I am Lily - stitcher and part time bookseller. Mother to my gorgeous girl, Abigail and wife to Julian. I make time each day to let my imagination potter and add quirky prettiness and handmade comfort to our home and lives. You can email me at lily(at)blockaday(dot)com
the slow coming of autumn
This being our first real “autumn” in a long while, we are madly looking forward to watching the leaves turn orange and yellow and red and brown, the weather cooling and the nights growing longer; the coming of slippers and flannel. And on this, the second day of March, it is indeed happening.
Every street I walk along, the glorious trees that line the paths for which Melbourne is well known, have lost their summer vibrancy, storing their green energy deep within their trunks, and sending forth the autumn colours.
And yet, here in Bootville, our flowering shrubs are going mad with verve and colour! Just this weekend past, I woke to find a rather plain but thick bush, nestled beside my sewing house, smothered in pretty white flowers.
As for the hibiscus - well, they clearly think they grace a tropical island, not suburban Melbourne. The pale pink shrub at my window is MADLY covered in flowers with many more buds bursting to open.
Thus, as I sit with a needle in hand and hoop on lap, I am drawn to capturing the contrast.
The stark branches beginnning to appear.
The contrast of greens and flame.
And amongst it all, the beautiful spring-like colours of my garden.
The wool I have couched the butterflies with is beautiful worsted Lambs Pride from Brown Sheep. This is surely my all-time favourite wool and I plan on ordering lots more for this winter. The colours and texture are so very cosy and warm.
One of the techniques I learnt with Sue Spargo last year, was to thread wool, rick-rack, braid, ribbon etc. onto a large needle and bring it through from the wrong side of your work when you are using it in appliques. That way, you don’t have to worry about finishing off straggly ends - which I was never capable of doing to my satisfaction! Each time I do this, I am ever so chuffed at such a simple, yet marvellous piece of cleverness :-)
Still a bit more of work to do on the border - above is my last glance of it through the living room window as I dashed for the tram! - but that will wait for this evening. Now I am at work, on lunch, and about to sneak a look at a gorgeous new Australian cookbook - The Real Food Companion by Matthew Evans, a former Sydney-based food critic who now lives and works with his family on the organic Puggle Farm in the Huon Valley of Tasmania. This is SOOOOOOO good, I may have to dedicate a whole post to it later this week.
Now, back to work!
3 March, 2010 at 4:00 am
Go isn’t a complete sentence. It is not even a clause on it’s own. We take it as such, because everyone says it.
3 March, 2010 at 5:30 am
Ooh Lily, I love it! Do you know embroidery was my first handwork love, so many, many years ago… I was putting some thought into a new project today.
Glad you still have time for stitching! Really neat how you did the couching with the wool.
I think I will be embroidering some french knots soon…
3 March, 2010 at 5:44 am
What a lovely embroidery you are stitching there! You have very lovely flowers and bushes in your garden! We can have hibiscus only in the house in a flowerpot in Finland. How have you celebrated your birthday? Many Birthday wishes from us!
3 March, 2010 at 11:59 am
Oh, those flowers are gorgeous! I miss hibiscus. Your garden sure looks like it belongs to some tropical place :)
I love your interpretation with wool and thread and pretty little scraps.
3 March, 2010 at 1:42 pm
I am in love with those colors — real and stitched! I hope all of this handmade beauty means an etsy shop is in the works. You inspired me to try my first ever attempt at a little embroidery design, but it’s so dreadfully child-like I would never post about it. I will have to send you an email in person sometime :) Enjoy your seasons my friend!
3 March, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Love your stitchery! The photos of the hibiscus make me long for Hawaii on a dreary March day in here Oregon. I’ve taken a class with Sue also and just love her work. I’m doing her BOM this year. I’m new to your blog, but loving seeing your artistry. Thank you for sharing!
3 March, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Beautiful stitcning. We are waiting for spring…lots of rain again in No. California. Whats a Puggle?
3 March, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Your embroidery and applique are so beautiful! I love the close-ups that you have been providing lately. I aspire to be able to do such lovely work.
4 March, 2010 at 2:46 am
beautiful - as always!!!!!
4 March, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Hi there! I’m new to your blog and instantly fell in love w/your embroidery/applique work. How beautiful! You’re kind of inspiring me to want to learn how. Looks a little intimidating though. :) Thank you for sharing!
5 March, 2010 at 1:57 am
This is just fantastic. I love all of the various textures and the way you pull them all together. So beautiful. Happy Autumn. It feels so funny to say that at 0 degrees celcius. :)
5 March, 2010 at 3:37 am
Oh my goodness! Your applique/embroidery project is so beautiful!
Do you tend to sketch most of your ideas? Sometimes I want to be spontaneous but then I feel like I need to know where I am going with a project or I will get stuck somewhere in the middle of it.
8 March, 2010 at 5:19 pm
I always love to see what is going on in your world, your climate and your house.