frayed at the edge

A moving tale!

 This was my studio when I was in the middle of packing it all up

 

and this is how it looked on Monday afternoon - after I had vacuumed all the thread off the carpet!

 

I was just thinking that I would miss watching the many birds that visit the garden .......

 

....... when this little fat robin popped in to say goodbye

 

this was the very last box to be packed ........ and the last things in were the coffee mugs and the kettle!

 

however, today we have embraced our interim stay in the flat, and headed to the Garden Centre for lunch.  There was a special deal of a bowl of soup and a cheese scone - perfect!

 

we then went for a walk along the promenade.  We would have walked on the beach, but I have a bit of a sore leg, as I had a mole removed (on Friday the 13th, I should have known better and changed the appointment!) and unfortunately the stitches became infected, so I am hobbling about the place!

 

but if we had wanted to walk on the beach, we would have had a problem using this stairway, as recent storms have deposited all sorts of detritus

 

we weren't quite sure what this little beastie was, grinning at us from the beach

 

but we were impressed with this dragon, guarding a house

 

this tree is very, very big ........ but we could see fresh saw marks way up at the very top, where it has been trimmed by a tree surgeon

 

another old post box to add to my collection

 

it was cheering to see a splash of colour

 

this was the entrance to the Berwick and Tweedmouth Gaslight Company

 

Malcolm wouldn't let me play with the machines!!

 

as we headed back to the car, we saw one of the little fishing boats coming in

 

and to finish, a bit of fun!  Is this a little ghost looking in the window to say goodbye

 

and was this his little friend?  No, it's bird poo that I hadn't cleaned off our bedroom window!!

Still a bit poorly!

Hello my dearest peeps!  Thank you so much for all your lovely good wishes for a speedy recovery.  Unfortunately the horrid nasty flu is reluctant depart - most evenings I am in bed at 8pm, sleeping through to 6am!!  However, I thought I would pop in and share some photos.  We start with the first snow on the winter

 

it did get a bit deeper than this

 

but the roads were clear, so there wasn't much disruption

 

I took this photo of the full moon in the early morning (of course that is through the window, I didn't go outside!!)

 

Malcolm has had to do most of the packing - fortunately I had packed these before the flu struck

 

I had to raid my secret emergency chocolate stash - even the awful flu doesn't seem quite so bad if you can eat delicious chocolate!!

 

I'll be back soon with my first report on 17 in 2017!

 

On the move

We were out and about in Northumberland again on Saturday, this time visiting Alnwick.  First stop was this imposing old church ......

 

........ which is so big it wouldn't fit in one photo!

 

I assume this sad little headstone marks a child's grave, but there is no inscription on it

 

unlike this one, which tells you in detail of the deceased

 

in days gone by, if you were trying to invade the castle .......

 

if you didn't impale yourself on these vicious railings

 

you would have been bombarded

 

by the defenders from above

 

as we walked on round the town, I rather liked this pile of beer barrels, with their bright stripes

 

a dainty garden gate

 

but why have a door, when you can simply walk round the end of the wall!

 

why is this pub world famous?

 

for a rather scary reason

 

you can just make out one of the dirty bottles

 

there was a delicious aroma of cheese in the air as we passed this shop

 

the castle and gardens are closed for the winter

 

but you can walk past this magnificent gate

 

can you spot the lock, and where the gate opens (you can click on the photo to enlarge it)

 

a detail of one of the birds on the gate

 

and one of the beautiful glass flowers

 

sadly the ice cream kiosk was closed .......

 

we drove on to Bamburgh, and there were the usual problems of taking a photo of the castle from the car - a bump in the road and you get more sky than you want

 

or the car in front won't get out of the way!!

 

when we parked, we found that most of the shops and tearooms were shut ........ but fortunately there was one open, serving the most delicious scone with jam and clotted cream - bliss on a plate!

 

yesterday morning when I got up and looked out the bedroom window, I was rather surprised to see a naval vessel sitting offshore.  It sat there for a while, then sailed off, so I will never know what it was doing there

 

some weeks ago, I teased you with talk of being out and about in Northumberland as part of a BIG project.  So now it is time to reveal some of what we have been up to.  The empty shelves in my studio give a small clue

 

then there are all these boxes sitting in the hall

 

and pictures down from the walls and stacked in the "fitness room"

 

yes, we are moving!!  The house had been on the market for some months, when suddenly, just before Christmas, up popped buyers.  Barring any last minute hiccups, we move out in three weeks' time!!  So where are we going ...... yes, you've guessed, we are moving to Northumberland, where Malcolm was born and grew up.  We have had our offer accepted on a house, but it is very early in the  lengthy process of buying it, so I'll wait until things are further down the line before I tell you about it.  When we move out of this house, everything will go into storage, and we will go and live in the flat - we are fortunate that we have that option, otherwise we would have had to rent a house.  However, I will still be sewing, and I will definitely still be blogging!!  (and working on my 17 in 2017!)

 

 

A little bit of sewing

I'm the star turn at the February meeting of Abbey Quilters, showing the members how I hand quilt, so I thought I ought to make a start to making my sample.  I drew this design and popped it on my light pad

 

covered it with another sheet of paper, got out  a Sharpie marker

 

and traced it with much heavier lines which will show up better for the members when they trace it on to their fabric.  I don't draw over my original drawing, in case the pen slips and spoils it.  The dashed lines are to help position the pattern in the centre of the fabric

 

there are all sorts of methods for marking the design on the fabric, but I like these Frixion pens.  I know a lot of purist quilters don't like them, but I'm not using them to mark heirloom quilts, just small everyday pieces

 

I started by marking a cross in the centre of my fabric

 

then popped the fabric over the pattern on the light pad, lining up the cross with the dashed lines

 

after I have quilted the piece, I will simply waft the steam iron over the lines and they will vanish

 

a choice off threads and a choice of needles - but now you will have to wait until February to see what I did next!

 

in common with lots of people, we are trying to eat less, after over-indulging at Christmas (and we are still eating our Christmas chocolates) ......... but that was ignored today!  We had a voucher for two meals for the price of one at the Garden Centre in Kelso, so we popped in for lunch on our way over to Berwick today.  Malcolm had ham, egg and chips, which had at least a nod to healthy eating with a (very) small amount of salad

 

while I had my favourite macaroni cheese and chips!  We did only have a bowl of homemade soup for dinner, having eaten such a large lunch

 

and because of my dedication to my blog and to you, my lovely peeps, I of course had to have a "Friday cake" to share with you!!  (don't worry, I only ate half of it, Malcolm ate the rest!!)  A delicious chocolatey fruit and nut slice - it was so sweet and rich, I don't think I could have eaten the whole piece!

 

over the weekend, I will be working on one of my 17 UFOs - progress is being made! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, love Anne

 

Warning - a lot of cake!

We were out and about in Northumberland on Wednesday.  We popped into Otterburn Mill for our morning cuppa, and tucked into excellent mince pies - as you can see there was so much filling, it was oozing out!

 

we decided to have lunch at Wallington - as we are NT members we got in for free.  The sun was very low in the sky, creating an unusual effect in the photo

 

 

this is one of the two shops

 

these are just so cute

 

as are these

 

I think Santa's little helpers were visiting, judging by the washing line

 

although we saw his sleigh, we didn't see Santa

 

I did think about making a swag for our gate ........ but I didn't get beyond thinking!

 

lunch was a bowl of hearty vegetable soup

 

was Malcolm remembering when he too had a body like this?

 

on our way home, we called in at Kirkharle, and these little earrings had to come home with me (you can buy them online here)

 

Stuart and Alison are coming for the weekend, for an early Christmas celebration.  We thought this would be a tasty addition to the cheese board

 

can we have a loud fanfare please ........ the 16 pairs of socks are finished!

 

and here is my sock drawer ........

 

........ I won't need to knit any more socks for several years!

 

it's Friday, so that means cake!  We couldn't get a table in any of our favourite cafes in Hawick, as they were busy serving Christmas lunches, so we headed to the coffee shop in the supermarket, where we had the same as last time.  Malcolm had apple pie and cream

 

and I had the (rather sweet) meringue Christmas tree

 

and what better way to finish this year's blogging, than with a photo of the Christmas cake!  As you know, I don't like marzipan, but Malcom does ....... so I put marzipan fruit on the cake, and he gets one with each slice - a good compromise

 

so all that remains to do is wish you a very happy Christmas, and a prosperous New Year

with lots of love, Anne

 

Party time!

Last night was Abbey Quilters' Christmas party, and a very good time was had by all!  Unfortunately Trisha, who was going to show us how to make these felt candle mats, was unable to come along, as her husband is poorly - we wish Trevor a speedy recovery.  So our Chairman, Sandra, stepped in, ably assisted by Maureen and me (well, we sort of muddled through!)

 

Marcia had brought along these little stag heads to decorate her mat.  She let me take the photo in return for my having threaded her needle for her - not with my fancy all-singing, all-dancing needle threader, but with a basic, cheap-and-cheerful loop of wire one!

 

there was severe sewing basket envy when Sheena produced this thing of beauty (she made me give it back after I took the photo!)

 

our Vice-Chairman Gill was definitely in party mode!

 

and you know that no quilters' occasion is complete without a delicious spread of food  (I made sure to take a photo before the ravening horde members got near the table!)

 

and there was a good selection of (non-alcoholic) drinks to wash it all down

 

looking forward to next year, I had taken in these hand-quilted cushions and quilts, as I will be doing a little project with the group at the February meeting.  I have it designed in my head, so I had better get it drawn out and the samples made

 

I will be back on Friday with my last post of this year, as I am taking a short break over the festive season

Exciting times!

We have had a very busy day, working on a top secret project that you will have to wait some weeks to find out about!!  These are the only photos I took all day!

First, a dainty little shortbread star with our morning cuppa

 

Malcolm's lunch - a cheese savoury baguette

 

and my lunch, a coronation chicken baguette

 

no doubt like us, you will be busy over the weekend with preparations for Christmas (I must remember to give the cake its next dose of brandy!)  Have a great weekend, love Anne

Blingtastic!!

Before I show you Nelly and all her bling, I realised that I hadn't shown you the finished Advent calendar.  Here it is hanging on the kitchen door - and there may be one or two little chocolate treats hiding in the pockets

 

so here is the fabulous Nelly, auditioning some beads, and a button for her eye

 

the gold ric rac looks good on her saddle cloths

 

aaaaah - that's better, with her eye and ear stitched in place

 

her ear is only anchored on the left

 

next, I added her ankle chains

 

all this bling is looking good!

 

I decided to add a bit of colour to the sun, using foil

 

a light sprinkling of glue granules over the sun

 

the foil laid over the sun

 

then covered with baking parchment, to protect it while I used the heat of the iron to melt the glue

 

after letting the foil cool, I peeled it off, leaving behind the patches which had stuck to the glue

 

she's looking good!

 

but what's that hanging from the corner?  It is a little handmade silk tassel

 

when I was working on her on Monday, one of the Abbey Quilters, the lovely Lorraine, gave me this bling to add to her

 

there followed some discussion about where to position the dangles - just below her feet

 

over the binding

 

or under the binding

 

under the binding got the thumbs up ....... so here is Nelly all finished, looking fabulous!!

 

a little bit of fun to finish!  They say you should have a varied diet, so that's what we did on Sunday to vary ours ........ instead of sharing two scones, we shared a scone and a mince pie!!

The Sewing Machine Guy

I left home at 9.30 this morning, after having scraped the frost off the car (it was minus 6 degrees) and headed for Kelso.  We were having a special session at Abbey Quilters, as Ian, The Sewing Machine Guy was joining us for the day, to service our sewing machines

 

by lunchtime these ones had been done

 

with these ones waiting patiently in the queue

 

gulp ....... this is my machine in bits!

 

but it wasn't just Ian who spent the day with us.  His wife, Ellen, had brought a selection of goodies from their shop

 

all sorts of loveliness

 

to tempt us into spending our pocket money!

 

we had a very special afternoon cuppa, as the lovely Sadie celebrates a very special birthday tomorrow

 

so instead of a biscuit with our cuppa, we had a choice of two delicious treats (some of us may have had one of each ........)

 

Nelly is now looking totally blingtastic, as you will see on Wednesday

Piling on the bling

On Tuesday morning, I settled down in the studio, with the latest episode of The Quilt Show on the laptop, and got to work on Nelly

 

first, I finished hand stitching the binding on the wrong side, so that she is nicely framed in black

 

then I started stitching beads and sequins in the loops of the fmq, and having got bored with that, did some beading ......

 

to make a fringe on the edge of her cap

 

after that I had a little play with some fabric pens

 

colouring the stamping round the edge of her saddle cloth

 

by the end of the session, I had almost finished adding the beads and sequins in the loops - she's looking good!

 

we had to stay at home yesterday and today,  when normally we would be at the flat, as we had unexpected visitors coming this morning.  Before they arrived, I sneaked out to the studio and disassembled the charity shop necklace

 

there is a good variety of bling to add to Nelly

 

when the post arrived this morning, there was a very interesting package for me

 

all the way from India!

 

whoever had wrapped the package was a bit heavy-handed with the parcel tape, so it took a bit of effort to get it open

 

finally I freed the contents

 

a set of carved Indian stamping blocks

 

which I bought online here

 

I had already got some ink

 

from here, and I am looking forward to having lots of fun stamping!

 

I bought this set last week - which you might find odd, as you know that apart from the Christmas cake, I don't bake

 

but I am hoping to use them as stamps ...... doing the outline in one colour, then doing the bones in another one

 

I love this month's calendar page - you know that I love sheepies!!

 

after the departure of our unexpected visitors, we went out for a walk, then went for a cuppa.  Malcolm had a slice of apple tart - I took the photo before he poured the cream over it

 

my strange looking confection is a meringue Christmas tree!  It consisted of two meringues which were vaguely tree shaped, with chocolate on the inside face, sandwiched together with strawberry cream.  Sounds a bit strange, but it was delicious!!

 

if you didn't see yesterday's post, do scroll on down to it, to read about the big challenge for next year ........ 17 UFOs in 2017.  We'll be heading over to the flat tomorrow morning, then there is great excitement for Monday, when I will be getting my sewing machines serviced!!  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne