mended hearts

'mended hearts'

So I found a beautifully worn and soft quilt a while back and I took it home, washed it very gently and then slowly started to cut it up and pick it all apart. The faded colours and the vintage prints began to remind me of both of my grandmothers....they would have worn day dresses made of this type of beautiful printed soft cotton, so I put some signatures of paper and cloth together and added some photos of Irene May and Ada Dorothy.

 

Whenever I find old faded baby clothes on my weekend my scavenger hunts, my heart skips a beat. I found this worn soft blue embroidered baby dress with the tiniest mother of pearl buttons you ever did see, and I love to use these little faded dresses in my journals. They are ever so daintily embroidered and seem handmade.

 

My beautiful grandmother Dorothy with my father, her first son and second child. What few photographs of my father as a child I have are so precious to me. My grandmother was born in Holborn, London, and her father William enlisted on New Year's Eve 1914 in the East Surrey Regiment and was away at war when she was born the following year. Her husband, my grandfather George Herbert, was a RAF pilot and served in the second world war, and was also gone for many years. Her life can't have been very easy, but thinking of her and what she endured with kindness of heart, faith, and grace has moved me, and strangely somehow through the threads that bind us together, remembering her has given me much comfort and strength, especially in trying times.

I loved working with this vintage quilt so much that I am almost finished making two more journals with the same materials that I will offer for sale. The textures of this vintage quilt have been such a joy to work with, I love the idea of restoring something handmade, tattered, and forgotten. Both journals measure 6 X 7. Once they are finished, I will come back to show photos if anyone is interested in owning one of these journals. They have such a rural 1940s vibe, especially adding many handwritten recipes on old bits of faded brown paper. These books really did make themselves in that starting with this quilt just threw me back into my childhood and being in my grandmas kitchen watching her turning out pies of every sort like nobody's business. She was a kind gentle loving grandma, wife and mother and I suppose this journal is an ode to my love for her.

See you soon,

Lisa xoxoxox

Little Lamb

 

Happy New Year's Day to all my wonderful crafty friends! xox

I hope this new year brings you all peace, love and a mountain of creative inspiration. I have had wonderful holidays and I am here to share my latest journal inspired by the icy cold winter and William Blake's poem 'Little Lamb'. 

I started with a lovely bundle of gorgeous fabrics from my crafty bestie, some things that I would never have bought myself, including several gold fancy trims. I found a piece of vintage midnight blue velvet and lots of cream lace and fabrics, and I love how this turned out. I happened to find a navy blue Indian shirt with gold embroidery, which looked perfect with the navy velvet, and I also found a small vintage pillow at an estate sale that was made with a silk blue and cream oriental pattern of a little garden scene. I used tiny swatches of this bright dainty fabric throughout the journal.

 

 

 

 

 

As I am daydreaming of my journal in the beginning stages, choosing fabrics and trims etc., I place a small dish on my desk where I start to collect little bits and bobs that I can add to as I go.....broken bits of colourful jewelry, vintage charms and pendants, old keys and buttons. I also save all the little scraps of lace and velvet and ribbon left over from my signatures to make a few collaged tags at the end of the project. 

 

 

Although I have already added many embellishments to this journal, I tried to leave a few spaces where I can go back and do some hand stitching and embroidery. It's something I desperately want to learn how to do.....there, I have my New Year's resolution. I love to create collage but with textiles, the next endeavour will be to take the time to learn how to embroider and add some tiny flowery details to the signatures.  I will tuck inside the back cover a small swatch with embroidery needles and thread so I can pick it up at any time to add some hand stitching.

 

 

 

I always try to include many secret pockets in my journals, to tuck away a few mementos and little bits of ephemera.....you can add hand written notes, letters from a friend, prayer cards, programs for services you attended, a few tea bags to perhaps enjoy the next time you pull out this journal, or some photographs of Christmas's long ago. Here I sewed a wide piece of lace to a backing of soft white cotton and it made two large see through pockets for some antique postcards. I always include strands of ribbons in the center of the two signatures to use as place markers that I decorate with little findings.

 

 

 

Towards December I start to listen to my favourite carols, and this alone is what really begins to make me feel the start of a Christmas mood. I mostly enjoy King's College Choir at Oxford singing the advent carol service, there are absolute gems of this service from the eighties that are on YouTube.

One carol I listen to above all is 'Little Lamb'. If I am busily crafting, I will completely stop and listen to every note of this enchanting piece, and it moves me deeply. 

I will include a link to go and have a listen, so you also can enjoy the quiet reflection of Christmas, the birth of our savior. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClMUquOdDT4

The Lamb

Little Lamb who made thee 

         Dost thou know who made thee 

Gave thee life & bid thee feed. 

By the stream & o'er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing wooly bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice! 

         Little Lamb who made thee 

         Dost thou know who made thee 

         Little Lamb I'll tell thee,

         Little Lamb I'll tell thee!

He is called by thy name,

For he calls himself a Lamb: 

He is meek & he is mild, 

He became a little child: 

I a child & thou a lamb, 

We are called by his name.

         Little Lamb God bless thee. 

         Little Lamb God bless thee.

By William Blake

 

Thank you for looking, I hope I can share a little inspiration to gather the fabrics and and papers that you love and create a book of your own. There's nothing quite like the joy of capturing the spirit of the season in a journal. Something so pleasurable to hold and to cherish.

Love, Lisa xoxoxox