Planes, Trains and Wagon-mobiles

Life kind of speeds up at the end of term don't you think? So much packed into the last two weeks, but the delicious promise of holiday and lazy time at the end of it all makes it bearable. This end of term is marked by lots of comings and goings all around me, hubbie on endless business trips, a much anticipated visit from an old overseas friend...and the excitement this weekend of new shiny wheels to take on our family holiday.

We took delivery of a shiny red wagon to transport the kids and the many bags of stuff that they always have in tow from our holiday caravan up over the dunes to the beach. We have coveted a wagon like this for 4 years, watching others wheel easily over the sand, kids smiling and laughing as we trudged through the shimmering heat with bags over the shoulders and a kid tucked under each armpit yelling!!( them and us!)

The shiny, red 1950's ness of our wagon inspired me to dig out a WIP that never really got off of the ground. It started as a boyish homage to Lucienne Day's style, but something just never clicked when it was made up on the linen background. I took it to bits, reassembled it on a fabulous blue Kona Chambray that just calls out to be bedlinen. I also have acquired a rustier red solid in the intervening weeks and months so mixed that in with the bright red I began with.

Now it's really working, It's funny how just a few tweaks can make it all OK. I have another sunny afternoon of applique planned today!

Life in Soft Focus

There's something about a prolonged period of heat and haze that can start to blur the edges of life a little. If I had to live a film-life it would be a Merchant Ivory kind of Edwardian life, all crisp white cotton summer dresses and gin and tonic on the veranda of a Thames side villa whilst bees lazily drift by amongst the roses ....................ummmmmmmmmmm.

But the last few weeks of lovely warm lazy days, and the promise of the summer stretching ahead is giving me something of the merchant ivories. In the vase on my kitchen table is a flower that sums up this feeling exactly, the peony. I love them, unashamedly pretty, only just the right side of vulgar pretty, lazy hazy unashamedly pink.

This weekend I have been working on an unashamedly pretty pink baby quilt for a much anticipated baby due this summer. It's been the perfect project for the weather.

The fabric stripes are Kona Snow, Kona Ash, a selection of Sevenberry florals and spots ( such lovely cottons) and the elephant and mouse print is from pygletwhispers on etsy.