Hi , At last July appears to be living up to its seasonal promise. Up until now the month has been mainly dreary, wet and quite frankly on the chilly side, with very little brightness - until these last few days that is! Now we appear to be making up for lost time with wall to wall sunshine, masses of
produce from the Kitchen Garden and bees on the flowers (sadly mainly absent so far this summer). I
L This period of late July to early August is known as the dog days. The ancient Romans believed that the dog star, Sirius, which rises in the sky around dawn at this time
of year (and is the second brightest star in the sky after the sun), added its heat to that of the sun, making these weeks especially hot and humid. But its appearance wasn't all good news as Virgil, the Roman poet, wrote in the Aeneid that... “fiery Sirius, bringer of drought and plague to frail mortals, rises and saddens
the sky with sinister light.”
L Auntie Ruby is however totally in favour of the dog days of summer as the weather has finally dried up enough for her to enjoy rolling and rolling in the lush grass up at our
local dog walking field. (I'm not sure what Rufus thinks of her antics, but his expression says he isn't too impressed with her behaviour!) We've been super busy in the garden and with family events these last couple of weeks too, which is why I didn't send out my usual newsletter about the new (August) issue of the Bustle & Sew Magazine. Apologies for this. The August edition is out now and if you're a subscriber you should already have received your copy...
L This has been one of my favourite editions to assemble for quite some time, taking as its theme the Kitchen Garden and harvest. It's such a lush, green and gold time of
year as all my hard work digging and weeding, watering and pruning comes to (quite literally) fruition! This year of course we opened the shepherd's huts for the first time and I really enjoyed playing with the planting outside the huts....
L This photo was taken earlier in the season outside Custard, and shows a raised bed filled with lupins, broad beans, snapdragons, courgettes, flat leaf parsley and a nameless
orange flower that the Engineer popped into my raised bed when I wasn't looking! It's rather an eccentric planting scheme, but seems to have worked just fine, producing plenty of beans and courgettes as well as the bright yellow courgette flowers that add a little pzazz. And finally, I wanted to remind you that the Bustle
& Sew Christmas in July sale over on Etsy finishes on Wednesday...
L I've reduced all my patterns, not just seasonal ones so there are plenty of gifting ideas to choose from as well as Christmas ideas to decorate your home during the festive
period. You don't need a discount code, just click on the image above to visit my Etsy store and take a look around the sale.
I've also been having a bit of a sort out in my blue shed and have discovered various amounts of different supplies for a number of now-discontinued kits, including Alice in Stitches and Rosie's Houseplants. I have listed these as pre-order mini kits at a very special price. They will
only be available to pre-order at these special prices during the sale, and I will be sending them out early August. (in plenty of time for Christmas!) Just CLICK HERE to view more details.
Until next time, very best wishes from us all here at Bustle & Sew HQ, including young Alfie who turned two this week - and is just as much of a pest as he ever was, shown above testing - and breaching - garden fence security arrangements! Helen x
Have you thought about trying the Bustle & Sew Magazine? There's no advertising whatsover, just lots of lovely pages of content celebrating life here in the English countryside - with sewing very much at its heart of course. If you’re looking for quirky, unusual and fun sewing
projects and enjoy filling your home with beautiful ideas, then you’re sure to love the Bustle & Sew Magazine. I also include lots of other articles and features – seasonal recipes, nature notes, craft ideas, poetry corner and much more besides that combine to make this a totally unique publication! And here's our guarantee.... if after you've tried our magazine you decide it isn't for you, then all you need to do is drop me a quick email to unsubscribe, there's no tie-in and no penalty at all. If you'd like to continue then you don't need to do anything, your subscription will continue until YOU decide to stop - it's completely up to you. Just CLICK HERE
to visit our subscriptions page to learn more and to try our magazine.
The Wheel of the Year panel is in stock on Etsy There is also a digital option if you're confident with drawing and dividing your own circle and transferring the motifs.the so many birds Aflowers and other motifs I would have loved to have stitched but simply didn’t have space for! Anyway, the Wheel of the Year panel is now back in stock on Etsy and delivery times have returned to normal after the Christmas holidays. There’s also an
option for a fully digital pattern if you’re confident drawing your own circles and transferring the motifs.) the edges of each panel as I always think finishing the edges to avoid fraying is one of the less exciting parts of beginning a new project. The panels are printed on a nice quality pure cotton fabric that is a pleasure to work with. I loved stitching my own wheel (you can see it in pride of place on my shelf in the first image), and really didn’t want to finish it. I
shall have to think of another project that takes us through the year in the same way – there are so many birds, flowers and other motifs I would have loved to have stitched but simply didn’t have space for! Anyway, the Wheel of the Year panel is now back in stock on Etsy and delivery times have returned to normal after the Christmas holidays. There’s also an option
for a fully digital pattern if you’re confident drawing your own circles and transferring the motifs. |
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