frayed at the edge

Fly me to the moon!

So, what have I been doing with the two panels?  I bought them to make quilts for Project Linus, as they are always short of quilt for boys, as most quilters seem to prefer making cute quilts for little girls!  Some years ago I started collecting "sky" fabrics - in fact it is so long ago I can't remember what I was going to do with them!

 

as often is the case with panels, they are out of proportion, being much too long in relation to their width.  So I started out by cutting out the centre panels, and putting borders on.  When it came to the second one, I had to use two different fabrics, but I like the dark and light effect

 

that left the strips from the top and bottom - what could I do with them?  I decided to cut  the pictures out

 

my little revolving mat make it much quicker and easier to cut out the squares

 

I chose two fat quarters .........

 

and cut out more squares.  Did you notice there were lots of things peeping out from behind the panels on the design wall?  Rather than take them all down, I laid out the blocks for the next quilt on my table.  With the addition of sashing, it will be a reasonable sized quilt, and with the remaining pictures and squares, I will be able to make another one the same size

 

I have also been working on this month's applique block for the Aunt's Quilts - here's a sneak peek

 

I have some friends in Australia who  love Patrick from The Great British Sewing Bee and also men in kilts (I won't embarrass them by naming them!) ........ so I hope they don't swoon with pleasure when they see these photos of ......... Patrick in a kilt!!

 

today at patch'n'chat we had delicious fairy cakes with fresh cream - I was very good and didn't have a second one!

winter might still be lingering outside, but in the kitchen it is spring!

 

we are staying at home again this weekend, as the forecast isn't very good for Sunday, so I hope to get the "space" quilts finished.  Whether you are looking forward to the better weather of spring, or the cooler temperatures of autumn, I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Springing into life!

The weather is trying to convince us that it is still winter, with snow flurries through the day, but out in the garden there are signs of spring.  Two of our clematis have leaf buds

the hellebore is flowering

 

I thinl this shrub is a skimmia (and if it isn't I know that you will let me know what it is!)

 

these miniature daffs are only 4" high

 

those were all in the back garden.  In the front garden, the ornamental quince has tiny buds.  When we first moved here, we had fruit from the quince, but we haven't had any for the last few years.  I wonder if it is because it has to be cut back several times a year, or it would block the way to the garden gate

 

there is a lot of growth on the flowering currant

 

a teeny tiny bud on the hawthorn hedge

 

these are full sized daffs

 

earlier, in the front garden, the sparrows were waiting for breakfast

with three starlings keeping an eye on them

 

while it's easy to take photos of the sparrows when they are sitting on the shrubs, it can be more difficult when they are swooping on to the fat ball feeder

 

I thought you might like a sneak peek of Malcolm's latest creation, as it takes shape in the garage

 

to finish ....... do you remember these panels, which I bought when we were in Australia?  Come back tomorrow and I will show you what I did with them today!

Three for a pound!

We took the wine box bookcase over to the flat yesterday, and put it in the entrance to the guest bedroom

 

there was just one problem - we hadn't taken any books or ornaments to put on it!  However when we popped into town for some shopping, we picked up three paperbacks in a charity shop for a pound.  I added Malcolm's special tin, a card with owls, two little Indonesian ornaments and an apple shaped dish

 

I had mentioned to Malcolm that I would need to look out a wallhanging to hang above the bed in the guest bedroom ........ I have to admit that I had forgotten about this one, which is called Sunset over the Bay, so seems appropriate for the flat.  It will look better once there is a quilt on the bed - which will be soon, as the blue and white batik quilt that I got from Margaret's auction is being longarm quilted and I should get it back next week

 

I also took over the ripple rug, which I finished at the weekend.  This prompted the left or right dilemma

 

in the end I just left it along the back of the couch, which is where Malcom sits.  Later I noticed that he had folded it and put it over one of the arms!

 

the ship was still being loaded this morning, but we had to leave as I had a dentist's appointment, so we missed seeing it leave the dock.  After seeing Mr HighScrabbleScore, we headed off for some lunch.  We decided to go to the Jammy Coo, as we hadn't been there for some time

 

Malcolm chose a panini and I chose a bagel, then we chose the same filling, bacon, brie and cranberry (delicious!)

 

I noticed that they had the cute little mugs for sale - but when I saw the price was £11.50, I decided perhaps I didn't like it that much after all!!

 

I just had the little point and shoot camera with me, but it coped quite well taking photos of the scenery from the car on the way home.  You can just make out some snow lingering on the hills on the horizon

 

this is Ruberslaw - Malcolm has been saying that he will walk to the top since we moved here (over eight years ago!)

 

to finish ...... when we passed this tractor, there was no sign of the driver, but Malcolm wouldn't stop to let me see if he had left the key in it ........

 

 

Stitching fun!

The first of my new purchases that I investigated was the new ruler

 

oh dear, this one is quite a bit trickier to stitch with than the first ones I bought

 

for my second attempt I drew a line to try to keep the sewing straighter - a slight improvement.  This ruler is going to take more practice!

 

I then did a little doodling with spirals

 

after changing thread, I stitched two peapods and did a little meander under them

 

I had just taken this photo of the contents of the elephant kit when Malcolm popped into the studio.  As I explained to him about the little sachet of glue granules, to be used to stick little flecks of foil to the fabric, I could see he was frowning.  I  assured him that I would cover the work with baking parchment before ironing it, and he said he had been worried about the mess it might otherwise make of the iron.  I found this quite funny, as the only thing I have ever seen Malcolm iron is an edging strip on to a kitchen worktop!

 

I decided to make the little Japanese bag, as all too often I buy these kits and then don't make them for months (if not years!).  I ironed the two pieces of fabric right sides together and popped them on the cutting mat, ready to trim them square and then pin them together

 

it was so quick to make the bag that I had almost finished it before I realised that I hadn't taken any more photos of the stages of construction!  So here is the ta-da!

 

I popped my sashiko pin cushion into the centre pocket

 

then moved it to the front pocket - there is a similar pocket on the back (and there are two little secret pockets inside too!)

 

after the huge loads on the road on Sunday, we arrived in Berwick this morning to find a very large ship in the dock

 

there was a constant stream of lorries coming into the dock all day - at times they had to queue to discharge their loads into the ship

 

we had hoped that the ship would leave at high tide this evening, but it is still there. Perhaps we will see it leave in the morning.  There were other arrivals today, which we were delighted to see ...... yes, the swans are back!

 

Not too extravagant!

So ........ my purchases on Friday.  Although I bought quite a few things, none of them was particularly expensive, and I even came home with money left over!   As you can see, I had my money in a pretty little purse (which was given to me by my lovely bloggy friend Thimbleanna)

 

I have been watching a Sue Spargo class on Craftsy, and am itching to get started on one of her designs, so my first two purchases were related to that.  A scrapbag of all sorts of loveliness, including velvet, wool, lace ribbons and trims ..........

 

....... and some delicious shades of blue to work all the wondrous stitches that I have been watching Sue do, but have yet to attempt!

 

I now have rather a lot of these beads - but at three packets for £2.50, it was hard to resist buying more

 

I have known Pat for years, and almost managed to have a chat with her as she dashed from teaching a workshop to looking after her stall!

 

the fabrics for this Japanese bag are beautiful

 

these are samples of a fabric range - I liked the fresh colours

 

these are buttons, but they may end up as decorations on miniature driftwood Christmas trees

 

I don't have a plan for this fabric yet - perhaps a sewing bag?

 

and of course I bought another Parrs Reel ruler

 

I have already used some of my purchases - but you wil have to come back tomorrow to see what I have done!  Yesterday, as we were heading home, we saw a van advising us that there was an abnormal load ahead.  It turned out to be two loads, vast fan blades for wind turbines

 

we thought there would be problems when the loads reached a tricky double bend in the road.  The first one negotiated it succesfully

 

but the second one had problems

 

misjudging the turn and getting caught against the trees

 

it took a bit of careful inching forward before he made it round the turn

 

the next obstacle was the village of Denholm - we could hardly bear to watch as they squeezed between the buildings

 

fortunately, just after we left Denholm, we were able to turn off and take the back road home, as the journey had already taken twice as long as usual!

 

 

 

A feast for the eyes!

There were some stunning, beautiful quilts at Ingliston today, but of course I have to respect the makers' copyright, and can only show you some general photos

 

generally the stall holders don't allow photography, but when I was chatting to the man on the Parr's rulers stand (reminding him that he had given me a good deal at Harrogate last year when his credit card maching wouldn't work and I didn't have quite enough in cash), he was quite happy for me to take a photo (as long as I waited until he got out of the way!).  I bought another ruler, but you will have to wait until Monday to see it, along with my other purchases

 

I almost didn't have my usual macaroni cheese and chips for my lunch, as they also had lasagne on the menu.  I ate most of the macaroni, but I only ate about half of the chips.  I did say to Maureen to help herself to chips to go with her (healthy) sandwich, but she declined ........ I wish I had her willpower!  (but then I only have that for lunch twice a year at the quilt shows!)

 

I met lots of friends and had a lovely time catching up with them, then all too soon it was time to head off back down the road.  As I mentioned yesterday, we did indeed call in at the Mayshade Garden Centre, where Maureen treated us to a "plate to share" of delicious cakes - we have to have our Friday cake!

 

as the forecast isn't very good for the weekend, we are staying at home, so no doubt I will be out in the studio doing lots of sewing.  Whatever the weather, I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

 

ps - do let me know what you think of the new look for the blog - I thought it was time to move on from the winter theme!!

Creative difficulties!

Malcolm finished his wine box bookcase this afternoon, so I was all set to take photos when I finished in the studio.  As it was a lovely bright afternoon, I was looking forward to getting good photos in natural light.  Then, about five minutes before I finished my sewing, dark clouds came over and it started to rain!!  So I had to turn the lights on in the kitchen, where the bookcase was sitting.  This caused another problem, as the bookcase would have looked a bit strange with kitchen cupboards behind it.  I arranged the bits and bobs on the shelves, then got Malcolm to hold up the Birdie Border quilt, with the back facing me.  Perfect!

 

as the bookcase is made with wine boxes and has all the corks that Malcolm patiently cut in half decorating the middle section (he also cut his thumb!), I thought that it could also be used as a sort of wine rack/bar

 

there was a slight delay in putting some bottles of wine on the shelves, as I discovered that only bottles with proper corks fitted the wine boxes - those with screw tops are just a little bit too big.  I also wanted a bottle of New Zealand wine for the middle section, but after searching his various wine racks in vain, Malcolm could only come up with an empty bottle.  I wanted a NZ wine to sit with these very special glasses

 

they aren't special just because they (almost) have my name on them.  I bought them from a restaurant called Annie's in Christchurch (the one in NZ, not England!).  I bought the first one when Malcolm and I were there on holiday in 2000, then I bought the second one when I was in NZ the following year for a Quilt Symposium.  Amazingly they both survived the journey home in my hand luggage!

 

these little handpainted goblets are also well-travelled ....... we bought them on one of our wonderful Australian holidays!

 

when I was in the studio this afternoon, I did some more prep for Mrs Billings, then I free-motion quilted the other Linus quilt that I made recently

 

I had already made the binding, so it didn't take long to stitch on.  All I have to do now is handstitch the binding on the back of the quilt

 

Maureen and I are off the Edinburgh in the morning for the Spring Quilt Fair at Ingliston.  We have raided our piggy banks, just in case we are tempted to by a fat quarter or two.  And we might stop at the Mayshade Garden Centre on the way home for a cuppa and cake - you know we have to have cake on Friday afternoons!!

 

 

 

The wrong weather!

We had hoped to go for a little jaunt today, and perhaps find an old church to take photos of.  However the weather didn't co-operate, so we  went for lunch at the Waterwheel Cafe, just outside Selkirk.  I had the coronation chicken baguette

 

and Malcolm had the egg mayo

 

back home, I headed out to the studio ....... but not just to sew!  Yesterday - oh joy - I bought the box set of season 4 of Game of Thrones

with my most, best,  favourite character, the devious, manipulative and conniving Tyrion

 

as we had to change our plans, instead of photos of a charming old church, we will have a sewing update!  On Saturday, I thought I ought to make a start to this year's challenge for Abbey Quilters.  We were given two fabrics, the white one and the one on the left, to make a block with.  I added the one on the right

 

I marked out large large circles to fussy cut

 

then marked out small circles from the remaining fabric

 

I got out one of my bias tape makers

 

and after cutting strips on the diagonal

 

had several lengths of bias ready to use, along with the circles

 

I used the lid of a tin to mark a circle on my background fabric

 

and pinned the bias in place

 

I played with the layout

 

finally deciding on this one.  All I have to do now is stitch it all in place - and perhaps add some embellishment!

 

I also finished the Linus quilt, and inspired by the knitting book that I reviewed last week, I thought I would stage a photo.  But this led to the familiar dilemma - should the chair be on the left

 

or on the right?

 

when we were over at the flat, I was working on my stitcheries.  I am now on the 7th one

 

with the other six looking good on the design wall

 

I have also being doing a lot of work on Mrs Billings, but at the suggestion of Meredithe I am going to do a report at the end of each month on my progress, so you will have to wait to what I have been doing!

Rusty!

When we arrived in Berwick on Sunday, this rather rusty ship was sitting in the dock

 

it had been sunny when we left home, but it got cloudier and mistier, the nearer we got to Berwick.  However we still went out for a walk.  We could see this sign in the distance, and with the help of the long lens were able to read it.  We were delighted to read that the area is going to be refurbished

 

as we walked out to the lighthouse, the waves were getting higher and higher - I was feeling seasick watching them!

 

every so often the sun would break through the clouds, and reflect off the waves

 

the swans weren't bothered by the waves, looking as serene as ever

 

for once I didn't have to decide whether to have the lighthouse on the left or right of the photo, as it was straight ahead!

 

yesterday we went for a potter round the shops, then instead of walking back over the old bridge as we usually do, we came back over the new bridge.  It is only when you walk across it that you realise how much higher it is.  I had to turn round to take the photos, to keep the sun behind me.  I took several, to show just how long the bridge is

 

 

when crossing bridges, I only look out, I never look directly down, so it was Malcolm who spotted this swan-shaped picnic table at the foot of the bridge

 

back at the flat, I spent quite a lot of time at the window watching the ship being loaded

 

by the end of the afternoon the ship was fully laden, and you can see how much lower it is in the water compared to the first photo

 

to finish, an "arty" shot of the pilot boat, complete with its reflection in the still water

My 4th Auntlets report

I am delighted to say that I have completed all the blocks for this 4th report!  First, the two pieced blocks

 

and then the applique block

 

I also finished off applique blocks three and four

 

after putting the blocks on the design wall

 

I got out the rest of the blocks, and arranged them all on the design wall - by the time I finish this month's blocks I will be running out of room to put them on the wall!!

 

I am enjoying making this quilt, and am looking forward to finishing it - having the discipline of making blocks for each month's report is certainly keeping me on track!  What I need now is someone to crack the whip over me to get more of Mrs Billings done!!  I'll be back tomorrow with lots of photos from Berwick, including a visiting ship from Monrovia!