Hello my friends,
Well, I'm so sorry that I didn't return with the promised Projects Post, but not long after I last wrote I fell ill again, and this time it seems it actually was Covid-19, according to our doctor. My husband developed it too and both of us were quite poorly for a while, but fortunately able to treat the symptoms at home, although it meant 10 days in bed for me, and 7 days for my husband, which is unheard of! I am pleased to say we are now symptom free but still get tired out very easily and can't do much without lots of rest breaks!
I didn't feel well enough to knit or crochet much and certainly not to sew, but I am pleased to say I am back in my sewing room this week, making some progress on my bed quilt. It's going to be quite heavily embroidered so I am keeping the fabrics fairly simple and light. The lemon and the printed fabric are Rose and Hubble (lemon poplin and lemon on cream poplin respectively) and the plain cream is Moda Bella 'Snow'. I'll show you some blocks once I have a few completed. It's going to be a big quilt - over 80 inches square - so this is a project for the long haul!
As I said, I haven't knitted or crocheted much but I made a couple of dishcloths. This one is a favourite and is a free crochet pattern on Ravelry called 'Spread the Joy', by Catherine Richardson. It's a lovely, simple pattern, and makes a good and textured 'scrubby' cloth. I used some Patons DK Cotton I found in a charity shop. Our kitchen is painted blue so it even matches!
Before all this happened I had almost finished a dress for my daughter, who was meant to be coming home for Easter, with her fiance, but sadly lockdown made that impossible. However, I hemmed her dress on Saturday and sent her a couple of pictures instead of her Easter dress! I am pleased to say she really liked it and commented it is the colour of a Cadbury's Mini Egg, which I hadn't noticed before, but she's absolutely right - it is! Very apt for an Easter present dress. It's made in a heavier weight polka dot cotton, which I lined with Liberty Cotton Lawn in a plain cream colour.
I've also been making squares for my friendship blanket, which you may remember is squares of leftover 4 ply sock yarn donated by my lovely friends at Cooper's Creative Group. It's coming along well and I love snuggling up in it as I stitch in another square. Like a woolly hug from my dear friends, even though we can't physically meet up at this time.
If there's been one consolation during our enforced time at home it's that the weather has been glorious here and we have been able to sit outside in the garden in the sunshine most days. My husband and son moved the stone bench up on to the patio so I can take my cup of tea outside without getting the cushions for the 'big furniture' out. Also, I am not overlooked by anyone, meaning I am OK for early cups of tea in my dressing gown!
It's just been announced we are in for at least another three weeks of lockdown, so with all this time at home I hope to have some blocks to show you soon!!
I sincerely hope wherever you are in the world you are coping OK and that those you love are safe. Keep well, well safe and take care of one another.
With all good wishes,
Donna x
EDIT: Goodness knows what happened to my photos after I uploaded this post! Hopefully I have managed to fix it now. x
Hello my friends,
Having been absent from here for a few weeks (more about that in a moment) I had started to write a post about the projects I have been up to recently but the escalating news over the weekend made me think I didn't want to witter away in my usual way without first acknowledging the very strange and scary times we all find ourselves in. All across the world people are facing the unknown, the uncertain, and news that changes not daily, but hourly. It feels like standing on the beach with the sand shifting from under our feet.
I hope, wherever in the world you live, you are finding the support and comfort we all crave right now. I hope you have what you need and have someone to turn to if you don't. For those facing health worries, job worries, financial concerns, isolation, be kind to yourself and please use all resources in your communities to get help and advice as and when you need it. This is a time to be grateful for technology and connectivity.
The reason I have been quiet is I've been poorly. A nasty viral infection a few weeks ago that laid me flat for several days, but then triggered a major bout of asthma, which is finally improving with the help of my sympathetic GP and some extra strong medication. As a normally fit and active person, this has taken its toll and I haven't been able to walk Daisy Dog (couldn't manage the hill back to our house) or concentrate on very much at all. At the time I didn't fit the criteria for a Coronavirus diagnosis, but I am now very much hoping that's what it was, but have been advised to assume it wasn't, and to continue to be super vigilant and follow all the health advice issued.
I wish each and every one of you all the very best throughout the coming weeks and months as we confront this challenge. I will, in the meantime, be back in a few days with that promised post about Projects.
Much love, and all good wishes,
Donna xx
Hello!
Our little village has been battered and bashed by the storm on the weekend and sadly some of our neighbours have been flooded out of their homes for the second time in four years. We live on top of a hill, so thankfully stayed dry, and our only damage was a wicker fence that blew away (later retrieved in tiny pieces) and our bird table, which was smashed to smithereens. We consider we got off extremely lightly.
I was in a reflective mood today and felt the need to 'nest'. I started the day by cleaning the house from top to bottom, and after some lunch, and a good walk with Daisy Dog, I took myself off to my sewing room for a couple of relaxing hours piecing together some more blocks for my patchwork quilted placemats. I have recently downloaded the BBC Sounds app on my iPad, and on the recommendation of my good friend, J, listened to four episodes of Middlemarch, by George Eliot this afternoon. I've seen and enjoyed the television adaption but it was so peaceful listening to the dramatisation, quietly matching, pinning and stitching the blocks together.
The placemats are a project that has grown in size, and I am now making ten of them - our dining table seats 8 and I have two spares for serving dishes. Consequently I ran out of the some of the fabrics from the 'Hedgerow' range, which is now discontinued. It was therefore difficult to find the ones I needed in the right quantities, but I luckily chanced upon The Tartan Reel, which had the two fabrics I needed. I was delighted with the service as I ordered them on Monday evening and they arrived Wednesday morning, beautifully packaged in a reusable/recyclable cardboard box, with the fabrics wrapped in tissue paper, complete with a lovely note from the proprietor in the lid! Definitely a company to use again.
I have all the materials I need now to finish the placemat marathon, so I shall plod on, listening to my talking books, matching, pinning and stitching away...
Donna x
