frayed at the edge

Two parties in one day!

It was our Christmas lunch at Borderland Fabrics yesterday.  We all took food to share - I managed to take a photo before it was all scoffed!

 

we had crackers to pull ...... and of course there were groans as the awful jokes were read out

 

Margaret T had made beautiful table decorations with holly and candles

 

Anne S had baked a non-traditional Christmas cake using a family recipe and Cathy had made a white chocolate cheesecake ...... you can just see a slice of it in the background.  The cake was much lighter than the traditional heavy fruit Christmas cake, so I had room for a slice after all the savoury delights - but I didn't have the cheesecake as I really don't like white chocolate!

 

I took this photo of Katy showing off the quilt she has made for her gorgeous grandson Aaron's Christmas  ...... it was only when I looked at the photo on the laptop that I realised that she was still wearing her silly hat (if you can't see what it is ..... well, it's a turkey!)

 

Maureen had finished stitching her Christmas wallhanging, but doesn't think she'll manage to quilt it before Tuesday (slightly confusing view, as Cathy pinned it to another quilt to show it off)

 

all too soon it was time to head home, but I had only been in the house about ten minutes when Stuart and Alison arrived for an early Christmas celebration (they are spending Christmas day with Alison's family).  I had laid the table in the morning ........

 

....... then we were so busy having dinner, opening presents and having fun that I didn't take any more photos!!

 

So that's it for this year - all that remains is to thank you for visiting and commenting, and to wish you

a very happy Christmas

and

a wonderful New Year

Defeated by the weather!

Oh dear, yesterday's weather was rather bad ...... freezing cold first thing, then snow, then freezing again!  Only the lovely Katy and her friend Ailsa were brave enough to venture out during the day, to come and do some shopping....

 

 and have mulled wine (sorry forgot to take a photo of that) and delicious nibbles for lunch

 

at least the evening visitors didn't have far to come ....... all the way from next door!  Jackie (owner of the gorgeous shoe shop in Hawick) and her Mum joined me in sipping yet more mulled wine, then Malcolm and Jackie's husband David joined us for a glass of white wine and nibbles (I don't think I'll get on the scales for a few days!!)  Both Jackie and her Mum bought one of Malcolm's driftwood trees - he had made another four, and I had promptly spirited one away, to make sure that I got one!!  There was a great deal of debate about which one Jackie's Mum would have ....... she told Jackie in no uncertain terms that she was having first pick, then Jackie could choose between the remaining two!!

 

this year I remembered to take photos of the Christmas wallhangings in the studio, before I blu-tacked them to the hall doors ...... it was difficult last year to take decent photos of them once they were on the doors!

 

there is a little story attached to this last little wallhanging ....... I designed it many years ago, when I was Chairman of Stirling Castle Quilters.  It was a "mystery" wallhanging, the members being given the instructions over several meetings.  There was an amusing moment, when one of the members asked to see my completed one, so she knew what it looked like ....... no, the whole point of a mystery quilt is that you don't know what the finished one looks like.  Another of the members was a prison officer at Scotland's only female prison.  She taught the inmates to sew (they made bedding for the prison) and decided that the mystery wallhhanging would be a good teaching aid.  One of the inmates disagreed with this, but by the time I deleted all the expletives from her objection, what was left of the sentence isn't worth sharing!!  Then some years ago a friend borrowed the little wallhanging to put it in an exhibition.  It came back minus the beads and reindeer bells which hung from the prairie points at the bottom, and I have never got round to replacing them

 

oh bother ....... after several attempts, I still can't get the photo to upload, so I'll try again tomorrow!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love Christmas!  True, I don't like seeing the shops full of Christmas stuff from September ....... but once we get into December, then I am a happy Christmas girl.  One of the best bits is putting up the tree and decorations, so on Saturday Malcolm was sent into the freezing cold loft (good, all the extra insulation we added last winter is doing its job) to find the Christmas boxes

 

I started in the dining room.  The first job didn't take long, turning the table from everyday mode .......

 

....... to Christmas mode

 

I love this display on the windowsill, but Malcolm gets annoyed when bits of the confetti end up on the floor!

 

remember my tiny bottles .... I saw this idea for putting honesty in them in a magazine, so promptly snipped some bits of honesty from a display in a large vase in the dining room

 

in the front lounge, the ivy is still trying to swallow up the candlestick behind it

 

I added the sparkly little tree that I had bought for my Dad when he no longer wanted to have a proper Christmas tree

 

I love my garland of tiny mittens which I knitted last year (don't worry, it's not a real fire!)

 

these candles are only about an inch high.  We got them free many, many years ago, with Baby Bel cheese!

 

these rather stern looking figures were bought in Indonesia

 

then it was through to thhe back lounge for the serious stuff.  As usual, the gnome brothers and sisters squabbled over which cushions and stocking they would have on the chairs.  I had to remind them that Santa only brings presents to good little gnomes!

 

checking that the lights are working

 

putting the lights in place ......

 

...... then adding rather a lot of baubles.  Never mind less is more - for me, the more the better!

 

I have still to bring in the little patchwork hangings from the studio, to decorate the hall - I hope to get that done tomorrow.  In between all the decorating, I found time to nip through to the back bedroom to take more photos of my wonderful quilt (when I was talking to Stuart on the phone this evening, I said it had been quilted by "Kay, the longarm quilter"  he started laughing, saying that made her sound like a mutant!!)

 

the quilting is all fmq - Kay is just so talented!  And the quilt looks just as good on the back

 

We went for a walk yesterday morning.  I'll save the scenic photos for tomorrow, but I'll share the scones we had for lunch with you.  As always we had half each, of the bacon and brie (main course) and fruit (dessert) ....... don't worry, I didn't put jam on the savoury one!!

 

and to finish ...... this young man was just ahead of me leaving Sainsbury's this morning.  I just had time to get the camera out and snap him before he got in his car.  I know it was slightly warmer today (5 degrees C), but not really warm enough for shorts and t-shirt!!

That's enough of that, thank you!!

This was the view of the back garden early this morning ...... that's quite enough snow, thank you

 

but let's go back to thhe start of the weekend, and of course, the Christmas Fair.  Oh dear, I didn't sell very much, although as I know several other stallholders also had poor sales, I didn't get too upset!  I did get slightly annoyed with a woman who had a good look, then said she was just getting ideas and picking people's brains for things that she could make .........

 

the highlight of the afternoon was the delicious bacon roll that I had for lunch!

 

at the end of the afternoon, I was delighted to be given a gift by the wonderful Maria, who had the table next to me - a set of wine glass charms (in return I gave her one of the toiletries and chocolates set)

 

from my friend Lorraine, I bought her gorgeous marzipan fruits, to decorate the Christmas cake with (I'll be making it tomorrow) ........

 

...... and new to her repertoire, chocolate ginger creams

yesterday, we went to Dryburgh Abbey (we had a voucher to get in free!)  There was a little bit of snow on the ground, which added a little extra something to the photos.  I also had some fun taking some in B&W

 

there were some tricky bits of road to negotiate

 

and beautiful scenery to admire

 

we popped into The Main Street Trading Co for a cuppa and a bite to eat.  We shared a delicious feta and spinach muffin ........

 

....... and a slice of cake, which was drenched in a citrus syrup

 

I love the mugs

 

they have just opened a deli and homeware extension - I wish I could have taken photos of all the wonders for sale!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a sewing update, but to finish, some birds in the snow

Little and large

When I was watering my orchids this morning, I popped these two on to the radiator cover in the kitchen, to show you the difference in size

 

I knew it would be difficult to decide which tub of hot chocolate to open first, so I simply stuck my hand in the cupboard and pulled out the nearest one! Hot chocolate for me, coffee with frothy hot milk for Malcolm, and a piece of florentine each (I had the bit with most cherries, as I love glace cherries - I have been known to eat as many as I add to my baking!)

 

Liz asked to see a photo of me in my disreputable housework clothes ........

 

I can hear you shouting at the computer about my extravagance buying this magazine ......

 

....... but of course I didn't pay that much, it was in the bargain bin!

 

today is St Andrew's Day, so we had some fun and games at patch'n'chat to celebrate

 

Annette made patriotically decorated cupcakes ......

 

....... there were Tunnock's snowballs

 

those of us who were on the winning team were given a Lees macaroon bar.  I have a little bit of trivia for you about John Lees, the inventor of macaroon bars.  He was married to my sister's husband's Aunt Isabel.  Confused ..... let me explain further.  There were three sisters, Isabel, Margaret and Betty.  Isabel, as mentioned, married John Lees,  Margaret is my sister's mother-in-law, and Betty lived next door to us (and Isabel was at school with my Dad)

 

my fingers are very firmly crossed that I sell lots tomorrow at the Christmas Fair!!  I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

Shooting the moon!

There have been reports today that the Americans planned to blow up the moon during the Cold War, but all I used to shoot the moon at 6.30 this morning was my camera!  The photos cold perhhaps have been sharper, but I was shivering on the front doorstep in my nightie!

 

we headed off this morning for Gretna, where there is an "outlet village", to do some Christmas shopping.  It was wonderful to see blue sky and sunshine after all the recent rain

 

we had a browse round the shops, deciding what to buy, then went for a bite of lunch.  The last time I ate in Subway was after I walked across  Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was perhaps preferable to doing the dreaded shopping!  Today we both had the "big beef melt" - delicious, and actually reasonably healthy eating!

 

suitably fortified, we did the shopping, then moved on to another small shopping outlet ..... but before we looked round those shops, there were many more photos to be taken!  First there were belted Galloways and Highland cows.  As you can see, all the rain has turned their field into a sea of md, quite a lot of which has transferred itself on to the poor beasties

 

then there were lots of rusty old farm machines

 

although Gretna is in Scotland, we had to pass through a few miles of England ....... should Our Fearless Leader (Wee Eck) get his way, will we have to go through border checkpoints and passport controls in the future?

 

more wonderful scenery

 

with the occasional reminder of the wet weather, with run-off from the fields flowing across the road

 

every time I see this sign, I suggest to Malcolm that we stop, so that he can buy some jewellery for me ...... but he keeps saying that I don't need any more - but what has need got to do with lovely rings, pretty bangles, gorgeous earrings, delightful necklaces........

 

we didn't just do Christmas shopping, we also bought some treats - I'll tell you all about them tomorrow!

A thorough clean

I had a very special visitor today - Ian "the sewing machine guy"*.  He had been recommended to me by Anne and several of her customers.  I got in touch with him, saying that I had two machines which both in need of a  service, and that perhaps some of my friends might want their machines done too.  Would he be prepared to travel up to Hawick?  The answer was yes - and even better, if there were four or machines to be done, he would charge less per machine.  I let the other members of Abbey Quilters know, and Anne S, Caroline and Lorraine Y all brought their machines.  My friend Lorraine D (the one I am sharing a table with at the Christmas Fair on Saturday) also came for the day, although she didn't have a machine to get done, she just came for the company!  It was a bit disconcerting to see the innards of my Husqvarna

 

and even more disconcerting for Caroline when her machine was stripped down to this

 

this is just some of the dirt and fluff from one of the machines - it shows how important it is to clean your machine regularly

 

Ian joined us when we went into the house to have lunch at the kitchen table ...... although we didn't pay a lot of attention to what we were eating, as Anne had brought her new Kindle Fire, and we were all agog at its fabulous features (please can I have one Santa, I've been a good girl!!).  Back in the studio, the machines were finished and tested.  What a difference it makes to have them serviced, they run smoothly and quietly - I am looking forward to using them!

I thought I ought to provide a little tasty something for us to have with our cuppas, so yesterday I made florentines, using the recipe that I shared with you last week.  This is the chocolate set in the bottom of the baking tray, and the cornflake mixture ready to put on top

 

ready to go in the oven

 

I love my cooker, which we bought not long after we moved here.  The cooker which came with the house was old and inefficient - and it was also all-electric, which would mean a problem if we had power cuts.  So we bought this one, which has a gas hob (bottled gas) and electric ovens.  I much prefer to have a gas hob, and I really like the small oven on the right - ideal for cooking small things, without having to heat a big oven

 

but there was one little annoying thing - I found it very hard to set the oven temperatre, as the markings on the dials are a bit vague.  However, that was easily solved with an oven thermometer

 

this morning I got out a rather big knife .....

 

and cut the big square into bite-size squares.  It is delicious, very sweet and gooey - the girls all went home with a copy of the recipe

 

and that's not all they went home with - Anne and Carolinne both went home with one of Malcolm's driftwood trees!  Anne bought the small one, and Carroline the medium-sized one.  Malcolm has also finished his latest creations - wooden plant pegs

 

while all the machine servicing was going on, I actually got some sewing done!  I cut out the embroidery for the Needle Nookie and pinned it in place

 

then stitched it on with tiny applique stitches

 

*if you live within a reasonable distance of Morpeth and are interested in having Ian service or repair your machine, either leave a comment or email me (there is an email link at the top right) and I'll email his details to you.

That's better!

Fortunately the stormy weather had gone when we got up this morning, and we escaped the floods and power cuts which have affected other parts of the country.  I nipped out in the middle of doing the housework to take some photos ...... and got caught by the postman, who raised an eyebrow at my disreputable houseworking clothes!  The Eildons were hazy in the distance

 

when I stood on the front doorstep to take this photo, I realised how much the trees in the foreground have grown in the six years we have lived here, as they now obscure the Mintos

 

that photo was taken with the big lens, but when I was leaving for patch'n'chat, I nipped out into the middle of the road, to take this photo with the small lens

 

once in the car, I didn't get very far before I had to swerve into JimtheFarmer's drive ........ because look what I saw in the field across the road - DONKEYS!!

 

at patch'n'chat, Jen had finished a little quilt for Linus

 

I was playing with another batch of fabric samples

 

this was the first version

 

I then added centre strips, as I did with the black, white and red quilt

 

then added a square in the centre

 

then, of course, there was the Friday cake ....... Annette's delicious chocolate sponge

 

over the weekend, I shall be putting the finishing touches to my stuff for next Saturday's Christmas Fair.  I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

Two happy bloggers!

We didn't take our usual route to Longframlington this morning, as we were picking up my friend Lorraine, who had a Christmas cake and marzipan fruits to deliver to Anne.  As Lorraine has to sit in the front, as she suffers dreadfully from carsickness, I was only able to take some photos of the scenery on the way to collect her

 

Malcolm dropped us off at the shop and went off to do some beachcombing ...... he found lots of bits of wood, but he won't be able to use them for some time, as they will have to dry out.  Lorraine and I spent the day drinking cuppas, eating lunch, blethering ........ oh, we did manage to do some sewing as well!  The most important piece of news is that Anne is having a major sale next week, to celebrate the first anniversary of opening the shop, so if you are anywhere near Stitchin Heaven, do call in .......

 

....... and treat yourself to some of these delicious fabrics!

 

But the highlight of the day was meeting Lucie, whose blog is The Happy Quilter.  So there were two happy bloggers, as it isn't very often that you get to meet other bloggers in the real world!  I had assumed that Lucie would have a northern accent, so I was surprised to discover that she is Canadian - so now when I read her blog, I will have her accent in my head!

 

However the photo of the day has to be this one - how cute is this dog on the back of the quad bike!

Bedazzled!

I wish you could have been at Abbey Quilters' meeting last night, to see Kay's stunning work!  It was only after her presentation that we learned that this was the first time she had done this ..... perhaps that explains the frown of concentration as she set up her laptop and projector (sorry, there are bits of heads and bodies in most of the photos, as I was at the back of the room!)

 

but it wasn't just the stunning quality of Kay's work that has us ooohing and aaaahing ........ it was also the fact that she has only been  quilting for a few years!  (that's Sandra, Linus Lady and vice-chairman of Abbey Quilters on the left)

 

this quilt is made with Liberty fabrics ...... it is gorgeous/fabulous/delicious

 

this is her 2012 Scottish Championship winning quilt

 

a detail of one of the feathers

 

but the most amazing thing is that Kay doesn't do her quilting on an ordinary sewing machine, but on a vast longarm machine

 

these details are from one of her many award winning quilts.  It is amazing that she can produce such tiny detailed stitching with such a large machine!

 

Charlie brought along this quilt, which Kay had quilted for her .......

 

........ do you recognise the stitcheries?  Yes they are the same ones that Anne did for this quilt

 

we went to Jedburgh this morning, for some shopping and a spot of lunch.  Malcolm had a haggis and cheese toastie, which was delicious, with a tasty salad

 

I had nachos, which were also delicious

 

.......  the jalapenos were served on the side - the cafe owner thought I was brave to eat them!

 

three of the clematis in the back garden are still flowering

 

and there are still flowers on the hellebore ..... at this rate it will go from being a Lenten (Easter) rose, to being a Christmas one!