Little Holiday in Charmouth -✨Little Angel came too ! 💛

 

So we've had a nice little holibobs in both Somerset and Dorset, mainly to go dinosaur hunting in Charmouth which is in Dorset .

                   

We stayed in a sweet little 18th century period cottage in Somerset ; which meant a very long drive to the beach , but husband decided it was reasonably priced and that it would be very well worth it .

We visited Montecute House , Bridport , Lyme Regis , Glastonbury , Burton Bradstock and Groves Nursery and of course Charmouth beach . 

Because of the rainy weather and the country roads being unfamiliar to us , we always tried to get back to the cottage well before dark .

Then we would have our teatime in front of the woodburning stove , with cups of tea , sandwiches and cake .

Then I would leave him in the lounge watching his American football 🙄

I would go into the cosy and warm , little dining room , where I really enjoyed sitting at this lovely Georgian table sketching and doing my embroidery .

  I had brought lots of things to do .... no internet, no radio , just the sound of the rain on the window .

These colourful embroidery doodlings are from a Hildegard von Bingen project I am doing .

Whoever would have thought such bright colours and patterns could be from the 12th century illustrations/artwork !

I love them very much  . 

                                                      💛💚❤️      💛💚❤️                                           

                                     Naturally , my angel came too !

                                   I wanted to finish the background .

                 I soon finished the background and decided to outline her angel wings .

 I think it looks better now . I'm just going to do a little more work on her angel gown .

✨I do love embroidering Angels ✨💛✨ I was delighted to find this little Angel hanging up almost hidden behind the curtains in my bedroom !✨✨✨

 

I have been planning to start a Perpetual Botanical Watercolour Journal .

I have the journal , the paints the brushes and everything all ready to go at home but I just can't seem to get started . 

  I want to record the Snowdrops , the Mistletoe , the sweet lambs in the meadows and a tiny first Ladybird of the year .

 I will try again when we get home .

                    I did manage to sketch and embroider this Snowdrop .  

                                                                  🌿🤍🌿

Little Angel - Roses for the Queen of Heaven 🌹update

                           I found some more of the pale blue wool !  Hooray ! 

 

I wasn't sure if it was 886 🙃 or 988 😃 but I was very happy to have found a good hank of the perfect match .

   Appletons do small skeins and large hanks , which is useful if you're doing a larger project .

   For something more important I would normally get enough from the same dye lot ....but for this little project , I think it looks good enough .

I gathered up a few bundles of wool to complete the background , halo and her face . 

 I don't want to keep fiddling about too much incase I spoil it ; but I'm not quite happy with it yet .

 She needs a cute little nose !

🌿🕊️Sitting in the car  , doing my embroidery  😊🌿

Carefully matching up the same pale flesh colour that I had used on her face  ......

                       .....with one tiny stitch I gave her a much nicer  nose ! 

   

  I took this picture with the shadow over it so that you might see it more clearly .

             💛  I finished her halo and next I will continue filling in the background .🩵

                                              🌿🤍  Love and Peace  🕊️ 🌿

                                                                  🙏🏻

 

Little Angel - Roses for the Queen of Heaven 🌹

 I started to fill in the background ....loosely to begin with as I am not sure if I have enough of this pale blue crewel wool .

And while I am stitching away , I am thinking that I need to change her face , just a little  .

                                 That's better ! 💛

  Next to embroider her halo and go find some more of that pale blue wool for the background .

                                                              🕊️🙏🏻🤍

                                                       Love and Peace  

 

Little Angel - Roses for the Queen Of Heaven 🌹

 

                     🌹    So today I am trying to remember how to do Bullion Stitch !  🌹 

I can do it , but it is a little bit more fiddly when you do it with crewel wool .

It is far easier with cotton or silk threads and also using a bullion knot or milliner's needle helps .

I am using a chenille needle which has a large eye through which to thread crewel wool .

With patience , concentration and a little more care .....  

The fiddley bit is where you gently pinch those loops and slide them down and off the needle and down into the hole you first came up through . 

But this is no way meant to be a tutorial . It is best to have someone sit beside you and show you .

And then practice makes perfect ...or in my case a few tangles first !  

The technique soon came back to me . 

                                                               ✨🌟🕊️🌟✨    

Little Angel - Roses for the Queen of Heaven 🌹

                    ✨⭐    I am still working on this little angel . ⭐✨ 

                She was to go on the Christmas tree , but I didn't have time to finish her .

                      I'm just thinking , angels are not just for Christmas anyway !

    ✨⭐   It's  just a little comforter piece stitched with wool . Making it up as I go . ⭐✨

                                                      🌿🕊️🌿

Merry Christmas !

 

                              Wishing everyone a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas .

  It is a bitterly cold day today , windy ,  dark and gloomy . 

I have brought in more kindling to keep the fire going .

 We have hot water bottles on our laps and blankets to keep us warm .

               I have almost finished this sweet little chap .

I am just working on the grapes . Colonial knots again . 

I find Colonial Knots quite therapeutic .  This piece which I embroidered , is from the 12th century manuscript illuminations and art of St Hildegarde von Bingen  .

                                                     🌿🍇🌿

Early Medieval Bird Illumination embroidery - update 3

 

Sitting in the car doing a bit of embroidery while husband has his hospital appointment .

               I made a very slow start on this leaf . I couldn't remember how best to do it !

It was cold and I forgot to bring my hot water bottle and warm blanket this time .

                              I muddled my way along with it !  

At home , later on , I finished the two leaves .

Me thinks they don't look too bad . 

I then made a start working the grape-vine stems in stem stitch .

                                                               🌿🍇🌿

 Illumination from manuscript known as the Sacramentaire de Gellone 780-800 - 8th century

Early Medieval Bird Illumination embroidery - update no 2

 

                                                                      

Early Medieval Bird Illumination crewel embroidery 🌲

 Look at that gorgeous linen ! Much nicer to handle than the cotton fabric I used in my last project .

So this little illumination design comes from a manuscript known as the Sacramentaire de Gellone - 8th century - 780 - 800 .  So very old !