Cottage Garden Threads

Sunday Night Stitching with Downton Abbey

It has become a weekly ritual of mine to make a hot chocolate with marshmellows, snuggle into the couch with a blanket, some stitching and watch the new series Downton Abbey. I am in love with the costumes and settings, the gardens and of course, the drama! I've loved Period drama's since I can remember but was always a closet watcher because it wasn't "the cool thing to watch". Well, it looks like I was just ahead of the game! Now I can suggest all sort s of BBC movies and series to my friends who are so late to discover the wonderful world of romantic and sometimes not so romantic past eras.

Just look at the outfits...

My favorite character so far is Sybil and sorry to spoil it for anyone who hasn't caught the latest episode but the scene where she walked out in her self designed, fashion forward harem pants, exposed ankes and no laced stays (gasp) was  classic! Someone needed to pick the snotty old grandmothers jaw off the floor. Check out the gorgeous ensemble..

This is what I stitched while watching tonight.

Another Sweet Liberty sneak peek

 

Here is just another quick sneak peek of the Sweet Liberty embroideries for the quilt to be released in July. Now to get the pattern written and quilt put together...

Sweet Liberty by Me for CGT

Sweet liberty by me for CGT. I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!

These embroideries are for a quilt that will be released soon. Threads used are Waratah stranded and Perle 12. There are two more panels of birds yet to be stitched. I can't wait to get it all together for our first pattern release.

 

Sneaky peak - Apricot

Soft tones of apricot to temp.

image from here

sneaky peak - Dandelion

No cottage garden is complete without some cheery yellow dandelions. When people comment on the abundance of dandelions in your garden, simply tell them you are following Einstein's principals.

image from here

Sneaky peak - Running Postman

At first when Mum told be what this thread was called, I thought she was being quirky and I liked it! So for days I had this image in my mind....

That reminded me of the story I heard about a postman who got so sick and tired of a particular dog on his rounds that would make it thier sole purpose to bite him everyday. Day after day this postman would be bitten until, he finally reached his breaking point (ask yourself what you would do in this situation and tell me you wouldn't contemplate doing exactly what this postie did...) One day he simply gave as good as he got and bit the dog back! Not that our friendly postman pat with his black and white cat would ever do that (but afterall, no plastacine dog has bitten his little plastacine bum before).  The dog actually died from an infection caused by the bacteria in the postmans saliva. Moral of the story, Google Running Postman and you'll actually see it's a very pretty plant....

Image from here

Sneaky peak - Waratah

 

 

Vivid red and smokey grey

image from here

Sneaky peak - Blue Wren

 We've had a lot of requests for a 'real blue'. The new thread 'Blue Wren' may be just what you were looking for.

image from here

Sneaky peak - Rusty Gate

 

A visit to a cottage garden should always begin with the creaking of a rusty old gate which inspired one of the new realease threads. Rusty red through to rusty orange and green.

Sneaky peak - Blackwood

 

 

Deep brown tones