A Picture for Sunday - Czestochowa

Roofscapes are fascinating.  This wonderful structure is on a roof of the monastery of Jasna Gora at Czestochowa in Poland.

Welcome to Stephanie Hanson, the latest follower - thank you for joining!

A Sewing Box from Poland

A moment of mad self indulgence came over me when we were in the market hall in Krakow this summer.  One of the stalls had a mesmerising selection of sewing boxes.  Because I already have sewing boxes with a light stain I went straight for the high gloss dark varnish. 

Then I had to examine the lids and decide which design I liked best.  These flowers and leaves seem to rotate, and they are outlined with an embedded metal inlay.

The curved sides to the compartments and the cream stripes are all so gloriously unnecessary. There is nothing quite like decoration for its own sake - reminiscent of many of the buildings nearby.  
The box is now filled with all my stranded cotton embroidery threads.  With a bit of luck keeping them in separate compartments will prevent them ending up in one great almighty tangle.  They can become five smaller tangles instead.

Welcome to Maria, the latest follower - thank you for joining!

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Sunflowers in Poland

This building is in Zywiec, a town probably better known for its beer than its Art Nouveau windows.

Here is an enlarged view of the sunflowers.

And here, in another small town, are sunflowers growing out of the masonry of a church, way up high near the roof.  Birds are very daring and inventive gardeners.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - A Crown Around a Pinnacle

This crown is around the pinnacle of the taller tower of St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow. According to this article, it was placed there in 1666.  It wasn't until I enlarged this photo that I noticed the steeplejack's ladder.

Immediately below the crown is the window where the trumpeter gives the hourly call.  My attempt at a photo of the trumpeter was a pathetic fuzzy effort, so enjoy this video instead.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - A Window in Krakow

Where architecture meets cake decoration - one of the buildings on the main square in Krakow.

Welcome to Linda, the latest follower - thank you for joining!

A Beautiful Picture for Sunday - The Monastery at Czestochowa

A beautiful rooftop at the monastery at Czestochowa, taken on 17th August.

Welcome to lots of new followers today - including those whose avatars have popped up... Luanne Pang, Debra Kay Neiman, Sowing Stitches, A. Shipley, Tami C, Lee, Catskill Quilter, Nanbon44, Og19quilt, Dorian, Ytsmom, Kathy H, Debbie Sauer, Gill Watson, Donna Besnahan... and all the followers who have left comments on the Tea Time Give Away.

Thank you to everyone who has left comments and for making it such an entertaining tea party! 

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - The Square at Wadowice

Taken this year on 22nd August, a year and a day after our last visit.  This time we could get a good view.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Silver Washed Fritillary on Scabious Flowers

This beautiful butterfly was flying from flower to flower in a clearing in the woods in Poland.

Welcome to Autumn Adams, the latest follower - thank you for joining!

Seen in a Shop Window...

...around the corner from where we were staying with my husband's cousin - a massive, sturdy old Lucznik.  If I were having curtains made there I would ask them to make them on this machine, but I would probably find out that the motor had blown and they can't get the parts any more. Perhaps next year we might pass by when the shop is open and get a better look.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Hummingbird Hawk Moth

We have just had a twelve day stay in Poland, spending a few days at my brother in law's little wooden house on the side of a hill, and the rest of the time with my husband's cousin Bogusia.

This picture was taken in Bogusia and Waldek's garden.  The zinnias were alive with butterflies this year, but I only saw one of these moths.  We don't see them very often in England, so I took loads of photos.  This one is my favourite - he looks like a helicopter aiming for the landing pad.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Meadow Flower in Poland

This beautiful little flower was growing in a field on a hillside at the edge of the woods.  I think it might be a variety of campanula.  Any ideas?

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Cactus Flower

Don't ask me the name of the cactus.  I took this picture in August in Poland.  Bogusia's husband grows cacti.  This cactus has only one flower every few months, and the flower lasts only a day.  We just happened to be there for that day.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Red Zinnia

Now that it is cold and dreary, a cheerful reminder of summer.  This was in Bogusia's garden in Poland.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - A Polish Shawl

This gorgeous shawl was being worn by a lady at the harvest festival in Poland.  Too beautiful for words, and perhaps a bit too hot for that particular day, but somehow all the ladies in their shawls looked calm and serene.

Hello again and welcome to Barbara (yes, the maker of yesterday's wonderful landscape quilt) who has joined as a follower.

A Pretty Picture For Sunday - Scabious

We took a walk up a hill in Poland and these beautiful scabious flowers were growing at the edge of the woods.

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Wadowice

This picture was taken on 21st August, and already it seems like a world away.

Wadowice is the birthplace of Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II.  This beautiful baroque church on the main square is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is where the late Pope was baptised.

Local knowledge is so valuable when on holiday.  When we arrived in Wadowice, cousin Bogusia headed straight for the cake shop, famous for selling the Pope's favourite cream cakes.  The cake revived us after the drive, giving us plenty of energy to visit the church and the museum.

We will return one day.  By then the road works in the main square should be long forgotten, so I should be able to take decent pictures of the church without having to point the camera to the sky to avoid the clutter.

A Quick and Easy Project in a Polish Book

We were rummaging around Bogusia's bookshelf and my husband pulled out a paperback for me.  It was filled with line drawings showing dressmaking techniques, embroidery stitches, crochet, knitting, macramé and everything else you might expect to see.

Then on page 201 I stumbled on the project so many people have been searching for - How to Make a Car Cosy.  

Well it can't be that hard, can it?  Just two little illustrations and a page of explanation packed to bursting with zeds, you can just work it our for yourself.  It's a loose cover for a settee only a slightly different shape.  Just think of the possibilities.  Why stick to a boring olive green waterproof fabric? Go for the English country house look in floral chintz with a ruffled valance, or be sophisticated and use a regency stripe with box pleats and piped seams.  Otherwise, try a more updated version in 1970s oranges and pinks, or a children's special with appliquéd passengers waving from the windows.

We told Bogusia she and I had to get busy on her machine the very next day.  I still can't understand why we never got started.

Next time you are scouring second hand bookshops, look out for Roboty i Robotki na Zimowe Wieczory by Stanislawa Podgorska, published in Warsaw in 1979.  A must for your vintage bookshelf.

A Polish Sewing Machine - The Hidden Surprise

Here is the view inside the cabinet of the Lucznik machine.  I expected to find the treadle wheel - seeing the treadle cable lying idle at the right hand side of the machine was a bit of a give away.  

But once I opened the cabinet door, the hunt was on.  Where was the treadle pedal?  Totally puzzled, I got my head down to the floor and looked underneath the cabinet.  No, nothing there.  My husband thought I was being exceptionally dense.  He could see straight away that the entire panel at the bottom of the cabinet was in fact the pedal.  I didn't think there was enough clearance at the sides and the back for it to move freely.  I was wrong, of course.  A quick try with my feet soon proved that it had a lovely smooth movement.

Perhaps next time we visit I might persuade cousin Bogusia to try sewing with the treadle, but I think she is a confirmed electric girl.

A Polish Sewing Machine - Lucznik Predom 415

When we were staying with my husband's cousin we were installed in the same room as her sewing machine.  She bought it in 1980, and it is made by Lucznik - not a make I have come across before. I couldn't resist taking pictures of it.  The motor is attached at the back rather than being inbuilt, as you can see in the second photo.  However, that was not the most fascinating feature of it for me. All shall be revealed tomorrow...  

A Pretty Picture for Sunday - Harvest Festival in Poland

Don't these ladies look wonderful in all their finery!  

Just eight days ago we were at a harvest festival in southern Poland, just a stone's throw from the Czech border.  These ladies passed by on a float in the parade, giving a cheerful wave and looking totally unbothered by the heat.  I have never seen so many beautiful shawls in one place at a time. And the fruit and vegetables!... after such a shocking summer in England, I have to confess to being envious at the sight of all the huge outdoor-grown tomatoes. 

A big welcome to Lisa!