Sweet Mary

Well, its time for me to close up for the year and say, see you in 2017. Have a very Merry Christmas!

One of the standout things that makes Christmas special for me is a handmade decoration. Made by the giver or bought from a maker to give to me, they are my most treasured possessions. From the ones made by my children when young to the ones given to me by like minded friends, they all hold a special place in my heart. Every year for my Sweet Mary stall I make a small number of decorations for Christmas. In past years these have been a variation on the lavender sachet, one year a bird, another a heart, some years there are both. As I now stock a good number of vintage buttons and have many jars full at home, this years decoration is a small Christmas wreath decorated with some of my favourites. My husband made the wire circles which I bound with bias binding and then many nights I have sat down to watch television and to stitch the buttons on each wreath. Each decoration is a one off and rather special and I have to admit, very enjoyable to make. They will be available at the next P

A quick walk around the garden initially to do a bit of spot weeding and check on blackbird damage turned into spring posy making. The deep purple stocks and sweetpeas are particularly beautiful, its amazing how such a simple job can quickly turn into a feast of colour and scent. Hope you are all having a happy Monday! Go gather a posy, spring or autumn, you will be surprised at what is in your garden.

Large, red, vintage buttons. Packing buttons for market. Needle Books. Its nearly that crafty time of the month again, this Saturday the 5th,  the November Piece-Makers Market will be set up around the Hawthorne coffee shop in Havelock North, running from 9am-1pm. There is always a great selection of handmade and speciality items to tempt and delight, my metier being haberdashery, mostly vintage or with a vintage twist. I also sell a selection of beautiful lavender filled heart sachets.

Just one more photo to add to the previous post. Over the long weekend we laid the paths with gravel to finish the potager. Delighted with the end result would be an understatement. The three raised beds are layered as a no-dig garden with very promising growing results. I followed this post, click HERE .

A walk around our spring garden this morning, a little bit of a dull day but good light for taking photos. Enjoy.  PS: (Princess) Annie is her name.

Sweet Mary will be there with a stall so come along and find some treasures.

I have been making bunting most of this afternoon, meters and meters for an upcoming family wedding. Time to take a break though and go for a walk with the dog. I just picked up the camera and took the above photo of my studio view of our garden - I know Annie the cat is in there somewhere.Enjoy the weekend folks.

I have had such a busy week but not too busy to package up my new stash of vintage buttons. I will be at the market tomorrow in Havelock North.

Lavender and Rose geranium hearts, handmade at the Sweet Mary studio, are finished with a wee bit of stitching using thread from my old tin of threads. As is usual, my collection is a mix of newly bought and vintage found. I am not an embroiderer but I can manage a competent running stitch and the odd flourish after consulting my handy "stitch" book. However, my limited skills do not stop me from fossicking for old thread in charity shops. New or old, the colours are always enticing and come home with me to take up residence in the "thread tin". Click HERE to view and buy a Sweet Mary lavender&rose geranium heart.

After many months of gorgeousness, the winter pansies are coming to a finish and spring is here. My studio looks out to the garden and in the afternoons as I sew or potter, the birds flutter about, gathering bits of straw and twigs for their nests. Charlie pretends to sleep but really he is watching these birds. I imagine he is dreaming that his ability to run and chase would extend to flying and then he could really tell them off for entering his domain. In reality, there is an occasional fluffing of feathers or fur but mainly, dog, cat and birds all coexist fairly happily in this garden. Spring is also a time for me to start a few projects, starting with bunting, very special bunting which will decorate the country garden of my son and his girlfriend when they get married next year. A beautiful combination of soft and rich peaches and greens which should fit very well in that setting. The market was fun on Saturday, thanks for coming, the next one is on October 1st.

Lots listed in my in my  felt   shop: lavender and rose geranium filled hearts. Handmade with rescued vintage embroidered linens and filled with my own homegrown sweetly scented mix. Click on the highlighted "felt" word to buy online or come along this Saturday to the Piece-Makers Market in Havelock North. Starts 9am next to Hawthornes coffee shop in the village.

When I am making a quilt it seems to go on for ages, in a flurry of activity I pick it up a few nights in a row then leave it somewhere for a few weeks. It can go on like that for months, then all of a sudden the last hand stitch is done and its time to trim and finish the edges and then two hours later its finished! I always wash and dry after making so I can get that vintage used look - the fabrics and stitches shrink a tiny bit and I get the crumpled look I like. This quilt is a floor quilt for newborn twin girls, they will fit on together easily and maybe it will be kept as a momento of those early days. Now back to finish my lavender Amour hearts ready for the market on September 3rd.

'And still she slept an azure-lidded sleep,  In blanched linen, smooth, and lavender'd.' Keats - The Eve of St.Agnes. Today I am making lavender filled AMOUR hearts for the upcoming Piece-Makers Market  to be held in Havelock North on Saturday, September 3rd. I will be there with my Sweet Mary banner and all manner of vintage and vintage style treasures. I have lots of lovely vintage buttons, many still on their original cards, bits and bobs of haberdashery, needle books, pin cushions and my always popular lavender hearts.

The Piece-Makers market (formerly Craft&Design) will be re-opening after the winter break on September 3rd. To whet your appetite, I will be posting enticing photos over the next few weeks of all my new stock, mainly vintage buttons and sewing accessories. There will also be more of the very popular button cards (featured post, top right) which make a delightful present for the sewist in your life. Click HERE to read all about the Piece-Makers market.

Lots of green stuff going on around here. New packets of seeds ready to germinate in the early spring, there are so many more I would like to choose but its where to put everything. I squeeze it all in where I can. My cabbages have been weird and wonderful shapes this year and under almost continual attack from pesky insects but the one pictured is such a lovely shape that I admire it on a daily basis. The seedlings I planted back in the autumn have all taken well, a bit slow over the winter except for the rocket which I have been harvesting every few days to have in lunchtime sandwiches. Back in April I prettied up the spare room, all encouraged by this beautiful piece of Marimekko fabric in greens and blues, making cushion covers and pillowcases to match and splashing out on a new roman blind. The room is on the cold side of the house so we will probably have to paint over the cool white on the walls but for the meantime its looking lovely. What is also looking l

We had our last (for the season) market on Saturday and a jolly affair it was too, lots of sunshine,  happy shoppers and stallies. The Craft&Design market re-opens in the spring, the first one being on Saturday September 3rd. Click HERE for updates. Autumn is also the time at home to tidy up and hunker down. The jams and pickles have been made, the seedlings grown and settled into the vegetable borders and the garden re-arranged a wee bit. Every autumn I do a little moving about of plants after observing them over summer to see if they are thriving in their spot. Most do, some don't. Lots of mulch and hay is applied throughout the borders and then its nearly time to sit back and admire it. I'm now having a few weeks off to visit family, back in June.