If I’m allowed to be truly British for a moment and talk about the weather?

Finally we have some sunshine, hip, hip hooray! What perfect timing for this lovely embroidery project! When I first started picking threads for this just over a week ago it was wet, cold, and very grey, definitely not spring weather. However as if by magic as I made a start the sun came out and by Monday we had glorious sunshine.

The project was from Mollie Makes magazine and by Lolli and Grace, it was supposed to be a week-long stitch along but in my true style I was a little behind the times. As soon as I saw the pattern it was one of those moments I knew I had to stop everything else and stitch it. The incentive of course is summer will soon be here and my husband joking that I’ll never be finished before then! Also with it being so wet and grey I needed something bright and cheerful and spring like! Plus as some of you know peonies are my all time favourite flower!

I mean just look at those colours! How could you feel grey with those!?

This week has just been the most perfect weather, we (I!) have got quite a lot done with the garden (not that we have much of a garden, more a small yard!). Mabel has been outside everyday playing and it’s been perfect! Its meant I’ve been able to sit out there watching her play whilst stitching this.

I’ll admit the peony did intimidate me a little, I wasn’t feeling brave about my ability to blend the colours and not make it look like a bit of a mess! So I worked on it little by little, although in the original SAL that was day 1. The advantage of being behind is I could pick and choose where I stitched! I also had some encouragement from Lolli and Grace herself when I mentioned it was making me nervous.

I’m feeling a little chuffed with the finished look (if I’m allowed!?), mainly because I actually managed to finish it but I’ve also learnt a new way of stitching (the blending) and my French knots are slowly improving, something that I seem to be taking forever to master!

I’m now going to hang it up with pride until summer arrives, which knowing the British weather will take forever to get here, and not stay around for long!