Handmade comfort

Now that the cold season is coming back, it's time to fluff up throws and pillows! These are some of the things my mother and I made over the years. From top to bottom:

- a wool knitted pillow I made last winter
- a quilt made of my parents' and my brother's faded jeans. I made this when I was 15 :-)
- a crocheted throw made by my mother

August colors (3)

Just when I thought autumn was coming, I found myself picking these roses and hibiscus from my garden. August is both summer and autumn, and today, it's definitely summer :-) The background is a panel of 1950's wallpaper I kept when we were renovating our house.

ps: this image is also part of a beautiful collage by The Dansant

Designs for needlework, ca 1900

This designs are from a ca 1900 needlework book, that can be downloaded for free here. I would love to make cushion with one of these square flower designs :-). The image of the lady with the lion is a real fairytale too!

Crocheted throw, work in progress

The crocheted throw for my daughter is getting bigger and bigger :-) I also discovered that crocheting squares is something that I can easily do on the train. So, instead of reading magazines, I'll be doing some crochet now.

I also found the wonderful crocheting blog by Sarah London. If you like colorful, funky crochet, you should definitely take a look!

ps: this image was featured on Sarah London's blog here :-)

Swedish summer colors

Last week I was on a holiday in Gotland, Sweden. I brought back some souvenirs: replica's of 14^th century glassware, a wooden heart, a book about summer houses on Gotland (I'd love to own one!). For me, they reflect the colors of a summer on a Swedish island: light green, light blue, light wood.

August colors II

And today we picked the first brambles from our garden :-)

August colors

With a new season approaching, I find myself drawn to different colors, such as this shade of dark cherry red. This is one of the first dahlia's from my garden :-)

French metal embroidery thread

Last week, I bought this French metal embroidery thread at the Apeldoorn Antiques Fair for only 8 euro :-) I'll probably use it to finish the seams of a medieval purse, like this.