I thought you might like a sneak preview peek at the cover of June’s magazine ….
There’s lots in there this month, and I do hope you will like it. It’s published on Thursday 30th May, so a little while to go yet – and a chance for me to add a few final finishing touches!
Meanwhile, whilst you’re waiting for the 30th, you might like to pop across to Celtic Thistle Stitches where Fiona is hosting a blog hop “It’s for the Birds” - and a giveaway of some bird themed Bustle & Sew patterns. Do be sure to check out the rest of her blog too while you’re there, she has some lovely tutorials and lots more to look at too!
I know that today is Mother’s Day in the United States. Here in the UK we enjoyed our Mother’s Day back in March – but I’ve decided to celebrate all over again! And because it’s not really Mother’s Day here, my gift is for all my free newsletter readers – whether you’re a mother or not! It’s a copy of my Bustle & Sew Magazine…..
If you’re a newsletter reader, then just go to your free patterns library page on my website and you’ll be able to download your copy there. If you’re not already a reader and would like to receive this magazine, then all you need to do is join using the form in the right hand sidebar. You’ll then receive a link to the free patterns library – as well as more goodies over the coming weeks. (And don’t worry, I never share your email address with anyone else).
Happy Mother’s Day!
This week has been a sitting-down-and-stitching sort of week as I have been temporarily incapacitated. That is to say my left knee has been temporarily incapacitated, due to Daisy’s inexpert charging around. Coming at me from behind, and travelling at full speed, instead of swerving to the left to avoid me, she instead swerved to the right – straight into the back of my left knee. 5 1/2 stone (about 77 lbs) of dog going at full speed into your knee hurts – and she has partially torn a tendon. (Mine, not hers!) Ouch! But, as my mum used to say, “every cloud has a silver lining” and for me the silver lining has been the opportunity to sit around resting my knee and indulge in some totally guilt-free stitching.
Putting my blackwork butterfly to one side again for a while, I have been working on a vintage-inspired embroidered mirror frame for the June issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine. In the course of the last week it has gone from this ….
To finished! I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to assemble the mirror, but in fact, with some PVA glue and a nice sharp pair of scissors it proved to be remarkably easy ….
I’m really pleased with how it turned out. The stitching is easy too as it’s just satin stitch, with a little back stitch for the stems that twine between the candy-coloured roses. And, mentioning roses – you may remember from a recent post that Rosie has already reserved this little looking glass (I love this old-fashioned term for mirror) – though it has turned out to be so pretty I am very tempted to keep it for myself!
And finally … you may have noticed a new tab at the top of this page “Instagram” – we now have a Bustle & Sew Instagram feed on the site. New photos of dogs, Devon and sewing are added nearly every day, so if you are a “pictures” sort of person and would like to keep even more up-to-date with happenings here at Bustle & Sew, then please do bookmark our Instagram page – or follow us on Instagram – our handle is bustleandsew.
As the warm and sunny weather continues, this morning we set off early for our walk in the woods before it became too hot for Ben who hasn’t yet shed his extra heavy winter coat. I stopped on the way at our little village hall which has been turned into a polling station for the day for our County Council elections. Maybe it’s because I’m older – and possibly more cynical – but it seemed to me that there wasn’t much to choose between the candidates – and none of them really seemed to be concerned about the issues that affect small rural communities like ours. But nonetheless, remembering the Suffragettes and “Votes for Women”, I marked my “X” in one of the squares and posted my vote in the large black ballot box.
I’m hoping this wonderful weather will continue over the weekend, so am sprucing up the summerhouse in readiness …..
… repainting the furniture, which has been with me for – oh – well over 20 years!! It actually dates back to the early 1970s and was a gift from my mum when Rosie was very very tiny. It is still good and solid and although it was originally a very dark teak, over the years it’s been all sorts of colours – this year I’ve opted for pastel shades (very on-trend!) with pale pink, blue and white. And in the back corner you can see my latest completed project – it was outside for its photo shoot. Finished just in time for this lovely weather – my Great British Picnic Blanket – with its own bag for storage and transportation.
The Great British Picnic Blanket (and bag) will be in the June issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine (published 30 May). I’m still working on another project for the magazine – my Blackwork Butterfly – which is going well – the fluffy body makes a most effective contrast to the lacy wings as I hoped it would …..
The summerhouse makes a lovely warm weather office, so as the paint had dried on my furniture, I took my laptop outside this afternoon and settled down to do some work …
Ably assisted by my two furry friends …. both large ….
And under the table, next to my feet, in the spot Ben used to love when he was a puppy, the small one (though growing larger every day!)
Hopefully they’ll both stay fast asleep for a while so I can get some work done!
