Small stitches that filled in any gaps of time I had this week. That's the good thing about embroidery, it happens one stitch at a time. Take care, see you tomorrow. 

A beautiful winters' day here today. Feels more like spring, really. I made some things from vintage linen for my shop update today. The willow branch linen was a gift from Louana, thank you! I wrote a little about knitting yesterday. I've decided to knit this, and have ordered the quince yarn for it. I thought…

I finished this blue dress for Keira over the weekend. The pattern was found in this book and the design is #B. I used a soft blue wool-blend fabric, so hopefully it will be cosy with tights and boots this winter. I embroidered the yoke of the dress in white thread- with some simple branch-like…

The sun came out over the weekend, which was surprisingly uplifting and even inspired a trip to the beach to soak in it. Even though it's been a strangely warm winter so far, it's been dark and rainy most of the time. We saw people having a midwinter swim yesterday. Brave things. The children brought…

I carved these very tiny and simple stamps the other day, while the children were having their music lessons. I used regular rubber erasers cut in half, and the finest lino-cutting tool I could find in my craft cupboard. (I've made them in the past too- here and here.) The main reason for making them…

I can't remember if the jasmine vine normally flowers on the winter solstice, but I'm pretty sure it shouldn't. In any case, I picked some for the kitchen table today. The leaves are so glossy and green. Come to think of it, there are many plants in the garden that seem to be having some…

I found this old book at our local book fair, and had to buy it after peeking inside. It's called the Countryside Companion (published 1846 by Odhams Press, London, and edited by Tom Stephenson.) Can you imagine, writing a book, and having each page so beautifully illustrated? The page-borders are populated with swallows and willows,…

Arlo turned eight over the weekend. Here are a few photos from the party we threw for him, which was a 'medieval banquet' with a spot of archery and sword fighting (with flax sticks) on the side. The banquet involved 'bread plates', potatoes and meat on bones and 'wine' in our best goblets. It was…

Here we have my latest wardrobe addition: a tweedy winter dress. I found the vintage fabric online – it's a kind of cotton/wool blend I think, quite thick with a sort of slub/tweed texture. And, because I knew it was a good fit, I used the same pattern as I did for this one. The…

I'm sure I've written about Kate Bush here before, but it's safe to say I'm still quite an ardent fan of her music. Last week I ordered a copy of her latest album, on which she re-works a handful of her old songs, including Deeper Understanding, from 1989. While I was listening to the aforementioned…