frayed at the edge

Would you like to fly ......

........ in my beautiful balloon?  This morning after I got dressed I went back into the bedroom to say bye to Malcolm - and suggest that he might like to get out of his lazy bed and come with me.  I think the grunts from under the duvet signified that he didn't want to come, which was a pity, because this was the amazing sight that greeted me

 

 

I don't think I've ever seen a hot-air balloon this close

 

 

Then, as I headed down towards the turning point - there was another one!!  I knew I would get a better view at the bottom of the hill, so I ran down before it vanished behind the hills (my legs haven't yet recovered!!)  There was still early morning mist over the hills, so this photo isn't very clear).

 

 

I spoke to one of our neighbours, who has a livery.  He said that the horses had been spooked by the noise of the balloon's burners (they were very loud!), but nothing was going to deter these two from munching on the lush verge

 

 

After lunch, I headed out to the studio to play with my new toy.  First I watched the dvd which came with the embellisher, which explained how to use it safely, and how to achieve the best results

 

 

I started with a piece of felt (from a bag of mixed bits I bought at a craft fair) and some wool roving. 

 

 

The dvd suggested that when you first use the embellisher to loosely needle the roving in place

 

 

Then it was the scary moment ...... I took a deep breath and off I went!!

 

 

It definitely helped that I am used to doing free motion quilting, as the movement is similar (except that I kept trying to pivot the felt, which you can't do with five needles in it!!)  So stage one was completed successfully

 

 

I then added an outer circle

 

 

The last stage was to add a stem and leaf.  I found this much trickier - I think it will take quite a bit of practice to get the shape of the leaf right

 

 

For my second project, I started with a flower cut from a piece of felted sweater and some purple and pink roving

 

 

I covered the flower shape .......

 

 

....... then added some pink beads (they were still sitting on the worktable after using them on the shawl!)  All I need to do now is add a brooch pin.

 

 

This detail shows the lovely colours and texture

 

 

I forgot earlier in the week to show you the finished applique runner (I need to organise my photos better!)

 

 

I stood on the bed to take this one, so it's a bit wobbly!!  I only realised when I saw the photos on the laptop that you can see the fine wire going from the radio alarm clock to the lamp - it's the aerial for the radio!!

 

 

Now that the runner is finished, it's back to those chickens!!

 

 

 

Modern shepherding

When I was out for my walk this morning, I helped one of the neighbouring farmers deal with a runaway ewe and her lamb.  But this wasn't traditional shepherding with a crook and a dog ........ his preferred method of rounding them up was to use his ....... Mercedes!!

 

 

He had been herding them along the road, when they were able to escape through an open gate into a field - he drove in after them and encouraged them to come back out - I took this photo just as they emerged.  He parked across the road so that they couldn't go back that way and started shouting orders at me to drive them back towards him (I was still a fair distance away, the photo was taken with the zoom lens!).  Just as he shut the gate, the ewe made a run for it past me, with the lamb trotting behind, and they legged it on up the hill.  At that point I left the farmer to get on with it and continued with my walk!!

I walk for a mile and a half, which brings me to a road junction.  I stand at the junction and admire the view, before I turn and walk back up the hill - the first two thirds of the road home is uphill - I am always glad when the final downhill stretch comes into view!!.  This morning I lingered to take some photos -  in this one, on the left you can two of the three Eildon Hills (Trimontium) and on the right you can see one of the two Minto Hills (and lots of beautiful blue sky)

 

 

Can you see a little creature in the middle of this photo - its companion had run away, but it must have thought that if it kept very still, I wouldn't see it!! (click on the photo to enlarge it)

 

 

One of our neighbours has an old donkey - he is now thirty!  I usually only hear him in the morning as he is in the paddock at the back of their house, but today he was out in the field.  As you can see he has rather unuaual colouring!

 

 

As usual for Fridays, I was busy this morning doing the housework, but then it was off to Borderland fabrics for an afternoon of sewing.  I had finished the applique on the runner, so took my sewing machine with me to sew on the binding.  All I have to do now is handstitch the binding on the back (I took this photo when I got back home)

 

 

I haven't forgotten that I said I would tell you my plan for all those ends on the shawl/scarf ...... I am going to thread beads on them.  I would have shown you, but despite having hundreds of beads in my stash, I don't have in the right shade of pink!!

I hope you all have a super weekend, love, Anne

 

 

 

A soggy tale!

When I got home from my usual Monday morning shopping, I found Malcolm in the garden wearing swimming shorts.  Now, I know I was in town for a while, but I didn't think he had time to dig a swimming pool, so why was he in his shorts?  Well .... it all started yesterday evening, when ......... but I'm getting ahead of myself, so lets go back to yesterday morning -

We headed off to the garden centre to buy some fence paint (yes, it's that time of year again!), then we thought we would visit the Donkey Sanctuary - after all we've lived here for almost four years and hadn't yet visited it.  There was just a small problem - when we got there we discovered it didn't open until 2pm (oops).  However, I was able to take some photos .....

 

enjoying the spring grass

 

 

this one was a little bit shy!

 

On the way home, we had to have one of those emergency stops for photo taking ........

 

as you can see from his leg, he thought about getting up .........

 

 

....... but it was all too much effort to get up and pose!!

 

Back home, while Malcolm was working in the garden, I was busy sewing - but it was practical sewing.  I was making this peg bag for Stuart - at the moment he has his pegs in a plastic bag.  The fabric came from my stash of curtain samples, which our local curtain shop sells very cheaply.  I just made a very simple peg bag - I didn't think he would want one with applique and embroidery!

 

 

But I also got quite a lot of sewing done on the applique runner for our bedroom chest of drawers

 

 

Later I also did some work on my knitting.  It is a scarf/shawl, knitted in laceweight yarn.  I have been making it up as I go, but it looks as if it will turn out ok.  I've pinned it to our footstool to give you an idea of how it will look

 

 

Don't worry about all those ends - I have a cunning plan for them!!  So that takes us up to yesterday evening ...... there was a lovely sunset and I went out into the front garden to take some photos, including this one

 

 

I then went through the house and out into the back garden, where I took this photo of the moon

 

 

But as I took the photo, I realised that the outside tap was running, so I went to turn it off ..... but it refused to stop running.  I fetched Malcolm, who also couln't get it to turn off.  We have a short length of hose attached to the tap (to make it easier to fill the watering can) and Malcolm faffed about trying to put a clamp on the hose to stop the flow.  But I came up with a simple solution - we put the nozzle from the main hose on the end of the short hose and closed it - problem tempoarily solved.  When Malcolm went to fit a new tap this morning, he encountered a slight problem - he couldn't turn off the supple to the tap, which meant he would get soaked when he took the old tap off ....... hence the sensible solution of wearing his swim shorts to do the job!!

We have another small problem - these two swallows are determined to move into the garage to nest - but that would mean having to leave the door open all the time, which isn't a sensible thing to do (sorry about the quality of the photo, but the light was bad, and I didn't want to startle them with the flash)

 

 

As I'm writing this, lots of swallows are swooping round the garden, feasting on insects - I have tried to take photos of them, but they are just too fast!!

 

 

 

 

The magic of technology

Yesterday's post may have appeared as usual ....... but I wasn't here!  I wrote it on Wednesday and scheduled it to be posted yesterday evening, as I was away from home from 7am to 9pm!!  So, what was I doing?  I went on an outing to the city of York, to see a quilt exhibition .... but let's go back to the beginning ...... last Friday, my friend Anne said that she was going with Kelso Embroiderers to York.  There were spare seats on the coach and would I like to go - of course I said yes.  So it was up at the crack of dawn to head to Kelso to meet up with the Embroiderers Group.  We set off in our comfortable coach and were soon crossing over the River Tweed at Coldstream

 

 

On of the good things about travelling by coach is that you get a good view over the hedges.  This is a field of potatoes

 

 

The fields are ablaze with rape - even on dull days it looks as of the sun is shining!!

 

 

When we arrived in York, of course the first thing we did was have a cuppa, then we headed for the exhibition, which is in the Quilt Museum of the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles.  We arrived at the door .....

 

 

....... and the camera had to be put away, as no photography is allowed, not even a general view of the wonderful room that the exhibition is in (it's because of copyright issues).  So please click on the above links to see more of the exhibition!!

However, I can show you the wonderful gardens round the museum .....

 

the wrought iron and old bricks show off the plants beautifully

 

 

the old buildings provide a wonderful backdrop for the gardens

 

After a delicious lunch, it was time for a little sightseeing

 

wandering through the maze of streets in the Shambles ........

 

 

I remembered to look up

 

 

I wonder who Mad Alice was

 

We met up back in the gardens at the museum, and enjoyed a cuppa in the sun before heading for home

 

 

On the way to York, I was sitting on the wrong side of the coach to take a photo of the Angel of the North, but I was ready to capture one on the way home

 

You can read about the Angel here and see more photos  here.

 

The forecast for the weekend is for good weather, but whatever the weather is, I hope you all have a good one!!  Love, Anne 

 

Backsliding!

I have been trying really hard to keep to my New Year's resolution to buy fewer books and magazines .... and adding to my stash.  But at the weekend - oh dear!  It started on Saturday, when I saw the first issue of a new sewing magazine, complete with a kit to make a spotty bag and a catalogue full of all sorts of crafty things

 

 

Then on Sunday, when we went to The Main Street Trading Company in St Boswells for a cuppa, of course I had to have a browse round the books.  Oh dear, oh dear ...... not one, but two books came home with me

 

 

If all that wasn't bad enough, on Sunday evening when I was reading my favourite blogs, I saw that Helen had details of a wonderful shawl kit .... yes dear readers, I ordered one as fast as my fingers could type my order!

 

 

I think that's my pocket money spent for the next several months!  At the weekend, I was carrying all the bits and pieces for the hexagon pincushions back and forward to the studio - when I dropped bits yet again, I thought it might make sense to use one of my (many) bags, so I used this one

 

 

The fabrics in the centre panel are from South Africa, as you can see from this stamp on the wrong side of the fabric

 

 

I still have these lovely pieces in my stash

 

 

On my way home this afternoon, I had to make another of those emergency stops, when I spotted these tiny calves

 

 

And to end, a bit of fun ....... on late Sunday afternoon, I was relaxing in my jammies, slathered with a 'fruit smoothie' face pack, when Malcolm crept into the room with the camera ........

 

 

You can stop laughing now!!!

 

It may be April ......

....... but winter just doesn't want to go away!!  This morning we woke up to a sharp frost, which was followed by freezing fog ...... just in time for all the people going away for the Easter Weekend.

Having fulfilled my domestic duties, as always it was off to Borderland Fabrics for patch'n'chat.  There weren't so many of us there, because of the holiday, but we still had fun!  Anne S was woking on a wallhanging of angels (yes, my angels)..  She is working them in purple, which gives them quite a different appearance to my red ones. 

 

 

Anne's daughter Roberta is visiting her, so she came along for the afternoon.  Unfortunately she didn't bring one of the beautiful teddies that she makes, but she did bring her knitting

 

 

But that's not all that they brought - they had a little treat to share

 

 

I was working on my runner for my chest of drawers.  After trying out several layouts for the main part, I eventually decided on this one

 

 

I really enjoy hand applique - there is something very relaxing about sitting stitching round the tulips and leaves

 

 

As always, come three o'clock, everything stopped for tea ...... which was kept hot in the pot by the super tea cosy knitted by Anne D

 

 

Annette wasn't there today, but in her absence Cathy had made more of her wonderful muffins (she got up at 7am to make them for us!)  Today's were orange and mixed fruit and they were absolutely delicious .......

 

 

I hope you all have a super weekend, love, Anne

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh dear ....... more cake!

I know, there was rather a lot of calorific content yesterday ...... but it's Friday, which means more cake (sorry Lindsay!!)  This afternoon at Borderland Fabrics, Cathy had made chocolate chip muffins .......

 

 

Moving swiftly on ........ having forgotten to take a photo last Saturday of what I was working on - I forgot again this afternoon!!  But, I did remember when I got home.  I have finished the tulips on either end of the runner (I had originally intended to have various flowers, but I liked the tulips I did for the 'Spring' wallhanging, so I decided to use them for the runner too)

 

 

I then made a start to placing tulips and leaves round the main part of the runner

 

 

I am fed up waiting for some colour in the garden, so I have been to the garden centre for some plants to put in the pots at the studio door .... vibrant polyanthus

 

 

narcissi

 

 

and snake's head fritillaries

 

 

Have a good weekend (I don't think I'll have any more cake!!) Love, Anne

 

 

  

I could have sewed all night!

Well, not quite, but on Saturday I went to 'quilt till you wilt' at Borderland Fabrics .  We started arriving at 4.30, shortly before the shop shut and then we sewed ... and we sewed ..... finally going home at 11.30!! 

Cheryl was working on her add-a-row quilt

 

 

as was Helen

 

 

but they have to complete a few more rows to catch up with Cathy

 

 

Anne S. was working on a bag - this is one of the panels

 

 

and Anne D. was making a start to a very large quilt that she is sewing entirely by hand!

 

 

But we didn't sew all night .... we had a pause to enjoy delicious Chinese takeaway food (and a glass of wine may also have been enjoyed!)

 

 

I had my favourite .... chicken chow mein

 

 

Then it was back to the sewing, with Annette making this bright quilt for her granddaughter

 

 

Margaret was making gorgeous placemats

 

 

Sandra was finishing this enchanting quilt

 

 

and Jane was working on her tile quilt

 

 

So what was I doing ....... oh dear, I was so busy taking photos of everyone's work, I forgot to take a photo of my own!  I was working on an applique runner for the chest of drawers in my bedroom - I will have to show it to you another time!!

 

 

 

Normal service resumed

Yes, it was back into the routine this morning, and the house is now clean and tidy again!  Then it was off to Borderland Fabrics for an afternoon of patch'n'chat .... and of course cake!!  A choice of two again this week - lemon drizzle and gingerbread (yes, I had a piece of both)

 

 

But between chatting and cake-eating, I did manage to do some sewing ..... I have been working on my Angel Stitcheries, and have now completed three of them

 

 

 

 

I have also been working on another wallhanging, but I can only show you a little bit .... you will have to wait until next Tuesday's tutorial to see the whole thing!

 

I hope you all have a great weekend, love Anne

 
 

  

These are a few of my favourite things!

I've been tagged by Shannon of Free Spirit Knits to tell you ten simple things that make me happy .........

1. Of course I have to start with Malcolm and Stuart .... my family always comes first.  This is us on our wedding day in 1986.

 

2. My home .... I get to see this every morning when I open the curtains!

3. Books - I love to read and need to have a book within easy reach at all times!

4. Orchids - I have a collection on the kitchen windowsill - this one has just started flowering

5.  Friends - this are a wonderful group of friends I had in Indonesia .... as you can see, I had been teaching them patchwork!  I have to admit that's me with the grey hair - now, thanks to my marvellous hairdresser, I am a stunning blond .....

6. My studio - I took this photo yesterday ........ it was snowing and miserable out, but I was happy working on my latest projects

7. Travel - I enjoy holidays so much it's hard to pick a photo ...... this is Pollensa in Majorca

8. Food - I am definitely a 'live to eat' person, and while looking for a holiday photo, I also found a wonderful food picture, also taken in Pollensa

9. Of course any list of things that make me happy has to include wine ... I don't have any great knowledge about it, so if all else fails, I pick a bottle with an interesting label!

10. To end, the most simple pleasure known to woman ..... chocolate!!

 

Now I'm supposed to tag ten wonderful women .... but I find it so hard to choose (I can't help it, I'm a Libran!) ....... so, what I've decided is ........ if I regularly comment on your blog, and you would like to tell us of your ten things, then consider yourself tagged!!