Thought for the week - longing for home

A good day in the studio/garden...

 

 Lucky they're in the same place! I'm heading back out there - glass of Viognier in hand,it's such a great day.

Shameless pet post

Feeling slightly guilty and distracted as Mr Darcy (please don't mention TOWIE - damn pig) is off for the you know what op tomorrow. Only seven months old but already 25kg and a little too in love with the ladies - not necessarily the four legged kind either - imagine Northcross Street, busy Saturday morning market, woman who hates dogs, Mr D jumped up to show his love - all of it........ I'm already showing Ed houses with 2 acres attached - unfortunately not anywhere in London, so that won't happen. 

 As it's a computer/office day today, not a revelling in fabric/design day, I find I've been staring at the dogs a lot - probably to avoid the computer/office work.

No outings on Peckham Rye in the near future. Poor Mr Darcy. 

These are my favourite things - Gee Bend quilts

 

What is not to love - if I just had a spare $12,500 to spend on a quilt, I would own the bottom one.......

Read about the 'fantasticness' of these quilts here.

Thought for the week - If I can

 

Not an actual 'quote' by Mr Morris - but a very good sentiment from him and I think, the belief he had within him which made him so much more than many others. 

He embroidered this into his first tapestry, which hangs in Kelmscott Manor . It's more than worthy of a visit and would bring much happiness I promise.

New classes

I'm blown away by how quickly our classes sell out. I'm even more overwhelmed by the people that come, what they are making and why. We've had wedding presents, a gift to welcome a baby into the world, quilts to remember a member of the family who has passed away and many more moving tributes - some are so moving it's almost too big a responsibility - but I do my very best.

So the Papered Parlour has an extra class on June 12th and then they take a little rest until the Autumn. 

Ed then kindly informed me that it would be silly to wait until then as we have emails constantly from people wanting to come on a class. He also pointed out that we 'now' have a lovely home and studio and what better place to welcome people. It's where I produce my commissions, create my designs and work on other projects.

So how about that - two classes - July 3rd and August 7th, at our home and studio, small numbers, with a lovely artisan lunch and cake and tea and a glass of wine at the end of the day.

You can either go to the website here for the info, or email me directly and I can send you all the details.

A little inspiration

 

At any time on my screen I have between 20 - 50 images of things I've seen that I find inspiring, clever, lovely etc etc. What's interesting is how when pulled together, they all seem to fit together. That must be the back of my brain trying to force its way through?

 

Thought for the week - perhaps we need not talk so very much......

 

I often berate myself for talking too much. I'm so excited to have a conversation that sometimes I forget to allow the other person to, um, converse...... 

 

Cake day

It's Friday. A little respite before the next commissions. It's sunny and warm so have already planted the hostas, sweet peas and white delphiniums. From a bare and somewhat depressing garden, we now have the beginnings of something really rather lovely. Box and lavender controls what I hope will be a mad spilling over of all my favourite plants. Honeysuckle climbs next to an old fashioned rambler although methinks it will be next summer that the roses come into their own. We have hydrangeas and lambs tongues and all manner of scented herbs. A large seed parcel is arriving in the next day or so for the last minute summer flowers and I've ordered the white lavender which I've always coveted but have never had before. I've made a very crude bench in a hidden sunny spot. Three piles of bricks and a piece of of wood leftover from the kitchen bench. It suits its purpose beautifully and I'm really rather pleased to have made something lovely and useful out of nothing.

We have the beginnings of our lettuce and peas, broad beans and tomatoes climbing towards the sun - what a happy day when the first harvest comes.

This post was meant to be about cake, but I am somewhat distracted by the joy that 50 foot of greenery can bring.

I hope you make the most of the sunshine this weekend. Now that my family has gone back to New Zealand, we have a weekend of lovely lunches, dinners and drinks with friends that we haven't seen. 

Plus its the Dulwich Festival- I'll be heading to Julian Stairs studio and Hannah James for the artist open days, as well as enjoying the fete on Goose Green. We might be able to squeeze in an antique shop or too in Hastings on Saturday or swing by Sissinghurst.

Happy days...

Katies quilt

2 napkins

1 wedding tie

1 rugby tie

1 snippet of a wedding dress

1 kimono dressing gown

1 childs school smock

1 childs dress

1 pillowcase of Samantha Fox 

For a man who loves Frank Lloyd Wright

tricky, but pretty cool...

Happiness is

Knowing that this staircase came about from 5 solid days of hard, frustrating physical graft (mine!). There is nothing more pleasant than a hand-waxed handrail to pull you up or help you down - small pleasures.

See below for the before (the actual 'before, before' involved filthy carpet and other unpleasantness)and I couldn't bear to photograph it.

Some loveliness for the weekend

Do not miss Ros Badger's special sale this weekend. It's called Its loveliness increases,  (double Keats this week) and it is held at her very special home in Dulwich. All the details below.

May 6th - 12pm - 5pm

May 7th & 8th - 11am - 6pm

79 Holmedene Avenue

SE24 9LD

There are more fantastic events happening this weekend than I can stretch myself too, but this is definately a must.

Thanks Amelia's magazine

 

For the lovely review - read here. 

Thought for the week - the importance of beauty

We're investigating great thoughts about beauty this week.