Tall Square Etui SAL

Posted on September 9, 2018 by craftycreeky

It’s three weeks since I last showed you my Tall Square Etui, I’ve made pretty good progress, so I’m almost ready for a mini happy dance! This is a design by Betsy Morgan which is in the Classic Inspirations magasine, though I’m using my own choice of threads. Each side represents a different season so I’m just going with colours I associate with the season.

Last time I showed you I had just finished the centre panel with the acorns on…DSC_0029 (2)

…three weeks on and I’ve finished the autumn side…Tall Year Square Etui

and I’ve almost finished the matching side for the thimble cube in the middle.DSC_0195 (2)

I wasn’t sure about the Autumn colours at first, but I love them now, rich and earthy!

I’m planning to take winter away with me next week and crack on with it, so hopefully there will be some progress next time.

This stitch-a-long is organised by Avis, we all choose our own projects and just share our progress every three weeks. If you would like to join us please contact Avis. Do follow the links to see everyone else’s progress;

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Tony, Megan, Catherine, Deborah, Connie

Posted in embroidery, Serendipity, Stitch-a-long | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Friday Photo Challenge

Posted on September 7, 2018 by craftycreeky

Today’s theme for the Friday Photo Challenge is waterways, so I’ve searched through my photos for rivers, canals, streams, lakes…View over Derwentwater from Catbells

…of course the view from Catbells was going to be here somewhere! This is taken half way down, looking over Derwentwater towards Skiddaw on the left and Blencathra in the middle at the back.

Over on the other side of the world, this is the river in Adelaide, looking across to the cricket ground.

Keswick Landing Stage

There’s lots of ways to enjoy the lake, rowing boats, canoes, launches, or just walking round Derwentwater. It’s always very peaceful round the lake as there is a strict speed limit, no speedboats allowed. It’s also the only lake in Cumbria (I think) that you can actually walk all the way round on footpaths.

This is the River Wharfe in Otley, looking very peaceful in this photo but it can be a raging torrent!

Ullswater with the rain coming across.

Catherine Parr Oak

This is a beautiful oak tree in Thorp Perrow Arboretum near Bedale, reflecting in the water below.

More reflections and more photos of the River Wharfe, this time a few miles further upstream at Bolton Abbey. Luckily there is a footbridge next to the stepping stones!

A couple of miles further up is the Strid, where the river goes through a very narrow but very deep gorge.

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A different kind of waterway, this is the Leeds Liverpool canal near Skipton.

Gaping Ghyll 3

This photo is taken inside Gaping Ghyll, a huge underground cavern, big enough to fit a minster in! A couple of times a year you can be hoisted down a rope on a chair, past the waterfall! I think you can just make out the chair coming down top right of the photo. The light on the waterfall looked amazing.

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Finally a peaceful photo of a heron flying across the canal, we saw him several times during our canal trip and I finally managed to take a photo as he took off.

The Friday Photo Challenge is organised by Postcard from Gibraltar, why not follow the link to see more waterways.

 

Posted in Serendipity | 5 Comments

Septembers Photo Challenge.

Posted on September 4, 2018 by craftycreeky

It’s the first Tuesday in the month so it’s time for Wild Daffodils monthly photo challenge. This month is quite a challenge as the theme is case. I’ve decided to take that pretty broadly to include boxes, caskets…

This is the wooden box I keep my main embroidery threads collection in. I say main, as I’ve now got an overflow box as well. This was my mums box, I’ve recovered the top with a pretty floral fabric. It looks lovely in my sewing room.

This is the quilt I squeezed into my suitcase to take to Australia as a wedding present.

I found a good way of spotting my suitcase on the airport carousel, a little left over strip of Kaffe Fasset fabric!

Wouldn’t you just love to be able to make something like this! This is an embroidered casket in the Victoria & Albert museum, it is stunning.

I use this holdall instead of a case when I go away for a weekend, I love it, I made it from Ikea fabric I was given as part of a Secret Sewing Santa. The pink zip and the blue handles work really well.

This photo challenge is organised by Wild Daffodil, why not follow the link and see what cases everyone else is sharing.

 

 

Posted in Photo Challenge, Serendipity | Tagged | 8 Comments

Zach RIP

Posted on September 3, 2018 by craftycreeky

We had to say goodbye to Zach yesterday, he was nearly 15 years old, we used to laugh that he was blind, deaf, lumpy and grumpy, but even the day before he was cavorting round my daughters bedroom, enjoying a good wriggle and scratch…then he woke up Sunday morning and his back legs wouldn’t work.

I got Zach (or Zachary to give him his Sunday name!) when I was first divorced, so he was with me through the hard times and the good times that followed. He knew when I was upset, just sitting quietly with me, and I never had any doubt that he would defend me to the hilt. He was my little black shadow, following me everywhere, never more than a few steps away.DSC_0010 (1)

When he was younger he loved sitting behind me on my chair as I sat at my sewing machine, as he got older he sat under my sewing table, often getting covered by whichever quilt I was sewing. Over the last few months I made him a bed from an old quilt on the landing so he could see me sewing from a comfortable spot whilst he snoozed.

Zac sneaking on the photo!

Zachs timing was perfect yesterday, my daughter happened to be up for the weekend, my son was around, so when the vet came he slipped away peacefully surrounded by his family.021

 

The end of an era.

 

Posted in Serendipity | 27 Comments

Outlines and Fillers!

Posted on September 1, 2018 by craftycreeky

Over the last few days I’ve completed another double page spread for my stitch sampler. I think this will possibly be my last one, unless anyone has more bright ideas!

With most of my pages concentrating on the variations of one stitch, I was left with a few I wanted to include but really didn’t warrant a whole page, so I’ve be also included some pages on types of stitches. So earlier in the year I did knots and crosses (please excuse the pun!) and I’ve now stitched a page on outlines and a page on fillers…

The outline page took a bit of filling, mainly because by nature the outline stitches don’t take up much space! I included double running stitches, whipped running stitches, back stitch, threaded back-stitch, stem stitch and cable stitch. The initials at the bottom are in couching, back-stitch, with pearl and coral either side. I started this at the WI Tea & Tents camping weekend back in late July.DSC_0151 (2)

The filler stitch page took a lot longer, it didn’t help that I started making shapes to fill, only they were quite big and took some filling! I’ve stitched examples of satin stitch, long and short stitch, brick and cross, darning, buttonhole filling, stem filling, laidwork, bokhara couching, wave filling, leaf and another one which is sets of three stitches which I’ve mislaid the name of already! I love the colour of this thread, it’s DMC 4210 and it’s a lovely mix of ruby red, purple and deep pink.DSC_0150 (2)

I’ve embroidered Newby Bridge on this page as a place where I’ve stitched it, though I’m a little a head of myself here as I’m going with Helen up to the Lakes  in the morning. We’re hoping to climb Great Gable if the weather is fine, or Haystacks if it isn’t so good. After a night at Newby Bridge Helen is going on a riding hack on heavy horses. These are the old working horse breeds, Clydesdales and Shires, they are seriously huge! Shes hoping to be galloping along the beach! In the meantime I’ll be mooching round Newby Bridge or  catching the ferry to Windermere.

Back to my stitch sampler; I’ve now stitched pages on the following groups, fly, feather,buttonhole, cretan, vandyke, herringbone, chevron, running, chain, knots, crosses, outlines and fillers. Can anyone think of another major group I’ve missed? If not I’ll call it a day and stitch a front and back page before making the cover. I’m ready for this project to be finished!Stitch Sampler

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Friday Photo Challenge

Posted on August 31, 2018 by craftycreeky

The theme for todays photo challenge set by Postcard from Gibraltar is Viewpoint I’m taking this to be the scenic one and not the moral one 🙂

Walking up the steps in our garden,  a nice viewpoint of the rose arbour framed by the arch.Rose Arbour

A 30,000 feet high viewpoint of Australia!20180303_073739

A great view of Borrowdale from my favourite fell, Catbells, with my two walking friends  having a well earned coffee and sticky bun break.

Catbells 1

From Zach’s viewpoint, this is the best place to be in the winter, though if he can he will lie on the actual hearth with his paws tucked under the stove…one hot dog!

Zac

I’m finishing with one of my favourite photos from our holiday last March, an amazing view of the Twelve Apostles in early (ish!) morning light.

Twelve Apostles

Twelve Apostles

Posted in Garden, Photo Challenge, Serendipity, Walking | Tagged , | 6 Comments

A Butterfly Flutters By…

Posted on August 30, 2018 by craftycreeky

Last Saturday I set off early to negotiate a two bus journey over to Halifax, it took over one and a half hours, it would have been much quicker by train I think if they hadn’t been on strike! It was worth the journey though as I was attending a workshop at The Fabbadashery by Emma Frith.

The Fabbadashery is a lovely shop just up from Piece Hall in Halifax, they have a great range of quilting fabrics, trims, and generally lovely sewing stuff. Very friendly and helpful too, they have regular workshops both on embroidery and quilting.

Emma was running a workshop on embroidering a butterfly brooch. As soon as I saw a photo of the project I booked a place as I knew it would help with an embroidery project I’ve been mulling around in my head for a while. I want to make four (or more, if I get carried away!) butterflies and mount them in a frame like a traditional display.20180825_160944

Emma is a great tutor, she describes herself as an Artistic Hand Embroiderer on her card, her work is beautiful and she’s a very patient teacher and she also managed to create a lovely friendly ambiance in her class, there were seven or eight of us around a big old table, chatting away!

We had the choice of making a common blue butterfly or a red admiral. It was a close thing as the common blues are beautiful, but I decided on the red admiral.

The first thing we made was the body, by weaving wool around a cake-decorating wire. She had already kindly made the antenna for us to save time but she did show us how to make one with a pair of beads, a length of wire and Gutermann thread. With the antenna attached to the body, we were ready to start the wings.20180825_110956 (2)

The butterfly wings start off with silk painting, that’s where the background vibrant colours come from, this suits me to the ground as I have a box of silk paints at home! The silk is then bondawebbed onto some calico / cotton to do the embroidery.20180825_141458 (2)

We could stitch and embellish as much or as little as we wanted, I stitched the veins in stem-stitch, made some black spots with satin stitch and french knots and added colour along the top with herringbone and straight stitches. I added a little curly doodle along the inside of the top wing and sequins along the outer edge.DSC_0142 (1)

Once we were happy with our wings we used bondaweb to attach shot silk to the back. With the back in place we then had to couch a coloured length of wire around the edge of each pair of wings.This was a bit fiddly, but next came the scary bit, cutting out the wings right next to the couching stitches! Once they were cut out We could blanket-stitch around the edge, covering all the wire and couching stitches. It did take rather a long time to stitch round the two wings.DSC_0145

Once all the pieces were ready, all I had to do was stitch the wings together and then the body onto the wings and my butterfly was complete.DSC_0147

I had great fun posing him (or her??) in the garden…Embroidered Red Admiral

I think Emma does quite a few different embroidery courses at The Fabbadashery, I shall certainly be keeping my eye on their workshops as I’d love to do another with Emma. I had to make a hasty exit to catch the buses home, so I didn’t even have chance to mooch around the shop!

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Linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday and entering in her photo competition for stitching in your favourite place, my garden! Why not follow the link and see where everyone else has been stitching.

 

Posted in embroidery, Serendipity | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

Walking in Malhamdale

Posted on August 29, 2018 by craftycreeky

Last week my friends and I went on another practice walk, ready for St Cuthberts Way in a couple of weeks time. Our American friend had a friend visiting from home so we wanted to go somewhere special…we chose Malham Cove…

Malhamdale is limestone country, pavements, scars, gorges, it’s pretty dramatic countryside and Malham Cove itself is pretty iconic here in Yorkshire.

We started our walk in the village of Malham and walked across the fields and through the woodland to Janets Foss. The trees looked beautiful, it was so muggy that mist was rising from the water. The lichen and moss on the fallen tree was almost startling, it was such a vivid green.DSC_0033 (1)

Janets Foss is a very pretty waterfall in the middle of the wooded gorge.DSC_0043

We walked past the waterfall up to Gordale Scar. The entrance to the gorge is quite dramatic, classic limestone scenery.DSC_0045

This is a narrow gorge with overhanging walls of limestone up to 100m high. There is a footpath up past the waterfall but I was very relieved when my friend said we weren’t going that way! A month ago when it was dry we might have had a chance…DSC_0054 (1)

Instead we walked back down the gorge and then over the fields to Malham Cove, there were wonderful views across the valley as we walked along.DSC_0061

The patterns in these fields are from ancient farming methods…DSC_0060

Looking over towards Malham…DSC_0068 (1)Malham Cove is amazing, in glacial times it was a huge waterfall, but now it just has a spring emerging from it’s base…except in December 2015 when there was lots of flooding and for the first time in living memory there was a waterfall from the top of Malham Cove, for a short time it was the highest single drop waterfall in England. DSC_0072 (1)

The top of  the cove is a huge limestone pavement, the slabs of limestone are called clints, the deep fissures between are grykes, these are probably about 2′ deep. We sat and ate our lunch on the top where we were delighted to be visited by a little vole, who didn’t seem at all perturbed by me taking photos!DSC_0090 (1)

The limestone pavement isn’t easy to walk on, it’s a bit like a field of stepping stones, there was a bit of drizzle as we arrived on the top, making the stones slippy, so I managed to measure my length and my shin is still a lovely shade of purple and yellow!DSC_0078 (1)

We walked down the path at the side of the cove, which gives wonderful views of the limestone cliff. In spring it’s a lovely place to visit as a pair of falcons nest on the cove and a telescope is set up so people can watch the nest. It’s also a popular place for climbers.DSC_0100 (1)

It’s easier to see the scale of Malham Cove from a distance…DSC_0104

The mist was still rising from the stream!DSC_0103

We made our way back to Clapham for a welcome cup of tea in a cafe.

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Fabric Shopping with Friends

Posted on August 28, 2018 by craftycreeky

I’m still on catch up with my posts…

Last month Ali AKA Thimberlina, organised another Sew Dewsbury, it must be about the fourth or fifth meet up she has arranged. Sew Dewsbury is lovely because it’s small and personal, some of the bigger meet-ups you can feel a bit lost if you don’t know anyone, not in Dewsbury!

Dewsbury is south of Leeds, it’s an old textile town and there are still good fabric shops there. I really ought to go to Dewsbury more often as on two trains it doesn’t take that long. I suppose my problem is I rarely go fabric shopping for a specific project, I’m an impulse buyer! I decided on the train on the way over that I wouldn’t go mad, I would be controlled, maybe one or two lengths…well that didn’t work out did it!

We met in Wetherspoons, on a very rough estimate there was probably about two dozen of us. A special treat was meeting Sheila from Sewchet, she’d come up from Somerset for the weekend, staying with Ali, having followed each others blogs for ages it was great to meet in person. We had a great time chatting as we went round the shops.20180728_150142

Our first call was Fabworks, this is the biggest fabric shop in Dewsbury, they have a great range, Liberty, Avoca, cottons, wools, linens, jersey, curtaining…and leather pieces, I’ve never particularly looked at leather before but I started rummaging in the remnant bin (I blame Sheila for this one 🙂 )and ended up buying three or four small pieces. It’s sold by weight here, I seem to remember it cost me about £4.

Fabworks also had some 1.5m lengths of denim, various shades, for £5, I bought three different lots for jeans and denim skirts, for £5 a length it didn’t matter if it didn’t work out! I also found two potential trouser lengths…

In Lucky Fashions I fell for an acid print cotton in pink with dragon flies on. I bought two lengths of this fabric last time in white and teal, I made one into a dress for the summer and it was lovely to wear, so I’m going to have a pink dress this time!20180729_093910

In the Pound a Yard shop (It isn’t anymore, but it’s still cheap!) I spotted some cotton lawn which is meant to be Liberty’s, just a plain white/ivory lawn, perfect for a shirt. I’m not sure if it is Liberty’s or not, but it’s very nice.

Our next port of call was the Creative Craft Centre, they were having a shop birthday, so cakes and refreshments, tombolas and raffles were the order of the day. I won a crochet kit and bought some pretty tulle ribbon which can be knitted into a scarf or a frill.20180728_123411

Our final shopping stop was Dewsbury market, I found the haberdashery stalls and bought some very pretty lace and trims, but missed the Liberty stall!

We all met together again at Wetherspoons, see what everyone else had bought, what bargains we had missed!! I had a lesson in Instagram too, still not really got the hang of it but I do keep posting now @thecraftycreek. I think half the problem is that I’m not a mobile orientated person at all, I can go days without checking my phone, much to the annoyance of my kids! So at the moment if I’m out and about I tend to post on Instagram, whereas at home I tend to write a post here.

Some good news I heard yesterday…I was very sad over the summer to hear that the Sheffield cutlers, Ernest Wright and Son had closed down. They were one of very few traditional scissor makers left in Yorkshire, Sheffield has a very long history is steel and cutlery. There was a beautiful post written by Did You Make That which really captured the traditional company that was being lost. I was very pleased that I had received as presents a pair of their dressmaking scissors and their traditional embroidery scissors, proud to own scissors made in Yorkshire.scissors for sewing

A few days ago this message was shared on facebook from their website …

We are writing a new chapter in the history of the Ernest Wright quality scissors.

All assets including the Ernest Wright and Kutrite brand names, the original machinery, tools and stock have been bought from the Receiver. The original personnel have been offered their jobs back and the old factory and workshop have been leased again from the landlord.

“We are but the two halves of a pair of scissors, when apart… but together we are something”

We will be back soon!

Great news indeed, I might just have to buy myself a new pair to celebrate as soon as they open again 🙂

Posted in Fabric shops, Serendipity | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Monday’s Meander Round the Garden

Posted on August 27, 2018 by craftycreeky

Over the last couple of days the weather has gone distinctly autumnal, we really could have done with lighting the fire last night, but it’s still August so we just stuck an extra jumper on instead! There were a few comments on facebook about people putting their heating on!

The rose hips on the briar roses are huge this year, like rosy tomatoes! We’ve got a hedge of briar and hedgehog roses along the back fence, so there’s lots of hips to see at the moment.DSC_0153

The foliage plants are starting to come into there own now, whilst I was photographing the hips I noticed this eunonymus and pulmonaria at my feet almost underneath the rhodedendron bush.DSC_0149

In the Amber & Amethyst garden the echinacea are still looking good, the colour looks great next to the deep blue of the veronica spires and the turning foliage of the pieris, the red leaves are looking lovely.DSC_0158

Over in the rose bed opposite the summerhouse I noticed the Pheasant berry (Leycesteria formosa or Himalayan Honeysuckle) was flowering, these are unusual flowers, more like bracts really, the birds love the berries that follow.DSC_0161

The sedums around the garden are starting to come into their own, this one’s reasonably upright, once they really flop then they need dividing in the autumn…two for the price of one!DSC_0162

The cotinus coggyria or smoke bush is just starting to get it’s autumn colour, the outer leaves are quite red. I love this bush, but the colours never seem to come out on a photograph, imagine all shades of red wine!

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Hopefully this week I’ll manage to do a bit more tidying up, starting to get the garden ready for the winter!

Posted in Garden, Serendipity | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments