Embroidered Tablecloth Blouse

This is a project I've been thinking about for a long time. I have a collections of embroidered tablecloths - some inherited from my mother, and others I've picked up over the years. I've always planning to sew with them, but the idea of cutting into these precious fabrics - and possibly getting it wrong - kept holding me back.

At last, though, I have got sewing, and I'm really happy with the result. I used the Ethel Blouse pattern, which I had sewn a few weeks ago from some old curtain fabric. I particularly like this pattern, as no tricky buttonholes or zips.

I made a few alterations to accommodate the embroidery layout, and the limited amount of fabric I had. So there is now a central seam at the front and back panels. This meant I could position the embroidery symmetrically. I also decided not to gather the peplum. A few reasons for this: first, I didn't want the gathering to obscure the embroidery, which is the highlight of the piece; second, I really was short of fabric; and finally, a peplum apparently makes me look like I may be pregnant, according to my husband! Cheeky.

I was a little nervous about cutting into the embroidery. Might it come unravelled? But by carefully placing the pattern pieces, I managed to avoid cutting through most of the embroidered sections. And by french seaming throughout, I managed to enclose all the raw edges. I really do love a french seam. 

The sleeves were made from a second tablecloth, which I bought in a charity shop for £2. I did consider using a contrasting colour fabric, but in the end, I stuck with white to keep the blouse cohesive—and true to the tablecloth theme. I love the sleeve design in this pattern, so I was glad I could keep that detail.

I think my mum would be really pleased to see her embroidery given a new life like this. And now, after seeing my blouse, my daughter has asked me to make her a sleeveless version. Luckily, I have another tablecloth in mind that I think will be perfect.

A Snowdrop-Inspired Nordic Jumper

 

For a while now, I’ve had the idea in my head to knit a Nordic yoke-style jumper inspired by one of my favourite flowers: the snowdrop. There’s something magical about them—the way they bloom so early in the year, delicate and determined, quietly pushing up through the frost and leaf litter to announce that spring is on its way.

Where I live, wild snowdrops are everywhere in late winter. They gather in great drifts along the roadside, scatter themselves like confetti across woodland floors, and pop up in garden corners where you least expect them. I find them absolutely beautiful—they are understated, and full of quiet hope.

Despite searching, I couldn’t find a jumper pattern that featured snowdrops in the way I imagined them. So I decided to design my own.

 

This jumper is knitted with double-knit wool. The body and sleeves are worked flat, then joined together at the yoke, which is knit in the round on circular or double-pointed needles. I wanted to capture the graceful shape of snowdrop petals and the soft contrast between the greens and whites that mark their arrival in the natural world.

I have to confess—while knitting the body, I kept glancing ahead to the yoke chart, itching to start working with the colours and motifs. That’s where the design really comes to life.

The pattern contains instructions for three sizes. I'm wearing the smallest size in the photos. I wanted a cosy, slightly oversized fit—something I could wear over another layer during the chilly months. The finished chest circumference is either 42/46/50 inches, which gives a relaxed fit.

My husband asks me why I am publishing the pattern now in the middle of summer. But I think knitters know to think ahead, and may well be planning a cosy garment for next winter. 

 

It’s been such a joy to knit a piece so personal and seasonal. Snowdrops remind me to find beauty in the quiet, early moments of change—and now I have a jumper that carries that feeling with me wherever I go. The pattern is available on ravelry, Etsy and LoveKnitting.

Ethel Blouse

I have been busy sewing again, and used my first ever downloadable pattern. This is the Ethel Ruffle Peplum Blouse from Tiana's Closet. This was a bit of an experiment, as I am still planning to make a blouse from an old embroidered tablecloth, but decided it was best to have a go with another fabric first. 

Possibly my favourite thing about the blouse is the fabric, which is an old curtain that came from a friend's mother. I would use it as a tablecover when I used to do craft fairs, and love the fact that it is old, a bit worn and has such soft colours. My new pasttime is looking in charity shops for interesting fabrics.

The peplum blouse was fairly easy to sew. Downloading and sticking together the many sheets of paper took a while, but probably not as long as a trip to the shops. I really like the sleeves on this pattern, which have a lovely shape. Although I like a long sleeve the elastic cuffs mean you can push these up if you need. I sewed the side seams of the body and arms with french seams, and then used bias tape to enclose the peplum seam on the inside so it would not fray. The blouse just slips on over the head, so no need for zips or fastenings. 

Very happy with the result, and I am now thinking do I go for the tablecloth blouse, or perhaps a skirt that will compliment this blouse. Perhaps faded denim. So many decisions to make.

 

Fish Skirt

Forgive the terrible photo above. I made this skirt from the same pattern (New Look pattern 6271) that I used for trousers last year. I really believe in getting value from a pattern, but am probably not going to move on to the shorts option.

I love the batik fish fabric (which was bought in Bude), but decided it had to be lined. Spent more online buying a navy cotton fabric for the lining, but it had to be done. I added pockets using the same tutorial Soften Studio, on how to sew a french seam pocket that I used on the trousers. It is really good way to add pockets and keep everything french seamed and neat. I love a pocket. 

This was the last of several attempts to photograph it. I just seem to shut my eyes in photos, look very self-conscious, or just angry. So although I look a mess, this is fairly realistic, and at least I am not in my usual wellington boots.

There is going to be another sewing post soon, as I have just discovered downloadable patterns, and am midway through a blouse.

Vegetable Garden Diary May

I have realised that I perhaps should have started my sporadic garden diary.  Seedlings are under way in the polytunnel, and I have a new friend at the Oxfam bookshop, who is doing swaps with me. So thanks to her for the two cucumbers above, and she also gave me some peas and spinach for outside.

Someone (a rabbit I think) has been nibbling things in the polytunnel, so I have had to put some of the seedlings on the table and cover the troughs with netting, and need to reinspect the fence. I am turning into Mr McGregor.

The indoor strawberries are looking good, all grown from my outside strawberries last year. And we are already eating some American land cress leaves.

Outside things are coming along. Below shows the outside strawberries, and potatoes and raspberries behind. My husband's loganberry has even more berries coming than last year, so hopefully we may get more than the one jar of jam. It has also produced another bush a little way off.

Other things planted outdoors are runnerbeans, peas, sweetcorn, broadbeans, onions and carrots (which I planted near the onions as I had heard this might help, but as usual the carrots came up, and the nearly all disappeared over night).

And below is my "scarestork". Chris Packham was on the radio talking about the reintroduction of storks to Cornwall, and I thought this year rather than the scarecrow man we usually make (which the birds sit on) I would try and made something a bit more frightening - with light and noise. We will have to see how this works out.

Reupholstered Bed Headboard

We are doing some DIY, and decided that part of redecorating my son's room meant recovering the headboard of his bed. I've not really done anything like this before, but as I used to be a teaching assistant, have had plenty of experience with a staple gun. We took off the covered buttons which matched the old headboard, but decided to pick a fabric that would contrast. We bought the fabric at Sooz Custon Clothing in Okehampton, which is the best fabric shop I have come across locally. There was an enormous selection of furnishing, dressmaking fabrics, and haberdashery, as well as some great advice about the process of covering the board. I will definitely be calling in there again.

We went for a fabric to match the look of the bedframe, which is a bit industrial looking. I've still got to fasten the frame in place, which will be a little lower and fit under the lower bar, but I think you can see that the end result looks great. To get the buttons in place I used a very long and large needle (which I found in my sewing box), which went through the holes already there in the board.

 

Tamara Way - The Final Section

Yesterday we walked the final section of the Tamara Way. We started at Woolley, and the first part of the walk through the valley of Marsland Water was a real treat. It was lovely to be off-roads, and the woodland and river were really beautiful. I love a bluebell wood at this time of year, and there were plenty about. The route did have a few hills, as we crossed from the Devon to Cornwall sides of the valley.

As we passed through the Marsland Nature Reserve, we went a bit rogue. We decided not to follow the labelled detour because of ash-felling and also crossed the wooden bridge that was marked closed. Neither seemed a problem. Eventually the landscape opened up to a coastal one, and we decided we had to do the extra bit down to the seashore, so we could say we truly had walked coast to coast.

Pink sea thrift was very pretty.

I am not good with heights, and had originally thought I would not walk the coastal route along the cliffs. But decided it would be nice to complete the route in the book, so my husband walked back to Woolley with the dog, and my son and I continued. It turned out the height was not the problem, I think mainly because I was so tired by this point and keen to get to the end of the walk. But the steepness of the path (both up and down) made it very difficult, particularly the sections with steps. I think my knees are not what the once were. But there were some beautiful views, and I wish I had taken a few more photos.

Eventually we turned inland and could see the church and vicarage at Morwenstow, so thought our journey was almost over. But one more adventure. The last field we had to pass through has some very frisky cows, who started to run to meet us. Perhaps to say "charge" would be an exaggeration. There was also a big brown bull, who seemed less interested in us, but looked very imposing. I dived under the barbed wire fence into some nettles, and although my son tried to persuade me they were just curious, we did the last section in the woodland. We joined up with our path, and as we walked up to Morwenstow were treated to a large deer crossing our path. Morwenstow churchyard and church were lovely, and I should have photographed them, but instead we hurried up the hill to The Bush Inn, where my husband was waiting for us with a cold drink. We also decided to have supper there (which was very good) as we watched the sunset. The end of this adventure, we will have to start planning another one.