Indigo Inspired Day

This old linen jacket was given a new lease of life today with a satchet of indigo dye.  It used to be a pale natural colour - as you can see from the bottonholes which didn't take the dye.  However, I rather like the contrast so I don't mind them being different.  It was incredibly creased when it dried so I have given it a good pressing and all I need to do now is to find some nice buttons.

I couldn't bear to throw the dye out when I had finished so I looked through my wardrobe for something else to re-vamp.  This old hemp T shirt was no longer very white so I thought it a perfect candidate.  It's a couple of shades paler and the stitching didn't take again but I'm still pleased with the result.

I thought that there may still be a bit of life left in the dye so I soaked a piece of white muslin in it for 15 mins and just as I suspected I got a very pale blue.  I have plans for this piece of fabric so watch this space!

Malt Loaf

Actually it turned out NOT to be Malt Loaf.
After watching a bread making programme on TV this week I decided to try making a different type of loaf than my usual brown one.  I must point out at this stage that I always use my breadmaking machine - I love the idea of kneading by hand, however, my skin can't cope with the flour - shame!
Anyway, I started measuring and pouring the ingredients into the machine until I got to the malt extract and guess what? I had no malt extract.  I don't know what made me think I did! 
I carried on regardless and surprisingly got a rather pleasing result.  I think the black treacle helped to create an illusion of possible maltness.

Whilst still warm I sliced some and spread it with butter - after all, it had been snowing all day so what could be nicer with a mid afternoon cup of tea?
And later on we tried it toasted for our supper with a mug of hot chocolate (because it was still snowing you understand).  James said that it didn't taste very 'malty' and maybe next time I should put in a bit more malt extract !! But he still enjoyed it.

Embroidered Linen Notebooks

I've been doing some free hand embroidery on oddments of linen again.  Last time I made them into brooches but this time because the pieces were bigger I thought of covering some notebooks.

I found these which have a sturdy plastic cover, just right for slotting into the fabric covers I've made.  I lined the linen with some floral cotton and added a sort of pocket at either end for a snug fit.  By pure chance the colours of the flowers on each cover were the same as the covers on the notebooks, so they co ordinate rather well.

William Morris in Vine

Just a quick update for today.  I spent the morning making  Shoulder Bags in a William Morris fabric called Vine. 
When I woke up yesterday morning I had a thought to make lots of Morris bags to update my shops with, but when I visited my favourite mill shop they didn't have any of the fabric I wanted, so I came away empty handed except for an odd piece of blue and white Sanderson cotton which will be fine for lining bags with. 
Luckily I had this piece left over from the curtains I made for my sitting room (in new house, which I'll show you when we move in!!)  There was just enough for five bags which I've made to an A4 size with long shoulder straps.  Perfect for a few magazines or a folder.
You can find them on Etsy or Folksy!

Fountain Pen

When sorting through some old stuff a few months ago I came across a Parker fountain pen that used to belong to my mum.  I unscrewed the lid and was reminded that it hadn't worked for years because the nib was bent.  Anyway, whilst in Kendal last week I noticed a sign hanging above an alleyway that mentioned 'old pens' that I'd never seen before.  I ventured along the narrow alleyway and up a staircase into a tiny shop; it was filled with glass fronted cabinets full of ink pens through the ages.
When I showed my pen to the elderly gentleman there he said that replacing the nib wouldn't be appropriate because the soul of the pen was in the nib and therefore to discard it would be like discarding all the words it had ever written, and besides that it was 14 carat gold.  However, he did say that he would try to straighten it and when I called in later he had proved to be successful and I was able to write with it once more.
I bought a lovely bottle of sepia coloured ink and from then onwards everything from shopping lists to reminder notes have been scribed by this beautiful pen.

Back from Holiday!

Well, that was more of a mini break than a holiday wasn't it?
You see I had thought that my life was too busy, with a shortage of time, and that by not writing my blog would mean that I could fit everything in.  However, I still have loads of things that I want to tell you about and not writing or photographing them has proved to be rather frustrating- so I'll continue my blog.  There, I'm instantly happier!!
But also, a very important factor in my 'change of mind' was seeing the lovely comments from a reader - and learning that she would miss reading my ramblings.  If I can even just fill a tiny part of someone's life with a little bit of interest then it's an achievement for me and well worth the time.

So, back in the swing of things again - here's a little picture of some Muscari that Emily gave me for Mothers Day, with perfectly matching zig zag braid around the jar - beautiful and thankyou.

Holiday

I've decided that I need to take a little holiday away from blogging for a while.  There's so much going on in my life at the moment and I need to try and dedicate more time to the more important things.  There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day and I feel that I must re-focus and spend less time on the computer. 
Anyway, I hope to return later in the year.
Thank you for reading - goodbye for now. X

Happy Birthday Blog

Good morning, today is the 1st Birthday of my Blog!  I can't believe that a whole year has gone by since first deciding to write about 'Happy Things'.
I've just been looking back at all my posts and wondering what my readers have enjoyed most.  So, to celebrate I am going to do a 'giveaway'.  I would like you to tell me which post you have either found inspiring or most enjoyed reading.  It's not a competition as such, I'll just draw a name at random, but I would be very happy to know which bits my readers like as I've never had any 'comments' but I know there has been nearly 2000 views.

This is the 'giveaway' - it's a little drawstring bag about 7" x 10" made from an embroidered canvas, lined with cotton and fastening with velvet ribbons.  I use little bags like this all the time for various things such as keeping bits and pieces together within my tote bag, keeeping my current paperback book in to stop it from becoming 'dog-eared', cosmetics when going away, phone chargers etc.  You name it, it goes in a bag!
Anyway, look forward to hearing from you, Happy Birthday Blog.

Tool Roll

Just a quick post today.  It's not very exciting but it's something I've been meaning to get around to for a while; I thought I'd show it anyway.
I have just made this new tool roll for my husband: it replaces the previous one that I made him around 10 years ago.
It's made from a thick cotton twill and covered on the back with waterproof fabric for practicality.  It was rather fiddly and took me quite a while to construct because each of the tools required a specific width and depth, so I kept doing a few pockets and then tried tools for size to make sure.  It's around 5 feet long as well.   I hope this one lasts for another 10 years!

Happy Little Purse

My old purse was becoming rather tatty and the compartments were torn, so whilst looking around the shops for a replacement I had to stop myself and say "hold on a minute, making bags and purses is what I do, why not just make one!"  Silly old me.

I chose a strong canvas for the outside and this lovely gingham for the inside.   I wanted something compact that would fit in my pocket so rather than having lots of separate compartments I just had a zipper for my coins and notes and a couple of slot pockets for my cards.  It all folds together neatly in thirds to keep everything secure.   I'm very happy with the result and may now make some for my online shops.  Keep a look out!