frayed at the edge

Love is in the air!

We may have been together for 30 years, but we are still romantic ....... just look at these lovely presents we gave each other for Valentine's Day.   Malcolm gave me

 

and I gave him

 

yesterday it snowed all day, then in the evening it turned to rain, so that when we got up this morning almost all the snow had gone.  As it was also a bit milder, I decided to go out for a short walk at lunchtime.  The sun was shining on the hills

 

there were shadows from the clouds on the fields

 

these herdies were several fields away, so even with the big lens and the digital zoom, this was the best photo that I could get

 

I braved the muddy track again, but there was only one lamb at the top end of the field

 

back home, I spotted these tiny daffodils in the back garden

 

Malcolm was busy painting his log store

 

by the end of the afternoon, he just had the roof left to do

 

and now, a bit later in the week than usual, the sewing update!  At the weekend, I made the two quilt tops with the fabric that I got at Anne's

the first border on

 

the finished top

 

the first border on

 

the finished top

 

progress on Mr Badger

 

looking back through the photos looking for the sewing ones, I realised that I hadn't shown you these super buttons, which Katy got for me

 

I am the star turn at the Abbey Quilters' April meeting, and as I need to give out the requirements list at the March meeting, I thought I should make a start to designing the project and making the samples ...... here is a little sneak peek of what I will be showing you tomorrow!

 

to finish, this is the warning on the back of the magnets that I gave Malcolm ....... would you give them to a small child?

Powerless!

If I show you what we had for lunch yesterday, a lot of you will know where we were!

 

yes, we were at Ikea!  (sorry, I had started to eat before I remembered to take a photo).  We had gone out for the day because we had had a letter last week, letting us know that we would have no electricity between 9am and 4.30pm.  As there was something I wanted to buy from Ikea (more of that later), we thought we might as well have a trip  up to Edinburgh.  There was still a lot of snow on the hills

 

on the way home, we had a stop in Peebles, where we visited Moy Mackay's new gallery.  Her felt pictures are fabulous (if a bit expensive), but you can buy prints of her work. The photo of the gallery was taken at an odd angle ......

 

........because this rather large vehicle prevented my taking a photo from across the road!

 

so what did I buy at Ikea?  I wanted  a table top, as Malcolm is going to make a new sewing table for me, based on a similar one that I saw some time ago on Anne's blog  The plan is for Malcolm to cut a hole in the table top, into which I can fit the sewing machine, giving me a very large level sewing table, which should make it much easier to work with large quilts.  We found this bright red table top in the "scratch and dent" corner.  It is ideal, as the highly polished surface will make it easier to manouevre quilts

 

of course that's not all I bought!  I got new mattress covers, some scented candles (but I resisted the tealights!)  funnels and bottles for the flavoured gin and vodka that I made in the autumn ....... and this  fabulous set of tins (could you have resisted them?!)

 

we got back home at 4.15 to a cold house, and waited for the power to come back on ...... and waited and waited.  Malcolm eventually phoned to see what the delay was, and was told there was "a problem"!  Hooray, the power came back on just after five, and I had a rush to get the dinner made, as I was heading out to Abbey Quilters.  We were making Japanese folded patchwork brooches.  Mine looks a bit lumpy because of the pins!

 

we have started making a group quilt, which we will raffle at next year's exhibition.  I picked these fabrics for my block

 

I'll be back tomorrow with the sewing update, but to finish ....... Malcolm was very upset that I wouldn't let him hijack this timber lorry!

V.I.P.

No, I didn't meet someone famous at the weekend ....... the VIP is for Very Important Post.  Why is today's post important - well you will have to wait until further down the post to find out!!

The weather wasn't great yesterday morning, so when we got to Jedburgh we decided not to go for a walk.  Instead we bought the Sunday papers and headed for a cuppa.  Shock, horror, the scones weren't ready, so we had to make do with a toasted teacake (which was delicious!)

 

so, why is this a special post?  Well ....... recently we haven't been using the back road when we have been heading to Jedburgh or Kelso, partly because there are a lot of potholes, and partly because it is inches deep in mud in places.  But Malcolm decided to go that way yesterday, and when we went past Marian-the-neighbour's field ........ oh joy, oh bliss, the first lambs of the year!  Malcolm was going to stop and reverse to the gate so that I could get some photos, but I had the small lens on the camera, so I told him not to bother, that I would walk up to the field when we got back.  Of course when we got home it was snowing!  I changed into my windproof trousers, my windand waterproof Helly Hansen jacket, put on my warm hat and got my old boots from the garage.  The donkeys weren't out in the field next to us, but these hardy ponies didn't seem bothered by the snow  (the photo looks grainy, but that's the snow in the air)

 

on my way up the hill, I thought I would have a look in the other field where there are Jacob's sheep, to see if there were any lambs, which meant negotiating this muddy track

 

I could see that there were lambs, but they were too far away to take photos.  So I walked on, and found a (very small) gap in the hedge to squeeze through, then stepped over the rusty wire fence

 and crept through the trees, to be rewarded with these exceedingly cute lambs

 

I walked on round to Marian's field, sneaking up to the gate so that I wouldn't frighten the lambs.  They didn't seem at all bothered by the snow

 

you can't really see the snow in the photos of the lambs, but you can see it in this photo of the goose (or is it the gander?) .........

 

...... and the blackbird sitting on the hedge

 

there were lots of snowdrops in the verges

 

as I trudged back down the hill, the snow went off, and the hills appeared

 

this is my favourite view on the way home

 

I won't be here tomorrow - I'll tell you why on Wednesday!

 

Leftovers!

I only took two photos today!  So I have had a quick look through the photos that were left over from this week's posts.  I looked out my Baltimore blocks and put them on the design wall.  I have run out of enthusiasm for them, so I have two ideas for what to do with them.  The first idea is to join them in a row to make a runner which could go across the bottom of the bed, the second idea is to make them up into a quilt with plain blocks, which would be handquilted, perhaps with a feathered wreath or heart

 

when Lucie suggested using up scraps in January, I thought I would make several small projects, and had looked out these books ..... but then got sidetracked with the scrappy strippy blocks

 

when I went to put another log on the fire the other day,  I was a bit puzzled by this one.  It looks as if a branch had grown, then another branch had formed round it

 

while I have been busy sewing, Malcolm has demolished the log store (except for the base) and has started building another one

 

now for today's photos.  First, the Friday cake.  Today's delight was Annette's delicious light-as-air chocolate sponge

 

my lovely friend Katy said that she had a special present for me ....... something which she had seen, and immediately thought of me.  What could it be ...... diamonds, a little sports car, a ticket to an exotic destination

 

I hope she meant that she remembered that I like Cadbury's chocolate, and not that she thought I look like the monstrous spider!  As usual, we hope to go for a walk on Sunday, but the forecast isn't good.  No doubt a scone will feature at some point over the weekend!  Whether or not you are eating scones, I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

A strange crush!

So what did I buy yesterday?  First, these tiny squares of gorgeousness

 

then the most wonderful linen fabric with the cutest birds

 

I had already bought the black and grey fabrics for the badger, and yesterday I got the white fabric

 

but that's not all I came home with.  I have two more projects to do for Anne, both of them children's quilts.  A very pretty one for a girl - the two fabrics on the left are for the borders

 

this striking one could be for a boy or a girl, and again the fabrics on the left are for the borders

 

these two fabrics are for the backs of the quilts - I think you can work out which one is for which quilt!

 

this afternoon I gave the badger pattern a final tweak, widening the black strip on the left and changing the shape of the eyes

 

I used the card pieces to mark the pattern on freezer paper, then ironed the pieces on to the wrong side of the fabrics

 

the pieces cut out, ready to have the seam allowance turned to the wrong side and tacked in place

 

it's a while since I took an "action shot" ...... this is me tacking one of the black strips

 

to take the photo, I put the camera on this little tripod, which Stuart gave me several years ago for Christmas (by coincidence Malcolm gave me a large tripod that Christmas!) and used the timer on the camera to give me time to get my hands in the right place

 

the pieces all tacked and placed on beautiful black woollen fabric, which is another piece of Hinnigan's fabric from my stash

 

when I tacked the seam allowance on the white fabric, I pressed round the edge and then removed the freezer paper, as it would be unwieldy to work with such a big piece in place.  This is the fabric pinned in place ready to sew

 

I decided to use some of my stash of silk thread, and got out some of my favourite tiny applique needles

 

having finished watching Game of Thrones, I decided to indulge my slightly weird crush on Grissom in CSI

 

I first encountered Grissom when we were staying in South Shore Harbour in League City, Texas.  Malcolm was there on a business trip, and I had gone with him.  After he completed his business, he took a few days off and we went to San Antonio.  But while he was working, I had the days to myself.  I spent some time pottering around the shops (I still have the excellent pair of trainers that I got properly measured and fitted for), then one afternoon when it rained, I passed the time curled up on the bed in our hotel room, eating chips and dips and watching back to back episodes of CSI.  I have to say that I much prefer Grissom without the beard!

A grand day out!

Hooray, woohoo and other such exclamations!  The roads here were clear this morning, and Lucie emailed first thing to say that the roads were clear down her way, so we were able to meet up as arranged at Anne's.  Malcolm dropped me off, and went on down the road to Morpeth, to visit his sister Jennifer.  Lucie and I compared our versions of Lilly Pilly

 

This is Lucie, standing in front of the Notes of Love which I made for Anne, and which she longarm quilted

 

only two of the Wednesday regulars were there today.  Ros was working on an applique block

 

and Frances was hand-piecing star blocks

 

I came home with lots of fabric, which I will show you tomorrow.  So, back to yesterday and the two projects which I unearthed.  First, the one that was almost finished.  As you can see from the stamp on the bag, I bought this little kit in New Plymouth, in New Zealand.  This was when I went to the Quilt Symposium in 2001 (I said to Malcolm can I go to New Zealand and he famously replied "you can go if you want to"!!)

 

 

I don't know why I didn't finish it, as there wasn't much left to do

 

I stitched on the buttons, which were included in the kit, then looked out more buttons to add to the little wooden reels to make the hanging loop.  I'll put some double-sided tape on the reels and wind some thread round them

 

the other kit I found is for a pincushion

 

when I looked at the instructions, I realised that I had a circle template which is the right size for marking out the sashiko pattern

 

over the last few sessions in the studio, I have been watching my box set of season 1 of Game of Thrones

 

blood and guts, treachery, betrayal, handsome men (quite often nearly naked!), fabulous costumes ...... what more could you ask for!

!"£$%^&

Please substitute your favourite rude word/swear word/expletive for today's title!  Why?  Because it has been snowing again!!

 

it might look pretty, but it's a pain when the road is like this

 

I am supposed to be going down to see Anne tomorrow, and Lucie is planning to be there too ...... but more snow is forecast, so the visit may be cancelled.

Ah well, on with the sewing update!  Over the weekend, I finished stitching the scrappy strippy blocks together

 

I added a narrow border

 

then a wide border

 

today I added another narrow border, and another wide border ....... by which time it was too big for the design wall!

 

I have also made a start to Lillyanny, tracing the pattern on to bondaweb

 

then arranging the pieces to fuse to the fabric

 

after cutting them out, I arranged them on the background fabric

 

all the pieces fused in place ......

 

....... and the birds added

 

As part of the project to finish things this month, I looked out two small projects ..... one almost finished, and one not yet started.  I'll tell you about them tomorrow!

Hats

Yesterday morning we parked in front of the Mill, planning to go for a walk along the river, before having a cuppa in the Mill's wonderful coffee shop.  But first we walked over the footbridge to check out this amazing new shop

 

the man that Malcolm is chatting to is the builder who converted the milking parlour into my studio.  He was delighted to hear that I use it a lot, and that the log-burning stove has been a great success.  So what does the shop sell?  Hats ..... beautiful, gorgeous, fabulous (expensive) hats

 

this duck had better watch out, or it might lose some of its feathers to decorate a hat!

 

the weather had been better on Saturday, but yesterday there was ice on this puddle ........

 

....... grey sky behind the electrical gubbins

 

.....and later, a dramatic sky

 

the level of the river has gone down, but some of the houses still have their flood defences in place

 

amazingly this little clump of snowdrops has survived - you can see the grass and dried weed stalks on the bank have been flattened by the river, when it came close to flooding

 

by the time we went for our cuppa, we were decidedly windswept, and glad to get warmed up.  As we hadn't had a scone all week (!) we treated ourself to one of our two-scone lunches - a wonderful cheese scone

 

and a very tasty fruit scone

 

I'll be back tonorrow with the sewing update, but to finish, a silly photo.  In the course of our walk, we passed the civic amenity centre (aka the tip).  We were somewhat taken aback to see a horse ..... until we got closer and saw it wasn't a live one!

All can be revealed!

Remember I showed you the last scrappy bit of the wonderful Australian fabrics that Lee gave me for my birthday?  I can show you now what I made, as Lee has received the little parcel I sent her

 

you can see the quilting on the wrong side

 

I trimmed it to size, then sewed a piece of fabric on one of the long sides

 

I then folded it in half and stitched it to form a tube

 

the next bit is fiddly, as you have to fold what will be the inside over what will be the outside (did you follow that?), then stitch across the bottom

 

the last stage .... turn the little bag right side out.  I thought Lee might keep her sunglasses in it, so I popped my glasses in to let you see what it looks like

 

I added a pretty gift tag, and one of the cards that I had made with photos from our wonderful Autralian holiday

 

when Lee emailed me to say that the parcel had arrived, she said that the little bag was the perfect size to keep her camera in, and that every time she uses it, it will be a lovely reminder of the time we spent together, just as every time I walk through the hall and see the runners and cushion, I too think of our wonderful time in Sydney

 

today at patch'n'chat, a new customer came into the shop.  We quickly realised that she was a visitor (the American accent was a clue!), so we promptly set about cross-examining grilling asking her who she was,where she was from and what was she doing here.  The answer was Vicki, Chicago, and that she is here for a month's holiday.  She has been here, there and everywhere ...... you can read about her adventures here.  As a fellow blogger, she was happy to pose for a photo!

 

Kay was in this afternoon, delivering finished quilts nad collecting more quilts to longarm quilt.  I gave her Notes of Love, and other than saying I would like a heart quilted in the centre, I have left it up to her to decide how to quilt it.  She had brought in Jen's quilt, which is stunning

and if Jen wants a change, she can turn the quilt over to the other side, which shows off the quilting pattern

 

 

we had already invited Vicki to join us for lunch, then we mentioned that she might want to spend the rest of the afternoon with us, so that she could then join us for a cuppa and CAKE (oh yum, our favourite appe and sultana!)

 

you know I like something silly to end with ....... just before Christmas, a family of assorted owls took up residence in the yucca  (I don't think three is enough to qualify as a Parliament)

 

after Christmas, I suggested to the owls that they might like to go back home (the box in the loft) but they said they would be quite happy to stay in the back lounge, with their new BFFs, the Gnome Sisters .....

 

........ and the Gnome Brothers

 

did you notice a little bit of sunshine in that last photo?  There was even more in the kitchen this morning, shining in through Malcolm's study window.  Unfortunately, the sun showed up just how dirty the window is - it is by far the dirtiest window in the house ...... perhaps because it looks out into the neighbours' backyard, home to 3 dogs, 7 cats, 2 ferrets and a horse ........

 

hopefully the weather will be good on Sunday and we can get out for a proper long walk, instead of a quick stroll!!  Having finished the month of using up scraps, Lucie and I plan to spend February finishing UFOs, so I will be making a start to that over the weekend.  Whatever you have planned, I hope you have a wonderful weekend, love Anne