frayed at the edge

Tuesday Treasures

Today's treasure isn't a personal one, but it's something that I think we should treasure.  Every morning when I'm out for my walk, I pass this wonderful old gate

 

It just has such style, as do the gate posts, although the right hand one has developed a bit of a list!

 

the left hand one proudly shows the manufacturers name

 

I just like this gate because it shows that in the past people took pride in making things that looked good, as well as fulfilling their practical purpose.  And if it's a choice between the old gate and this new one

 

well, I know which one I would rather have!

The big reveal

So what did I make with the fabrics I showed you on Saturday?  I made two faux chenille panels, which I am going to make into cushion covers for Stuart.

How did I do it?  First I cut the zebra fabric in half (it was folded in the photo) and drew a diagonal line across both pieces.  It's very important that you do this on the diagonal - you'll see why later.

 

The zebras face opposite ways, so I drew the diagonals to go the opposite way as well

 

Then I cut three layers of calico (I could have used coloured fabrics) for each zebra and pinned them ready to sew

 

The first line of stitching is on the marked line

 

Then each line of stitching is half an inch from the previous one.  I know that if I shift the  needle to one side and use the edge of the foot as a guide I will stitch my half inch lines

 

The next line is stitched in the opposite direction, so that the work isn't distorted.  This mean moving the needle over to the other side

 

Work from the centre to one edge, then from the centre to the other edge

 

Then comes the really scary bit!  Using very sharp scissors, I cut through the zebra farbric and the first two of the calico layers (don't cut through the third layer or your piece will fall apart!!)

 

Oh dear, that was a fib - it takes a while to cut all the rows with scissors - so of course I have a gadget!!

  These are long strips made of the same stuff as cutting mats - you slip them through the channel

 

then cut using a long ruler

 

and a rotary cutter, I quickly cut all the channels

 

Once all the channels were cut, I put the two pieces in the washing machine with two old towels, and put it on a standard wash, then I put both pieces, again with the towels in the tumble drier.  This is where it is important that the cuts are on the diagonal - if they were on the straight grain, the fabric would fray too much, but done this way, you get soft fluffy edges - but you can still see the original design

 

and here in the centre is our fluffy zebra!

 

I hope you have enjoyed this quick look at how to do faux chenille - I hope you'll try a piece of your own.

Shadow Shot Sunday

This is getting addictive - everywhere I go I see shadows!  First today is one that I took in the back garden during the week

 

when I was little I learned a poem that started... There are fairies at the bottom of my garden ... do you think this could be where they live!?

 

still in the garden - a grape vine growing up an obelisk - unfortunately our weather isn't hot enough for the grapes to mature

 

the sun shining through the garden gates on to the drive

 

Strictly speaking, these last two photos are reflections rather than shadows, but I like them so much, I'm going to sneak them in!!

 

This is a wooden model of a becak (pronounced baychack) - an Indonesian bicycle taxi.  The reflection of the wheels on the dining room windowsill caught my eye!

 

This is the fish pond in a local garden centre - I love the way the reflection of the plants makes it look as if the fish are swimming through exotic pond plants.

 

To see more Shadow Shot Sunday photos, visit HeyHarriet - the variety of shadows is amazing! 

Making an exhibition of themselves!

This morning Malcolm and I went to Kelso, to see the Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition.  There was some stunning work on display, and they very kindly let me take some photos.

 

Maasai Muse by Pat Lewis

 

Gone fishing by Anne Stevenson

 

Goldwork flower by Colina Harris-Burland

 

Dragonfly by Anne Stevenson

 

Dragonfly box by Mary Lock

 

My calico garden by Tricia Marshall

 

detail of the door

Although it is a small group there were a lot of varied exhibits - a good way to spend a Saturday morning (and there might have been cuppas and cakes as well!)

 

After lunch, I headed out to the studio, determined to make up for my lack of things to show you recently.

This length of chunky i-cord

 

has been lying in my knitting basket for so long, I've forgotten what the yarn is called

 

it's funny flat sort-of felted stuff!   However, I now have a rather smart pot stand!

 

I also made a start to something from the to-do list, using these fabrics

 

Hmmm - I wonder what it's going to be?

 

To finish, remember the lovely plant with the red flowers?  Now, thanks to Jen, I know that it is called bee balm.  Amazingly it has survived the rain and I took these two photos this afternoon

 

 

Do come back tomorrow to see  my latest shadow shots!

Wet,wet,wet

No, I wasn't being serenaded by Marti Pellow this morning - it was just rain, rain, rain when I went for my walk!  I did think about turning over and going back to sleep, but then I thought about the clothes that are getting a little bit tight ....

I'm writing this at 6.20 and it so wet and miserable that we already have the lamps on, and Malcolm has turned on the 'flames' of the electric fire to make the room cosy (for goodness sake, it's the middle of July!!)

Never mind, as usual it was off to Borderland fabrics this afternoon for patch'n'chat.  We were delighted to hear that Pam is recovering from her hip replacement (she had some unfortunate complications) - get well and come back soon Pam - we miss you!  Jen came in to get fabric to bind her quilt - she has only been quilting for about five minutes, but this is what she has produced - fabulous!!

 

One of the other Annes (there are three of us) was working on her hexagon quilt.  Unlike my hexagon quilt (well the beginnings of one) this one isn't worked in the traditional way over papers.  Instead Anne has used a rubber stamp to mark the cutting and sewing lines on the wrong side of the fabric.  She then stitches the hexagons together by hand (she is not a fan of sewing machines!!)

 

After last week's magnificent strawberry pavlova, the question on everyone's lips was - can Annette possibly have made something as good?  Yes she had - a yummy lemon meringue .... just like my Mum used to make .....

 

In the time that it has taken to write this, the rain has finally gone off and as it is so windy it is starting to dry up - fingers crossed for better weather tomorrow!!  Have a good weekend, love, Anne.

Peace and quiet

Yet again, I jumped out of bounded from crawled out of bed at 6.30 to go for a quick three mile walk.  Bliss, the peace and quiet of the countryside ... apart from the swallows trilling and chattering (for little birds, they make a lot of noise!) sheep baaaa-ing, horses harrumphing, geese honking, chickens squawking, crows cawing, dogs barking ..... at least the rabbits are quiet!

Way up ahead I saw a lamb sneak out of the field, cross the road and start munching on something in the hedgerow.  As I got closer it still went on munching, and closer still and closer still - it was still munching away

 

I had actually gone past and turned in the hope of getting a better photo when it finally noticed me and skedaddled across the road and back in to the field.  So what was so delicious?

  

Can you see?  It was lots and lots of little apples!

 

I've been walking up and down the road for days now and hadn't noticed the apples .... or these raspberries

 

Now, you know I like old fence posts - and today I found this wonderful piece of old fence (yes, I know it's strange to like bits of delapidated fence!)

 

Do you remember some weeks ago I showed you this photo of the spooky tree (we think it wants to be Hogwarts Whomping Willow when it grows up!)

 

When I passed this morning there were three crows perched right at the top - could this mean that Lord V*****mort (remember you mustn't say his name!!) could be lurking in the hedgerows!!

 

Did you notice that I have changed my banner slightly - as I seem to tell you as much about my life here in the country as about knitting and sewing, I thought the banner should reflect that - although in that case maybe it should also mention food .......and wine ......and cakes ......

A mixed bag

Yesterday we went off down to Ashington to see Malcolm's Dad.  We met up with Jennifer, who had said she was gong to treat us all to lunch!  We went to Warkworth - and of course wherever I go these days, the camera goes too.  After a very nice pub lunch, we left Malcolm's Dad to have a little snooze in the car, as he is no longer able to walk far, while we had a quick potter round the shops .... and of course a photo opportunity or two

 

This is the old bridge over the river, and I'll let the next photo tell you all about it

 

We were standing on the new bridge to take the photo of the old bridge, and from there we also had this view over to the castle

 

Beside the bridge, is this quirky little house, which I couldn't resist taking a quick photo of, before the owners came out and chased me away!

And another wonderfully quirky thing - this was the old post office and although it now a house, the post box is still in the window (I was careful to take the photo at an angle so that I wasn't looking in the window!!)

 

This morning the sun was shining, so I was pottering about the garden taking some shadow shots for future Sundays, when finally, I saw this plant had flowered - I have been waiting for days to take a photo of it!

 

I have no idea what it is, but there is a big clump of it - there may even be another photo in the days to come when it flowers fully.  Just behind it is the funny little thing, with flowers that look like fluffy little balls (I tend only to know the names of plants I have bought, so I don't know the names of a lot of the plants which were already in the garden when we moved in!)

 

This shrub is at the front of the house, underneath our bedroom window. 

 

Now, I know you are saying, that's quite ordinary looking .... but it's hiding something under the branches

Do you know what it is yet, would you like another view?

 

It's a quince, and although this is an ornamental variety, the fruits can be used.  These won't grow much bigger than a golf ball, unlike the ones we saw in Portugal last year, which were about the size of a rugby ball!

This afternoon we were in Kelso, where we had lunch in the garden centre, before I headed off for knit'n'natter (I can't tell you what I'm knitting at the moment, as it is a surprise present for someone who reads this drivel blog)  We had a walk along the river after lunch, where I took this photo of proud mummy and daddy swan with the family (perhaps it was the same family that I posted a photo of some weeks ago) ....

 

..... but the moment was spoiled somewhat, when I had to shout at some young teenage boys who were throwing stones at the swans!!

 

Tuesday Treasures

When I was little my Granny and Grandpa used to stay with us for several months every summer, and one of my early memories is of being shown how to do some simple embroidery stitches by Granny.  I wanted to be able to make traycloths like hers

  

Especially with lovely crinoline ladies and pretty flowers

 

These tray cloths are over 50 years old and were in regular use for years - and they were washed in the washing machine!

 

The flowers are so fresh, they could have been stitched yesterday

 

I also have these three white-on-white embroidered tablecloths - I think they were embroidered by my great-aunt Mima (Granny's sister).  On special occasions, the diningtable would be covered first with a large white linen tablecloth and then one of these cloths would be spread on top.

 

Some years ago we had a Victorian house and the cloths were always in use, covering small tables.  Now they are folded away in the airing cupboard.

  

This butterfly is so delicate - it must have taken hours to stitch.

My Granny was always a prolific knitter.  So I guess sewing and knitting is in my genes - wonderful talents to have inherited.  I just wish I had also inherited my Mum's talent for baking.....

In stitches

Since I finished Oliver's quilt, other than working on the chickens, I haven't been doing any sewing, so I thought I would take the chance to show you some of my sewing over the years.

 

I made this for my Mum's birthday when I was eight or nine

 

This was done more than 30 years ago!

 

I love the colours of the butterfly

(I'm now gnashing my teeth - the following 6 photos were in pairs when I composed the post - but now they are all over the place!!!)

 

                           

Charles Rennie MacIntosh-style embroideries

                            

Small cross-stitch pictures

                           

Embroideries for my Mum, Rosemary and Malcolm's Mum, Doreen

Ruby Wedding sampler for my Mum and Dad

 

Ruby Wedding cross stitch for Malcolm's Mum and Dad

 

It's only now that I am writing today's post that I realise how many photos I took this afternoon - so I'll save the rest for another day (and that's only embroideries, I've got lots of patchwork photos as well!).  However there will be more sewing tomorrow, in the Tuesday Treasures - so do come back!

             

 

               

Shadow Shot Sunday

For some time now I have been enjoying the photos on Shadow Shot Sunday, so today I decided to be brave and join in!

 

No me, just my shadow!

 

carved wooden head from Indonesia

 

shadow and reflection of a Galileo thermometer

 

I think this could become addictive - I see shadows everywhere!  You can find out more about Shadow Shot Sunday if you visit HeyHarriet here .