Felicity Miller's Blog

Mothering

Dear Mama - Thank you for the gift of mothering to me and now to my children - hours spent patiently working on projects or fixing messes... to mothers everywhere, peace and joy, today and ever.

 

Springtidings

Compare and contrast... Snow and sun within the last couple of weeks - can you see the bleeding hearts in picture one? They were not deterred by the white stuff and are blooming beautifully still. We did lose an ancient lilac and many huge branches but I see new growth coming. That's the way it works, right? I love how the lily of the valley stem echoes the curve of the little jug - nature, not nurture, in this case.

Bedtime

Ever encountered a three-quarter size Jenny Lind bed? You either have to have a custom mattress made for it or go the long way round and make it into a standard size... in this case my dear husband had to take the whole thing apart, cut the frame down to size, and remake all the joints. I got the FUN JOB of painting the new twin bed for Grandma's arrival from England last month! I chose Ben Moore's Habanero Pepper - a colour that is guaranteed to chase away the blues. Now on to designing some bedclothes...

 

 

And the winner is...

... Jacci Farlow of Aurora, New York! I am a little late in posting, but Jacci answered correctly that the language of Gypsies is Romani, and the name of the pattern on the Womanswork hat and gloves is "Up and Down" from my Gypsy collection. Well done, Mrs. F!

And here is the Womanswork Apron hot off the press and in stores any moment now -

What with the miraculous Spring weather in these parts I was inspired to dig over the herb bed sporting the new arrivals - loved the feel of the gloves - just the right thickness.

And to prove that one size fits all, Lowry had to weed the garlic bed in her Gypsy apron too. Happy Spring all - may your weeds be few and your plantings plentiful!

Cheerfully awaiting Spring

Truly it has been a mild and gentle Winter here, but still we long for the reappearance of Spring with her attendant tasks... which brings me to the exciting introduction of Gypsy with Womanswork gloves, hats and aprons (image to follow soon). They hit the stores in a week or two (Home Goods and TJ Maxx) but here is a sneak preview.

Womanswork's signature Garden Glove with Arm Saver protects arms from light scratches and insect bites, as well as sun exposure. At the top of the elbow length cuff is a stretchy pull cord for cinching the cuff around arms or sleeve. The palm is made of a durable synthetic leather. Cotton fabric has a touch of lycra for comfort and finger movement. The hat is fully lined and reversible. One size fits most. It's machine washable, colourfast, and can be rolled up and stashed if need be. And now for the best bit... if you can answer the following two questions correctly you are eligible to win a set of Womanswork hat and gloves! The winner will be announced one week from today...

What is the name of the language spoken by Gypsy peoples?

What is the name of the above fabric pattern from the Gypsy collection?

Sweet Heart Box

Fabric, papers, glue, scissors and a shoe box... Lowry designed her Valentine's receiving box with Round Flowers in pink and red and had fun with the Felicity Miller Small Dots pattern for Caspari in platinum and red.

Open for business! Happy Day All.

At the Met

The next best thing to being there is receiving a photo from a beautiful friend standing in the Ancient Greece and Rome section with a Felicity bag! Ah, I feel in good company...

Finishing the project...

Remember this post? Well here's the finished quilt - Elisa really is a wonder - in between finishing her degree at Cornell, feeding her family, and translating on work trips to Italy she has finished the two Gypsy quilts for her daughters. I made the European Square pillow from a tapestry crafted by my Mum - the colours go rather well I think.

A little bit of knitting... I wonder if I will finish this project?

Elisa's quilts were expertly machine quilted by Mandy Hares who is sporting a festive Gypsy apron that she made. Thanks to all for your inspiring completions!

Midwinter moments

So it is now 2012 - how it is already the 16th January I know not, but it is high time to send out gratitude to all you readers out there - I have loved your comments and staying power - thank you, and all warm wishes for cosy hours with family and friends. Lowry and I have been reading the marvelous works of Tove Jansson and her Finn Family Moomintroll, the above just perfect for winter consumption. I love her playful prose and engaging, quirky illustrations of these priceless little beings. Required reading in my book!

Gypsy bookmarks a quick project to use up scraps - fringed or pinked edges - whatever your fancy. Boil the kettle and settle awhile. Lingonberry jam would be nice too...

 

Block by block

I am happy to announce that my first ever block design made it into Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine! (Winter 2011, Volume 4). Specifically designed for my Gypsy collection, it is called Window Box and features the stylized Round Flowers at its centre. So far it is just a block - the quilt still has to be designed! I would love to hear your comments and would gladly feature a quilt (or other item) on this blog that you create incorporating my block. And get writing - the first person to comment on this post will receive a complimentary copy of the magazine!  Thanks to all of you out there who create beautiful things from my fabrics, and to all the designers of the quilt blocks which inspire millions.