be passionate, follow your heart.....

...see the fabric, buy the fabric, make a lovely bag. Have only those things in your life which you either know to be useful or believe to be beautiful (Wiilliam Morris)  - even better if they can be both! We spotted these gorgeous retro fabrics by John Lewis and just had to acquire a few metres - then put them to good use. Any excuse to sit down and sew a fine seam (or two!). 

Obviously when there are other colours available it is soo difficult to choose, best to have one of each. Then imagine spotting them in the spring magazines - how 'on trend' we are!

It's official, the geese are laying, fortunately not too often as given the size one is enough to feed the whole family! The fridge is filling up with hen and duck contributions too. It may be time to start making ice cream again...yum! Can't make enough cakes to keep up

Goose egg almost the same size as the frying pan!

It has been cold again some snow on the tops, but we have had some lovely sunshine too.  Outside jobs are getting more pleasant, as the ground dries a bit, though the sun is showing up the mucky windows!

Happy snoozing cat keeping warm in the kitchen.....

Early morning mist across the willow patch

Early morning husband off to get the ducks out of bed

What the willow will look like, in about 5 years!

Basil keeping warm and reading his favourite magazine

It may only be March but Easter is on the horizon. Daughter had a creative splurge one morning and produced some lovely happy pics to hang up on the beam in the kitchen. Looking forward to all those chocolate eggs! It is so good to be looking forward to life opening out again after a long cooped up winter.

The garden is coming out in colour all over now as the sun warms the soil and the fresh green foliage is covering the bare earth, just time to do some mulching, and maybe some weeding. If only we could eat buttercups!

Had a visit to family who live over near Penrith, a lovely lunch and lots of fun and games, then a walk into the stunning countryside

Back home to do some making - here's a small corner of heaven!

The trusty friend who works hard to create beautiful stitching

Loving the wool on wool applique in spring colours

A small corner collection

Sunshine and hope are important components of a happy life - add some hens and all is well!

wow, just so exited

.....that we have a follower all the way from America!! Callie, welcome to our blog, love to learn more about you and yours, your blog looks really interesting. Couldn't wait to blog so this is just a short note, been a bit busy so won't get bloggin properly till the weekend - hope you can wait that long! Here's some beautiful tulips to look at while you wait...

temptation....

it's so tempting isn't it, just to go mad with the dyson and microfibre cloths, get into all the corners full of fluff and stuff....clean the windows to let the spring sunshine in after all these dark months tra la; meanwhile outside, the garden patiently sits, with yet more lovely, and not so lovely(!) things to do, BUT! STOP! fabrics, threads and pincushions await, the sewing machine is idle, the fingers itch to play, arrange, cut, sew, fabricate, create, stitch, embellish, add buttons... There's only one thing to do - go and have a nice cup of tea, perhaps with a medicinal slice of cake and a magazine full of more fabulous ideas and inspiration.......

Remember the bag from last time, needed a little more work; we really like the button tab to secure the front pocket, matches the lining, nice and simple....

And how about a lovely creamy woollen cushion, handstitched and embroidered to give simple recycled fabrics and a lovely old blanket a new lease of life. Often less is more....

Been ratching through Granny's old knitting patterns and bits and bobs, just love this one for its textured jacket, fab colour, gorgeous image and vintage styling....Thinking of a change of name to "Lavenda", it has a certain ring to it!

Found these lovely pink hand crotcheted mats in a regular trawl through the local 'thrifty' emporia in the nearby town, unusual to get pink ones, couldn't leave them in the shop. So much work has gone into them, so we're working on a way to re-purpose them...

And finally, Mother Nature is waking up at last, daffodils now replacing the snowdrops, the cheering yellow colour is slowly spreading in gardens and lanes, they bloom happily despite the sudden frostiness. 

And under the hedges the primroses planted out in previous years stir into life and give brightness to the dark soil and dead leaves....

Down in the veggie patch all is not lost - kale battles it out with the elements and the purple sprouting broccoli planted out hopefully at the end of the summer is at last about to produce delicious purple headed spears...

Kale with icing!

A glimmer of purple amidst the green

But the last squawk must go to happy hen Emily sitting comfortably and laying another egg - they have laid nearly all winter, brave girls. The geese have started laying too, tho' it has made them even more fierce - don't go near Sally without steel-toed and legged wellies!