Happe Easter everyone!

I thought I would share some photos of my small but beautifully formed collection of auricula primulas from my garden.

And finally - just to prove that I've been working on my minis too this week - here's a photo of the retreat - all painted and mostly fixed together. The stairs aren't actually glued in yet but I couldn't resist putting them in position just to see how they will look.

I was a little concerned when I bought this kit about just how much space there would be as it's only one room upstairs and one down. But there'll be plenty of room for a little kitchen corner and a small dining nook as well as the living/crafting space and I might even squeeze in a small en-suite shower room upstairs. We'll see. The front of the building is almost all glass and there's a large deck along the front - so lot's of space to fill.

 Enjoy your weekend everyone!

A carpet for the retreat

I finished the rug that I was stitching the other week and I've decided that it will go into my new build - the retreat. There is more progress on the building too as now everything has a coat of sealer and a coat of primer and the walls also have a top coat of Laura Ashley ivory.

The retreat is going to be a shabby chic cabin for a stitcher - yes, in my dreams I would have this little cabin in my garden - well, in the garden of the house that I inhabit in my dreams too. There's no space for a cabin of any kind in my real life garden, sadly. But isn't that just the biggest joy of miniatures? We can have the properties of our dreams.

The walls are all going to be cream and the furniture and fabrics will pick up on the colours in this rug - pastel blues, greens and pinks.

I also finished the four lace sycamore seeds I've been working on. I used Venetian Gros Point techniques to decorate the leaves/wings, and some of them have beads added too.

And here they are, laid on top of the silk they'll be stitched onto. I went for the green silk, though you really couldn't tell that from this photo for some reason.

A trip to London and more

What a busy week this has been! I went down to London to spend time with my daughter and my son and we had a great time in the gloriously warm spring weather! It was unseasonably warm and, of course, I had gone equipped with clothing to suit the cooler temperatures of the previous week so there was the perfect excuse to buy new t-shirts. We made the most of the sunshine though with a visit to Kew gardens ...

This is the palm house, which survives from the Victorian period, and houses specimens from across the world.

The gardens cover 300 acres on the south side of the Thames river and development of the gardens began in the 17th century. In 2003 it was named as a World Heritage site and today the staff work hard to conserve plant life in all its forms.

The magnolias were in full bloom when we visited

 

I love this huge old tree too. As you can see, no leaves yet!

We also went for a picnic at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent - not really a castle at all, but the gardens here were designed by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicholson in the 1930s.

This is the entrance to the gardens, where Vita had her office, from which she would have had a wonderful overview of the garden.

The spring bulbs looked glorious!

This is the moat which runs along two sides of the garden

More spring bulbs.

Then yesterday a friend and I went up to Harrogate to the 'Lace Event'. The majority of the exhibitors were selling items related to bobbin lace, which is not what I do, but there were also stands for knitting yarns, crochet threads and patterns and a couple for needle lace. I did buy new threads!

I also bought a beginners guide to tatting, which is something I've never tried before so watch this space for news of how I get on with that.

In between the trips I have also made some thread catchers for Liz's Sewing Room Sew Along. The large patchwork one now sits by my sewing machine to catch all those odds and ends of thread and fabric, one of the two small ones will live inside my project bag, which I made last month, and the other one is a gift for my lace-making friend. 

At last month's miniatures group meeting we made a wickerwork chair - the first one I've ever attempted and, while it's not perfect, I'm pretty pleased with it.

The chair is destined to go in my retreat ... and yes, I've started building.

The walls are up. I really wasn't intending to start this yet but I just couldn't resist. I've had the kit for almost a year and promised myself that I wouldn't begin until everything else was finished. Well, I almost made it. The only thing outstanding is that 48th scale cottage and I'll continue with that in and amongst when I fancy a change of scale.

Welcome to Thornhill Manor

Yes - it's finished! Well, finished enough to bring out of the workroom and into the house. There will be more additions yet for quite a while no doubt. Anyhow, I'm inviting you to come along with me on the grand tour.

Here we go ... through the front door ...

and into the entrance hall. This still looks very bare and I already have umbrellas and walking sticks waiting for me to buy/make a stand for them. I shall probably also add a coat rack of some kind but for now there is a hall stand with a handbag and shopping basket.

We'll go through that door on your right and into the butler's pantry.

There is still lots of space on those shelves but they are starting to fill. An iron stands on top of the wood burning stove and the desk on the left of the room is where the cook plans her menus and keeps her shopping receipts.

Now, back across the hall and into the kitchen.

Again, there is still space in some of the cupboards but cook has been busy baking cakes and the cat is coming to see if she has time to find him some food too.

Upstairs onto the first floor hallway. This is the floor where the public rooms are so the gentleman of the house is displaying his wealth and heritage with the two suits of armour and the portraits on the wall. Through the door on your right ...

and we're in the dining room. The display cabinet now contains several ornaments and there is a clock on the mantlepiece and flowers on the table. I'll probably add a carpet in here to prevent the chairs scratching on the wooden boards.

Across the hallway and into the sitting room where the occupants of the house entertain their guests after dinner.

There is correspondence to be dealt with on the writing bureau and more flowers and ornaments on the mantlepiece.

Then upstairs again to the second floor.

Again, this hallway is a little bare and I'll probably add a chair and small table at the back to make a cosy little nook for sitting and reading a book.

On the right of this hallway is the master bedroom - resplendent in blue and ivory silk.

And across the hallway is the study - a very masculine room with the sheepskin rug, desk complete with open atlas and refreshments and the shelves filled with books and trophies.

Upstairs again brings us into the roof space of the house where we have the children's room and nursery. The baby's cot sits against the left hand wall next to the rocking chair while the girl's bed takes up the right hand side of the room. There are books and games on the shelves against the back wall and a toy box with a large rug for her to sit on while she plays.

If we go through the doorway at the back of the children's room we enter the bathroom with its chest of drawers filled with towels and linens and the small cabinet filled with toiletries.

And here we are back outside where you can see the house in its final resting place. I do hope you enjoyed your tour.

Yes, I've been sewing

First of all I'd like to say to those who were kind enough to show an interest, that the manor house is built in 1:24 scale - hence the problem with the electrical connections. But that's tomorrow's job. Today I want to show you what's been happening on the stitching front.

Some of you may have noticed that I'm taking part in Liz's sew along at her blog liz-moments.blogspot. I joined a little late so this tote bag is my first project but I'm really pleased with it and it's already earning its keep. Don't you just love those rose fabrics?

I also completed a blackwork kit which my good friend Vi gave me.

 

Sorry about that crease. I photographed it before it was pressed. It will be framed and hung in my bedroom where there's already a bit of Japanese theme going on with the seven existing cross stitch photos that are in there.

 Sorry also about the reflection from the window on this one. You get the idea anyhow I'm sure.

I also started two more projects. Yes, I know ... what about completing one project before you begin another, but there is a reason - honest! This crewel work sampler is the piece I shall take to work on at the next Embroiderers Guild meeting next Monday. This piece uses some of the traditional 17th century crewel work stitches within a much more modern flower design and I'm practising the techniques for the 17th century embroidery project we're embarking on at the Guild.

and I'm working on this miniature carpet at home in the evenings. This is a Berlin work design taken from the Janet Granger carpet book I showed you a couple of posts ago. Berlin wool work is a type of needlepoint which typically uses a great many colours in quite intricate designs which became very popular in England during the 19th century, probably due to the availability of better dyeing methods and the Victorian love of colour and pattern. Anyhow it will look just perfect in the living room above the tea rooms.

I told you a couple of weeks ago that my friend Vi and I now get together each Monday to work on our needle lace and I'm working on some sycamore seed designs which I'm planning to stitch onto the lid of a silk covered box. I've completed two seed heads but now I have a little dilemma I'd like your help with if you can. Today I went into town and bought two pieces of silk dupion - one of which will cover the box. My problem is that I can't really decide which colour the lace looks better on ...

this sea green/blue piece?

... or this brown piece?

What do you think?

The beds are made

Thursday was the day when the Welsh celebrate their patron saint - St David. I tell you this because once a year, despite having been born and bred and lived all my life in Yorkshire, I am adopted as an honorary Welsh woman and attend a St David's Day dinner with my good friend who is Welsh. The dinner was yesterday evening and I have to tell you that we had an excellent time!

There was good food - a three course dinner with leek and potato soup (of course) followed by a number of options for main course, including a delicious vegetarian option for me, followed by lemon tart, chocolate roulade or pavlova for dessert. I had the pavlova - trying hard to fool myself into believing that it was the healthy option because it was stuffed full of fresh fruits.

The evening ended with entertainment by a Welsh speaking vicar who had the most amazing singing voice - and a sing song for us all to join in with songs in both Welsh and English. The bunch of daffodils in the picture was given to me by my friend for having gone with her, though I assured her that it was no hardship at all.

Now ... onto minis ... I've finally finished the beds for the Georgian manor house. The first fits in the master bedroom and is dressed in silk and lace. I may yet pile some cushions on top of the pillows but for now this room is finished.

The second is the daughter's bed and this sits in the attic bedroom/nursery, which is not quite finished yet so no photographs of that room today. 

I've been painting some metal ornaments and bits and pieces for the pantry and kitchen so this house will soon be ready for me to work on the electrics and then it can be moved from the workshop into the dining room where it will be displayed. I admit that I'm not looking forward to doing the electrical work. I find it so difficult in this scale, but it must be done. Once it is I'll take you on the grand tour.

But for now I'll leave you with more daffodils - in my garden this time. I love this time of year!!!