A Couple of Days Away in Dorset ,

We had a couple of days away in Dorset . Just for a change of scenery and to have a little pootle about on the beach looking for fossils .

My needlework basket came too .

I started a little patchwork project . A mug mat in Hallowe'eny colours for my middle brother who loves Hallowe'en . I don't do Hallowe'en , but he loves it !

  Anyhoo , this is my favourite patchwork block - Friendship Baskets . I love this patchwork design/pattern  .  I think Baskets and the Bear's Paw are probably my absolute favourites .......and the simple nine patch block also .

It was a nice and easy project to take with me and do on our travels in the car .

Also to do in the evenings back at the Premiere Inn whilst watching the television .

I had been looking forward to visiting the church and the Shrine of St Wite .

They were just finishing a Harvest Festival Service as I arrived . It was a beautiful welcome to hear the children singing . 

 I crept in after they finished . 

I felt a bit shy , to take photos, but I'd come a long way and so I did take a few .

The plaque on top of the Shrine says "HIC-REQESCT-RELIQE-SCE-WITE"

   ..... which means "Here rest the relics of St Wite ".

There are only two churches that still have the actual remains of Saints , since the Reformation . St Wita also known as St Candida and Blanche was said to be a 9th century Saxon hermit healing woman  . 

  She is said to have kept the beacons burning up on the Golden Cap to guide trading ships in to port .

   Unfortunately one incoming ship was not a friendly one , but a Viking Longship . They plundered, burnt and slaughtered everyone including poor Wita .

   Her Sainthood was affirmed by King Alfred the Great .

Pilgrims came to visit her shrine . To place their limbs into the three openings in the shrine for healing and there have been many miracles .

 There is a tangible feeling of holiness as you kneel here . 

 

I presented my Angel to her through one of the openings and prayed for blessings on my hands .

  I prayed for my family and for peace .  🕊️

                               Sat in silence for a little while .

Then went on to look at the church's own pieces of needlework .....but I was really taken with such fine stonemasonry , such as the finials at the top of these pillars .

    I am no expert but this one looked much older than the others . Very early . 

                                The Baptismal Font ..which is Norman !

  Just think of how many babies have been Christened here , the Priests and the families gathered around it . 

This was a pretty window ....I didn't get to the other end of the church as there were still lots of people there talking after their lovely service and I felt a bit shy .

 I will look for stained glass windows next time I visit .

                                                 🕊️🌍🤍

Outside there are open mouthed lions and gargoyles built to carry away water after the rain .

There are two sculptured pictures high up here which portray St Wite , the Viking longship and the axe that killed her .

I had wanted to visit St Wite's Holy Well , which is said to be close by ...but I could not find it !!   

I walked a little way down a footpath until I became a bit nervous of walking on my own any further . There was a trickling stream . Was this the Holy Well ?

                I will explore a bit more next time I visit . 

Did I find any fossils ? You ask .......

              Well as I have already said , I don't do Hallowe'en ....

           But we had a good laugh when I found this on the beach !

                    ( and yes , of course he has come home with me 🤣)

              So then I stitched all the way home .

                    And stitched on the binding that evening .

Here's a little peek of the other side .

 I got it posted off that evening ......very sad at the price of postage stamps now .....very sad indeed . £1.80 to send a small birthday card to my mum and £4.80 to send that little parcel to my brother .

 I won't be able to afford to send any Christmas cards ..... only to give out by hand from now on .   Very sad .

                      Good news ! My lovely black braid has arrived !

              I'm hoping it will look good to finally finish off my Angel .

                                           Peace and Love 🕊️🤍

                                            love Debbie 💐x

Shopping for braid .

 I took my angel to The Range in down in Marazion "try on" and choose some braid to go around the border/edge .

The store is the usual mess of Halloween (but maybe you love all that ) and Christmas . It is still September !! I shudder as I walk through the aisles upstairs .

I find the craft aisle and they have a great selection of ribbons and braids  .

Nothing was quite right though . I was drawn to this reel of emerald green ribbon . It could come in useful I thought to myself , not for for this project but for something else . Only £1.....so into my basket it went !

And a couple of bags of Cadbury Christmas Stocking Golden Chocolate Coins .

                              And a mouse .  🐭

Then over to St Crewenna Church in Crowan , to look at the stained glass windows and husband to do some family history research .

This window is the most beautiful stained glass window I've seen in a long time .

                          I'm guessing she must be St Crewenna  .

The church is very old going back to the eleventh century but mostly fifteenth century ......sadly no medieval windows .

  The church feels loved and they were getting it all ready for Harvest Festival .

I had been thinking of embroidering one of these little Seraphim , they are lovely , but they are Victorian and I am looking for medieval .

                 We will be visiting a few more churches on our travels .

                              Peace and Love 🕊️🤍

                                          Debbie 💐x

Angel Playing a Rebec Embroidery - backing 🕊️

 

O.k....so I'm back again...it's been a busy time , we have been out and about ...more sitting in the car waiting ...while the boys played golf.....

and I camped out stitching in the car , me and the dolls , while we had our roof window replaced  .

     And then I did a post yesterday  and uploaded it to my "Daisy in the Garden Blog" by mistake ....sigh ...

I continue on with my Angel piece . I really wanted to show people in real time , just how long it takes me to embroider a little piece like this .

A fair amount of time was spend deciding which fabric to use , but now I have settled on this lovely rich green brocade .  

 Cut and pinned .

Then more thinking ....which colour thread to use to stitch it on with ?

      Cream thread ?    Green thread ? 

I settled on this slightly grey/green cotton and slip-stitched it on and I think it disappears perfectly . 

    I am now thinking of adding a golden border of some sort around the edge .✨

  ✨  More thinking and rummaging through my box of golden threads and braids and quite possibly some shopping to be done for that  . ✨

   Later on we are going to visit a lovely old church , to take some photographs of some of it's stained glass windows . 

           More on that tomorrow !

                         Peace and Love 🕊️🤍🌿

                                        Love Debbie 💐x

Back to School , Autumn Term

 

         No time for patchwork . Busy mending school uniform blazer !

            Not ripped . Just seams coming apart , but very annoying !

  It was tricky mending seams in the silk lining when I can't get to the inside of the lining .

   They have been badly machine stitched , too close to the edge and have simply come apart .

       As I already said , I can't get to the reverse side of the lining , so I will just have to do the best I can with a needle and thread . 

  There are so many shades of navy-blue ! I am quite particular about matching up the correct shade of cotton thread !

                  An inside pocket was extremely tricky !

                                               💛🖤💛🖤💛🖤

                          All done and ready to be delivered this evening .

     They return to school tomorrow after the long and very hot summer holiday .

                                         Peace and Love 🕊️🤍

                                              Debbie 💐x

Baby Sitting Stitching 💐💚✨

 I was baby sitting the other day . So packed up my basket with a few things to keep my hands busy .

I am still deciding which fabric to use to cover the back of my Angel embroidery .

I think it will be this gorgeous green.....but .....I still need to think about it .

 White , Green or Cloth of Gold  .....not a decision for today ....probably green , green .....   ✨✨✨

So I decided to leave that for another day and play with my scrap basket instead .

                 I save my tiniest scraps to make dolly quilts .

                                                             🌿🦋🌿

                                                            🌿🤪🌿   

                  I'm thinking of doing a full sized quilt for myself . 

 I love piecing patchwork baskets , so I might do a combination of patchwork and applique .

            These tiny scraps will be great for leaves and flower petals .

As I sort through my scraps I found this tiny piece ..... 💚..... memories ....

 My father gave me some money to go and buy a dress for myself in a little fashion boutique in Woolwich High Street . I was about fifteen or sixteen and it was the first time I had ever caught the bus on my own and the first time I had ever bought clothes for myself . 

            It was such a pretty dress !

 ⚓  I also went for a ride on the ferry .....it was free back then  ... across the Thames and back just for fun  !    🚢

 

Anyway ......

 So this is a tiny piece from that dress ! I have stitched pieces of material from that dress into lots of my quilts . 

                                 Precious memories , happy days .

 I already knew Ricardo , my husband . We were both in the Red Cross , different units ...but met up when attending the "Courage Club "in Crayford , where we helped organise a youth club for disabled children .

              Oh ! We had SO much fun !

      Lots of activities , playing games and even the occasional disco !

               Many of my scraps hold precious memories like these .

I sat stitching in a more random way today . Gradually tiny pieces all coming together .  

    

                         A quilt or small comforter maybe .

         Thats all for today folks ! ...... and the babies were good as gold !

                                  Peace and Love 🕊️💚

                                          Debbie  💐 x