Stratford Upon Avon and watery makes

 Welcome to Stratford Upon Avon.
 We are here enjoying the April sunshine by the River Avon.
 South of the current town centre is the church where Shakespeare is buried.
 The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is the place where his work is kept very much alive.
 The back of the theatre.
 Stratford Church. Sadly closed for a couple of weddings so no tomb pics. 
 Beautiful apple blossom.

After the shock of my step father's death, a little earlier than the oncologist thought, I had a craving to make something blue.
 This little mini quilt is what happened. 
 I loved paper piecing the pond itself then appliqueing the leaves flowers and wings. 
 I had some stash beads which were just right for the dragonfly bodies.
 Sirdar Colourwheel shade 204 was great for this slouch hat.The turquoise shades have yet to be used. I think someone got the yarn weight wrong for this pattern as it only took half the stated amount.
 I wore this hat with a grey polo neck and my tweed jacket for the Stratford trip, so was very warm.
 The new needles I bought there deserved their own little needle case. 
 It will join the crochet roll and bag set.

The joy I felt during the trip led to me pulling out all my fav Laurel Burch fabrics. I bought a pretty 5" sheathed serrated knife from Stratford market. Clearly it was made for cutting bread rolls or buttering them on an impromptu car picnic. So the car needed it's own joyful adventuring rucksack.
 Back in watery reeds and blue- inner with zippered pocket edged in diagonal rainbow binding. 3 patched pockets, 2 of which are in rainbow horses fabric. 
Middle in purple -lining with 3 patched pockets in rainbow horses fabric. The big one is divided into 2.
Front in rainbow horses on lilac- outer 2 zipped pockets edged in rainbow binding and a gusseted rainbow horse magnetic closure pocket. 

 They layered up to create this rucksack. Front.
 How the lining pockets work within each outer zip pocket.
 Outer back of rucksack. The buckle clips attach the front to the back to make it secure and adjustable. 

It was wonderful to work with such happy colours. Hubby laughed when he saw it and I told him it was our rucksack for the car. Apparently if we come across a gang of Hells Angels in a Zombie Apocalypse, it will rapidly be transferred to my shoulders. 

Have you had any makes lately which made you grin from ear to ear?

Comments

Ulla said…
So good to see you in a more positive mood again! Your car rucksack made me grin, you have such imagination for creating new projects. Very clever solutions. The pond quilt is lovely!
10 April 2019 at 09:57
annemariesquilt said…
I love your new rucksack and your pretty little needle case :-) Take care Melanie.. I know that I am a no comment blogger, I just do not know how to mend that ...
10 April 2019 at 10:47
Jeanie said…
We didn't get to Stratford on our trip so I especially love seeing your photos. I was there with my mom in 1973 and I'd love to go again. I'm so impressed with all your projects but that picnic carryall with the Laurel Burch fabrics was swoon-worthy! SO pretty. I love her work and you really did a wonderful job making it both beautiful and functional.

Take care as you go through the grieving time. Even when you know it can happen, things can throw you for a loop.
11 April 2019 at 18:26
Tracy said…
How BEAUTIFUL is Stratford! We must get ourselves there one day. ;) How GORGEOUS your Lily Pond quilt... Just LOVE the beads for the dragonflies and all the pretty embroidery! That hat is such fun--love the slouch! And how FAB is your handmade car rucksack--all that rainbow goodness is soooo much fun! What a great design you made of this. So many jolly maKes during a difficult time... Thinking of you all there! ((BIG HUGS))
17 April 2019 at 10:23
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Horace the Gargoyle and Cottage Makes

Image
 Horace the Gargoyle has an important job.  The hold the bag containing various bird foods. A Great Tit came in onto the bedroom window sill one morning so I used the bird fabric at the top, and Mary Engelbreit  garden fabric for the rest of the outside. I added a pocket to the inside just in case I want to use it when gardening in Spring. The pocket should be enough for seed packets. There has also been this make from a vintage piece of Diary of an Edwardian Lady "Wild Flowers." It covers the little practice amp, and goes with the curtains in the living room which also come from the Diary of an Edwardian Lady range. Da dar! Finished with a plain cream lining and a green dotty binding. The main amp will get the same treatment when the odd metre of the same fabric I tracked down, arrives. I am liking this going away from plastic bags in the cottage and trying to make it cosy and pretty for these colder months which we spend more indoors.
Read more

Forest and Makings

Image
A baby quilt for my goddaughter's daughter born this month. After making the Splendid Sampler Quilt for a year in pink and greys, this was the last colour combination in the world I wanted to do, but those are the colours her mother said her room will be in. It has blue tit birds and cow parsley and bees on, so it suits August. A cover for her medical book with cone flowers on. They are in flower in the garden, so again suitable for August. These are the first wheel turned pots I have made! There was an entire day allowed in the pottery room and boy did I need it to learn the technique. Really proud of them. Everything survived the biscuit firing. They need painting in glazes next. Let me show you the Forest nearest the cottage. Crystal cobwebs with diamond dew drops. A spider's hole. Dead Men's Fingers funghi. Cow parsley. So many mushrooms appear overnight after the rain. This is a special very old beech tree I call the Shroomy Tree as so ma...
Read more

Take it easy crafting

Image
Happy Valentine’s Day! I made my husband a hat and finished sewing it up just now. Everything has been a go slow this week with illness. I have managed to work on using up my odd balls of acrylic DK yarn. This hat took a little less than 100g of dk acrylic. Using 3 1/4mm needles I cast on 116 stitches. Stocking stitch for 8cm. (Rolled up brim.) Change to 4mm needles and stocking stitch until work measures 27cm. Cast off 16 stitches, knit 26, cast off 32, knit 26, and cast off the final 16 stitches. I now had 2 groups of 26 stitches. Dealing with one at a time exactly the same as one another: purl a row. Stocking stitch 45 rows, decreasing one stitch at either end of the row in 5th and every following 8th rows. You will end up with 14 stitches. Work 8 rows decreasing at each end of every knit row. You now have 6 stitches. Work 3 rows and cast off. Fold the ears in half and sew the seam. sew across the top of the head. The final seam is the back of the head. Don...
Read more