Light My Fire

Well, it's been a busy few weeks, in fact scrap that, just where has this year gone so far? The latter part of last week was largely spent having fun in the West Country: attending quilting and vintage fairs, mooching in my beloved Bridport and car booting, too. I picked up some new bag patterns at the fair, alongside some fabric (who'd have thought it?) I decided it was Spring and that means new bags and clothes as far as I'm concerned, especially now holiday time is nearly here. I bought most of these fabrics you see in this picture at the fair, including the bag pattern, which I partly followed. I may have become better at sewing over the years but I've become worse at being prepared to follow patterns! I like doing my own thing. The most pleasing bit of this beachy bag is the buttons, I feel; salvaged from old cushions and recovered with delicious vintage fabric. Yum.

Books, that's what we're really looking at today, well sort of. I love books and reading, I really do, always have. Luckily, Mr HH is the same and the Munchkin has followed suit and has always been an excellent reader since I taught him about age 5, and always has his head in a book (if not in Lego). I tend to that school of thought that there's nothing like sitting down with a good book, feeling its pages between your hands and poring over pictures. I have a fair few crafty books in my Den, we have a huge floor - to - ceiling wall of books in the sitting room, Mr HenHouse has walls full in his "Man Den" and the Munchkin has five bookcases. I do hope the walls of this old Victorian house are good and sturdy!

Having said all this, I wrangled for some time before plumping for one of these which arrived this week...

Yes, it's one of those new-fangled e-reader thingies. I've had many years now of shoe horning as many heavy paperbacks into my holiday suitcase as possible, finding my case is too heavy, taking out a few pairs of shoes and re-packing it all again. Whilst I am happy at home with real paper pages between my mitts, I couldn't deny the attraction of this tiny little gadget which will hold several thousands of books. No good for pretty crafty or interiors books, of course, I will always want the real thing there but for my chosen chill-out reading matter (rubbish chick-lit, I'm afraid), this Kindle is really rather fab. The "books" download via wifi in a matter of seconds and if you are choosy enough, there are many for free and the first I bought was only 99p. It's nice and light in my arthritic old hands but more importantly, I soon realised that every Kindle needs a Kindle-Cover, no?

Ok then, too exciting for words, time to faff with bits of pretty vintage fabric, draw up a little pattern taking all of three minutes then get sewing. I settle on simple strips to let the pretty patterns do the talking.

Things get more involved though when I decide a bit of vintage embroidery is called for. Oooh, but the decision is agonising and takes far too long to be sensible. I have certain cloths I don't cut, certain ones which are too big or too small, certain ones with colours which may be just right or well, just wrong.

Et voila, a few hours later and the Kindle is now decidedly cosy with its cover.

It's strippy both back and front (more fabrics to choose, you see), I backed the patchwork panels with leftover cotton batting and made a little tab closure with the vintage embroidery (allowing the cover to be safely closed) with an inch or so of velcro underneath.

I lined it with a bit of old rosebud-patterned cotton pillowcase. You know, I rather like the idea of my Kindle getting cosy inside its own rosy pillowcase once it's ready to go to sleep!

Well, all that was rather exhausting so maybe a spot of cosy mid-afternoon-sofa-bound reading is in order?

Or I could just moon over my new patchworky cover?

Or maybe some-furry has other ideas so errm, none of those things?

Miaow!