Pink blossom and a robin

 

There are lots of these beautiful blossom laden trees around, and the gusty winds we've had lately have been scattering pink petals across grass verges and pavements like confetti.  I've still got a garden full of tulips, joined now by bluebells and anemones in their jewel-like colours.  There are even flowers beginning to appear on my strawberry plants, so lets hope for a bumper crop of berries this year.  

I nipped into a couple of charity shops today.  Two interesting looking historical novels for 50p each, plus three crochet magazines for a quid each.  I don't crochet, but my niece does and these will be going to her.  The magazines are good quality and full of patterns to try, but if you really really peer at the small print on the cover you'll see their original price.  £7.99 each.  Yikes!  That's why I don't buy glossy magazines any more, the prices are way too high for my taste.  I'd rather spend on craft books.  No adverts, plus you can pick up no end of books second hand for a fraction of their retail price.  

Talking of things craft related - I made a second bag based on the triangular design found on YouTube.  I upsized it to make a bag rather than a coin purse, and used a patchwork of fabrics for added interest.  

I tried using some nubbly dark blue wool for the fastening, but settled on this silver ribbon instead.  

After finishing my blue bag I decided to make another embroidered bird, this time a robin.  

As with the blue tit I made, I stitched on to unbleached calico, using my RSPB bird book for reference.  My robin's a simplified version of the bird, but I'm reasonably pleased with it.  I made the beak slightly larger than needed, so hopefully when the backing's added the beak won't disappear in the same way the blue tit's did.  The colourway isn't as appealing as the blue tit's yellow, green blue, black and white, but I tried to use different shades of brown and red, plus white and cream so the body and wings weren't just solid blocks of single colour. 

I'm off to Leeds city centre tomorrow afternoon as there's a talk about a textile piece on display at the Art Gallery.  The Leeds Tapestry, about which I know nothing, so it'll be educational at least, fingers crossed it'll be fun too.  

More about that, hopefully with some decent photos, to follow.