Thursday, 14 June 2012

Somewhere Over The Rainbow...



Oh, how I enjoyed making this! My friend Rachel (who I went on the crochet course with) asked me to make her a tea towel but not really a tea towel - she wanted to frame and hang it in her kitchen so it was to be a thing of beauty, not something to dry the dishes with. The only stipulation was that it had to have "Somewhere over the rainbow" (the song from her wedding) and red shoes on it. I couldn't resist drawing a rainbow, and some stars, and going bananas with the coloured embroidery silks. Honestly, if I could have squeezed a tap dancing unicorn on there, I would have.

I've been thinking about why I like the white linen tea towel format so much, and I think it is the lure of a blank canvas, a clean slate. It reminds me of a piece of plain white paper and has the same promise and excitement that a new A4 colouring pad and pack of felt pens held for me as a child. 

I am now planning, among five hundred other things, some tea towels (but maybe I should call them wall hangings?) for our about-to-be-decorated front room with song lyrics on. These are to be negotiated with John who is much cooler than me and would forbid anything too kitsch, and is also a complete music snob. I'm imaging Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, *whispers* Abba...

What song lyrics would you choose? Any favourite tunes that you really love?

27 comments:

  1. Definitely ABBA!! I'm quite shallow when it comes to music, catchy, pop-ey, upbeat stuff makes me smile. Great idea to decorate the front room with them.

    Love that tea towel too, those lyrics will be in my head all day now! x

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    1. I am thinking Abba too - not sure if boring husband will permit it though. Catchy, bad taste music all the way here. A gay friend once told me I had the taste in music of a gay man, which i took as a huge compliment!

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  2. Thank you so much - I really do love it. I am lucky to have a husband with a high tolerance for such wonderful campness!

    Can't wait to see your musical tea towels series - tell John he's no fun and ABBA rule! A Dance Queen complete with sequined mirror ball would be perfect!

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    1. Oh Rachel, you should not have put the mirror ball idea in my head, for it is lodged there now, spinning and sparkling... xx

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  3. That is beautiful. I think the tea towel format is great, Fin loves that he has a hole tea towel to cover in what he wants bit at a time and I am loving stitching without boundaries!

    My man is cool and hip too, so it would be all Stone Roses, Lennon and that!

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    1. Thanks Jen. I adore the Stone Roses but John does not, the fool.

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  4. It's wonderful and will look lovely hung in your friend's kitchen. Seeing as your blog is Tales From a Happy House, I think you should have House Of Fun.

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    1. Oh, that's a great idea, except I don't really like the song. Hmm. Wish I did though as that's a brilliant suggestion!

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  5. The tea towel looks great! Such pretty colours. x

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  6. Oh, please, please would you do one with a tap-dancing unicorn on it?

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    1. I don't hink I've got the artistic capabilities for a unicorn, sadly. Maybe I would have a go for you though Greer. x

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  7. It's beautiful and will be so lovely framed! If only I were this talented!

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    1. Oh, thank you. It's not hard I promise, anyone could do this. Knitting and crochet are much harder than hand sewing, i think.

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  8. "See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen . . " :)

    Lovely job Gillian. I love all the colors.

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  9. Oooo Oooo - how about a little Beatles "All you need is love"

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    1. Both excellent choices Jenny! I am envisaging an Abba tea towel, there is a lot of Abba love here...

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  10. that's brilliant! it must have taken ages :-)

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    1. It didn't, maybe five or six evenings in front of the telly while watching my usual high quality programmes like Silk, The Good Wife and Grand Designs!

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  11. I love it, my daughter's name is Dorothy and I love this song. Hope the crochet is going well. x

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    1. Dorothy is such a fabulous name! You don't hear it so much nowadays. I have started a striped scarf (tricky!) and granny squares (easy and fun!) for a cushion. x

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  12. Nice :D And I love the lyrics idea for your living room.

    I'd have 'Our house is a very, very, very fine house, from Crosby, Stills and Nash 'Our house' ... it's one of 'our' songs.

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    1. What a lovely "our Song" song to have. I am so enjoying everyone's ideas and favourite tunes.

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  13. That's really gorgeous, I love all the colours. It will look lovely framed. x

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    1. Thank you, I am looking forward to making a few more. x

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  14. Love Shack Baby.......Tin Roof! A bit of fun for your music hangings. I did a crochet class last wintercand reakly enjoyed it, I need to continue as I only know how to crochet the patterns I was shown. I love you Wizard of Oz inspired wall hanging.....

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    1. Oh yeah, Love Shack! I love that song, that reminds me of university and happy, drunken times in the student union bar...

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