Friday 26 February 2016

...how does your garden grow?

Well...
mine has grown
quite a lot
over the past four weeks...
 
 
I started with "sewing"
a row of beautiful
bright
summer daisies :)
 
 
...and it just kind of grew...



 





 
...so how does my garden grow?
It grows a little every day,
and now there are more than enough flowers
for one garden.
There will be two:)
 
Today I am at home,
working in the "garden":)
 
I visited a friend this week,
who has created the most beautiful garden,
over the past couple of years,
and the simple joy of walking
around her garden,
chatting about the plants
and flowers,
was all the more special
when you don't have one of your own.
My mother,
too,
has a heavenly garden.
No matter what time of the year
it always looks so beautiful,
even in the dead of winter.
For me,
gardens have the most amazing ability
to change the way you might be feeling,
always for the better.
 
This was one of my favourite gardens
I visited last year
in the
 tiny French village
of
Hautpoul.
A beautifully recreated
medieval garden...
 
 




 
So when I stitch my flowers,
it feels a little like
I'm gardening,
until I can do it again
for real.
Today I've been setting the flowers
into their garden "beds",
stitching the occasional new one
to fill a gap...
and so my garden grows:)
 
Thank you so much for the lovely comments
left on my last post.
So very kind,
and I'm happy that my wee flowers
make you smile :)
Back to my "gardening" now :)
See you
 Jenny xx


Monday 1 February 2016

...I stitch flowers...

I decided to stitch
myself
a garden...
I have no garden where I currently live,
it's a perfectly lovely little unit,
but there are no flowers!
 
Needed that distraction last week,
and decided that bright
summery
flowers
would do the trick :)
 
 
...have to say,
I'm loving the colours
and the texture of the linen :)

 
And it's a wee bit addictive,
this row of flowers...

 
...I stitch a few each night,
and
watch my garden grow :)
 
Corny,
I know,
but who doesn't
feel good
when they see flowers...
 
 
 



 



 
I love flowers!!
I took a gazillion pictures
of quite possibly every flower I saw
when I was away last year:)
(possibly one of the reasons why
a walk in the hills or forest
often seemed to take atleast twice as long
as the recommended time??)
 
...they're an endless source
of inspiration...
 

 
 

 
 
...so many yet to stitch...
 
So I stitch what I love,
and one of the things
I love
is flowers!
 
What about you...
what do you love to stitch?
Stitch what you love,
love what you stitch...
 
See you
Jenny xx 



Tuesday 26 January 2016

I stitch because...

Sometimes I stitch
for pure pleasure
and sometimes I stitch
for comfort.
When I think about it though...
it's always
for pleasure,
but there are times
when my stitching takes me to another place,
my own little world,
where I don't have to think
too much
about what's going on
in the real one.


My real world at the moment
is mostly good
and mostly happy
but this past week
has shown me that side of
human nature
that I just
do not understand.
People with no morals,
no decency
and not a shred of honesty.
In retail you come across these people
from time to time,
but currently I am dealing with an overload
of them...


So I stitch to distract.
The rhythm of the needle,
thinking about the next stitches,
what they will be
and where they will go.
It's very soothing
to a brain that is fully
overloaded :)


 I've been enjoying stitching
tiny little things...
a few stitches,
a few buttons and
a scrap of lace...


Never like to throw away fabric
that has stitching potential
and this definitely had potential :)
Bit of an oopsie with pasta sauce
on a place mat left me with
a tomato stain that
wasn't going anywhere :)
So after a good wash
and press
it has turned out to be
the most beautiful
texture...


...and sooo nice to stitch on...


I'm thinking that the others may never
grace the table again,
as I do believe I
need
them for my stitching :)


I am sure I'm not the only one
to use stitching
as a wee escape
from the real world:)
It works,
and it works even better
with chocolate on the side :)

What's your escape?

See you
Jenny
xx

Wednesday 13 January 2016

...I stitch...

I've been thinking about blogging again
for a while now
so this could be the beginning
of new beginnings :)
I love to stitch...
it's in the blood,
and it just doesn't feel right
when I don't stitch.
You know that feeling?

And photos...
love taking photos.
Thank goodness for digital!!
Am a complete and utter amateur
but it's so much fun.

Last summer
I went to France...
by far and away the best adventure yet :)
My camera went everywhere with me,
thousands of pictures,
and memories.

And I took my stitching
 because
 I couldn't imagine not stitching
for four months:)
Before leaving home I decided
that instead of writing a journal
I would stitch one.


So I took a little bag of stitchy stuff
and as we travelled along
I stitched some of my
 favourite things
and places...


...wildflowers
growing along the train tracks
in Lyon city...


...daisies and lavender...


...gorgeous bright summer flowers...


...sunshine all day long,
hot summer days and
blue blue skies...


...gardens in the grounds of old abbeys...


...herb gardens and potagers
that totally entranced me.
I spent many hours in these gardens,
just wandering between the beds
taking dozens of photos,
reading up on all the plants,
some of which were familiar
 and others that were not...


As the seasons changed autumn crept into
the fields and forests...


...bright rose hips were everywhere,
covering the hillsides,
little red gems...



I have not finished my journal,
and to be honest,
I'm in no rush to do that
'cos every time I pick it up to add 
a few more stitches,
I'm back in France
and that's a good place to be:)

So I thought it would be nice to blog again,
cos it's nice to write words...
and its nice to think about 
the words that you want to write:)
And...
 it's going to be really nice
to catch up on lots of other
gorgeous stitchy blogs.

I have so many unfinished projects to finish,
and so many I want to start,
that I may have to give up work
to stitch :)

Maybe blogging about stitching
and stuff
might encourage me to finish them:)
Chances are it wont make the slightest
bit of difference
but does it matter:)
That's my happy place
and
so I will stitch :)

Jenny xx