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Category Archives: sewing

Spirals, Chocolates and Supper

I missed Roots this morning as the charging cable for my laptop had broken so I had to go to Truro to get a new one. As I was on my own, I spent another hour or so in the Cathedral admiring Jacqui Parkinson’s beautiful textile hangings that I told you about a few weeks ago. Check that post out here. Today I was looking more closely at detail and became aware that there were spirals in every piece and then saw that the artist explains her intention. Do enjoy the gallery.

Not sure about the spiral in this one….

….maybe in the spider’s web?

I then went to buy chocolates for a treat for my lovely Mr S at home on his own for the first time since his op and was drawn to some with spirals!

I made a delicious ratatouille for dinner tonight, seven plant foods in one meal.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 5, 2025 in art, Cornwall, craft, embroidery, Food, Postaday2025, quilting, sewing, Truro, Uncategorized

Tags: Jacqui Parkinson

Exhibition at Truro Cathedral

09 Jul

Regular readers will know that I love textiles and creativity and today we saw the most amazing exhibition of beautiful textile panels in the Cathedral. Threads Through Creation is a wonderful depiction of the story of the creation as told in the Bible. If you live anywhere nearby or the exhibition comes near you, do go to see it. I want to go again when I have more time. Here is a gallery to give you a flavour of this glorious work.

Adam and Eve and the snake

Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge

All hand stitched!

The waters of the seas

Detail

Jacqui Parkinson, the artist, has spent ten years on this work. Read about it all here.

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 9, 2025 in art, collage, craft, embroidery, Postaday2025, sewing, Truro, Uncategorized

Tags: Jacqui Parkinson, The creation story, Threads Through Creation

Pride, Patches and A Challenge

05 Jul

After days and days of sunshine, today was properly damp which was brilliant for the garden but sad for Market Day and the Pride Party in the Park. We did our usual Saturday foray into town for fruit, veg, coffee in our favourite coffee shop and a laugh with Make A Mends.

Pride bunting in the wind and rain. On a sunny day this courtyard is buzzing.

My badge

I donated a pretty top that I no longer wear to Make A Mends and they, in their inimitable fashion, have made it even prettier.

We met a lovely couple in HomeGround coffee shop, Heidi and Pete, who were at the start of their Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle ride. Should they read this, we wish them all the best on this adventure.

The lovely couple we met today at the start of their amazing cycle ride.

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 5, 2025 in art, community, Cornwall, Postaday2025, Redruth, sewing, Uncategorized

Tags: Home Ground coffee shop, Land's End to John O'Groats, Make A Mends

Water, Plastic Squirrel and Postbox Topper

22 Mar

Today is another special day – World Water Day – an annual United Nations observance day held on 22 March that highlights the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. When I was teaching GCSE English some years ago, the following poem came up on the syllabus. I loved it then and thought it just the right poem for today.

Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker

The skin cracks like a pod.
There never is enough water.

Imagine the drip of it,
the small splash, echo
in a tin mug,
the voice of a kindly god.

Sometimes, the sudden rush
of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts,
silver crashes to the ground
and the flow has found
a roar of tongues. From the huts,
a congregation: every man woman
child for streets around
butts in, with pots,
brass, copper, aluminium,
plastic buckets,
frantic hands,

and naked children
screaming in the liquid sun,
their highlights polished to perfection,
flashing light,
as the blessing sings
over their small bones.

The water situation in Gaza makes me weep; indeed the whole situation in Gaza. I just wish life were better for those children and that they could feel ‘the blessing.’

For some reason that I haven’t yet fathomed, our town is celebrating the red squirrel. This delightful piece made by a local artist, Flotsam Flo, is in the window of our greengrocery and butcher’s shop. If you use Facebook, do look her up. Her work is so important.

There’s a new postbox topper on our street, ready for Mother’s day next Sunday.

Reflections, Stitching and A Jigsaw

03 Feb

Catching up after my break – here is the very still water of the Penryn River last Thursday with beautiful reflections.

We loved the work – and the philosophy expressed – in this jacket, seen in one of the lovely independent shops in our town, Make A Mends.

We’ve had fun doing the undersea jigsaw we borrowed from friends, now completed, and we have started another featuring books and cats!

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 3, 2025 in Cornwall, craft, environment, knitting, nature, Penryn, Postaday2025, sewing, Uncategorized

Day Out in St Ives

31 Dec

My birthday treat was to go to St Ives on the train, one of the loveliest train journeys ever, to be by the sea, to visit the Hepworth sculptures in her garden, to go to the Tate and to have lunch out. We had not realised that New Year’s Eve means 20,000 people descend on the town for the New Year celebrations! The town was as busy as on the sunniest of summer days. Happily, we know our way around the little back streets (We had our honeymoon here in 1967) and managed to visit everywhere we had in mind, just skipping out on the lunch. Join us for a magical day.

Tide out as we arrived

From the garden to the sea

From inside the Tate Gallery

About the work of Mirga-Tas

Four generations

Fabulous

I love the fun being had here

So much sand has been brought into the town by the recent storms.

As we were leaving, the tide is on its way in.

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 31, 2024 in art, community, Cornwall, embroidery, environment, nature, Postaday 2024, sculpture, sewing, Uncategorized

Tags: Barbara Hepworth Garden, Mirga-Tas

Evening Sun and Sustainable Sewing

27 Nov

Evening sun

Using donated Santa cutouts and letters sewn on – Make A Mends imagination

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 27, 2024 in art, Christmas decorations, collage, Cornwall, environment, Postaday 2024, Redruth, sewing

Tags: Make A Mends

Storm, Buttermarket and Our Town Crier

21 Sep

It should have been the Mining and Pasty Festival today but some of the day had to be cancelled and the rest moved indoors as there was the most tremendous storm turning our main street into a river. There was thunder and lightning throughout Cornwall and a local photographer gave me permission to show you his amazing photo taken looking over St Ives.

Photo by Gary Phelps – who managed to get this picture this morning 😁 St Ives, Cornwall, UK 21st September 2024

Our ancient Butter Market is undergoing renovation and should be opening next month. We were allowed a walk around today and it is looking very good indeed.

Our Town Crier Max was about town doing his thing and kindly stopped for me to get some photos.

Max, our young Town Crier wearing the Story coat, showing my patch of Gracey Briney

One of my “Gwennap’ patches, at the bottom and my Gravestone patch

Bottom two are mine too, using some Senegalese fabric from my stash.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 21, 2024 in Celebration, community, Cornwall, craft, embroidery, environment, nature, photography, Postaday 2024, Redruth, sewing, St Ives, Uncategorized

Tags: Gary Phelps, Kernow Captured, lightning, storm

Squash, More Squash and The Dollies

10 Sep

A busy day at Roots today. With a friend I sowed 17 trays of leaves for the winter – lettuce, mizuma, rocket and others while there was lots of busy activity harvesting the squash and putting them to ripen.

The boat full of dollies has arrived at its destination. The big reveal will come in a couple of weeks.

Thanks to Sue for these last two photos.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 10, 2024 in community, Cornwall, embroidery, growing, nature, Postaday 2024, sewing, Uncategorized

Even More Sewing, Raspberries and Baking

06 Sep

The sewing team have been at it again and the boat is nearly full. There’s some finishing off but we’re nearly there.

The lovely Mr S harvested another big pile of raspberries today from the allotment. Some we ate at lunchtime and some I baked into a Raspberry Meringue Cake – delicious.