Piggy door stop

In preparation for the warmer weather, when I love to have all the windows open in the house, but always end up with slamming doors, I thought I'd make us some door stops. I've seen loads of lovely ones in craft shops and websites, but thought it can't be too difficult so decided to have as go myself....if it turned out rubbish, who cares I'll use it in the utility room out of sight :0)

Anyway I thought while I was at it I'd follow Mel's lead and take some photo's for a tutorial...either this is how you do it or don't do it this way depending on the finished product.

So here goes..........

Decide on what size you want your finished door stop to be, and whether you want a cube or an oblong, then add 2 cm all round to make allowance for your seams. I used baking paper to draw my pattern.

I decided on an 8" cube, mainly because I'd already drawn and cut my motif out and need the cube to be big enough to take them.....note to self do things in the right order next time!


I had a remnant of a thick linen with a gold thread through it and thought that it would be a nice neutral base.

You need 6 sides, if you are doing a cube they will be all the same size, if your are doing an oblong the top and bottom will be the same size as the base and top and the side lengths what ever extra you have decided on.

You then need an oblong of fabric for the handle......mine was 8", the same as the finished top should be, by 4".

I'd already drawn and cut out my motif's. Lovely spotty pigs. For any pig connisseurs please excuse the design art was never my strong point ;0)

I did the motif's in the Polka dot, in linen and eau de nil to match my heart hanger.

Back to the handle...take 1/2" all the way around and iron the seams, basically because the handle is narrow it would have been impossible to sew right sides facing and then turn inside out with the thick fabric I used so I had to neaten as I would be sewing the correct way out.

Then fold in half and iron....this gives you your handle.

Sew along the long side, and then make into a handle shape and sew to fix onto the piece that will be the top.

Place your motif into the centre of a side and sew all the way round. A satin stitch would have been good, but my trusty old sewing machine is limited in it's offer of stitches so I had to make do with a close zigzag.

Once all the motifs, or as many as you are using are stitched in place, sew the seams of the sizes to make a box shape, and then sew this onto the base. This may be the wrong order, (I dropped sewing at school in place of woodwork!) but I found it worked ok.

Now sew your top on, leaving an opening so that you can turn the box the right way round. Fill with rice, and if you like, some lavender and there you have it (once I've been to the supermarket for a large pack of rice).

What do you think?

Needles and Pins

Does anyone else get the urge to 'make' when the weather improves? I don't know what it is but as the seasons change I want to do different things. In the winter I like nothing more that curling up in front of a roaring fire, knitting with some lovely chunky wool. In the autumn, I'm love making preserves and getting things ready for Christmas. In the summer I like to be decorating, weather that be outside painting fences and sheds or if it's raining, inside either a complete re-paint or just freshening up walls and doors, and of course baking when the Hens go into egg laying over drive. Which brings me onto Spring.....a bit of a mixture, knitting with some finer wools or cottons, sewing or out in the garden getting things ready for the summer.

This year I've decided to completely change the decor in the Kitchen, I'm lucky as OH just lets me get on with whatever I want to change it to. At the moment it is terracotta, but hopefully by the summer it will be Laura Ashley pale eau de nil and cream. I've been busy collecting and making accessories to go with it and have gone a bit over the top.....making dish cloths to match.


The camera hasn't really done these colours justice.....or is that the photographer?! I've knitted these in Patons DK cotton in cream and Kiwi.

I don't know if I should actually have knitted in 4 ply, but as we don't have any actual wool shops around here anymore, I had to take what I could get in Hobby Craft.

Up until about 4 years ago there were 3 wool shops in town, but they all closed down within months of each other. It now means a 50 mile round trip to the nearest wool shop in a little market town, which is fine if you are buying wool for a jumper and want to see the colours in 'real life' but is rather excessive if you only want a couple of balls of cotton as I did. It means now buying off the internet and hoping that the colours and feel are what you want.....and it doesn't help with someone like me who decides to make something and wants to start now, not wait for Mr Postie.

Again the colours haven't come out well, but these hearts are in Laura Ashley Polka Dot cotton in Eau de Nil and Linen. They don't look much flat and unstuffed, but I hope they will look much better when they are filled with dried lavender. Yep I'm going to have to wait for Mr Postie again to finish them.

I thought I'd make them into a hanging to either go on the wall or hang from the door.

I know this is meant to be a cake stand....the one that No 1 bought me for mother's day, but I have so many eggs at the moment that I thought it would make a brilliant egg stand. I'd better get baking I think!

Isn't he clever, or rather his girlfriend! for choosing it in the cream and eau de nil to match the kitchen.

How true

I had to share this e-mail that came through to me today. It is so true, that actually I shouldn't be smiling.

An Obituary printed in the London Times........ Interesting and sadly rather true.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies ( don't spend more than you can earn ) and reliable strategies ( adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights I Want It Now Someone Else Is To Blame I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

I remember him, and he will be sadly missed, so I'm passing this on!

Bibliophile delight

More goodies courtesy of our post man. The wonderful Bookpeople website has excellent books at brilliant prices, the choice is limited but I can always find something I like, and I couldn't resist the following -
Lovely warming soups - I might have to hold on until the winter to try them out, but at least it will be sitting on the shelf ready and waiting.

The Brilliant Carol Klein, not only shows you how to grow your own veg, but cook them as well....oh I can't wait for to get my veggie patch started

Can't you just smell the freshly dug carrots?

And how can anyone resist fresh asparagus!?

Or jewel like fresh peppers....

Or wonderful roasted new potatoes.....now where is my fork, garden of course!

You don't have to frequent the dreaded supermarket when you fancy a Pizza!

Fiery Focaccia - yum

Or little panzerotti......

Recipes don't have to be for food. Natural housekeeping is gaining popularity, and this little book has great ideas.

Not the best of photos, but then I don't pretend to be David Bailey :0)

We can even go futher back, ideas from Granny's day......

and printed in a good old fashioned style

Back to Carol, this time for help in growing your own fruit

It is really warm enough to grow these in the uk?

It's certainly wet enough for nice plump strawberries......

and grapes..........................

Well I'm off for a little light reading now, guilt free of course......well not one book cost over a fiver!

Special Sunday

Yes I know that it is now heading towards next Sunday, but I've finally got around to telling about our last weekend.

As well as it being Mother' day, it was OH's birthday. Funny, when my birthday is on a Sunday, I share that with Father's day as well :0)

OH and I had been over to the local market town last week, and I spotted a brand new, still with it's label on, Cath Kidston hanging washbag in the local charity shop. I dragged him in and we snapped it up before anyone else could, the ladies in the shop said it had only gone out on show half and hour before....bargain at £2.50. I won't be using it as a wash bag, but with the different pockets it's ideal for smaller knitting, sewing or jewellery making projects, keeping everything together. I said that I would be happy to that as a Mothers day present, but on the day No2 son also gave me a lovely weeping willow tree. No 1 son bought me a lovely 2 tier cake stand, in the colours I'm collecting for our kitchen - I just have to get my act together and paint the walls and I can get everything out.

We had all asked OH what he wanted for his birthday, but as usually he didn't have a clue, in the end everyone had the same idea, and he has ended up with a new wardrobe of T-shirts. That should see him out for the rest of the year, next time he might give us a clue LoL.

Lovely weather, also meant that we could enjoy the sun watching No 2 play his game of rugby, and to cap of a good day his team won 73-17!

I hope everyone else had a great day too.

Oooh a Peeping Tom

Look who was staring in through the window at breakfast time. Isn't he handsome? Do you think he would like some cereal.......?

No, Just a drink........I prefer a cup of tea myself :0)

Kidston Fest

Ok this isn't a Kidston, it's an Emma Bridgewater. I use it as my lunchbox, to take to work.

This picture doesn't do it justice - it is the most amazing purple inside, it really cheers up my sandwiches :0)

The first of the Kidstons OH bought for me;

and another; I love the little toadstool design.

And what amazing value the threadbox turned out to be;

look at all the colours of thread, all you could possibly need, and the lovely little needle case stops me stabbing my fingers as I have a habit of leaving the needs sticking into the cotton reels so I don't lose them.

What have we now...... I won't need to go searching for pins again;

and I'm already filling this with the spare buttons that come with new clothes that are normally found hiding in the bottom of the odsy drawer;

Spoilt again...thank you!!!!