Cherry Mugrugs in summertime

Summertime!

A real summer, with lots of sunshine, warm temperatures and lots of delicious fruit in the garden.

I've been picking a bowl of strawberries every day for a few weeks now and the delicious rock cherries, currants and blueberries are just starting to arrive. Our cherries are also starting to ripen nicely, but unfortunately there aren't as many this year. The late night frosts have put a damper on a bumper crop.

But there was enough to make a delicious clafoutis. I got the recipe from one of my favourite books "French Cooking" by Julia Child, THE standard work of French cuisine (for me at least). Have you seen the film "Julie and Julia"? It's about this great book, a must for anyone who loves French cooking.

I'm rambling, I really wanted to tell you about my new embroidery file. 

A few weeks ago we were on holiday in Provence. There was a big cherry tree behind our house and it was really full of cherries. There must have been thousands of them!

And right under that cherry tree I had a little doily with a border of cherries in my mind. It often happens to me that I get an idea for a new embroidery design out of the blue. Usually all it takes is a little inspiration, like a tree full of cherries.

Running into the house and scribbling a sketch on the tablet was one thing. Then I could put the idea out of my mind and enjoy the holiday.

When I got home, I took out my sketch and started my embroidery software.

That's more or less what I had in mind. In the middle of the doily was to be a simple quilted pattern with nice little details and around it a few cherries.

And that's how it turned out. Pretty much the same, actually.

I am completely satisfied with the result, this is exactly how I imagined it a few weeks ago in the south of France.

OK, in Murs (where we were) the bowl of cherries would have been bigger and fuller, but I am happy with my mini harvest.

And I also like the doily under the cup with the first coffee in the morning.

Sitting outside in the garden, the air is still fresh, it's so nice...

The quilting pattern is very subtle, basically a small check pattern with stars in the middle.

It comes out of my embroidery software so nicely. I think I will use it more often now.

Anyway, today I am happy to introduce you to my new embroidery file.

Here it is, just arrived in the shop, fresh and fruity:

I wish you lots of fun with the Cherry Mugrugs and of course a wonderful weekend, whether embroidering, lying under the cherry tree or snacking on cherries....