Thinking outside the fabric box

A few months back I signed up for another round of the Modern She Made swap, in hindsight a bit of a mistake as I already knew I was a bit too busy to sew, but I thought it would kick me back into gear. Well as you saw it didn't and now I am a bit behind and need to play catch up so that I don't miss my posting deadline. The theme of this round is "Hexagons". This can be interpreted in any shape or form as long as what you make for your partner somehow contains a hexagon! The obvious way to go is with a bit of EPP and any one that has read my blogs before has seen that I have had some fun with those in the past, but there is no need to be that obvious . It could be hexagons in the fabric, embroidery, anything.

So late last night, in a bout of insomnia, I had a brain wave. My partner had suggested she might  like some fabric boxes and I therefore wondered if I could make a set of hexagon shaped baskets for her?  

I set about experimenting today and it turned out to not be too tricky but it does need a bit of honing.  Given time constraints I don't think will now be the way for me to go for the swap, but its definitely one to come back to as a work in progress. I will write up the pattern, once I have made a couple of changes, and then get Emily to road test it and if it all goes well will report back.
in the meantime today's efforts will come in handy as a little caddie in a bathroom . Now, new plan for the swap please.....?

Zombie Weekend

No sewing this weekend- just lots of gadding about.

gorgeous Millenium Bridge on the Tyne ( No Fog )

We kicked off with a trip down to Newcastle and a visit to The Sage . If your not familair with Newcastle, the Sage is an arts venue built (I think as part of the Millenium rejuvenation etc) on the banks of the River Tyne. It's a bit of a stunner of a building from the outside and was even more impressive inside, so be sure to add it to your lists of "to do's" when you are in the area. We were there to see a very long standing band called " The Zombies". Nothing to do with the undead,  but a small combo with their lead signer Colin Blunstone being a great favourite of mine from way back in my schools days. In fact I have a very boring story about accosting him in Oxford Street, outside Bourne & Hollingworth's in 1975, along with 4 other 17years old girls but I won't bore you now. Needless to say you need a trip along to You Tube to hear his incredible voice and when you do, bear in mind he still sounds this way at 67! Hope I wear  as well!

 

Anway, dinner first before the gig was humungous, accompanied by Emily and her boy and perhaps the addition of a few libations in the bar before and after.

 

Next stop on saturday was a bit of hard core (excuse the pun) DIY, again care of Emily and the lovely Jonathan. They are still doing some serious renovating of their house and it was time to rip down a wall or two so it was sledge hammers to the fore. As you can see H&S regimes were adhered too, on pain of death from the beloved JB...



Emily doing her impression of Bale



After a quick rub down with  an oily rag, we headed back north and managed to sneak in a quick trip to see grandaughter and co and stuff ourselves with even more food by way of a giant indian (not literaly I might hasten to add), before collapsing into bed tired but happy.

Next morning we were up bright and early to meet up with Pepper-Ann for lunch and a drive out to the hills, as it was time to start looking for her wedding venue . All very exciting stuff as you can imagine. Managers were quizzed, suites were surveyed and a decison was made, so that's it now - all set in stone. The Big Day is fixed. So its full steam ahead Mrs Seamstress. Oh, that's me? Cue "time to panic" then.

Anyway, as I said it was an action packed weekend in which we managed to pack in visits to three offspring out of the five. We would have actually had an 80% result if the weather hadn't been so shocking, as had hoped for a  diversion to Dumfrieshire but it was not to be. However whilst on that subject, if you are reading this blog piece Mrs G Mark II, the title of this piece is just for you ....

So see you all again soon I hope, after another upcoming weekend of weather dependent excitement.


Signs of spring?

Well it is still pretty quiet here as I am not allowed back to work yet so life could be considered  a bit on the dull side. My lovely Emily came home for a few days to check up on her old Mum and make sure I was behaving and it was wonderful to have her home. We watched films and chilled together which we don't get to do very much anymore with us both so busy and it was sad to wave her away again so quickly, back to her markets and her photography work. Hopefully it won't be to long before we can head down to her in Northumberland and see how her and her Jonny are progressing with their new home renovations, but in the meantime I will stalk her on FB like any good parent. An added joy was a visit from 7 of the Scottish family contingent yesterday in advance of Pepper-Ann's enagagement party which her Dad and I are having to miss . They filled the house with laughter and daftness that only they can bring. Oh and the odd flapjack or too...

The other great news though from QD land is the onset of spring, which has lifted my heart. That and an afternoon spent in my favourite way, listening to Johnny Walker's "Sounds of the Seventies" on Radio 2. Now before all you young 'uns give me up as an old codger you should really check this programme out as it is a gem, full of wonderful music and brilliantly interesting interviews from all sorts through out the music industry in its hey day. Today's was a special commemorating 35 years since the issue of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and oh my goodness, was it a cracker.  For fear of giving too much away, this album holds a special place in my life as it forms part of that soundtrack from our uni days that most of us have. I am sure I have rattled on about this before though so wont bore you too much, just give it a whirl. You wont regret it.  In the meantime checkout this class track from Sutherland Brothers and Quiver- bit different to Rumours but oh my word- it takes me back...

After the sudden snow on Wednesday last week the garden is trying to sort itself out and little green shoots are forcing their way through the muddy soil and welcoming us to the warmer days. My garden has taken an absolute hammering with all the rain since last year and is needing a fair amount of tlc to get it back in order but it will have to wait a while until are all back to normal. I think everything has survived this year as we didn't suffer the severe frosts of the past couple of winters, but I do have my doubts about the pots of delphiniums as they are totally water logged so may well have rotted away to nothing. But fingers crossed.

I tried to do a bit of stitching today but still am feelings bit " bleurk" to coin a phrase, so it was not very productive. I had missed getting to the shops for a valentines card for the beloved JB so I thought I would make him one ready for his return from offshore later this week. Everyone say ahh.

Apart from that I made a small pouch to send with a swap as a little gift and thank you from this side of the pond, and of course I had to enclose the obligatory Tunnochs Wafer, that is the taste sensation of Scotland. Sadly no plain chocolate ones this time as they seem to have disappeared from sale at Mr Sainsbury's these day which is really annoying.

 

Anyway hope you too are having the loveliness that is the first sign of spring down your way and I look forward to you popping by again soon. Bye for now...

And I made it over the line

According to Mr Ashcroft the drugs don't work ( sorry class tune- couldn't resist) but if  2 days ago you had suggested that I would have spent this afternoon sewing and completing my swap I would have laughed you out of the room. So something has definitely been working here. I had pre-empted my delay in posting the Pretty Little Pouch Swap by its deadline by contacting the swap Mama with details of my medical hiccough, but there was a little man nagging in the back of my head this afternoon saying I couldn't let my partner down. So onwards and upwards and all that and hurrah, I got it finished.

All the trickier parts had been completed and I just needed to get the zip in and finish off. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out but the proof will be in the pudding for my partner when it arrives with her. As a little add on I made her as a wallet in the same pirate fabric, but it wasn't until later that I realised I have made the opening for a left handed person. What a spoon am I..... Unless of course I am psychic and she is left handed?  Hmmmm? Anyway apologies if you are not. Maybe you have a left  handed friend who has a penchant for pirates? The pattern was one I found over at the mad Narcoleptic in the Cupboard 's blog.

Its a great pattern, even if you can't tell your left from the right.

If you are interested the back of the pouch itself, it was made using a pirate map Emily drew for me which I then printed out on the inkjet printer using the fabric that fits through and it came out a treat. I have used this  a few times now and think its great fun. In my addled state though I did forget to add a Quilty  Doings tag to the make which is a real shame.

Now I am on a roll so I have made one of the February blocks for the Modern Quilting Stash Bee for the lovely Linda in Napa. She is after fuschia themed colours and the block is called "You are here". I am pleased with this too but am a wee bit concerned its a bit too pink for Linda, so I will make sure block 2 will have a bit more purple in it.

After all this activity I am absolutely shattered but its a far better type of shattered than 2 days ago. It's great to be back in the saddle again....

Random purchasing

I have been very remiss with my blog recently. I am not sure why as I have been keen to sit down and write nearly every evening but same old excuse I am afraid. Time has just conspired against me. I had a flying visit down to see Emily at the weekend as she is suffering from a horrible chest infection so as well as a hug  to make her feel better I wanted to give her some moral support in her planning for the Country Living Fair, as I mentioned in my last post. We had a fruitful catch up and I feel a plan is coming together. The two of us and the wonderful Jonathan must have looked like a load of chumps though as we paced out the stand size in the back garden, laying out sticks and cushions to mark the spaces for tables and print holders. Improvisation can be such a hoot if you try hard enough! 

My flying visit was preceded by a quick trip to the "Scottish Quilt Championships" at Inglestone near Edinburgh and the title of this quilt fair always makes me chuckle. Not quite the FA or Ryder Cup but some hard work exhibited by some very clever and talented ladies ( and lads perhaps? who knows). I took along my lovely lofty friend Emma, who is a "quilt virgin" and I hope I didn't bore her too much droning on about fat quarters and the like. Emma is a great supportor of QD land and I love keeping her up to date with the latest news. Who knows she may at some point get the urge to join in, but I have had to warn her how very addictive all this stitching can be. 

one of the few linens I found at the show

 

As you can see I did indulge in some retail therapy and I was shocked at the randomness of my purchases when I surveyed them back at home. No real theme or style here at all, but I think that's a good thing as I like the idea that different styles grab me on different days. Having quilted for over 15 years I have made many traditional pieces but have loved watching all the new styles and colours come through and the change in fabrics available has been so refreshing. I have to say that I actually was a little disappointed at the lack of modern fabrics at the show, with the only real nod to modern quilting coming from the girls at the Avery Homestore in Edinburgh. I had fallen on their website a few weeks ago so it was lovely to meet them and I am itching to get through to see the shop itself soon. The girls were selling a lovely mix of contemporary fabrics, from my favourite Amy Butler, through the jolly Brrr Ice with its great polar bears ready for Christmas, to some great Suzy Ultman Critters. I felt quite rotten actually as I rather inappropriately said that I had just bought some of the fabrics that they were selling from Pink Castle Fabrics and how great they were, but did not mean to be so rude. The girls had the best choice of fabrics at the show by far and I will most definitely be a supporter from now on. I love Pink Castle and their service is great but sometimes you just have to shop locally and avoid the tax too.

One of my plans was to look for fabrics for my Mouthy Stitches swap , with our partners being announced that day  but technology failed me and I couldn't get my emails to work on my phone till that night by which time I was tucked up in my trundle bed in the B&B in Newcastle.  Actually as I say, the fabrics on sale at rhe show were mainly run of the mill, with the exception of the very large pile now laying in the middle of my dining table, so I will be looking online for my partner, or alternatively will be "google mapping" to see if I can leg it to Avery Homestore in my lunch break in the next day or so. ( This time I shall go alone rather than inflict agony on any more friends - see " A Challenging shopping trip" ha ha). As this is my first swap I am very nervous that I will not be able to match up to the amazing work of my fellow Swappers but I will keep you posted- without revealing too much. However I will say , I do have  plan .... wink wink nudge nudge
 

Homecoming

It seems an absolute age since I have written of the goings on in QD land and that's just been due to life in general going on around. The beloved JB has been home from offshore and the days have flown by. With the nights drawing in too I really can't start sewing after I have finished supper as my brain tells me its time to sit curled up under a quilt and indulge in a bit of autumn TV scheduling and of course a a bit of "Smurfing" the net to catch up on what's happening with my swappies out there in Flickr land. 

Cutting went well for the Japanese Charm Swap and my little squares where quickly winging their way to Narcoleptic in a cupboard in Lerwick and by some miracle I ended up with a fair size pieced left over for me to keep. Yipeeee! Cannot wait to get my bundle back come the end of the month. If you have popped by the group you will have seen that the gang have exceeded themselves in their shopping skills . I just have no clue at  all at the moment what I will want to make from the charms when they arrive.

my girl , herself

This weekend however, much hooting and a hollering could be heard in QD land as at last, the girl got to come home. Yes, that is correct. Emily managed to make it back north for a day and a bit and was welcomed by a very happy Mummy and Step Pa. Emily is a mad little whirlwind and I miss her like mad. I miss Number One Son constantly too, but I don't know if its him being a chap or because Emily actually did live in this house in Scotland for a while, but she has left a bit of a hole. This here was her home, where as for Tom, Cambridge will always be his home, although I am very proud that he constantly regales everyone of his home in Scotland and long may it continue. My tots grew up and life moves on...

Anyway, I digress. Emily managed to get home for a flying visit bringing her gentle and lovely man with her and we managed to catch up on events whilst he and the beloved JB bonded over a glass of red and stories of spanners and electrical supply theory. On Sunday it tipped it down with rain and so we decided we would have a bit of Mum and daughter time in my den. Em has been doing a lot of paper piecing recently but this is not really one of my favourite types of stitching so I had avoided it somewhat but we thought it was time for some role reversal with Emily tutoring me on the technique she uses. 

We chose a pattern of stacked teacups to practice on, from a pattern she found on Craftsy. We raided the stash and set too and to be honest, I am still not completely convinced that this kind of piecing is my bag, but I can see it has its place. 

Em's turned out a lot better than mine as she chose better contrasting fabrics . I went wrong with my top cup fabric as it is too pale and tried to remedy it with  a little embroidered trim, but hey ho. That's what practicing is all about. 

We had a great afternoon whilst the boys snoozed/watched the football and topped it off with a full tummy of Roast Pork and rhubarb Crumble. Yum Yum.

Em has now headed back to County Durham but I will be heading that way on Saturday as we have much work to do sorting out her stand for the Country Living Fair in Glasgow in November.  This is a HUGE thing for Emily and her fledgling business and I am so proud that I could burst. You will be hearing much much more of this event so I won't bore you now but if you want to pop by to see some of her work that will be on sale there just click here. There will be some new work in time for Christmas too, especially as it's a Christmas Fair so don't forget to bookmark the page, wink wink.....

See you soon when I am back and hopefully I will have news of not only the Japanese Charms that have arrived but also progress in the Mouthy Stitches 2 Swap. Can't Wait.

Dreich- adjective ( see also Scotland)

My back garden lawn !

Today has been the sort of the day the Scot's invented the word dreich for. It's been grey and damp with that horrid drizzly sort of rain that gets you soaked right through to the bone. When I first ventured north to university I wrote home to my Mum ( yes, that was in the days when you used a stamp and an envelope, but not quite a quill pen) and told her that the rain up here was wetter than down in the good old south. And do you know, I still stand by that daft statement to this day.

Rain in Scotland has a persistence about it that matches the national character. It is strong and unforgiving. But like the Scottish character the land has a warmth and glow about it that I cannot resist and that makes my heart smile. So I will wear wellies and cultivate the biggest umbrella collection known to man.

Anyway all this drivel about drizzle is because today was "Bank Holiday Monday" which translates as "Guaranteed Wet Dreich Day" so I spent the time catching up on some odds and ends and started a new project. You might remember a few blogs ago I asked for suggestions on what pattern to use for a Layer Cake I had bought entitled "Happy Campers". Well I settled on Emily's suggestion of  "You Zig and I'll Zag" , from the Ruby Blue Quilting Studio and have made a good start. I have promised to give this to Pepper Ann, who is a huge retro fan as I thought it would be a great start to her and Scott's home which they have started  saving things for. It used to be called a "bottom drawer" and that probably  sounds very old fashioned thing now , but actually I think is quite sweet. Pepper Ann and her big and wonderful Scott ( who is somewhere around 6 ft 6 I am sure) are the last of our gang of 5 to set up a home and we hope it won't be too long for them before they are all set and find their ideal place. In the meantime, I can start off their nest with a nice big and bright quilt to snuggle under on the dark nights. I have hit a wee snag though, as the pattern requires 41 blocks and as the layer cake only has 40 pieces I have had brain fade trying to figure out how it's meant to work from the cutting instructions, so I hope I hear from Ruby Blue soon. If you have made a similar pattern or any ideas that will help me please drop me a line to rescue me.

I have to confess though that I did get a bit distracted from my task of this quilt as I stopped for a cuppa and a slice of Marmalade cake and discovered a rerun of Sense and Sensibility on Channel 4 and, well you can't beat a bit of Austen on a wet bank holiday can you. Not to mention Mr Rickman in breeches. Three hours later it seemed a bit late to return to the den to pick up the pieces, if you pardon the pun, so I will continue next weekend, as the beloved JB will still be away at work.

Given all this moaning about rain I thought it would also be good if you saw a few of the upsides of all this northern precipitation. You know I love my garden and its been a tough year but these last couple of pictures show  some of the beneficiaries from this summer. I have been trying to grow Agapanthus for years and this is my first ever bloom. I know its a bit on the weedy side, but its a start. As for the Hydrangea, they remind me of our wedding where we had them stacked high in buckets by the entrance to the marque, and they looked stunning in shades of pink and purple. Next year I will try the iron filings trick and see if I can get a similar effect. The last picture is one of the rain laying on the Achemilla which I thought just looked rather cool. Hope you like them .

 

Anyway, that's me off to find a cure for webbed feet and trench foot... see you again soon

Hiding away

Moda bake shop is hosting a "Show of your stash" malarky so I thought this was good opportunity to share Quilty Doings land with you. Its a small and bijou little land, packed with weird, fun and just soppy keepsakes that remind me of my amazing family and my wonderful life .

This looks like a place of chaos but that's because it is mid stitch. Join me on any normal day and you will find order - well if Emily has been home you will . Whenever Em comes home she loves to spend time checking out my latest purchases and sorting them Harry Potter style but without the hat, into colour and designs. 

Once I get into a project, which hardly ever are planned they all get hauled out and end up all over the place. I love my den though and it is my sanctuary when the beloved JB is away at work. On goes the radio or ipod and the music will be load and on the money and the machine or rotary cutter will be going hell for leather.

If you look one way you will see rows of our books, covering all sorts of subjects and styles. Biographies, novels and a huge amount of travel guides which I adore. These are a total necessity before any trip abroad. Love them. Look the other way and you will see old photos of the gang growing up which make my heart smile. Tom beaming on his first visit to The Bridge, aged 15 ( that's his football mecca for the uninitiated), or Emily aged 3 as the prettiest cow at her first nativity play when every other little girl was asked to be an angel. Poor child. 

The room is littered with children's artwork, wedding keepsakes and just generally daft stuff. For the eagle eyed you might spot the odd strange memento such as the Toy Story toy or a Star Wars Man. The pony surprisingly was a Christmas present only last year from my lovely son in law Greg because when asked what I wanted from Santa I replied " a pony" in jest.  Well what do you know ,I got one. Anyway, as you see , I think my stash lives in a very individual place and I hope you love it as much as I do.

PS its looks nothing like the rest of the house.

Don't you just hate it when that happens

Its been a very strange stitching week, which has led to the neglect of  my blog I'm afraid. I was distracted by a quick diversion back to some dressmaking on the tout suite, which I haven't done for years, due to what can only be called a "Wardrobe Crisis". We had been invited to a birthday party of a lovely friend and her husband and they had the brilliant idea of it being a Hollywood party and we were urged to "think Red Carpet Glamour". I loved this idea as I love an opportunity for a bit of dressing up and the idea of the beloved JB in a tux is always appealing, but this time it was topped by me knowing instantly what I was going to wear. 

Lurking in the back of the wardrobe was lovely taupe beaded number I had bought some years ago in the sale, which had been too good a bargain to resist and here was the ideal chance for it to shine, if you pardon the pun. I tried it on and it fitted like a dream and the only issue was footwear, as the colour was unusual and didn't fit with the normal black, silver or gold evening shoe. So my quest began and I plagued my friends with ideas as my search failed once, twice and three times to find a matching colour. Weeks passed and then panic set in so I thought I would haul out all of my shoes from the wardrobe in the belief that somewhere in there inspiration would be hiding and the Cinderella moment would follow. So I popped on the dress and guess what? Yes, horror of horrors, the stunning but unforgiving cut of this beaded column dress did not allow for an indulgent week in Provence, nor the even more indulgent trip south to see my best chum and Number One Son.The blessed thing would not zip up! The familiar cry went up " I have nothing to wear" and so JB and I hot footed it to Glasgow where I purchased 7 metres of black taffeta, with an amazing ribbon effect edging and I assured my ever patient husband that a gown could be knocked up in no time, to use my Mum's vernacular.

I had a vision in my head of a sweeping off the shoulder number with a big skirt and a tight little bodice( of course ignoring the fact that I no longer have a tight little body to match). Heaven.

What I hadn't of course factored into his week of eager stitching was a full time job, a trip to the Edinburgh festival, nor a hospital visit to a very dear friend who is having a horrid time at the moment. So dear reader I think you may have guessed by now that come Thursday  night there was no gown. Said taffeta can now be found neatly folded in its bag in the fabric cupboard and will wait to see the light of day next time we get to play dress up. As for the party, the LK Bennett's had a great trip out and a good time was had by all. ( oh, I might have forgotten to say I found another gown in the back of the wardrobe! oops).

So after the distraction of the party wear I thought it not a good plan to start a new project so at the weekend I pulled out of the basket a part made project which used a pattern called " Confetti Stars", by Atkinson Designs which I bought The Fat Quarters ( a lovely little shop in County Durham, definitely worth a visit if you are in the area- just ask for Kim)  a couple of years back. This project has been on the go for quite some time and is a scrappy effect from a whole host of toning fabrics I bought on a trip to Canada at least 5 years ago. So long ago that I couldn't tell you the names of the fabrics nor the maker by now. 

I had pieced a large number of squares and now I needed to stitch these in rows. I thought all was OK and and I was pleased with the look, but then I made that fatal mistake we have all made. I got a bit carried away and over confident. As you will see here the pattern was emerging beautifully, but then if you look at the next photo you will see what has happened . Some how I lost the flow and reversed the rows and the mistake did not appear until at least three rows later and the whole pattern fell apart.  So annoying.

all going well

oops!

As you may have guessed the next sewing session will involve a lot of unpicking. I have managed to figure out a way of sorting it out without taking out all the rows but really, not a very productive week all at all. No gown and no quilt. Don't you just hate it when that happens...

By the way if anyone recognises any of these fabrics I would love to know what they are called .

a little sojourn a la France

We've all been "en vacance"  this week so no stitching news to report this post I am afraid. A large proportion of the family headed south to the sun and the took advantage of a glorious spot in Langedoc-Rousillon in which to chill out, chat endlessly about nothing much in particular and just generally relax and eat cheese.  Life has been eventful for a whole chunk of the gang, with lengths of time with unemployment worries and general work pressures for them all so we thought it was time for a good break and as parents, the beloved JB and I were delighted to be able to enjoy some special time with our amazing children and their partners. A couple of missing personnel though for the trip which was shame but our star attendee on her first visit to France was grandaughter Zoe, who at 3 has the ability of keeping every adult entertained for hours with her amazing tales and deep and meaningful conversations. Swimming came along leaps and bounds too for her so we expect to see rubber ring and arm bands assigned to the bin very shortly.

Exploring this area of France is a joy, with fields of Lavender scattered between vineyards and orchards. The whole area is indeed a treat for all the senses and a photographer's dream. 

The gentle scents from wild herbs and flowers fill the air when you stroll along the lanes and there can be no better way of spending an hour or two than sitting in La place aux Herb in Uzes and watching the world go by on market day.

On a Wednesday morning the small square is packed with numerous fruit and vegetable stalls whose owners vie for your trade along with more sellers of goat's cheese than you can imagine.  Emily is sure that she found her ideal man there by way of a cheese selling Silver Fox who offered 50 kinds of Fromage de Chevre . Poor Jonathan - what a suitor to compete with. I am pleased to report though  that Emily will be returning to her home in the North with the poor boy but I am sure she will still be dreaming of the charming cheese seller for many a night....

Whilst in Uzes I fell upon the most wonderful little shop proffering a stunning mix of fabrics, haberdasheries, linens and all things beautiful and if you are lucky enough to be in the area you must seek this little piece of heaven out.  

Another one of the joys of small town France are these individual shops which we in the UK are very quickly losing, due to faceless chain stores and exorbitant business rates, and with all our membership of the European Union it is a shame we cannot see the benefit of the French style here.

The shop keeper of "Vent Du Sud" was a an elegant small woman who oozed pride in her  stylish shop and the quality of its merchandise. Emily and I browsed for nearly an hour whilst our menfolk ate gelate in the near by ice cream parlour, out of the sun . To say we could have blown the whole of the holiday budget here would not be an exaggeration but we did each finally settle on a small but carefully chosen bag of goodies to take back to the UK. I chose a small medley of fat quarters in pale shades of duck egg blue- very french I felt. None of the fabrics were in fact the same brand but had been cleverly chosen by the shop keeper herself and blended wonderfully together. Two of them are Cabbages & Roses Ltd, by Moda and then two unknowns including an amazing moth design. I will search the web and see if I can identify this fabric and then add a link as its well worth finding as it is really stunning- just like specimen plates from a Victorian Natural history Journal. We also found a yard of fabric from the Yuwa Live Life collection which was reduced in the Sale so Emily and I shared this as we both fell in love with its colours. I can see we will be trawling though Etsy trying to find matching elements for this one as it is pretty unusual . Again I will update you how this goes and add pictures at that time.

I have to say though that the part of the shop that sent me into a  complete spin was the haberdashery. The rows of ribbons and trims were incredible and better than I have ever seen together in one place. I could not hold back and came away with a large bag of ribbons and bias trim in all sorts of patterns and colours. 

I have not seen these wonderful printed bias bindings before and cannot wait to make some small pieces to use them . More web searching will need to follow to see what else I can find.  Sadly Vent de Sud does not appear to have a web site so I cannot refer you on to her here, but there again this has to be a good excuse for trying to visit the area just to check out this shop I am sure. I have found mention of it in this blog though so if your french is good you can check out someone else's enthusiasm as well as mine for this wonderful little place.

I had spent the previous day telling Zoe's Mummy about all the ribbons I used to tie in Emily's hair when she was small and had promised to seek out some for Zoe's stunning red curly locks so you can imagine my joy at falling on Madame "Vent de Sud"s emporium 

( sorry no personal names were exchanged as my french was poor and I think she thought my enthusiasm a little odd so hung back a little from my enquiries!).  Anyway needless to say Zoe should never now go un-coiffed, being the proud owner of a mix of organza, satin and embroidered ribbons to show off in her exquisite hair.

I cannot finish my ramble today without a final mention for The Ceramics of Lussan. Whilst they have a small shop in Uzes, it is worth a visit to the Ceramic workshop out in the country itself ( not least because you will pass field upon fild of wild flowers on the way).  At the show room the funny and beautifully exhibited Guinnea Fowl and hens are all on show in quirky " chickeny" type locations.  A very clever person has put these together and with our ridiculous love for all things hennish, it was a must for Emily and I to visit whilst JB and Jonathan trailed dutifully behind.  Hand baggage is always a challenge for me after a holiday but I did manage to make it all the way back home to Scotland with a large pottery Guinnea Fowl who I have named Albert tucked under my arm.