My Christmas gift

I can't have been as naughty as I thought over the last year!    Santa put a very special gift under the tree  - a map embroidered on linen in tiny tiny cross-stitch.   The map is of England and Wales, showing all the counties and some towns.   The name of the lady/girl who stitched this piece is embroidered in the upper right cartouche,  with the date - 1789 and the place 'Brook Green House'.

I have since done a little research and found that Brook Green is an area of west London, not too far from where I grew up.  After the Reformation (King Henry VIII), the open expression of Catholic faith was forbidden, but slowly Catholic life returned to London and almshouses, as well as a school for young ladies were established by the Catholics in Brook Green.   I feel sure that my embroidered map was probably stitched by a pupil of this school.

Thank you Santa - you did a good job, I love it!

Shopping Trip

Had a great shopping day!  A friend and I left the house at just after 9:00am and headed for a very nice quilt shop, then into Houston for what must be one of the biggest fabric stores in America (if not the world!).  Next on our list were two embroidery shops and of course lunch.  After being fortified with a delicious salad, coffee and just a little piece of cake, we were ready to hit the road again for three more quilt stores.    I arrived home, around 4:00 pm, with a lovely selection of fabrics, silk embroidery threads, silk ribbons and some beads, oh and a much lighter purse!   
Pictured above is a small part of 'High Fashion' fabric store, downtown Houston.

New issue of Haute Handbags

After a morning in the garden, trying to cut up and clear more of the downed tree limbs and branches, before dragging them to the curbside, I spent half an hour in the chair with the latest issue of 'Haute Handbags' . What a lovely issue; so many really talented artist - I'm so impressed by their work!

I was delighted to see the photography work done on my bags - they always do such a nice job. If you look closely at the bottom of last photo you, can see 'Distant Stitch' is mentioned (click on photo to enlarge).

A Sweet Memento

I want to share this little meaningful idea with you, as I found it such a sweet gesture: -

While my sister and I where sorting out things at our mother's house, a friend asked if she could have something mum had liked to wear. She took two blouses and a nightie, but would not tell us what she wanted them for. Before I returned home the friend give me this little teddy, made from those favorite things mum wore. Teddies were also made for my two sisters. I think this is such a lovely idea - this little bear is such a comfort to me.

I had kept one sleeve of mum's favorite blouse, from which I made sachets, filled with lavender from mum's garden and finished with ribbon and a button from her sewing box. The one sleeve made seven sachets - enough for the female members of the family. I also wrote a little poem to go with the sachets.

A few photos after Ike

Photos taken on the circle where I live. Two trees fell onto a neighbour's house. Our skinny pine tree fell on our next door neighbour's roof - we were able to get it off. Every house has large piles of tree limbs. I was amazed at how quickly everyone came out and cleaned up. Many trees fell across roads and neighbours worked together with chain saws to open up the streets.

From Australia

Dear friends, I am writing this, not from my home in Texas, but from Western Australia. This was a very sad trip to make, as my dear mother passed away on Monday (18 Aug 08) Although mum was 96 years of age, she still lived in her own home, still doing her own cooking and washing - a fiercely independent lady. The service was just as mum would have wanted it - simple and very meaningful. The small stone church, was lovely, again just that simple beauty. The church was full. The Priest was so caring and made the service very personal to mum. The cemetery is new and out in the country. It is surrounded by tranquil wooded fields, which, at this time of year are full of wild calla lilies. As mum was laid to rest I could hear the birds singing in the surrounding fields - mum will like that. After all the friends and neighbours had left my sister's home I felt a need to be by myself, so slipped away down to the beach (just a 2 minute walk). The sun was beginning to set over the sea - it seemed a beautiful ending to the day. I watched as the sun set and the colour of the sky changed to soft hues of pinks and blues, a gentle closing of the day.

Not a good week for working

Disaster - my camera has died! Every picture I take comes out over exposed, and with lines running across the images. Pictures also have a ghostly-looking double image.

I can use the 'Mr.' camera, but I hate not having my own. It bugs me to hear, 'Don't forget to switch it off' and 'Don't forget to delete your images', every time I use it. And wouldn't you just know, I started to take some shots with the Mr. camera and the thing some how locked up on me, so I only managed to take one photo.

I must have a jinx on me this week as I managed to splash dye on, not one, not two, but three t.shirts! You think I would learn after I ruined the first one! It is my own fault; each time I was in too much of a hurry to go and change. Spots are in, right?

Back from my travels

I'm back from my trip to Montana and Wyoming - it was so nice to visit dear family and old friends, but there is nothing like ones own bed.
A cute thing happened at the wedding with the ring pillow - just as the wedding was about to begin, the little 2 year old bridesmaid who was going to carry it fell fast asleep. It was a tender moment when her uncle carried the sleeping babe in his arms, with the pillow, down the aisle.
The cooler temperatures in the northern states was delightful, especially as Texas had sweltering high temps. of 107 f!

With traveling out the way for this year (hopefully), I plan to knuckle down to work.

Yippee and yahoo! I just received notice that three out of the four bags I submitted to Haute Handbags will be included in there October issue, as a feature article. The magazine does such a super job of photography.

Happy Christmas!

May your Christmas be merry and bright,
May your stitches be neat and your coursework complete!

With good wishes to you all.

Inspired by Sian's Photos of Garden Art

After viewing the photos taken by Sian, at Urchfont Manor, I ran into the garden and dressed up the garden bench with a fern arch.