patchwork and lace

Lovely things

2012-02-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely bloggy friends,hope to find you all wellThe children are all back at school now after half term ,cant say we did a lot really ,just pottered about around the house really ,the snow has all disapeared and its been quite warm ive even ventured out into the garden which has been lovely to be out in the fresh air ,all the bulbs are coming up and little buds are showing on the trees,im so looking forward to spring and the warmer weather

As always ive been busy making more cushions ,amongst other things to sell on my website www.patchworkandlace.co.uk,im really keen to make a real go of it this year ,its really been a bit of a hobby up till now but i feel i want to make something of myself and be succesful so thats my plan,my facebook page is also doing well ,i get so excited when people either buy something or like my page ,it really boosts my confidence,anyway these are a few things ive been making recently

Cushions or pillows made with vintage fabrics

Patchwork covered notebooks

I made 4 of these patchwork tea cosies for a lady in america who is opening a tea rooms in san fransisco and wanted to have them in there ,im very flattered

Crochet flower garland

More bags,i love making these

Some handmade cards

Crochet bunting ,may have to have a few more goes of making this as the flags are all different sizes

Crochet cushions

Pot holders

Pretty little bags,i often get asked how do i have the time to do all this well i suppose i spend every spare minute i have in my room ,i dont go out,i hardly ever watch tele and i stay up late and get up early ,i must say though my tele night is mainly on a sunday ,im loving all these programes that have been on ,lark rise to candleford,downton abbey,call the midwife and now upstairs and downstairs i love them all ,the clothes ,transport,furniture its all so lovely

Heres some more lovely pictures

Thankyou for popping by and for all your comments i do love to hear from you ,much love francine x

Lots of handmade loveliness

2012-02-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely bloggy friends,i hope you are all well and thankyou so much for all my followers ,i feel ive been neglecting the blogging world of late ,time seems to run by so quickly,another half term upon us and already in february

We have had quite a bit of snow this week and its been sooo cold,its been amusing watching the little ducks slipping and sliding across the pond ,its amazing how they keep warm ,i often look out through the cold winter night and see them on the frozen pond sitting there looking quite happy really ,as much as i love the snow and cozy winter evenings by the fire im always ready for spring,summer the light evenings and longer days,the warmth of the sun,bbqs and sitting in the garden but looking out now it seems a long way off ,somehow winter makes us feel slugish we eat more ,excersise less ,well actually not at all ! and comfort food like stews and dumplings are the norm,not a bad thing though !!I have lots of lovely handmades to show you this week,ive been quite busy,heres what ive been making

Handmade bags

Patchwork cushions

Handmade aprons

Handmade bags

Patchwork tea cozys

Heart garlands

All these homemakes and more are on my facebook page which ive been busy setting up lately so please pop over and have a look,the link is at the top of the page and a big thankyou to Heather at "The patchwork heaert " for all her help xx

My plan is to try and use up my fabric stash i have so much that i really dont need anymore ,im really trying hard to try and get my little buisness off the ground,i have an accountant friend who has been giving me some great advice,so the plan is to try not to buy anymore wool or fabric and try to use up what i have

I have lots of books for inspiration

wool projects planned

Always patchwork projects on the go

Never enough cushions so more to make to sell and to keep

Ive also been making wedding bunting,heart garlands and favour bags

I made this playmat for an order

My own little handmade labels

Pretty bunting with lace,well i think thats all i have for now ,thankyou to all my followers ,im so pleased i have so many and i really appreciate your interest and comments so thankyou ,much love francine xx

My week

2012-01-25T05:52:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely bloggy friends ,i hope you are all well ,now isnt this picture just dreamy ,i took the photo yesterday in the cath kidston shop ,i went in for my weekly fix and drooled over all the new range

I spent a fortune in my head but as im really trying to watch the pennies and the children need things i left empty handed but full of inspitation,it really is a lovely shop to look round and dream overImet my little sister ,or should i say younger as she towers above me,we met for coffee and went to this adorable little tea rooms where all the chairs are mismatched just the way i like them to be

On the walls are these lovely embroidery hoops showing different fabrics which were lovely and affective,we sat chatted about nothing in particular and giggled about silly things,drank coffee and ate cakes ,twas lovely

My treat was the new mollie makes magazine ,these pictures are adorable

Ahh eye candyIve also been having a move around of my room again!!,you would be forgiven in thinking i either am totaly mad or have far too much time on my hands ,both i assure you are the case ,my new room just wasnt working so i redecorated my old room and moved back in there

Ive reorganized and rearranged

Ive also been catching up on a few homemakes ,my crochet blanket is coming on nicely

More patchwork

Well thankyou for stopping by to see me and for your lovely comments ,i now have a facebook page if you would like to see me there ,you can click on the lonk at the top of the page,much love francine x

My new room

2012-01-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely bloggy friends ,hope you are all well ,firstly i must apologise for the long delay with the giveaway but im happy to say that "Ric Rac and polka dots" has won my giveaway so well done xxx thankyou all so much for entering xxxIts been quite busy here at patchwork house (my house isnt really called that, by the way as much as i would like it to be !)anyway ive been having a room makeover

ok so this is a "before " shot at christmas

and this is how my room looks now all repainted and fresh looking,ive had such a good clear out of all my things ,i havnt done it for ages and although i loved my other room it was starting to feel cluttered ,messy and in need of a good sort

This is my nice organized corner with all my neatly folded fabric and wool

All my neatly arranged boxes and cupboard with all my bits and bobs in and of course a few of my lovely snuggly blankets

All my cds,books,folders and scrap books all on one shelf,my old room is getting a makeover next week and is being turned into a snug

Our village was covered in a thick frost this morning,its been so cold these last few days ,quite a shock to the system after such a mild winter up to now ,i bought these lovely bulbs to colour my windowsill this week which are just starting to flower

Ive also been busy building a facebook page for the buisness ,adding lots of my makes so if you would like to pop over and see it you can click on the link at the top of the page ,ide love to see you there ,well thats all for now ,im so thrilled with all my followers ,thankyou so much ,i could easily spend all day on my computer ,so many lovely blogs to read and look through,ive so many projects to start i just wish the days were longer,and i only needed 2 hours sleep then i think i may just fit everything in on a daily basis that i wanted to do ,much love ,francinexxxx

New beginnings

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely bloggy friends and happy new year ,we had a lovely christmas with my family and the new year in with the children its been quite ,relaxing and so enjoyable ,eating drinking and being together i cant believe its over for another year, all the decs are down now and put away leaving the house looking very bare but im ready now for new venturesFirstly i would like to say a big thankyou to Heather at "The patchwork heart" for my giveaway,it arrived all nicely wrapped

and these lovely gifts were inside,thankyou so much there deleightfulx

I have all my creative bits and bobs ready

Hundreds of little squares for patchwork

My crochet blanket is nearly finished ...well not quite !!

New hangers to make

More cushions to make although i really dont need any !!

Pretty vintage fabrics

My bulbs are starting to come through

Im looking forward to spring and summer for the flowers especially roses

Im planning some reorganizing of my newly bought christmas presents from my family

My molly makes calendar to fill in

And lastly my giveaway which i didnt show a picture of last post so ile leave drawing a winner a bit longer,im it includes a lovely book,heart garland,carry bag holder and 2 egg cosies ,please do leave a message so i know you have visited me ,i do love reading your messages and looking at your blogs ,well thats all for now ,much love francinexxx

My favourite things

2011-12-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely bloggy friends,i hope you have all had a lovely christmas,i feel like im going to burst at any point from all the food ,wine,sweets and chocolate ive consumed ,my jeans are definately feeling very tight but its been a really lovely time here ,just me ,deve and the children for christmas day which started at around six!!then boxing day was spent at my sisters with the rest of the family,i love those times and a night in planned for new year with the children and then itle all be over for another year .Its been a good year and i thought ide show some pictures of nice things

Patchwork bag

Little cakes

Pretty crochet

Patchwork cushion

Blankets

cath kidston

Crochet cushion

My girls

Cath kidston

Christmas tree

My lovely room

My lad,well thats all for now ,im also doing a giveaway this post which includes a lovely book ,fabric and one of my homemakes ile pick out a winner just after new years eveJust to say a big thankyou for following me ,ive only been blogging a short while and already feel i have lots of friends out there who share the same interests as me so please keep popping by i do love to hear from you and i wish you a happy new years eve,much love francine x

Christmas time

2011-12-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hello my lovely bloggy friends ,it feels like ages since my last post and ide just like to wish all of you a merry christmas ,i cant believe its nearly here ,it really is my favourite time of year,i love all the decorations ,the build up ,the shopping all of it ,i love how excited the children get ,my youngest daughter still believes so its very special , i must admit i still have quite a bit to buy but hopefully by wednesday it will all be done ,our decorations are up and ive taken some pictures to show you

My christmas market was a huge success,it was blowing a gale through the market square but we had a sheltered spot thankfully

My stall was bursting at the seams ,full of christmas decorations and gifts ,heres some pictures

There was such a lovely festive atmosphere ,carol singers ,christmas music playing ,mulled wine ,a busy bustling marketplace full of christmas shoppers it was very festive,Its been very busy here with one thing and another and i still feel there are just not enough hours in the day ,my next post im planning a giveaway which i meant to do this time but i just havnt got round to sorting it out , thankyou again for your lovely commenys ,i love to hear from you and i enjoy reading your blogs ,i feel i have a lot of catching up to do ,much love francine x

Christmas homemakes

2011-11-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely bloggy friends ,hope you are all well ,i do love your comments and reading your lovely blogs so thankyou for stopping by.
Well christmas is fast approaching ,the shops are all laiden with gorgeous decorations and gifts ,i have a big family having 2 brothers and three sisters ,nearly all with children so nowadays we tend to just buy for the children ,as most of them are 11 and over they have all asked for money ,i do like to give presents but they like to chose there own presents so its easy really so just the little ones to buy for
Im doing a christmas market this year at knaresborough so ive been busy making allsorts really,heres a few

Hot water bottles with soft fur covers

Christmas stockings

Patchwork stockings

Stocking garlands

Advent calendars

Christmas decorations

Christmas wreaths

And knitted chains,i have a lot more but its mostly all packed away now so im very excited and nearly ready for the fair ,ive also been making a few other things like these

Crochet hangers for my wardrobe

And a patchwork tea cosy for my dad,so been quite busy here ,my crochet blanket is coming along nicely but still a way to go as i do want it to actually cover my bed!

Different kitchen table

Loving my new curtains bought from another favourite shop of mine "ikea"

cosy corner

More cushions and chair photos!

And finaly

Well thats it for this week lovely people ,thankyou for coming to see me ,ile be doing a giveaway next week so do pop by ,have a lovely week ,much love,francine

My lovely room

2011-11-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggy friends,it feels like an age since my last post but in fact its only been a couple of weeks ,i had a lovely half term at home with my children ,im hoping we can have a holiday next year with my sisters and all the 9 children which would be a real treat.
Halloween passed by it felt very different this year as my eldest son whos 15 looked at me funny when i asked him if he was dressing up this year,my youngest daughter is a bit scared of the costumes and masks so she didnt want to do anything and my other daughter went off to the next village with her friends so it all felt strange ,i realised how suddenly grown up they all are now and independent ,it only seems two minutes ago we were all off together buying costumes to wear!
This post is about my room ,i have showed pictures of it before but heres some more

This room in the past never really had any purpose so i decided to make it mine ,its totaly cluttered a bit of a mess but i love it and its where i spend all my free time being crafty

This is my big table where i use my sewing machine and have all my fabrics ,wool and cds,ive always had a love of pretty cotton fabrics especially faded floral vintage fabrics,heres a few of my favourites

some cath kidston

other lovely fabrics

Hundreds of patchwork squares all cut lovingly by hand

Felts ,linnings and other bits,then next is my wool stash ,hopefully i will use all these to finish off all the blankets ive already started and havnt finished yet !!

My shelves stacked with books,magazines ive collected over the years ,scrapbooks and other bits and bobs

This is my other table where i sit and hand sew , work on my computer and paperwork i have a lovely view out of the window across the garden

My little trolley stacked with buttons,pens,scissors and ribbons

Some other veiws of my room

Irecently saw this picture in a christmas magazine and apsalutely love it ,it made me feel very christmassy and excited as its not too far away

so on my next trip into town i bought these lovely things for christmas ,this advent calendar,heart garland and little birds

Im very busy at the moment as im doing a christmas craft market in a few weeks so will have lots of homemakes to show you all , thankyou for dropping by and leaving your comments,i love to hear from you and love reading through all your blogs ,much love francine x

Cath kidston craft event evening

2011-10-19T04:14:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggy friends ,ive much to show and tell this week,starting of course with my lovely evening at the cath kidston shop in york last night for the craft event promoting her new book "patch,the event was advertised in the last cath kidston magazine

I went with my daughter sky, arriving promptly just before six,the queue was already starting to form as we all waited eagerly for the evening ahead

We were offered tea and cakes from a lovely laid out table as we entered the shop by the lovely friendly staff,not the headless model you see in the background

The demonstration was on the enormous red table in the centre of the shop ,this table is enormous and is something i would definately buy if i had the money,i took this picture after everything had been cleared away

There were probably about 40 people there and we were all given a bag with all the kit inside needed to make the suffolk puff cushion

Then the staff in the shop demonstrated how to make the suffolk puffs or yo yos,we were even given a plastic yo yo maker

There was a lovely sweet elderly lady there as one of the demonstators who was an expert at every technique of patchwork and i manages to have a chat with her and we both agreed we prefered the "old fashioned way "of making the suffolk puffs by hand ,she was a lovely ,very talented lady who had made some amazing things to show us

We all set to after the demonstration with our very generous packs of fabric,cotton,needles etc round the table,it was a lovely atmosphere us all sewing together drinking tea,chatting and laughing

There were even a couple of sewing machines if you wanted to sew the back of the cushion

Heres my daughter in the black concentrating on sewing her yo yo ,or suffolk puff

This is what the finished product looks like but as there were i think 90 suffolk puffs to make in total, no one finished it all last night but we were able to take everything in the kit home to finish it off and the first person to completely finish the cushion and take it into the shop would get a voucher to spend

The evening went on for a couple of hours and 15% off everything ,except vintage things so we had a good look round taking pictures along the way

As it was 15% off everything i treated my daughter to a new bag and i bought myself these pretty spotty candles

This gorgeous cake stand

We had a really lovely enjoyable crafty evening especially as my daughter came with me ,its not often it is just the two of us so it made it extra special ,stonegate was very quite as we left and york is so pretty on an evening

We came home happy and inspired and i took some pretty pictures of my new purchases

We have also put our names down for the next few thursday evenings to go back to the cath kidston shop to help make a quilt , we take our own materials this time and over the next few weeks we make up this quilt in our own square sections which will then be joined together and auctioned for charity so were looking forwaed to that starting next week,
My crochet blanket is coming on nicely now im trying to do some every day as i want to put it on my bed as the temperatures have definately dropped now

And im still plodding on with my patchwork throw

As well as this other hexy throw ive started and crochet blanket

As well as patchwork cushions

Ive also been doing a bit of gardening lately too before it gets too cold,i recently bought some tulip and daffodile bulbs which ive been planting around the garden and in pots for hopefully a pretty colourfull display for spring

In my potting area

The last of the apples from our tree

Thankyou to you for your lovely comments i really do love to hear from you and reading your own blogs ,love for now francine x

Yesterday,today and tomorowx

2011-10-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggy friends ,what lovely people you are ,your lovely mesages ,kind words , inspiring blogs ,just to say thankyou for following me
I often wonder what to post about thats interesting to others ,the days seem to always fly by somehow ,i thought once my youngest daughter started full time school i would have hours of free time ,walking the dog ,sewing etc but somehow now i try to cram as much as i can into those child free hours as possible before they all come home and the time just seems to run away ,as much as i love those free hours of no demands ,tidy house ,full fridge ,full cake stand,i do love it when i see the school bus pulling up over the road and in they come,shoes bags,clothes hungry tummies ,listening to their banter some days too much to say other days not much at all,the mess ,the "whats for tea mum "as much as somedays i feel worn down by it all i know that once they have all flown the nest i will crave these days endlessly ...
I would like to say a big thankyou to the dutch girls for my giveaway which i recieved today all nicely wrapped and presented

It was a real treat to recieve something nice through the post so thankyou so much for that x
I met my dear dad today for coffee,he can talk and talk in fact i dont remember actually saying an awful lot , one tale leads onto the next and he is so knowledgable about everything ,my children often ask me questions that i havnt a hope of answering so i now say "ask grandad hele know "and he does hes amazing anyway we met in a local garden centre which was fully stocked with christmas decorations it was like a winter wonderland and as christmas is my favourite time of year i had to do the decent thing and buy something didnt i it was only polite so heres what i bought

A christmas elf ,wooden heart and a felt heart,rather lovely i thought , i have booked a table at the local christmas fair again this year at knaresborough,last year was very successfull so im now fully stocked up on christmas felt,fabrics,ribbons and buttons to start making all my christmas goodies to sell , cant wait, last year it was snowing and the market place was magical , the band was playing christmas music ,shoppers busily buying christmas treats , mulled wine in good supply ,it was really festive so im looking forward to this years market even more
I set to making a festive chair throw last week with some festive homespun fabrics

it started off in stages

It soon started developing

From an origional blanket idea which became so time consuming, and i made loads of mistakes trying to match it all up that i decided to make it into a table runner instead

and here is the finished product

The photo doesnt really do it justice , it has really made me appreciate the amount of time that must go into these really intricute blankets you see around
Ive also been catching up on a spot of scrapbooking this week , this interest stems from my much lovedc and missed late mother who had heaps of scrap books filled with birthday ,anniversary any type of cards really that she liked the look of ,she would sit on an evening with empty scrap books on one side of her and cards waiting to be glued in on the other side, this is where my love of them stems , my interest isnt cards though mine is just lovely images i see in magazines, i cut the pictures out i like then stick them into scrap books , i must have at least ten now

All stored neatly in patchwork files

When i want inspiration or just feel like loking at nice pictures out they all come

The pictures are a mixture of particular items i see i like or of houses , gardens or crafts people have made ,a mixture of all sorts of images that really inspire me

I used to buy a lot of home magazines but to be honest nowadays i find them all really repetetive , uninspiring , full of adverts and really a waste of my hard earned money so i feel with my scrap books i have all i like and want in my own home made magazine file , how wonderful ,i love what i like on every page how good is that !!

My hexy blanket is coming on slowly as is my crochet blanket , next week ive decided to manage my time better ,i love being on my computer browsing through lovely blogs but as my computer seems to be the slowest in the world , really im not kidding , this lovely pasttime actually takes up quite a few hours in a day , we have one computer in our house that we all share which as you can imagine is very difficult and its quite dated and very annoyingly slo...w to say the least so its a want on all of our christmas lists to have a computer each , heres hoping santa will be feeling generous this year , well hope your not too bored ive been warbelling on for seemingly hours now so time to go to bed with a nice hot choc to wash down the wine and the lovely feeling of no school,packups,routine,work and a well earned lie in for us all tomorow , have a lovely weekend ,ours is a good lie in ,full monty breakfast,roast dinner,strickly come dancing,x factor hopefully a massive win on the lottery and my all time favourite programe "Downton abbey,more lovely images for you

Pretty embroidery

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Have a lovely weekend to you all , much love francine xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

History,hexagons and homemakes

2011-09-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggy friends , its a gorgeous day here in york it feels like a hot summers day the garden is still full of flowering geraniums in my painted pots and the grass is still growing its hard to believe were nearly in october already , i had my usual trip into town and thought ide take a few lovely shots of our city for you in case you havnt been already

Veiw across the river ouse which is a hive of activity in peak summer with boats, canoes and boat cruises, i took it on one of our many bridges

cliffords tower

The famous "Betty,s tea rooms " which is as good now as it has ever been , i remember my mum and sisters going when we were very young as a treat and its still going strong today , the food and service is fab and really worth a visit

Bar walls , these are amazing to walk around, not the best picture of them

York minster

The shambles
Im very lucky to live in such a wonderful historic city , i suppose i take all these wonderful sights for granted

Ive been quite busy the last week and had a stinker of a cold which is only just going , im still doing my hexagon patchwork

Although its very time consuming as i havnt any fancy gadgets , just my cardboard hexagon tenplate,pen,scissors and paper, it really does feel like its been completely handmade, its still one of my favourite pastimes

These

are all pretty vintage fabrics which im using
This is a hexagon quilt i made years and years ago , its certainly stood the tests of time , its very random and is starting to fray a bit now but ile keep it forever

I made this little apron too , its so sweet

Few more homemakes , this is also for my daughter, i think she suits it

Crochet scarf, ive a long list of things to make which i will post about next time and hopefully more of my hexagon throw to show you so must go , enjoy the sunshine ,love francine, also love all you lovely commentsx

This and that

2011-09-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

The nights are certainly drawing in now there is a definate chill and a feeling of autumn in the air, were very lucky to have an open fire in our house so that will be on soon as will the heating , we live in a lovely old house full of character but its also a very cold old house in winter and very draughty and as we only rent our lovely house were limited to what we can do to it so we have to compromise and wear lots of jumpers and socks and snuggly blankets too .
over the last week ive been making a few more homemakes

These are diary's with removable covers made of course with gorgeous cath kidston fabrics, the covers come off completely so once you have finished with the book inside you just put another book inside , i saw some similar in a shop recently so i decided to make some myself

Heres a patchwork one

Ive also made some hot water bottles with covers too for those cold forthcoming winter nights,If you fancy treating yourself or someone special these are allavailable to buy from my website , just click on the link at the top right hand side

I have lots of things i love in life and cushions are up there near the top , i love them i have crochet, patchwork, fluffy and knitted ones all over the place

Ribbons

Lace

Buttons

Embroidery thread a

These two little cups only cost 50p

These boxes are really sweet too

Im not sure what to do with these yet ,if im watching tele i like to be making something at the same time so i find these easy enough to do although i find crochet patterns completely confusing and difficult and i really struggly with them

I love little hexagons too ile maybe make a blanket which will im sure take forever so maybe a cushion ile see , anyway thankyou for stopping by to see me i love your comments , love for now francine x

Little treats

2011-09-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

Had to pop into town this morning on our sweet little country bus to buy some fabric for an order,this im pleased to say involved me nipping into cath kidston ,again, this week ,before i go on i would just like to say i do do other things in my life apart from taking pictures in cath kidston,but i just had to share some more pictures with you ,since my last visit there were some new displays, must say who ever thinks of these are very artistic...

Just loving this patchwork chair,its sooo sweet

and this one too

new door stops and a fold away draught excluder in the softest velvety fabric

How sweet is this

This little display is soo lovely with all the bits of fabric, sewing bits and bobs

and the old sewing machine,wish they would put heads on these dummies though, it would look even better then

Loving the little lamp,well there you go isnt it just the dreamiest of shops, this is what i bought

sorry the picture is the wrong way round but some new fabric a patchwork fabric pack and some stickers

just got some more to cut up for my next project which i will post about next, by the way the new cath kidston magazine is out on friday if you didnt already know and cant wait for downton abbey on sunday and also arent the new marks and spencers adverts lovely ,seen two up to now and apsalutely love them , heres some other little pictures i took to

my little bedside table

Lovely crochet....feel i say" lovely "a lot so will try to think of some new words!

Ibought these little wooden house from the country living fair in london years and years ago

The yellow walls dont really look this bright honestly

Funny cards

Finished patchwork bedspread...love to all see you soon love francine x

Chairs

2011-09-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

Hello my lovely bloggy friends,i hope you have all had a peacefull weekend,im thrilled to now have you as followers and love reading your lovely messages thankyou so much
Well my sweet little children are all at school,chores have been done bills have been paid...(umm not quite true but never mind !)so off me and my crazy dog "bobby",all
be it very windy , had a lovely walk across the fields,the sun was beaming down the wind was blowing so strongly ,it was very refreshing and i had a lovely sensation of freedom,i didnt have to be anywhere ,no clockwatching,no needs or demands from anyone just me ,it was heavenly,ide much rather walk across the country side than go to the gym anyday (not that ive ever attended a gym i might add)im not really one for doing exercise i must say , my elder sister is super fit, she runs marathons,half marathons,has done the 3 peaks on her own many times ,she runs swims plays tennis everything, she is a size 10 , im a size 14,16 well i sway more to the size 16 if i was honest ,i on the other hand walk my dog thats it,we couldnt be more different but shes a sweetie as are my other 2 sisters and 2 brothers anyway ,rambl ,ramble, back to my walk,we then went back home red faced and hair ,lets just say the "messy look " for a nice cup of tea and a ...

slice of cake

i thought ide show you some of my chairs today ,i love lloyd loom chairs unfortunately i dont own the real macoy, ive picked similar looking chairs over the years from car boots and second hand furniture shops and repainted them so heres some pictures of them

This one only cost me £3

This is a different style chair i use this when im on my sewing machine,some other corners of my home too ide like to share with you

Kitchen window

Thankyou for letting me share these with you , but all this lounging around taking pictures isnt getting any work done so must go , think ile have another cuppa though first so see you all soon love to all ,francine xx

cath kidston

2011-09-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

Well the children are all at school now , my youngest daughter ," hope" had her first day yesterday which went ok , i remained strong ive been very upset about her going for a few days now so i didnt want her to see me upset again so i tried to be strong, hope was was very tearful at first but then went off quite happily, felt my heart strings pulling so after a lovely walk across the fields with my dog "bobby"

i popped into town to my all time favourite shop

This is a table display as you walk through the entrance , i felt like plonking myself down and ordering tea and cakes !! but i refrained and walked round taking a few pictures instead

This bed is so gorgeous with the dressing table next to it

Its such a lovely shop , i didnt buy anything even though i saw loads of things i wanted , it was very hard to leave empty handed i must say !
Caths new book (i say that as if i know her personally , but i dont)anyway her new book "patch "is out next month and ive put my name down to go to an book opening night type thing , its where you can go into the shop one evening , have tea and cakes and there will be people demonstrating how to make things from the book , i went to the last one , it was heavenly and i learnt how to cross stitch, they provide all the fabrics cotton etc and you can join in , its very relaxing and there are only about 50 people so its very small and lovely, so i cant wait for that , hope your all well love francine x

2011-09-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

Well the last day before the start of school tomorow ,i always feel heavy hearted at the end of the summer hols thinking about all the plans and ideas we had for our time together, ideas of long hot summer days the day trips wede planned , picnics on the beach etc, the list of things we never got round to doing far outways the list of things we did actualy do,time just slips by so quickly some how
The children have enjoyed themselves and arent bothered about all the ideas we never got round to doing , its only me that thinks that , there happy just being off school, i just wish you could capture those happy memories and keep them forever and not let them fade away , thats just me being all dreamy and sentimental, the truth of the matter is the weathers been awful, money ran out early on in the holidays and the children wanted to do their own thing anyway but its nice to dream and have everything rosy isnt it away from the real world ,just been thinking about the onslaught of tommorow ,prizzing the children out of their beds in the morning after 6 weeks of lie ins and very late nights, homework, after school activities,stropiness due to overtiredness and hormones,endless trips to clubs etc etc.....ahh where are my dreams...... i hope you have all enjoyed the holidays to xlove francine

Garden love

2011-09-03T02:18:00.000-07:00

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Pottering about in our garden is another love of mine , i have a lot of plants , some ive grown myself, others ive bought, ive had a little plant stall this year in our village which has done really well , im already planning what im going to grow for next year,it was very exciting when i sold something, my daughter would check the honesty box daily and run back excidedly with her pockets jangling

Just a few pics from around my garden

veg patch

Lovely flowers

some of my home geown plants for my stall

grass to cut , potting on to be done so by for now , ide love to hear from you so please get in touch ..by for now francine x

Changes

2011-08-30T04:11:00.000-07:00

This is a patchwork cot quilt ive just finished making,and im really pleased with it , i havnt done an awful lot of crafting in the holidays the days just seem to slip by so quickly and the new school term is nearly with us.My eldest lad is starting his last year at school and this term my youngest daughter hope is starting full time school, im sure, i, along with all the other mothers, will be very teary eyed when i take her into school looking all smart with her new uniform (know this wont last )but new beginings are ahead for us all x

Recent homemakes

2011-08-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my recent homemakes

Pretty patchwork cushion made with vintage fabrics

Bunting made with vintage fabrics and finished off with lace

Lovely patchwork quilt made using all my favourite fabrics

Patchwork quilt

2011-08-24T02:12:00.000-07:00

Ive been asked by a lady in america to make a few quilts for her , this latest one was by far the biggest ...a huge 84 " x 84 " and the most colourful, it all started like this

the cutting out of all the different coloured squares 576 to be precice
then once i have all my squares cut out i start machine sewing them together in strips of 24

as it gets bigger its harder to manouver

once ive sewn all the squares together the next job is laying out the backing fabric and wadding then sewing by hand it all together which is quite time consuming

i literally had to move all our living romm furnitue out the way so i could lay it on the floor so after long periods of being on my hands and knees bending over i eventually got it finished

ta-dah the finished patchwork quilt

patchwork tea cosy

2011-08-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hello , well were now in our third week of the holidays and apart from our lovely unpredictable english weather all is good , i love the holidays with the children , we live in a small village on the outskirts of york and its very quiet and peaceful,in my younger days i loved busy city life , the shops pubs all the usual things cities have to offer but now i like the peace and quiet, watching the cows from the local farm come and go twice a day to be milked ,its almost as if nothing else exists outside our quiet little village,its lovely. I dont feel ive done much sewing up until the last couple of days but now ive been busily working away making a few little things

heart garland

Handmade cards

Patchwork tea cosy
i sell all these things i make on ebay , etsy and on my website and im really pleased with the way everthing is going , ideally one day ide love my own tea rooms with floral table cloths , cath kidston cups and saucers, tea cosies and crochet and patchwork quils and cushions on the chairs, homemade cakes and scones , then a little shop at the back with all my handmade things in ..thats my dream , maybe onedayx

Patchwork and crochet love

2011-06-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell i love patchwork and crochet ,ive always loved it since early childhood but its only been the last few years ive discovered it again and now i have it all over the place, i find crochet quite hard to do and its taken me ages to grasp the easiest of techniques i find patterns a total confushion so i tend to make my own instructions as i go along but im getting there slowly

Patchwork is much easier for me to do, heres are some of my home makes

patchwork curtains

patchwork quilts

Patchwork cushions, i have far too many really but in my eyes i will never have enough

Most of these cushions ive sold which im always thrilled about

Cath kidston

2011-06-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

cath kidston shop in york

There just the lovliest shops ever, the first time i walked into the york shop i felt totaly blown away , it was just gorgeous and the love affair began , ive been in many "home " shops over my life but was bored of seing dull colourless places with no personality , ive never been a fan of the minimilistic look i much prefer a homely look and when i first saw the cath kidston shop it was like ide found what ive been looking for all my life.I have to say though i love the shop layouts , the patchwork , pastel colours the real homely colourful feel about them , but of late i havnt liked her new ranges as much i much prefer her origional prints and designs but never the less im still a fan .

Some of my own cath kidston bits and bobs

Theres more but ile put them on my flicker photo stream as i could go on and on and on.....ok just a couple more!

more i hear you cry or is that me !

ok just one more

Thatle do for now, i told you i was her biggest fan , thanks for letting me share it with you , please do leave me a message , ide love to hear from you , love for now francine x

My home

2011-06-18T08:33:00.001-07:00

Its really since turning fourty that i seem to have got to where ide like to be , ive kind of drifted through life, just going with the flow ,really following and having my home as other people wanted to have it but thats all different now ,my home completely has my stamp on it now , its filled with soft pastel colours , a mix between shabby chic, cath kidston and a bit of vintage here and there, patchwork cushions , patchwork quilts , crochet cushions , blankets, painted furniture, loyd loom style chairs (not the real thing but similar)lots of homely handmade pretty things its my sanctuary and i love it

Our kitchen

our bathroom

our living room

The wonderfull veiw from my bedroom window which i never take for granted

simple pleasures

2011-06-17T22:22:00.001-07:00

Life can be very up and down, full of unexpected turns, you can plan every step but often its out of your control, so here are just some simple uncomplicated pleasures of mine ,

Patchwork,have loved it since childhood,and now i surround myself with it , unfortunately not always popular with the children !

The veiw from my room , i love to sit at my desk looking out across the garden , in different weathers and changing seasons,often watching the children on the trampoline having fun enjoying life , no cares or worries, its a lovely sunny place to sit

York racecourse where i walk my dog "bobby", who is completely wired all day long , never tired , bounces about all day long,and eats literaly anything and everything, actually a bit like myself although i have limits ! here on the knavesmire we walk for miles , i love to see him running around (he very rarely walks anywhere)i love the freedom i feel walking across the big open space, past the empty stands and the finish line where i often stop for a minute and remember mum who sadly died 7 years ago, and whom i miss and think of every day, and its here at the finish line we scattered her ashes

"Bobby"

Patchwork , crochet and cushions to which i have many of each all made by myself

Corners of my lovely garden , i love spending time in it pottering about ,i have a potting area where i grow all my seeds , i love it in all seasons and spend a lot of time out here