A summer’s afternoon …..

The weather has turned hot and sultry – there was thunder again last night which nearly drowned out the sound of Daisy’s snoring.  She is not at all afraid of thunder, no – her worst fear is being left alone – quite alone that is, with neither her Big Bro nor I close at hand to cater to her every whim!  She had to be brave yesterday however.  I simply had to leave her home by herself for an hour while I took Ben to the vet  to have his stitches out as it was far too hot for her to wait safely in the car during his appointment.  Everything went well for Ben at the vet’s since as well as being highly skilled, our vet is very kind and patient, understanding that on such a hot afternoon a heavily-coated and slightly stressed large dog needed quite a few breaks during the lengthy procedure.

Today has been much more the sort of day the Newfies love as, after their early morning walk, we’ve spent most of our time in the summerhouse ….

Here’s a very relaxed and cheerful Ben!  His eyes are still rather sore and swollen, but our vet assures me they will improve a lot over the next week or so.  And notice the untidy muddle on the table behind him!  This is what happens when somebody (me) with the attention span of a butterfly decides to spend a hot summer’s afternoon working outside.

On the table you mght spot no fewer than three projects for the August issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine.  There’s the lid for my button jar, together with the DMC colour chart to help me write up the pattern.  Then there’s my Poppies applique (more about that in a minute) and my current handstitching, as well as a half-drunk cup of tea, several magazines, the house phone, and more.  But back to the poppies applique ……

It is of course the centenary of the beginning of the First World War next month and, as all my grandparents’ lives were affected by this conflict, I wanted to create a design to remember that generation.  I wanted this design to be simple, but light and airy – reflecting my grandparents’ hope for the future rather than brooding on the horrors of war.  To achieve this I chose bright colours and have combined sewing techniques that my grandmothers might have used as well as modern ideas.  The poppies’ stems are all chain stitch, and the centres French knots whilst the petals are felt and freestyle machine applique.  I think it has all come together  well, and I’m planning make the finished panel into a cushion cover that will have pride of place on my living room sofa – well out of that naughty Miss Daisy’s reach.

And thinking of that furry whirlwind – I began this post with Daisy so it seems nice and tidy (unlike my summerhouse table!) to finish with her too……

 

“MUUUUMMMMMMM!!! I’m sooooooo bored with all this sewing!  When can we GO TO THE BEACH???”

17 Comments

So glad to hear that Ben is recovering quickly and will soon be back romping with Daisy who looks very bored indeed.
I love the new projects for August…especially the poppy pillow!
X Linda

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Thanks Linda – Daisy is a proper pest! They’d had a lovely long walk already xx

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I’m ready with Daisy! Love her and her name. Daisies are my favorite flower.

I am working on pillow cases, embroidered. They will go to the first grandchild to marry. I already have another set ready to start stitching on, too. I do love to embroider.

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Aw, what lucky grandchildren you have Deborah – I’d love to see your finished cases x

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Love the poppies. My last year working in the craft shop, it was November and coming up to the eleventh, so I made sure every cross stitch and embroidery kit we had with poppies on and there were a few,were on the front of the hooks and turned towards the door so they could be seen. It was my way of remembering.
Julie xxxxxxxxxx

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Thanks for sharing your work table with us, it’s always great to see how others work. I adore all your pieces and have been a fan for years! I can’t wait to see your August edition.

The poppies are lovely, the colour is absolutely perfect!

Give that sweet furry face a kiss from Canada!!

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I love that look of adoration from Daisy and so glad to hear that Ben is improving day by day.
Beautiful poppies cushion cover, just love the simplicity of poppies yet they are so eye catching too. I have to have poppies in my garden! In this hot weather the best thing is to be sitting somewhere cool and stitching 🙂

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The poppies are lovely. 🙂 Poppies are also the state flower of California, but they are a “golden” colored of a different variety, not red. Personally, the California poppies are yellow to orange, but they call them “gold” to match Californias nickname, “The Golden State”.

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Yes, we have California Poppies here – they are a garden flower though and not wild like the Field Poppies x

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Helen ,
I love to check out your blog . You are so inspiring.
I love the poppies , a beautiful way to remember xx

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Love the poppies. The town where I live has “red poppy” days in the spring to honor WWI veterans and one who, so the story goes, brought seeds home from Flanders field after the Great War. Love them and love your pattern, I simply must make it.

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