Addison Embroidery
at the
Vicarage

Rose pink silk bird embroidered with honeysuckle

Turquoise silk brocade bird; black silk wing embroidered in feather stitch

Green-blue silk bird embroidered with flowers

Pink silk bird embroidered with honeysuckle; black silk brocade wing

Peach silk bird embroidered with honeysuckle

Turquoise silk brocade with pink wing embroidered with honeysuckle

I intended to post photos of these Christmas tree decorations before Christmas but, a full house of family (including a tiny visiting kitten and the cat of indeterminate age who adopted us a couple of Christmases ago), five church services and the sorting of an obscene amount of recycling, has meant it is now the 30th December… I would have shown our Christmas tree with the birds in place but such is the warmth of our vicarage (cavity wall insulation, double glazing, air source heat pump) that the tree is suddenly looking rather droopy. It is a shame because it was a lovely tree and much appreciated as it was the generous gift of our farmer church warden. He was also kind enough to provide trees for both the parish churches my husband oversees and these are still splendid, tall and elegant with minimal needle drop because of course, they are resident in what are probably the coldest roofed buildings in use in the villages.  

6 silk Christmas tree birds embroidered in silk

As well as silk birds with embroidery, I also made quite a few out of patterned cottons. All were filled with lavender from the garden so that when you brush past the tree you might get a hint of lavender floating over the top of pine.  In the past I used to give these lavender birds away as little Christmas presents –  hung on the tree over Christmas, they can then be put to good use on coat hangers for the rest of the year. Now I only have a few left and as I still have lots of lavender, I should make some more. 

Embroidered Christmas birds photographed in sunlight (and now there are 7)

So, save those lovely little bits of silk, grow lavender bushes, then bring the two together and put them to good use for Christmas.

It’s no good showing presents I’ve been making for this Christmas as that would spoil the hoped for surprise from the recipients. It is also true that the presents aren’t anywhere near being finished and at least one has yet to be started – a situation which belies the vision I have of myself as a short term pessimist and long term optimist. In present making I obviously  see myself as a short term optimist – how encouraging.

Stag cushion

I made this cushion for my son-in-law last Christmas because, like most of the rest of the world, he and my daughter had become very taken with stags. A cushion for a man might not be quite the right present but somehow with a stag on it makes it more acceptable – I think.

I don’t know why the picture of the cushion on the sofa makes the fabric look like silk moiré, because it doesn’t look like that in iPhoto. In fact the background is john Lewis Appleby linen union. John Lewis have stocked this for years and the mix (55%linen/45% cotton – I think that was the proportion) was very durable and useful for all sorts of purposes. About 5 years ago, the composition of Appleby changed and now it is 49% linen/38% cotton/13% nylon. The label says ‘Dry  Clean Only’ in that unhelpful way that labels do, and I think that it because the fabric will shrink when washed. Experiment showed 100 inches length will be reduced by about 16 inches on a hot wash. I always wash fabric first and if you don’t cut it out until after, there should be no real problem. Dry Cleaning labels really irritate me as I’m sure they are in place because manufacturers think we can’t cope with more detailed washing instructions. I hate the thought of a cushion cover or a blind or a curtain that you can’t wash. Well grumbling aside, the stag is made of pure wool felt, stuck with Bondaweb and then appliquéd on to the backing with button hole stitch in embroidery cotton. As I felt a bit more contrast was needed, I outlined the whole thing in a darker embroidery cotton in stem stitch. The backing is ordinary ticking in standard black and white with a flap like a pillowcase. No buttons, no zip.