frayed at the edge

Rain, rain go away ......

....... come back another day!  We used to chant that as children, when it rained during the school holidays - and I'm tempted to start chanting it now, as it is raining heavily (yet again).  The workmen came back this morning to point the new path, but because of the rain, most of it looks like this

 

 

However, the section that was done first thing is uncovered - this is the view looking through the front door.  They have made a really good job both of the slab laying and the pointing.  All that remains now is for Malcolm to fill in the gaps on either side of the path with gravel - and finish  the latest project he has been working on - but I'll tell you more about that next week!

 

 

Earlier in the week, I did some more work on my Baltimore block.  I wasn't happy with the rose in the centre - I thought it looked too small, so I cut out some extra petals from freezer paper

 

 

After a great deal of fiddling, to make sure all the raw edges were covered, I was finally happy with the enlarged rose

 

 

I finished stitching it this afternoon at patch'n'chat ......

 

 

........ and although I have still to add the buds, I made a start on the next block

 

 

This afternoon, we were treated to Annette's cupcakes - delicious

 

 

I chose one with pink sprinkles

 

 

OK - I put that last photo in just to make you wait a little longer before announcing the winners of the giveaway!!  Malcolm picked two numbers, and I counted through the comments ........ the first winner is Judi, who wins one of my handmade brooches and a lavender bag

 

 

and the second winner is Rattling On, who wins this notebook, covered in beautiful embroidered silk Colefax and Fowler fabric.

 

Thank you to everyone who left comments -  I appreciate  them very much (Malcolm reads them too!)

 

It's still raining, but despite the weather, I'm sure we will still be out and about at the weekend - whatever the weather I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

Another night out!

Yes, I was out again last night - it is very unusual for me to have an evening out two weeks in a row!  Last night I headed to Kelso to join Abbey Quilters ........ when we first moved here, I joined two quilts groups, but neither was the sort of group that I really wanted to belong to, and I eventually left.  But I know lots of members of Abbey Quilters (I've even been a guest speaker there!), so I decided that I would join them, and yesterday was the first meeting of the new year.  I had a great time, and in no time at all had chosen a piece of redwork to stitch .........

 

 

....... except I am stitching it in blue!

 

 

That little block is just a practise bfore starting on this one, which is this year's challenge  - most of us picked a block, then all the blocks will eventually be made into a quilt for next year's exhibition

 

 

I also signed up for a talk and a workshop, put my name down to participate in a block of the month quilt, and somehow came home with a set of patterns for another quilt .... perhaps if I give up sleeping all this sewing will get done!!  I also came home with two bags full of cooking apples, given to me by my friend Anne S.  Malcolm produced this box, which had had bottles of wine in it - the cardboard dividers make it ideal for storing the apples in

 

 

After all the stormy weather, it was a much better day, so we went to Jedburgh for a walk along the river.  The abbey as ever looked imposing, seen through the trees

 

 

The river looked tranquil this morning .....

 

 

....... but the detritus caught on the bridge pier is evidence of how hard the river had been running recently

 

 

This duck was quite happy, standing on a large stone on the river bed

 

 

We walked quite a long way along the river, but for once we didn't see a heron - usually we see two or three on this stretch of river.  But we did see this clump of fungi - I've told you before that I always imagine a little village of elves living in tiny fungi houses!

 

 

Remember to leave a comment if you would like to be included in the draw on Friday, to celebrate my 800th post (which was on Monday).

To finish - I went out the back door of the studio this afternoon, to close the outer storm doors ..... and found that I have new neighbours!  This is the field that was ploughed and reseeded earlier in the summer - it now has lush grass which these sheep were tucking into, in the afternoon sun

 

 

 

ps - the clear blue sky has been very welcome - but it also means that the weather has turned a lot cooler ...... we have just turned on the central heating for the first time this autumn!

You probably thought ......

....... that I finished the 'row'quilt ages ago and simply forgot to tell you.  Oh dear, it had somehow got lost in the to-do pile, so at the weekend, I got organised to finally finish it.  I ironed the backing fabric and stuck it to the table with masking tape to keep it taut

 

 

Next I added the wadding, then having ironed the quilt top, I spread it over the wadding and, starting from the centre, smoothed it out so that there were no wrinkles

 

 

Several dozen pins later, the quilt was ready to be stitched

 

 

As always before starting a new project, I cleaned the sewing machine.  I had only used it to do the baby quilt, but it is amazing how much fluff collects in the workings

 

 

I've put a bobbin beside the pile of fluff to show just how much there was ....... if you don't clean it out regularly, you can damage the machine

 

 

I also put in a new needle, and filled two bobbins - I love the little picture which comes up on the screen when you engage the bobbin winder 

 

 

As I am using different threads top and bottom, I made up a sandwich with some calico and a piece of the wadding I am using

 

 

and stitched a trial line - as you can see from the little dark dots, the bottom thread is coming up to the top, which means the tension needs altered

 

 

after a bit of adjustment, the dots disappeared, and I was ready to start sewing

 

 

The first part of the quilting is simply quilting in the ditch along the seams, to hold the quilt together, before I start doing more decorative quilting.  When I start a line of stitching, I bring the bottom thread up to the top, so that it doesn't accidently get caught in the stitching on the back - I also do it at the end of every line as well

 

 

By the end of the afternoon, I had quilted the central section of the quilt - as in the ditch quilting doesn't really show on the front, here is how it looks on the back!

 

 

Remember to leave a comment if you want to be included in the draw for the giveaway to celebrate my 8ooth post - Malcolm will randomly pick two winners on Friday ...... one in the UK and one abroad.

I can't think of a title .....

....... for today's post!  I think my brain has already gone into weekend mode and won't stir itself to come up with a clever/witty/humerous opening.

So let's just get on!  Friday of course means cake, and this week we had a variation on our favourite ..... instead of apple and sultana, Annette had made apple and cranberry. 

 

 

Katy recently won a 'best in show' with Gerald the Turkey (unfortunately he has been handled so much, his neck is a bit wobbly!)

 

 

I got a lot of stitching done on my Baltimore block, finishing all the leaves and buds

 

 

It won't be long until the swallows set off for Africa ..... in the mornings they congregate on the phone wires, planning their departure .........

 

 

....... while the other birds eat the bird food as fast as I put it out.  Yesterday evening there was a nuthatch on the peanut feeder, the first time we have seen one in the garden.  Unfortunately I was charging the camera battery, so couldn't take a photo!

 

a bluetit

 

 

a coal tit

 

 

a great tit

 

Yesterday afternoon, it wasn't just Malcolm who was enjoying the sunshine in the back garden - the butterflies were making the most of it too

 

 

 

you can see the curled tongue of the top butterfly

 

 

 

The forecast isn't very good for the weekend, so I think the woodburning stove may be lit tomorrow afternoon!  Whatever the weather, I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne 

 

 

Wet and windy

Summer came back briefly on Sunday, but it has been downhill since then.  Yesterday the weather was mixed, with some sunshine, but also heavy rain and hailstones.  Then I got up this morning to find that it had rained heavily in the night, and was very windy.  When the weather is like this, there is only one thing to do ....... spend lots of time in the studio sewing!

Yesterday I did a lot of prep on the Baltimore blocks.  Then today, as well as the Baltimore prep, I also did a bit more work on my hexagons.  The hideous lurid charming pink project box is starting to fill up with hexagons in the three stages . ...... paper, fabric, and fabric tacked on to the papers

 

 

Block 3 is progressing well, and I now have most of the pieces prepped and pinned in place, with just the buds to add

 

 

I made a start to block 4

 

 

and block 5

 

 

I have stopped using glue to prep the pieces - I wasn't happy with some of the tight curves, which I found difficult to do using the glue.  So I have gone back to my usual way, ironing the freezer paper on to the wrong side, then tacking the seam allowance in place.  When I stitch the pieces in place, I leave a small gap to pull the freezer paper through using one of these wonderful implements

 

 

They are really meant for clamping blood vessels during surgery, but the serrated edges mean that they grip the freezer paper well

 

 

I haven't decided on the final layout of the blocks, but they are looking good so far

 

 

The strong wind made it difficult to take photos of the birds on the feeders, but I managed to capture this little tit ....

 

 

...... and this poor chaffinch looked extremely miserable in the rain

 

 

I've been invited by my friend Lorraine to join her and the other ladies of Southdean Rural on a visit to a local cheesemaker this evening.  We are then going for a meal.  If I don't get blown away, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!

The long and winding road

 
On Saturday, I got up at 6.30, wished a sleepy Malcolm a happy birthday (I did offer to make him a cup of tea), got ready and headed off to meet up with 42 other ladies.  Our destination - the autumn quilt show at Harrogate.  Unfortunately, it is a rather long journey from the Borders to Harrogate ....... 3 hours by bus!!  However, it was worth every moment of the journey when we arrived to see the stunning 'best in show' quilt   - I'm always unsure about showing photos of quilts at shows, but this quilt will be featured in every p&q magazine over the next few months, so I don't think it matters if I show it to you here

 

 

There were some fabulous quilts (and one or two not quite so fabulous!) ........ here are a couple that particularly caught my eye

 

 

 

Of course a quilt show doesn't just mean quilts ...... it also means TRADERS!!  So did I buy anything? Yes, of course!!

 

delicious fabrics

 

 

co-ordinated linen

 

 

could this be a future project?

 

 

a replacement for Malcolm's flexible curve which I have lost mislaid

 

Of course you can't spend a whole day away from home without having something to eat!  The catering was excellent, and I really enjoyed my lunch

 

 

Later on I had a little icecream  - mandarin, with little chips of dark chocolate - superb!

 

 

Yesterday morning we went to a local garden centre for breakfast ...... and came home with another owl to add to the collection.  How could I resist this lovely rusty owl!

 

 

Having been worried about the lack of butterflies in the garden this summer ..... suddenly there are lots of them!

 

 

 

 

There have also been more bees about

 

 

 

Meanwhile, in the front garden, there were plenty of birds to watch ....... including the adult robin

 

 

and the young one, who is still just a little bit fluffy!

 

 

I spent most of the afternoon in the studio - I'll show you tomorrow what I have been busy with.  Malcolm was also busy being creative ........ he was going to keep this driftwood sculpture that he made this afternoon to give me for my birthday next month - but he was so pleased with it, he gave it to me before the glue was quite dry!!

 

 

I decided to put it through in the back lounge, beside a wooden and metal sculpture which he gave me for my birthday five years ago (when we had  lived here for a just few weeks)

 

 

The knitting update ....... I haven't had much time to work on the socks (and I had to take back several rows last night after dropping a stitch!)

 

 

To finish ..... it won't be long until I need to light the stove in the studio, so today Malcolm gave it a good clean and polish with 'black lead'

 

 

Have you got Noah's phone number?

Yes, it has been raining again!  This was the view out of the back bedroom window this morning - the rain was bouncing off the ground, it was coming down so hard!

 

 

However, it did eventually go off, and by the time I came back from patch'nchat, the front garden was full of sparrows.  Don't worry about the lumps of concrete, they are just a temporary measure to hold the gravel in place until the path is relaid ..... but we need several dry days for that to happen!

 

I managed to get a lot of stitching done on my current Baltimore block this afternoon - I have finished one side of the wreath and made a start on the other side

 

 

Of course Friday afternoon means cake, and we were delighted to find that Annette had made our favourite apple and sultana cake

 

 

I thought I would do one of those roundups of photos that somehow didn't make it into this week's posts (yes, I may have forgotten to include some of them!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow we are going out for dinner with Stuart and Alison to celebrate our Silver Wedding, which is on Monday.  No doubt there will be photos to share on Monday!  I hope you all have a good weekend, and that those of you who are threatened by Hurricane Irene stay safe and well.  Love Anne

The missing link!

I was finishing stitching the binding on the baby quilt last night when - shock horror - I realised that I had missed a bit of quilting.  You can see it here on the back of the quilt

 

 

So I nipped out to the studio before we went out this morning, to fill in the gap

 

 

My sewing machine plugs into a socket under the table, so my knees were complaining when I crawled under the table twice in a few minutes!

 

 

As I went back to the house, the sun was shining on the garden seat, so I paused to take a photo of the now finished quilt

 

 

We usually go out for lunch on Wednesdays, going somewhere local on knit'n'natter days, but heading out and about on the other Wednesdays.  Yesterday we had planned to go to Robert Smail's Printing Works in Innerleithen, but fortunately Malcolm checked the opening times and found that it is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  So we decided to go today.  As the premises don't open until noon, we thought that we would head to Peebles for lunch.  It got off to a good start, with a very stylish cup for my tea

 

 

and Malcolm was pleased with his flat white

 

 

Then Malcolm's lunch was put on the table - poached eggs and bacon on a muffin, with hollandaise sauce - perfect!

 

 

Next, mine arrived - oh dear ...... this is supposed to be chicken soup with herb dumplings

 

 

You may think the three white blobs are generous pieces of chicken ..... no, that's the dumplings!  I could have bounced them off the floor, they were so dense.  There was a generous helping of shredded chicken, but other then that there was a very small amount of diced carrot (which was uncooked) and a bit  of spring onion.  I ate the chicken, but when it came to supping the liquid, it had so little taste, I gave up.  After complaining, the waitress did return to apologise and give the chef's excuses.  She asked if I wanted anything else - I said no, I would rather they just didn't charge for the soup, so that's what happened.  I was very disappointd, as I had pictured a steaming bowl of traditional chicken soup, with lots of carrot, onion and rice, topped by fluffy dumplings.  (the waitress did also say that they had taken it off the menu)

However, a spot of retail therapy soon cheered me up, especially when I got a jam funnel ...... no more messy jars when I make jam

 

 

Then it was on to the printworks

 

 

We spent well over an hour having an excellent guided tour - including some hands on fun, preparing a line of type to have our own bookmarks printed

 

 

We learned that upper and lower case are called that because they were in upper and lower cases!

 

 

After learning how to set the type - from left to right and upside down! - we saw the machines still used to print all manner of things including calendars, which are based on old designs (they have full records of everything the firm ever printed)

 

 

They used to print a weekly newspaper, with each page taking 13 hours to typeset.  Now they print one edition a year.  The adverts are printed on the front, so you can't read the news without buying the paper!   (I love the use of the word 'effective' in the header!)

 

 

Do look at the link, as it is fascinating reading about the firm, which was owned by three generations of the same family, before passing to the National Trust 25 years ago.

To end our day out, we went for a cuppa, and to make up for the disappointment of my lunch, we had the most delicious treacle scone

 

Explanations!

First of all, the old gadget.  I said this was my Dad's, but I think it might even have been my Grandpa's ....... it is certainly very old.  It is a very simple drill, which I will now demonstrate for you.  You place the drill on whatever you want to drill a hole in, and run the barrel up the shaft .......

 

 

....... then down the shaft

 

 

This turns the point back and forward, drilling the hole.  After only a few turns, the point was firmly embedded in  my piece of wood

 

 

The drill isn't meant to drill through things like a power drill, but will make starter holes, say to put a screw into

 

 

Now for an explanation of dux.  Wikipedia only has a very brief explanation, in which it claims that it is a modern term, but my Dad was also a dux- although in his case I think it was of secondary school.  It simply means the winner of first prize (I think the American expression is valedictorian).  At the primary and secondary schools that I went to, the dux medals were awarded to pupils in their final year.  I don't know if they are still given at primary school, but I know that secondary schools still award them.  My medal was presented by a former pupil , which is why it is called the Martyn Henderson dux

 

 

I wasn't going to show you the reverse, as those of you who know at what age I would have left primary school will be able to work out how old I am now (I know I only look 29* in my photos!!). 

 

 

When I was in the studio this afternoon, I watched our new Martina McBride dvd.  Malcom is totally in love with her - but it's with the Martina of the late 90s, as she looks in this video ....... maybe he wouldn't be so enamoured if he saw her now!

 

 

He much prefers her with short hair (in her early career she had long hair).  I think that he lives in hope that I will come home from the hairdresser with my hair cut short - but I just tell him if I get it cut short, I'll also get it coloured liked Martina's!  I used to have my hair that sort of colour - I must look out some photos

 

 

Every time I see the video, I covet her long velvet coat ........

 

 

....... but I wouldn't want this orange dress - I think it is very unflattering

 

 

I finished the quilting on the baby quilt, and got the binding stitched on - I'll hand stitch the binding on the back this evening.  Here are two little bits of the quilting - I have simply stitched round the shapes

 

 

 

* why 29?  In my head I stopped getting older when I was 29 ....... it's just a pity that my body didn't get the message and has gone on getting older!!

A grand day out!

On Saturday morning, I headed off down the road to Chesters, for the Southdean Show.  I soon had my little table set up in the marquee

 

 

My friend Lorraine had a table laden with all sorts of delicious goodies

 

 

We had some entertainment watching the cask of beer being tapped

 

 

The beer is brewed here in the Borders - 'from plough to pint'.  You can read more here.  I didn't have any - not just because I was driving, but because I just don't like beer!!

 

 

However I couldn't resist the wonderful aromas coming from the barbecue, and had a naughty but nice roll, with a rasher of bacon, a sausage and onions (and brown sauce!!)

 

 

It wasn't just humans who were enjoying the afternoon ...... I could just have popped this little Westie into my backpack and brought him home

 

 

Outside, some brave volunteers were taking turns to hold this beautiful eagle owl.  He is a young one, and probably only half the size of the two that we see at the Waterwheel Cafe

 

 

I did very well with my sales table ....... and then the afternoon got even better when I went in to the hall after the judging of the industrial section.

 

1st and 2nd for the shawl and baby sandals

 

 

2nd and 3rd for the lavender bags

 

 

1st for my lap quilt

 

 

highly commended for the cushion

 

 

2nd for the bunting

 

 

1st for my melon, pear and strawberry jam

 

 

1st for 'best photograpic accident'

 

 

2nd for 'best photographic accident'

 

 

1st for portrait

 

 

3rd for portrait

 

 

1st for 'animal magic'

 

I won two other awards - but they didn't involve any skills!

 

1st for an old gadget - this was my Dad's

 

 

2nd for a photo of me as a baby with my Mum

 

At the end of the afternoon, when the awards were presented ........ I was delighted to receive two trophies!

 

 

 

the photography trophy

 

 

the Industrial trpohy

 

So, altogether, it was indeed a grand day out!!