frayed at the edge

Chippendale it ain't*

I promised you a report on Malcolm's project to customise the kitchen wine rack

 

auditioning some pieces of wood from his stash

 

plenty more to choose from

 

including this lovely shelf, which was mine!

 

using his trusty Workmate

 

as you can see it has been well used since I gave it to him for his birthday in 1984!

 

the first stage completed

 

then my lovely shelf cut to fit

 

a trial fit in the kitchen - don't worry about the doors on the left opening, they are just for show as that is the back of the cupboards on the other side of the worktop

 

and the finished article, which has been given a coat of Danish oil

 

all we need now is the wine fairy to visit with some bottles of wine!

*that was Malcolm's suggestion for the title, I wasn't being cheeky!

Painted and planted

Here is Malcolm's latest creation, basking in the sunshine this morning.  It looks grey here, but it is actually a very stylish black

 

the little conifer was from a pot in the front garden, which it had outgrown, and we bought the three little plants yesterday.  It still needs some more plants, but it is looking good

 

this afternoon I sat down in the studio, with the stove blazing to keep me warm and watched a film, while I hand stitched the binding on the big runner

 

next, the piece of fabric which Maureen gave me.  I managed to cut eight six-inch strips

 

which I then cross cut to give me a total of twenty four squares, with only the smallest of scraps left over

 

I looked out the remains of a jelly roll, which I had got some time age from Sandra, our lovely Linus lady

 

I sorted out the strips into pairs of a coloured one and a green one

 

I stitched a strip down one side of two squares

 

cut off the extra and stitched it to the other side

 

I cut the two squares apart and pressed the seams

 

then did the same on the other two sides with a green strip.  When I put them on the design wall, I had thought of arranging them like this

 

but this afternoon I had a rethink, and decided to do half the squares like that, and half the other way round, with short green strips and long coloured strips.  It will look better once I have done more squares and mixed the colours more

 

to finish - I found this photo earlier, when I was looking back through last month's photos, and thought that it might make a good quilting pattern (it's a tractor's tyre track in the sand).

Only two to go!

I have finished another two stitcheries ........ so only two more to go!

 

as with the others, I trimmed them using my template

 

and added the backing fabrics.  This is the two of them in a patch of bright sunlight on the design wall

 

oh dear, I didn't notice until I saw the photo on my laptop, that one of the stitcheries is upside down

 

so that's thirty in the pile

 

I had a blitz on cutting the rest of the other hexagons, altogether I have cut 64 small and 64 large hexagons 

 

the next job was to cut wadding.  Using two rulers, I cut strips

 

then cross cut the strips into rectangles

 

the next stage is to tack the hexagons to the wadding, then trim them.  It's easier to do it that way than cut out hexagons from the wadding, and tack them together, as the soft wadding is difficult to cut accurately

 

Malcolm has been busy in the garage, making a new planter from more of his stash of old pallet wood

 

it has an old plastic storage box inside it, which won't show once it is filled with compost and planted up with a variety of plants

 

we're over at the flat, and the small runner is looking good on the new shelves

 

now for the best photos of the week!  We popped in for a cuppa this afternoon, and Malcolm had caramel shortbread

 

and I had an exceedingly delicious slice of rocky road

 

to finish - this was the stunning sky when I got up at 6.30 this morning ........ but I didn't go outside, I simply took the photos through the back bedroom window!

 

we are planning to head over to St Abbs tomorrow for the Wool Festival and on Sunday we will be glued to the tv to watch England playing in the final of the cricket T20 World Cup.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne  

 

 

 

Something for (almost) nothing!

So here it is, Malcolm's latest creation, made from scrap wood.  All he paid for were a few nails and screws, wax and sandpaper.  This was it after being sanded, waxed and buffed

 

when we arrived at the flat after lunch today, with a bit of huffing and puffing Malcolm carried it up the stairs

 

it didn't take long to fill the shelves - I bought the copper bowls when we were living in Jakarta, from an Italian shop, so they are well-travelled!

 

it fits in well with the other furniture

 

as we were walking over to town this afternoon for a cuppa, I realised that I had forgotten to put my earrings in.  This was a calamity, as I knew if I didn't have earrings in all weekend, I would really struggle to put them in when we get home on Monday.  Despite having had pierced ears for over 40 years, the holes close up very quickly, and I really don't like having to force earrings in.  I could have bought cheap ones ...... but I know from experience that after 5 minutes my ears would be itching, so I was delighted to find a very reasonably priced pair of simple gold hoops

 

I also treated myself to this Martha Stewart magazine ........ my gorgeous Aussie bloggy friend Lee will be envious (if she hasn't already bought it herself!!)

 

then there was the big decision to be made.  Where would we go for a cuppa (and cake).  Would it be Cafe Crema ......

 

or would it be Maisie's (which you can see reflected in the windows of Cafe Crema)

 

we decided on Cafe Crema, and Malcolm enjoyed this white chocolate brownie - he said it was very rich and he couldn't have eaten a bigger piece

 

I chose a slice of Crema Delight ...... oh my, a chocolate confection with crushed Maltesers through it, and little bits of Bounty, Twix, Mars Bar and Crunchie.  It was very, very delicious - but I think I should probably fast for a week to work off the calories!!

 

and to finish, the latest Linus blanket, beautifully displayed by Jemima, my rag doll that I have had for almost 40 years!!

 

no doubt we will be walking on the beach at some point over the weekend, and some sconnage may be consumed!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

What Malcolm made

I will have to get Malcolm organised to take photos of his projects, as I think we have missed several stages of his latest creation!  This next photo gives you a good idea of what it is going to be

 

not quite so pretty on the back!

 

battens added to support .......

 

........ shelves.  You are probably thinking that he is making a bookcase, but it is actually for crockery and glasses, which are jammed into the kitchen cupboards in the flat

 

it now needs a good sand, then he will probably wax it

 

or perhaps some chalk paint?

 

and all that it has cost is some screws and nails, and a bit of time and effort

 

we had some more new lambs in the field this morning

 

most of the ewes have twins

 

but this one seemed to have just a singleton

 

we came over to the flat after lunch, and went for a walk over to town this afternoon.  We popped into Fantoosh for a cuppa.  This little coffee shop/gift shop used to be in Duns, but that one closed, and they opened this one in Berwick in November

 

Malcolm got a very large jug of hot frothy milk to go with his americano 

 

and my tea was in a very stylish pot

 

we had half each of a slice of elderflower drizzle cake, and a mixed berry scone (although it looks like a muffin, it was a scone) - both were delicious

 

Stuart and Alison are joining us tomorrow, and we will be going out for dinner.  It will be a belated Mothers' Day meal, and a very belated celebration of Stuart's appointment to Managing Director (there may be a bottle of champagne in the fridge!!)  I hope you have a good weekend, and have something to celebrate with a loved one, love Anne

 

The leftovers!

Some days I am scratching about trying to find enough photos for a post, other days I have so many it is hard to decide what to include.  Then I get to the end of the week and think, oh I meant to include this photo, or that photo.  So here are a few of the ones that didn't make it in earlier in  the week

Melrose Abbey in the sun

 

a rickety bridge and rhododendron

 

we had lunch here on Wednesday

 

a neighbour's fat sheep - the white bit is the end of its tail!

 

another fat sheep with similar tail

 

a handsome horse in the same field

 

a silken seed head of the early flowering clematis

 

Malcolm's chair and beehive, scrubbed clean ready for a fresh coat of paint

 

 

as I took this photo, the driver of the tractor appeared, and said surely there were more interesting things to take photos of than his tractor.  I replied that I love tractors, and that I had been about to steal it, as he had left the door open.  He said I was welcome to steal it, as then he could have the afternoon off work!!

 

we are over in Berwick, so no Friday cake to share with you!  I hope you all have a great weekend ...... you might see us on the beach looking for more driftwood!!  Love Anne

A frosty start .......

........ but once the sun came out the day warmed up, and I got sidetracked on my way to the studio, to take photos of the garden.  There is lovely strong growth on this clematis

 

and this one is now in leaf

 

as is the honeysuckle

 

this is the climbing rose on the pergola

 

one of the grape vines

 

the forsythia is about to bloom

 

I love alchemilla mollis, but it self-seeds all over the place!

 

little pockets of sunshine from the miniature daffs

 

you know there is always a plant I don't know/can't remember the name of!

 

those were all in the back garden ...... I had to wait until later when the sun moved round to take photos in the front garden.  The ornamental quince is almost flowering

 

and the honeysuckle already has a bud on it!

 

the flowering currant looks as if it has been dipped in icing sugar!

 

Malcolm has tidied up the area round the bird table

 

this wonderful piece of driftwood was a recent find 

 

in between taking the two sets of photos, I was busy in the studio finishing the fourth space quilt.  It was most annoying when the bobbin thread ran out with only this small area of the centre left to quilt

 

I had been looking forward to taking a photo of the quilt in the sunshine, but by the time I finished it some clouds had appeared and the sun had vanished

 

I am delighted with the four space quilts, and am looking forward to handing them over to Sandra, our lovely Linus Lady

 

and of course there are the two girly quilts as well

 

you may have thought that I was a bit extravagant on Sunday when I made eighteen yards of binding ......... but this is all that is left!

to finish ....... while I was busy sewing, Malcolm was fitting the garden door, aided by our neighbour, who is delighted with it

 

Very cute knitting, but first ..........

......... let's get the food out of the way!   We went to Melrose this morning and popped into the deli for lunch.  Malcolm had a cheese and pickle toastie

 

and I had cheese savoury sandwiches (usually I am good and have brown bread, but today I just fancied white bread for a change!)

 

so, the cute knitting.  I was delighted last week to learn that my bloggy friend Rachel is to be a Granny later in the year (I'm not giving away secrets, she has posted about it!!)  When I told Malcolm (some of you may remember his valiant attempts to repair her dishwasher?!) he suggested that I knitted the booties in the tiny kit that he had given me some time ago

 

so I did!

 

then I started a teeny cardigan as well

 

I finished knitting my hot water bottle cover, designed by the wonderful Kate, some time ago

 

but needed to use these

 

 

for the finishing touches

 

I have finished my first sock (and have started the second one)

 

I decided that I couldn't put up with these disorderly scrap baskets any more

 

so while Malcolm was perusing a hundred and one kinds of screws this morning, I bought this extra large pink bucket

 

that's better!

 

I had planned to work on the remaining space quilt this afternoon, but got sidetracked into having a good tidy, but I did remember to take photos of the three that I have finished

 

and to finish - why was Malcolm looking at all those screws this morning ....... to finish the garden door for the lovely neighbours

Take my photo ........

........ I'm the handsome one!  After our cuppa on Sunday morning, we continued our walk.  Malcolm and Alison looked on bemused as Stuart and I crept up to take photos of two seagulls on a wall

 

we laughed when the one on the right walked in front of the other one, as if to say "never mind him, I'm the handsome chap you want in your photos"

 

we walked back over the new bridge, so that Stuart could take some shots of the old bridge ........ but of course I had to take more photos too!  This is looking down on the area that is to be refurbished, where Malcolm went for his walk last Saturday

 

hopefully the old wooden jetty is going to be restored

 

I liked the reflection of the bridge in the slightly muddy water

 

but I doubt this statue likes what the seagulls do on her head!!

 

you may have to click on the photo to enlarge it, to see the seal swimming beside the pilot boat

 

whn we got back home, there was time for me to do some sewing before dinner.  I started by choosing these six fat quarters

 

and cut as many two and a half inch strips as I could from them

 

there was a slight pause as I had to eat a donut (Stuart and Alison had brought us a box, so we had to eat them!)

 

on a sugar high, I stitched all the strips together

 

trimmed off the corners

 

pressed open the seams

 

and folded and pressed the binding

 

ending up with eighteen yards for the space quilts

 

this morning the first job of the day in the studio was to take a photo of my special tea in another of my special mugs

 

I have been doing well NOT buying books, but this one somehow was bought and arrived in the post this morning!

I made a start to using all that binding

 

but you will have to wait until tomorrow to see the finished quilts.  While I was busy sewing this afternoon, Malcolm was busy in the garage, making a rather large garden door for our lovely neighbours, the shoe shop owners

 

I thought I made a lot of mess .........

I'll be back tomorrow with some knitting.

A walk on the wild side

When we arrived at the flat on Saturday morning, Malcolm suggested going out for a walk before lunch to look at the dock area that is going to be smartened up.  But the weather wasn't very good, so I declined!  Thanks to the big lens, I could follow his progress.  Here he is all by himself crossing the bridge

 

then walking along the dock

 

I kept shouting at him to stay away from the edge!

 

eventually he disappeared round the end of the dock

 

while he was out I took photos of the wine box chest of drawers, which looks fabulous in the hall

 

late in the afternoon, a large ship appeared offshore

 

then there was a flurry of activity and the pilot boat headed out of the dock

 

and started to guide the much larger ship in

 

it didn't take them long to sail round the channel and into the dock

 

 

back home, a little blue tit has been spending a lot of time sitting on the ornamental quince outside our bedroom window.  Usually he flies off as soon as I go into the bedroom, but this morning I managed to sneak in and take some photos of him

 

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing, including my first sample of woolly bits!