frayed at the edge

Only two to go!

I have finished another two stitcheries ........ so only two more to go!

 

as with the others, I trimmed them using my template

 

and added the backing fabrics.  This is the two of them in a patch of bright sunlight on the design wall

 

oh dear, I didn't notice until I saw the photo on my laptop, that one of the stitcheries is upside down

 

so that's thirty in the pile

 

I had a blitz on cutting the rest of the other hexagons, altogether I have cut 64 small and 64 large hexagons 

 

the next job was to cut wadding.  Using two rulers, I cut strips

 

then cross cut the strips into rectangles

 

the next stage is to tack the hexagons to the wadding, then trim them.  It's easier to do it that way than cut out hexagons from the wadding, and tack them together, as the soft wadding is difficult to cut accurately

 

Malcolm has been busy in the garage, making a new planter from more of his stash of old pallet wood

 

it has an old plastic storage box inside it, which won't show once it is filled with compost and planted up with a variety of plants

 

we're over at the flat, and the small runner is looking good on the new shelves

 

now for the best photos of the week!  We popped in for a cuppa this afternoon, and Malcolm had caramel shortbread

 

and I had an exceedingly delicious slice of rocky road

 

to finish - this was the stunning sky when I got up at 6.30 this morning ........ but I didn't go outside, I simply took the photos through the back bedroom window!

 

we are planning to head over to St Abbs tomorrow for the Wool Festival and on Sunday we will be glued to the tv to watch England playing in the final of the cricket T20 World Cup.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne  

 

 

 

Two finishes!

so - on with the bag.  I layered it up ready for quilting

 

a slight oops - I managed to stitch into the end of the pin.   Amazingly I didn't hit the pin and break the needle!

 

I stitched the pocket in place

 

then folded the bag in half and stitched the side seams

 

then I stitched across the bottom corners to form the base, and added the lining

 

the view from the side

 

I forgot to take a photo of adding the handles, but here is the finished bag, sitting prettily on the garden bench which Malcolm painted at the weekend.  So that's finish #1

 

I still have a pile of black and white bits sitting beside the sewing machine, so I sewed some more together, just for fun!

 

then I had a bit of practice for the fmq pattern for the small runner.  The design is supposed to look like ripples on water - I think in places in looks as if someone has thrown a big stone in!

 

I found a piece of fabric to use for the backing - as you can see it is only just big enough ........

 

....... but I wanted to use it as I think it looks like a stormy sea

 

it didn't take long to quilt the centre section

 

then I changed to the walking foot and stitched in the ditch between the centre section and the border

 

the next job was to trim the runner, ready for the binding

 

and here is finish #2

 

the sun has been shining today, and in the garden the forsythia is starting to flower

 

and the early clematis has buds on it

 

the bright skies made me want to make something lighter for lunch, so we had tuna pate (which we brought back from Portugal) with a little bit of gorgonzola, and some little crackers

 

and to go with it  - pickled onions, cornichons and hot sweet peppers, with olives stuffed with lemon for Malcolm

 

and to finish - I had a basket of ironing to tackle this afternoon, so I watched the latest edition of The Quilt Show while I was doing it.  I loathe ironing, so anything that distracts me while doing it helps!!

 

I took so many photos today .......

....... that the sewing has been bumped over to tomorrow!  First, I went out into the cold garden at 8.30 this morning (it was so cold the water in the bird bath was frozen!) to capture some ewes and lambs in the sunshine

 

we went out to Harestanes for lunch, as the cafe had re-opened after being closed for the winter

 

Malcolm had a roll with ham and chutney

 

and I had tuna savoury (as always I gave Malcolm the tomato)

 

after lunch we walked through the courtyard, where there were little pops of colour in some large plant pots

 

it was probably just as well that Mary's Dairy was closed, so that we weren't tempted by the delicious cakes and ice creams!

 

I liked the view through the door in the old wall

 

when we got back home, I decided to go for a walk.  First stop was to take a photo of this lamb - you can tell by the wrinkles that it is a very young one

 

the donkeys weren't in their usual field, and I had to take these photos through gaps in a thick hedge

 

a pause to look out to the Minto Hills

 

and the Eildons

 

if you only glance at this photo, you think that the horse has no front legs, as they blend in with the house in the background!

 

I braved the muddy path

 

to see the Jacob's sheep

 

then further down the road I squeezed through a tiny gap in the hedgeand stepped over a rusty wire fence ........

 

....... to take more sheepie photos

 

and just for good measure, on down and round the bend ....... more sheepies!!   This lamb was snuggled into its mum

 

but this one was running round bleating, looking for its mum

 

on the way back home, I spotted where something had been digging in the verge

 

from the size of the whole, I think it must be badgers

 

I took this photo of my favourite bit of scenery from further down the road, trying to get an arty effect, but it hasn't really worked

 

these two donkeys had moved round behind the stable - and the one on the right has obviously had lessons from the sheep about turning his back end to the camera!

 

then we have some arty photos that did work - an old bit of hedge, with an old bit of fence, and dead weeds from last summer

 

a little bit of sheep's wool, caught on a tree

 

and a leaf caught on barbed wire

 

two fun photos to finish.  First, I had stopped to chat to these four ramblers, who were having a rest in the middle of a very long walk.  When I asked if I could take their photo, they promptly posed, pretending to be studying something in the distance

 

and this is our neighbour, BillytheFarmer, checking on the lambs

 

How many calories .......

..... do you think there are in this slice of Easter Bunny cake, which we shared on Sunday?  Not only was it very chocolatey, there were Smarties in the middle and mini marshmallows and eggs on the top.  The slice was supposed to be for one, but we were full just eating half each!

 

we had a quiet weekend at home .......... we didn't even go for a walk on Sunday, as the weather wasn't very good.  Malcolm pottered about in the garden, and in the garage, giving the garden bench a fresh coat of paint.  I got quite a lot of sewing done, but I have still to sort out the photos, so to finish, some photos of a long tailed tit on the fat ball feeder this afternoon

Shabby without the chic!

On Sunday we took a little run up the coast and over the Border to Eyemouth.  There were all sorts of shabby, rusty boats in the harbour - big ones

 

and small ones

 

the ropes holding the working platform in place looked a bit frayed!!

 

I do like a nice bit of old rusty equipment

 

these are probably within our price range ......

 

...... but Malcolm had his eye on this one

 

and this one!

 

I would be very unhappy to find a large gull like this on top of my car

 

or on top of my building

 

but it looked as if the gargoyle was about to evict the gull

 

if you weren't paying attention as you passed this building ......

 

...... you might not notice the shells on the middle section 

 

as soon as we saw this plaque, Malcolm said that it would make a good quilt!

 

from the outside this looked a small cafe

 

but inside there were several rooms, all decorated with a seaside theme (click on the photo to enlarge it to see what the sign on the back wall says)

 

Malcolm had a delicious cheese scone

 

while I enjoyed a sweet apricot one

 

to finish - never mind what the plaque is for, I just want to live in the Land of Cakes!!

A cliff top walk

On Saturday, Malcolm suggested that we went for a walk along the cliff top at the far end of Spittal Beach.  He had walked there before, but this was my first time (I'm not a fan of walking on cliff tops).  When we parked the car, we were greeted with a bright yellow splash of gorse

 

the start of the path looks down on the end of the promenade

 

looking back towards the lighthouse

 

even from this distance you can see how much better the beach looks after the clean-up

 

this is a train on the East Coast Main Line ........

 

I wouldn't want to be any closer when it goes past at 110 mph!

 

an unusual signpost 

 

there may be 1000 of these signposts, but this is the only one I have seen

 

at 110 mph, it won't take long to get to Edinburgh!

 

Seahouses, of course, is where we get the best fish and chips

 

this fish could find its way into a quilt

 

I think we could walk to these coves at low tide - but then we would be stranded if the tide came in, as I doubt we could climb up to the path!

 

I was slightly nervous about walking past this bit of the cliff, as it looks ready to fall in the sea

 

 

the next two photos show some of the gubbins which hold the high-voltage wires for the railway .......

 

as I used to work for British Rail (many, many years ago), Malcolm was asking me all sorts of technical questions, but I had to point out that I worked for the Chief Civil Engineer, not the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer.  However, I could tell him about the track!

 

as we returned to the car, we saw these two gulls deep in conversation on the chimney tops

 

just as the sun was starting to set, these two swans came into the dock

 

it was such a still evening that you could see the reflections of the lighthouse

 

and the old chimney

 

the low sun was shining on the windows across the river

 

after our walk we may have had a sweet treat with our cuppa

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you what we did yesterday - it may have involved rather tasty scones!

 

Something for (almost) nothing!

So here it is, Malcolm's latest creation, made from scrap wood.  All he paid for were a few nails and screws, wax and sandpaper.  This was it after being sanded, waxed and buffed

 

when we arrived at the flat after lunch today, with a bit of huffing and puffing Malcolm carried it up the stairs

 

it didn't take long to fill the shelves - I bought the copper bowls when we were living in Jakarta, from an Italian shop, so they are well-travelled!

 

it fits in well with the other furniture

 

as we were walking over to town this afternoon for a cuppa, I realised that I had forgotten to put my earrings in.  This was a calamity, as I knew if I didn't have earrings in all weekend, I would really struggle to put them in when we get home on Monday.  Despite having had pierced ears for over 40 years, the holes close up very quickly, and I really don't like having to force earrings in.  I could have bought cheap ones ...... but I know from experience that after 5 minutes my ears would be itching, so I was delighted to find a very reasonably priced pair of simple gold hoops

 

I also treated myself to this Martha Stewart magazine ........ my gorgeous Aussie bloggy friend Lee will be envious (if she hasn't already bought it herself!!)

 

then there was the big decision to be made.  Where would we go for a cuppa (and cake).  Would it be Cafe Crema ......

 

or would it be Maisie's (which you can see reflected in the windows of Cafe Crema)

 

we decided on Cafe Crema, and Malcolm enjoyed this white chocolate brownie - he said it was very rich and he couldn't have eaten a bigger piece

 

I chose a slice of Crema Delight ...... oh my, a chocolate confection with crushed Maltesers through it, and little bits of Bounty, Twix, Mars Bar and Crunchie.  It was very, very delicious - but I think I should probably fast for a week to work off the calories!!

 

and to finish, the latest Linus blanket, beautifully displayed by Jemima, my rag doll that I have had for almost 40 years!!

 

no doubt we will be walking on the beach at some point over the weekend, and some sconnage may be consumed!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

A very, very busy weekend!

I took so many photos over the weekend, I didn't know where to start ...... then I thought, lets start with the important stuff ........ food!!.. Stuart and Alison treated us to a wonderful meal on Saturday - this is the seafood platter they shared for their starter

 

Malcolm's starter was fillet of seabass with risotto, which I would have had too, but there was crab in the risotto, which I can't eat (I had delicious rabbit in a mustard sauce, but it was a boring photo!)

 

this is Malcolm's main course, a very tender steak

 

and my very tasty supreme of chicken

 

Malcolm finished with coffee, Alison had the cheeseboard, Stuart had some thing with nasty white chocolate ....... and I had the most wonderful salted caramel tart - yum!

 

when we arrived on Friday, there was a large ship in the dock, which had just been loaded

 

and when we went out for our walk over to the town, they were closing the hatches, so we hoped we would see it leave

 

but there was also another big ship sitting out at sea, waiting to come into the dock

 

after we had been for our cuppa, we walked round to the old walls ...... and there was the pilot boat bringing the ship in

 

friend or foe?  Fortunately we didn't have to see off any invaders!

 

the two ships and the pilot boat all squeezed into the dock

 

once the second ship was safely berthed, the pilot boat took the first one out

 

then yesterday morning, there was another ship sitting out at sea.  I took this photo from the next beach down the coast, where we had gone for a walk after Stuart and Alison left

 

the ship sat there all day, finally coming in when we were having dinner - so I had to be rather rude and jump up from the table to take photos!!

 

we were holding our breaths as the ship squeezed in

 

it needed a push from the pilot boat to get in close to the dockside

 

I have lots of excellent photos from walking on the beach on both Saturday and Sunday, which I will share with you tomorrow ...... but here is a fun one to finish.  I took this photo of Stuart as he took one of me, when we had both knelt down to take an arty photo of this interesting piece of wood!

 

 

What Malcolm made

I will have to get Malcolm organised to take photos of his projects, as I think we have missed several stages of his latest creation!  This next photo gives you a good idea of what it is going to be

 

not quite so pretty on the back!

 

battens added to support .......

 

........ shelves.  You are probably thinking that he is making a bookcase, but it is actually for crockery and glasses, which are jammed into the kitchen cupboards in the flat

 

it now needs a good sand, then he will probably wax it

 

or perhaps some chalk paint?

 

and all that it has cost is some screws and nails, and a bit of time and effort

 

we had some more new lambs in the field this morning

 

most of the ewes have twins

 

but this one seemed to have just a singleton

 

we came over to the flat after lunch, and went for a walk over to town this afternoon.  We popped into Fantoosh for a cuppa.  This little coffee shop/gift shop used to be in Duns, but that one closed, and they opened this one in Berwick in November

 

Malcolm got a very large jug of hot frothy milk to go with his americano 

 

and my tea was in a very stylish pot

 

we had half each of a slice of elderflower drizzle cake, and a mixed berry scone (although it looks like a muffin, it was a scone) - both were delicious

 

Stuart and Alison are joining us tomorrow, and we will be going out for dinner.  It will be a belated Mothers' Day meal, and a very belated celebration of Stuart's appointment to Managing Director (there may be a bottle of champagne in the fridge!!)  I hope you have a good weekend, and have something to celebrate with a loved one, love Anne

 

Shadow applique

I mentioned on Tuesday that Elaine was going to show us how to do shadow applique at Abbey Quilters' meeting.  She had made up kits for us to buy, and we had the choice of doing Sunbonnet Sue or tulips

 

I chose the tulips, and this shows the pattern pieces traced on to fusible web, then ironed on to the wrong side of the fabric

 

the pieces were then cut out and fused to the background fabric

 

the next step was to add a piece of organza, and hand quilt round the tulips

 

the hand quilting finished

 

I added some beads

 

checking the placement of the tulip in the card

 

I  stuck the tulips in place with double-sided tape, then stitched round the edge, and added a little Easter greeting

 

when I made the little quilt from four fat quarters, I mentioned that you could make it from pastel colours, so this afternoon I pulled these fat quarters from my stash

 

when I turned on the iron to press the fabrics before cutting them, I took a photo of the clock

 

here is the finished quilt top (the pale colours don't show up well on the design wall)

 

I moved the clock down on to the ironing board, so that you could see that this really was the time when I finished ...... I told you that it was a very quick quilt to make!

 

to finish the afternoon, I cut another batch of hexagons ....... generating another lovely pile of scraps!!

 

and to finish - if you have had a busy day, and can't be bothered to make a proper cheese sauce, or if you have a gluten free diet, here is a quick but tasty sauce.  Simply put some creme fraiche into a small saucepan and add grated or crumbled cheese - this is gorgonzola.  Warm it until the cheese is melted - easy, quick and most importantly, delicious!!