Now I'm not that keen on ivy, because it is slowly taking over my garden.
However, right now I am more than happy to have it creeping over the garden wall because it is attracting these beautiful butterflies. I counted at least twenty enjoying the early Autumn warmth.
Are they Red Admirals, or Peacocks?
Mmmm - don't know but they are a joy.
I recently told you of my lucky win from Marly over at Samplers and Santas. She generously gave away some bundles of fabric and I won one.
As a small thank you I stitched her this, one of my favourite small designs and personalised it for her by stitching her initial in red. It is a La D Dah freebie, Alphabet and Hare.
It is edged in beads along with a bead hanger but they are tricky to see here.
OK, this little birdie doesn't look much - a bit wobbly - a bit uneven - a bit crude.
But I made it.
Yay!!!
I have started classes for making stained leaded glass and after two weeks (4 hours) of lessons I produced this.
Because newbies are notoriously clumsy and coloured glass is ridiculously expensive, we had to make this first project from clear glass and it was difficult to photograph (I think that is my bosom encased in white on the wing!) but here she is.
Another craft now - knitting. You can tell I am retired can't you?
When I was teaching I barely had the energy to crawl upstairs to bed, but now - stitching with one hand, glass making with other, knitting with the ......... er feet???
Anyway, one pair of socks completed, one sock from another pair also completed.
Cool colours eh?
For a little variation, I ribbed all the way down the front of the blue sock.
As you can see, they are knitted on four needles using Regia wool and their free easy peasy pattern
Now - not quite so successful was my foray into ageing pieces for a primitive look.
Carmen at Cardan antiques and Needlework sent me lots of stuff to get me started and last night Anne, my stitching friend, and I, had a go. We made up different strength solutions of walnut crystals and coffee and experimented with various types and colours of linen.
As you can see.
But, mostly it just looked as though we had mistakenly spilt coffee on it.
It did not have that 'I was used by your great great grandmother during the long hard snow-bound winters in that single room log cabin. On the mountain top. Cut off from all hope of rescue.
Isolated. Making do and mending.
Wondering what her husband would say when he returned from hunting to find all his clothes had been patch worked during idle moments.
Oh for goodness sake, get a grip Irene!
I'm sorry, back to the sewing.
In the end we aged the stitching we had prepared and this is the result
We were only sort of satisfied as this only worked when we followed this somewhat time-consuming procedure.
We crumpled, we dipped, we squeezed, we held.
We dipped, we squeezed, we held, we baked.
We ironed on the right side ( hush my mouth!)
And we got this faint crackling finish.
I am sure Carmen will take me in hand soon and success will be mine.
Finally, as a reward for those who ploughed through this nonsense, here is my lovely Meghan.
Oh - I forgot to mention something.
Have you ever googled your own name?
I did, ages ago.
I googled my single name and discovered that there was a pioneer woman, with my name, who traveled West across America in a wagon train and taught English in a pioneer settlement.
She wrote a book about her experiences and I have the book!
By the way, I was a teacher with responsibility for the teaching of English in my school.
Bet that's why I know about log cabins and stay-away 'I was on a hunting trip, honest' husbands.
Love to all, Irene xxx
