Hejsa!
It’s almost the weekend! This week has been one of those weird ones where the days feel wrong. Tuesday felt like a Thursday, Wednesday felt like Friday. Bizarre. Hopefully the weekends means a reset and next week the days will be in their usualy spots. :-D
I have started taking a daily picture of my desk (the sewing etc one, not the one where my computer lives) and sharing it. I was going to say that I don’t know what prompted this idea, but then I realised that I do know! The author Joanne Harris has been sharing a daily picture of the sky which I think it really interesting. There is something about taking a daily picture of a thing and noticing the daily changes, even if they are small or maybe not that interesting from day to day.
Here’s my desk from yesterday. I haven’t been in my wee studio yet today, so it looks more or less the same right now. I am not someone who tidies while I’m working on a project! There’s stuff from a current project and some bits I found while I was tidying a box of stuff. I’m very happy that I found the booklet from the Quilts exhibition at the V&A back in 2010. It really was a very good exhibition. Did you see it?
Anyway, if you enjoy looking at other people’s messy desks, I share the desk pictures daily in my Substack notes and on Bluesky.
Earlier in the year I had trouble with the thumb on my stitching hand so for most of the first half of the year I have not really been able to do any embroidery or hand stitching. Thankfully that was getting better but don’t you know, now I have pulled something in that same thumb so just as I was looking forward to getting back to embroidery, I’m back to not being able to! It is driving me slightly mad. Embroidery is my thing! I miss it.
It’s not just that I can’t stitch for my own enjoyment. If I can’t stitch, I can’t make new patterns and that is bad. When I can’t make new stuff it’s like the Universe has forgotten that I make embroidery patterns. Which I would really like to sell to people who will enjoy stitching them. So I can make a contribution to our household economy.
So I just want to remind the Universe (and myself) that I’m still an embroidery pattern designer, even if I can’t do it right now. And the old patterns are still for sale. Over a hundred different patterns I think!
If you know someone who might like my patterns, I’d be grateful if you would share the link to my shop with them. ♥
I think I have mentioned the slow stitching series of videos I have shared on YouTube over the summer? The project is finished! I’m really chuffed with how this little book turned out. The last video is over on YouTube. In the video I share how I turn a single piece of fabric into a textile book. It’s a really fun project and it can be adapted to any size of fabric. :-)
Have a lovely weekend!
x Carina
Some Things I Am Enjoying
Book: Where the Wildflowers Grow* by Leif Bersweden. I’ve been meaning to read this book for a little while and I finally got round to reserving it from the library. And then I found that it was available as an audiobook on Spotify (didn’t even know they had audiobooks there.) So now I’m listening to it and I guess I’ll take it home from the library when it’s ready. I think there may be some nice illustrations in the book. Which obviously are not available in the audiobook. I haven’t got too far into the book but I am really enjoying it. You know me, I love flowers. :-)
Watching: We actually haven’t watched it yet but Taskmaster is back as of last night and I’m really looking forward to watching the first episode tonight. When we were in Denmark, I watched a couple of episodes of the Danish version and that was kind of weird because I didn’t know who a single contestant was and the guys in the taskmaster and assistant roles weren’t at all like the UK version. Very odd. :-)
Music: The Folklore album by Taylor Swift. Again. For the thousandth time. I would not call myself a swiftie but that album is just so good. :-)
Instagram: @mcrurbangardener Yasmine and her neighbours turned the messy alley behind their houses into a lovely green space for everyone to enjoy. Beautiful place, beautiful story.
*bookshop.org affiliate link.
The other morning, Blake wanted in the garden really early and afterwards he wouldn’t go back to sleep. So I decided to throw on some clothes and take him for a walk. And I’m glad I did. I saw the sun come up and I snapped this photo of a ragwort (I think?) plant. I love how moody this picture is. But the flowers are almost fluorescent… I notice wildflowers so much more since I have started making projects that are inspired by the Wheel of The Year. It has brought a lot of joy to my life. :-)
I remember you’re an embroidery designer and maker. Your beautiful patterns decorate my home ❤️
Your designs are just gorgeous!