Nautical bunting

I made this a while ago, but for over a year I've been too lazy to iron it flat enough to photograph! It hangs in Thomas's room, as it was made for him.



These flags are exact replicas of those in the maritime International Code of Signals, and they spell his name, with his year of birth (2004) split either side - so in sequence, the flags are 2-0-T-H-O-M-A-S-0-4 (but actually are shown in a different order here!).



Each flag has a toggle at one side, and a loop of cord at the other, which is how the real ones are made. It means they can be joined in any order you like, to show any message you like. We don't often rearrange Thomas's, but for these photos I tried out a few different combinations.



The next photo shows two of the number flags, which rather than being square are more like pennants. All the flags are pieced from Kona cotton and have plain white backs. I'm thinking of making some for Kitty too, using the correct flag patterns but in non-traditional colours (to distinguish hers from her brothers) - I'm thinking pinks and greens, maybe with some prints.



Do look back soon to see if I've made any progress with Kitty's bunting!

Spring is here again

Last weekend we spent three days at Harelaw in the Scottish borders. It's an idyllic little spot in the Bowmont Valley, near(ish) to Kelso, and the weather was *fantastic*. We were very lucky! There are hundreds of garden birds of all species nesting here, wild flowers of every kind, and at the right time of year owls nest in a special 'owl-box' high up on the wall, with CCTV - you can check out what's happenning inside the box by tuning in on the television!

This is a short post, but here are some glimpses of my favourite of the garden's flowers - snakeshead fritilaries (Fritillaria meleagris).