Pretty little Doilies

Hello.......... Today's post is all about these pretty little star shaped doilies.

I first came across this pattern when I was putting the advent calendar together and thought they would make a lovely little gift, hooked up into a set of six coasters, (you can find the link to the pattern here)

So using Petra DMC  I crocheted two of each colour, in this pretty lilac

Spearminty green

and this lovely icy blue.

Ta-Dah

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Stitching Spring Flowers ( part one )

Hello....... Now I've only ever done a tiny bit of embroidery in the past but as part of the group project for our local craft club exhibition we were all give a 12inch square piece of fabric and allocated a season, that we had to represent in anyway we choose.

I was very happy to be given Spring, well you know me and flowers, I love love love them, so really my square just had to be all about Spring flowers, how I love the colours of Spring,  it was a toss up between something cherry blossom based or a all out multicoloured spring flower extravaganza.

In end I just had to go with the latter.

As I said, I'm quite new to embroidery in fact I've only ever stitched this one little tree, which you can read more about here 

So to say I was a little worry about how it would go, is a bit of a under exaggeration, you see, I was given my fabric square back in the Summer and I've been putting it off since then, it was only at the beginning of January, when I discovered the exhibition is on at the end of February that I had no choose but to get on with it.

So first of all I sketched out a rough design, now I think if you are professional at this embroidery malarkey, you are then supposed to transfer that onto the fabric as I guide to stitch too.

Well I didn't really do that part, I went for a much more organic approach and just started to stitch.

Doodling away with floss and needle, you see the bit I like most of all about embroidery are the pretty coloured threads, they just make my heart sing.

So first up I stitched a lavender, with split stitch for the stalk.

Next up I added a pretty snowdrop, obviously I wanted to run before I could walk with this new hobby so I hopped over to you tube and watched a few clips on ribbon embroidery.

What's not to love pretty floss and ribbons, soon I had something that hopefully looked like a snowdrop.

So I just kept doodling away, it's like drawing with thread, how I love the colours and how by adding a few stitches I could represent Spring flowers, (hopefully) orange crocus, forget me nots, yellow celandine's, then I just couldn't resist adding a bit of sparkle, with sequins and pearls.

So over the last few weeks I been stitching away, adding flowers and learning stitches like the lazy daisy. It didn't all go to plan though, you see the purple Iris top right, well......... that started out and was meant to be a daisy !! but I managed to salvage it by turning it into a Iris (hopefully)

In the end I liked the Iris so much that I added another couple, so that's where I'm up too, I'm stitching and I'm loving it, ssh don't tell the crochet hooks.

Just before I go I wanted to saying thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post, as you know my energy levels are very limited so I don't really get around to replying to the comments but I do love to read them all and they are very much appreciated.

Linking up with KCCO

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Sweetpea Dreaming

Hello.......... Seeing as it's been so cold lately I thought it was the perfect time to share this project with you.  I made this hot water bottle cover as a crafty secret santa make.

First up I selected some yarns, in pretty sweet pea hues, the only info I had about the recipient was that they liked pinks and blues and vintage things, so I thought a granny chic hot water bottle would be just the thing.

The only problem was I couldn't find a pattern I liked so I decided to just to make it up as I went, first up I made six plain granny squares for the back of the hot water bottle.

 Then I made six of these pretty, summer garden granny squares, in sweet pea tones which I

surrounded with blue sky for the front. I used Lucy over at attic24 pattern for the squares which you can find 'here' 

I've secretly been wanting to make a blanket from these squares, using these sweet pea tones for a few years now, so this was a good compromise, as I really can't be starting yet another blanket.

I then stitched the two panels, using the seamless method.

Then I  came to the part where I had no plan, so winging it, I decided to join the two sides with double crochet.

Once that was done it was onto neck, for which I first double crocheted along the top of both sides stopping just before the neck, before working rounds of half trebles, up the neck of the hot water bottle, as you can see I place a stitch marker at the start of each round so I could keep track of where I was.

(Sorry about the lighting in some of the photo's you can tell it was during the darkest days of December that I made this.)

So I just kept adding rounds of half trebles (uk terms) until I'd covered the neck.

I then added three buttons along the bottom of the inside of the back of the cover, the great thing about crochet is no button holes !!! as they simply button up through one of the spaces.

Nearly there I just had to sew in the dreaded ends

and add a cute little ribbon to the neck.

Ta-Dah

 One 'oh so cosy' hot water bottle

Here's a pic of the back too.

I do hope the recipient likes it.

Happy Crafting

Clare xxx

2015 in the Summerhouse garden

January

February

  March

 April

May

June

 July

 August

 September 

October

November

December

Hello............ This post is a bit of a feast for the eyes, all that colour I've loved putting it together, seeing how the garden changes over the months and with it the colours change too.  

The poor garden has been rather neglected over the past few years, but nature seems to be thriving on the neglect, especially the weeds, which I selectively choose not to photograph.

I noticed from the photo's that one of my favourite flowers (ssh don't tell the others,) has been flowering away for seven months of the year, lovely Anemones, just a little pot of them on the patio, that has brought me so much joy, flowering in every season of 2015.

 Have a wonderful weekend

Clare xxx
 

2015 Review, part two

July

August

September

October

November

December

Hello.......... So here's part two of the 2015 review, sorry it's a bit late but this year is starting slowly here at the Summerhouse, as usual Christmas has left me exhausted, it's not the best time of year for the chronically ill, so I've been resting a lot and sleeping even more, over fifteen hours yesterday, but I guess it's what my body needs so I'm just going with it.

So that was 2015, another year I'm glad to see the back of, it wasn't the best here at the summerhouse with two big relapses of my health and losing both of our lovely cats (crafting assistants), plus a broken ankle thrown into the mix.  There was some good in amongst it all, you have to keep looking for the good after all and keeping these monthly mosaics is a great way of doing that.

I'll be back soon with a garden review.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

2015 review (part one)

January

February

March

April

May

June

Happy New Year Everyone.

Here's hoping for a 2016 full of peace, better health, eating clean, fun, music, crochet, crafting, flowers, laughter and lots and lots of yarn

Wishing all things good to you and the people you love.

Thanks for your company this past year my bloggy friends

Back soon with part two of 2015.

Clare xx