frayed at the edge

Running late!

I spent a good part of the afternoon in the hairdresser's, having my colour restored (yes, I admit it, the blonde isn't natural!!) and my unruly locks trimmed.  When Malcolm picked me up, we headed over to the flat.  By the time we unpacked and ate a delicious takeaway pizza, it was way past the time I usually post at, so just a quickie.  In the evenings, I have been adding some embroidery to the Autumn Breeze wallhanging.  Thick gold stems and tendrils

 

finer gold veins on the leaves

 

French knots down the centre of a small leaf

 

a silver tendril and leaves

 

silver running stitch

 

silver stem stitch on the heart.  I didn't mark any of the shapes, so some of them look a bit wonky ........ I shall simply say they are organic, or whatever the latest buzzword is!

 

I am now adding beads to the fmq leaves.  I only have three weeks to finish it - I had better sew the beads on a bit faster ......

Rain stopped play

We had thought we might go for a walk this morning before we went for lunch, but sadly rain stopped that plan.  At least we had the consolation of a tasty lunch ........ Malcolm's sandwich was pastrami with leek jam

 

while I had ham with apricot chutney

 

back home, I headed out to the studio, and turned on the tv - the diehard Wimbledon fans were braving the rain on "Henman Hill" to watch the Centre Court match, the only one being played,  on big screens

 

while the lucky ticket holders watched in comfort under the roof

 

so, I pressed Mrs B and popped her up on the design wall.  Since I added the large hexagon border, I have been unhappy with it, as the hexagons are too big

 

so I think I will make up some diamond stars like this, and add one to the centre of each hexagon

 

I am stitching the first of the small hexagon borders

 

I have the strip ready for the second side, and I counted out the hexagons that I need for the other two

 

I had already prepped quite  a few of these hexagon pyramids (yes, I like stitching hexies!)

 

they alternate between coloured ones, and calico ones

 

so I sorted out the rest of the ones that I had already prepped, and counted out the hexies I need to make the rest

 

but in sorting out all the bits and bobs that I had cut then not used, I found this pile of squares

 

so perhaps I will add a border of squares before the pyramid border

 

I folded the remaining bigger  pieces of fabrics and put them back in the project box

 

oops, a pile of scrappy bits left on the floor (note to self, please vacuum the carpet!!)  (in case you are wondering why a chose to have a plain brown carpet in the studio, when every little bit of thread shows on it ......... it was the end of a roll, and we got it for a bargain price!)

 

there is probably enough of this fabric for a last border, if I need to make the quilt a little bit bigger to sit on our bed, in top of our comforter

 

these scrappy bits have been put next to the sewing machine, to be used as thread catchers

 

I also tidied up my sewing tin, with my beautiful Japanese silk threads (with two YLI ones one the left)  The little tub of applique pins was given to me years ago by a friend ......

 

....... who also gave me this tin (which describes me perfectly!)

 

it contains this little tape measure - which is much too cute to unwrap and use!

 

having sorted out Mrs B (or maybe I should start calling her not-quite-mrs-B), I got out another project box - yes, it's the Aunts' Quilt

 

I didn't like the outer border on the pattern (dozens of scallops), but hadn't decided what to do instead.  But then recently I saw an idea when I was blog hopping (I can't now remember where I saw it, so if it was on your blog, please tell me so that I can put in a link).  So, a very simple idea, groups of three stems, each with a circle at the end.  After all the machine sewing that I have done recently, it will be nice to sit and do some hand sewing (or rather, lots of hand sewing!).

 

having just proof-read the post, I think I need to use less exclamation marks!!

 

Progress!

On Saturday, I got out my remaining quilt top for the exhibition, and this wonderful orange fleece for the back

 

all pinned, ready to quilt

 

I put the walking foot on the machine, and quilted in the ditch

 

the lengthways lines quilted

 

and the widthways ones added

 

the next stage was to trim the quilt and add the binding.  I found this shocking orange in my stash - I had bought it some time ago when I needed orange for .......

 

my "I found Nemo" wallhanging

 

the binding machine stitched on the front, and ready to handstitch to the back

 

the quilts have to have hanging sleeves for the exhibition.  Normally I use matching fabric for wallhangings

 

but these three quilts will be going to Linus after the exhibition, so I made temporary calico sleeves for them

 

the sleeve pinned in place, ready to be stitched

 

the finished quilt

 

I had another play using the plastic circles, starting with two big circles

 

then adding three smaller circles

 

and finally filled in some of the sections - good fun!

 

and this last photo is for Meredithe - woohoo, I have done some more work on Mrs Billings!!

A walk in the woods

Yesterday morning, we headed over to Harestanes, to go for a walk.  We parked beside this lovely old building

 

and for once resisted the lures of the beautifully crafted items in this shop

 

this is the visitor centre and cafe, where we ended our walk

 

we hadn't gone very far into the woods

 

when we saw this section of old tree trunk, with what at first glance looked like some sort of strange fungus on it

 

but it was a vast collection of coins, hammered into the wood ....... I have no idea why!

 

every so often, there would be a shaft of sunlight through the trees

 

I would be reluctant to sit on this bench, as I have watched far too many cheesy horror films, where nasty things creep out of the woods to attack  people!

 

I took this photo of the base of a tree trunk, then realised that you wouldn't appreciate the size of it

 

so took this one, with another bench, to give you the scale

 

Malcolm always pauses to admire the sturdy wooden bridges

 

this one has chicken wire on it, to stop you slipping on it when it is wet

 

even in the depths of the woods there was a flight of steps to be negotiated

 

and just in case we got lost, there was a compass to point the way

 

these plants also make me think of horror films

 

will some nasty tentacles appear and grab me?

 

no - they just produce pretty flowers

 

this weird and wonderful thing is a beech nut

 

the flies were basking in the sunshine

 

as we walked back to the visitor centre, a flash of red caught my eye - a post box!

 

every table in the cafe had a water glass with a few wild flowers and herbs - very pretty

 

we had some excellent sconnage - delicious cheese

 

and an unusual flavour - elderflower

 

I have mentioned in the past that when it comes to choosing a bottle of wine, I tend to go by the label, so I couldn't resist these two bottles when I was shopping this morning

 

you even get a little story about the pig on the back label!

 

but I wouldn't want you to think that my diet consists of scones and wine ....... I do eat some healthy stuff, like these juicy grapes

 

and the best strawberries in the world

 

and watermelon, which I have chopped up ready to eat with breakfast or pudding

 

and this is a selection from the fruit bowl ....... on the back right, an Asian pear, delicious grated into coleslaw.  Beside it, and ordinary pear, for a simple lunch, all you need is a pear, a little bit of cheese, some home made chutney and a hunk of crusty bread.  Front left is one of Malcolm's satsumas - I rarely eat them, and to finish, a flat peach, sweet and juicy

 

back tomorrow with some sewing!

Strange times

There is a scene in the film Local Hero with two elderly chaps watching the goings-on at a ceilidh, when one turns to the other and says "strange times, strange times" ......... and that is how we felt this morning when we put the tv on and found the country had voted to leave the EU!!  There are already all sorts of unintended consequences from that vote, but I am going to ignore them entirely, and instead treat you to some sunny photos of the garden, after last week's rainy ones.  I love big, blowsy poppies

 

with their intricate centres

 

this one had suffered a little in the rain

 

with splashes of colour from the centre on the petals

 

even the shady corner was enjoying a rare glimpse of sunshine

 

I do love hostas!

 

Malcolm has just given the summerhouse a good clean, but he was muttering about painting it - I'll just leave him to get on with it

 

we had to buy a new parasol this year, as the fabric on the old one had disintegrated!

 

we also replanted the big herb pot

 

and some small ones - we only have parsley as it came in a multipack of herbs, as we never use it in cooking!

 

the olive tree is looking healthy, but the vine next to it sadly would seem to be dead

 

unlike this one under the window, which is running riot

 

round in the front garden, the cherry tree has obviously paid attention to the threat to turn it into firewood, and has a good crop this year

 

the purple elder is just starting to flower - it looks very striking, but come the autumn, our cars will be covered in purple bird poo!!

 

I got these two little fuchsia in a supermarket for not much more than a pound each

 

I always think the flowers look like little ballerinas

 

just before I made our mid-morning cuppa, the postman arrived with a parcel containing these little beauties, so of course we had to have one - delicious!

 

this afternoon we headed over to Jedburgh, to make the great sacrifice of eating cakes, so that you can enjoy them vicariously

 

the premises had to be refurbished after being flooded in the winter, and Malcolm rather liked the bar, made from pallets

 

the tiny meringues that come with the cuppas are excellent - crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle

 

Malcolm chose cherry shortbread

 

while I had lemon meringue pie - it was the last piece, and was a rather large helping ....... so Malcolm had some of it (if Stuart had been there, we would have come to blows over which of us had it, as it is his favourite!!)

 

we are staying at home this weekend, so hopefully I will get on with my last quilt for the exhibition.  The forecast isn't very good, so we may not get out for a walk.  Whatever the weather, have a good weekend, love Anne 

Shaping up

So what did I do with the plastic shapes?  Well, first I will tell you what they are supposed to be used for.  There is a cutter which fits on the shape, then you use it to cut out card, but I haven't used it very much, as it is very hard to keep the shape in place as you run the cutter round it

 

but at the weekend, I was watching a class on Craftsy on using rulers for fmq, when I had a lightbulb moment ....... aha, I thought, maybe I could use those pink plastic shapes, instead of buying (very expensive) rulers.  So I set the machine up with the ruler foot, chose a circle and stitched round it

 

it was easier than I thought it would be - although I think it would be much harder doing it in the middle of a large quilt

 

perfect - my start and stop met up!

 

next I took this rounded square shape and positioned it (more or less) in the middle of the circle and stitched round it

 

a slight wobble at the end, but not too bad

 

a quick infill round the square - I can see lots of possibilities with the shapes

 

ok - I admit it, this one went somewhat awry!

 

when I was ironing the circus fabric prior to cutting out the cushion covers, I discovered that one edge had a flaw in the printing.  However I just trimmed it off before cutting the three strips, so these cushions are a little bit smaller than the farmyard ones

 

so who was going to be in the photos?  Choose us, shouted the Gnome Sisters!

 

no, no, choose us, yelled the Gnome Brothers

 

please choose us for the close-up, said JDtheTractor and Sock Monkey

 

after finding the strange moth yesterday, today Malcolm encountered a toad when he was doing some weeding (maybe I shouldn't let him out in the garden tomorrow!)

Squabbling!

Yesterday, I remembered to take photos of the satin-edged baby quilt.  Miss Jemima was delighted to pose with it ........

 

admiring the satin edging and hinting at a matching nightdress

 

but as you know, there is no show without Pooh, who demanded that he had his photo taken too, for after all the quilt is blue, and blue is for boys (no, he didn't want blue satin jammies, thank you very much!)

 

the two of theme squabbled so much, they had to be sent to the naughty step (which is difficult as we don't have stairs), and Miss Pink Piggy got to pose with the farmyard cushions

 

by the end of this afternoon, I had also finished the three silk cushions .........

 

...... and this one, which I am embarrassed to show you, as I got the measurements wrong and it turned out rectangular instead of square!  However, as soon as Malcolm saw it, he said he liked it, so I have given it to him

 

on Saturday, I bought this remnant of circus fabric.  It is the same make as the farmyard fabric, and should make another three cushions

 

while I was stitching away this afternoon, Malcolm stuck his head in the door and shouted to me to come out into the garden and bring the camera, as he had spotted this moth

 

it fluttered about a bit before disappearing - I just hope a hungry bird hasn't eaten it!

 

come back tomorrow and I will tell you what I did with these shapes!

Swans and boats

There are a great many swans about at the moment.  In the dock ..........

 

where there is a lot of weed for them to eat

 

and on our last two visits to the flat, there has been a black swan

 

they aren't native to Britain, so I don't know where this one has come from

 

out in the river, you can just see a line of them at the water's edge

 

and more further down the river

 

and looking the other way, they are right up under the bridges

 

in the dock, there was a shimmering reflection of the pilot boat

 

this boat, which is tied up in the far corner of the dock, is tiny

 

one of the fishing boats, returning from a trip

 

we passed this one yesterday, when we walked along to the beach

 

this little one sits under the dock at the lifeboat station

 

I do like a bit of blue sky behind an old chimney

 

Malcolm spotted this piece of ragged rope caught in a gnarly post

 

every time we go to the beach, I find another interesting piece of groyne for a photo

 

this little lump would look good in the garden, but I suspect it is like an iceberg, with far more below the sand

 

walking back from the beach, we saw yet more swans!

 

various lorries park on the dockside overnight, and last night these two car transporters appeared, laden with brand new Mercedes.  Malcolm reckoned there was £500,000 worth of cars ....... do you think they would have missed just one little one?

 

to finish, two sweet treats.  First, a bowl of delicious Scottish strawberries - possibly the best strawberries in the entire world

 

and second, the delectable Tom Hiddleston.  If you haven't seen him in the Night Manager, you have missed a treat (and I don't mean the scene in which you saw his bare bum) ........ it's an excellent story, and some of it was filmed in Majorca, with stunning scenery

photo by Mona Kuhn for W Magazine

A special day

 Yesterday was Fathers' Day, so of course that meant that Malcolm was well and truly spoiled.  When we were in Dunbar, I found these two quirky notebooks (a boy can never have too many notebooks!).  They have squared paper, so he can draw up tiny plans of his creations.  

 

after breakfast in bed (kippers on toast - delicious) we set off for a day out.  Unfortunately the main road was closed, but we didn't mind the diversion too much when we drove along country roads with lush hedges and verges

 

as soon as you see this photo, you will know where we went ....... Bamburgh for a walk on the beach

 

there were lots of people about, some flying overhead

 

some on horseback

 

some just standing enjoying the view

 

and a great big lolloping dog!

 

there were lots of colourful wild flowers in the dunes

 glorious sands for as far as we could see

 

and lots of blue skies, with just a bit of cloud

 

looking up at the castle from the beach

 

Malcolm spotted this arty shadow shot

 

looking across the cricket ground to the pavilion

 

and walking round to the pavilion, we found the rollers ready to be used on the wicket (it's all to do with what conditions the bowlers want!)

 

but the best view is from the far side of the ground - what a wonderful backdrop to play in front of

 

I treated Malcolm to lunch at the Copper Kettle - it was easier to take a photo of the placemat, than try to take a photo outside without a tourist in it!

 

he had crab sandwiches, with a very posh packet of crisps

 

I had chicken mayo and bacon, also with posh crisps

 

on the way home, we called in here, and I bought some scented candles, which are made in Selkirk by Eternal Flame Candles.  The first three have quite normal scents .........

 

........ and of course when we saw these ones, I had to buy them!

 

we went for a walk on "our" beach this afternoon, treating ourselves to ice creams as a reward for walking for miles!  But do you prefer to lighthouse to the right of the ice cream, or to the left?

 

It's raining again!

It has been a rather soggy week, and yesterday everything in the garden was dripping.  The miniature rose almost looked as if it had been dipped in plastic

 

large raindrops on one of the clematis

 

small raindrops collecting on the lilies in a pot beside the back door

 

the drops on this shrub look like little jewels

 

my favourite plant in the rain -  alchemila molis

 

a dainty seedhead on an early flowering clematis

 

as it was such a miserable day, we decided to put off going over to the flat until tomorrow morning.  So this afternoon we headed into Hawick, parking in the supermarket car park and popping in to buy the papers.  Then we left the car there and walked along the riverside towards the Mill.  Do you remember when, during the terrible winter floods, part of the road fell into the river?  Well, it's still there!

 

although some work has been done to shore up the riverbank

 

there is still a lot to be done

 

the power of flood water is frightening, causing huge sections of road to collapse

 

having inspected the damage, we crossed the footbridge to the Mill.  We had a potter round the shop before we went for a cuppa.  Malcolm saw a jumper that he rather liked, but it cost £495 ....... no, I didn't leave out a decimal point, it cost four hundred and ninety five pounds.  He decided that he didn't like it that much!

 

Malcolm had fruit loaf

 

and I had lemon sponge - both were delicious

 

we walked the long way round back to the car, giving me the chance to take to photo of these old wooden garages - I think they could do with some tlc!

 

you may be aware that there is some sort of football (soccer) event* going on in France - no doubt Malcolm will be glued to it for most of the weekend, but hopefully I can tear him away long enough to go for a walk!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

* Scotland were sensible and didn't qualify, which saved the fans the expense of travelling to France to see their team going out in the first stage.  Malcolm of course is cheering on England, so I said I would cheer on Wales, to provide some balance  (I had a Welsh great-granny - or possibly great-great-granny!)