Quilty weddings…

Scrappy blocked pinwheel as the wedding present for a gorgeous couple who got hitched this weekend… one of my oldest friends and the lucky man who got her hook line and sinker…

I think the pieced back may be my favourite bit but it’s all just so pretty and I’m more than a little gutted to be without it in my house… Will have to get stitching to make one for our sofa…

The hen party took place in a cottage in Shropshire and included beautiful food, pretty flowers and wine-fuelled stitchery…

The stitching was far better received than I thought it may be, with many of the hens working into the sunset on their squares, with two further additions received in the post later that week…

The hens each embroidered one or more calico squares which I then stitched into a quilt, interspersing the squares with Kaffe Fasset cotton prints.

Workshop pictures courtesy of a lovely friend.

If you fancy holding your own embroidery/quilt-making party with Homespun Living, bespoke workshops and a follow-up fee for the quilt construction start at £50 per head for 90 minutes and a minimum of 5 friends, including materials. See the website for more details and to enquire further…

Crafting with unofficial materials Part Two

Part One here

My surfing and meandering through the long and expansive halls of the internet has unearthed this lovely range of little wonders: all available online and through the joys of Ravelry, with the exception of two books which are particularly floating my boat this week:

Uncommon Crochet and

Knitting Green: Conversations and Plant-friendly Projects

Suffice to say, they are now on my wishlist and have inspired all manner of pretty things on my needles (the imaginary ones in my head, of course. I’ve already got about 8 WIPs going already)…

And so, without further ado… the patterns… Will be sharing my progress on one or other of these in the near future… Let the string hooky commence…

Helen Limbrick’s Twine basket

Alice Merlino’s Starling Bag

Erika Knight’s Knitted Baskets

Kim Hamlin’s On the Go Bike Basket Purse from the lovely looking Knitting Green: Conversations and Planet Friendly Projects

Flower Burst bag pattern by Yasmin Gamal

Abigail Bailey’s Summery Jute Bag

Crafting with Unofficial Materials

No matter where you look, there is inspiration to be found. There are bits and bobs all around your house that are just waiting to be purloined and repurposed, as I have found to my delight on the wonderful ‘From Trash to Treasures’ group on Ravelry.

I’ve had a thought for a while of making placemats out of parcel string for my parents’ house. Their dining table is in a conservatory and placemats always fade in an instant when exposed to such constant and strong sunshine. The ‘outside-in’ elemnt of string placemats has also piqued my interest…

However, a basic search of patterns yielded nothing at all. I think this is most likely because the ‘yarn’ doesn’t exist as an official individual catalogued yarn and therefore it’s difficult to pin down…I then remembered that I can search by projects and so hunted for ‘twine’ in projects.

Wowsers what a source of inspiration and wonder…

Bufordsmom’s Crochet bags

Catfluff’s Deluxe String Bag with gorgeous trim applique

Yarnyday’s beaded placemat

Wubbahed’s Jute-a-long Handbag

PumeZA Doily Rug

Ikasatka's pot&glass-holder

RaeA’s Messenger Bag with extraordinary handles – you can read more about her work here

KellyLane6’s Round Cushion with string, rather than twine

Mocakava’s Miragamo bag with leather handles specifically commissioned from a local craftsman for such a fabulously professional finish.

A post on patterns and other official routes to achieve this gorgeous look to follow… :-)

The Chateau of Princes

The incredibly imposing and vast estate of the Chateau de Conde was the setting for the wedding that took the Boy and I over to sunny France over the jubilee weekend. We were sad to miss the extended and exciting celebrations, not least of all the street party that I had to pass on to other neighbours to organise this time. However, it was hard not to forget the British jubilations in such splendour and celebrations as we experienced on the south side of the Channel…

Waiting before the service in front of the glorious Chateau, then walking over to the village of Vallery’s church before the service… The bridesmaids and exceedingly cute flower girls were dressed from Monsoon, though they don’t seem to be available anymore on the site.

   

The groom is a Major in the Marines so there were plenty of uniforms to feast your eyes upon as well, if you were able to tear your glances away from the stunning bride. My friend runs marathons for FUN (I know, I don’t understand that sentence, either) and my the figure she gets from such ridiculous activity shows! An utterly stunning lace and silk dress with whispy train and floating veil for the church. 

A knight in shining armour was demanded by the bride, and one of the groomsmen obliged with full regalia.

The dinner that followed was delicious, finished off with the scrumptious cake cut by no less than the Sword of Galahad, not to be confused with the Sword of Gryffindor… Two very different weapons…

The cake was by a friend of the bride, who I later discovered was no less than Rachel of Rachelle’s Cakes, one of the contributors to the Natural Wedding Book and a guest speaker at the upcoming Cake and Bake Show in September. I will do a separate post on her creations, but I can confirm that her cakes are even more delicious than they look.

All in all, an utterly splendid way to spend a few days in the sunshine. I’m sure her Maj won’t mind too much that we missed her party.

Wintry Decadence

Greeted at the doors by flaming torches and climbing the marble staircase to cocktails and canapes in the portrait gallery…

 

And I think I managed to get pretty close to my inspiration outfit image too! Dress is coral viscose crepe (ex-Armani fabric, so the shop assistant told me!) and then 1940s silk brocade remnant, found at an antiques fair for a few pounds and SQUEEZED the meagre amount of fabric into a bolero at the 11th hour. Turns out my concerns were unfounded, too, and there was an array of black and wintry outfits to behold, all of which looked perfectly elegant and appropriate.

There was dinner in the sculpture court and dancing in the crypt.

 

And all rounded off with some tasty cake made by none other than the groom! What an evening of elegance and wintry decadence.

Just checking with the bride that she’s happy for me to post pictures of her frock in detail – when she’s back from honeymoon I’ll show some detail shots for you to ogle at. Her frockage was stunning – and made by her mum. Clever lady.

A wedding fit for a princess

Well it was only a matter of time, I suppose…

Why waste your breath talking about a derriere when you too can be sauntering around, upstaging your sister’s big day!?

In truth, any increase in the number of patterns for bridal attire that do not involve strapless wonders is fine in my book…

And just in case you want to go the whole nine yards…

Catherine-a-like Butterick 5731

Pippa-a-like Butterick 5710

Mini-a-like Butterick 5705

Mini-soldier boys optional extra…

Black for a Winter Wedding?

There are still a few hard and fast rules that I immediately think of when people discuss ‘wedding etiquette’, though in these modern times, it’s not surprising that so many people are left in a quandary when navigating the pleasantries.

Sartorially, the two big no’s for guests are wearing white and wearing black: one being too bridal, the other being too morbid. Having said that, with the blurring of traditional dress-codes, the rise of evening receptions and black-tie invitations, the certainty of the ‘little black dress’ and the variety of colours that brides wear these days, maybe even those rules no longer apply.

I have been ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’ about the outfit for a early December wedding… It will be late in the day and so even going into the church will be in darkness, as it will be deepest winter. The reception will be held in a fabulous old museum so again, glamour and elegance rather than pretty and delicate will be the watchwords…

Suddenly, it seems that black could be appropriate. Glamourous and indulgent, elegant and gorgeous, sumptuous and textural… I’ve been having some good, clean, clicking fun finding some fabulous shots, and fabulous friends have been forwarding ideas too. (Thanks Chloe!)

Roberto Cavalli Wrap dress and gratuitously fabulous Bijoux Heart Necklace that I also love!

Day Birger et Mikkelsen Lace Dress needs little more than some earthy earrings to undercut the lacy delicacy: Monica Vinader Labradorite Earrings

Lela Rose shift dress with Dannijo bracelet

  

Narcisco Rodriguez Silk Crepe Dress with Miu Miu patent heels

 

Temperley London Silk Dress with Valentino appliqued clutch

 

Even this high-necked, long sleeved black Michael Kors number can be lightened with this fabulous Lanvin hairclip…

So just possibly… with the right accessories and the right amount of flesh… with the right attitude and the right amount of elegance… it is possible to be modest, gorgeous, decadent and appropriately fabulous. At a wedding. Wearing black.

Who’d’ve thunk it!?