sewing, drinking tea, lavender, embroidery

A day full of sewing, drinking tea and listening to Radio Four. We are really busy with the Christmas orders and the galleries requiring stock for their Christmas exhibitions - so there is definitely no rest for the wicked at Sumptuosity Towers.

Sophie came into the studio yesterday with a bag of goodies (not anything for us to eat) but wonderful textiles that had belonged to her Grandmother. It is a sad but necessary fact that when someone dies you simply cannot keep everything and so Sophie has been helping her Granddad to find new homes for lots of stuff. - She is such a lovely young woman! Anyway, she had brought in a number of 1930s/40s embroidered tea tray cloths and table clothes. One that she had particularly saved for me is embroidered with Budgies! It is really lovely and I am delighted to add it to my personal textile collection. I also had a tea tray cloth that was embroidered with the 'Crinoline Lady' (one of my favourite designs) and another table cloth that had beautiful spring flowers embroidered on it. Please note these will NOT be cut up by me for the business but will be used when we have tea in the courtyard next summer. Sophie also gave me a box of seashells that her Grandmother had collected, these are now in a glass jar in my library. So I have got lots of lovely things this week and I haven't had to spend any money - John will be pleased!

3 B.T.'s

1: As I walk past a hair-dressers I overhear a conversation between a young female apprentice and an older male hairdresser. She had obviously been trying to sweep up the Autumn leaves that were outside their premises and complaining that the brush was inadequate for the job - I passed just as the man took the brush from her and heard him utter the immortal phrase "it just requires a bit of elbow grease" and he proceeded to do the job.
2: Jimmy our friendly Fastway Courier arrived at Sumptuosity Towers this afternoon with a huge sack of lavender slung over his shoulder - Hello (I said) it is Santa come early! That is if you can picture a very cheeky Santa with the broadest Scottish accent and who travels in a white van.
3: Later as we walk home we overhear a woman on her mobile phone singing nursery rhymes presumably to her child.

Bye for now,
Love Ruth xx

Alanna banana at Sumptuosity Towers

We have had a good day at Sumptuosity Towers. The Summer weather in York has been glorious today and so we have had all the doors open to let in any breeze. The sewing machines have all been buzzing away and Alanna (Banana) has really fitted into the team at Sumptuosity Towers. So much so that I am thinking of ordering my Chaise Longue - so that I can lounge about eating grapes.... maybe not just yet! John is delighted because stock is pilling up and orders are going out of the door. We are doing so well that we have asked her if she would like to join the team on a more permanent basis. So it will be even more tea and cake at Sumptuosity Towers!

3 B.T.'s

1: John says that he likes to walk down Petergate on our way to the Studio because it is York 'as it has always been' - e.g. people cleaning the front of their shops, opening up the doors, getting ready for the day ahead.

2: We sit out in the courtyard and John says 'what bird is that, which looks like a bow and arrow?', I look up and see that my swifts have returned!

3: A glass of Shiraz on a warm evening in York. A nice end to a good day.