frayed at the edge

So, back to yesterday .......

........ and the photos that got left out

handsome horses in the field across the road

 

I snapped this honeysuckle on Monday ....

 

...... and again yesterday

 

the finch hopped behind the leaf just as I snapped - you can just see her beak and tail!

 

I love this tiny shed on an allotment

 

I was startled by this horse when we drove past, until I realised it was a model one!

 

Christmas in August?

 

no, just the Red Cross raising funds

 

quilting Twas the Night before Christmas*

 

the edges trimmed .......

 

...... and the binding added

 

and so on to today.  When we were in Hawick this morning, I called in at the Reiver's Moon Gallery

 

and there it was ....... a browser filled with my photos!!

 

back home, there was great excitement in the garden - our first beans (ok they are only half an inch long, but they are the first we have ever grown!)

 

this is the back of Tree, showing some of the stitching round the branches

 

 

it is very hard to get photos of squirrels, as they move so quickly.  I hardly dared to breathe when I saw this one this morning, tucking into a monkey nut - as soon as I took a careful step nearer, it ran off

 

 

*if you wondered why there is a piece of card stuck over the touch screen of the sewing machine, the answer is simple!  I know that it tells me somewhere in the instruction book how to disable the screen, so that you don't accidently change the stitch if the quilt touches it - but it's much quicker to put the bit of card over it, than find the book and the relevant  section! 

Spots before the eyes!

The birds, which, thanks to several of you have been identified as young starlings, were sitting on the roof of the neighbours' shed when I went out this morning.  However, they now seem to have moved on

 

I know that thistles present problems for farmers, but they are prolific in the verges this years, providing lots of colour

 

 

foxgloves start flowering at the bottom of the stem, and now this late on in the summer, there are just a few flowers left at the top

 

did you see this stunning photo of the moon seen through the Olympic rings?

(copyright Reuters)

 

I can't quite compete with it, but I did have a go this morning when I saw the moon through the electrical gubbins.  Unfortunately, I couldn't persuade the camera to have both in focus, so either the moon, in the first photo, or the gubbins, in the second one, is slightly blurred

 

 

I have had a very busy day working on Tree.  I had numbered the spots on the pattern ......

 

...... to help with placing them - but then I looked at the pattern and saw that they weren't laid out the same on both sides

 

the next stage was to back the top with wadding.  Tacking it all together can take quite a while, and as time is somewhat tight, I resorted to spray basting.  I don't use the spray much, mostly because, no matter how well ventilated the room is, it gives me a headache (you'll see that I opened the back door)

 

I took a short break to have lunch (Malcolm was out).  I sat in the summerhouse to enjoy my sandwich, coleslaw and nectarine ...... and read another chapter or two of my book

 

I had made a small sample piece

 

to have a trial run, to make sure that the thread looked ok and the machine was stitching smoothly

 

the stitching went well, and by the end of the afternoon I had stitched all the branches on the left side, and the top two on the right side

 

 

to finish, I just want to say congratulations to Sir Chris Hoy, who has just won his 6th gold medal, an amazing achievement, which makes him the most successful British Olympian

(photo: Getty Images)

Just in time!

I was getting worried, as I only had one orchid left in flower in the kitchen ..... and it had shed all but one of its flowers!

 

this one is about to flower, but probably not before that last flower drops

 

but then on Saturday morninng we were in Homebase, where they not only had orchids on special offer, but they were also having one of their periodic 15% off everything days ...... so this beauty came home with me for less than £7!!

 

 

on Saturday afternoon I traced all the pattern pieces for Oh Christmas Tree (which from now on to save time I will simply call Tree) on to Bondaweb

 

and laid them out on the fabric

 

but I kept getting diverted by Serena powering her way to a gold medal (it was difficult to get a photo of her after she won, as she kept leaping about!!)

 

we had planned to go to Berwick yesterday, for the last day of the Arts and Crafts Fair, but we got up to thunderstorms and torrential rain - you might have seen the flash flood in Jedburgh on news bulletins.  So instead we went to Melrose, and consoled ourselves with this rather large scone!

 

back home, it was on with work on Tree.  I ironed on the Bondaweb, then came the very long job of cutting out the intricate shapes, including cutouts on some of the branches

 

but eventually they were all done and laid out on the backing fabric, except for the circles .... I'll place them once the branches have been ironed on

 

of course I was distracted as I watched Andy Murray beat Roger Federer.  When he won, I ran, screaming and yelling, from the studio, to meet Malcolm, who had come running from the house, in the middle of the garden, where we jumped up and down celebrating!!  I was so excited, I forgot to take a photo ...... and then forgot again when we celebrated his winning a silver in the doubles with young Laura Robson.  I'm not particularly interested in sport, but I have been cheering on all our Olympic competitors ...... and have become an instant expert in all sorts of events!

 

Regular readers know that I don't like cats (sorry, they just give me shivers!), but even I couldn't resist one of the next door neighbour's seven cats (!) sitting on another neighbour's wall

 

nor could I resist taking yet another sheepie photo ......  did it think I couldn't see it hiding behind the tree stump?

 

I was going to put my new shoes on this morning, but realised that my navy trousers, with which I was going to wear them, were in the ironing basket, so this afternoon I found yet another rerun of Murder She Wrote on tv, and .......what, you want to know about the new shoes instead of Jessica's clever solving of the dastardly murder!  Well, on Saturday morning we were passing the shoe shop in Hawick, which is owned by our new neighbours David and Jackie.  We saw Jackie in the shop, so popped in for a blether.  While we were chatting, I, of course, had to have a look at all the lovely shoes in the sale - and this pair just jumped on to my feet!!

 

Late this afternoon, Malcolm noticed these birds sitting on the phone wire in front of the house.  I took this photo through the lounge window.....

 

....... then rushed through to the kitchen to put the long lens on.  I then took the other photos through the front door

 

 

 

I have been through both of my bird books, but I can't find anything resembling them.  They were quite big, probably about the size of a blackbird, with markings on their fronts like starlings, and patterns on their wings like sparrows.  I hope you can identify them for me!

It might only be the third of August ......

....... but it is getting a little bit chilly in the mornings, when I head out at 6.45 for my walk!  There are more swallows congregating on the wires, getting to know each other before they set off on their long flight down to Africa, where they will spend the winter, returning next spring to nest

 

 

at the top of the hill, I came upon these three rabbits, sitting in the middle of the road, looking as if they were having a chat!!

 

the rabbit on the right was the first to spot me - you can see that it has raised its rear, ready to run off.  But then it settled back down

 

however it then changed its mind and ran off, closely followed by one of the other two, leaving this one wondering what was wrong

 

it finally realised that there was something amiss (a human creeping ever closer, taking photos), but still had a good look round before it too headed off into the field

 

it was wonderful to have blue sky again this morning, after so many grey dreary mornings over the summer.  It made a good background for these photos

old chimney pots

 

another electrical gubbins

 

this plane was so high, I'm surprised it is reasonably clear in the photo!

 

we don't see finches in the garden in the summer, but I saw this pair high in a tree (although the female was fidgetting so much, she is slightly blurred

 

 

I had walked further down the road than usual, as I knew there were two horses in one of the fields, with their full fly coats and fly hoods.  I didn't see them, but when I was on my way out to patch'n'chat I saw them through a field gate, so I stopped the car and nipped out and took a photo (I was on a long straight stretch of road, so I knew it was safe to do so)

 

I have been working on the last bit of handstitching on Twas the Night Before Christmas

 

the pattern says to make the stitching uneven ........ it's actually quite hard to make the stitches different sizes, when I am used to stitching neatly!

 

I have made a start to Oh Christmas Tree, tracing the pattern on to Bondaweb.  I have another week to get all the sewing finished and delivered to Anne, for her to take to The Festival of Quilts .........so you can guess what I'll be doing over the weekend!

 

And now, the best bit of the Friday post - the cake!  I wish I could share this with you ..... Annette's fabulous, light-as-air chocolate sponge, topped with fresh cream and strawberries

 

I shall also be squeezing in some Olympics watching over the weekend (we have just seen Great Britain win another gold in the men's cycling!) ...... whether or not you are glued to the tv, cheering on your team, I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

 

<

Not just for Burns' Night*

I went out on my own for lunch today, as Malcolm was attending a seminar (another one about managing our savings, and yes, he went because there was free lunch!)  I decided to go back to The Mill, as we had yet to have lunch there.  We had an excellent breakfast on Fathers' Day, and of course we have had cuppas and delicious scones, so I was sure that lunch would be good.  As soon as I saw the haggis and cheese toastie on the menu, I just had to have it, especially as the haggis is from Pringles Butchers, the cheese from Standhill Cheesery, and the bread from Hunters Bakery (sorry, no link for that) ...... all local businesses

 

 

it was absolutely delicious ..... the haggis was peppery and the cheese sharp.  Back home, it was on with Twas the Night Before Christmas.  I stitched together the next row and added it to the section I finished yesterday

 

then put together the bottom  section

 

and put the two together

 

the last stage was to add the side strips

 

I now have some more embroidery to add round the edge of some of the stitcheries (and I noticed that I had missed a star on the top right stitchery!), then it will be ready to quilt.

 

I forgot last week to do a knitting update!  I have almost finished the first teacosy ...... but I have still chickened out from cutting the steeks.  However, I popped it over a small teapot to let you see how it will look

 

and this is the second one, done in the reverse colourway

 

if you are wondering what the little pink thing is on the right of the teapot, it is my little sheep which covers the needle points (and stops the stitches falling off!)

 

while I was sewing this afternoon, it was hard to concentrate, as I was watching Bradley Wiggins cycling at the Olympics.  By the end I was standing in front of the tv jumping up and down, cheering him on!

 

 

*you can read about haggis and Burns' Night here

Back to me!

Malcolm was delighted to receive so many comments yesterday - could this be the start of a new hobby?

After handing over the blog to him yesterday, I have some catching up to do, starting with Saturday.  When I left the Quilt Exhibition on Saturday afternoonn, I was a bit annoyed to see that there was a major hold-up in the traffic.  However, I stopped being annoyed when I found out the cause ........ Kelso Civic Week parade

 

 

 

 

 

the star of the parade

 

Yesterday morning I headed out as usual for my walk, although it was a bit grey and wet.  These sheep were sheltering against the wall

 

but the crows and seagulls were busy pecking through this field, which has just been cut for hay

 

Yesterday afternoon I was busy making jam and chutney, but as it's for next month's Southdean Show, I can't show you the results yet!

 

This morning was grey and wet again - and it got steadily wetter.  I was dripping by the time I got back home!  The church looked quite eerie in the mist

 

 However these cows weren't bothered by the rain

 

I had just taken this photo .......

 

....... when this curious cow popped its head into the hole in the hedge

 

I have been busy working on Twas the Night before Christmas.  On Sunday I pressed and trimmed the stitcheries

 

and ironed the fabrics for the blocks

 

Today, I cut strips

 

and stitched them together in sets

 

I then cross cut these sets and joined the resulting strips into ones of varying lengths, which will frame the blocks and go round the edge of the quilt

 

Next I had two blocks to make 

 

 

 

The next stage is to make foundation pieced blocks, which is possibly my least-favourite method.  Just in case I get some wrong (it has been known!), I photocopied one of the pattern sheets, so that I have spares

 

When I am out for my morning walks, I quite often stop at the field gate just past the church to take photos of the Mintos and the Eildons.  However, on my way out this morning, this was the view - or rather lack of view

 

it had improved slightly on my way home - I think the rain had washed the mist away!

 

but this was last Tuesday ...... just a slight difference!!

 

 

When I was sewing this afternoon, Malcolm stuck his head in the door and shouted to me to come and see .........worms, worms and even more worms!  The compost bin was full of them - we have never seen so many worms!  This photo shows just a few of them

Gorgeous babies!

I was all set this morning to take some more photos of the exhibition when ....... one of the group members started putting up signs saying photos could only be taken for personal use and were not to be put on the internet (because of copyright issues).  However, I can show you this bag, which I donated to one of the raffles .......

 

....... these cushions which were made by Kay - she's coming to give a talk to the group later in the year, and these cushions show off her exquisite longarm quilting

 

....... and these cushions which were made by the patch'n'chat ladies and some of the other regulars at Borderland Fabrics (it was when I was on holiday)  The cushions are being sold to raise funds for Project Linus

 

This afternoon I was on the door with my friend Katy, taking the entrance money and selling raffle tickets.  A woman came in and looked at me, and I looked at her ...... she said "I know you, how do I know you, where do I know you from?"  Eventually, we realised that we knew each other from years ago - maybe ten years or more - when we were members of Stirling Castle Quilters.  She was with her daughter, who recently got married and moved to Kelso, so maybe I'll see her again when she is visiting her daughter.

Then, we had a very special visitor ....... Katy's gorgeous new grandson Aaron!  His Mum, Lucy, was going shopping, so she popped in to leave him with Grandma, knowing that Katy would have a wonderful time showing him off to all her friends (there was a queue to ooooh and aaaah and say what a gorgeous boy!)  He is now seven weeks old ..... but he was born five weeks early!  However, he has steadily put on weight and is a healthy bouncing boy (Lucy was quite happy for me to take his photo for the blog)

 

back home, there was another baby to admire.  We have a large sparrow population in our front garden, and they are busy raising their second brood of the year (if the weather improves we might even get a third brood, as we did last year)  You can see that this young male hasn't fully lost his fluffy chick feathers

 

 

Of course Friday means cake, and although I wasn't at patch'n'chat, I still had some.  I had shared my lunchtime sandwich with Katy, as she had slept in and didn't have time to make her lunch, so we then had a little selection from the cakes for visitors to the exhibition (there are always cakes at quilt exhibitions!)  The first is my plate, the second is Katy's - but she didn't have less, she was already eating her first one when I took the photos!

 

 

The sun is shining and there is quite a lot of blue sky ........ fingers crossed that it stays like this for the weekend!  Love, Anne

Oh my poor feet .....

...... and my poor legs!!  I must have walked for miles today, helping to set up Abbey Quilters exhibition.  But the thing I find most tiring is constantly going up and down stairs ...... having lived for most of my life in houses with no stairs,  my legs don't half complain when faced with mutliple trips up and down!  There is a lift in the building, but it's a very small thing, which is really just a platform which goes up and down (there are no internal walls, just the outer lift shaft).

Unfortunately my camera battery ran out, but here is a selection of the photos that I took.  I'll have more tomorrow, showing you the whole exhibition

 

 

 

 

The next three photos are of the colourful display of Linus quilts, which have been hung in the coffee shop.  It is always wonderful to see the amount of work that the makers put into these quilts ..... and their generosity in donating them

 

 

 

I did take another three photos this morning, which I can't show you, but I can tell you about them.  During the morning, a woman came into the room I was in, asking if anyone had a camera.  When I said I did, she asked if she could borrow it, as hers wasn't working. Ah, well ..... I wasn't going to hand over my camera to a stranger, but I said I would be happy to take the photos for her - and I am so glad that I did.  I went with her into the Adult Learning Room, where three students were being presented with certificates, having completed an Adult Learning Course.  It was lovely to see their delight at receiving their certificates, and share the happy moment.  I have already emailed the photos to the delightful Laura, the Adult Learning Worker.

Rather tired!

Just a quick post tonight, as I am a bit tired after a  long day out!  I also had a busy time at Anne's - so busy that I didn't take any photos.  It was a wrench to hand over Lilly Pilly ...... but I still have the pattern, and fancy doing it in stark tones of grey, or in my favourite autumn colours.  I helped Anne to make up the Lilly Pilly kits - there has been so much love for it every time I post photos, I am sure she will sell them all.  To ease the pangs, I came home with this new pattern - as you can see it is by the same designer

 

I am going to make it in these fabulous linen fabrics, with the spotty one for the background and the cream one for the tree

 

I also got the fabrics to finish the "Night before Christmas" wallhanging.  The pattern shows the quilt worked in red and white Christmas fabrics, but as Anne didn't have a wide enough selection of these, we chose instead these red, white and green fabrics, which will give the quilt a lovely fresh, lively look

 

I did get a little bit of sewing done today, handstitching the binding on my block keeper.  I have to apologise to Lucie , who designed the block keeper, as I forgot to give her a mention up to now!  She is a longarm quilter, and is going to be quilting the "Life is Beautiful" quilt top (the one that I pieced and appliqued, and Anne did the stitcheries)  I am looking forward to seeing it finished!

 

For those of you who requested to see Stuart in his kilt ....... I have passed the request on to him, and he will have a look for a photo!

 

It's a grey rainy evening, so I think we will have another sunny photo from yesterday's walk to finish!

Home alone!

I used to be home alone a lot, when Malcolm was away on business trips, and I got used to it (I think the longest was eight weeks on my own).  But this is only the second time that I've been alone in this house, and it feels quite strange!  But then, there is the compensation of being in charge of the tv remote, which is sitting on top of a rather large pile of magazines and books.  I think it is time I tidied my table

 

I bought the Craftseller magazine at the weekend, not just because it is a good magazine, but also because it features two patterns by the lovely Tracey.  She has made a very good start to her new full time craft/design career, and I wish her continued success.

 

At the weekend, I finally remembered to do the last little bit of work on Lilly Pilly ....

 

....... adding the eyes to the birds.  I used a sequin and a bead for each eye

 

 

I also did more work on my block keeper, finishing the machine quilting

 

 

the next stage was to add a large pocket on one side of the inside

 

and then to add a divided pocket to the front of the large pocket.  I just popped the nearest things to hand into the sections to show what they could be used for

 

then today I added the two triangles which will hold the blocks in place to the other side of the inside

 

I stitched on the binding

 

 

and made the handles.  Not much more to do now

 

 

and now for something completely different!  Stuart and Alison were at a wedding at the weekend, and Stuart sent me this photo.  Alison exceeded her budget by rather a lot for her dress  - but it was worth every penny as she looks gorgeous!  Stuart doesn't have such worries, as he wears his kilt to weddings - I must remember to ask him for a full length photo

 

Just a final mention of being here on my own.  When Malcolm was away so much, I learned to be quite practical and self reliant (although there was the odd panic, such as when I set the chimney on fire when we had sold the house, and the time I found a bat in the bedroom!)  But since Malcolm took early retirement, he has taken over all the practical stuff, so I had to have some instructions yesterday.  First, Malcolm informed me that the bottled gas for the cooker might run out, so I had to learn how to switch to the spare bottle (turn the control knob until the arrow points in the opposite direction, open the valve on the new bottle, close the valve on the empty bottle)  Then the boiler .... it occasionally trips out (and of course it's sod's law that it will happen when Malcolm is away).  This isn't quite so easy, and, I think, demonstrates that it was designed by a man!!  Instead of having a button on the front to reset it, you have to take the front off, stick your hand into the innards and feel about until you find the reset button!

 

To finish, a photo from my morning walk .... when the sun was shining!