Half Term, Half And Half

 Half the holiday in Norfolk with the girls

Then half in Manchester with the boys

Highlights

Monday's Beaver Trail at Bkickling Hall, followed by lunch at The Whistles top café at Aylsham Station. Yes that Aylsham - now much more famous than it was a week ago. Also teaching Rosie how to embroider. Board games, and pancake party. 

Word games, and Mousetrap, stories with Grandad.[when he wasn't fixing things and doing odd jobs] And some of us shared a nasty cold. 

So lovely to spend so much time with our two daughters and their families.

Cornerstones is going to feel very quiet this week. 

The Children Cheer Up Their Grandparents

Let's be honest, I woke up feeling a little bit flat on Saturday morning. I should have been greeting the dawn from a hotel room in the South of France. But we both determined to get over it, and get on with life. We enjoyed a proper English breakfast, and then I finished off seven more aprons. 

"We're on our way!" Liz messaged us. Their plans had changed, so they'd decided to make a lightning trip to Norfolk to cheer us up. I hadn't see Jess since August - how has she grown so much in 4½ weeks at school. She likes maths best, and she knows all about phonics, she told me!

Liz suggested that as we had a 'free' week, we should try and go out places, perhaps find somewhere different to enjoy a coffee."Perhaps with a cookie?" volunteered Jess, adding "or maybe a cupcake?" then, triumphantly "You could even have a macaron!"

In August we took Rosie to an art exhibition in Norwich - paintings by Thelma MacFarlane, the late mother of my Fiona. Fiona was enchanted by Ro's appreciation of the pictures, and her ability to explain what she liked, and what she thought the artist was trying to portray. Bob had a favourite. So he bought it - and Rosie stood for ages in the hall, looking at it and telling me about it. [I made a video to send to Fiona] I loved listening to her critique - sounding just like her Auntie Steph did 30 years ago.

That really cheered me up. And Jess and Rosie came in the kitchen with me to make three chocolate bars from a craft kit. For Grandad, Mummy and Daddy. Sadly the 'leave in fridge for 40 minutes to set' instruction was wrong. Grandad was presented with a very sticky offering. We left the parents' bars chilling overnight, and they were fine on Sunday,

Lunch with the family here was delightful. Can you believe that stack of marshmallows on Ro's Hot Chocolate? Jess was unstoppably cheerful, didn't stand still long enough for a photo. But we did get lots of hugs from them both.

And up in Manchester, George and Jacob went to Tatton Park with their friends, and sent us pictures of all they were doing.

I feel very blessed to have this loving family around me - we had lots of laughs and good conversations. And plenty of time just to sit and relax. "Mummy says we have to cheer you up, because you couldn't go on holiday!" they told me.

I am cheered, and feel greatly loved. "Your friends are so kind" said Bob, reading all the lovely comments and good wishes on the blog. 

Thank you family, thank you friends! Or should I say "Merci beaucoup!"

Pants!

According to my Sewing Notes Book, which I have been maintaining diligently since spring last year, I have mended or shortened 12 pairs of trousers/pants in the past month, for friends and family members!
Last week, I watched a NT volunteer diligently repairing a pair of Lord Fairhaven's Underpants!

She is holding them up by the toe. These soft merino wool Long Johns actually have feet attached. They are more like tights than the leggings I'd expected.

I guess that as they were made to measure, the heels and toes would come in the right place. 

So they would fit even better than a pair of Snag Tights! [my go-to choice of hosiery these days] 
People have been very kind in their comments about my previous two posts about our day out - so here are just a few more pictures for you.

The cyclamen walk was charming - the ground was carpeted with small pink and white blooms. It was a peaceful stroll among the flowers, listening to the birdsong. I bought two little plants in the shop - one for myself, and one as a birthday gift for my good friend Christine.

The dahlia border was even more colourful, shades of pink, lilac, red, yellow, white, purple... I considered trying to grow dahlias next year. Each plant was numbered, and there was a list of their names.

"Which was your favourite?" I asked Bob. He said Number 23, I said I liked Number 7. On this photo 7 is top right, 23 bottom left. They are very similar in colour aren't they? I'm glad we have agreed on that. 

7 is "Barbary D'Amour", and 23 is called "J S Dorothy Rose" It seems they are only available from one supplier. I shall have to take advice from others about the best way to grow dahlias [do I need pot tubers, mini plants, or garden ready? and when?] Just a few more pictures to share

The Windsor Guest Suite - isn't the fabric on the bed, curtains and chair amazing? I like those little buildings! The towels in the bathroom were hand embroidered with entwined Fs [for Fairhaven, I guess]

The Dining Room, adjacent to the kitchens, is the oldest part of the Abbey, with the original mediaeval vaulted ceiling. Quite small really, compared to those in other NT houses- but Lordy liked small intimate dinners at home, with close friends. The table usually set for 6 or 8 diners. Note the Victorian tiled floor. The ancient pillars are Purbeck Marble. Note the deterioration at floor level.

Finally, pictures of the different parts of the kitchen, pantry, scullery, butler's room as they were in the 1960s.

The other women who were in the kitchen when I was [all of us OAPs I think] were commenting on the familiar items - Green Beryl cups, Oxo Tins, Canisters of Vim, nutmeg graters, Brillo Pads, Fairy Soap and Prestige pressure cookers... We all said it made us feel old to see these things from our childhood**.

There was an Esse range, plus two regular electric cookers. Note the special feet under that huge table. The cook was Bob's height, and requested it be raised to a comfortable height!

**I still have, and use, some of these!!

That's the end of my review of AA. I hope to go back sometime - maybe in the Snowdrop Season.

Lordy! Lordy! What Are You Wearing Tonight?

 We walked up the path towards the house- following the large pairs of scissors - these were to lead us to the "Tailoring an Image" Exhibition inside.  "Lordy" Fairhaven had most of his clothes made by Huntsman of Savile Row, his shoes were handmade, and all his clothes were washed and ironed by a laundry in Saffron Walden
They were taken the 20 miles there and back by train. He did not want his shirts and 'smalls' hanging out on the line to be seen by visitors to the Abbey! 
He was certainly very daring in some of his fashion choices - evening suits in shades of ruby, sapphire and emerald velvet. His dinner jackets were midnight blue, because he said that at night they looked 'blacker than ordinary black ones'. His valet maintained his clothes with great care laying out the day's garments on the bed all ready to be worn. 

Because his garments were so meticulously made, and diligently maintained, they lasted him years. He was always a stylish dresser. He wore a red carnation in his buttonhole during the day, and a white one in the evening.

He loved bright colours and fine patterned cloths. His suits all had a lilac and cream striped silk lining to the sleeves.

Many of his clothes were in the exhibition, beautifully displayed- handstitched suits, silk pyjamas, his Home Guard Uniform [way smarter than poor old Pike's gear in Dad's Army!] The finest sheepskin coat you could imagine for "gardening wear"

Lord Fairhaven moved in the highest circles of British Society - with politicians, industrialists, bankers- and of course, Royalty. He was friends with Edward VIII - and many important Americans. Many of them would wear similarly created garments - handmade to fit them personally, in quality fabrics made to outlast their owners. Many folk continue this practice today King Charles is known to wear suits which are decades old. Patrick Grant wears jackets which were his fathers. And actor Damien Hurst wears his grandfather's handmade overcoat!
Below is a very informative 10 minute video produced for the exhibition by "Huntsman&Sons" - his tailors, still in business 60 years after his death [his personal paper suit patterns are still in their archives!] It is well worth watching. This 'proper' bespoke tailoring is the complete opposite of Fast Fashion. Oh dear, I must sort out my summer/winter wardrobe swap soon. 

Styal Style

 It is nearly thirty years since I went to Quarry Bank, the Victorian Cotton Mill at Styal in Cheshire, for the wedding reception of my dear friends Richard and Rachel. But we took George and Jacob on Tuesday [whilst their Mum and Dad were at work] 

Although the NT summer programme ended the day before, there was plenty to see and do. Out in the grounds and inside the mill, and in the owner's house

Well planned play areas, a good bridge for Pooh Sticks and tasty food

The mill was good to walk round, lots of "technical guides" explaining, and helping young ones to understand history and science. How the machines all worked, and how the workers [especially women and children] were treated so badly.

The boys were so well behaved and enjoyed the challenges - like following the Monty Moth trail. There was of course, the usual dressing up. A great day out, we were there over five hours!

The Girls' Grand Day Out

On Saturday, while Bob and my bro worked on the kitchen, and Jon was cycling, I took Liz and the girls out to Blickling Hall [having been there a couple of days before with Julian]  We did the 2 mile round trip walk to see the Pyramid Mausoleum, then ate our picnic lunch before visiting the bookshop. Both girls found books, and I found a book I had heard about, but never actually read. Liz kindly bought it for me [for £2.50]. We had cake and coffee, and the girls had ice creams. All good fun, and although it clouded over, we escaped the rain.

The book was "The Norwich Shawl" by Pamela Clabburn. Back in 2016, there was an exhibition in the Hostry, at Norwich Cathedral, called "Past Glories, Present Inspiration" - I posted about this , and was thrilled that my artwork was chosen to be part of the event. At the time, the leading expert on the shawls was Helen Hoyte, then aged 92 - who had worked very closely with Pamela  - her great friend having died two years before. Pamela had founded the Costume and Textiles Association. I knew that Helen had written a brief history of the shawls [pub 2010] , but PC wrote the original history,[pub 1995] which also catalogued the shawl collection held in the Strangers' Hall Museum in Norwich. Pamela had been awarded the MBE in 1999

And here in the NT bookshop was that very book for just £2.50. It is beautifully written book, full of illustrations - line drawings, paintings, and photographs - explaining the development of this very special garment, popular between about 1780 and 1860. Full of useful definitions and explanations.

That motif often referred to as Paisley came from India and was called boteh - but in
Norwich it was referred to as pine because it looked like a cone [Norwich made these shawls long before they got to Scotland!] Queen Victoria had 4 of the shawls - she fell in love with them when visiting the Great Exhibition in 1851, and that made them very fashionable.

The glorious red shawls featured in famous paintings of the time, like Holman Hunt's "Awakening Conscience"

It is going to take me a while to read this book and absorb all the information, whilst marvelling at the techniques of dyeing, weaving, printing and finishing.

I just have to include this picture from the book, painted by Belgian artist Alfred Stevens. He titled it "Departing for the Promenade:1859. But when it was exported to the USA a few years later, it was renamed "Will you go out with me, Fido?"

And I just know I am going to love reading it. But what has blown my mind even further - Liz paid just £2.50 for the book, and after we got home I looked it up on line. Not that many copies were printed - it was a Norwich Museums/ HMSO publication, originally retailing at £12.50 Now it is advertised in various places on line, at prices between £85-£95!! 

What a fabulous find - thank you so much, Liz!!

Dyeing For A Living

We left Flatford at 10.40 Sunday and drove on through the beautiful countryside to Dedham. More spring blooms here than we had seen in Norfolk last week, but I expect our village will catch up very soon, with all this sunshine. Beautiful blue skies. I need to look up Alice Lee - I am embarrassed that I had not heard of her before. The properties, from different centuries, appeared well maintained. An attractive place. That's the house of Alfred Munnings, painter, bottom left. My great grandparents were his housekeeper and handyman for a while. But I'm not sure if they lived in that house!

On to Lavenham, a fantastic place, full of amazing half timbered Tudor houses. Including the Guildhall, another NT property. We enjoyed delicious red pepper and tomato soup in the garden, then looked round the house. Many relatively wealthy people lived here through the centuries, including dyers and weavers. There were lots of examples of their crafts displayed in the upstairs rooms. Look at the gorgeous smocking on this garment!

During lockdown, one of the NT volunteers spent her time researching the dyeing methods which might have been used by the previous residents. She produced a lovely sample book listing all the dyes used, and knitted triangles of bunting in all these various colours. Onion skin, turmeric, carrot tops, woad, ivy leaves, copper, iron, walnut shells...Quote fascinating. I said to the chap on reception "perhaps I should try growing woad..." But he warned me off, apparently it's very invasive!

We walked slowly back to car and drove home. It had been a brilliant break together, and the glitches at the hotel didn't spoil that.  We were home by 5pm. Early to bed, a busy week ahead.

We Finally Met!

After years of being blogfriends, and over 2½years of being 'collaborative stitchers', Kirsten and I finally got to meet in person. It was so lovely. Our OHs got on well too, and had much in common - and we sat having lunch in the courtyard at Oxburgh Hall and chatting and chatting...
We also swapped our September stitching, and a few other heavier gifts [which would otherwise have been rather expensive to post]
A while back, I picked up a piece of fabric in a CS printed with labels. When I got home, I found that although some were just outlines, many had a Downton Abbey theme. Furthermore, it proved to be a double sheet, I had two of everything. So I sent half to Kirsten as one of the flat gifts. She used it on her September stitching, in a very clever way.

So here is her patch - the base rectangle is a lovely soft piece of tweed [actually a fabric sample from a chair company!] and then she stitched the label on top. But I was intrigued that it overlapped the edge of the patch. "It's a pocket" she told me - and her charming husband said I had to guess  what was in it, as that was my flat gift. I felt the shape, a long thin rectangle.

"It's too big to be a collar stiffener, and too thin to be a covid test strip" I declared, then realised there was a ridge down the centre and a point at the end. It's a pen!
A very clever flat ballpoint pen - the tube of ink is concealed in a cardboard packet bearing a picture of a lovely fountain pen. K explained she thought the notebook cover would be more useful if a pen could be stored neatly in a pocket on the front. Genius!
Although there is not much contrast visible stitching, I can assure you there are hundreds of tiny buttonhole stitched keeping all those edges in place!

The inspiration for my piece came on the beach on Bank Holiday Monday. Our great family outing to the beach [followed by Bob's catastrophic tumble]
As the littl'uns were doing other things, I grabbed a bucket and started collecting stones, to make a circular pattern. The sort of thing that Kezzie frequently does at the beach.
Unfortunately the grandchildren then decided they were going to build sandcastles and needed mu stones for their edifices. I quickly took a picture before the artwork was too disturbed.
The stones were greys, black, white, cream - and some had a blueish tinge whilst others were golden brown.  Lovely random shapes 

I found some sandy yellow cotton in my stash and did some slow stitching, interpreting the pebbles' shapes and colours. A reminder of a [99%] wonderful day!

What? When? Where? Hoo!

An outing with Rosie, Thursday 15th February, a National Trust property in Suffolk. We went to Sutton Hoo. A long trip, but well worth it. As it was not half-term in East Anglia, Rosie was one of only a handful of children there, and the staff made quite a fuss of her. 

We arrived at midday, and had lunch. I had a splendid hot sausage roll, Ro's children's meal included a freshly made, beautiful cheese sandwich - and Bob had a sausage and pearl barley casserole. A packed lunch in the picnic area would have been cheaper - but it was not a warm day, and it was lovely to treat Rosie to a proper lunch, as she had been so good all week. 

Sutton Hoo is an Anglo Saxon burial ground. In the 1930s, the owner, a formidable widow named Edith Pretty, asked Suffolk Museums to investigate the grassy mounds in one of her fields. Basil Brown, a self taught, amateur archaeologist, was sent to excavate. His discovery of a wooden ship, on which was buried an Anglo Saxon king was - still is- incredibly significant.

We looked at replicas of the treasure, and stood by the half size model of the boat -we read Basil's notes, and visited Edith's house. We saw a model of the king's fabulous helmet. There were good, brief videos, costumes for dressing up, craft activities and much more. I could do a whole post on the textiles!

And we went outside and climbed the viewing tower, to look down on the field [now just grassy mounds again - their contents removed to the British Museum]

The recent film ”The Dig” starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan tells the story well. 

I asked one of the NT guides about it. She says it was filmed elsewhere , she was ok with that, it would have been too complex to film there. But she did feel they'd missed the chance to emphasise how much this was a women's story. Edith's determination to preserve these treasures for the nation. 

Dorothy Brown's encouragement of her husband who was constantly looked down on by others for his lack of formal education [despite his brilliance] Barbara Wagstaff and Mercie Lack, two schoolteachers on holiday, both amateur photographers, whose pictures provided an amazing record of Brown's work.

It was a great day out, I came away wanting to find out more about the treasure, and the lives of the Anglo-Saxons who rowed up the river to bury their king. This NT venue definitely gets ***** 

Snowdrops, Stitching, Sticks

After another busy week, we decided to find some peace and space, so went out on Saturday to Oxburgh Hall, to see the snowdrops. In Dorset, we went each February to see these harbingers of Spring at beautiful Kingston Lacy. They have a fabulous collection there - but OH is pretty good too. Before we left Dorset I bought a pot of flowers from the KL shop to plant here at Cornerstones. I have a couple of tiny blooms by the front door. But maybe they will produce more next year... 

Here's Bob with his walking staff. He's very pleased with this. 

He had some problems with his foot, which made it difficult to walk any distance. Being tall, it was hard for him to find a walking stick which was long enough.

He investigated sticks online. I said £100 for a handcrafted one was too much!

He bought an inexpensive tree support stake for £3 in a Garden Centre and waxed the wood. A ferrule on the bottom, and some binding and a strap at the top. All done.

After walking in the grounds, and a cuppa in the café, I dashed quickly to look at Mary, Queen of Scots' stitching**, seeking some fresh inspiration for our collaborative project. Bob went round the shop, then waited patiently in the courtyard. 

A couple sitting outside the café admired his stick, and asked about it. He explained. 

Perhaps he could go into business? I could always sell them for him in my shop. 

** I'm struggling to place the apostrophe correctly there

Willow And Wood, And Worth Watching

I just came across a lovely programme hosted by the gifted Dominic Chinnea from the Repair Shop. Make It At Market takes ordinary 'hobby' crafter, and with the help of a mentor, aims to turn their hobby into a money making business. It's only 45 minutes long, so there's no time-wasting waffle.

First up, Cathy Kelly - a perky Cheshire woman who took up willow weaving during lockdown. She has an amazing talent for creating fairies, hares, unicorns... 

Her day job is being a cleaner. Her mentor [who makes baskets for Fortnum and Mason] made excellent suggestions. "Cut the horn off that unicorn and make it a horse" he advised "people in the horsey set have deep pockets and will buy a horse for their garden" 

Check out her website

There was so much that was positive about it all - encouragement and enthusiasm. I've woven just one basket, and was amazed by her talent and skill [learned from YouTube] 

Next up Morgan Charles, whose job was fitting kitchens until a life changing illness made him re-evaluate things. He wants to be more creative with his woodwork. He now has a website too.

I found this a delightful little programme, the participants genuinely humble about their crafts, and clearly thrilled to be mentored. Dom is a genial host. The filming is done at Stoneywell, an Arts&Crafts house in Leicestershire which belongs to the National Trust.

BBC 1, 7.30pm Friday evenings. I hope you enjoy it too!