The charm of French toile fabric

 While visiting family in Dorset, I was delighted to see there was a makers market on the Saturday. 

I prefer to support independent makers where I can because it is supporting livelihoods of creative people. 

I have followed AuntJanesattic on instagram for some time & when down in Dorset, I have looked for her on the stalls & bought some of her lovely makes. 

Her tabletop stall in the church hall was a delight of interesting spring items & some sweet Easter decorations.

My gaze fell on some packs of vintage fabric & I spied gorgeous pink / red toile fabric. I love the quirkiness of toile & the details on the country scenes on them. 

I purchased some delightful bits & once back in my Shire, I gently undid the plastic bag & some delightful things tumbled out; fabrics that go well with the toile, some pretty buttons, charms, vintage lace & some blue ticking. 

It is a well thought out fabric selection & I am delighted with my find. I have some ideas I have been formulating in my mind so do stop back to see what I decide. 

Who else finds gorgeous fabric irresistible? Do you have a colour palette you are drawn to? Thank you for stopping by, it is always appreciated. 

Dee 📍🪡🧵

Roses for Mother's Day

 Mother's Day is celebrated in March in the UK, it falls half way through Lent & was a time when people made their way back to their 'Mother church'. 

 Spring flowers were often picked as a gift for their mum which is why they are still a feature of the day here. 

Some previous Mother's day posts I shared - Mother's day  Mother's day breakfast, , Mother's day breakfast 2013, For all the Mothers. 

Mothering Sunday is an important day in the UK - read last years post for the history of it. 

Having been gifted some gorgeous roses for Mother's day, I decided to change the sideboard to complement the flowers. 

My Old Country Roses (or named 'Celebration' when we bought it in South Africa) by Royal Albert are the perfect match. 

I love their delicate nature & they are handwash only because of their gold gilding but they come out several times a year to be used & enjoyed. 

I am a 'Motherless daughter' but remember both my Mother & my Mother in law Olive on this day.

Olive featured in most of my adult life - a very accomplished person who could turn her hand to most things - knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, making chutney, fabulous roast dinners, a great knowledge of the countryside & its plants, enthusiastic gardener etc 

I accompanied her to her Land Army lunch which recognised the contribution of women during the war when they kept things going. 

She was widowed for a decade & I spent a lot of time with her to help her through this transition & as she became frail, I was there for her to her last breath.

My Mother was a strong woman who faced the challenges of life with strength, determination & resilience.

To us she was fearless, fierce, fiery & formidable. 

If she was afraid in situations, it did not show because we felt sure she could face down any threat or danger that we faced.

In rural Africa, this strength of character is what was needed because of the many challenges that came our way. 

She was never a subservient person, always equal to my Dad, her lifelong partner & this influenced my own attitude throughout life - to have the confidence to face any challenge with fortitude & dignity.  We are not weak woman who are afraid to stand up for what is right. 

I am grateful for good genes from my maternal line - mitochondria I am proud to have. 

The prayers of my Mother, grandmother, & great grandmothers line still protecting me through life. 

My grandmother was there when I took my first breath, and I was with her when she took her last. 

We were very close thanks to my parents who encouraged this relationship.  She was my partner in adventures & I'm privileged to share her genes. 

On this Mothering Sunday, be thankful if you still have your Mother with you. We envy you ... 

Thank  you for stopping by, it is greatly appreciated. 

Dee 🌹💐

A daily stitching habit …

 I thought the practice of adding things to Lent is an interesting concept. I usually give up things - this year it is chocolate & it is going well so far. It is about discipline to fore go things you enjoy. I have managed it in the past so will keep going. Alongside this, several sites encourage 'adding to for Lent' and I thought 'why not?'. 

Who else has a needle book with lots of needles threaded in random cotton from previous projects? 

I have intentions this year to do some regular stitching which improves stitch memory by simply stitching without an end goal or pattern. There are several social media groups who do this but sometimes your own discipline is just as good without any pressure. 

I saw this craft stencil on eBay & it immediately seemed to be a shape that could be used for short stitches on a regular basis because it is quick to trace the shapes. 

I cut some plain off white cotton fabric, joined it in a long panel to use. I hope to do more stitching this year as time allows & the small shapes can be done in a few minutes. It is not a large shape looming when time is tight. It will be stitching only, no additional fabric. 

It will be trimmed when finished so it can be attached to a vintage industrial wooden roll / bobbin, the type that was used in mills in previous times. It can join some of the other sewing rolls I have already  finished, like this one of the NC500 in Scotland, and a mixed media scroll. 

The heat eraserable Frixion pen is so useful because any heat, even a hair drier, will erase the outline. The stencil can be rotated so the shapes are slightly different which is very useful. 

I hope this will inspire me to try out more stitches but  regular practice is important. The blank spaces can be filled with any stitches so it is a great creative exercise. I intend to use various lengths of threads from my miscellaneous thread box. I think we all have some of those threads in shorter lengths, weights & colours. This is a great way to use up some of them. 

I hope you are inspired to spend time doing something you enjoy too. 

Thank you for stopping by, it is always appreciated. 

Dee 🧵🪡📍

A flipping good time on Shrove Tuesday ...

 

Our year is punctuated by dates in our calendars - today is Shrove Tuesday,  the start of LENT & the time leading up to Easter. 

We always mark this time at home, often with friends, and everyone gets a chance to flip the thin pancakes. 

I always use the same simple recipe for thick or thin pancakes, just adding more milk to thin it down. 

Today I did some smaller, thick ones, some with blueberries in them, then thinned the batter to do a thin one for flipping each. 

I think it is a great thing to cook & flip your own thin pancake - it gives you a moment to think about what Lent means & the action connects you to it. The trick is  to make sure it is loose of the pan &  to tip the pan towards you as you flip.

These thin ones are always dusted with cinnamon sugar & rolled up. 

We had them with strawberries, blueberries, natural yoghurt, maple syrup & a dusting of cinnamon sugar.

I have a bit of a sweet tooth so am giving up chocolate for the 40 days of Lent. 

It is actually 46 days to Easter but Sundays are not counted. 

I hope you have had a flipping good time too. Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated. 

Dee 🍚🧑‍🍳🥘

A Highwayman's demise ...

 

The story of the last Highwayman to be hung at the place of his deed is common knowledge due to a tenuous ancestry connection & we were thrilled to be taken to Box Moor to visit the place making his hanging & burial on the 11th March 1802.

 I am getting ahead of myself ... 

He was born on 16th August 1781 in Hungerford & christened James, the Robert appears to come from being commonly known as Robber Snook which became Robert.

On the 10th May 1801, he robbed a mail boy, taking 6 leather mail bags containing bank & promissory notes as well as letters. He discarded his broken leather horse girth at the scene & that led to his capture as several people at a nearby Kings Arms remembered him mending one later on. 

He was already a wanted man for several highway robberies between Bath & Salisbury & for horse theft which was tried at the Old Bailey in 1799. 

However, he was acquitted due to lack of evidence. 

A considerable reward of £200 by the Post office & another £100 by Parliament for the apprehension of highway men led to him being recognised in Marlborough forest by a coach driver who had been at school with him. 

He was apprehended with the help of the passengers. He had £200 in his pockets & a 'very handsome brace of pistols'

He was imprisoned & found guilty at trial, & while many robbers were 'transported' to Australia etc, James / Robert was sentenced to be hanged because his crime was deemed 'so destructive to society and the commercial interests of the country.'  

A very good account of the trial is reported here ...

He was hung near the spot of the deed as law required & buried there. The following day the residents of Hemel Hempstead dug him up & buried him in a simple wooden coffin they provided.  

A small headstone (bearing the name 'Robert Snooks') was erected by the Box Moor Trust in 1904, whilst a footstone was installed in 1994, as part of the Trust's 400 year anniversary. The exact location of Snook's hanging, and subsequent burial is unknown, so the location of the stones is an approximation.

Standing in the muddy field occupied by woolly sheep on a crisp winters day is a different experience.

It is a reminder of times past when life was so different & how punishment was exacted for crimes. The notion of hundreds of people gathering to watch a hanging is really foreign to us. It was sobering to know of the location with busy roads & a train line nearby; not exactly a peaceful spot for eternity.

I hope you have found the story interesting - history is never predictable or dull. Thank you for stopping by & taking the time to read.

Dee