Who is Beatrice Hedgerow & Picadilly Paisley?

For those of you that follow Jenny Bean - she now has a new friend, Beatrice Hedgerow, who charms bees and gathers flowers. She grew up in an old stone cottage in the English Countryside.  She is designed by Picadilly Paisley (who also happens to be me).  I'm designing a pattern here and there when not dyeing. . .threads that is. There is a larger companion sampler that will introduce Beatrice. I'm not showing it until market. This is Beatrice's Sewing Tray - "Now I know My ABC's". I have to give credit for the idea of the sewing tray to the Blackbird gals when they showed a sewing tray at the Shepherd's Bush Retreat!

I found the antique looking draw pulls at a restoration hardware online source and I think they are the perfect addition to give the sewing tray- handles! I'm working on some additional pieces to the sewing tray. It is stitched in Silk 'n Colors on 28 count Wheat by R&R Reproductions.

A slightly odd designing name I've chosen in Picadilly Paisley. I have a beloved Brittany Spaniel named 'Paisley' and Picadilly, well I just liked how they sound together!

Until Later,

Cecelia

Berryhill's Tomato and Basil Soup

I love good recipes. I love to share them as well. I also love to receive a good recipe from someone, it is one of the best presents!! Today I'm sharing a recipe from a local catering company that was in our newspaper. It is truly a delicious Tomato Soup. Hope you enjoy. . .

Berryhill's Tomato &  Basil Soup

2 ounces butter

2 cloves garlic

1/2 C yellow onion, diced

1/2 C leeks, finely diced (white part only)

1/2 C celery

2 ounces flour

1 pint vegetable or chicken broth

1 pint half and half

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 15-ounce can italian tomatoes crushed or diced

1 Tablespoon honey

salt and pepper to taste

Basil, fresh coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Directions:

In medium suacepan melt the butter over medium heat and add garlic, onion, celery and leek. Cook until tender. Add flour to make a roux, cooking a few minutes longer. Remove pan from heat and add broth, cream and worcestershire sauce, whisking together. REturn to heat and add tomatoes, honey, salt and pepper, basil and rice vinegar. Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with additional basil chiffonade (finely shredded basil leaves).

I have also added a roasted red pepper chopped, thinly sliced zucchini and rice to this soup. This time we used fat free half and half which changed the 'look' of the soup but not really the overall taste. Real Half and Half gave it a more rich, even creamy look.

Until Later,

Cece

Needle Arts and Handmade Books

Do you combine needle art with other creative interest? This book is something I taught at the Shepherd's Bush Retreat last September. It combines handmade fabric books, hand-dyed ribbons used in embellishment, cross stitch, pictures, pockets, favorite papers. Sometimes I even include needlepoint and punch needle! I will show more of the inside pages in another post. How many pillows and framed wall pieces can you have at one time in your house? If you are like me, wall space is at a premium at my house and I like to have other things on my walls besides all stitched pieces. So what to do with all the stitching you are doing? Some of it can find its way into handmade books that the recipient (or yourself) will treasure for many years to come. If you can't stand to put one actual piece in a book then take a good color photo of it and put it in the book! Some of you will have a heart attack here, but pick yourself off the floor and just consider that sometimes you have a framed piece that you no longer want to hang in your home. Cut it up and put it in a book!! Maybe this is enough for today!! I promise you that if you have a handmade book sitting on a coffee table or arranged on a shelf in your home on an easle type stand that people will simply 'have' to pick it up. They cannot stand it until they have looked inside!! More on these handmade books later. . .

I'm off to the dye pot. . .still not dyeing white!!

Cece

p.s. would you like to learn this concept?

Is White A Color?

White as Snow. . .
White light. . . .
Winter White. . .
Snow on snow on snow. .
Walking on eggshells. . .
White fever. . .

White Sale. . .

White Creme de Menthe. . .

White Feather. . .

White as A sheet. . .

White Elephant. . .

White Friars. . .

White with Fear. . .

White Lie. . .
Phrases and words of white. But is white a color? Read an interesting discussion of this and yes white is a color. If you google "Is White A Color" maybe you'll get the same site I did on www.colormatters.com where there is an interesting article on this.  I was unable to get the link to work.  Sorry. Mary O'neill says this about white in her book: HAILSTONES & HALIBUT BONES
" White is a Dove
And lily of the valley
And a puddle of milk
Spilled in an alley -
A Ship's sail
A Kite's tail'A wedding veil
Hailstones and Halibut bones
And some people's
telephones.

White is marshmallow
And vanilla ice cream
And the part you can't remember

In a dream.
White is a pair of
Whispers talking.
White is the beautiful
Broken lace
Of Snowflakes falling
On your face."
I love white work, white lace edgings and all the 'shades' of white if you believe that there are 'shades of white'!!
I'm starting to plan my stitching projects for the coming weeks. Some are in getting ready for market that is in February. Others are for my pure enjoyment.
Do you think white is a color?

Our 3 winners for the Dec drawing are: Elizabeth Ann, Wendy, and Sudukc! The first one to email me also wins the extra item! Please email me your addresses so I can send out your items!
Not dyeing white today -
Cece