The Little Things

Hello everyone. I thought I would squeeze in one last blog post before Christmas. I find the extra work and change of routine involved with the festive season puts extra pressure on my already fragile health which, for someone who has always loved Christmas, is rather sad. The greatest pleasure I get at this time of year is from the quiet times when I don't have to deal with people or, in fact, do anything much so I thought I'd share some of the little things that are helping me at the moment.

I love all the decorations that I've collected over the years, many of them made by my children or myself. My daughter spent a day the other week putting them all up for me and I'm really enjoying them. The tree in the picture above is my 'special' tree which is in the latest room to be decorated. When I say the latest, the rugs arrived a day before the tree went up. It's basically a spare bedroom but, as you can see, I've saved a cosy reading corner complete with my Mum's rocking chair.

One of the most exciting things about finishing this room is that we've finally been able to get all my Mum's quilts out of the bin bags they were languishing in and on to the big set of shelves we bought to house them. I'll start showing them to you in the new year but, in the meantime, I've been able to put some of the Christmas ones up on the wall at last. This one, behind the rocking chair, is my favourite.

Opposite the reading corner, in the alcove by the fireplace, is the little stained glass robin quilt Mum made us years ago which I love.

The dolls house on the table below it is one I've had for many years but have never had time to decorate and furnish. I'm hoping to make a start on it next year now that I've got a space to work on it. For now, Father Christmas is trying to work out how to get down the chimney.

We have always had baskets of Christmas picture books out at Christmas. There are two more baskets of them under the piano downstairs but I have got one basket up in this room.

After a bit of a struggle, we managed to hang my Christmas Bunting above the fireplace and then Rose decorated the mantelpiece with pretty things and gingerbread men lights. I'm not sure what the lace knitted fairy thinks she's up to.

Tolly cat isn't a little thing and he's definitely not just for Christmas but he does make me smile. He loves the patchwork coverlet I've put over the bed (to keep cat hairs off the clean bedding underneath). Here he is in a quiet moment in between hunting all those little hexagons. And yes, he really does do that.

As well as the quilts, I have a lovely collection of Christmas stockings that my Mum made me - a new one every year. We hang these on doors around the house. This one is on the front room door this year.

It was one of the first ones Mum made and, as you can see, it's a collage of photos of the children at Christmas when they were small. I also have this beautiful cross stitch stocking which Rose gave me a while ago - this one's on the airing cupboard door.

There's another tree in the front room and more decorations. It was a bit dark to take good photos this morning (it's gloomy most of the day at this time of year) but here are an assortment of knitted things on the piano.

You might recognise some of them as old patterns of mine. The round candle quilt above the piano is another one of Mum's and the little knitted cone snowman was a present from my friend Pat a few years ago.

The front room mantelpiece is pretty too. It's a mixture of old, treasured things, some new and a bit of knitting.

That's my Christmas Wreath hanging between photos of my much-missed Granny as a toddler and on her wedding day.

I've been enjoying my cross stitch this year and there are two new ornaments on this mantelpiece. Here you can see my pyramid shaped Christmas tree; the tree is different on each of the four sides.

I also cross stitched what was called a Christmas pincushion but decided to use it as an ornament stand instead ...

The village scene continues round all four sides and then there's a big snowflake on the top. Again, my apologies for the bad light in these pictures. You get the general idea though. At the other end of the mantelpiece are my cherished tiny crib, a cross stitch gingerbread house and a very pretty old tin. The tiny quilt propped up by the radio is another one of Mum's. She made them into fabric postcards, complete with a terrible poem on the back.

Something else I'm really enjoying this year (as I do every year) is getting out my Christmas china to use. I've collected so many pretty festive mugs that they don't all fit on the shelves. You can see a few of them in this picture.

Choosing which one to use each time I put the kettle on makes a cup of tea a bit special. The teapots on the dresser have their Christmas cosies on too ...

... and I've knitted new ones for the smallest ones this year. Here they are on the tray I use every day which I've lined with one of Mum's Christmas placemats so it's ready for Christmas too.

As a family we really enjoy our advent calendars and, this year, we've each had three different ones. We share pictures of them every day which is nice as we are all in different places. Firstly, we have paper advent calendars. Mine this year was a Brambly Hedge one. Here it is on my bedroom fireplace.

There's a bit of a competition each day as to which of the three of us has the prettiest picture but with festive mice I think I'm winning this year. While we're in this room my little criss-cross shelves are Christmassy too.

My little beaded Christmas village has grown again this year. I think I need to make some stands though so that the houses and things can stand at different heights. New to it this year are (I think) another building, some trees, a post box and a couple of street lights. Next on the list will be a church I think. I'm also very fond of this book which I read again the other day ...

We always have an advent jigsaw each year too. The pieces are divided between 24 envelopes and put together one day at a time. There was much hilarity when Jack's first day consisted almost entirely of white snow pieces! This is how my puzzle is looking after nineteen days.

The third set of advent calendars is the result of my concentration this year on improving my tatting skills. Over many months I tatted three sets of 24 snowflakes, three in each pattern. We have one set each (they're different sizes) and we add one to our snowflake trees each day. I'll write about this project properly next year but here's how my tree is looking today.

So, I may not be able to do very much or celebrate with friends and family as I would have done before the Long Covid but, when I think about it, there are lots of little things around me that make me smile and give me comfort. I hope that wherever you are and whatever your situation you all have a Happy and peaceful Christmas.

Learning Stuff

I really like learning new things. Whether it's from something I've read or a podcast I've listened to, it makes life interesting. Now that my life is so constricted, mastering new crafts or projects in particular gives me a real sense of progress on what are mostly very difficult days.

Recently I've been working on a mixture of crafts, not to turn them into patterns (although I always make notes in case I want to try them again) but just because I feel like it. I've been trying various little ideas using some of my vast collection of scrap fabrics. First I made these.

A dozen new hankies. Why has it taken me so long to realise that I could make my own hankies? My existing stock were wearing thin and it's not easy to find anywhere to buy hankies now, especially when you can't go out. These are 12" squares, double hemmed on the machine. They're a bit thicker than bought ones but they're already softening up after a few washes. I have plans to make some Christmas ones too and then bigger ones from plain fabrics for when I have a cold.

The internet is a great source of inspiration for small sewing projects. I found this little collapsible thread catcher on a blog and then worked out my own version. I used a ring of plastic canvas in place of the cardboard tube and changed the measurements a bit. This means that there's a little hole n the middle when the pot is twisted closed but I liked the fact that it was shorter. I gave this one to my daughter.

It's a clever idea but does involve a fair bit of hand sewing so it's not particularly quick to make.

Next I started looking for origami ideas that could be made from fabric scraps and found several ideas that I liked. I made a little butterfly which is rather nice. Those antennae are cut from a black paper clip, not at all safe but it didn't look very much like a butterfly without them.

It took me a while to get the hang of these folded fabric flowers. I used my Sizzix machine to cut out circles and then folded and gathered them into flower shapes. The centres are another fabric circle gathered round a button. These hide all the raw edges. Again, these were hand sewn but they don't take long.

I blu-tacked them to the side of the shelf for this picture but they soon fell off so now they've got wooden stalks and are standing in one of my pencil pots.

My favourite make though was this little folded fabric ornament. Again, it's just two circles of fabric cut with the Sizzix and sewn together. A bit of folding and pressing and a few hand stitches and you're done. The clever thing is that you can tuck a square of card in the back which gives it a bit of stability. I used this tutorial but started off with smaller circles to make a little ornament. 

Regular readers will know that I am working on improving my tatting skills this year and I'm glad to say that it's paying off. I'm now able to tackle some of the lovely patterns in this book.

There are actually 49 snowflakes as a sample pattern is included at the beginning. I'm working through the easiest ones first and, so far, I've mastered five of them.

I love the fact that the designer includes diagrams and written instructions, together with clear photos of the finished snowflakes so I can work out where I'm going. I tend to get confused in the diagrams when the work is reversed so the written instructions really help. I am working each snowflake three times in size 20, 40 and 60 thread. Repeating the patterns with thinner thread is a challenge but gives me lots of practice so that I can fix the techniques in my head. Here's the first snowflake (the sample pattern) in all three sizes.

I stiffen them with diluted superstarch and then store them on card as you can see. Then each set goes in a little square envelope that I make with the envelope punch board I found in Orinoco. This is a very handy little tool. I've been using six inch squares of Christmas paper to make the envelopes.

In between tatting snowflakes, I've also been making a few of Diane's different Ice Drops. I'd only ever attempted her basic design before but I felt ready to try a few of the others now.

The two little snowflakes with metal flowers in the middle are Diane's pattern too, the first of her Doodad Snowflakes. I don't know if my glass gems are smaller than hers or if I just tat more loosely but I was having trouble getting the tatting to fit. Even after soaking in hot water, the gems would sometimes fall out. so, I plucked up my courage and tried paying with the stitch count to get a version that worked for me and I'm very proud of the result.

I've also been doing a lot of weaving lately. My absolute favourite yarn for weaving is King Cole Bramble DK. It's a variegated yarn with a heathery look to it that really works well when woven and it comes in lots of lovely colourways. At the moment I'm using the shade Thistle to weave lots and lots of four inch squares.

I'm trying to finish five squares a day so that I can get on with the joining as I want to try out a lace join that I haven't used before. I need 81 squares all together and I've got eleven to go so I'm nearly there.

I was weaving with the loom on my lap when it occurred to me that I could use my small book chair to hold it upright. This worked but the loom kept moving around and then inspiration struck - Lego! I had fun playing around with my small collection of Lego bricks and finally came up with a loom holder that holds the loom firmly in place while I weave.

I'm very pleased with this and it does make the weaving quicker. Now I'm wondering what other craft tools I could make with Lego. There's quite a bit of K'Nex in the cellar too ...

After this blanket is finished I want to try joining woven pieces together on the loom, something I've seen before but not really understood. Finally, I found these instructions and light dawned. Not only does it give a perfect join on the right side but I quite look the look on the back of the pieces too.

I have lots of ideas for using this technique but first, I'm going to finish that blanket.

Baskets and Pocket Lace

Have you ever noticed that, as you get older, you find yourself drawn to things that you would have scorned in the days of your heady youth? When these were still around in the 1970s I wouldn't have given them house room.

Bright workbaskets woven with plastic strips on a wooden base. They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes and now I just can't resist adding to my collection whenever I see another one. They tend to be quite pricey online but, luckily, Orinoco often has them for a few pounds.  

I like to make use of my pretty things so the baskets all hold craft supplies of various sorts. Like a closer look?

I've had these two little ones for so long I can't remember where I got them. As you can see, they both have handles (of a sort) and the darker one has a lovely catch shaped like a butterfly. I've just got a few redwork supplies in the tiny one - I forgot to take a photo - and the other one is full of fancy threads.

Isn't that ruched lining great? As you can see, it's missing some of it's braid but is otherwise in good condition. This next one looks fairly plain on the outside ...

... but comes over all flowery on the inside.

Inside are my Natesh Rayon threads, a collection of gloriously shiny colours. These go with this book which I bought many years ago.

It's full of exciting ideas for combining simple stitches with glowing colours to give you all sorts of beautiful geometric designs - all my favourite things. The stitches are all clearly explained and, although there are projects in the book, it's easy to use it to just stitch a little panel, perhaps for a card.

That little unfinished square fell out when I opened the book; I was obviously trying out colours.

Right, let's get on to the two bigger baskets. This green one is quite a simple design. I do like the striped plastic edging on all these baskets by the way.

I've got a collection of felt kits and supplies in this one; I really must get more of these made. The braid inside is in a sorry state but it's still rather nice.

I especially like baskets with a bit of a different shape. Not only does this red one have sloping sides but it has a proper handle too.

The lining is pink and I use it to store my hardanger supplies.

For years I thought hardanger looked very difficult and time-consuming to do but I was drawn to all those geometric designs again. Then I got these booklets and found out it was easy, quick to do and not at all scary (even though, yes, there is cutting of fabric involved).

I'm a big fan of Mary Hickmott so I knew these would be good and I wasn't disappointed. She takes you gradually through the different stitches and techniques involved and many of the projects are small and can be turned into cards. The instructions are clear and well illustrated; I'd thoroughly recommend these.

I got this old hardanger magazine from the free shelf at Orinoco because of that beautiful cloth on the cover. Isn't it lovely? One day maybe.

Meanwhile, here are a few of the hardanger cards I've made. These all use designs from 'Easing Into Hardanger', except the yellow one which was a kit (Orinoco again).

Look again on those shelves though and you can see that a new basket has been added to my flock and it's probably my favourite so far.

I love the bright blue of this one, it's got bulgy sides (haven't we all?) and it even has a plastic tray inside.

I haven't really decided what I'm going to keep in this one but I think it will probably have something to do with tatting.

I've been concentrating on improving my basic tatting skills lately and thoroughly enjoying myself in the process, even if it does keep giving me a headache. Tatting is sometimes called pocket lace because, well ... it fits in your pocket. All you need is a shuttle or two and a ball of thread and off you go. It may look delicate but it's actually very sturdy as it's made up of lots of tiny knots.

The thing about tatting books though is that most of them don't include the modern techniques that so many designers use now. You can find youtube instructions for them but I don't like learning from a video. This meant that I could do the basic rings, chains and joins but was stuck when it came to things like split rings, self closing mock rings and the like. So, I decided to learn all these things slowly with lots of practice.

I've found three things helpful in my search for tatting tutorials. The first is Craftree which is like a clunkier version of ravelry but which specialises in tatting. You can look up patterns and tutorials by technique here and lots of them are free to download. The ones I'm using most are by Jennifer Williams who has many free tutorials and patterns available as pdfs so I can print them out. These are all her designs.

And I was very pleased with this woven snowflake which is made in two pieces and then threaded together. It's from her book Twenty to Make: Tatted Snowflakes.

Not a great photo but the snowflake is nice.

So Jennifer Williams s my second useful thing and the third is my collection of newsletters from the Ring of Tatters. They include lots of patterns, many of which are suitable for beginners and they're a good source for help with different techniques too.

This week I've branched out into trying a pattern from an actual book and by a different designer.

I'm working on the first design from Jon Yussof's book Elegant Tatting Gems. I'm learning so much from this pattern. I've even managed to join in two new threads, something I'd been dreading. Mind you, I'm a bit worried about the end of the pattern when I have to join the last repeat to the first ...

One thing that has made a big difference to my tatting is my new picot comb. Up until now I'd been trying to use the blue picot gauge and I couldn't get on with it at all. With the comb you can make picots of different sizes within one ring or chain just by taking the thread over one or more teeth. 

I can't say that I'm at the stage of putting my tatting in my pocket and working on it anywhere yet. It's more a case of sitting over the table and counting every stitch out loud at the moment. I'll get there though. When I feel more confident I'm going to treat myself to some more thread and shuttles and a new book. I have my eye on Robin Perfetti's Four Dozen Tatted Snowflakes. She also has another one which is equally tempting called Four Dozen Tatted Bookmarks. I think I'm going to need to re-think my tatting thread storage soon though. At the moment I'm using another vintage workbox, this one is embroidered and looks like it might be home made.

There's a removable tray inside (and a little bit more embroidery) but it's getting rather full.

Before I go, I thought you might like to see the latest splash of colour in my garden, my Ceanothus.

It's that time of the year when I'm waiting for my roses to flower too. My 'Kew Gardens' was the first again but, so far, it's only giving me one rose at a time, despite being absolutely covered with buds. I've had a word with it about upping its game so we shall see.