Sunday 9 March 2014

Gently does it ....

I know many of my followers are really accomplished ladies who can turn their hand to anything & they inspire the rest of us through their fabulous blogs of deeds & new things to try.

Gentlework - the name just rolls so easily off the tongue conjuring up visions of a slower time.

A friend Ellie & I signed up for a Gentlework day course & the closer it got, the more I realised that other than the odd hem or button, I had not done much sewing in years & certainly not much hand sewing.  I had good intentions to find a YouTube update on some stitches but time was not on my side so I thought ' time to wing it girl' ....

Fortunately the lovely Gentlework Christine & Jo of Rustic and White Shrewsbury assured me that nothing more than straight stitch was needed so that was that!

The choice of fabrics was stunning - Christine of Gentlework has the most amazing selection of vintage fabrics, lace, beads, quilted bits, fabrics, backing & even a vintage typewriter & papers to add typed bits for those of us who are not up to speed with embroidering lettering.

She also makes the most amazing vintage papier mache type boxes to use for display. Seeing the beautiful boxes just made me want to reach for my hoard of old books & maps & the pot of PVA glue ….


Fabrics chosen - backing fabrics like vintage quilting, pink edging from a blanket, some aged piped lace edging & two pink lace flowers cut from a doily cloth.

The fabrics had that lovely 'worn' texture, a silky feel that pre-loved, vintage items have that is so lovely to work with.

The vintage flower fabric was not quite right so I looked over & saw a perfect piece with a hint of blue which Ellie fortunately shared with me ... sorted|!

You know that moment when it is all just right

Sewing time?

No, I actually think better with a cup of tea so luckily the lovely Jo & Christine had tea & a fabulous selection of cakes on hand! Perfect - now time to plan & think.


Once I had selected my bits, I knew they were the right combinations of colour, texture & form - time get them to be pleasing & balanced to the eye too, then thread the needle and get started on the fabrics on the back - securing them with tiny straight stitches ...





Mmmmm the pink flower cut-outs are not right in that corner; the quilting piece looks lost on the left … unpin & move them about again till they looked right.

I had my camera with to do photos so Ellie obliged with lots of needles & bits ... I knew it was a good idea to make her a needlebook for lots of needles!


Christine had a selection of the vintage threads - truly beautiful colours, thicknesses & textures!  Some beads were needed to brighten up the flowers … several needle tries later & I found one thin enough to pull through the beads!

Ellie did a photo of me in the fabulous refurbished room at Rustic & White's shop!


My sewing day was lovely - the 6 hours passed so quickly that it was soon time for sharing our lovely items!  This is mine up close ....


Mine & Ellie's together - can you see the flower fabric she shared with me?


I will share some of the other gorgeous items with you next time. Please visit again.

I am already thinking of various things I want to make & know I will be searching vintage, thrift & charity shops for a selection of fabric from now on. We have all stood in charity shops - fingering some beautiful fabric items & said 'this is so beautiful'; well, I now know I can buy that fabric or item & give it a new lease of life!

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave me a 'hi, I was here' so I can return the visit!
Dee ~♥~

16 comments:

  1. Glad you enjoyed your day Dee and that you are inspired to do more stitching x

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    1. You certainly did Christine - a really lovely day with beautiful things to work with!

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  2. Lovely work and I am sure it has inspired you to further pieces! Xx K

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    1. My dear Kathy - you are a dab hand at sewing my friend - always something happening at your machine!

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  3. Lovely blog about our lovely day!

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    1. Lovely to be your sewing neighbour for the day Gwen - your brooches are just too lovely for words ....

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  4. Such a lovely blog post of your fab day with very talented Christine. I love the piece you made. x

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    1. You are too kind Paula - Christine's work is simply inspirational & I loved the day!

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  5. Thank you for posting. Thank you, also, for the detailed photos showing us the process. Being in Springfield, Missouri, USA, of course I wasn't able to make the class. I appreciate you letting me be a part of it with your writing!

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    1. Jeannine - one of the ladies came all the way from Belgium to do the course so I understand your enthusiasm for the work. I hope my photo helped you - if you would like a closer photo or a chat about any of it, please contact me by email & I will be only too happy to oblige ....

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  6. It looks like you had a really relaxed day full of sharing and gentleness.

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    1. It was a lovely day thanks Maggi - Christine's work is so stunning & the beautiful Vintage & White shop was the perfect match for it ...

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  7. Fabulous work. Everybody really got it right. Love yours. Christine is one of my favorite fabric artists. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by - I am glad you enjoyed the post. When I saw Christine's work via Rustic & White, I just knew that it was something I wanted to do & I am now a massive fan of her lovely work & gentle nature!

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    2. I am always thankful when people take the time to leave a comment because I get to find new blogs in return & yours POR AMOR AL ARTE is an absolute treat ... please visit & enjoy!

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