Friday crafting

Every Friday over the winter months we are having crafting sessions at The Sea Garden,

anyone is welcome to drop by; just bring along something you are making and have an hour or two in company with like-minded crafters. We also have a nice lunch out at the DaBara Bakery up the road; what's not to like!

 Last Friday Wendy, Patsy, Angelica and I were treated to some coffee and delicious homemade mince pies brought by Bernice, and I showed everyone how to make paper and lace angels. 

 On Friday 15th December we will have mulled wine and some more festive treats, so don't be shy, come and join us!

Christmas makes

 Preparations for this year's Christmas Fairs caught me a bit on the hop, and making was rather frantic in the run-up to the Cowslip Fair last weekend. With another Fair in Mylor this coming Saturday I thought I would share with you some of my latest makes.

 Wreaths with everlasting flowers and pine cones, designed for indoor use, that will last for many Christmases to come.

 Stockings made from an old bedspread with appliqued patchwork and a hand-stitched 'Happy Christmas'.

These are the first things that I have made using the new sewing machine I bought in January; it has taken me this long to get around to trying out all the fancy stitches it can do!

Autumn Gardens

 The garden at Charleston Farmhouse, once home to Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and frequented by many others of the Bloomsbury Group.

 Autumn blooms in the vegetable garden.

 Pots and vases sit on the studio windowsill.

 From East Sussex to Cornwall.......

 This magnificently gnarled oak is down in The Lost Valley at Heligan Gardens.

 The sinister looking 'Devil's Finger' fungus.

 In the kitchen garden at Heligan the espaliered apples have been cut back to almost nothing.

 Inside the greenhouses a lovely display of gourds and squashes.

Selvedge at Charleston!

I am very excited because this Saturday I shall be attending the Selvedge Magazine Textile Fair at Charleston Farmhouse in East Sussex! I've never been to a Selvedge Fair before and only visited Charleston once a couple of years ago. I absolutely loved the interior of Charleston and can't wait to see it again. This summer Mum and I were going through some papers belonging to my great uncle Edward Morland Lewis, an artist who trained under Sir Walter Sickert and later shared Sickert's painting studio in London. I suddenly noticed Duncan Grant's signature at the bottom of a handwritten letter; it was a letter of personal recommendation by Grant of Lewis as an excellent painting tutor; so the two were obviously acquainted! My great uncle may well have been a house guest at Charleston; I wish I had had the chance to talk with him, but he died of tuberculosis in North Africa during WW11, aged only 40.

Talking of fairs, it is not long now till Homespun returns to Portscatho on 22nd October! Loads of gorgeous vintage goodies on offer and of course delicious homemade cakes and pasties in the pop-up tearoom. We are hoping there will be lots of visitors down for the half-term holiday. Click here for more info.

Have a great weekend everybody! xxx

 Oh beautiful day! I was only on duty in the shop for an hour at lunchtime today so I decided to walk to Portscatho along the coastpath. From Pendower the path meanders through meadows of scrubby bracken, fern and wildflowers, where a group of wild Dartmoor ponies graze during the summer months. 

 At Curgurrel Farm I cut down to the beach and strolled along the pebbly shore, picking up the odd shell here and there. There was not a breath of wind, and the sea was gently lapping the sand in between the rocky coves.

 The first glimpse of Porthcurnick Beach with the 'Hidden Hut' cafe just visible in the hollow at the top of the beach.

 This wonderful cafe is open every day from April to the end of October and serves delicious freshly cooked curries and soups, all served outdoors on huge wooden tables where everyone sits and eats together.

 After a hearty roast squash and chestnut soup I took to the coast path once more and headed towards Portscatho, which was looking truly idyllic!

 Some hydrangea heads in one of the gardens along the sea front; I love the way the colour slowly drains out of the petals.

 Some new porcelain bowls made by a lovely lady called Tara who I met at The Country Brocante Fair at Daylesford a couple of weeks ago, and handmade hair grips by Gil Fox.

 I have decided this winter to convert part of the shop into a workspace for me to be able to sew, and also to hold crafting days and workshops. To begin with I will run Christmas-themed workshops during November and December, such as cards and tags, angels, garlands and decorations. Post Christmas I think I will offer workshops in simple beaded jewellery and sewing projects as well as further card making ideas. Once I have decided on dates for these workshops I will post them up on the blog sidebar. I hope that some of you may be able to join me!