rubykittyruby

After not having any homegrown strawberries so far this year, and pretty much giving up on them, the recent heavy rainfall along with lots of sunshine has had berries ripening like crazy.  I've been starting every day with fresh fruit for breakfast, which is a lovely treat.   This last week's been oddly enjoyable.  The house is looking much better after it's ever-so-late-spring-clean, and hopefully I can keep it this way.  Out in the garden everything's windswept and there're lots of plants leaning drunkenly over, me neglecting to stake them.   I made a couple of little changes to the angel fabric collage, not having been entirely satisfied with her face.   I outlined the eyes with thread and added a faint indication of a nose! This textile piece ended up being about 21 x 23cm, and it occurred to me that I might make a smaller version and use it to decorate a Christmas card.  (Sorry to mention the 'Ch' word in June, but you have to think...

Hello from my corner of sunny West Yorkshire where we still - still! - don't have any rain.  I mean, the sun's gorgeous, but my plants are thirsty and the allotment soil is dry as a bone.  I'd better head down there in a while and tip cans of water over the squash, at least.   The photo above shows the Alice Hoffman book I've recently finished - terrific - and the novel I'm reading at the moment, Andrew Taylor's 'The Shadows of London'.  It's set in London 1671, and is clearly written by an author who knows that period inside out. The historical details are fascinating, while the murky murders and court intrigue make for a gripping tale.  Apart from catching up on my reading, I've also had a go at making a leopard head brooch ... as you do ...  I'd seen a fantastic embroidered brooch by an Instagramer called 'ievate' and loved it, so had a try at my own version.  It's a simplified effort.  The original had a plain fabric for the a...