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Her beautiful little nursery is well kitted out with hand-painted striped walls, an old redwork quilt stretched on a frame and a set of animal appliques framed under glass.<\/p>\n
Baby Bunting was not<\/em> going to be a pattern. Trish has been wonderfully supportive of my work for many years, in attending my classes, being a big part of the Salvage\/Selvedge <\/a>project, and also using many of my classes and patterns as a base for her teaching. Sealed with Love & Kissez has also made it to Patternspot<\/a>. This quilt also has an envelope to hold a pillow. Fun stuff which would be great as a gift for young or old.<\/p>\n On the reading front, Robinson Crusoe has perhaps led me on a genre binge. I didn\u2019t instantly recall reading any of this genre as a youngster – they were my brothers\u2019 books – there were boys on the covers doing brave boy things.<\/a> <\/a> <\/a>With colour, pattern and the animal world well represented I felt the room needed a very simple geometric pattern to add another layer. Nothing fancy was needed and triangles fitted the simple, fun, practical brief.<\/p>\n
\nAlas, my arm was beautifully twisted by Trish Wykman, of Quilting Matters<\/a>, who wanted to make her<\/em> version and then teach her students the technique.<\/p>\n
\nTrish has a lovely gentle sensibility and her versions are always beautifully toned down and refined.
\nBaby Bunting is now on Patternspot<\/a> and a king size grownup version may just end up being made for our little house in the coming year IF I can squeeze it into the schedule. Yep, I\u2019m dreaming here.<\/p>\n<\/a>Whilst this has been a short week I have, just about, managed to keep up with the feathering. Hopefully this was the second last week of this delightfully arduous task BUT I think I\u2019m dreaming again.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019m now ripping through The Swiss Family Robinson. \u2028I would have loved to chase up an old copy but for speed I have downloaded the oldest edition onto my iPad instead.
\nThis book is part of a genre\u00a0 variously called\u00a0 \u2018Robinsonade<\/a>\u2019\u00a0 or \u2018desert island story\u2019 or \u2018survivalist fiction\u2019. These fictitious \u2018Robinsonade\u2019 survivors need to make their nest and stock the pantry quickly to be able to survive.
\nIt sits very well with my thought-lines at the moment as a beautiful adjunct to my continued slow reading of The Making of Home – which is slow because every page has underlined areas to think about!<\/p>\n
\nThinking about this as I write though, I recall a book that I have read a few times over the decades, and whilst not desert island fiction, it is certainly survivalist.
\nCosey Corner by L.T. Meade, originally published in 1888, was one of my mum\u2019s books. Her copy, safe in my keeping, was also a school prize – won in ‘Girls 5’ at Heidelberg Primary School – though I\u2019m not sure of the year.<\/p>\n