frayed at the edge

A strange shadow shot

Yesterday morning, when we were sitting in the lounge having our post breakfast cuppa, we both noticed this strange shadow shot on the wall.  Well, I can hear you ask, what's strange about the sun shining in the window and casting a shadow on the wall?  The strange thing is that the sun wasn't shining in the window ...... the shadow was cast by a reflection of the sun, shining on the windows of the house across the road from us!

 

but through on the other side of the house, these shadows were caused by the sun

 

this is a temple bell, which Malcolm bought many years ago on a business trip to Manila 

 

and this is me, taking the photos

 

later in the morning, we set off for Kelso, as I had an appointment with my lovely hairdresser, to restore my blonde gorgeousness.  Of course we stopped for a cuppa on the way, and enjoyed an excellent cheese scone

 

after my hair was rendered beautiful again, we came on over to Berwick, where the sun was shining in the windows this morning.  This is my little mannequin, which looks after my jewellery

 

I had taken this knitting project with me, as it has been lying neglected for some time.  The plan is to turn it into a rug - you can see where I have stuffed the first section with some wadding

 

I bought the balls of wool some years ago at Woolfest.  It is rug wool, very rough and tough

 

this morning we had a walk over to town, and surprise, surprise, we popped in to Café Crema

 

for a cuppa and the best (and biggest) cheese scone that we have shared for some time!

 

we had to pop out in the car after lunch to run some errands, then to avoid going back to the flat to do some housework, we took a little run up the coast and over the Border to St Abbs

 

as always there were lots of lobster pots lying about round the harbour - do you think anyone would notice if I pinched one to use as a planter in the garden?

 

there were lots of gulls sitting on the rocks in the distance

 

but this one posed nicely on a wall beside the harbour

 

after an exceedingly chilly walk round the harbour, we popped in for a warming cuppa

 

and enjoyed a little sweet treat - a small piece of tablet

 

and to finish - here is The Aunts' Quilt looking good on the guest bed in the flat

 

I don't think Pooh and Jemima would be pleased if they knew that Bruce the Puffalump was sitting on the quilt.  I have had Bruce since the 80s, when I named him after Bruce Willis - that's when he was a handsome young man with lots of hair!

 

I've just checked the weather for the weekend - although it is going to be cold, it should be dry, so we may get out and about for a walk.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Not just one .......

....... but two finishes!!  First, the little project to use up the last of the binding strips.  I sewed the strips together

 

then folded the strip in half and stitched down one long edge, cutting through the fold as I got to the end of the seam

 

that gave me this strip

 

I folded it in half and again stitched the long edge, which gave me this

 

then one more time gave me this piece.  I could just have quilted and bound it at this stage, but I decided to have a bit of fun

 

so I got out my revolving cutting mat, a square ruler, and my teeny tiny rotary cutter

 

I lined up the diagonal line on the ruler with a seam

 

and cut out a square

 

after cutting another three squares I had this

 

and a pile of leftovers

 

I stitched the leftovers together, and having cut a fifth square, I had to hold my breath as I squeezed out a sixth square, leaving only two little scrappy bits

 

the six blocks .....

 

which I rearranged and stitched together

 

I then trimmed them

 

found a fabric in my stash for the backing

 

and having layered it up with some cotton wadding (from the wadding scrap bin)

 

I did some simple free motion quilting 

 

having trimmed the extra wadding and backing, I used some of the leftover binding

 

and here is the little quilted scrappy mat

 

which is already in use on the magazine rack/side table which is beside Malcolm's sofa (as you can see, he was enjoying a glass of wine when I took the photo!)

 

and now, the moment you have been waiting for ....... the big reveal of the finished Aunts' Quilt!

 

I put it on our bed to take the photos, but it will be going to the flat, to go on the guest bed

 

a detail of Lucie's beautiful quilting

 

and as you know, you can't take a photo of a quilt in this house without Jemima and Pooh!

 

they were most reluctant to go back to their own bed!!

In a bind!

On Saturday, I sorted out the strips into four bundles to mix the different fabrics for the scrappy binding

 

a quick bit of sewing, and I had four bundles of joined strips

 

the four bundles were then stitched together, and the binding folded in half and pressed

 

there was a pause in the sewing, as I was summoned by Malcolm to the shed to see his newly built workbench

 

I offered to make cushions for his chair

 

and was delighted to see that he has finally mounted the garden thermometer I gave him for Christmas on the shed!

 

back in the Attic, the next job was to trim away the excess wadding and backing fabric

 

leaving the quilt ready to be bound

 

stitching on the binding

 

there is enough binding left for another quilt!

 

there was also little pile of unused strips ....... come back on Wednesday to see what I did with them, and for the big reveal of the finished quilt (it's not quite finished, but it will be by then!).

A windy day out!

Yesterday morning we headed down the coast to pick up Lucie to go out for lunch.  She had chosen this place by the beach in Blyth

 

this photo doesn't show just how busy it was, as it has been a school holiday this week

 

the three of us chose the same - haddock and chips.  It was all freshly cooked, the batter was light and crispy and the chips were plump and non-greasy. (thank you very much Lucie, for such a delicious treat!)

 

this starling was one of many keeping an eye on the people eating outside, in case they dropped a morsel

 

after lunch, we strolled over to the beach, stopping to admire the iconic beach huts (have a look back at the first photo, and you will see them on the chip shop sign)

 

looking out towards the lighthouse, the sea didn't look too rough

 

but the wind was whipping the tops off the waves

 

but despite the bitterly cold winds, there were some brave souls surfing!

 

but we hadn't gone just to have lunch and a chilly walk ...... Lucie had quilted The Aunts' Quilt for me.  This is just a sneak peek until I have stitched on the binding

 

back home, I got out all the leftover fabric to make the binding

 

and I also found the remains of a jelly roll which I can add in if there aren't enough scraps

 

so yesterday I cut all the shorter lengths

 

then this afternoon I cut the longer strips.  I hope to get the binding made and stitched on over the weekend

 

on Monday, when we were in Berwick, we popped into Mielle Patisserie ......

 

........ to share one of their delicious Provence scones

 

we  have also had a sweet treat - Sue's son-in-law, Adam, had these biscuits made for her, with an edible paper on top of the icing, with the shop's logo.  Adam has also designed a website for the shop - you can see it here

 

and to finish, I took this photo of the sunrise on Tuesday in Berwick.  The sky looked as if it was on fire, and just as I snapped the photo, a bird flew in to the shot to add some interest

 

it's a reasonable forecast for the weekend, so hopefully we will get out for a walk.  It should be milder, so Malcolm is hoping that he can get more work done fitting out his shed with a large workbench (and I will have to remind him to take photos!).  Enjoy your weekend, love Anne

Wrist pincushion - a little tutorial

Last Wednesday at The Quilt Shop, someone mentioned seeing a presenter on a tv craft programme wearing a wrist pincushion.  This sparked a vague recollection of a pincushion made with a milk bottle top, so I assembled milk bottle tops, fabric, toy stuffing, elastic, strong glue and the inner ring from an embroidery hoop 

 

I used the ring to mark a circle on my 5"square of fabric

 

and cut it out

 

using a double thread, I ran a line of large stitches round the circle

 

I drew in the stitches, leaving a small gap

 

having filled the pincushion with the toy stuffing, I pulled the thread tight and fastened it off

 

I measured the elastic round my wrist, leaving a generous overlap

 

having stitched the ends of the elastic together with a flat seam, I took it, a milk bottle top and the pincushion

 

and applied a good covering of glue to the inside of the bottle top, including the sides, and put first the elastic, then the pincushion into it, squashing it all down to make sure it made good contact with the glue

 

I left it until the glue was dry, then I popped the finished pincushion on my wrist ........ and if you are wondering why I used the bottle top, it protects your wrist from a pin pushed in too firmly, which would otherwise stab you!!

An early treat ......

 ........ for Valentine's Day!  Yesterday morning, we popped over to The Running Fox in Longframlington, as I had offered to treat Malcolm to breakfast

 

although it had snowed during the night, it was bright and sunny

 

I was temporarily diverted from the breakfast menu by the sight of these scones!

 

as I like a reasonable amount of milk in my tea, I get annoyed in establishments that give you a tiny little jug of milk, as if it was rationed (although Malcom always gets a big jug of hot milk to have with his coffee).  So I was delighted yesterday that not only did I get plenty of milk, but it was served in a cute little bottle

 

Malcolm ordered the full breakfast .......

 

....... and I ordered the eggy bread with sausages - but I didn't expect to get such a plateful!  The food was delicious, with most of it sourced locally, and the bread is baked on the premises

 

after breakfast, we worked off a few of the calories with a walk round the church

 

the sun was shining through the trees, casting interesting shadows

 

although the wooden and glass doors are beautifully made, I think they are out of keeping with the age of the church

 

the bell tower is unusual, with a double opening

 

there were lots of snowdrops in flower

 

and lots of daffodils peeping through the grass

 

I do wish that the old gravestones could be cleaned and protected, are they are little bits of local history.  The wording on this one is unusual "Underneath this stone are deposited the remains", and also mentioned is the "afflicted widow"

 

this one is an unusual shape

 

this one faces away from the prevailing weather, so isn't as worn as many of the others

 

a last photo before we headed back to the car

 

now, I could lie and say that on the way home I got Malcolm to drop me off, and I walked the rest of the way taking photos

 

or I could tell the truth that the photos were taken through the windscreen from the comfort and warmth of the car!

 

there was still evidence of the overnight snow

 

with it even clinging to the tree trunks

 

the slightly scary downhill run into the village

 

we came up to Berwick this morning, as we had an appointment at our Solicitors to sign our updated wills.  Having moved to England, we were advised that it would be a good idea to have them re-written under English law (Scotland has a separate legal system).  We were delighted to find a new shop - The Little Vintage Shop.  Although it makes us feel old that what they sell as vintage is what we grew up with!

 

then a few doors along we saw this notice in an empty shop window.  I have done some paper making in the past, so I might sign up for one of the classes

 

I had a bit of fun taking photos of the railway bridge through the "new" road bridge (we were crossing the river on the old bridge)

 

I wonder if the local council would move the lamp post on the road bridge, as it doesn't quite line up with the centre of the span?

 

in this photo, you can just see a train crossing the railway bridge

 

this afternoon, there was a flurry of activity on the dock

 

but I was momentarily distracted

 

by the antics of these gulls

 

who looked as if they were having an argument

 

and I almost missed the moment when they removed something from the boat

 

it was the engine that was belching out smoke that I showed you in a recent post - they must have heard me say that they needed to do some serious maintenance on it!

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with a quick and easy tutorial.

Healthy eating!

Yesterday, when we were in Alnwick, we popped into the Chocolate Spa

 

for a cuppa

 

we shared a delicious slice of lemon sponge

 

and we were given a little dish with two chocolates ....... but Malcolm scoffed his before I could take a photo!

 

I bought two little chocolates to bring home - I love the little label on the bag

 

Malcolm, of course, had Shaun the Sheep (as you know, I don't like white chocolate), and I had Ted the Tractor

 

at this point I can hear you wondering why today's title is "healthy eating", when there has been no evidence of that so far?!  Well, these are the veggies that I prepped for tonight dinner - a rainbow on a plate

 

yesterday afternoon, I finished the two Charming Bags.  Jennifer and her younger son James visited us yesterday, so I thought that I would give her one of the bags.  I thought she would pick this one

 

but she chose this one.  She plans to keep her knitting in it

 

it was snowing again this morning when we went out, but by the time we got back home the sun was shining and the sky was blue!  There was great excitement when Malcolm spotted this tiny snowdrop, the first flower to appear from all the bulbs we planted in the autumn

 

and it shouldn't be long until these narcissi flower

 

the forecast isn't looking too good for the weekend - we may have to stay in and keep warm!  Whatever your weather, have a good weekend, love Anne

A Charming Bag : part two

I remembered to take a photo of the original Charming Bag, now that I have it back at home (it hung up in the shop for months to advertise the class)

 

it was difficult to take a photo of the pockets on the inside of the bag.  The fabric at the bottom is covering plastic canvas, which gives the bag structure

 

I couldn't share the details of the bag before the class ...... this is my least favourite part of the process, writing the instructions!

 

making up the step-by-step stages for the class

 

I found this pretty fabric for the lining in my stash

 

another set of the different stages

 

yesterday I finished making the step-by-step pieces into finished bags.  This is one of the linings, showing the iron-on wadding

 

the lining tucked inside the outside of the bag, and pinned in place

 

as I'm not a fan of inserting zips, I decided to finish the top edge of the bag with binding

 

I added the handles to this bag

 

I took the two bags with me when I went to The Quilt Shop for our usual Wednesday sewing day.  I hand stitched the binding to the inside of the bag, so now I just have to add the handles and the plastic stiffening for the bottom

 

this one just needs the stiffening for the bottom

 

and to finish, a mixture of spring and winter!  The little narcissi are happily flowering, despite yesterday's snow!

Two very different days

 Before I tell you about the weekend, I thought I would share this piece of absurdity with you.  This enormous plastic envelope arrived for Malcolm on Thursday - it is actually folded in half.  That's a mini bag of M&Ms (I just used it to hide the address) - the pencil gives you the scale

 

in the envelope was a folded piece of A4 paper, and a little plastic bag containing a tiny brass nozzle.  I don't know why it couldn't have been put in a normal sized envelope - so much for cutting down on plastic waste

 

so, on to the weekend.  It rained all day on Saturday in Berwick - not showers, just constant rain.  However, you don't have to go out to take photos - I took these through the window!  Out on the river beyond the dock, dozens of seagulls were diving into the water

 

they flew round and round for quite some time - then simply flew off!

 

this little fishing boat sailed out of the dock, trailing a cloud of smoke behind it.  I think they are needing to do some serious work on the engines!

 

this swan was having a good peck at its feathers

 

stretching its neck over its back to sort them out

 

finally it straightened up, every feather back in place

 

as we weren't able to get out for a walk on Saturday, we had a detour on our way home yesterday, as it was a bright sunny morning.  We decided to go to Bamburgh, as we prefer to go there in the winter, when it isn't crowded with tourists!

 

there were lots of daffodils .......

 

...... and snowdrops growing under the trees

 

I shall have to remember to plant daffodils round our trees in the autumn

 

this camellia was smothered in buds

 

unfortunately this shop was shut, so we couldn't sample their wares

 

this is the local cricket ground 

 

I wonder if it is the only one in the country situated in front of a castle?

 

the tennis court is being refurbished - Malcolm wouldn't let me play with the machines!

 

guess which way the wind mostly blows!

 

I wonder if the cricket club would let me borrow their heavy roller, as some of our grass is a bit lumpy and bumpy, and would benefit from being rolled

 

another view of the castle

 

it was a day for looking up at chimneys ........

 

..... set against the blue sky

 

the birds looked as if they were deep in conversation

 

as we walked round the cricket ground ......

 

this little robin followed us

 

sitting prettily for his close-up

 

we popped in here for a cuppa

 

but we didn't have chops and ale

 

instead we shared a delicious piece of carrot cake

 

I have now remembered to take a photo of my Charming Bag - I'll share it with you on Wednesday!

 

A Charming Bag!

First, thank you to those of you who let me know about the comment page in the new design being dark grey, making the comments hard to read. I get your comments in emails from Typepad, so I don't look at the comment page, and I wasn't aware of that, so I have changed the design again!

 

Now, on to the Charming Bag.  On Tuesday, I was teaching a class at The Quilt Shop, showing the ladies how to make the bag ....... and here we have a big oops - I forgot to take a photo of my bag!!  You can just see a little bit of it in the bottom right-hand corner of the photo!  I called it the Charming Bag as it is made with a charm pack, which contains 40x5" squares cut from one range of fabric

 

the ladies were soon hard at work, piecing the front and back of their bags

 

to make sure I got the right name to go with each bag, I took a note of the order I took the photos in!

 

 

Moira's Japanese themed version

 

Sonia chose William Morris

 

Hollie arranged her fabrics to go from light to dark

 

Christine chose bright fabrics

 

Karen used the same fabrics as Sonia

 

Pat chose pretty fabrics

 

Jo too chose William Morris

 

while Gillian chose soft fabrics

 

Karen was the first to have her zip stitched in place

 

after that it got very busy as the ladies sewed at a great rate to get as much finished as possible before the end of the day, and I didn't take any more photos.  But on Wednesday, at our usual sewing day, Hollie had almost finished her bag

 

and Sonia had finished hers!

 

while I was busy teaching, Malcolm was busy in the kitchen, and when I got home I was greeted with the delicious aromas of a chicken and ham pie!

 

when we were out and about yesterday morning, of course we went for a cuppa.  You know that we usually share a scone, but there was a "morning special" when a cuppa and a scone wasn't much dearer than just a cuppa, so of course we had to have a scone each (and as usual we traded half).  This was an excellent fruit scone, with homemade raspberry jam

 

and this a very tasty cheese scone

 

I hoped recently that spring is nearly here - and these snowdrops show that it just might be!

 

we are in Berwick, and as always hope that we will get out for a walk.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne