It hardly seems two minutes since they were last here, but it is two weeks, so this morning saw me getting organised for Kist. Of course, you can't have a bunch of ladies without providing refreshments, so the first job is to get the coffee on and lay the tea-table.
I hope you like the tablecloth - I bought it when we were living in Indonesia (but like New Zealand, that's a story for another day). I am well known for the amount of tea I drink, so when I had to part company with Greenpark Quilters in Polmont (which is near Falkirk ... and if that doesn't help it's in Stirlingshire) when we moved to Indonesia, they all made me a block with a mug on it. I used them to make this wallhanging, which appropiately is called ' a nice cup of tea'.
In the first photo, you can see the painted cupboard that the kettle and coffee machine stand on. I did that way back in the mid-90s, when paint effects and stencilling were all the rage. It has moved house several times now (and even had a spell under a dust cover in the garage) and I wouldn't part with it. On the wall above the cupboard are family memories ...
In the middle is the sampler that I did for my Mum and Dad's Ruby Wedding in 1986. Sadly they never got to celebrate their Golden Wedding, as my Mum died in 1995. The photo above it is my grandparents in their shop in Glasgow. I don't know exactly when the photo was taken, but I think it was before the War. I embroidered the 'R' for my Mum one Christmas - can you just see it has roses twined round it? I also did one for my Mum-in-law - her name was Doreen, so was her picture perhaps a lovely dahlia? No, it was a dandelion! The drawn-thread picture is my first and last attempt (again it was a present for my Mum) - not a method of working I wanted to do again!
I couldn't finish without a wee mention of the giveaway ....
Another little thing has been added - this time a lavender bag. Now, it's not filled with namby-pamby French lavender - this is the real stuff, grown right here in my garden, good Borders lavender! So leave a comment and it could all be yours.