frayed at the edge

Another piece of history

I had to post some letters when I was in Hawick yesterday, and I was delighted to discover that the pillar box was a George VI one, the same as our little local post box

 

Even with all the layers of paint from its many re-paintings over the years, the crown and initials are still clear

 

 

I said I would take a better photo of 'Sunset' - well, I have to tell you, it just did not want its photo taken!!  As fast as I stuck it to the wall (with Blu-tack, as I normally do with small quilts) it fell off again.  Then when it finally stayed on, the camera had switched itself off and by the time I switched it back on, Sunset had fallen off the wall again, then I realised it was squint ... you get the picture!  So here is my best effort

 

Of course for a competition, it's not just the front of the quilt that has to be considered - on the back there are two labels.  The first is the competition entry label

 

and the second one is my label

 

I'll be posting it tomorrow - keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Home from home

Yesterday, after we had lunch at the Woolgathering, Lindsay asked if we would like to walk across the road and see round her holiday cottage.  The words were hardly out of her mouth, when we were lined up at the door ready to go.  You can find out more about the cottage here and  here , but (with Lindsay's permission) I took photos of Hugh's artwork (all available to buy!!) and some of Lindsay's decorative touches

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were all so taken with the cottage, we wanted to move in!!  I know I'm biased because I live here, but there is so much to see and do in the Borders, and of course the scenery is stunning.

 

This afternoon I went for my second session of acupuncture - I was so relaxed that I fell asleep!  (I woke myself up when I started to snore - very embarassing).

Finished!

Yes, it's all done ...... Sunset is finally finished

 

This is a detail of the bottom corner, showing the little shells

 

A detail of the sand, again with shells (thanks, Fiona, for your suggestions!!)

 

The frayed edge of the sunset panel

 

What, you want to see the whole thing?  Oh, ok then

Sorry it looks a bit squint, but Maolcolm was holding it up for me - I will take a better photo, before I post it.

 

Malcolm said he had a very busy day while I was at the Woolgathering - and I might have believed him, if it wasn't for this ......

 

 

Patience rewarded

This afternoon, we were sitting having a cuppa in the garden ...... when the pair of tits who have moved into the birdbox suddenly started popping in and out.  Of course the camera was fetched!!  As it's just a somewhat basic digital camera, the birds are a bit blurred, but it was so exciting to actually get photos of them

 

heading home

 

does my bum look big in this doorway

 

here we go again

 

up, up and away

 

Earlier in the day, we had been in Hawick for some shopping.  On the way back to the car, we had a detour to look round the Saturday market and car boot.  I couldn't resist this lovely felted bag on the Fair Trade stand

 

and of course I refused a carrier bag and popped it in my Cath Kidston recycled bag from Tesco

 

Then I succumbed to this wonderful piece of fabric from one of the car boot stalls - the photo doesn't do it justice.  There is no obvious right side/wrong side .... one side is silky and shot with gold, while the other side is a much richer colour, and is textured like velour.  It is on the to-do list for cushions for the new kitchen chairs.

 

We also bought some plants for the garden - I got some to replant the pots that sit at the studio door, beside my lovely froggy welcome sign

 

'Sunset' is almost finished - I will probably finish it tomorrow, when I'll be in Chesters for another of Lindsay's Woolgatherings.  So what will you do next, I here you cry ...... I will be doing a baby quilt for my new great-nephew, Oliver.  I hope he likes tractors!!

 

 

I do like to be .....

..... beside the seaside - but unfortunately, when we took Malcolm's Dad to Newbiggin this afternoon, the weather wasn't very good, so we weren't able to sit outside for a cuppa, as we did last time.  However, that didn't stop me from having ice cream with my cup of tea!

 

I love the red and white cup and saucer and the matching tablecloth.  After the cuppa, I had a quick visit to the local wool shop - a good old fashioned one with great piles of wool everywhere.  You won't be surprised when I tell you that I bought some balls from the bargain basket!

 

I was intrigued by these two plaques, which were side by side on the side wall of a house - I will have to find out more about them (and find the rest of them!)

 

 

When we took Malcolm's Dad back to the Home, the sun had come out, and with it, two of the doves in the Home's dovecote

 

Before we headed for home, we had one last stop, in the Sue Ryder charity shop in Ashington.  As soon as I saw this remnant, it was in my hand and I was heading to the counter to pay!!  There is about two yards (or do I have to say metres) of it, and it is just the right colours for the dining room - yet something else for the to-do list!!!!

Progress

As promised, a progress report on 'Sunset'.  I have been stitching and stitching and stitching and .... well, you get the picture! 

 

The greenery, the sand and the sea have all been quilted and I am now doing the sky on the right hand side.

 

This is a detail of where the sea meets the sky.  I have mentioned before that I am quilting this with BIG stitches - so I took the next photo to show you the difference between my usual stitch size, and the length of stitches on Sunset

 

By now you must be saying - she keeps calling this Sunset over the Bay, but we can't see any sunset ..... well, here it is .....

 

I bought this piece of fabric originally because I was thinking of a coral reef, but then I looked at it again and thought 'sunset' ... and that was the starting point for the whole design (someone did say it could equally be sunrise -- and I said, it's my design, it's sunset!!!)

When the rest of the sky and the sunset panel have been quilted, I'll then square up the design and add an outer border to bring it up to the required size.

 

When I came out of the studio after taking these photos, the sun was shining on the clematis on the pergola, so I thought I would take a photo - but as the flowers are on the top, I had to stand on a garden chair to take the photo (remember I said I don't like heights - well standing on a chair is a height as far as I'm concerned - the things I do for this blog!!)

Teatime

As usual for Friday, it was off down the road to Borderland Fabrics.  There was the usual amount of sewing done, but today I just took photos of the important stuff - yes ... the food and drink

 

The tea definitely tastes better when poured from a pot with such a smart cosy!

 

Annette excelled herself today with this wonderful sponge - and as she had forgotten her whisk .... she whisked the cream with a fork!

The teacosy was knitted by Anne, who has been having an exciting time, as she now has an on-line shop.  Do have a look - there are all sorts of lovely kits for quilts, bags, dolls - lots of super things.  Anne will be adding more kits, so if you don't see something this time, do go back for another look.  I particularly like the Japanese quilt, which I saw when Anne made her sample one - the colours are lovely.

It's a wet and miserable evening here, but never mind ... it's the weekend  - have a good one, love, Anne

Little pieces of history

I had a browse round our local Oxfam shop this morning, where the first thing I spotted was this hank of wool - when I saw the label on it, I realised that it was a good few years old, so of course I had to buy it!

 

Older knitters of course will remember Patons and Baldwins - and when did you last see ounces on a label.  I will have to find an old pattern to knit.

 

The second thing I bought was this old embroidery book

  

which the owner signed and dated - obviously a proud possession

 

I like the author's dedication

 

and the first pages - do modern books have frontispieces?

 

 

Although I have done some embroidery, it's not a subject I know a lot about.  Given the age of this book, I was amazed when I Googled 'Mary Thomas' at the great list that came up - mostly bookshops still selling her books - so maybe my Oxfam purchase is a little treasure!

Not a lot of people know this ......

..... but I am the proud possessor of O Level Spanish!  When I was in 6th year at Airdrie Academy, I was allowed to compile my own timetable.  This was easily done with the few subjects I was going to sit exams in, plus lots of 'free' periods - which we had to spend 'studying' in the school library supervised by a teacher.  I was on the way to the office to hand my timetable in, when I met the Rector.  Now, he probably wouldn't have spoken to any other 6th year pupil, but unfortunately, he knew me - he had taught my Dad (one of my Latin teachers had also taught my Dad), my sister has been at the Academy before me, and my brother was there, 4 years behind me.  On finding out why I was wandering the corridors, he had a look at my timetable - and declared that I would have to take another subject.  He suggested that I went to see one of the other Latin teachers and ask to join his O Level Spanish Class.  Now, I was not at all pleased about this, mostly because I did not want to learn Spanish, but also because I had previously been taught by this teacher - he was best known throughout the school for putting his hand in his trouser pocket and scratching!!

However, I did study Spanish for a year and somehow managed to pass the exams.  But I didn't actually learn to speak Spanish (apart from the minimal amount for the oral exam) - I merely learned to read and translate it.

I have long since forgotten it all, but that didn't prevent me from buying these two wonderful magazines on holiday

 

and this wonderful knitting book

 

but even if I could still remember any Spanish, it wouldn't help me with this magazine .....

 

...... which is Italian!  I had only looked at the wonderful photos of the needlework projects - it was Malcolm who actually looked at the text, didn't think it looked like Spanish, then saw that the adverts were for Italian products and shops!

More technology!

After my success with dealing with my Ipod shuffle yesterday, I decided to go for broke on the technology front!  I had read and reread the instructions for putting a link to flickr on the side bar .... it's really strange, you know what the words mean individually, but when you read them together, your brain freezes and you might as well be reading a foreign language!!  So I told myself - you're a big girl, you're (reasonably) intelligent, how hard can it be?  Then I remembered the advice I give people when teaching them patchwork - don't read the instructions from start to finish, you'll only become totally bewildered - just start with the first step and when you've done that move on to the second step ... and so on.  Well ... it worked, and I now am the proud possessor of a link to my photos on flickr!!

And here is a little tease that might make you want to  see more ....