a tisket a tasket a traditional shopping basket

my shopping basket

I have a lovely traditional shopping basket that I like to use when I go to the butcher in the village.

It wasn’t always mine but it is in good condition. It has an original elasticated fabric cover that I absolutely hate so I decided to make a new one.

original basket cover

The original one has lots of raggedy edges and some questionable sewing skills so I suspect it was quite mass produced for very little cost.  The colours and the pattern are just not me at all.

my shopping basket alongside some of my other baskets

So I hunted through my growing piles of vintage fabrics to find the right colour and pattern for the job. I found pair of sweet pale grey blue curtains when I went searching that were just perfect to give this lovely little basket a nice coat.

And here it is. I’m very pleased with it and I think the pattern and colour are perfect for such a lovely thing.

new cover on my favourite shopping basket

It would appear that I have a weakness for baskets and have a couple more that I think could also benefit from a cover each.  We’ll see.

master chef

I like a bit of fun with an apron and have made quite a few in the past, some are just pretty, others have had words on them such as the one I made for our neighbouring farmer at the prompting of his wife or even logos like the ones I made for the underground market.

My friend V and I have exchanged many texts with lists of what could be blazoned onto an apron to prompt comment and we (V particularly) have come up with some great slogans for the fronts of aprons (not all can be published I have to say) and I have been busy making some of them this week.

 

At the risk of being sexist, I think the ‘pot washer’ is destined to adorn a man’s torso as is the one that promises a trade in cooking for a bit of fun!!!!

Who knows, I could be very wrong!

an autumn baby

My nephew Gareth and his girlfriend Natalie have just had a little girl.  She is called Ella and was weighed in at alb 15oz yesterday at 5.45pm

Since they found out the baby was to be a girl from the 20 week scan, I’ve been busy buying bits and bobs to help them out but also thinking of what I should make.

They had already chosen her name so it was easy to start with some bunting that spelled Ella for her nursery.

She isn’t the first Great, Great Grandchild to be named after my gran who was an Ella. My cousin’s son also has  a little girl called Ella.

Gareth was very close to both my gran and my grandad, Taffy and has recently started to show an interest in the family tree research I did some years ago. I’m sure it has something to do with becoming a dad.

I’m very excited for them and can’t wait to meet the little treasure.

arthur

The bunting for William and Henry as well as a previous commission for a cushion for Jack has meant some repeat business from Ness.

girl’s bunting

jessica's bunting

What with easter, royal weddings and unseasonally gorgeous weather, bunting is my new favourite thing to make so Henry, William, Millie and Jessica will be benefitting form my industry when I see them next.

The girls are easy, it is either pink or floral or something along those lines.

The boys are different.  If it isn’t a truck or a dinosaur, it’s no good!! I hope William and Henry don’t notice that there are some tiny flowers on the boys bunting!  I could be in trouble!

henry's bunting

Bunting is so much fun and nice to make, a bit of sewing, a bit of applique and a cute little person’s name.

I would have loved something like this in my room as a little girl.  It reminds me of silver jubilees, golden jubilees and all the fun of childhood although we didn’t have any at home, it was always flying for special events like street parties and carnivals etc.

Does anyone have village carnivals anymore?  I hope so, they we just the best fun!!

a living rustic jump

Last year the farm asked us to lay a hedge for ‘the hunt’ to jump when they are invited to ride here twice a year.

With no more knowledge of how to do this than what had been gleaned from the internet, we gave it our best.

We know that the jump has been used and enjoyed over the winter.  One of the huntsmen, Philip enjoyed it particularly because it drops on one side. Depending on your approach, it can be a challenge for the stead and jockey alike.

We were never sure if it would work when we did the laying in september last year. It is only evident now that it has been a success and we are very pleased with it.  It benefits from the slope on one side that philip enjoyed so much and it has a high crest in the middle.  This is tempered with a delicate low section to the right for the less brave members that join the hunt and a middle ground to the right side for those who can’t quite make up their minds.

We will be tasked to do this again in the autumn when the next spot has been identified and another jump would make a day out a bit more interesting so we are hoping for a less mature hedge this time to refine our new found skills.

Easter Bunting

As Easter approaches, there is a handful of little people who might be expecting and easter egg from us.

Jessica is coming to stay with her mum and dad for the lovely long easter weekend.

I have no doubt that there will be plenty of eggs in the chocolate form that come her way but our gift to her is some bunting for her room.

It spells her name and starts and finishes with a flower motif.

Her absolute favourite colour is yellow but I know she wears pink all the time.

I hope she likes the pink and it goes with her room decor.

We haven’t seen her or her mum and dad for ages and we are really looking forward to it.

I’ve done some others too but they aren’t quite finished yet.

a new puppy

My lovely friend ‘V’ and her family have recently experienced the heart breaking loss of both of their beloved little dogs Kinny & Diesel.

‘V’ was lucky enough to have Kinny for about 16 years and Diesel for about 12. I know Diesel was a battersea rescue and if my facts are correct; Kinny was bought from a market stall holder who happened to have pups of the type that ‘V’ wanted.  They have lived their long lives happily and with lots of love.  Both very special in their individual ways.

Their loss has left a huge gap in a very loving but busy household.

Kinny’s loss was first and it seemed too great, leaving such a raw wound that I wasn’t sure if another dog could join this lovely household.

Imagine my delight when, all checks passed and papers signed, ‘V’ sent me a text from the car to say that she was nursing a puppy on their way home.

Agnes is GORGEOUS!!

 

Diesel has also been lost to them since Agnes arrived and she will undoubtedly miss him as they used to curl up and snuggle together for a snooze but she is young and will recover from his departure a lot sooner than the humans will.

She is also a rescue dog so they had lots in common.  She is adorable to look at and full of character.  It is hard to believe that she was ever unwanted.

Her arrival was a few weeks ago now and she is a huge character with lots of cute expressions and fun qualities.  I suspect she may be a little tinker at times too but how can you resist such and expressive little thing?

Lucky little pooch is already very well loved and a huge part of the family.  Welcome little lady.

a beefy italian

 

romano's tomatoes

 

When I walk my little dog every morning, there is a lovely old italian chap who brings his working pointer in for a bit of excercise and we almost always walk together and chat.

here's hoping

 

He is charming and always makes me laugh. He shoots, has a garden, an allotment and cooks all the time.  He is in fact a retired chef.  We always have long chats about food and what we were doing at the weekend and he has lead an incredibly interesting life.

Last year he gave me the most enormous italian beef tomato to dry for seeds to plant this year.  It was an italian beef variety that came from his home in italy where his mama still lives.

sliced beef tomatoes

I wasn’t very hopeful after drying them as they looked a but mouldy but I thought I’d chance it.  I planted them in old baked bean tins a few weeks ago and they are starting to sprout.  I am hopeful that they will look as lovely as these photos when they grown on.

 

sprouting tomato seedlings

I have labelled them Romano’s Tomatoes and I like to think of them as being a hansome juicy italian variety just like him!

Indy Anna Watts

one of my longest standing friends (that I wasn’t at school with) has recently become a granny.  apart from being far too young to be considered for this ageing roll, she is also a bit too glamorous for ‘granny’ anything.

little harri is ‘granny’s’ daughter and little indy came along to turn her harri into a mum and debbie into a granny.

it isn’t 5 minutes since harri was little, writing to parliament about cruelty to animals or studying some arachnid in the garden accompanying it with detailed sketches.  She is still as passionate about animals but now she is also a mum.

 

indy’s present is a bit late since she has already seen her first christmas but I hope she likes the cushion.  I think her mum will, afterall, it has an animal on the front.