A Day of Delight

I put a big chunk of the day to sewing.  

First thing, I finished the edges on the lace part of my top.  

I had thought it would be hand work, but I decided yesterday evening, that what might work better and last longer, would be to bind the edges with some fabric.  

I think it worked out pretty well.  I am pleased with the whole top and I love how it looks on me.

And then I pulled out the new pattern and cut it out.

As you can see, this is pretty bright fabric, the better to break the winter doldrums.  Since I can't knit bright yarns...

I even did all the sewing on the interfacing pieces and am just about to iron on the interfacing I am using for the hem.  Yes, this is one of the things this top does just a bit differently.  It has hem facings, which will be a really great feature when it comes to the curved hems.

I would have done more of the sewing but by the time I stopped, my eyes really needed a break.  The will was there to keep going.  I was having a lot of fun, but it was time to stop so I had some tea and listened to my audio book.  

I am reading a book series written from 1954 to 1976 by Lucy M. Boston called the Green Knowe books.  I purchased the first three of the 6 books she wrote in the Green Knowe series from Audible in a collection of the first three.  

I first came across these stories on Amazon when I was looking for dvds, and it popped up in a list of British movies.  Julian Fellows adapted the second book, the Chimneys of Green Knowe to make the charming movie From Time to Time in 2009 with the wonderful Alex Etel playing Tolly, alongside an all star cast.  I utterly fell in love with the story and searched out the books.  I loved the movie, and I can honestly say that I wish I had read the books much much earlier in my life.  

They are so beautifully written and the stories...  It is just like that time reading Agatha Christie when I just had to pause midway in a novel to take in the way she used words.  Lucy M. Boston is a master.  You can see and feel Tolly as he worries about crossing the flooded way to the manor on his arrival or feels the breath of something on his neck before he sees the children and their array of pets.  Her descriptions put you right into the heart of the manor house throughout time.

I have read three mystery novels this January, The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz, A Keeper:  A novel by Graham Norton and The Man who Died Twice:  A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman and all of them were excellent.  It was time for a lighter read and these books, generally regarded as children's books are perfect.  My only regret is that I did not know about them when my kids were small to read aloud to them.  They would have loved these stories as much as I do.  They will be read again. 

All in all, it was a perfect sort of day.  Something fun to do, some tea and something good to read.  Perfect.