frayed at the edge

A little bit of bling

When we were browsing in a charity shop in Berwick last week, Malcolm spotted the earrings and I spotted the necklace ........ perfect little bits of bling for Nelly!

 

I had also bought a length of gold ric rac last week, which I might use to trim her saddle cloth

 

I decided that Nelly ought to have the sun shining on her, so I marked it in the corner

 

and stitched it with a heavy Madeira thread

 

I also decided to give her a cap, and fussy cut a piece of silk

 

then I found a little sample of posh silk curtain fabric, which has heavy gold embroidery.  I trimmed the excess fabric off, then bonded it to the saddle

 

next, I quilted the sky with a loopy meander.  The plan is to stitch beads or sequins in each loop

 

a search through my thread stash produced a lovely heavy variegated thread, perfect for quilting the grass

 

the next step was to trim the wallhanging

 

then add the binding.  Once it is stitched in place on the back, I can have fun adding all the bling!

 

yesterday morning we went out for a walk, then treated ourselves to something we haven't had for ages ...... one of our famous two-scone lunches!  A delicious cheese scone still warm from the oven

 

and a rather tasty cherry scone

 

Of course I've called her Nelly!

On Saturday, we had a very enjoyable workshop with Pat Archibald.  I've known Pat for 22 years (we assured each other that we look just the same as we did all those years ago!).  When she first started out, I did several workshops with her, but this is the first I have done for some time.  As you can see, we were going to make the most wonderful elephant wallhanging (are you now singing Nelly the elephant packed her trunk ......)

 

but first, we got to play with beautifully carved wooden printing blocks which Pat had brought back from India, and lovely thick, gloopy ink

 

we practised first on scrap fabric

 

finding out how much ink to put on the block, and how much pressure to apply to get a clear print

 

then, after our experiments

 

we printed cotton bags

 

once the ink dried, we ironed it to set it, so if necessary, the bag can be washed

 

next we stamped all over the fabric for our elephants, so we each had a unique pattern

 

using the pattern, I traced the elephant on to fusible web

 

I cut it out and set it aside

 

while I repeated the process with two fabrics for the saddle cloths

 

I stamped the two saddle cloth fabrics

 

and having cut out the ear and the tusk, assembled Nelly

 

having fused all the elements of Nelly together, except for her ear, I then fused her to the background, which I had prepared at home

 

at this stage, I had stitched round most of Nelly

 

you can see the stitching better on the wrong side

 

back home, I looked out some bits and pieces to decorate Nelly ....... I shall have to add some beads and bells as well

 

we had a fabulous day with Pat.  As well as being a very talented, award winning quilter, she is also an excellent teacher, explaining all the steps clearly, and getting us through a great deal of work, without our feeling under pressure.  Do click on the link above and explore her website - she travels all round the world teaching, so one day she may be in a town near you!  She also has kits for sale, so check out her shop as well

Super moon

I didn't see the super moon when it rose on Monday night, as it was too cloudy

 

but I took these two photos yesterday morning.  A little bit of cloud was just moving across the bottom right hand side as I snapped this one

 

I don't seem to have got much sewing done recently, so on Sunday I knuckled down to make a start on the Advent calendar that I bought when we were in Hampshire

 

I cut out the strips for the pockets, and top-stitched the top edges with silver thread

 

the strips are then folded to give small pleats on either side of the dotted line.  The first strip all pressed - I only scorched several of my fingers!

 

the strip pinned in place ready to be stitched down the sides and across the bottom

 

then the pockets are stitched in place along the dotted lines

 

you will just have to take my word that this shows the first strip of pockets stitched in place!

 

yesterday, I stitched on the other three strips of pockets, but you can't really see them either!

 

layered up, ready to quilt

 

to finish, on Monday afternoon I saw Margaret, the Queen of Applique.  She had her two latest projects with her.  This isn't the best of photos, but I didn't get the chance to take a better one.  I love the hares, but I'm not so keen on the foxes.  The leaves are all cut from beautiful batik fabrics and bonded on to the background - they just need to be blanket-stitched in place

 

this snowman block is fabulous - do click on it to enlarge it, to see all the details that she has stitched, and the embellishments that she has added

Bits'n'bobs

I realised that I hadn't taken any specific photos for today's post, so here is a selection of oddments!!  First, our passion fruit.  The last time you saw it, it was still on the plant and was green.  It started to turn yellow just as we were threatened with frosts, so I picked it and popped it in the fruit bowl.   It slowly turned a darker colour, and then, as it was going a bit squidgy, I decided  ........

 

....... to cut in half, to see what was inside.  There were seeds, but different to the ones that are inside the more usual dark purple passion fruit.  As I knew you would want to know what it tasted like, I bravely had a little nibble on a few seeds.  There was only s slight flavour of passion fruit - but then, the fruit was a bonus from growing the plant for its stunning flowers, so the taste didn't really matter

 

suddenly, amongst the small purple clematis flowers, there appeared this much larger, paler, patterned flower

 

it has a very striking centre.  There is such a tangle of stems, we can't see if this is a rogue flower on the existing clematis, or if it is an entirely new plant that has somehow grown through the existing one

 

this is all the leftover stuff from Saturday's Santa class.  It is now all sorted out and put away

 

Meredithe and I are working on a very secret project ........ a challenge for next year, which we are going to invite you to join us in.  Could all these unfinished projects on my work tables be a clue??!!

 

on Saturday the 19th, I am going to a Pat Archibald workshop.  I thought I ought to sort out the requirements list

 

Malcolm found me wandering about the studio saying "where are you Riley, stop hiding from me Riley, where are you Riley?".  But don't worry, I didn't have a handsome toyboy hidden away, I was looking for a piece of Riley Blake fabric which I knew would be the perfect colour for the elephant!

 

in the kitchen, the "Christmas" cactus is flowering.  I have had several of these over the years, and every one has flowered earlier and earlier

 

on the kitchen windowsill, the little chilli plant is thriving

 

these chillis may be tiny, but they are VERY hot!

 

snow was forecast for last night ........

 

but it didn't quite reach us.  I took the photos from our front garden, looking across the valley to the higher ground on the other side

 

and to finish, a piece of advice.  Don't sit the accessory box of your sewing machine on top of a slippery polythene bag, on a chair ....... or you will spend along time picking up all the sewing machine feet, sorting them out and putting them back in the proper slots!!

 

 

Lots of fun and stitching!

Here are my lovely ladies, getting ready to make their Santa wallhanging.  With her back to the camera is Margaret, facing her is Anne, on the left is Marcia, on the right Sandra, and lurking in the corner, making a cuppa, is Liz 

 

tracing the pattern pieces on to fusible web

 

Margaret is a fast and efficient worker, and her pieces were all bonded in place while the others were still cutting theirs out!  And don't you just love her background fabric

 

Sandra has her placement sheet under her background fabric, using it to ensure that the pieces are in the right place

 

Anne is using baking parchment when bonding her fusible web to the fabric - this saves having nasty accidents where the iron ends up with a very sticky mess on it

 

Liz's pieces of the coat and hat, bonded, ready to cut out

 

checking out my wallhanging, to make sure the correct bits are tucked under other bits

 

this is Sandra's

 

this is Marcia's

 

this is Liz's

 

and this is Anne's

 

 

and here we are, at the end of a very enjoyable day!

 

and of course we had plenty of treats!  There may have been fun sized chocolate bars and liquorice allsorts (which we eat because someone once told us that they are good for osteoporosis prevention!), and best of all, a delicious carrot cake!

Leaves, leaves and more leaves!

I didn't go over to Berwick with Malcolm yesterday, as tomorrow I am teaching a workshop at Abbey Quilters.  So after lunch, I decided to pop into Hawick and go for a walk in the park, to enjoy the autumn colours.  But this first photo was taken before I got to the park!   The heron looked miserable sitting all hunched up

 

but if he had just turned to his left, he could have enjoyed this view of the river

 

in the park, everywhere was carpeted with leaves

 

there were even leaves floating down the river, under the footbridge

 

I did think about running through the leaves, kicking them up and throwing them about - but I am sure if I had an old-fashioned park keeper would have appeared and told me off!!

 

someone has had fun with a chainsaw, turning a tree stump into a magnificent fish

 

the old wooden hut that housed the tearoom and the toilet has been demolished, but they seem to be taking a long time to build the replacement

 

autumn colours are my favourites - and someone with an eye for colour has planted these trees to show off the best of the colours

 

not quite so organised, but still glorious

 

if only the keys had been left in the ignition, I could have had fun roaring through the leaves!

 

the colours of the bandstand are a nice contrast against the trees

 

if only I could paint ....... I would certainly have a go at reproducing this scene

 

where was Malcolm when I needed him to give the scale to this tree stump?!

 

in this view, can you see the little flash of pink?  That is my glove, so you can work out just how big the stump is

 

I walked out of the top of the park to visit the walled garden.  Someone had decorated the vegetable plot with some quirky scarecrows!

 

what a stunning acer!

 

this paved area is new since I last visited the garden, but the greenhouse has yet to be refurbished

 

a late raspberry - no doubt a hungry bird will eat it

 

I think this is a lily seed pod

 

this old door is obviously still in use

 

unlike this one!

 

I headed back into the park to finish my walk.  There was no one in the shelter - I think it was a bit chilly for sitting about!

 

I said I would show you what I bought on Wednesday at The Quilt Shop.  First, some excellent cotton wadding (a girl can never have too much wadding!)

 

and four fat quarters of greens - these will probably be used for stems and leaves in an applique quilt

 

knowing that I wouldn't be going out for a cuppa and cake today, I popped into one of the local supermarkets yesterday after my walk.  I found this amazing piece of cake ........ chocolate and salted caramel lumpy bumpy cake.  Perhaps not the best of names,  but it was delicious!

 

when I am busy teaching tomorrow, I will have to remember to take photos to share with you on Monday!  Have a great weekend, love Anne

A touch of frost!

  It was decidedly chilly this morning, with frost on the deck

 

and the sky was full of contrails from early morning flights

 

now, before we get to the rest of the day, we need to rewind to Sunday afternoon, when I was busy working on Santa Stop Here - this is the wallhanging ready to be pinned before quilting

 

it doesn't take long to pin something small like this

 

I started by stitching the applique in place, using monofilament thread, which of course you can't see, so this is the wrong side

 

I then quilted the background with a small meander

 

again, it shows up better on the back

 

trimming the edges after quilting

 

the binding stitched on the front, ready to be hand stitched on the back

 

lots of buttons and beads sewn on (you can click on the photo to enlarge it, to get a better look at the buttons)

so now we have arrived at this morning, when we set off over the Border to Morpeth, to deliver the walhanging to Sue for the shop (you can read about the shop in this post), along with copies of the pattern (and one has already sold!)

 

just look at these luscious new fabrics

 

delicious colours

 

oh, I could have brought all these batiks home with me!  I may have bought a little something, I'll show you on Friday

 

I had taken Mrs Billings with me to work on ....... and you can see how pathetic mine is, compared to Sue's.  (stop laughing Meredithe, just because yours is brilliant too!!)

An excellent new book!

I was delighted last week to receive a copy of this new book to review*, from the lovely Aimee at Quarto.  The book is by Matt Chapple, winner of the Great British Sewing Bee.  Matt joined the army aged 16 as a vehicle mechanic, but along the way learned sewing skills to keep his uniform smart.  Over the years he has honed his skills altering and making clothes for his family

 

opening the book revealed these stylish drawings, and there are clear illustrations throughout the book

 

the table of contents shows how wide ranging the book is ....... the last section is on how to properly clean your shoes!

 

this is from the section on the various ways of transferring pattern markings to the fabric

 

the instructions for taking measurements so that the clothes fit are very clear - I wish I had known all this years ago when I did a lot of dressmaking

 

an action shot of Matt - one of his very good suggestions is to collect large pebbles from the beach to use as weights

 

although this shows matching the pattern for dressmaking, his method would also work for patchwork

 

when I turned the page to Scuba Skirt, I was slightly perplexed - how would one go scuba diving in a skirt!  But of course it refers to the fabric, which is the same as that used for wet suits

 

and there are touches of humour too ....... if you were to name your sewing machine what would you call it?

 

there is something for every sewer in this book, whether beginner, intermediate or more experienced, and it has certainly made me want to take up dressmaking again.  It would make an excellent Christmas present, whether for a friend, or for someone to give you!   The book is published by Jacqui Small, and you can buy it here

 

* other than the copy of the book, I have received no payment for posting this review.  I was given permission to take photos of the book to share with you.  The photos from the book are by Simon Brown.

 

 

Before we see the Happy Mail

we have to pop out into the garden this morning, to admire the clouds

 

with just a faint tinge of pink

 

and a hint of sunshine

 

and now for the Happy Mail.  When we got home last week, there was a parcel for me from one of my lovely long-term readers, Dawn (no blog).  I was delighted to find this owly work bag, which she had sent me for my birthday

 

it is already in use, keeping safe my latest pair of socks for Malcolm

 

next, this beautifully wrapped parcel

 

which contained this gorgeous notebook to add to my collection (perhaps I could use this one to keep track of all my other notebooks?!).  So where did this come from?

 

it is my first purchase from the etsy shop which has just been opened by the delightful Crafty Brownies.  If you haven't already discovered their blog, do head over and have a browse, as they have a variety of super craft tutorials ........ and then visit their lovely new shop which is filled with all sorts of gorgeousness!

 

when I was at the Quilt Show just before we went on holiday, I had intended to by some Christmas themed buttons from the Stitch Witch, to embellish my "Santa Stop Here" wallhanging, but she wasn't there!  So I ordered them online, and they arrived while we were away.  How cute are these little snowmen

 

and the parcels look good under the tree

 

to finish ....... no, these didn't arrive in the post!  I had bought them when I did the food shopping on Monday, and Malcolm assumed that I was going to make some sort of exotic dish with them.  NO!!  They are my seasonal decoration ....... and one day I will get round to making a Hallowe'en quilt with the fabrics I bought a year or two ago!!

 

Little sheep all in a row

Before we went on holiday, I made a start to this kit, which I had bought at the Autumn Quilt Show, although as I mentioned, I am making a wallhanging rather than the draught excluder 

 

all the fabric needed is in the kit

 

I started by tracing the sheep bodies on to fusible web, and fusing it to the wrong side of the fabrics

 

then I stitched the borders on, to help with the placement of the sheep

 

the bodies in place, but not yet fused as there are bits to be tucked under the edges

 

the faces, top knots and legs traced and fused to  black and white felt

 

the first sheepie with its face, top knot and legs in place

 

the sheep all fused in place

 

layered up and ready to quilt

 

I stitched round the edges of the sheep with invisible thread - a sort of combination of raw-edge applique and quilting.  I have turned the piece over to the wrong side, so you can see the stitching

 

I changed to the walking foot and quilted in the ditch round the borders

 

then back to the quilting foot to quilt the background

 

the background quilted ...... and that is as far as I got before we went away.  Now I will have to decide how to quilt the borders

 

as you can see, I have rather a lot of projects on the go at the moment (and of course there is all the sock knitting as well!) ............

 

so for the next few weeks, I will just be here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Do pop in again on Wednesday, as I have some Happy Mail to show you!!