stormy weather

This lady hanging in my window looking over a cold and rainy London is La Vella Quaresma or the Old Woman of Lent. She is Carme's creation from her lovely blog la meva maleta all the way from Barcelona. In Catalonia, home of the quirky custom she is hung in the window for Lent and one of her seven legs is pulled off for each week leading up to Easter, this is to bring luck for the year. Only one leg left which reminds me that time is running out and I have a lot to do for a couple of events taking place soon after Easter, so I will be printing and stitching (and eating chocolate) for the next two weeks. 

The silver cloud necklace cheers me up, it's from cup of sea who make their playful jewellery nearby in this soggy corner of London, also handy for putting on lipstick or fiddling with contact lenses.

sea blue

I had to limit myself at the boot sale on Sunday, my house is full to bursting with my 'finds' so I restrained myself and spent my £5.00 on a few curiosities and tiny items all linked by the theme of blue. A water colour painting of the sea, a tiny ship in a cabinet, lovely blue Whitefriars vase and some delicate white china bowls. I bumped into Kate at the boot sale, she is a stylist and writes one of my favourite blogs the fabric of my life. She has an amazing eye for the beautiful and charming and her blog is aways inspiring.

pattern inspiration

I am working on some new pattern designs to mix in with my cushions so I have been looking through my piles of vintage fabrics, scarves and hankies for inspiration. The patchwork quilt was from a local flea market, a mad mix of fabrics hand sewn with love and care, a real portrait of the 70's in hexagonal pieces. Putting it in the washing machine was perhaps not a good idea as I now have to do a bit of make and mend. London has gone a bit quilt mad at the moment as there is a big new exhibition all about British quilt making just starting at the V&A museum which is not to be missed, I must make sure I find time to see it. 

lovely chair

I do have quite a thing about chairs and this is my favourite at the moment, my sister and I bought a pair of these beautifully made Dutch chairs at our local junk emporium, one each. My daughter thinks it belongs in an old people's home so we dress it accordingly, with a cosy rug, vintage head scarf and happy birds cushion - knitting bag close at hand. I was quite pleased to see a pair of these chairs at the Mid-Century Modern show at three times what we paid for them - a comfy investment! 

mid century overload

I went to the Mid-Century Modern show yesterday. Held twice yearly at our local Hogwarts-style school, it showcases over 75 sellers of amazing mid-century furniture, design, collectables, books, textiles, ceramics, glassware, pots and pans. It is really worth going to for an overwhelming choice of lovely stuff!  So overwhelming that I ended up spending my £10 on something not modern at all, the simple handmade quality of this embroidered linen panel stood out among the shiny glass and teak.

a lot of nonsense

It was mother's day yesterday so I was taken to see Alice in Wonderland at the cinema. I have to say I was a bit disappointed, too many battles and not enough goats in railway carriages. I don't think any amount of 3D and special effects can match the extraordinary visions of the original books. I read this vibrant 60's version of Jabberwocky to my children when they were younger, I love the exuberant illustrations.

new cushions

I have been busy stitching and photographing and have just put some new cushions into my Etsy shop, they will be appearing on my website soon. Two colourways at the moment, teal and olive both on white or natural linen. My collection of Ercol furniture always comes in handy as props for my photographs, it's lightness and elegance provides the perfect backdrop.

souvenirs from Bexhill

As with most seaside towns, Bexhill has a fine selection of charity shops. Here are a few of the bits and pieces that came home with us on Saturday. A pair of glass candlesticks, a very green irish linen tablecloth with matching napkins, teak napkin rings that go with the napkins, teacups that go with my soup bowls, and my favourite, following the green theme a very cute Figgjo Flint market design pot.