frayed at the edge

A tiny envelope .......

......... arrived in the post this morning

 

containing teeny, tiny buttons, some of which I am going to add to the kits for the hexagon pincushions

 

when we stopped for our cuppa in the middle of the housework this morning, I had to open a new tub of hot chocolate.  As they are vacuum packed, I only open one tub at a time.  After a great deal of "will I have this one, will I have that one", I decided on the creme brulee ......... delicious!

 

at patch'n'chat this afternoon, Maureen showed us a delightful little wallhanging that she has made for her friend Jane, who keeps chickens

 

I was going to say that I finished my little sashiko sampler, but you would then tell me that I haven't worked the last row!  The reason for that is that I ran out of the thread that Rinecke gave me when she demonstrated how to do sashiko at a recent meeting of Abbey Quilters, and the new thread that I bought last Friday is a bit thinner.  But don't worry, the extra marking will wash off.  Then I will add a border and make it into a small wallhanging

 

then there was the Friday cake - Annette's delicious, light-as-air chocolate sponge

 

I will of course be busy sewing at the weekend, finishing of my step-by-step samples for week 3 and week 4 of my classes.  I think it is to be chilly over the weekend, but if it stays dry we will, of course, go for a walk on Sunday morning.  And no doubt sconnage scoffing will happen too!!  Have a good weekend, love Anne

A slight delay

Tracey phoned me from the College yesterday, to say that she had realised that my first class, scheduled for next Thursday, clashed with the Jethart Handba.  This means that the windows in the college will be boarded up, and lots of men will be running riot through the town, so we decided to delay the classes by a week.  Malcolm and I popped into the college this morning, as Tracey had various bits of paperwork to go over with me.  We had a cuppa (and biscuits) while she explained all the ins and outs of working at the college, including where the fire exit is, where the first aid box is, where the staff toilet is, and most importantly, where the fridge is!!  She also gave me my staff pass (Malcolm is still laughing at the terrible photo of me!!)  It was quite a thrill to see my samples in the college window!!

 

I have to write a little article about myself for the next college newsletter, and Tracey also asked me to send her some photos, so I took these this afternoon

 

I have had these beautiful Japanese silk threads since 2001 - I bought them on my first trip to Houston.  I had been waiting for a very special project to use them for, and finally I have one ........ Mrs Billings

 

I finished the quilt top for Quilts for Comfort this afternoon.  First I added a red border

 

and then a grey/black border

 

to finish - after we had been at the college, we popped into the Woolen Mill for a quick lunch.  I went to the Ladies, and was surprised to find this small chair  It is sadly in need of refurbishment, butI couldn't fit it in my pocket, to take it hoe and give it some tlc (goodness me, yesterday I was talking about stealing a garden gate, and today a chair!!)

 

ps - I am sorry that some of you had a problem leaving a comment yesterday.  I have been in touch with Typepad, who said that there was a brief problem yesterday, which has now been fixed.

Still waiting!

When the sun came out for about three minutes yesterday morning, I decided to go for a walk.  The muddy path was as muddy as ever .........

 

but I carefully traversed it to see if any more lambs had arrived - but, alas, the ewes are still waiting

 

I walked on round to the other field, but the ewes and lambs must have been on the other side of the slope, and all I could see was the top of the old donkey

 

although I was disappointed at not seeing any cute little lambs, I did have lots of wonderful scenery to enjoy.  I walked on down the hill, to where the funny little house was demolished last year.  The garden gate is still there - if I wasn't such a good law-abiding person, I would steal it!!

 

just beyond the gate, I took a few steps along a farm entrance.  Looking to my left, I saw (two of the three) Eildons

 

in front, (one of the two) Mintos

 

to my right, Fatlips Castle on top of the bluff

 

and further to my right, way in the distance, the Waterloo Monument

 

on the way home I had fun seeing monsters/animals in gnarly bits of old hedges

 

the sun was still shining, lighting up the church

 

of course sunshine and blue skies mean a photo (or two) of electrical gubbins!

 

what's that you're shouting, you want to see my favourite view?

 

this morning we went to Kelso, and had a potter round the shops.  We then went to the Hoot'n' Cat for lunch

 

Malcolm had a jacket potato with cheese and pickle, and a nice healthy salad

 

when I asked for a coronation chicken sandwich, the waitress asked if I wanted salad or crisps with it.  Immediately my inner crisp demon made me ask for crisps!!

 

I can hear you shouting at me again, asking if I bought anything when we were browsing round the shops.  You know I love magazines, and especially first issues of magazines, so of course I had to buy this one

 

these super cute pincushions may have to go on the to-do list

 

my other purchase is a brilliant bargain!  I was raking through a basket of fabric remnants when I found this piece of very heavy furnishing fabric with elephants - I think there are six repeats of the elephant.  When I showed it to Malcolm, he agreed it would make smart cushions for the front lounge.  I took it to the counter and asked how much it cost ......... when the shop owner said £1, I paid up quick and we made a sharp exit before she changed her mind and charged me more!  The elephant is actually a much richer colour than it looks in the photo, but the camera refused to show the true colour!

 

a bit of fun to finish - this brings a whole new meaning to walking the dog!!

 

Oops .......

I was busy on Saturday afternoon piecing the quilt that I am making for Quilts for Comfort.  I started by sewing the two rows on the left together

 

but did you notice the little oops in the photo ...... have a look at this one of the next stage, can you spot it now?

 

unfortunately I didn't notice it until I had reached this stage.  If you look at the fourth row from the bottom, the dark triangle on the right is turned the wrong way

 

that's better!

 

a bit more sewing, and the piecing is finished.  I think I will add a narrow red border, then a wider black/gray border

 

I also did some more quilting on the country cottages quilt

 

on Sunday I did some more stitching on my sampler from the Sheena Norquay workshop

 

this afternoon I was busy assembling the kit for the second week of the "Get Set for Patchwork" classes.  I saw this way of cross cutting strips into squares recently in an online programme.  It was one of those "lightbulb moments" - I had never thought of cutting across all the strips in one go.  This saves a lot of time!

 

fabric, papers, stuffing, and beads for embellishment

 

where are drumrolls and fanfares when you need them?  Yes, the big moment had arrived ....... starting Mrs Billings.  I had ordered the rest of the fabric I needed, so I gathered everything together

 

a special project like Mrs Billings needs a special notebook to record progress in

 

the first step was to cut up some hexagons into diamonds - these hexagons are tiny, they are sitting on one inch squares on the cutting mat

 

I chose my first three fabrics.  I will fussy cut the hexagons - I ran out of time to start cutting today

 

to finish - another old film, which I was watching this afternoon.  This one is from 1960 - The Time Machine

 

Was there a pot of gold ......

........ at the end of this rainbow on Saturday morning?

 

no ........ just some sheepies!!

 

so what did I buy on Friday?

three bargain metre lengths, to use for Linus quilts

 

ricrac for the kits for the patchwork class

 

I love a bargain!!

 

a small hoop for machine quilting, to use with my smaller sewing machine

 

sashiko thread

 

lots of luscious beads

 

I'm blaming Maureen for this last purchase .......... she dragged me to the stall and twisted my arm up my back until I bought it....... she pointed out this delightful kit, knowing that I am an owl fan

 

when I got home, there were two little parcels for me.  The first contained these sewing-related charms.  I had been looking for scissor charms when I found this pack of mixed charms

 

but as I needed eight scissor charms, I searched further, and found these ones

 

when I was busy sewing on Saturday, this film was on tv

 

the film starts with Charlton Heston getting in a pod, to sleep for a year.  He is clean-shaven when he gets in, but as you can see, he has a full beard when he wakes up.  I don't want to nit-picky ......... but why does he have short fingernails - surely they would have grown as much as his beard?

 

the nuthatch paid a brief visit to the peanut feeder this morning

 

when I was out in the garden this afternoon, a little flash of yellow caught my eye.  These are miniature narcissi, just six inches high

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a sewing update, although I can't show you one of the the things I am working on at the moment ........ I am hand quilting the Abbey Quilters' raffle quilt.  I am spending two hours every evening stitching away, crosshatching twenty five Baltimore blocks.  I have done the lines in one direction on all the blocks, and am on the tenth block working the lines going the other way.  Once I have finished, I'll pass the quilt on for quilting to be done on the applique centres of the blocks, then someone else will put the binding on.  I hope to be able to show you the quilt soon.

 

 

A grand day out!

Maureen arrived ten minutes early this morning, but as I am a very punctual person, I was ready even earlier!  We had a good run up to Edinburgh, although there was a bit of rain and sleet.  Suitably fortified with a large cup of tea, we split up and hit the show.  I decided to look at the quilts first.  As you know, I'm not supposed to show you the quilts, in case you copy them, so I'll just show you some details

 

when I was waiting in the queue for lunch, I was chatting to the lady in front of me ....... like me, she was hoping that macaroni and chips was on the menu.  Hooray, it was!!!!  (I don't like tomato ketchup, I am a brown sauce girl!)

 

of course I spent all my pocket money (and possibly a little bit more) ....... I'll show you my purchases on Monday.  After a further bout of quilt viewing and shopping after lunch, Maureen and I decided that we would head for home, and stop off at a garden centre on the way for a cuppa and cake ........ we were tucking into the cake when Maureen realised that I hadn't taken a photo - oh well.

 

For the rest of this evening, I will be sitting with my feet up on my stool, resting my weary legs ........ and enjoying a delicious glass of wine or two, a present from Maureen to say thank you for giving her a lift.  As always I shall be busy sewing over the weekend, and I hope you have a good weekend too, love Anne

Strolling along ......

........ through the streets of Alnwick, there was still plenty to see.  It's a while since I included a photo of a postbox - this one is Victorian, so it is well over a hundred years old!

 

I haven't been able to find out anything about this imposing structure

 

this is part of the parish church

 

a very stylish headstone

 

this sad little stone doesn't have a name on it

 

this one is heartbreaking

 

if only Edward Stamp could have seen this testimonial!

 

this used to be the route of the A1 - the main road down the east side of the country from Scotland to England (or up from England to Scotland)

 

this is the entrance to the castle

 

with these quirky figures on the top

 

I usually take photos of the scenery through the windscreen, but this section of road was like a rollercoaster, and as the car swooped up and down, I just couldn't take a decent photo.  Fortunately Malcolm spotted a layby and pulled over, so that I could take photos of the wonderful  (if a bit hazy) scenery

 

Malcolm gets very impatient if he is held up at a junction, but I didn't mind when we had to wait for several cars to go past before we could turn, as it meant I could snap these chickens, wandering about just inches from the traffic

 

we had a stop on the way home for a cuppa, at the Cafe Maelmin.  Years ago we used to call in here regularly for breakfast when we were on our way to visit Malcolm's parents.  Over the years the decor has changed several times, but there is always a friendly welcome, and the food is good.  We couldn't resist the lemon drizzle cake!

 

tomorrow Maureen and I will be heading up the road to Edinburgh for the spring quilt show  I have some pocket money to spend, and I'm hoping that macaroni cheese will be on the menu for lunch!

<

A long way for a short cut ......

..... a short haircut, that is.  Malcolm is very fussy about how his hair is cut, and recently has been going to a barbers in Alnwick - he goes after he has dropped me off at Anne's shop.  As usual, for at least the last two weeks I have been saying "You need a haircut dear", so on Monday he suggested that, as the weather forecast was reasonable, we could have a day out in Anwick on Wednesday.  As I hadn't been to the town for years, I happily agreed.  It was a bit grey when we left home, but as we drove south the weather improved

 

while Malcolm was getting his hair cut, I pottered round the town looking for things to take photos of, first looking up

 

then looking round

 

 

a shop devoted to chocolate!!

 

when Malcolm eventually emerged from the barbers (who knew it took so long to have short hair cut a bit shorter!) we went to this delightful coffee shop for lunch

 

Malcolm had chorizo quesadilla, with salad, mayo and hummus

 

and I had a delicious seeded roll with cheese savoury, also with salad, and mayo in the cute little pot

 

after lunch, we walked round to Barter Books

 

there were so many books, it was a bit overwhelming, and in the end we didn't buy anything.  I think we would need to go back when we had much more time to spend browsing

 

as we continued on our walk, we spotted this flowering currant, which is much further on than the one in our front garden

 

our next stop was at Alnwick Castle, but as the castle is closed for the winter, we just had to view it from afar

 

we could have visited Alnwick Garden, but we decided to save that for a brighter day.  We just had a sneaky peak through the entrance at the water cascade when the attendant wasn't looking!

 

as we left, I noticed this tiny rusty door - it is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper.  I wonder what it is for?

 

continuing our walk, we came across this fine statue of Harry Hotspur

 

I still have quite a few photos left, so I shall save them for tomorrow.  To finish today's post ....... a litttle hint of spring, some bright aconites

 

The rest of the news ........

........ after the excitement of yesterday's lambs and donkeys, I hope you are not too bored by today's post of scenery and sewing (and some excellent sconnage)!!  I headed over to Kelso on Saturday morning for the Abbey Quilters' workshop.  It turned out to be a quiet day, with only seven of us there.  But it got off to a very good start when the lovely Val produced a tin of delicious scones, topped with a tasty, sharp cheddar

 

then at lunchtime she produced a wonderful chocolate tray bake - yum, yum!

 

I was working on my samples for my upcoming classes - more of that later.  On Sunday we got up to blue skies - hooray!  We decided to go for a walk to have another look at the Archimedes screws, as they were having problems with them when we were there just before Christmas with Stuart and Alison.  There was a lot of water going over the cauld

 

and a lot going through the screws

 

I paused to read the informative signs (click on the photos to enlarge them)

 

now that the building work is finished, we were able to walk on along the riverbank

 

I wonder why someone had spray painted this pine cone

 

we walked back to the Waterwheel cafe for a cuppa - but had a diversion over to the neighbouring field to take photos of the sheep

 

the scones were delicious ...... one cheese and one fruit

 

I took some photos of the scenery as we drove back down to Hawick - you can see a little bit of snow on the hills in the distance

 

today I finished off the prep work hhat I was doing on Saturday for the needlecase, which is week one of the classes, and pinned all the stages to a polystyrene sheet

 

I finally decided which fabrics to use for the kits that the students will get

 

this is what they will get on the first morning - I have still to add the ricrac and a length of ribbon

 

the last thing to go in the pack will be the worksheets - I know they will be last as I haven't written them yet!

 

I was very spoiled this afternoon when Malcolm brought out my hot chocolate ...... he had bought some custard doughnuts when he was out this morning ........  I will have to work extra hard on the implements of torture for a few mornings to work off the calories!!

<

Bumped!!

Just like last Monday, the planned post (yes, it's hard to believe that I actually plan the posts!) has been put on hold, to make way for donkeys and lambs ........ and some birds.  I was standing at the bedroom window this morning, drying my hair (we have a deep windowsill which has a mirror on it), when some long tailed tits swooped into the garden and settled on the fat ball feeder.  The hair was abandoned and I rushed through to the lounge to grab the camera

 

after lunch I went for a walk to see if there were any more lambbs.  I braved the muddy path along to the field gate, only to find that the ewes were still waiting

 

so I walked on round to the other field

 

hooray for the big lens!!!

 

while I was taking the photos, this goose (or is it a gander?) kept honking at me, obviously annoyed that I was looking at her/his flock!

 

on the way up the hill, the donkeys had been in the far paddock, but when I came back down, they were in the field beside the road

 

the ponies were obviously annoyed that the donkeys were getting all the attention, and lined up to have their photo taken

 

these ewes probably have about six weeks to go, before their lambs arrive

 

a few more sheep to finish - or a few sheep bottoms!  As I was about to turn out on to the road from the drive this morning, several sheep walked past.  Just when I thought that I would have to get out the car and round them up, our neighbour BillytheFarmer appeared behind them on his quad bike.  By the time I got the camera out of my handbag, all I got was a view of their rear ends as they turned into the stable yard, on their way to the field behind