Terrific Tulip Messenger Bag

I went out into my garden to take some photographs of my first completed project for the May issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine.  I’m trying to get a bit ahead of myself rather than always working up to the last minute, so have been stitching madly in the evenings, while Daisy practises her “knitting” rolling around on the rug with a ball of wool.  She loves to unravel wool so I keep a couple of ends of balls for her to play with – but she’s only allowed them during the evening whilst I am supervising her activities to avoid any danger of her choking or becoming entangled in the yarn.  Anyway …. between re-winding her ball so she can unravel it once more and removing my slippers from her soggy grasp … I have managed to complete my Terrific Tulip bag ….. 

 It’s a retro, 1970’s style embroidery featuring stylised tulips, daisies and sunflowers (with no regard for the seasons!) stitched onto vintage linen.  It’s quite a small messenger, measuring just 12″ across, but is surprisingly roomy inside.  I photographed it, as always, in my summerhouse and, although it is still bitterly cold, was surprised to see how many plants were in flower.  I snapped just a couple of them to show you … the Hellebores are still doing well ….

 And the flowers are opening on my early Camelia – hope they don’t get scorched by the frost…

While these days there is almost always a Daisy to be found in my garden!  She’s five months old now and not so little any more – here she is with her long-suffering big brother!

 He loves her to pieces – though he tells me that she can be rather a pest sometimes!  Sorry they look so scruffy – but they had just been rolling around on my poor bare lawn.  Hurry up spring and make the grass grow again!