It’s time for a little happy dance! I’ve just finished my poppies humbug. It’s a design by Faby Reilly I started it in mid April, it’s been my ‘borrowed time’ project, 10 minutes here and there whilst doing other things!.
Some one was asking why they are called humbugs. It’s easy to forget just how local some words are when writing a blog. A mint humbug is an old-fashioned traditional sweet here in the UK. It is a very specific shape as you can see from the picture…humbug shape! These are handmade sweets from Scotland if you fancy trying a proper mint humbug!
Anyway, this is where I was when I last showed you my poppies…
I was chuntering about the DMC gold thread. Faby rightly said life is too short to stitch with threads you don’t like, she suggested some different ones to try. Somehow I’ve ended up with about six skeins of these threads, I’ve finished this project but I’ve decided I’ll see if anyone wants them at Embroiderers Guild, if not they can go to a charity shop!
Faby’s designs really come to life with all the back-stitching, beads and extra embellishments like Algerian stars and spiders web stitch. I found four different beads in my bead box that were possibles, three black ones and one gun metal grey. I decided these little black ones looked perfect. This is the finished embroidery just waiting to be made up.
Making up is actually fairly quick, the edge was already back-stitched ready for whip-stitching together. The top and the sides are stitched together, then the bottom is flattened the other way and then stitched together…Faby has a tutorial which makes it much clearer!
Faby Reilly Poppy Humbug
It was a lovely evening in the garden last night so I took my humbug outside to photograph it on the mossy walls. The words on the bottom are poppy (going across) and coquelicot going upwards which is french for poppy.
I’m really pleased with my poppy humbug, it’s a nice size being stitched on 28 count linen, my mum asked what it was for, I said it would just look pretty…and it does!
thecraftycreek 
And very pretty it is too. I have pincushions I stitched which just look pretty and I don’t use for their intended purpose.
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Lovely finish, but I now have a huge craving for humbugs!
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Thanks Kate, I prefer lemon bonbons myself 🙂
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🙂
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Oh, good–I was wondering about that humbug business, too!
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I love your garden, it’s so beautiful, you must have worked very hard. Your little humbug is gorgeous, so delicate. If you don’t want the gold threads please consider me, I would be more than willing to pay for them. Love your blog BTW, I look for it every day in my email, cheers me up no end. Regards Mandy
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Thank Mandy, send me your address and you can have them 🙂
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I was wondering about the words, and now I understand! A lovely piece to enjoy and use!
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it is indeed very pretty and decorative
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It’s lovely 😍 I am just about to start Faby’s
Christmas humbugs 😄
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Thanks Debbie, I love her Christmas ones, they look lovely on the tree, I’ve made two and I think I’ve patterns for another two 🙂
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There used to be a little shop in a village near where I grew up in Canada where they made candies called humbugs…they were striped like the ones you showed, but shaped more like a little square pillow, and they were brown and beige…but the most delicious candies ever! Unfortunately, the small business that made them had a fire and they never reopened.
All that to say, I love your humbug! The poppies are so vibrant looking!
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Thank you so much for explaining “humbug!” Yours is lovely!
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Thank you for answering my query on what humbugs were, Margaret. I know the sweets you mean (not a favourite – I’m a chocaholic!) but that aside, I love embroidered humbugs, love Faby Reilly designs and look forward to purchasing my own. I agree with Mandy – love your garden. And I also look forward to all posts from this blog. They make my day… 😉
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Life is too short to stitch with threads you don’t like! That is true of so many things! The sweet stitched poppy humbug is so lovely!
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This is really beautiful! I do like Faby’s designs,or at least your interpretations of them!
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Absolutely lovely!! So beautifully finished 🙂 Then again, knowing you, it was always going to be an outstanding finish 🙂 !!
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Oh my goodness…I just had a flashback to my childhood…my Grandmother use to give us Humbugs. Your project stitched up beautifully. I like poppies. I planted some Alpine Poppies this year in our front garden.
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Oh how lovely! And the photographs are so pretty too!
Don’t you love that question…”what is it for”?
Here’s my answer… “It’s to make the world a more wonderful place to live by adding exquisite beauty and delight”!
Thanks for linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching!
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Thanks Kathy, I love your response, I’ll have to remember that one 🙂
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Great stitching on your poppies. I have never heard about humbug before. Living and learning. It seems to be delicious,
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It’s funny about local candies, too. And the ones from my childhood that are not made anymore. Your little stitched humbug is quite lovely.
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How very pretty this is. Thanks for the info about humbugs. I just thought it was a Dickens’ expression. You learn something new everyday.
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Thanks Cathie, I’m not sure where the expression comes from but it’s nothing to do with the mints!
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One day I will treat myself to one of these patterns a Christmas one I think, the poppy one is stunning – thank you for introducing me to Fabys designs
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Thanks Rose, I’ve got a couple of the Christmas ones in my to do pile, I’ve already done the mistletoe one and the holly one, they’re gorgeous!
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