Looking Back - The Lake District

Tarn Howes - the weather doesn't look very bright on this picture but shortly after I took this it really brightened up.
Wray Castle to Ferry House, Windermere. We took a boat to Ambleside then another boat over to Wray Castle. The walk to Ferry House was very pretty, even the weather was sunny and cheerful for our 4 1/2 mile walk. At Ferry House we got another boat back to Bowness, where we were staying.

Loughrigg Fell can be seen in this picture, I don't know anything about the house, I just thought it looked very picturesque. This was on our trip to Ambleside. After getting off the boat at Waterhead, Ambleside, we walked along the side of the River Rothay to Rothay Park via the ruins of Galava Roman fort.

We spent a week self-catering at Bowness on Windermere in May. The house was lovely and had great views, the weather was the best I've ever known it in the Lake District, so altogether this was a beautiful holiday, I've thought about it a lot this summer. We intend to go back to the Lake District next May, this time we'll hire a house at Windermere itself.

Sewing Kit

I finished this sewing kit off today. I'd already done the cross-stitch and just needed to make it into something. Lately I'd noticed scissor cases that were a bit different to the ones I usually make so thought I'd have a go and I'm quite pleased with the result. I've used a charm as the fastener on it, shaped like stork scissors and inside are my stork scissors - very appropriate! I've used a needle charm as the fastener for the needle case. I didn't add anything else to the biscornu pincushion, a button would probably have obscured most of the stitching. Another pretty addition to my collection.

Free Patterns

This pretty sewing caddy is from a free pattern at All People Quilt - I've decorated it slightly differently to the one they have pictured, it's a lovely project and looks very decorative. The sewing roll featured in my May posts was also from this site - in fact there are tons of very good projects to be found there. This next site has a lovely idea for a tote bag - It's a lovely design and something a little bit different to my usual style. If you like doing patchwork you have got to visit this site - I've made all my cushions from blocks found there, it's great.

Sewing Machines

One of the first things I bought myself after I got married was a sewing machine. Since I was 13, when I used an old manual Singer machine that belonged to my mother's aunt, I've just had to have a sewing machine. I never used to do any hand stitching (apart from hems on clothes). In those far off days I just made clothes. Gradually my interests changed and I started making soft furnishings and more recently useful items like these pictured below.

I've lost count of the number of tote bags I've made, lots of them I've given away as gifts. This is my favourite style of tote. The handles go all the way underneath the bag so make it strong.

Last year I started making linings for baskets, I suppose really it was a way of using up some of my huge stash of fabric but I really like the look of these lined baskets.