Saturday, June 25, 2022

Mr Shoestring - A Prince Among Men


Mr Shoestring has presented me with this cute picture he made using some tapestry canvas, and one of my needles and thimbles he snuck off with.  

He is so handy, loyal and true.  There is nothing much he can't turn his hand to, from fixing his little grandson's remote controlled car to building us a new sunroom. 

 The sunroom is my absolute treasure which he constructed using recycled windows, and it has made such a difference to Shoestring Cottage.  The large glassed area is a window we found abandoned at the side of the road when we went on one of our walks.  (It did have a sign on it saying that it was free, we didn't steal it!)

 

I think Mr Shoestring was doubtful that we ever would find a use for it and it languished at the side of the cottage for a few years but eventually I managed to plant the seed in his mind that it could be used to enclose the side of the deck which he had built.  And as well as the large window he had a stash of little orange and green windows which were salvaged when the house next door tragically burnt down.  It has worked out so beautifully; every time I arrive at Shoestring I have to immediately go out and check it.  The stephanotis vine there has had its first flowers and the collection of geraniums is looking good.  There is a pot of edible ginger, still emerging, because it will be interesting to see what it looks like, and another pot with a white ginger and some other fillers.  Even on a cold winter's day it is lovely to sit out there and luxuriate in the sunshine.  At the corner of the house I have planted a grape vine and I have grand visions of it being trained up into the sunroom's clear roof and bearing masses of fruit for us to enjoy.  

But I haven't just been lolling around in the sun room, in fact it's been a very happy time for stitching.  The teacups quilt I had put together has finally been quilted, using variegated perle cottons, and I am thrilled with it.  


    


On the back it has an old duvet cover and also some of the extra hexagons, one in each corner.  

The border uses a border fabric in bright lolly colours which are so cheerful and a different palette to my usual.

 


As well as the teacups quilt being quilted, I finally finished the doyleys and damask crazy quilt, which is surprisingly heavy as I used a green damask duvet cover I found in an op shop for that one. 

 (A little bit obsessed with using old duvet covers for quilt backs at present, such a saving in cost and if you can find one which is really suitable it is a perfect solution to the problem of what to put on the back.  I am very pleased with this one, it is soft and gentle in its tones for the most part but there is still a lot to look at.)  

My collection of old embroideries has only been growing slowly but this week I found this, a canvas work landscape, which is so different from all the others. 



 A hand written note on the back records that it was stitched by a patient in hospital and what I love about it is that it is completely undisciplined as far as the actual stitches go, not at all the regular and perfect stitches you usually see in needlepoint, but this only adds to the finished effect. 




The stitches going in different directions give texture and movement to the landscape and the colours are so subtle.  I suspect this view meant a lot to the person who created this wonderful textile.  Perhaps she could see it from her hospital room.  

And as an antidote to all my florals I have dragged out this piece of vintage bark cloth which I found at the Sally Army shop a few years ago for $2.50.  I have never been able to think what I could do with it, but I finally have had an inspiration and I'm going to intersperse the images of the cowboys and cowgirls doing their thing with nine patches in red and green, to make a quilt simple and so different from my usual.  It's fun to swerve from one colour palette to another from time to time, to shake things up.  (Using up bits and pieces left over from other projects of course!)

I hope all is well with you and yours, and I intend to be back to blogging more frequently from now on.  Winter Deco celebrations are coming up and that will be great fun too.  

No comments:

Post a Comment