Sweet Mary

Gifted rhubarb, good recipe (Digby Law), autumnal days, recycled jars all adds up to our winter supply of chutney. Smear on just about anything edible.

Lavender hearts, mainly. Today, right now, I am making lavender and rose geranium filled vintage linen hearts - the lavender only hearts are already finished, see left of the photo. Its a hot day again in Hawkes Bay but the first autumn shadows are creeping around my garden and finding their way into my sewing room. I harvested more lavender this morning, most of it already dry on the stalk which means I spend evenings stripping the stalks whilst watching TV. I always figure its okay to watch as much as you like as long as you do something else as well! I will be back at the March Craft&Design Market in Havelock North this Saturday - click HERE for details.

The Americans (mainly) came for tea and cakes a week ago, see HERE for details.

Just listed - a few wheatbags including the now famous Seagull bag as seen in the post below. Click on the felt icon at the top right of this blog to view my shop. I will be listing more as the week goes on.

Everyone needs one, at least, some people need two . Wheatbags, gently heated (microwave) can bring relief to those tight and sore muscles that can blight our day. I make my wheatbags with patterned fabric on one side and ticking on the other. The fabric is pre-washed and filled with organic NZ grown wheat and lavender grown right here in my garden. I am in the midst of completing a private order but will have some listed in my Felt shop (top right) within a week  - whoops, amended to Friday 13th Feb.

Vintage Linen sachet Listed this morning in my felt shop: more 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.

First lavender harvest of the year. Bunching up. Vintage linen, lavender, rose geranium. This year I am easing back in to my handmade/crafting world very slowly. We are having a lovely hot summer here in our part of New Zealand so there have been plenty of outdoor distractions. Mainly its the garden, this kind of summer means extra growth for the vegetables and especially for my English lavender which I have started to pick already . I am harvesting something every day, lots of beans and basil yesterday which mean't a quick blanch and into the freezer and then large amounts of pesto frozen in small blocks to use as flavour bombs in my winter cooking. I always keep some back to eat fresh but I grow lots so I can freeze for later months and also give tit-bits to the chickens. We have had some lovely sweet strawberries but for some reason the harvest has been been poor even though I have fed and watered to requirements. Blackbirds love strawberries and I watch them bounci...