frayed at the edge

Hoarse!

I have been croaking a bit today, after talking loudly yesterday evening!  I asked my friend Anne S to take photos for me, and she has captured some good action shots (and some less flattering ones that you are not going to see!)

showing off the (almost) finished project

 

some inspiration

 

lazy daisies

 

showing the samples

 

working my way round the room, giving advice

 

helping Caroline

 

why am I laughing?

 

because Katy was trying to distract me (while Maureen got on with her sewing)

 

a last look at the wallhanging, now called Abbey Flowers

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, and I hope the members did too.  When I got home, Malcolm poured me a very welcome glass of wine, then it was off to bed to dream about applique flowers!!

Sausages!

We had the Irn Bru and chilli sausages for breakfast yesterday

 

we couldn't taste the Irn Bru, but the sausages were delicious

 

we needed a hearty breakfast, as we were going out for a walk.  It was bitterly cold, but we were just glad to get out and stretch our legs and enjoy some fresh air.  We went to Melrose where, as ever, I spotted things that I hadn't noticed before

a commerative plaque on an old building

 

a sign over a shop doorway

 

a snowy hill with tiny trees

 

this is a colour photo, but it looks B&W!

 

of course I can't have a walk in Melrose without taking photos of the Abbey!

 

this little clump of crocus provided a bright spot of colour

 

the latest bottle cover in the deli window was a chef

 

of course after such a cold walk, we had to go for a cuppa!  Instead of a scone, we shared a raspberry muffin

 

Malcolm was concerned when he saw that they were serving a different coffee, but the new brand turned out to be as good as the previous one

 

back home, there was a treat for me on tv while I was sewing ...... Bugsy Malone (yes, I was singing along!)

 

Jodie Foster stood out as a future star - doesn't she look gorgeous!  I'm just looking out the window as I type this ...... the sun has come out, just in time to set!!  I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing, but to finish ...... our once a year treat of Cadbury's Creme Eggs!

I don't like Mondays.......

.......when an emergency trip to the dentist is involved.  A bit had broken off a tooth, so I popped into the dental centre when I was in Hawick first thing this morning, to see if I could get an emergency appointment.  There wasn't one available, but the receptionist said she would phone if there was a cancellation.  She phoned at lunchtime to say that she could give me an appointment at 2.40.  Because it was an emergency appointment, Ididn't see my usual dentist, but I was very pleased with the treatment that I received from Claudia.  She discovered that a large part of the tooth had broken off, meaning that thhe filling was loose.  When she removed the filling, she discovered a lot of decay underneath (yes, I know, decidedly tmi!!).  By the time she finished drilling, I thought she was going to come out through the bottom of my jaw!  She put in a dressing, a lining and a very large filling, so hopefully all will be well.  I am still numb, and will have to wait quite a while before I can have my dinner!

The original title was going to be something about snow, as this was the scene that greeted me on Saturday morning when I got up

 

of course I was due to drive to Kelso, for Abbey Quilters' 25th birthday party, so I was a very unhappy bunny!  As I've mentioned before, our road is very nasty to drive on in the snow, as it is steep, with several nasty bends.  Malcolm kindly said that he would drive me down to the main road, then walk back up the hill (isn't he a sweety!!).  I took these photos, which aren't very clear, as the camera focused on the wet windscreen

 

This photo is from a couple of years ago, but it gives you an idea of how steep the road is

 

as I drove to Kelso, the snow turned to rain, then the rain stopped, so I was glad that I had taken the photos to show the others why I was late.  A reviving cup of tea, and I was ready to join in the fun

 

Sarah, on the left, had baked a cake, which she had iced beautifully.  Lily, one of the founder members, helped her cut it

 

we had the most wonderful lunch

 

I demonstrated how to make the Lovebirds, Sandra showed us how to make a mug bag (we take our own mugs for our mid-meeting cuppas)

 

Lorraine showed us a selection of mug rugs

 

we played a silly game .......

 

which ended with us all receiving a goody bag

 

there has been a distinct lack of sconnage recently, so we put that right yesterday, when we had a two-scone lunch at the Waterwheel Cafe

cheese

 

fruit

 

I'll be back tomorrow with the sewing update ...... and I'll also show you what was in the goody bag.

It's in the bag!

Last night I picked up Maureen (you know her from patch'n'chat) and we headed off to Kelso for our evening at Abbey Quilters.  The first part of the evening was taken up with seeing what to do with the squares that we had made for the January meeting, which was of course cancelled because of snow.  The project was to make a multi-pocketed bag, but we only pinned the folds in place, as we need to do some machine stitching.  The first fold was on the diagonal

 

then we folded the point on the left over to the right

 

the point on the right over to the left .....

 

...... but then this point is manipulated to form another small pocket

 

my new apprentice Maureen held the bag open to show off the pockets - there will be seven of them when it is all sewn together (once I have finished the bag I will take some clearer photos)

 

the next item on the agenda was me!  I handed out the requirements list, explained the little bit of prep I want them to do before the meeting, and showed them the little wallhanging and some other samples that I had taken with me.  In a sign of the times, several ladies got out their mobile phones and asked if they could take photos, to help them with their fabric choices!

Then Caroline, on the right, helped by Sandra (as well as being our wonderful Linus Lady, she is also vice-chairman of the group) showed off the fabulous quilt that she will be teaching at a workshop in April (boo hoo, I can't go!!)

 

and then ....... Caroline produced a smaller quilt, which is made with the leftovers from the first one!

 

for the last part of the evening, we watched a DVD about stained glass patchwork ..... but I didn't take any photos!

This morning we headed to the Dryburgh Abbey Hotel for a financial seminar (thrilling stuff!!)  It is a beautiful old building

 

the first room we were in had beautiful faded old walllpaper with butterflies

 

the second room had another old wallpaper, which had me thinking of quilting patterns!

 

then, the reward for sitting through all the dry financial stuff ...... a delicious lunch!

A special day!

Yesterday was Mother's Day,and the day got off to a good start when Malcolm brought me my orange juice and tea in bed.  I opened my card from Stuart, with this wonderful message .......

 

....... but of course, as Stuart has my strange weird wonderful sense of humour, that wasn't the whole message!

 

Malcolm took me to Milestone Garden Centre, for what was to be breakfast, but given the portions, turned out to be brunch!

 

and if you think that is a lot, let me lift the top of the roll, to let you see what's inside!

 

we were going to go for a walk after breakfast, but the sun had gone in, it was flighting snow, and the wind was bitterly cold ...... so we did the sensible thing and went home!  However, I did take some scenic photos on the way

 

back home Stuart phoned, and as we chatted, I could tell there was something bothering him.  Everntually he asked if I had checked my emails ......no, I hadn't.  As we spoke, I quickly looked at them, and found that he had sent me an Amazon gift voucher!  I'm not sure if he was worried that it had gone astray, or if I was just being ungrateful and not saying thankyou.  I shall, of course have no difficulty in spending it (thanks again, son!)  Also, as we chatted, it started to snow, and then snowed off and on for the rest of the afternoon, while I was busy in the studio

 

then this morning, we got up to find it had snowed in the night

 

I wonder if my car was warm under the blanket of snow!

Very Meredithe!

I think when Meredithe sees the fabrics that I got yesterday at Anne's, she will be on the first plane from Melbourne, so that she can steal them away from me!!

 

I think I will use them with this fabric, which I also got recently at Anne's ........

 

....... using it as a background for applique blocks

 

this afternoon I got out this quilt top for Linus, which I pieced some weeks ago.  I layered it with some soft cotton wadding and bright floral fabric on the back (oops, forgot to take a photo of the backing fabric!)

 

I decided to have another go at using a hoop.  I had tried before, after the first workshop that I did with Sheena Norquay, but didn't persevere

 

it takes a bit more concentration, as you have to be aware of the edge of the hoop, or you catch it on the foot, or get stuck against the side of the machine.  However by the end of the afternoon I had settled in to the different way of working

 

I have also been working on the little textured applique wallhanging.   I took these photos some days ago, but somehow didn't get round to putting them in a post!  First, how to make a little 3-petal flower

take two small squares of fabric, and draw round a reel of thread

 

sew on the line

 

cut out and snip a cross in one side

 

turn through, and stitch the snipped bits together

 

take the thread over the edge and back through the middle

 

pull the thread tight

 

and I've just discovered that I didn't take photos of the last stages!!  Oh dear ...... well, you do that twice more , forming three petals.  You can see the flower  on the right

 

I've done quite a bit more since then - I'll show you tomorrow.  Remember you have one more chance to win a prize by telling me (either in a comment or an email) what the worst thing is you have eaten.  I have had some great answers ...... can you tell me something even more revolting!!

 

South of the border ......

....... but not down Mexico way!  We set off south this morning for Longframlington, to go to Anne's shop.  We had to stop at the border

 

as there was major work on the bridge over the River Tweed

 

I had hoped to take some scenic photos, but it was very misty.  However you can just about see this pocket of snow on the hills through the gloom

 

At the shop, Lucie showed off her Lilly Pilly, which looks fantastic with its colourful leaves

 

Frances was working on an amazing applique seahorse

 

as always the shop was full of delicious fabrics

 

Lucie chose these fabrics for her next project

 

I came home with one of Anne's special carrier bags - I'll show you what's in it tomorrow!

 

to finish - making my tassel for the Lovebirds

everything you need to make the tassel

 

threading the beads

 

winding the thread round the card, with a bead at the bottom of each turn

 

the tassel all wound round the card

 

the top of the tassel tied with heavy gold thread

 

the scary bit - sliding the tassel off the card!

 

binding the top of the tassel, with the ends ready to be cut off

 

the finished Lovebirds

 

well, that was to be the finish, but then I realised that  I hadn't shared these two photos of the children's quilts with you

the girlie quilt

 

the owl quilt (I hadn't quite finished stitching the binding on the left)

 

and finally ...... you still have a chance to win a prize.  Simply tell me what the worst thing is that you have ever eaten.  I will pick the best (or should that be the worst!) answer on Friday.

Shocking!!

I went for a walk at lunchtime, and as I approached the donkey field, this sign caught my eye

 

I don't know if they have installed the fence to keep the donkeys in or the public out, but at least I now know how to say electric fence in several languages!  Just let me know if you get fed up with photos of the oh-so-cute donkeys!

 

and if that's not cute enough ......

 

and if you still need another dose of cuteness ...... these lambs have just been born in the last few days.  They are in the field across the road, so I have been spending too much time looking out the window to see them!

 

as I was walking up the hill, I could hear a tractor working in a field, with a great deal of squeaking machinery

 

I thought someone was waving a tiny white flag, but it was just a little feather caught on a twig

 

a dried weed, with a lovely mossy old wall behind it

 

I wil be back tomorrow with a sewing update, but to end I will tease you with another little bit of Notes of Love

I would just like to thank .......

Hooray, I have been given an award by Gilly - thank you very much Gilly for giving it to me!

 

of course, it comes with conditions!!  First, I have to tell you eleven random facts about myself. 

1.  At school I had the same Latin teacher as my Dad

 

2.  I learned to knit when I was seven

 

3.  My great-grandfather made violins

 

4.  I was Dux of primary school

 

5.  I saw Princess Anne arrive at Queen Street Station and the Queen arrive at Central Station (both in Glasgow) in the 70s, as I worked for British Rail, and we were allowed out of the office to go to see them

 

6.  I'm not a natural blonde

 

7.  I can't sing in tune

 

8.  I can't play a musical instrument (except for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with one finger on the piano!)

 

9.  I called my first car Uriah, as it was a heap

 

10.  Malcolm once made a garden shed for me

 

11.  I passed my driving test first time

 

part two is to answer a list of questions set by Gilly

Q. What's your favourite animal ?

A. Oh dear - a hard one ..... but I think it might have to be lambs

Q. Sweet stuff or savoury ?

A. Definitely savoury, like this wonderful meal we had to celebrate Malcolm's birthday

Q. Where in the world is the best place you've been to ?

A. Again, this was hard, but in the end I chose Australia

Q. Do you still live in your country of birth ?

A. Yes, although I have also lived in England and Indonesia

Q. Which of your hobbies/crafts/talents is your favourite ?

A. Sewing

Q. Hot & sunny or cold & snowy ?

A.  Definitely hot and sunny!  This was where we stayed in Majorca last May

Q. Dogs or cats ?

A.  All together now .... DOGS

Q. What simple things make you happy ?

A. Family, friends ...... and scones

Q. Town, country or by the seaside ?

A. Country

Q. The book or the movie ?

A.  Definitely the book

Q. Are you an Adventurer or a Homebody ?

A.  Both!  I love my home, but I love travelling and doing new things, even if the terrify me, like walking across Sydney Harbour Bridge last year

 

I am now supposed the pass the award on to eleven other bloggers, but as I gave out awards last month, I'm going to skip that stage.  I should have thought of eleven questions to ask the recipients, so instead I will pose one question for all of you to answer, either in a commennt or an email, and I'll give a prize to the best answer

 

What is the worst thing you have ever eaten?

 

ps - I'm sorry about the change in font, and the misaligned photo! 

Being polite!

On our way out for lunch today, we passed a young woman on a horse.  She had a hi-viz waistcoat on, with writing on the back.  It said something like "polite request please slow down".  We did slow down (we always do), but unfortunately the woman wasn't polite in return, and didn't even look at us as we drove past, never mind giving us an acknowledgement

 

never mind, the sky was blue and the sun was shining, casting shadows  across the road

 

if we had turned in here, we would have been disappointed, as the coffee shop shuts for the winter!

 

however just a few yards further along the road, we turned into the left, and headed up the rather bumpy lane to the Woodside Garden Centre.  But having parked, we didn't go into the garden centre.  Instead we headed off down the footpath for a walk through the woods

snowdrops

 

wild garlic

 

daffodils

 

an escapee chicken from an adjacent farm

 

when we were walking through the garden centre to the coffee shop, I spotted these colourful crocus .....

 

..... and tiny tulips - although I wouldn't have known they were tulips if it hadn't been for a helpful label

 

we usually have soup for lunch at the Woodside, but cream of spring onion didn't appeal to me, and aas I had carrot and coriander soup yesterday for lunch, I didn't want the carrot and ginger.  There was then slight pause as I decided which of the delicious sandwiches to have.  I finally chose the tuna and sweet chilli relish - very tasty

 

Malcolm too decided on a sandwich, choosing beef and tomato

 

I was going to watch a DVD this afternoon in the studio, but I remembered that we still have a collection of VCDs (video compact discs) which we bought in Indonesia.  This system never reached the UK, but was popular over there.  As well as legitimate discs, pirated films were on open sale in shops.  Some of them were films of films ...... someone sitting in the cinema with a camcorder, so you were liable to get a shot of the back of someone's head as they got up to go to the loo!

 

the films have Indonesian subtitles, and I still recognise some words (but not these ones!)

I was busy in the studio all afternoon, then as I headed back into the house, a passing plane left a perfect contrail in the beautiful blue sky