasn't long before I'd exhausted the possibilities of the children's library but they wouldn't let me use my library card in the adult library. So my Mum gave me her card to use instead; they didn't like it but couldn't work out a way to stop us.

Anyway, after two years of being housebound with Long Covid, the library was the first proper outing I managed on my own and I go there regularly now. It's a good place for me to cope with as it's nice and quiet, not too many people and no loud music or noises. And I still get excited about being able to choose books and take them home with me.

I have to limit what I borrow as carrying too much makes me breathless and reading itself is very tiring now. So I tend to get books that are picture heavy so that, if I can't managed anything else, at least I can look at the pretty pictures. A few weeks ago, I borrowed this one ...

I thought it looked fun and I have yet to find a craft that I don't like. Look at all that pretty weaving on the back cover.

The author recommends perle cotton no. 5 for the bracelets but the nearest I had was no. 8 so I had a go with that.

It reminded me of making macrame plant holders back in the early 1980s with my Mum; I suppose it's really the same thing, just on a smaller scale. I got better at it as I went along but wasn't particularly enamoured with the result. Then I thought of trying the same pattern with some knitting cotton.

I enjoyed this much more; you can see the texture of the knots at this scale which I really like. Here's the finished bracelet.

Apparently, you're meant to tie them on a friend's wrist and then they leave them there until they fall apart. a) I didn't want to give my bracelet away and b) what about washing? Luckily, the finished band is stretchy so I can knot it together like this and still slip it on and off.

There are lots more patterns in this book so I may have to borrow it again ... or add it to the list of craft books I'd like one day. As you can imagine, this is a substantial list.

I particularly like the one that looks like it's made up of woven ribbons.

I changed my library books yesterday. This is what I chose ...

... a craft book, a plant book and a history book. Those should keep me busy for a while. 

Before I go, you might like to see my newly strengthened garden wall. It's nice not to worry about it falling on me (or one of the cats) when the wind blows.

Paul the builder dug up a treasure for me when he was setting one of those posts in place and I've been excitedly showing it to everyone ever since.

It's a very long, very old nail that would have been handmade by a blacksmith, hammering it into shape. Isn't it wonderful? This house was built in the mid 1890s so I don't know if it dates from then or earlier, when the land would have been agricultural. The house walls at the back of the house near where it was found are single brick so it seems a bit long but who knows? It's my new favourite thing.

New Lamp for Old

Recently my Dad gave me a dirty, cracked and definitely not working wooden lamp base. Now you might think this wasn't the most thoughtful of presents but I was very pleased with it. You only have to look at this photograph from the early 1960s to see why.

That's Mum and Dad and behind them is the lamp in its youth. It was a wedding present from the Midland Bank where Mum worked before they married in 1956. How do I know that? Because I still have Mum's wedding present list, presumably made to help her in writing thank-you letters.

As you can see, Mum's colleagues also gave them a wooden fruit bowl which my brother now has. The lamp base is shaped like a wine glass and the drum shade was a wine red to match it.

So, back to the present. I didn't think to take a photo before I cleaned it up but here it is, crack mended and polished. The wood was really pale and dry and responded well to lots of polish and elbow grease.

The next thing to do was to replace the cable and bulb holder as it still had the original fittings which were standard in the UK before 1970. Does anyone else remember the days when you could do your ironing by plugging an adaptor into the bulb holder on the ceiling light? Here's a link to more information about plugs than anyone could want - except perhaps Mr Weasley.

I found a very good website called Lamp Spares which had everything I wanted and the lamp was soon fitted with a new lead and bulb holder, complete with safety switch. What a good invention these are; it's impossible to turn the switch on unless a bulb is in the holder - I remember getting a nasty electric shock from a bedside lamp many years ago and it's not an experience I'd like to repeat.

The trickiest part was replacing the green baize on the bottom of the base which had long since perished. I had one piece of green felt that was big enough but the new flex is thicker than the old one so the groove in the base wasn't deep enough for it. Rather than try to make the groove deeper I built up the felt with two layers of thick interfacing so that the lamp would stand flat.

All it needed now was a lampshade and I wanted a big dark red drum shade to match its original one. Luckily, my local branch of B & Q had just what I wanted and they even had a sale on. My son walked there with me to carry things (I can't breath, walk and carry something, however light it is) and to remind me how to pay with my debit card. I think it's the first time I've done that for two years.

And here is my new lamp. It's not a very good photo but the best I could manage.

The colours are much richer in real life but you get the general idea. Do you see what the lamp is sitting on? That's my Mum's old workbox which is even older than the lamp; her Dad made it for her out of old packing boxes, along with the little bookcase that I talked about some time ago in this blog post. If you look back at the black and white picture at the start of today's post, you'll see that the lamp was sitting on the workbox then as well. And that's where it's going to live in its new life too.

Christmas Ornaments, Old and New

What's the oldest ornament on your Christmas tree? Mine is probably the fairy on the top.

She hasn't always been a fairy though. She started life as a Rosebud doll back in the 1960s but her career as a doll was brought to an abrupt end when I dropped her in the back yard and her head broke. Mum carried out some emergency surgery (her hair covers the scars) but, wanting to avoid more tears the next time I dropped her, suggested that she might like to be the fairy on the Christmas tree. You can just about see her in this photo from Christmas 1966.

And yes, that's me in my red nightie gazing up at at her happily. Over the years, she's had various changes of clothes ... well, not so much clothes as bits of lace wrapped round her and sewn in place.

Next time, I'm going to make her a new pair of wings - less, shiny cardboard, more floaty gauze I think.

This year we have been sorting out my late Mum's house and, amongst other things, we divided up the old Christmas decorations. Which leads me on to another treasured ornament. Can you see the Father Christmas on the swing in that old photo?

I have no idea why he's on a swing; I must have missed that part of the traditional story. He has a fine handlebar moustache though. He was always one of my favourites and, this year, he's on my tree.

He doesn't look bad for a gentleman of sixty.

The newest decoration on my tree is this lovely felt cat, made for me by my daughter.

Fans of Judith Kerr will recognise Mog the cat who definitely doesn't approve of Christmas, hence the glum look. When she sees a tree moving about she takes refuge on the roof and refuses to come down ...

                        'Mog stayed on the roof. Some white things fell out of the sky. Some

                         fell on the roof and some fell on Mog. They were very cold.'

To find out what happens next (don't worry, there's a happy ending), you'll have to read Mog's Christmas.

Have you got any treasured ornaments on your Christmas tree?

Badges and Brooches

When I was taking photos of my Round Nesting Boxes recently, I rooted out some of my old badges and brooches to put in them.

Before putting them away again, I took some photos as I thought you might like to see some of them. In the smallest box there's what you could call my magpie brooches - shiny ones!

I love the pretty costume jewellery you find with a coloured stone surrounded by metalwork.

The ones on the right are useful for keeping shawls in check; I've had all three of them for many years. The rest of the metal brooches are a mixture of fun ones and those associated with particular places / organisations / groups - I can't think of a word that covers them all.

The yellow oval is from the Children's Liver Disease Foundation, the charity I support through my work and the blue one next to it is from the Ring of Tatters. The three crests below represent the Universities my children and I went to. The one in the middle is Birmingham where I read English in the early 1980s. The red birds are Queen's where Jack read Maths and the last one is Lincoln where Rose read History.

In the next box are a selection of homemade brooches.

There are felt ones, beaded ones and a few based on Dorset Buttons, all made by me ...

I recently got a wonderful new book on Dorset Buttons from Gina-B Silkworks (their website is a great place to lose yourself) and am looking forward to working through it. When I do, I'll share my progress with you. In the meantime, here's a little brooch I made recently for a friend's birthday/

The other handmade brooches are much older, dating from the 1950s and 60s.

Patterns for these embroidered brooches would have been found in magazines of the time. Several of these were embroidered by my Mum as a young woman, others have been bought by me in antique shops.

What's next? More pretty old brooches.

My collection of china posy brooches, mostly dating from the mid twentieth century. These were made by various Staffordshire potteries and I just love them.

Most of mine were picked up in charity shops and the like but I have one given to me by a friend that belonged to her late mother and that dark red one was my Great-Grandmother's. One day I'm going to make a little fabric cushion to display them on.

The last two boxes have more humdrum contents. First, there's my collection of Shakespeare badges.

Before being struck down by Covid (and the never-ending Long Covid) Jack and I were regulars at the RSC which is only half an hours drive from here. As well as the programmes, I was building up a good collection of quotes badges too.

'

'Though she be but little, she is fierce' (Midsummer Night's Dream) struck a chord with so many that you can now find it used on all sorts of merchandise. Also shown are quotes from 'Love's Labour's Lost', 'Much Ado About Nothing', King Lear', 'As You Like It' and many more.

The contents of the final box might best be described as 'all the rest'.

There are book badges ...

... lots of puffins as I'm a collector of Puffin books. The Elmer badge was one of several I made for a  session at the Puffin shop in Covent Garden in 1991 when David McKee was signing his books.

The little boy at the front of the picture is my son, Jack, then aged three and yes, I knitted his Elmer jumper.

A few political badges next - that 'Don't blame me, I voted Labour' badge has been useful far too many times since I got it in 1983.

'For the many, not the few' was the slogan of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party - says it all.

These next ones are a mixed bunch. I particularly like my 'Santa's Little Helper' badge and the one about turning into your mother - happened years ago here! Quite a few of these were bought at News From Nowhere, a wonderful bookshop in Liverpool.

I also bought this card at News From Nowhere which is part of my Christmas display every year ...

The last collection are my knitting badges. And, before you ask, no, I can't remember where I got them but I think it was online so you could probably find them.

Aren't these great? Which ones do you like best? Perhaps the fact that I like 'Knitting for the Resistance' and 'Armed with pointy sticks' says something about my less than placid nature!