Bits and Bobs

I came across the thrifter's holy grail recently...I found a vintage quilt in an op-shop! I could hardly believe my eyes...and it was only eight dollars. I have since given it a good wash and an air-out and it is now gracing our previously very dull beige couch (the little orange dragon is also a recent op-shop win - she's made of felt and her name is Doris). The couch looks especially lovely under the window in the Spring sunshine!

In other news, I have been...

• Falling in love with A.S. Byatt's books - first up Ragnarok
• Making chocolate fudge 
• Loving the re-runs of Doctor Who on ABC-2

What's news with you?

white on white

Hardanger embroidery. 

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorelei66eyecandy/5495843250/in/pool-1092017@N22

Whitework. 

Image from http://chattycathy-clipyourstring.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/embroideryold-school-whitework.html

Whitework with seeding and matting. 

Image from http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/needlework/A-Book-About-Embroidery/Seeding-Matting.html#.UlNS6VMkKSo

I am very keen on Whitework at the moment. Put simply, whitework is embroidery sewn in white thread onto white material. There are various stitching styles within the genre - drawn thread work, Hardanger embroidery (so named because it originated in Hardanger in Norway), Mountmellick embroidery (originally from Ireland), broderie anglaise and reticella.

I love the gentle beauty of it.

So I've ordered a a vintage design ready-printed onto a lace-trimmed piece of linen from Etsy and I am going to give it a go. I'll show you the results.

What are you stitching or creating at the moment?

Melancholia

I have to show you this lovely old battered stem of an artificial flower that I found in an old cigar box of bits and bobs. I believe it belonged to my grand-aunt. I like to imagine that perhaps it was part of her wedding outfit.

And did anyone watch the Lars von Trier film Melancholia, which screened on tv here on Saturday night? Oh my, what a film. I was ready to dismiss it after its very arthouse opening but I am a fan of Kirsten Dunst, so I sat with it. What a depiction of mental illness, dysfunctional families and, truly, melancholia. And the ending...I'm not a fan of hyperbolic movie reviews, but it is genuinely haunting.

I would love your thoughts if you've seen Melancholia.