Bella and the blanket

Meet Bella - isn't she cute?!

I have had her for ages, but am ashamed to say that I had put here away and forgotten all about her until I was looking for a crochet blanket I wanted to make a bit bigger!

I finished this crochet a while ago, but felt that it was just a bit too small, so I found some matching yarn and added to it.  It now measures 39 inches by 30 inches - just right for a lap blanket.  Love the autunman colours - so does Bella.  Don't you think they match?

It's been a bit of a crochet crazy weekend here at Shortbread Towers!  But I'm delighted to have finished this beauty.  Now back to my cross stitch while listening to Boom Radio - best radio since the wonderful Terry Wogan stopped broadcasting.  If you love music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s then you will adore this station.  Give it a try - at the moment Melody Fair (1969) by the Bee Gees is playing - wonderful!  I've got some recorded episodes of "The Royal" to watch tonight.  It is set in the 1960s.  Didn't watch it first time round but love it now.  (Is it wrong to live in the past?)

We've been warned that there's another storm heading our way, so its nice to cosy up with the things I love and try and ignore the wind outside!  Stay safe and cosy my friends.

Love, Liz

Once loved linen

Once upon a time someone embroidered this lovely piece of linen.  I'm sure they were very proud of it - just like I am of my stitched pieces today.  I'm now the lucky owner of this.  Just look at how vibrant the colours are after all this time.

On the underside you can see the traces of one of those blue transfer papers.  It was probably used as a tray cloth.

I love mixing and matching my vintage china with these once loved embroidery pieces.

The colours make my heart happy on these dreich, dreary winter days.

What is making your heart happy today?

Love, Liz

Vintage tin of tatting

I got this vintage tin some time ago - it is a beautiful picture of the Forth Rail Bridge. and once contained Beatties of Glasgow biscuits.  Inside was some sewing bits and pieces - needles thread and some unfinished items of  tatting.  

This panel looked nothing on a plain surface but when I held it up to the light the pattern became clear - look at the lovely butterfly.

Also inside was this vintage magazine.  Possibly from the 60s or 70s - price 1/3!

There were some lovely vintage ladies inside with wonderful tatted collars.

There was also some unfinished work with thread which I'll call bilious-green!

Someone's well loved work I'm sure.

You can read about another vintage tatting magazine that I found here.

Love, Liz

New cross stitch start

Just started my first new stitching project of 2022.  It is Always Remember by Plum Street Samplers.

I love the colours and just look at that house!  The design around the windows shows up much clearer on the stitched piece than it does in the pattern photograph.

Hope your weekend is going to plan and that you have lots of crafty moments!

Don't forget that I can be found on Instagram as Scottish Stitcher (click for link).

Love, Liz

Vintage flashcards

Anyone else remember flashcards in primary school?  They were used to teach us our letters and sounds.  I came across my box of vintage flashcards which I found in a charity shop years ago.  They are so lovely.

The illustrations are charming and there's a card for each letter of the alphabet.

I have written a bit more about them and you can find the information here.

Meanwhile, lets just look at these lovely little memories of the past.

Have a great weekend.

Love, Liz

It is a buzzing finish!

I finished my cross stitch - Honey Hill Hamlet designed by Karina Hittle of Artful Offerings this morning.  I absolutely love it and really enjoyed stitching it!

I think my favourite part is the queen bee in the middle.

The houses were a bit of a slog, but enjoyable just the same.  Love these colours together.  Used all the called for DMC threads but substituted B5200 for the white.  Thought it showed up just a little bit brighter on my fabric which is 16 count Aida which I tea dyed myself.

Now to get a suitable frame - I want this up on my wall as soon as possible.

What shall I start next ... hmm!

Love, Liz

I got it covered

At last I got around to making a fabric cover for my stitching planner 2022.  I wrote about decorating the inside here.

I made it reversible so that if I got fed up with one fabric I could turn it inside out and have another pretty fabric to look at.  One side is just plain gingham the other is a lovely floral.

The month dividers are just very plain, so I decorated January with some tartan paper and little Scottish scraps - it is Burns Night on 25 January, so that's the reason for the Scottish theme.  I'll decorate the other months as they come along.

My favourite Scottish characters - The Broons!

It has lots of space for each day so that I can write down what I'm stitching on and I have some lovely coloured paper for writing notes and lists.

I love it!  Have a great weekend.

Love, Liz

Vintage Scottish teacup

I love these little vintage cups and saucers.

A present from Millport on the island of Cumbrae - not too far from my hometown of Greenock.

I found them in a charity shop a few years ago.  Love the thistles and tartan design.

It is Teacup Tuesday over on Instagram - I post as Scottish Stitcher - come on over and have a look.

Love, Liz

My First Book

Well, no ... I don't exactly mean that this was my own first book!  It is the name of this cute little book that I have on my bookshelf.  Vintage now, of course but with the lovliest illustrations by Valerie Hodge and Roger Hall.

It is from the  Big Time Wonder Book Read With Me series of books.  I have some others which I have previously written about on this blog - here.

I was looking for some honey related things about the house because I wanted to show you my progress on my latest cross stitch - Honey Hill Hamlet by Artful Offerings.  I've nearly finished the houses.  

The little honey dish was given to me years ago.  Don't think I've ever used it for honey, though!  Don't tell anyone, but I'm not that fond of honey!  Do you like it?

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Love, Liz

(My First Book was printed in the UK for the publisher Peter Haddock Ltd, Bridlington.  William Collins Sons & Co Ltd.)