Sew Stripy

I love all the summer stripes around at the moment - from bright deck chairs and striped bunting, to my own favourite stripy tops, I love the summery brightness and freshness of StRiPeS sooo much! I took pictures this week of some of the stripy sewing I've done, both a while ago and more recently. I've been working on a  commission which involves stripes too which is why I've been loving them more than ever......

 ...I love the red and white patch in this little quilt - it makes me think of punch and judy shows on the sands..

....a stripy summer heart for a rose lover, on a piece of birthday wrapping paper combining florals and stripes

....and some more little summery hearts - another winning combination for me has always been this chalky blue and white stripe it always makes me think of beach huts and the seaside.....

 ...I have been finishing up some summer projects this week, which involves lots of paperwork as in writing instructions, checking charts and templates, making out invoices and so on at my computer, rather than sewing in  the garden which is the bit I like best....lots of cups of tea helps, especially in a stripy mug...

 ...I am packing my bags today (with plenty of stripy tee shirts) as we are heading off on a short trip - partly business (a design meeting) and then for a relaxing few days away...so I will be taking a blog break...

I have already packed my camera and my wool....In the meantime, thank you for dropping by to see me here in my little bit of blogland, and  I hope you enjoy lots of happy, lazy hazy days of summer until I return. Back in a little while xxxxx

Summer Dreaming

We're thinking about summer here this week...choosing cottages to stay in by the sea and in the country...

I'm dreaming of summer and all the things I love about it...and seeing my summer boats bag that I made last year storing some yarn at the moment but knowing before long it will be filled with...what? Sea shells, maps, sun glasses, bottles of water, ice cream money, gardens leaflets...I am soo looking forward to that.

I love to have seaside pictures and postcards and other reminders of summer around my studio through all the seasons, like this sweet seaside scene by Julia Crosland. (You can find it here.) I often keep shells and sea glass collected from different holidays in jars with labels, to preserve a little bit of those jolly times...

I've been dreaming of gardens, especially our own - soon to be more flowery than ever! - and I've been looking at some of my garden scrapbooks, filled with ephemera, and pictures of flowers we grew and will again...

 This was our garden last summer and I am sooo looking forward to the roses blooming again. Late spring just tipping over into early summer in a cottage garden...pure bliss to me!

I hope you all have a lovely week, and enjoy some summer dreaming too, and maybe a few more signs of spring as well. Back soon for a splash of colour. xxxx

Red and white and sunny all over

Such sunny days, with slight breezes are perfect for drying quilts. These are my Shoo Fly block quilts, made a few years ago, and I still love the red and white combination. I like making simple pieced quilts - so soothing to just hand stitch something easy while watching a film or chatting. I also like the simple shapes repeating over and over, and the look of the folded quilts piled together. Also, of course, they are extremely useful to keep us cosy when the days are not so sunny and the breezes not so gentle...