A crochet story . . .

The story starts a few years back, not that long after we'd moved to England, when a friend & I pootled along to a workshop at lovely Harry & Floss in Alcester to make pretty fabric flowers - and that's where I first met Diane.  (You can read all about that here if you'd like.) 

 A few months later, and once again Diane was sharing her crafty skills with me, this time teaching me to crochet.

 Having been a knitter since I was six years old, I'd only ever dabbled in a little attempt at crochet but never quite mastered the art.  So very patiently and with lots of encouragement, Diane set about remedying that and very soon I was completely hooked.   Over the weeks, we spent many an hour at my diningroom table, nattering over tea & biscuits & hooking, and creating lots of samples & grannies . . . some square, and many others not-so-square  ; - )

Fast forward a few years to 2016, when lovely Diane asked if I'd like to teach some crochet workshops for her at Harry & Floss -  I never hesitated and jumped right in with a resounding yes.

I was afterall, taught by the best : - )

And so it was that earlier this month, I spent a fun & fabulous day with some lovely ladies, passing on my crochet knowledge and teaching them this delightful skill.

 It's such a privilege to have the opportunity to pay it forward, don't you think ?

all set up and ready to go . . .

it was hard not to be distracted by all the yummy fabrics around us too . . .

see what all you can do with some simple crochet stitches ?

the cushion on the right was my first ever granny square project, and I still LOVE it . . .

there's a whole lot of concentration going on here . . .

Diane kept us topped up with teas & coffees , and of course, the essential yummy cake too. Cake and crochet just seem to be the perfect combination methinks.

It was such an enjoyable day, and the lovely ladies all did really well.   I'm already looking forward to the next one . . .

Oh, and if you're ever in Alcester - do pop in at Harry & Floss, it's a treasure trove of yummy yarns and fabulous fabrics. Or follow along with their crafty adventures on Instagram or Facebook if you like.

'til next time,

xoxo

ps. Linking up with Small Things Yarn Along today - another source of lovely yarrny goodness.

If the shoe fits . . .

Thanks so much, lovely peeps for all your kind & encouraging comments about our blossoming garden.  And a big welcome to my new followers too - thanks for popping in to say hello : - )

The Hubby & I spent the weekend in London and now I'm packing my bag again and heading north across Hadrian's Wall for a few days in Scotland, but before I fly off I thought I'd tell you about a fab little workshop I did the other evening . . .

My friend Heather (yes, she of gardening guru fame) & I decided we needed to add "Making Espadrilles" to our crafty endeavours, so off we toddled to Guthrie & Ghani in Moseley.

We were such busy elves that I somehow only took three little pics, but we had great fun cutting & stitching & nattering away, and by the end of the evening we'd almost managed to produce one shoe each ; - )

That's Heather's on the left and mine on the right, and a sad lack of any significant crafty time since then means that I've yet to finish my other shoe.  So they are sitting patiently on top of the WIP basket, hoping to be a complete pair soon.

It was a really fun workshop, and the espadrilles don't require much fabric at all - just two fat quarters, so I definitely see another pair on the horizon in the not too distant future.  But I really must finish this pair first.   They're just perfect for summer, don't you think ?

Wishing you a happy week,

'til next time,

xoxo

ps. if you fancy a little trip to beautiful Stratford upon Avon to make your own lovely pair of bespoke espadrilles, there's a couple of workshops coming up at Sew Me Something.  Ooh, and there's 20% off in the Summer Workshop Sale too  : - )

We wove willow . . .

So, a week or so ago - just before our house filled up with weekending friends and things got really busy,  I spent a fun day doing a willow weaving workshop with my lovely Book Club gals.

Mostly our book club is about the book . . . and the natter . . . and the cake, but every now and then we like to do other things too.  Like dinner and the theatre, or the ballet, or in this case - learn to make some fab willow garden decs.

Enter my oh-so-creative-and-talented friend, Rachel.

Amongst other things, Rachel is a whizz with willow, so we booked her for the day and she arrived with absolutely everything in hand and set about teaching us the wonderful art of weaving willow.

First up was tea & cake (of course)  and then after some instruction and demonstration, we wove and carefully bent and giggled (oh, and I may or may not have stamped my feet a little when one of my petals just wouldn't stay put . . .) and chatted, and wove some more before stepping back and admiring our fun flowers . . .

Don't we look chuffed ? That's me & mine at the back, 2nd from left . . .

A yummy lunch followed before it was time to get stuck into our next project . . .

 . . . an obelisk ,  teepee ,  thingy-that-you-grow-climbing-flowers-up , call it what you may . . .

So once more we spread ourselves out on the kitchen floor and as lovely Rachel talked us through it we chatted away, revelling in the delight that comes from being creative on a Friday afternoon  : - )

 All too soon, it was time to pack up with even Sarah's adorable pup, Tiger "helping" . . . 

I have to admit I haven't had a chance to put my willow works of art into the garden yet,  but Heather is much more efficient and sent me a pic of hers in situ in her lovely garden.

'Twas truly a fabulous day - good friends, good food, great fun . . .

Have a happy new week, lovelies

'til next time,

xoxo

It's a tie . . .

So,  just a few days before our lovely friends arrived to stay from far & wide and I had a wee bloggy break,  I took a fun workshop at Sew Me Something - to learn to make a tie . . .

Fabric all cut out & ready to sew . . .

some pinning, some sewing, lots of laughs . . .

and some nifty hand-sewing & intense concentration.

 Ta - dah . . .

four fabulous ties

and the Hubby wore it to work this morning, so I think he likes it  ; - )

Oh, and there was cake . . . which was yummy . . . of course . . .

Did I mention it was fun ?  Can't wait to make another . . . and another . . .

(I'm thinking Christmas pressies already)

'til next time,

xoxo