Flowers

It's strange to think that, with autumn just around the corner, we are enjoying some of the best weather we have seen for months. 

The bees and butterflies are making the most of every sunny minute to gather nectar from the last of the late summer flowers. They must have really suffered this year with the constant rain, the high winds and the low temperatures. 

It's been a memorable summer nonetheless. I have enjoyed watching the Olympics and Paralympics far more than I expected and can only be proud that the British games were so successful, safe and enjoyable. The energy and dedication of the athletes was somehow infectious, and the enthusiasm of the immense crowds of supporters would lift anyone's spirits. You'd have to be pretty hard-hearted to not be touched by the spirit of the games. And now they're over, I have to admit to feeling a little flat.

This week, however, I've have had a little boost in the form of my new niece who was born on Tuesday. I am very much looking forward to meeting her and have many plans stored up for lovely things to make for her as she grows! I can't really show you what I have been making while watching the sports - that would spoil the surprise! 

So instead, I will show you some flowers I made after my visit to Waterperry Gardens. 

My route home from the gardens happens to take me past a Hobbycraft. It is VERY hard not to pop in and I invariably end up buying something! This time I had something in mind though for a project I've wanted to try for a while. 

So I bought some floral wire so that I could have a go at making some of these wire and fabric flowers. 

My first attempt, following Arlette's instructions, was (I have to admit) a complete disaster. They were far too fiddly (yes I know, this coming from someone who crochets miniature blankets for her teeny teddies!) so I decided I'd make the flower head a complete unit instead of making the petals separately.

All the petals are made from Liberty scraps.

Here is my first attempt: 

 

A little wonky as I hadn't really thought out how I would wrap the wire to hold each petal in place. Plus I'm not used to working with wire.

My second attempt was a tiny flower:

It's a bit hard to judge scale here but the shape is better I think.

And here's my third attempt:

This one came out very well and I really like the colours. I think I shall be making more - once I can think of something to do with them!

 I have also been meaning to have a go at Kanzashi flower making (see tutorial here) so I made my first attempt recently.

I had to add a 6th petal as I couldn't get 5 to work but again, I'm quite happy with it as a first attempt.

Flowers seem to be a bit of a "thing" for me recently, perhaps it's the lack of exposure to real ones this year. Or perhaps I'm just trying to cling onto the idea of summer for as long as possible!

Do you have a favourite flower pattern/embroidery/tutorial? Perhaps you'd like to share a link in the comments below.

Waterperry Gardens

Last week I met up with my sister and we visited the lovely Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire. Luckily, we happened to go on one of the few days recently that have not been plagued by monsoon-like showers. In fact, I managed to get a little sunburnt!

We had a nice lunch in the cafe and then went for a wander around the gardens. They were very beautifully arranged, with a great variety of colours, heights, textures and shapes. The breeze added movement to the grasses and water features created sound.

I took some close-up photos of some interesting flowers. Their colours are not entirely to my taste but I was fascinated by the striking contrasts that the flowers show. 

They reminded me of the warning displays of wasps and other creatures!

30 Days of Creativity - Day 4

Day 4 is here and almost gone. I have been out and about this lovely bank holiday Monday. 

The weather has been much better than  it was yesterday - but that wouldn't be hard! Everything looks green and fresh in the sunshine after the rain.

Today, I have been visiting my OH's family and wandering in their ever changing garden with camera in hand. 

There are some lovely flowers in bloom...

For my creativity challenge, I decided it was time for some experimentation with a photo editor. I have been using Paint.NET for a while (mainly to add watermarks to photos) but knew I had not even touched the surface of its capabilities. I have been promising to spend some time on this for ages but there have always been more pressing things to do!

Rose - radial blur

Periwinkle - Brightness/Contrast

Lupin - Hue/Saturation

Saxifrage - Emboss

Pink - Polar Inversion

Chive - Pencil Sketch

I'm not sure how I will make use of these techniques in the future but I have had fun and that's what 30DoC is all about, after all.

Sunshine on St. David's Day

I thought about doing a February round-up (as I did in January) but I changed my mind. February has been, for me, a somewhat mixed month. I had a lovely week in Wales with my family and that deserves a post to itself at some point! I have been busy with various craft/selling related tasks but some are not ready to be unveiled, some are to be a surprise and some... well... lets say they haven't made it far enough to be worthy of note!

So on this gloriously sunny St David's Day, I have decided to look forward rather than back. This morning, feeling a little "out of spirits", I took advantage of a spare hour and went for a walk. I remembered to take my camera with me for once and have tried to capture some of the signs that spring is arriving.

The only daffodils flowering so far

Narcissus by a sunny wall

The river Frome

Unfortunately, my camera did not have the capacity to capture the grey wagtail on the river, the lapwings in the field nor the myriad small birds that flitted in and out of the hedgerows. Nor could it capture their song: the cacophony of the jackdaws as they chased each other between the rooftops; the cry of the wheeling buzzard; all the pips and whistles of unknown origin.

But there is difinitely something in the air. The high street, busy as always, seems to have more energy in the sunshine. 

People smile more. They sit on the benches to eat their lunch. 

The shop windows reflect the mood. There is an air of optimism everywhere.

 

My little bit of spring sits on the front windowsill and makes me smile as I sit typing.

Compilation of TAST stitches so far

My samples so far have been been very regular and linear so I've been meaning to complete a more creative piece to push my stitching further.

So here it is: a picture including all six stitches so far, using the various stitches as a way of filling flowers. I have chosen yellow mainly because the weather has been so cold and miserable and because I had some very lovely cut daffodils smiling at me from the table.

So here we go...

...a chevron stitch flower...

...a herringbone stitch flower...

 ... a cretan stitch flower...

... a feather stitch flower...

... a buttonhole stitch flower...

... and fly stitch to fill in the spaces and form a background.

Here's the finished picture. Granted, some of the stitches work better than others but I am quite pleased with the textures and the overall result is pleasing.

Looking forward to the next six stitches...