Small Steps

I've realised how much of my crafting equipment sort of floats around my working area.  I'm now a little reluctant to pile it all in the workroom just yet knowing that both the electrician and the blind fitter will need access to the windows around the back of the desks and units.  I have an idea where everything is and I'm working towards replacing shoe boxes with plastic ones but the bulk of it can stay in the spare room until the moving around has finished.  (Sorry Elsa, your bed is still in there somewhere!)

A finished block 2 of My Tweets.

A book. (Fabulously informative).

And a new rug.

We also have two smelly, muddy dogs thanks to the rather wet start to the weekend that will now need a bath before I can sort anything more and then settle down to an afternoon of rugby!!


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Slow Going

And now it’s raining!  We have a frame up but no glass in so it’s rather damp in my workroom to be.

Not a lot of action in the making department, I’m still feeling very unsettled.  I did need to cover an A4 ring binder though so I had a little practise on Ari and was quite pleased with how tight I could go.

This book arrived in the post so of course I want to go and play!  NO room!! Patience patience.  (The title is a bit gangsterish don't you think! )

Barbara, I am hoarding the MM4 instructions and will catch up as soon as!  Still not decided on those fabrics yet though.

Yesterday I had a morning with my ladies.  We haven’t been together since the beginning of December because Heather, who usually holds the groups, is still very poorly.  It was strange having quite a few of all four groups together but it made the hired hall quite lively!  I had to do a show and tell with the tops I had been doing on Ari. 

For anyone doing the Friday Night Sew In the next virtual gathering is the 18^th of this month.  See the button on the right.

We’re still excited about the family news, No Elsa I don’t make dresses, No Maggi and Benta I don’t wear hats! Lol!  Here’s a quick glimpse of the ring and doesn’t she look literally on top of the world!

Lastly, I know we are in aviation but do you think I should be worried that there is a Harrier Jump Jet in our eBay watch list?

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C&G Dying Again!!

Yesterday I put lots of fabrics and threads in dye bags with various mixes and today I have rinsed, washed and ironed them all.  I have a nice stack of fabrics all ready for the next phase of the C&G course now.  I have photos of them all open (!) but it would be a little overpowering to show them all here.  I am pleased with how they all turned out though.

These two are probably my favourites though.  The left one because of the crystalline effect and the right one because I was looking at the sky just after sunset the other night and wishing I could capture the lovely  yellow and blue with a green hue along the horizon.  I think I almost sort of managed it! 

The first block in the Erin Russek My Tweets (see link on the right) has been sewn and washed though the ironing is a little slack!  I haven't strayed very far from her original and I like the colours so far.

In the post this week I received this lovely bundle of Jinny Beyer 1 yard pieces.  She had the most wonderful sale and even after paying VAT to Mr HMRC and the bonus postage to Mr Parcel Force they were all still less than half the price I can buy them for over here.  A couple have been earmarked for the new Mystery Monday which has just started too. 

I also had this through the door today.  I ordered this forever ago when I was doing the machine embroidery course on Quilt University and I had totally forgotten about it.  I'm not sure if I can remember how to do the embroidery thing but I have notes and may be able to figure it out again one day!

And the old little conservatory on the side of the house has come down and Andy is wreaking havoc outside.  This is the beginning of the new big conservatory that will be my workroom.  (Nope, still can't call it a studio!).  It will be 5 x 3 meters of my stuff.

PS  It appears there is a problem with Picasa uploading blurry blog headers at the moment, please excuse mine, I'm working on it!

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It's Snow Joke

Well I guess you all have your own snow stories.  We've only just had ours arrive.  I really do believe that this part of Dorset is quite often in a slightly different time line to the rest of the planet.  I won't inundate you with photos.  It's white everywhere and quite often very beautiful.  I have the Hellebores out and was going to take photos of them but they are now under  blanket of the white stuff and I'm not going to disturb them.

There is a possibility that my friend Gilly will be holding an exhibition and sale of work next week, this is weather permitting I'm sure, and she has asked if I could put in some of my quilts and bits.  Trouble is I don't sell my stuff so I have been making things that could be sold just to raise a little cash for the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund at the local camp, every penny counts. So far I have made the following.

Aquarium cards A5 size.  I took the photos after I put them in the cellophane wrappers so they are a bit shiny.

 Some quick baubles from panel fabric.  They remind me of ravioli!

And some Teabag Wallets.

I have other bits on order to make more things but whether they arrive in time is another thing. 

I did have these DVD's arrive in the post so a great time reading through them will be next on the list! 

I hope you are all staying safe and warm.


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It Was Worth It!

In the major turn around that we have been doing here I've found all sorts of things.  But I've also gone into memory brain overload and can't remember where I've put anything!  I have labelled boxes but it's not the same as knowing where something is because it's the thing you use a lot and put it down in the same place all the time.  My work space may look like chaos to the untrained eye but it is an actually logical space to work.  I am working on it though!

I found a bag of cut diamonds from Jinny Beyer border prints, yes another one of her patterns, and Monday and Tuesday I put them together and I now have this lap top to quilt.

I have also chosen my fabrics for the quick Christmas Mystery Mondays 3.  You can't see in the photo but the white has really sparkly gold all over it and is lovely and I just couldn't resist the red stars! 

I also had my first skein of wool from Debbie.  Quite an exciting colour and very subtle changes and oh so beautifully soft.  I will hunt out the swift later and wind it up.

And the reason why we needed the room and the change around arrived on Wednesday.  It was like waiting for a baby to arrive!  I've spent quite a bit of time practising, it feels very different from the Nolting, much heavier for a start, and now I've jumped in.  Here it is loaded with MM 2 as my first piece.  Well I have to start somewhere!  Just waiting for it to tell me it's name.

I have all this going on and we have Chris and Mike are here over the weekend, fishing tomorrow weather permitting, and a whopping urge to have a scribble in my C&G sketchbook.  Anyone any idea where I put that????

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Busy Day

We have been looking out at the beautiful red Brandt grapes hanging on the vine outside the study for a while now and thinking it was a shame not to use them.  They're a bit on the small side and pippy but very sweet and tasty.  The birds love them.  I saw a recipe for red current jelly, which I use a lot of in my winter cooking, and wondered about grape.  Sure enough there are plenty of versions of it out there and we chose two that seemed favourable.  A rummage in the garage came to the conclusion that we had sent far too many jars to the recycling and none were left of the right size for the jelly.  After a trip to Hobbycraft we came back with these ten 8oz jars which were soon filed with the most beautiful coloured grape jelly.  Just the labels to print now.

John also went a picked the apples from the trees to make apple sauce. Considdering the harsh pruning we have put the trees through over the past couple of years, we were surprised at how many there were.  All bagged up and in the freezer now.

I bought some round needles whilst we were at Hobbycraft as I've joined Debbie's Sock Club just to find some of her lovely yarn in the post box every month.  I've just finished knitting John a hat for this winters fishing and realised how much I missed it and how easy it is to watch a film etc doing it.  I used to do knitting for pin money when the children were very small for a friend of mine who had the local knit shop.  It soon all comes back though.  No more cold feet this winter! 

For absolutely ages I have wanted to buy a set of Tsukineko fabric inks.  Not just any set, the workstation.  Of course it's not for sale over here and I hummed and ahhed about having it sent over.  I found it on the Overstock site who now ship to UK with the claim that what you pay is what you pay.  No added taxes or shipping.  I thought, OK, this has to be worth a try!  No customs or Parcel Force/Royal Mail rip off??  Yeah right!!!   And here they are all the way from Newark. AANNNDDDD I ordered them a week ago on the 26th September.  No waiting, no extra charges, no problem.

Pickled onions are soaking in brine tonight for pickling tomorrow.  Roast pork with apple sauce, squash and beans from the garden for dinner and a Tsukineko DVD to watch later.  A good day.

Ear, Ear!

You may have noticed I’ve had a little change in the decor.  I thought I’d better move over to the newer model of template, the old one was becoming a little unpredictable.

I’ve just finished catching up on week 5 of the Mystery Mondays hence the post title.  All those ears to snip Maggi!!!  Now just to do week 6 tonight and I’m ready for this Monday.  Phew!

I’ve also done this year’s Christmas ornament.  Silk with gold threads and beads with the date on the back.

The little Harvest Fields scrim piece finally had its binding put on too.

In the post today arrived these cops of King Tutt.  No there’s not a baby imminent, I just have a few tops to quilt that happen to be in those colours!

Also this Madeira Lana threads selection in the variegated.  So touchy feely and soft.  I think they will be more hand work than machine. (Don't ask me why they are sideways, it's taken me 1.5 hours to get this far!! I'm hating Blogger at the moment. (And now they're upright! !))

And last came a Procion MX dye beginner’s kit.  I’ve only ever used Dylon in the microwave up to now but the C&G will be using some proper stuff later.  Should be fun.  They were from D&T Craft and Design.

I’ve made a start in to the course, I think I’m happy with what I’ve done so far.  It’s over 20 years since I did anything properly educational so a new learning experience again (excuse the pun).  I’ve also asked to join in Barbara’s hand quilting day at Jacky’s shop in March, John will be going with me but he’s found a fishing lake or two to keep him busy.  Looking forward to that.

Dinner will be in the oven in a minute and then MM week 6 and maybe the SAHR too with perhaps a little Magical Minis thrown in for evening entertainment.  

September

September certainly has started with a heavy dew but the sun is shining and it looks lovely outside. This month we have the Autumnal equinox another mid point or quarter day. Lots of blessings and dancing with Morris men, hobby horses, fools, and if you’re in Cumbria, the World Gurning Championship!


I love September for its fruit picking and making pickles and jams. It’s usually the time I make the Christmas cake so it can mature. I’ve made so many over the past couple of years, and John has make sure they were very well tested a long way before Christmas, I’m having a break this year. Unless I can sneakily make one and hide it when he isn’t around!

We have been lighting the fires already, it has not been a nice August weather wise. John has bought in a pallet of straw logs from Fuel Britannia  and we have been amazed at how well they burn. They have to be ‘imported’ from the Isle of Wight so the delivery charge is a bit steep but if more farmers were to invest in the machinery to compress the waste straw, they would be on to a winner. One of my biggest hates is round bales in the fields left to rot. The only bigger hate is round plastic covered bales! There seems to be a move back towards rectangular ones around here now but they are huge. I can’t ever see anyone flinging one of them down from a loft to clean a stable! Perhaps bio fuel will help save us from more plastic blobs in the fields too.

Elsa and Mike leave tomorrow. We’ve had a lovely week and a bit together. Lots of sewing too. She is ready to finish her Irish Chain at her home and I have been pottering. The Jenny BOM is ready for quilting, just waiting for the wadding from Ali, I have sorted a couple of other projects that need doing soonish and I finished the little silk covered journal cover below. That is both back and front to show the beading and it takes a A6 notepad.

We are having some brickwork on the front of the house put right and a chimney removed so the scaffolding is up and there are strange noises very early in the morning. We’ve also talked about the replacing of the cat room on the side of the house with something a little more substantial that will become my workroom/studio/hideyhole!! Can’t wait!

Today is the start of the Great Dorset Steam Fair a couple of miles away. We are going along in the afternoon for something to do. I’m not a huge fan of it. It’s the largest of its kind, a vast sea of steam engines, vintage lorries, heavy horses, beer tents, bands, fairgrounds and the roads have been blocked for a week and it takes just as long afterwards for them all to go again. That and the Bank Holiday and we’ve been almost housebound.

There is a website called OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) if anyone is interested. It’s a place where you can take part in surveys that help the British Natural History Museum and several universities gather information about where we live. I think the next one is hedge sweeping this month to see what lives in them. Why not register or download the pack and join in.

Yesterday my new toy arrived, a Dremel Versitip.  I'm looking forward to finding out what I can do with it.  This morning I am going to cut the corner triangles for the Jinny Beyer quilt, something I have been putting off but feel OK with doing now. Hopefully this one will be on our bed before Christmas!  Don't watch this space though...

Appologies to Maggi and...

First, huge apologies to Maggi for not showing her beautiful fabric after it arrived on Tuesday!!!  I have been stroking it, honest!  It is wonderful and there has been some definite ear marking going on.  Thank you so much, keep dying! (That always sounds so awful but you know what mean).

And today is the start of the Big Butterfly Count which we will be doing at some point.  We have been watching the buddleias for the past couple of weeks already.  If you have 15 minutes to spare, perhaps you could join in too.

Good To Be Home

Nothing like your own furniture.

Yesterday we were at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (Jersey zoo as I used to know it) and it tipped it down.  Add a few thunderclaps and most of the animals were decidedly absent, sensibly keeping dry in their lovely indoor home while we, their daily entertainment, became rather wet outside. 

The weather was not much better through dinner later as we sat watching the waves crashing over the sea wall onto the hotel windows.

Later the howling was really worrying me so I looked up the met charts, a great plus for the iPad while travelling, and was not too happy with what I saw.  In fact I didn't sleep much at all after that.  It was worsening.

I told my worries to John in the morning, as he slept through like a baby of course, and he interpreted the charts from the airport for me.  We were flying home in the tiny little Jetstream today, it only seats 19 and is as light as a feather.  John had a ppl until a few years ago and used to fly himself here, there and everywhere so then he then promptly told me wonderful tales of bad weather and near misses he had had whilst flying light aircraft.  (Don't ask him about the one with the wheel not really falling off!!!)

Darling man.  And I usually love flying. 

He did have me Google the aerials of the runways and explained wind shear and approaches and all the precautions.  I just reasoned that the pilot and co pilot wanted to land safely as well and they would be doing their best.

Take off was good.  Flight over was fairly good too.  Until we reached landmass where the clouds had built up thickly over the Isle of Wight.  John had told me about flying through the canyons of the clouds before but he forgot to warn me of the joyous thrills of 'falling off a cliff' of clouds in a very small aeroplane. 

Southampton approached and we all (there were 8 passengers) could see through the cockpit to the runway ahead of us.  And then not.  And then back again.  And then on the other side.  And then gone again.  Oh joy.  John was grinning and decidedly gagging to go up front and have a proper look.  I think I was hanging onto him far too tightly for him to move or he would have gone. 

In my head I kept reminding Mother that if she wanted me to keep looking after her garden and not make the dogs homeless it would be rather nice if she could see Her way to letting up on the wind at the last minute.  She could then blow and howl and rain all she wanted even if it is St Swithens day.

She did let up, just briefly, and we were down. 

I didn't kiss the tarmac but I did hug the bonnet of the car when we got there.

We picked up the dogs and arrived home to lots of post and parcels.  One parcel was the Jinny Beyer Quilters Album of Patchwork Patterns which I have been after for some time.  Amazon finally decided to catch up.  Also a Customs notice.  I assume this is for my EQ7 upgrade.  Did anyone else have the charge?  I'm always caught by them. It would be cheaper to fly to the States and buy direct.  Also The Quilt Life magazine and some late shoes I had ordered for the trip.  Plenty of reading to be doing for a while along with catching up and dieting.

I found I had taken this photo of a poster of the letter regarding the knitting effort.  It was for airmen not soldiers.  (Don't forget you can click to make any photos bigger).

Looking forward now to bed time and my really squishy feather pillow that I always miss the most.  There is nothing like your own bed.

Just a Couple of Purchases

Not a lot of news here.  I went to my sewing group and nattered for a couple of hours, helped one of my ladies with a Sun Bonnet Sue appliqué problem and another with some gathering.  We also had birthday cake for two 70th's this past weekend.  Now I'm 30 years younger than most of this lot and they can make me blush I can tell you!!  Love them all!

I had a scoop at Hobbycraft last week where they were selling this lot of in the cheap bin.

I can see at the very least some tassel forms in there.

And I had these in the post from Rainbow Disks. 

An interesting concept I'm still exploring.   Not quite the same as curling up on the sofa with a good wine to read through but intresting all the same.

I'm off to play with Bob and finish a few things!

Waiting for Daddy

So what do you do when Mummy is busy and Daddy is out??  You wait where you're not really allowed but have a good view.

But that's why it's called furniture!!

John told me this week that I have bad habits, in the nicest way of course. It may be a clue to my bad knee. I have aways had flexible joints, hypermobile they it, and it can cause a few problems. I used to be able to not only touch my toes but put my head between my knees while doing so. John now tells my that when I bend over, drying hair or gardening, I still have 'backward' knees! I'm nothing like as flexible now but it could be a cause. I'm doing all I can to keep my knees slightly bent now. Change a habit of a lifetime.

On Monday we had a lovely drive out to the Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford in the Mercedes 108.  Of course we also forgot it was half term and a holiday Monday!!  We are in that lovely lull in life where the kids have grown but the grands aren't here yet, but everyone else's were there on Monday!  We did see Ricky the Racing Car though.... hmmm.  The car performed rather well but of course John now has a head full of other little tweaks in search of perfection. 

The garden is coming back, we're so pleased.  My fears of having a hack and slash ground maintenance type have gone.  Brian speaks plants with me and I can trust him with my babies.  I hope.

Yesterday The postman brought me a great piece of kit.  I remember buying my Nan a carousel for her kitchen tools in the '70's and it dawned on me that it would be ideal for my crafting stuff.  I finally found them and bought two, one for crafts and one for painting.  Lots of storage in a small space and it rotates for ease of use, great!

Last night was Meet the Artist at Stewarts Garden Centre where Nina is exhibiting with quite a few others for Dorset Art weeks.  This was one of the official nights and we managed to find something else to put in the garden.  Again can't show you yet, it's still there!! All Nina's beautiful pastel paintings looked lovely hung on the walls en mass.

Today we were invited to a Land Rover day at Beaulieu Motor Museum.  Lots of off road and mud and I was even praised by the instructor!!  Wanna do it again!!!!  

Tonight it's open top sports cars at Quay for My Car in Poole so we are taking the old SL out for the evening and having chips on the quayside! Warm summer evenings......

That's Not the Sky!...

It's the window!  Ooops.  Big bang on the window this morning and this little swallow was recovering on the doorstep.

He did pull himself (or herself) together after a few minutes and fly off but I was ready to leap Superwomanish on any cat that happened to come onto the patio for a while there.  I wonder if he/she was in more shock at suddenly being on the ground and stationary, they live such frantic lives.  And would you look at that blue colouring!  fabulous!

Mind you, not quite a fab as this fellow who landed on the roof outside the study this time last year.

Now that's a blue! 

Last night we were up at the G&T hut after sunset watching the bats.  It's stunning how fast they fly!  I sometimes wonder if we mere mortals could actually see some of the things that share our air whether we would be able to function.  The bats and their echo location live such a different spectrum to us, as I guess a lot of the animal kingdom does.  But add the radio waves we put there and the phone signals and even this blog post comes through the ether via a WIFI system that bounces around the house and then through a satellite dish, over to Turin in Italy and back again.  Perhaps its best we don't see those things we can't!!!  

I did the Chelsea Chop on the sedums today and a few others before I had to have physio and acupuncture.  On the drive in to Wimborne we noticed the damage from the Spindle Ermine Moth caterpillars has started.  Huge blocks of grey web in the hedgerows leaving nothing but twigs.  The hawthorn and blackthorn are filling the gaps but it still takes time and the webs are so horrid to look at. 

We had a delivery of 50kgs of bird seed this afternoon too and now the garage smells of aniseed rather than oil.  Much nicer!! We also bought a new plastic bowl to replace the paint roller tray that had served so well as a watering station for them, the terracotta died in the frosts and it was also easier to twist the frozen ice out.

Stitch mag arrived and I am quite relived that there was nothing in it that insisted I make it.  Next months however looks dangerous!  I've just bought a load of small bells and I like the look of the biscornu canvaswork!! Well it was cooler here today, it has been about as much as we can bear really, but that's what so good about living in the UK, a little bit of everything through the year and just when you've really had enough....it changes. Usually.

Nice From the Postman

While we were away several bits arrived.  The first was the Product of the Month from The Thread Studio .  A great way of having tasters of new products. 

And a very new product indeed were the Pinmoors.  I have a complex wall quilt I'm working on and there are lots of pinned on parts.  Yesterday it was on and off the machine and also having hand work done on it. With the Pinmoors I wasn't stabbed so no blood on my work an they stayed in place!  Fabulous things!  They are not available here, yet, but you can order direct from Loretta.

The other couple of deliveries were books.  Layered, Tattered & Stitched by Ruth Rea is a how too book with lots of ideas with transferring, burning and stitching.  

The Celtic, Viking & Anglo Saxon Embroidery is more a reference book from Jan Messent.  She shows you her work and tells you briefly how she did things with ideas to take it further.  A beautiful book that was well worth the long wait!

Stitch While the Fish are Biting.

Or.... not biting.

John was out fishing yesterday and caught a tan. 

I was at home so I turned up the volume on my iPod, clicked Play and sewed.

I'm still not sure what it was exactly I achieved but there was a block or two completed on the Just Hands On BOM and quite a bit on the latest wall quilt. 

My Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative arrived too today.  It's a little cracker and I'm pleased to have taken part.



The dogs have the vets tomorrow and I have my MRI, I hope we get those appointments the right way around!!

The only other thing of note is that last night I had a fly typing on my computer.  We have one of these new fangled touchscreen all in one computer thingies.  When the fly landed on the bright lights of whatever website I was looking at, the screen reacted and came up with the virtual keyboard.  Of course the fly had to type something.  It wasn't quite War and Peace but it could have been First Contact.  Do you think I should contact the Space Agency people????

Post and Progress

Today the post brought me the POM 2 from The Thread Studio Australia, a huge parcel of paint goodies from Rainbow Silks, some new threads from Stef Francis and some bits from Hong Kong via eBay!  Who needs birthdays!! I also managed to sneak some A5 and A6 blank pads onto a stationary order (John don't read that bit) so they will need covers so I think a bit of playing is imminent!

I marked up and did almost a quarter of the final background quilting on Arabesque and did a large scale drawing of another quilt that has been worked on by the little fellas in the back of my head for some time and now needed to come out onto paper. 

A productive day!

Tomorrow I'm off to the V&A with my sewing Ladies so will probably spend most of the trip there nattering and thinking of what I need to do next at home.

Oh, and I won the LQuilts competition for a couple of free lessons with my quilt of Elsa!! 

And Today We...

Played!

John and Mike had to go up to Swindon for bits for the car so Elsa and I played a little. She has been practising her knitting lately and she is enjoying it enough to make things for her new home. 

Today she turned this...

Into these...

 All hand knitted and stitched by her. 

She also liked the pattern in the Stitch magazine this month so I made her up a kit to take home with her on Sunday and we will be making one up each together. 

I really enjoy sharing these things with my daughter!!

We also managed to squeeze in boning a leg of lamb packing it with herbs and garlic from the garden and having it on the BBQ most of the afternoon with lots of parcelled veg that was just yum for dinner!

I also received in the post today the Minis part 2 from Quilters Haven but that will have to wait until I can concentrate!!