Mid Summer

I thought it was about time I relieved you all of the sad D.H. Lawrence poem in the previous post!
So here are some photos of what's been happening in the world of summer in Harling.
Whenever Spring and then summer hit here, I always forget about certain flowers and the ones I've forgotten this year are the hollyhocks.When I was little our Nanna used to have the obligatory Crinoline Lady embroidered tablecloths. I always loved their fairy book quality and never thought such flowers or places really existed. Then I came to Harling and found they did.
Look at this double beauty.
The first time I saw a snakes head fritilary, I was flabergasted that the flowers I'd thought were made up, were real. How could you possibly think that a checkerboard flower was real?
Inspired by the colours of the fritilary, I decided to send some tiny models off to Liberty to see if I could interest them in my cushions. I've had some of these tiny fragments of embroidery for at least 20 years now and never been able to use them on anything before as they were so tiny. It was like making dolls clothes and took me easily as long or longer to make them than full size ones. I was swearing as I unpicked the tiny piping on the bolster for the third time to get it just right. Luckily no tiny zips were involved.
The perfect pieces of olive green silk with embroidery on them were from some old vestments that were in the main part, too tattered to use. The stitching on them is immaculate. The regal purple velvet was a perfect frame for them.

Let's hope they like them.