A return to Shugborough in Staffordshire ...

 It has been some years since we visited the extensive Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire. 

It has been in the same family for generations, the most recent famous inhabitant being the acclaimed photographer Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield. His close connection to the Royal Family through the Bowes Lyon family of Elizabeth, the Queen Mother gave him access to the royals & his photographs of them are well known. 

The Anson line at Shugborough stretches way back to 1624 & the 2 brothers, Thomas & George. George spent 4 years circumnavigating the globe. They started off with 7 ships & returned with just 1 after the trials & tribulations of the voyages. 

The Wind House was particularly lovely with beautiful stained glass windows & doors on either side which would have given stunning view out over the estate. 

The downstairs life of servants, footmen, butlers, ladies maids, scullery maids etc is always interesting. The wages they were paid were set out with the actual names of those who worked at the estate (information from census records) and their wages details given. For many, life at the estate was good with food & accommodation secured. They would have had better jobs than others working on farms etc. 

Life in the laundry, turning out pristine clothes & bedding etc with very basic articles. It was a physically demanding job ... 

Gleaming copper pots, pans & moulds line the shelves. They would have turned out fantastic meals for guests upstairs ... 

The Anson line at Shugborough stretches way back to 1624 & the 2 brothers, Thomas & George. George spent 4 years circumnavigating the globe. They started off with 7 ships & returned with just 1 after the trials & tribulations of the voyages. 

It is a fascinating place with strong oriental influences from their travels, the Chinese house dating back to 1747.  It is a much photographed feature with its red oriental bridge in the foreground. 

Lord Lichfield's apartments are no photography allowed space but it is a fascinating glimpse in to that time & his influence on photography. 

I am glad we returned to it, another visit in the spring perhaps? 

Thank you for stopping by, leaving a comment or just subscribing & sharing the blog. 
Dee 🧹🏡🪑⛲️🏞️

I am finished Picking up the Pieces (I think) ...

At the start of September, I was so fortunate to join the lovely Christine of Gentlework in a days course entitled 'Picking up the pieces'. 

This is what our day was like as we spent the day using up little pieces of fabric The time passed way too quickly, as it did on the previous workshop I did a decade before in our county town of Shrewsbury. 

The whole idea is totally indulgent - the spend the day creating a panel for no reason other than to inspire us - how fabulous is that?  This is some of the completed details ... 

I had positioned all my fabric bits & stitched them down at the workshop & have since then spent hours adding in the details that I really like. Hand sewing is a meditative process where you just concentrate on adding in details. It is a very creative experience because you have to draw from your stitch knowledge to find the ones that  will suit that section. I have my favourite stitches & sometimes simple is often best. I am fortunate to have a good selection of buttons that came from my late mother in law who was a very accomplished sewer but always with a purpose. I have used some of her vintage buttons & silk threads in this piece. 

I like the pieces to have some form of continuity & so added similar colours or finished the shapes with obvious stitching that completes it - old & new evident.    

  I also like merging fabrics to create something new (on the triangles at the top left) and the square pink on the top right. The lace, buttons & beads were vintage. 

I fortunately had several cards of vintage silk threads that were used for stockings. I used them in various thicknesses. 

The soft colours of the vintage silk threads were the right colour to pick up the pinks & blues of the patterns & to provide continuity across the sections. 

I also used vintage & modern threads in the stitching. 

One thing I noticed 10 years apart - the blue fabric looks identical to the one I used on my panel I did in 2013. Do you agree? 

It is very enlightening that I used the same / a very similar blue & pink fabric swatch to complete both panels. Perhaps we are just drawn to certain combinations ... 

The cow parsley flowers are a new one for me - I looked it up & think they look perfect filling in the space from the lettering to the triangles - they just look right in their muted shades with the tall stems reaching in to the space... 

The final part was to add a plain backing fabric & to blanket stitch it to the edges to give a neat edge. 

I fortunately acquired this lovely set of Coats Mercer - crochet threads recently. The colours are so lovely & they are in various weights / thicknesses which gives lots of options. I used one of these threads for the edge blanket stitch. It was the perfect colour in single strand because it did not distract from the panel at all, yet it held it all together. 

I think it is done, though I know that I might be tempted to tinker ... 

These are the stitches I mostly used on this piece, stitches I am comfortable with & which blend together harmoniously. 

I will probably sew loops on the back  & hang it in the room where I have all my sewing things. How would you display it? 

This is the panel from the start (top & bottom left) to the completed one. I like the pops of pink & the hints of blue with light touches of green - I think the colours go well together. 

Thank you for stopping by & sharing this workshop  stitching. I hope I have inspired you to do something for the sake of the love of stitching & creating. 

Dee 🧵📍🪡✔️

#9 Circular Stitching - Seasonal Secrets

Month 9  of the 12 month circular stitch project & this one has been challenging, only because I had a lot of other projects on the go & didn't spend as much time on this one. 

The previous 8 challenges & links are in last months project if you want to pop over  & look ... 

The leaf shape with suggested shibori technique looked interesting but it is not one I have tried before & I think I will still have a go at it.  

Some on the group had tried leaf impressions by hammering the leaf on to the square for it to leave an imprint but I did not find this too successful, some leaves are probably better at leaving an imprint than others I think. It might be something I investigate. Has anyone got any suggestions for this? My garden is still very much in the pink / green / purple colour range & so I decided to stay within this palette of colours. 

Again, it is all on a 6x6 inch square with a 4 inch circle in the middle to keep all of the pages uniform for the final assembly in December. 

My imprints did not work but hammering some fuschia flowers from our bush gave a blotchy outline. However, the garden is blotchy & messy at this transitional stage so perhaps I will leave those imprints? 

I decided to felt a leaf shape with leaves from our garden as inspiration. I have not felted in a few weeks & it was interesting to get to a shape that I was happy with. The yellow / cream / red markings are not as clear as I would have liked but it worked in the end. 

I then jabbed it on to the background fabric because linen is a good background for felting. 

An interesting challenge that I should have taken more time over but I can overthink challenges so sometimes it is important to just work the project until you get a result that you can live with. What do you think? 

Again it was finished off like the others with a row of machine stitching on 3 sides, the stiffening piece added in before the last side was machined. The edges were then blanket stitched using the same large roll of thread to give uniformity to all the pieces at the end. 

I will still machine embroider the project name for the back (my choice) when I have a few to do as that is easier for me. 

It has been interesting once again & I’m pleased to be done within the month.  I know we do not always keep up with the projects we sign up to so this is a good discipline for me to complete each in the time allotted so they do not bunch up & overwhelm. 

Thank you for stopping by, your visits are always appreciated. 

Dee 🧵📍🪡🌳🏡

Willing the hedging to grow taller

It has been some months since the hedge was unceremoniously cut down between us and a neighbour. The hedge was in his garden, it was 35 years old but we had tended outside for over 15 years so felt particularly aggrieved because the loss impacted on our privacy. This is the 7 holes that were prepared for the laurel hedging I ordered in as soon as the neighbour cut down the 10 foot high hedge. 

It opened our gardens up to the three houses that butt up to our side wall & left us with a loss of the greenery & some privacy. None of the houses there have young children but it has made it noisier as sound travels & there is more wind too through the garden. 

The said neighbour has a lovely lush green view of our large tree & laurels on the opposite side, our lower neighbours privacy is via our lush planting on that side. A few trees lose their leaves in Autumn but most of our garden is evergreens because of the constant view that I love so much. 

   

However, we were quick to order in cherry laurels that were supposed to be between 150-160cm tall. They were at the lower size & I have lavished attention on them all summer, staking them to make them grow straight & tall; feeding them, moving pots of geraniums between them to shelter their roots so they don't dry out etc. I have watched every centimetre of growth, willing them to have a growth spurt ... 

They have gained a little height, not nearly as much as I would have loved but at least they are established ahead of winter. 

I wonder if I should have gone the extra mile & ordered in the larger ones at twice the price? 

With Autumn setting in, I know that gap in the hedges will be evident all winter & that the poor weather will impact on the garden where it used to be so sheltered by the hedges. However, it is what it is & we are where we are in a garden & home we love so I can just hope for extra growth next summer. 

Any hints to get them growing more? 

Thank you for stopping by, I'm sure you are preparing for the next season too, 

Dee 

Gently picking up pieces of fabric ...

 I am a great lover of expressing my creativity with a needle & a thread. In 2014, I spent the day in Shrewsbury with an inspirational workshop led by Christine of Gentlework.  This was some of our work. 

Her own work is absolutely beautiful with precise stitches. She has an intuitive knack of placing fabrics & stitches together in a piece that is a work of art. Her work tends to be in a  muted, well worn palette of colours with beautiful lettering stitched on. 

I have followed her on Instagram & facebook for years & like many new mothers, she had a little break from workshops as she juggled many things. However, life resumed, as life does when a baby grows up a bit, and her work could continue. She shares images of her own work space & it is always so beautiful. 

I saw a workshop for 'Picking up the pieces' advertised & was delighted it was on a day I could make it. 

We will be picking up our fragments of scrap fabric, even the tiny ones, and piecing and patching them together into a quilted panel, adding lace motifs, buttons and stitched words.

Lots of materials will be provided but it’s also an opportunity to bring along and utilise all the precious (or non precious) scraps you have been saving and not known what to do with.

I sorted out some threads & fabrics but Christine assured me she would have plenty to choose from & she did. The drive out to north Shropshire is pretty, I should have allowed more time for a stop at Whittington castle, I will return on another day because it is a pretty part of our county of Shropshire.

Tea, coffee & cakes awaited us as we arrived at the lovely village hall with the stunning work set out as inspiration & of course, lots of fabrics to choose from. 

Christine had made up a little pack for each of us at our places - soft blanket as a background,  a selection of delightfully worn fabrics, lace & little bits to use as our starting point. It was beautifully presented in a little paper with a book page on the front & hand dyed fabric length to tie it all together. These little details shows the attention to detail & the thought that goes in to these workshops to make them so inspirational. 

There was a table set out with tins of buttons, cottons, fabric bits in all sizes & another table where we could share any bits we wished to donate to the gathering. I popped some vintage lace & soft cotton from an old table cloth on as my contribution. 

Examples of the beautiful 'Gentlework' she is known for - the stitching is exquisite & precise, the colours are worn & go so well together; it is so textural that you want to hold it in your hand & feel the stitching. 

It was not long before cups of tea were made,  cake sliced & we settled down to the familiar rhythm of  inspiration in the sewing. 

This is intuitive work - Christine circulated, inspiring, instructing, encouraging everyone.  

From the previous workshop, I know that 5 hours passes in the blink of an eye when there is much to do. 

I initially pinned some fabrics then thought - let's go instinctive, so I threaded the needle & made a start. I wanted to get the background blanket covered in fabrics that I knew I could come back to & stitch on or add small stitched fabrics too. I know that once the momentum is lost at home,  it is not as easy to pick it up & continue with the stitching. My approach works for me because while selecting & stitching the pieces down, my mind was already threading needles with cottons to add to the fabric shapes & patterns. I know that part fires my creativity. 

At one point, I had a gap that needed something with delicate pink & blue to tie in the top fabric & the pinks of the side panel.  As soon as I voiced it aloud,  several pieces were passed down & one was  perfect. That is the advantage of a workshop where we all encourage & contribute to the experience. 

I am pleased with my panel - there is much to be done still but I know the way forward because this point has so many possibilities. I have some beautiful inherited silk threads & vintage buttons that I will use at home because they will go perfectly ... 

The groups efforts were placed together on the table at the end of the session for us to take inspiration from. 

It is fascinating to see how we all started with a similar welcome pack yet every single piece was so unique. The approaches were what others were comfortable with; some completing a small panel, others doing the border with turned fabrics, others starting in the middle, some at a corner, all so interesting. 

I will share more of mine as I add to it but it was such an inspirational day with likeminded creative people that it reinforced why these workshops are so important. 

I was inspired by muted colours, with some faded pinks. The fabric from our pack had a pale pink & blue design that I carried through the panel, each person used this panel in a different way. 

I look forward to using silk threads to pick up those colours across the panel to unify the blocks. 

Thank you Christine - your work is unique & you are so generous with your advice, support & guidance. Do stop by again to see how the panel progresses, 

Dee 

PS - an update on this is at I am finished picking up the pieces

#8 Circular Stitching - Seed dispersal

 Looking back over my blog, you might think I spend my life sewing - it is just one of the many things I enjoy & it is easier to record & blog about. It also shows a record of ongoing projects & the progression which I like to look back on. 

I started this circular stitching project in January led my the lovely Paula  & wondered if I would be motivated to follow it for the whole year.  The projects are released each month which makes it manageable & less daunting. It is always new ideas & creative challenges, I like to do new things which challenge us out of our comfort zones. 

All 12 challenges are done on a 6x6 inch square with a 4 inch circular part, stiffened & backed then blanket stitched around the edges. We do not know the final assembly but trust in the process. 

I cut all the pieces - 13 fronts, backs, stiffening middle fabrics & have them in their own holder which means it is easier to follow the challenge as it is ready to work on. This small step has helped to keep me on track each month. 

The 8th challenge in the 12 month circular stitching challenge was about  seed dispersal. 

The 7 previous challenges are

1 - Snow blanket 

2 - Conceal & reveal 

3 - Renewal 

4 New Life & alternate nest 

5 - Blossom time 

6 - From Source to sea 

7 - Radial Symmetry 

The one for August was about seed dispersal of dandelions through the various stages of growth. It suggests making suffolk puffs which I know about but have never actually made, even though they are so easy to do. I underestimated how tiny they would pull to or I would have doubled the starting circle size for them. This is an interesting use for them 

I used a piece of printed fabric in greens & yellows for my circle, then did 3 Suffolk puffs in yellow & 2 in white fabric & then stitched them on to the circle. The white ones were the seed dispersal ones with threaded seed lines radiating out. I thought it needed beads to give it texture so those were added to give the lightness dandelion seeds need. 

The bottom half was overstitched to the backing square, the top half secured by the stitches of the seeds. 

Three sides were sewn together, the stiffening square cut to size (rounded tops for insert it easier) and then the sewing completed. I have machined stitched the edges of all mine before blanket stitching because the white linen I used tends to fray & the line of machine stitching makes it more secure. 

    

It is all done, just the backing name to machine embroider with the next one. I used clear beads on the white seeds to suggest a lightness to them & let them spill over on to the outer fabric which I like with the white on white stitching. 

It is an interesting project because each has been different & I know what September's is already & that is a new one too. 

Do stop by soon to see the next one. Do you have  a project you are working on? Tell all please & thank you for stopping by, 

Dee 🧵🪡🌼🌱