Primrose Day

Did you know that in the UK, this date, 19th April, is known as Primrose Day? My Grandma told me about it when I was a little girl because this date was also her birthday. The day was instigated by Queen Victoria to commemorate the death of former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Grandma would have been 100 today. I always think of her when the primroses come out in the spring; they're such a beautiful flower.

Grandma knew how much I liked embroidery and she always used to remark on how neat my stitching was. I felt I had to make something special to commemorate this day so I have stitched a primrose that fits perfectly into a 5.5cm mini hoop by Dandelyne. I have decided to share this chart as a free pattern.

I spent many happy days with Grandma and I think about her every day. She and my Grandad were married in 1948. Pictured below is his diary from 1947 and as you can see, he has marked the day with 4 crosses, lest he forget!

The primrose is worked in whole cross stitches and a small amount of back stitch highlights the edges of each petal. 

Get the pattern.

I would love to see a picture of your creations. You can share your photos with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Happy stitching!

More info on Dandelyne hoops.

Joys of April

"Oh, to be in England

Now that April's there..."

 

April is my favourite month of the year and I love walking in the countryside to see how green everything is becoming. The birds are really busy at the moment building nests and the summer migrants are starting to return. I saw my first swallow on Friday as I was walking down Ogston New Road, alongside the reservoir. On the opposite side of the road to the reservoir, there is a colony of herons and for the first time I got the chance to see some of the chicks in their nests. This was a real thrill and the colony seems to be thriving. Chiffchaffs were singing from all directions. If you look on Google Earth, you can see this road in its summer glory.

 

Having come home in a really good mood, I was greeted by the sight of a large parcel waiting for me. If like me you used to buy New Stitches magazine, produced by Mary Hickmott's company, you will know that late last year the publication came to a sudden and premature end due to unforeseen circumstances. Subscribers were given two options: either have the subscription transferred to a different magazine or have a 'lucky dip' of fabric and threads. I chose the lucky dip and so when I saw the parcel, I knew it must be full of stitching goodies!

 

 

I wasn't expecting to receive as much as I did and so I was really excited to discover what was in the parcel. There were five pieces of various fabrics, six skeins of DMC stranded cotton, a kit of a classic Mary Hickmott floral design, a booklet about Lagartera embroidery, a John James pebble containing an assortment of needles and a reel of gold thread (which I forgot to include in the picture).

 

 

This was such a treat and I have already sent a thank you message to Mary and her team. You may be interested to know that Mary now has her own blog which you can find here. I am so glad that she will still be sharing her knowledge and beautiful designs with us. I have learned so much from her over the years, particularly from her Masterclass articles, and I can honestly say she has been a huge inspiration to me.

 

As if all of that excitement wasn't enough, a male reed bunting landed on one of our feeders and had quite a good feed. Reed buntings look very handsome in their spring plumage and it was such a delight to see one through the kitchen window.

 

 

I can assure you that in spite all of this, I am still working! Two of my current designs are having a spring makeover. The new version of Dale Abbey Alphabet Tile will be available very soon and the second pattern will be available in time for summer. This is on top of several new patterns which I have already scheduled for this year so keep checking my shops for updates.

 

Reed bunting photo (c)Roy Eley 2015

Spring is here - and so are the bumblebees!

 

As I write this, it is Good Friday. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day but today is quite cold and damp but at least we seem to have left the strong winds and heavy rain showers behind - so much for March going out like a lamb! Nevertheless, it is officially spring and we are now on British Summertime - more hours of daylight for us stitchers!

 

As you know, I love nature and the natural world is one of the biggest influences in my designs and spring is my favourite time of the year. It's so exciting to see the countryside and the garden coming back to life. There's frog spawn in the pond, the birds are all pairing up and preparing their nests and the first bumblebees are out and about. You know that spring is truly here when the bees venture out of their winter burrows and begin their search for pollen.

 

This sampler depicts three queens of the most common species of bumblebees found in the UK. I am lucky that my garden is full of life throughout the seasons and there are numerous types of bees buzzing here and there in the summer. You can recognise queen bumblebees because they are quite a big bigger than the workers.

 

On the top left we have the white-tailed bumblebee. Along with white-tailed bumblebees, these are the first to emerge from their winter slumbers.

 

 

On the top right is the red-tailed bumblebee. The workers have the same markings but are much smaller. This is my personal favourite bumblebee and it's always a delight to find them in the garden.

 

 

At the bottom is the tree bumblebee. This is a continental species that was first recorded in Britain in 2001. Since then it has made a steady progression northwards. Twice they have nested in my garden, once in a wall cavity and once in an old bird box. Unusually for bumblebees they can become aggressive if you get too close to the nest so it's best to be cautious when observing them but they are fascinating to watch. They particularly liked our plume thistles.

 

 

When worked on 16/32 count fabric, the design fits perfectly into a 5-inch hoop. You could also stitch and frame them separately in three 3-inch hoops. They are also perfect for other small projects such as greetings cards, coasters, pin cushions and much more.

 

If you would like to buy the pattern, you can either click on the Etsy mini listing at the top of the page or click here to go to my Payhip shop. Happy Easter and happy stitching!