A Pear for June

When I saw Marly's original Pear Sampler (now Pear Sampler 1) back in the middle of last year, I knew it was a project I wanted to do. So I stitched it up and then did another one of my own design with a number sampler.

Marly's posted patterns for quite a few pear samplers since that first one. While most of them really appeal to me, I haven't quite gotten around to stitching any others . . . but her pattern for June really grabbed me! So out came the needle, threads and fabric . . .

Once I'd finished stitching I decided I didn't really need another "ornamental" pear, and instead appliqued it onto a journal cover.

While it was . . . nice . . . it seemed . . . hmm . . . not quite right.

So I unpicked the applique and did what I should have done in the first place - I made it up into a "pear". And I'm really glad I did, because I'm so happy with how it's turned out!

I've filled the pear with a mix of fibre fill (at the top around the stalk) and then crushed walnut shells and silica sand. This gives it a nice, heavy, substantial feeling, which I really like. Now I've got the bug again, the big question is . . . which one will I stitch next???



Pattern: Pear X
Designer: Marly - Samplers and Santas
Publication: http://samplers-and-santas.blogspot.com.au/p/pears.html
Fabric: 27 count linen
Threads: DMC 3041, 3042, 611, 3023, 3053, 3820

OK - So Maybe I've Got a Pincushion Thing Going On

I guess it could be true.

I mean, I think I now have more pincushions than pins.

Is that bad? Maybe it needs to be stopped. Who knows?

I made this little biscornu from scraps from the Little Pretties Quilt. I'm not sure if the pinwheels quite show the quirky shape of the biscornu, but it is what it is!

And it has been added to this collection . . .

Maybe that is enough pincushions for one girl, but the thing I like about making them is that they are very achievable little projects in amongst the more long term quilt projects.

Will there be any more? What is it they say? Never say never . . .

My Tea Cup Collection

Well, I love drinking tea.

And I love cups and saucers.

I’ve got a bit of a collection now.

Some I’ve acquired for myself.

Some I’ve inherited.

Some are gifts from my family.

And I think they are lovely!

A few years ago, for my birthday, we went to our favourite picnic spot and set up for High Tea. Some guests were shocked that I had brought along my tea cups for the occasion – there were more than a couple of “but they’re too good to bring out here” kind of comments. Well, I think that if they are too good for me and my loved ones to use, then what’s the point of them.



It was fun as each person chose their cup and saucer (some of the big boys preferred big mugs, and that was OK, too) to tell the story of how each cup came to be in my collection –

* the one that my great grandmother used to use every day *

* the one my mum won as a prize in a diving competition when she was a girl *

* the ones bought at a little tiny pottery tucked away on some acreage on one of our trips to the coast *

* the ones that came from my grandmother’s house, complete with paint splatter (she never drank tea in her life, and she repainted her kitchen every year) *

* the one given to me by my children for mother’s day . . . *

I love that my collection is a working one. No, I’m not leaving them tucked away in a cupboard (although they do reside in our lovely old kitchen cabinet) for safekeeping till I’m gone. They are used regularly – and for me, that’s how it should be!

What do you collect in your world?