Another Greenwich market find..

Patchwork!

Today's trip to the market really was the most enjoyable thing.

This lady is Sandie Lockett, of Eni-Meni patchwork, and she was absolutely lovely, I had so many questions to ask and she was just so keen to help. Her quilts have definitely inspired me to get back on the patchwork. (I've sort of hit a wall after my first square.)

It's so nice to finally see something in Greenwich market that is a genuinely local craft, at a personal level.

My particular favourite has to be this quilt...

I love the colours and the seemingly random choice of fabrics.

You can read all about Sandie and see her beautiful quilts here.

Enjoy!

Image credit: http://www.eni-meni.com/

Ruby Tuesday

Today, in Greenwich Market, I found the most delightful cupcakes.

One of my housemates, not the housemate who hates Dear John, is lactose intolerant, so can't have any dairy at all. Obviously.

You can imagine her joy when we chanced upon Ruby Tuesdays Bakery. These cakes are absolutely beautiful, and completely dairy free! The lady at the stall was actual Ruby Tuesday's mum, and she was so helpful. She told us about her daughter's dairy intolerance - it all felt very personal and lovely!

Of course I absolutely had to buy a box of four. I've only snapped a quick photo on my phone, and I've eaten one now, so a photo on my camera would look rubbish. I'm sorry if the phone just doesn't do them justice!

I feel less guilty eating four cakes in one day, because they have fruit on them and no rubbish in them!

You can order for special occasions on the website, and just peruse the absolute joy that is Ruby Tuesdays Bakery, here.

Needless to say, I had a very lovely morning.

And then I went to cheerleading and got concussion.

Image credit:  http://www.rubytuesdaysbakery.co.uk/

A completely bizarre experience.

Today I visited the strangest fabric shop EVER.

I joined my housemate on a trip to Peckham, to find a Royal Bank of Scotland, which is, as it turns out, an incredibly elusive bank.

I googled 'fabric shops peckham' before I left the house and what seemed an absolute gem popped up. Oh the reality..

It actually looks relatively neat in this picture. Do not be fooled.

Ok so, I have never experienced anything quite like it. The shop was probably no bigger than my bedroom, and the fabric resembled no order whatsoever - it was piled to the ceilings, it was leaning against other piles, it was an absolute mess.

And the smell was incredible, I promise you, someone had got lost in there and died without anyone realising.

I'm sure for some people this place is full of personality and character, but it just wasn't for me.

I have never appreciated Sew'n'Sews more!

I had to share this, it was just completely bizarre.

Image credit: google images.

Post-essay helplessness..

After a big essay deadline, I always tend to feel a little lost; I have nothing pressing and urgent to do, but lots of things that I could, or would like, to do.

The result of this is not at all knowing what to do with myself. This blog post is a bit like that, really. I'm desperately trying to find something constructive to do!

I have massively taken advantage this week of having no reading to do for any of my classes, and have actually read for pleasure! I grabbed the first book I saw as I was leaving the house for uni last week, which happened to be Nicholas Sparks' Dear John. 

I'm always a little sceptical of books that have been turned into generic chick-flicks. Saying that, I read Ps. I love you and enjoyed it so much. I tried to watch the film but found I really couldn't engage with it. I feel very separate from films, and can get so much more into a book.

Ok, so Dear John. My housemate has told me time and time again that it is a terribly written book and is rubbish rubbish rubbish. This is the housemate whose room I crashed at midnight when I finished the book, sobbing. I enjoyed it SO much, I think Nicholas Sparks is very good at establishing relationships between his characters, and with a book like this (which I will admit, really doesn't require a lot of thought) is so important. And that is why I was so upset by the end. I can't stop thinking about the characters today, it's like they're real people. I watched the film afterwards, but again, just couldn't get into it - the characters in the film had absolutely no depth. My over-active imagination is all for the books.

Does anyone have any good book recommendations?

ps. I reallyyyy hate when a book gets made into a film, then the only copy of the book you can buy anywhere has the film poster as the cover. I hate that.

Image credit: Google images.

Tea for one

You may or may not have spotted in my previous post, that whilst 'writing my essay' I was indulging in a spot of tea-for-one.

I'm not a massive tea-drinker, but the pot says otherwise. It possesses some other-worldly power that makes me want to drink tea. 

The tea-for-one-pot is made up of a saucer, a rather large teacup, what could be called half a teapot, and a little lid.

I absolutely adore it. Along with the whole range.

I'm currently using a ramequin for sugar, but in a rare, honest, moment of essay procrastination, I chanced upon the Portmeirion website, straightaway deciding I needed the rest of the tea range.

The pattern is called Crazy Daisy, and in my humble opinion, brightens up an otherwise mundane part of anyone's day.

:-)

You can shop the range here.

EUGH

I would just like to take this opportunity to say, if you ever find yourself doing a Drama and Theatre Arts degree, writing a 4000 word essay on sport, HIDE any scrap of fabric, ribbon, thread, wool, ANYTHING, in your house.

HIDE IT.

Basket case..

I (am very lucky and a little bit spoilt =S ) received this beautiful sewing box for Christmas!

It is ridiculously motivating, it's so lovely I just want to be using it all the time! 

I have to stop myself from just opening it up and gazing inside..

I know, it's really sad.

It's from Cath Kidston, where I could actually spend my entire life, were everything that tiiiiiny bit cheaper!

They have so much lovely craft paraphernalia at the moment, I might have to block the website from my laptop and go NOWHERE NEAR Covent Garden.

Seriously though, on a practical note! It is so nice to have everything together and organised neatly in one place; I was carrying around scraps or everything in assorted plastic bags, I looked a complete bag lady.

At least now I'm a sort of stylish bag lady.

Image credit: www.cathkidston.co.uk

First square? Check.

I've completed a patchwork square! (Is that what you call it?)

 I used the little kit that my Granny gave me, and once I'd worked out that there were little numbers on all the templates, it was plain sailing! Until then, almighty confusion.

 So usually I'm a big fan of rushing into something without preparing, because I just get so excited, and it usually goes wrong. Granny's one bit of advice, though, was 'accuracy is everything!' So I really took my time with drawing out all the pieces, painstakingly measuring 6mm seam allowances before cutting anything, and ironing every single piece before I touched a needle. I really didn't want this to go wrong!

Also, I think there is some sort of special pencil I should be using to draw around the templates, I just used a normal HB pencil and it didn't work so well. If anyone could let me know, that would be just swell. :-)

I did use a machine, I'm not sure if all the hard-core patchworkers would call this cheating, but I was way too impatient, and wanted to see the end result straight away! I must try to curb this detrimental enthusiasm.

 I don't have a sewing machine at university, so when I get back to London, it will be hand sewing all the way!

I plan to make all the designs in the little booklet, and then stitch them all into a large blanket.

Will probably have to get some help on that one, as I have no idea where to even begin!

Happy stitching! :-)

Inspiration!

I have patchwork inspiration!

My Granny made this patchwork blanket for me when I was really young, and I remember being absolutely in love with it.

I have recently rediscovered this love! It got put away in a cupboard ages ago, I just wasn't old enough to appreciated how lovely it is. I pulled it out of the top of my sister's wardrobe the other day, and now it's a permanent fixture on my bed!

I love everything about it, the prints, the colours, and I LOVE the geometric flower shape.

The only sliiiiight issue is the attached valance, which I do still love, but in the years the quilt has been in the loft, my bed has been moved into the stairwell, so valances are a bit difficult now!

It has seriously inspired me to try my hand at patchwork, I have such ridiculously high expectations though - I'm going to try super hard to not be disappointed when mine doesn't turn out this good!

My Granny gave me a little beginners patchwork kit for Christmas that I'm going to start soon, the ultimate dissertation distraction! I'll keep you updated on how it goes.