Monday 20 July 2015

Summer Brights

 With all the sunshine we have been having and the flowers and fruits we are enjoying at the moment, i have been inspired by bright summery colours this week.......
 ..................i began to crochet a small summer throw using a mix of bright fresh colours.......
 .............all warm shades like summer fruits, with a few shades of green for contrast......
 ..............i have picked lots of flowers to have on my work table, on my desk and in fact dotted all round the house...........lots of sweet peas which are finally flowering beautifully after a very slow start........still lots of small palest pink roses too and of course big white daisies............

 ...............besides crocheting this week, i finished off a little project using some of my lovely lecien fabrics.............a mix of flower sugar and modern basics..........
 ...............i made some paper pieced shapes for a chrysanthemum.............
 ................this time, instead of applying it to a piece of fabric as i did with the recent cushion i showed you, i stitched a fabric backing to the chrysanthemum shape,  turned it right side out, took out the paper pieces and stuffed it with polyester toy filling, then closed the final side and there it was, a 3d flowery pincushion.....
 ..............i found a nice spotty green fabric covered button to sew in the centre...........
 .................it is always fun to make a quick project to finish while you are sewing and crocheting some larger ones............
 .................i bought the usual mixed pots of sweetpea plants for our garden again this year, and even they have turned out to be brighter than usual...............
 .............i never tire of their delicious scent and their gorgeous colourful petals...........
 ............i have planted some in the ground and some in a big terracotta pot.......
 .............some other news to tell you is that i have (at long last) got a facebook page........if you are on facebook too it would be wonderful if you would pop over and like it :).....the link is the pink fb badge on my sidebar...............i look forward to discovering lots of you on fb now too :)............of course i  really LoVe blogging and the blog community over here and will still be here as usual...............
.............off to do a bit more of my crochet throw now, and have a nice cup of tea.........thank you for visiting me here, dear readers, and for all your kind and interesting comments too.........wishing you a bright and happy summer week with lots of crafty inspirations........back soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

46 comments:

Viola said...

Dear Helen, your crochet throw will look wonderful. You really have an eye for matching colours. Your pincushion is a beauty, as well. It is such a pity that you usually don't need more that on of these sweeties. I would love to make more of them any time. Your flowers look beautiful, my sweet peas don't want to bloom this year, I just don't know why. Viola

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Lovely as always Helen!
Your throw is so pretty as are those beautiful fabrics, I really love the zingy colours.
Such a clever little pincushion too.
I'm starting to enjoy my sweet peas now too, I agree the scent is wonderful.
Have a great week and I'm now off to find you on Facebook. :)
V x

Susan said...

Helen, your pincushion is adorable!! You can never go wrong with Lecien's bright colors. I also like your throw. Lovely flowers too, especially the sweet peas. I've long been a fan of them. I grew them when I lived back in California. Now that I'm in an apartment in the Midwest USA, I can't grow any. I'll have to enjoy yours...

Kate said...

Helen, your chrysanthemum pin cushion is a beauty. I love all the colour you've shared! ^^

Elderberry-Rob said...

Everything is so pretty - I like sweet peas a lot, yours are vibrant. Betty

serendipity said...

Lovely craftiness as always. I planted sweet peas in tubs this year and they've done so much better than in the ground.xx

Evelyne said...

Great inspiration as always.
Lovely blanket and pincushion!
Have a nice summer!
Evelyne

Gracie Saylor said...

As I enjoyed visiting you through this post, Helen, I found myself picking up some pointers along the way about growing sweet peas, combining colors, and paper piecing as well. I also appreciated knowing that you enjoy working on small and large projects in tandem, a back and forth process in time that no doubt helps motivate the completion and enjoyment of each project. Now I am off to visit your new FB page. I just posted my first Instagram photo not long ago...such amazing choices we have to communicate with each other these days! :) xx

Jane said...

Ooh yes, love sweet peas, the scent of summer. I didn't grow any this year, too busy with puppy, so I have withdrawal symptoms! Back again next year I think. Love your blanket, gorgeous colours, and the pin cushion too. Have a lovely week Helen. Jane xx

Cream Linen said...

I adore the scent of sweet peas . They bloom in spring here in Greece , I suppose it is too warm this time of year and you don't see them in gardens or in flower shops and stalls.
I also like to have small vases with flowers around the house .They make the place look so welcoming and cosy!
Thank you for the beautiful, inspiring photos, as always.
From a very warm Greece,
Tina xxx

Lorrie said...

Your colors perfectly coordinate with these hot summer days we've been having here, too. Love the pin cushion - can one have too many of them? They are fun to make! Happy week to you.

Jane said...

HI Helen, I love the green you put in your crochet it's the perfect pop of colour. So many lovely bright colours here. I too love sweet peas but I have never been too successful growing them.Perhaps I'll give them another go one year. I'm glad to hear you are on FB but also that you will continue to blog. As you say blogging is such fun and I love reading your posts. Have a lovely week xx

Jo@awholeplotoflove said...

Love the colours you've used in your blanket, very summery! I like sweet peas too but have struggled to grow them this year x

Ingrid Orens said...

Such a cute pincushion !!
I also like to make small projects, they give "instant gratification", something really I need when working on something that takes a long time or that advances slowly :-)...

scrappyjacky said...

Loving all your summery colours.

Gill - That British Woman said...

such wonderful colours perfect for summer!

Kim said...

Helen, just when I thought your creations couldn't get any lovelier, you whip out these colors! Perfect and so pretty!

Christine B said...

Hello Helen! Really love the new crocheted blanket that you have started the colours are beautiful, as are your sweet peas. I loved looking at your little bouquets of sweet peas so much last year that I grew some seeds myself this year and they are flowering nicely, so I have my own pot of sweet peas sitting in my sewing room! Thank you for so much inspiration! :) x

Baa. xxx said...

Ah.... the scent of sweet peas. They always remind me of my mother - she grew them every year.
Karen

Mylittlepieceofengland said...

Oh I love Sweet Peas, so pretty and smell so good. Pretty pin cushion - everything you make is so pretty xx

Blondie's Journal said...

The colors on your blog posts never fail to make me smile, Helen! You are so creative and your 'short' projects would take me days!!

Love sweet pea but I was told it would only do well in the spring here in the Midwest...that it didn't do well in the heat. Was this wrong advice?

I will be sure to visit you on FB!

Jane x

KC'sCourt! said...

More beautiful colours. I just cannot grow sweetpeas, there must be a secret I don't know about!
Julie xxxxxxxx

Amy at love made my home said...

So much beautiful summery brightness indeed!! They are just the right colours for summer aren't they. xx

Sigrun said...

Helen, oh my goodness, is this needlecusion beautiful!

Sigrun

Stins said...

What a lovely combination of colours, I love those pretty images....
So good to see sweet pea flowers and a shame I can' t smell them ;-). I don' t have them this year and i really miss it, summer is not really complete without them !
Lots of love from Mirjam.

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

Hi Helen, I posted on Facebook first then came back to your post!!! Love the brilliant colors and of course the sweet peas, mine are still not in bloom yet, you are right, very soon this year. Love the 3d flowery pincushion, so perfect for this time of year. The new small blanket in the works will be so cheery and a joy to use. Lovely work dear Helen!
xoRobin

Annerose said...

Schön hat du das wieder gemacht liebe Helen. Ich bin begeistert von den Farben und von deinen schönen Blumen.
Liebe Grüße Annerose

Cindy said...

Love the colors in you new throw. They really match the sweet peas! I've not had much luck growing sweet peas. Maybe it's too hot here. Have a great week!

Eight by Six said...

I always look forward to reading your bright and happy posts. THe crochet is very pretty

Cheryl said...

Such beautiful colors! I am needing to invest in some "brights" all my yarn seems to be at the other end of the spectrum!
big hugs,
Cheryl

Things and Thoughts said...

Dearest Helen, everything you make is so wonderful, so eye candy!A good dose of happy colours, good taste, good materials, perfect execution.I'm also here to thank you for your kind visits on my blog, your sweet comments are always so much appreciated. I'm taking a little break and I'll be back at the end of summer.
Until then, I wish you the happiest of days ahead
Olympia

Patti said...

It is always such a treat to visit your posts. Everything is so pretty. Thank you so much for taking the thought and time to share with us. It is sooooooo appreciated. I find such peace and inspiration here.

flowers on my table said...

Hello Helen, you are delighting and inspiring us as usual! Lovely to see you on FB too! Love Linda x

Frances said...

Helen, I am another great fan of sweetpea flowers. Just seeing the pictures in this post brought a smile to my face! I can tell that your garden is continuing to inspire your choice of colors. t

The crocheting is a great mix...and that touch of green really adds just the right spark.

The flower pincushion is a very clever design. I except that you've now encouraged quite a few folks to try to make one of their own.

Sorry to admit that I have never signed up for facebook, or twitter, or instagram. For the present, I love the blogging medium, and it's about all I can manage. Perhaps I will eventually spead my wings. Several friends continue to urge me towards instagram. We'll see.

xo

Teresa Kasner said...

Oh.. summer must love you as you always have her colors in your heart all year long! Love your crochet and your pin cushion.. love love! We're in Oklahoma now.. I put some new photos on my blog.. please stop over. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Inspiring post. Love the colors. The pin cushion is charming

Jennifer Hays said...

I just love these colors, Helen. The granny stripe is so pretty. I really like the way the green and shrimp yarns pop out from the pinks. I can't wait to see more of it. Hope you are having a lovely, summery week.

Miss said...

i love it.. every time you show us something wool , you laways show us same colours in different things...
Harmony is the word for you posts.
Such vitamins for me.
Miss xx

Sharon - creativity and family said...

Your throw colours are gorgeous, lovely for summer. Our sweet peas were rather slow this year too, we started picking this week :-) xx

Crafty in the Med said...

Wonderful pretties as always Helen. Summer colours .....lovely!

keep well

Amanda xx

Jo said...

Always great to call in Helen such great colours. Jo x

Simone said...

A beautiful bright post Helen and I love the unusual and striking colour combination of the throw - gorgeous! You have so many lovely summer flowers to inspire you so no wonder you make lots of lovely things. Have a good weekend. x

handmade by amalia said...

I wish we had the sort of summer that required a throw, ours is relentlessly hot.
I think sweet peas may well be one of my favorite flowers, their scent is amazing and I love their shy, unassuming personality.
Amalia
xo

Unknown said...

I love the throw, perfect colors! And the pin cushion makes me wish I could sew, so inspiring :)

Art and Sand said...

The colors and the fabrics you used on your little hexagon quilt are wonderful.

This makes me want to cut out a bunch of hexis and make a little quilt.

Zwergenwelt said...

hello dear Helen,
thanks so much for your comment on my blog!
Because of this hot sommer days I am a little bit lazy for blogging, but now I am reading your wonderful posts about summer colours and pretty crochet projects.
The Star Pincushion is such a cute Idea for little fabric pieces!
Best wishes and greetings, cornelia