Flower Power

Computer problems over the last couple of days have meant I couldn't answer any emails, but it seems to be working okay now. That's what it's like when you have one of the old wooden, wind-up computers, LOL.
Anyway it took me longer than I anticipated to finish the crocheted bunting, because I decided to add some flowers to it.
I thought it needed some touches of stronger colour, and now it's finished!

I made 9 pennants, which I didn't think would be very long, but 7, 6 or 5 would have done. It's difficult to photograph a long narrow thing except from a great distance, so the pictures show sections of it.

I hung it from a mantel to show you what it looks like. I might hang it on the wall in my sewing room.

The patterns for the flowers and leaves are from two or three different books. I put French knots in the centres of the smaller flowers.

The yarns I used are a mixture of Patons and Rowan 4 ply cottons. The Rowan is a tiny bit thicker than the Patons, but comes in a good rainbow of colours, and they are close enough in weight to work together in something like this where tension isn't crucial.

I'm pleased to say it's completely different from the bunting I originally saw in Laura Ashley, which inspired me to make my own.

Cro-Sew

I finished making the pennants for my crocheted bunting, so now I've just got to work out how I'm going to join them all together. I'm not making it very long, only 9 pennants, but they have got bigger with the scalloped edging on.

This week I started on some green and white blocks for a quilt. There will also be some pink and yellow in it. I use the term "white" loosely.

This will be another sofa throw, made from stash like the last one. I'm slowly chipping away at that stash! I'm hoping it will have a casual, cottagey look, at least that's what I'm aiming for.

Now this is a proper white, but should these be all over the lawn? I must admit I like them there.

Plastic Fantastic

These are some recent vintage button acquisitions. I really like these two-tone ones.

As part of my ongoing flirtation with knitting (lol!), last week I finished a cushion cover in aran, which I think is equivalent to a US worsted weight.

The yarn is Patons Washed Haze Aran, which is partly cotton, and nice and soft to knit with.
The sewing up was a bit of a challenge because of the overlap on the front. The first try went completely wrong, but I managed to get my head around it at the second attempt.

On the pattern they used matching brown buttons, but I thought it would be nicer with ALL DIFFERENT vintage buttons. So now the design is as much about the buttons as about the knitting, I think.

I've been tagged by Dawn to list 7 weird or random things about myself, but I had so much trouble thinking of 7 things last time I don't think I can think of any more! But do check out Dawn's lovely blog.

Glimpse of Summer

It was very warm here last week, and the sunshine seemed to bring some insects out. I got my camera and crept up on this ladybird, sunning itself on some ivy.

This blue pulmonaria has more than doubled in size since last year. Such a vibrant blue.

Primulas in dappled sunlight.

I think this one might be a polyanthus.

The fine weather lasted most of the week. In complete contrast, sleet and snow showers are forecast for later today, but it was nice to have a sunny interlude.

I saw that Laura Ashley are selling crochet bunting this year. Crochet bunting! So I wanted to see if I could make my own version. I reckon all you need to start with is a basic triangle shape, and the rest will follow.

These are the triangles I've done. Mine will be different from the Laura Ashley bunting. I found the method for making triangles in Crochet Inspiration by Sasha Kagan, and modified it a bit to make a slightly more elongated shape. It will be all cotton, so I'm hoping it won't be too heavy to hang nicely - time will tell!

Edit: Bunting is a string of flags or pennants which can be hung as decoration.

Green, Blue

I know that for some people, blue and green just don't work together. I remember when I was younger sometimes hearing the old saying, "Blue and green should never be seen".
But for me blue and green are a happy combination. They bring to mind early childhood memories of summer days playing in the garden, blue flowers, grass and sky, and all the shades in between. I think perception of colour can be a very individual thing.

This bag is from the Market Bag pattern by Late Bloomer Quilts. Some bag patterns seem to me to be complicated, but this one had clear instructions. It was hard to imagine all those flat pieces turning into a 3-dimensional bag, but they did.
I was thinking about getting a ruffler attachment to do the frill at the top edge, but the price put me off. Nearly £50 for a sewing machine foot! Maybe for my birthday. So I used machine basting and pulled up the gathers by hand.
This bag will be coming out with me this summer - strictly for fun shopping, of course:)