Chillington prepares … free Scrappy Union Jack pattern

Chillington, where I live,  is a small, sleepy village nestling in the lush green south Devon countryside, just a couple of miles from the sea.  It is the sort of place where nothing ever seems to happen – until now!!!   The Olympic torch will be carried through OUR village on its journey around Britain before the Olympics commence in London this summer.  Everyone is very excited indeed and those of us who live actually on the route are very concerned to ensure that we look our best on Sunday morning when the torch arrives.  The grass verges have all been freshly mown and a lovely colourful sign has appeared on the edge of the village …. 

 There are flags in the trees……

and all along the road ….

and we have flags at Coombe Leigh too.  I spent some time this morning fixing them securely, assisted by Ben (who in this photograph has rather lost his concentration, having spotted one of his friends out on her morning walk on across the road!)

But in spite (or probably because) of Ben’s failing to lend a paw, I think our flags look rather good.

Then I came indoors and, still feeling in a very patriotic mood, finished writing up the pattern for my Scrappy Union Jack applique…

 It’s really, really easy and is a great way to use up your scraps – particularly if, like me, you have a huge pile of very small pieces of fabric that you don’t want to throw away, but aren’t quite sure what to do with them.  There’s no hemming or turning, just position and stitch.  

 CLICK HERE to download your free Scrappy Union Jack pattern. 

And why stop at red, white and blue?  What about mint and pink or maybe shades of grey for a really sophisticated flag?

Happy stitching – and keep your fingers crossed for dry weather in Chillington on Sunday!!