Quiet Pleasures

"Mrs. Bartle Grant" by Vanessa Bell, 1934, via here

What do you do when the days grow shorter, the weather gets cooler and and we are spending more time inside?  Do you have projects and hobbies that you like to do during fall and winter, soothing and peaceful activities such as needlepoint, knitting, or embroidery?  And have you noticed what a calming effect these crafts produce?   Just look at the expression on Mrs. Bartle Grant's face in the painting above.  She was the mother of the Bloomsbury artist Duncan Grant and stitched all of the tapestries that he designed.

I have recently taken up needlepoint and am working on a big canvas that I bought in England two years ago.  The finished pillow will be a large one (huge!) and of course I bought two of them, thinking they were smaller and would make a great matched set.  What was I thinking!  This project will take me a long time to finish and so I plan to put it away occasionally and work on a smaller projects that I am more likely to finish in a shorter amount of time.   But I love doing it because no matter how frayed my nerves are or how stressful my day is, nothing calms me down and brings me back down to earth more quickly than working on my needlepoint project.

Here is the needlepoint kit I bought in England.  It is called The Shell Cushion and is a reproduction of a canvas designed by Vanessa Bell.

As you can see, I have made a little progress and am now ready to get back to work on this

This is the original pillow in the garden room at Charleston Farmhouse

In the meantime, I am also looking for a smaller project and would love to take a knitting class
Photo via here

I dream of cozy evenings knitting or doing needlepoint by the fireplace
Photo via here

I love this needlepoint canvas from Elizabeth Bradley

Some of my inspiration for working on crafts comes from my daughter Heather who is a talented knitter.  This blanket is one of her projects.  She has loved doing crafts since she was a little girl.  When she was 10 years old she made jewelry and formed "The Jewelry Club" with her girlfriends.

This photo was her inspiration for the blanket

She made this amazing scarf
via here

She has also taken up weaving

A close-up of one of her projects

 Some of her pieces are framed
All photos of Heather's crafts via L.A. in Bloom

I am beginning to think I need to start small; how cute is this knitted cover for a hot water bottle

Photo via here

And this tea cosy makes me smile, it might just be the perfect project to begin with 

Photo via here

Tell me, what crafts or projects do you like to work on now that the weather is getting cooler and we are all staying home more?  And do they bring a peaceful smile to your face?

I want to thank all of my blogging friends who expressed their support and condolences about my mother.  It meant the world to me.

Winter Comforts

I live in Los Angeles and enjoy mostly temperate weather and beautiful sunny days much of the year.  We  have our rainy season and have gotten some unusually cold temperatures this winter.  But for the most part we have enviable weather. 

I grew up in Pennsylvania and Connecticut and went to college in Maine.  I do miss the seasons from that part of the world, with gorgeous crisp autumns, beautiful winter snow falls, and glorious spring weather.  And so when it's February in L.A. I tend to revert back to habits from those days on the east coast.  This is the time of year when I love to stay home and be cozy.

 I put hydrangeas and roses in one of my favorite vases

I work through my stack of books from Christmas

I spend more time writing  

I love to bake and recently made these Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting from "The Barefoot Contessa"

I want to make these Brownies from the February issue of "Bon Appetit"

I am getting the garden ready for Spring.  It will be on a garden tour in May.  The pressure is on! 

We just cut back the roses and mulched everything.  I am dreaming about Spring and Summer blossoms, but am also enjoying the bare bones look of everything right now.

I am learning how to needlepoint so I can make this pillow that I got in England.  It is a reproduction of a pillow designed by Vanessa Bell and the original is in Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex, England, where the Bloomsbury Group spent so much of their time.

 The canvas for the pillow  

This is the Garden Room at Charleston with the original pillow

And I am learning how to play Bridge!

*****

Looking forward to enjoying this winter and all the pleasures that can be found in the heart of the home.