Make hay while the sun shines

The official date of the Autumn Equinox is Sunday 22nd September. Therefore we have 30 more official days of summer to go ! I know we have to deal with all the back to school stuff and it will possibly rain but there are a few things that we can do to maximise the longer, lighter days.

1. Eat ice lollies in the garden. My nostalgic ‘go to’ from the newsagent freezer is the Tongue Twister.

2. Go for a walk past 4pm and listen to the birds chirruping their little hearts out as they start to make their winter homes.

3. Plan a memorable picnic.

4. Go for a low tide beach comb. The sea is as warm as it ever will be and there is often a treasure trove of scallops, jelly fish and funky sea weed strewn along the shore.

5. Pick blackberries and make a crumble if there are any left by the time you get home.

6. Continue to delight in affogatos and iced coffee.

7. Grab a bunch of dahlia’s from your farm shop.

8. Go for an after work swim in the river or sea.

9. Get a pedicure. Even when your feet are stuffed back into socks, you’ll know that they’re pretty.

Make hay while the sun shines as before we know it we will be plunged into dark afternoons and wearing wellies. What are your favourite nostalgic summer activities and how will you embrace them before full crumble/stew season commences?

Sophie

Tablecloth and Napkins in Seaside Stripe Linen.

Photo ; Charlotte Jacklin

Hello Skirt - Our new linen valances

Dressing up your bed has been more fun with the addition of our gorgeous valances (also known as Bed Skirts and Dust Ruffles). Mix and match our patterned linens with Liberty fabrics or go for a single print for more minimalist aesthetic, We are launching valances in our wide stripe linen ‘Gelato’ as well as our perennial favourite “Seaside Stripe.

Valance made from Seaside Stripe Linen. Pillowcases, fitted sheet and duvet cover made from Liberty fabric ‘Paysanne Blossom’. Big Top Cushions and Ruffle Cushion made from Liberty Fabric Theresa.

As all our valances are handmade to order in our Cornish studio we are able to offer you a bespoke service. On our website, we offer a range of sizes from Single to Super King, however if your size isn’t listed we are able to make any size from our wide width linens. Similarly, our valances include a drop of 38 cms, if you would like this dimension altered, we can try and meet your requirements.

If you would like any assistance choosing patterns and fabrics, please send us an email and don’t forget allow 2-3 weeks for your order to be handmade.

Enjoy the sunshine,

Sophie x

Valance and Ruffle Cushions made from Gelato Linen. Pillowcases, duvet cover and fitted sheet in Wimbledon. Cushion made from Liberty fabric ‘Annabella’ with velvet ruffle.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Liberty fabric ‘Paysanne Blossom’ is one of the stars of our Spring/ Summer Collection 2024. This gorgeous print features juicy red strawberries amongst pretty blossom against a sky blue background. We think that this is the perfect fabric to bring light and sunshine into your home at any time of year. However if there was ever a pattern to shout SUMMER, it’s ‘Paysanne Blossom’.

Single Bedding Bundle and Small Quilt in Liberty Fabric ‘Paysanne Blossom’. Linen Lumbar Cushion in ‘Wimbledon’. Big Top Cushions in Red and Green.

Our linen in ‘Wimbledon’ compliments the pretty strawberry print beautifully. The classic stripes in green and white against the soft blue liberty print create a seamless and delicate aesthetic. The image above shows a small quilt over the end of a single bed with ‘Paysanne Blossom’ on one side and ‘Wimbledon’ on the reverse. If you want to add a splash of bold colour, you could add a Big Top Cushion in Red or a fitted sheet in Liberty fabric ‘Theresa’.

Quilt in Liberty Fabric ‘Paysanne Blossom’

It is difficult to capture the true colour of Liberty’s ‘Paysanne Blossom’. It might be worth noting that our lifestyle images are taken with completely natural light and very little filtering. Here at Poppy and Honesty we are always happy to send out complimentary swatches to help with your tricky decisions.

Wishing everyone a lovely week. It looks like we might be treated to some sunshine at last! Strawberries and cream can’t be far behind.

Sophie xx

Photography by Dee Campling

Pink and green should always be seen

We are so pleased to bring you our Spring/ Summer collection which includes a beautiful range of pink and green bed and tablelinen. These gorgeous colours are great friends. Opposites on the colour wheel, they compliment each particularly well when they have the same strength and depth. We have chosen to use sage green and a dusky pinks in our latest range.

We are launching a new linen in classic green and soft white stripes that we have named ‘Wimbledon’. This linen sits beautifully alongside ‘Gelato’ with it’s pastel pink and green wide stripes. ‘Wimbledon’ will be available in duvet sets, ruffle pillowcases, simple lumber cushions, sheets, valances and on the reverse of our new scallop quilts.

We have introduced a Liberty fabric ‘Poppy and Daisy Pink’ which features dense meadow flowers in dusky pinks with sage green foliage. This fabric is available in duvet sets, pillowcases, cushions and quilts. The punchy pinks beautifully contrast the soft green striped linen.

We have extended our pink and green colour scheme to table settings. What could be more loving than sharing strawberries and cream or a large Victoria Sponge with your loved ones around this beautiful table!

Our new range launches 7.4.24 at 7pm GMT.

Enjoy

Sophie xx

All images by Dee Campling and The Wild Girl Cots.

Winter Pursuits- Embroidery

My favourite winter sports include reading, cooking, getting outside and doing a bit of sewing. None of these will incur injury or require extensive travel insurance. Recently I have been really enjoying learning very simple embroidery. It’s a great winter sport because it doesn’t require a lot of stuff and you can do it on the train or in front of the telly. I also find embroidery very soothing and satisfying.

For our Christmas table I embroidered everyone a napkin with their name on it. I didn’t use a particular script, I just used a heat erasable fabric pen and wrote their names on the fabric in my own handwriting. Below I will detail the very simple equipment and method that I used in order to create something that was a little imperfect but special and personal.

Time to get your mob cap on and start an embroidery project before Mr D’arcy arrives. Maybe you can fit in some harpsichord and singing practice if you have time?

Happy January

Sophie xxx

Equipment

Heat Erasable Fabric Pen

Embroidery Hoop

Embroidery Threads (I prefer Anchor)

Method

1. Place your embroidery hoop loosely over the napkin or fabric. Decide where you would like to write (ensuring that there is enough room).

2. Using your heat erasable pen write your name onto the fabric, If you make an error it doesn’t matter as you can remove the ink with an iron and rewrite,

3. Secure the hoop over the fabric. Cut your embroidery thread and split the thread so that you remove one of the little strands (you should have x5 strands total).

4. Make a straight stitch at the top of your first letter leaving a little tail of thread that you can knot later.

5. Continue around all your letters using back stitch.

6. To finish your name go to the back of your work and tuck your needle under some of the thread from a previous stitch. Pull it through - but leave a loop. Pass your needle through the loop to create a small knot. Make sure you go back to the loose thread at the beginning of your first letter and tie off in the same way.

Write your name with a heat erasable marker.

Start your work with as straight stitch and go around all the letters using back stitch.

Handmade napkins make a special gift and create a gorgeously personal table setting.

Napkins shown in Rose Gingham and Florence (in stock).