frayed at the edge

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

All square

When I was watching a recent episode of The Quilt Show, I saw a new-to-me method of using squares.  So after I finished the runners on Tuesday, I looked out this charm pack from my stash

 

the first job was to sort the squares into pairs, right sides together

 

then chain piece them

 

but then comes the strange bit - you turn them round and sew them on the opposite side

 

which gives you tubes like this one

 

the next stage was to cut the sets in half.  I lined them three at a time on the cutting mat, with the seams to the sides, and cut them 

 

the first three cut and opened out 

 

having done the same with the rest, I took two of them, and pinned them with the seams lined up

 

having stitched these on both sides, I cut them in half

 

giving me little four-patches.  What a clever technique, so much easier then if I had cut each of the original squares into quarters then stitched them 

 

this is as far as I got on Tuesday - half of the pile done

 

then yesterday I had to decide what to do with all these squares, so I thought I would make a bag.  I remembered this stitchery, made from a kit which I had bought when we were on holiday in Australia quite a few years ago

 

I then looked out this lovely Liberty fabric to use as the lining (yes, Meredithe, I have finally used some of my Liberty stash!!)

 

I used fusible web to stick the Liberty fabric to the stitchery

 

then used the false binding method to finish of the edge of the stitchery.  This will be the front pocket of the bag

 

using the same method as I used for the runners, I stitched all the squares together

 

I folded the strip of squares in half and pinned it to the design wall, the pinned the pocket on.  The square and a half  below the stitchery, along with the matching square and a half on the back,  will form the base of the bag.  Not bad for making it up as I went along!  Hopefully I will get it finished over the weekend

 

I spotted the sparrow and the female blackbird on the bird bath this morning - perhaps they were agreeing that the water was still too cold for a bath!

 

and the robin was looking very grumpy sitting on the wooden owl which we brought back from Indonesia.  The poor owl is slowly rotting away - sitting outside in the British weather hasn't agreed with him!

 

I took this last photo at the weekend, then forgot about it.  This little fishing boat was obviously having engine trouble, with great clouds of smoke belching out the back, giving the scene a misty, romantic look!

 

I won't be here tomorrow and Monday, as it is Easter.  I hope you have a good weekend ....... and don't eat too much chocolate!!  Love Anne

All at sea

After Malcolm made such a good job of the new shelves, I thought that I had better make the effort to make a runner for it.  I remembered that I had bought these fabrics some time ago to make a runner for our little dining table in the flat, and with some calculations, I realised that I had enough to do both

 

I started with the runner for the shelves, arranging the squares on the design wall

 

once I was happy with the arrangement

 

I chain pieced them

 

into rows of three

 

then I sewed the rows together in pairs

 

then sewed the pairs together

 

then sewed all the sections together

 

after pressing the seams well, I added the first border

 

all four borders on, and looking good!

 

I then went through the same process to make the table runner

 

now they just need to be quilted and have the binding put on

 

to finish ..... when we were in Jedburgh  this morning, we saw this daredevil tree surgeon cutting down a tree beside the Abbey.  I wonder if next time we are there, all of the trees will have been cut down

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

Spring!

I had a walk round the garden this morning with the camera, to capture these signs of spring.  First, two photos of the ornamental quince

 

then three photos of the flowering currant

 

this honeysuckle will flower soon

 

strong growth on the climbing rose

 

this is the rowan tree in the front garden

 

the bright green of the hawthorn hedge

 

a drop of water on the birch tree

 

and more drops caught in a lupin leaf

 

a very dark hellebore

 

and a paler one

 

self-seeded ferns growing in the cracks in the wall

 

the log store needs replenishing, a sure sign that winter is just about over

 

now, get ready to say aaaaah and oooooh, as we have some more lambs!  They were just behind the hedge, so I had to creep up to try to take a photo ......

 

....... before the ewe walked away with the lambs

 

but this little one stopped and looked back

 

as did this one

 

twins snuggled up next to the water trough

 

before their mum took them away from the strange lady peering through the hedge at them!

 

I'll be back tomorrow to show you how Malcolm's latest creation turned out.

A little tutorial : part 2

After completing the quilt top, the next stage is to quilt it.  For this you need : the quilt top, backing fabric and wadding (batting).  The backing fabric and wadding should be about two inches bigger all round than the quilt top

 

you will also need pins - there are all sorts available, and if you are going to be pinning a lot of quilts, I would recommend getting a gadget to make closing the pins easier (and less painful on the fingers)

 

for the first stage, you will need the backing fabric, masking/low tack tape and scissors

 

give the fabric a good iron, then either tape it to your work table (don't do this on your antique dining table) or to the floor.  Smooth the fabric out but don't pull it too tight

 

next, smooth the wadding out on top of the backing fabric

 

then after ironing the top, put it on top of the wadding and smooth it out

 

stagger the pins - I usually pin about four inches apart

 

having pinned the area on the table, I moved the quilt up so that I could pin the rest, re-taping the backing fabric

 

with all the pinning done, I trimmed away the excess backing fabric and wadding

 

and with a scrap of one of the fabrics from the top, I made a sandwich to check the stitching

 

you can see that several stitches were skipped on the top two rows, but after changing the size of the needle, the stitching was fine

 

I attached the quilting guide to the walking (even feed) foot, setting it so that the lines of stitching would be two inches apart

 

I put a strip of masking tape diagonally across the quilt

 

and stitched along it, removing the pins as I stitched

 

for the next (and subsequent rows) I put the guide on the line of stitching - it takes a bit of practice to focus on the quilting guide rather than the needle as you stitch

 

all the lines stitched on the first diagonal

 

then I used another length of tape for the other diagonal - this shows the first line of stitching

 

the second lot  of stitching goes much faster, as you have already removed the pins

 

this is the simplest way to quilt - and if you don't have a quilting guide for your machine, use two inch wide tape, and just keep moving it to mark your next stitching line

 

the stitching looks good on the back too

 

the last stage is to bind the quilt - but that is a tutorial for another day!

Here's looking at you!

Here is Stuart's photo of me taking a photo of him ....... but where I had the wooden post as the focus in my photo, he has me as the focus in his!

 

we passed this swan on the grass verge as we headed for the beach - it wasn't at all bothered as we took photos of it

 

I put the lighthouse on the left - but I think Stuart put it on the right of his photo (by now Malcolm and Alison had walked on along the beach, as Stuart and I kept stopping for another photo!)

 

of course I had to have a stretch of the wooden groyne

 

and a rusty old bolt

 

and a weathered post with an interesting hole

 

further along the beach there were two tractors and a digger busy moving sand

 

dumping the sand in the sea

 

after clearing it away from the seawall

 

that looks better!  All the tyres have been removed, and the large tree trunks have been piled up at the end of the beach, making it easy for people to scavenge them for firewood.  And best of all, the smelly piles of detritus have been removed

 

then on Sunday it was a very different beach, with lots of rock formations

 

with interesting outcrops where the surrounding rock has worn away

 

we thought this would make a wonderful feature in the garden ...... if a) it was legal to take it, and b) it could actually be lifted and transported

 

 

 

have you been wondering what's inside a limpet shell?

 

 

I believe they can be eaten ....... but I think you would have to be pretty desperate, as they look revolting!

 

next we have some arty shell and seaweed photos

 

and some striking rock formations (ideas for quilts?)

 

this is a freshwater stream, trickling down over the rocks to the sea

 

as always Malcolm managed to find a fascinating piece of driftwood - and as always it was much too big to take home!

 

on the way back, the radio display didn't quite manage to show the complete title of the song!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with the second part of the tutorial for the simple quilt

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!