Peapod Pins

I just had to do a quick post to show the addition to my Peapod Pinkeep (see last post). Today I've been busy playing with Polymer Clay and made these little Peapod decorated pins to add to the Pinkeep ......... Peapod overload, or rather sweet - what do you think LOL. I had fun anyway !!

Advice please!

I recently contacted David of ‘David’s Cottage Down The Hill’ blog, because the more I looked at his header picture, the more I loved the gorgeous green velvet peapod pinkeep – it’s so quirky. Probably one of those things you either love, or think very odd!! David kindly told me it was from Maggie Bonanomi’s book ‘Thistle Down Moon’. Anyhow I eventually managed to track the book down (had to send to America for it as usual, as this country just hasn’t really cottoned on to prim and the like yet – barely at any rate!!). What a lovely book!

This is the one in the book, but also check out David's version, which is really lovely!

The next thing I needed and couldn’t find over here either was the pea green cotton velvet – no surprise there then!! And I was just about to click ‘buy now’ on an American website when I actually put my brain into gear and set about searching for plain white cotton velvet in the UK that I could dye …………… another major task, googling and searching with little luck; sending for samples (no good – too heavy weight), when, again the old brain cranked up, and I thought “I’ll just go and try the ‘Fancy Silk Store’ near the market, before I resort to buying from abroad, and didn’t I just find a massive roll of plain white cotton velvet at only £6.99 a metre – how excited was I?!! So, out I came just a little later with 3 metres of the velvet (yes the pinkeep is only about 8 inches long!!! LOL) and several packets of different colour hand dyes. Well, what fun I’ve had dying the velvet all sorts of lovely colours and in particular, peapod green. It dyed so easily and feels beautifully soft – I was so chuffed with myself. And of course, saved myself a fortune by not ordering it from America!

So, back to the pinkeep itself! This is the first one I made up, with my own addition – the darker green leafy bit at the end made from wool fabric. The pinkeep is lined with ordinary cotton fabric and has 100% silk ribbon tied on the end, which I dyed with the velvet

I then made it a second time, but without the wool leafy bit; in other words, as it is in the book, although don’t you just love the tiny peapod antique brass charm I found and added with a green bead ………… and guess what? China for the antique brass charm!!

So ladies (and gents!), the advice I would like please is with or without the wool leafy bit at the end, because I simply can’t make up my mind. 

I shall really appreciate your advice.

And as for the rest of the coloured velvet?? I’ve since been and bought a bit more (4 metres LOL!!!) with more dyes, so I now have quite a stash of coloured velvet: well watch this space, because I’ve really fallen in love with it and have lots more ideas floating around in this head of mine!

Ta, daaaa!!!!

Is nearly 6 years to finish a quilt a very long time?????? Well, that’s how long it’s taken me to finish this one– my ‘Heart and Home’ quilt . It took me ages to find my original entry, but I did and it was 20^th July 2009!! In my defence however, I didn’t actually work on it at all for about 4½ of those years, so it doesn’t sound so bad then eh? I picked it up again last year and finished the top by adding the last two borders (and appliqué corners) and then had it basted together in order to undertake the mammoth task …… why, oh why, to hand-quilt it – YES, hand-quilt. Totally nuts I know LOL Well, it's because I've loved the rustic, country charm look of hand-quilting ever since I saw one in a shop

I started the hand-quilting in February and made steady progress, but became determined before the Easter weekend to get it completely finished once and for all, particularly as I had banned myself (!!!) from starting anything else until the quilt was done – that’s why it’s taken me nearly 6 years though – constant distractions by making all sorts of other smaller things - rag dolls, lots of rag dolls!!!

 

Anyway done it is ….. PHEW!! And now adorning my bed. The hand-quilting isn’t very easy to see, but you can just about make it out

Oh, and don’t forget the label – always label your quilts they say, so I did – be kind though and don’t look too closely at the back of the stitching LOL

So, let me know what you think!