Tag Archives: bed linen

UFO No More

Leave a comment

It is less than 2 months since I wrote this post in which I committed to completing some unfinished projects in 2021. The first was a patchwork quilt for our queen-size bed.

I am pleased to report that the entire project is finished. I did not do the quilting as I have neither the skill nor the equipment to quilt such a large piece. My primary aim was to make a piece of patchwork which used all of the blue-toned fabrics and to declutter some of the bits of fabric that I had be hanging onto for far too long. All have been salvaged from one source or another, with many of them being scraps of homemade garments from various family members. What wonderful memories!

After completing the patchwork, I purchased a piece of suitable backing fabric and placed my handiwork and faith in Tanya who had been recommended to me. I was not disappointed. Tanya quilted the piece using a fairly simple design as I had requested.

Once the quilting was done, the final touch was to bind the edges. I cut bias strips from the remainder of the backing fabric. The handstitching of the binding was a bit tedious but it is now finished and I am thrilled with the final result.

Here are a selection of views of the quilt which is now an integral part of our bed linen.

I hope you have enjoyed following the story of the quilt as much as I have enjoyed creating it.

There has been a significant hiatus in blog posts and I do apologise. Real life events have been first and foremost as my mother is quite ill. Please keep her in your thoughts. My blog presence may be a bit hit and miss but I will certainly be here when I have something of interest to share.

Winter Beds

2 Comments

Although we live in a temperate sub-tropical zone, there are still distinct seasonal variations and we respond accordingly.

Two nights ago we experienced our first cold (for us) night when the temperature dropped to 6C (43F).

The prospect of this temperature was enough to convince me that the very lightweight summer doona would not be sufficient.  I retrieved the feather doona from the wardrobe in the spare room.  For me, it is not only about the physical warmth of the feather doona but the colours I use which reflect the cooler weather.

During the summer the bed is made up using light blue and white bed linen and I love the fresh, cool effect that this brings.

2020-05-03 01
Although the fabric is no heavier, the darker coloured linen makes the room feel cosier as the weather cools.  I changed the bed yesterday and substituted the winter bedding.

2020-05-03 02

My bed was not the only one that noticed the effects of the cold night.

The cucumbers were planted late in the summer but we had been fortunate to have a great harvest.  However, overnight the vine went from being lush and green to looking quite shrivelled in parts.  It does not like the cold nor the accompanying strong westerly winds.

2020-05-03 03

With the prospect of several subsequent cold nights, I decided to remove all of the mature cucumbers and clear out the vine.

The haul was surprisingly large.

2020-05-03 04

The vine and trellis are now removed so it is time to clear the weeds and prepare the bed for a cool season crop.

2020-05-03 05

What heralds the change of seasons at your place?

Winning

Leave a comment

While there is always something that can be found to do, it is a great feeling to know that the everyday tasks are all done.

Yesterday I did 4 loads of washing which included the bed linen and towels for both The Duke and I plus our most recent Air BnB guests who departed yesterday morning.  The washing and ironing are all done, I have a meal ready for dinner tomorrow night, the bathroom is clean and beds freshly made.  The dishes are done and lunches partly made for tomorrow.

So, there is nothing left to do apart from settle into bed with a new magazine that my mother passed on to me recently.

001

The housework will return soon enough but for now I am going to indulge myself.

 

Autumn Has Arrived

Leave a comment

After a long summer that seemed it would never end, we finally have autumn in abundance.

Autumn foliage

The past week has seen the minimum temperatures drop to single digits and our maximums are only in 16-18C range.  That is a drop of about 10C from a fortnight ago.

Fireplace
Casserole and vegetables was an enticing option for dinner.  I made this in the slow-cooker a couple of days ago.

Dinner
The feather doona is on the bed and the fresh blue/white cover has been swapped for a patterned plum-coloured one.

 

A Fresh Look

6 Comments

One of the benefits of holidays and being away from our home is that sometimes you can take a step back and review things from a distance.

A few months ago I considered buying a new doona cover for our bed since the one we have had for over 10 years definitely does not match the current colour scheme.  It has been like that for about 4 years but it had taken me that long to consider it.  One of the things that was holding me back was why get rid of the existing cover which is still in excellent condition.

While we were away I suddenly realised that the doona cover on our bed would look perfect on the bed in the guest room and then I could justify buying a new one for our bed.

2012-09-21 01Here is the revamped guest room.

On Wednesday we looked for a new cover which proved to be quite a challenge as it is obvious that the colours in our room (Wedgewood blue with cream trim) are  definitely not the latest trend.  Most of the bed linen was either neutrals in cream/grey/coffee palettes or bright geometric designs.  However, I eventually found something suitable.

2012-09-21 02I also bought another cover in a grape colour with a muted floral design.  I will use that during the winter months for a change.  This is the first time that I have ever had bed linen to change with the seasons.  Thanks to the sale prices, I was able to buy the 2 covers for the full price of just one of them.

I am very happy with the results of my rearrangement of the bed linen.  Now I have  the bedspread which was on the guest bed to put away in the linen cupboard while I consider its fate.

Most of our furnishings/colours are relatively classic and are chosen because they are what we like rather than what is this year’s “must have”.  This can make things difficult at times, especially when you are looking for a colour or design that is not ‘in’.

Do you follow the latest trends in interior design or are you happy with what you have?  Any tips for updating on a budget?

Crisp, Clean Sheets

1 Comment

There is nothing I like better than to slide into a bed freshly made with crisp, cotton sheets.  No matter how cold it gets I cannot bear the thought of flannelette sheets.  ‘Squiffy’ is my description for flannelette sheets.

I bought 2 new sets of bed linen from Blessed Earth yesterday.  They are organic cotton and just wonderful to sleep on.  We already have one set so when I saw that the 50% sale was happening it was a great opportunity to get some more.  I think that most of their business is online but I am spoiled as the shop is right here in Maleny.

There is no excess packaging either.  The flat sheet is folded around a piece of plain cardboard and they come in a cotton bag made from the same fabric as the sheets.  Each purchase is packed in a cotton carrier bag with ‘Blessed Earth’ printed on the side.  I will be proud to add this bag to my collection which I use for my shopping.

Here are the new sheets freshly washed and hanging on the line.

Then folded up and ready to go in the linen cupboard.

Now, with 3 sets of linen for our bed it will be quite a while before I need to buy any more.