Weeks spent refining, reducing and reallocating possessions still leave us with more than can be easily fitted into our little artisan’s cottage in Islington. Visits to charity shops and the local authority tip are a daily occurrence, the incinerator thrums constantly with the burning of a couple of lifetimes of bank statements and long-kept, but now useless documents and dithering has been replaced by curt and sometimes brutal decisiveness. (We do, however, still have a trunk full of children’s cuddly toys and Playmobil sets in plenty, all boxed up and awaiting a grandchild of the right age. Who would have the heart to give a Sylvanian Family narrow (canal) boat to charity after a nearly 30 year stint on dark shelf?) But on we press.
Ipsden altar frontal: the rose
Here is a rose I embroidered for the altar frontal. I’m not entirely happy with it but having just read India Knight in the Sunday Times on how bad we women are for explaining how substandard our labours are, I shall say no more. Roses are difficult to render with a needle. If you would like to see some of the other roses I’ve embroidered do look here (rose wedding monogram), here (Arts and Craft style rose christening monogram) or here (roses on a little girl’s cardigan) & here (more roses on a child’s cardigan). If you are curious about death by rose petals, do read here.
8 Comments
I went back through to read of the death by roses (- how awful!) and saw the lovely quilted curtain. I’m inspired now to do something similar. By the way, Lucy Boston’s Green Knowe books were some of my childhood favorites. I bought them for my children too one Christmas, but unfortunately they didn’t cat h on well with the new generation.
I didn’t realise I’d linked to the patchwork quilt I use as a curtain http://www.addisonembroideryatthevicarage.co.uk/2013/08/16/grandmothers-garden-patchwork-quilt/ but presumably you found it as you mention Lucy Boston whose sofa cover quilt inspired mine for the door (she also made patchwork door curtains, but I’m sure you know that.) Sorry, exhausted packing – now I’m rambling.
It is funny how books one child thought amazing are often not appreciated by another and you end up buying a quite different set of books – just packed most of mine now and out they’ll come in the next house in the hope grandchildren will find something they like!
I agree that roses are difficult, and furthermore you’ve done a great job with this one!
There’s always room for improvement with roses,isn’t there?
Hello Mary
Sounds as though you are making fine headway through the move….. My grandchildren have loved playing with the 30 year old Lego Medieval Castle which I bought for their parent…. Apparently it is now known as vintage Lego and highly collectable! Certainly when you compare new with old the old set is so much stronger and better made.
How hard it is to discard those pieces of paper, just in case. I have done this so many times but still have plenty from my move here in Western Australia 35 years ago. All part of me and I will keep them.
Sending happy thoughts for your very lovely sounding artisan’s cottage. Best as ever. Lydia
Sound like the same Lego castle, Lydia – it’s too much fun to make and far too expensive to do anything other than save until a child of the right age comes along!
Get rid of the paper Lydia, you’ll feel wonderfully unencumbered by such ephemera (just one more box to go, now for me).
I dread the day we move out of this house for similar reasons. I have also kept a few books and a train set in the loft for potential grandchildren of the future, but there is a certain amount of dross up there that badly needs cleared out. One day….. X
I thought we’d never finish sorting and packing. We are so horrified, we are going to continue refining and reducing when we get to London.