FNSI & SAHR

Well the Friday Night Sew in meant I at least did this months Stay at Home Robin!  That little block has been hanging around waiting to find the next piece it wanted and, after a lot of offerings, I more or less gave up.  Then I found a batch of hand dyed silk velvet lurking in a corner and it just wanted to be a part of this.  It does have the right blue in it and introduces green.  I think this is ending up as an exploratory of texture!  I took the photo in the morning light to capture the beautiful sheen on the silk velvet.

Other things I completed last night I can not show on here as there are two Christmas gifts and a block for a friend but they took time and I'm more than happy to have spent the time on them.

This week I also signed up for a City and Guilds course in Creative Textiles.  Should be interesting!!!

Belinda Lady Montagu

John took me for a treat down to the New Forest Centre in Lyndhurst today where there is an exhibition of Lady Montagu's work.  So I don't have to re type everything about her, I have added the photos instead.  Don't forget to click to enlarge.

These three were part of a series and the first two were about 7 foot high.

She is a very diverse needle woman.  So may different fabrics, stitches and techniques are used throughout.

There was plenty more to see including a 26 foot long tapestry on the history of the New Forest in the museum itself.  A very enjoyable and inspiring little exhibition.

Tomato Soup

Normally I use the excess tomatoes in chutney or a ratatouille concoction that just uses up everything to hand in the garden (and freezes fantastically!).  This year though we have been really remiss in what we planted and only have squashes (including the biggest mini butternuts out there!), beans, onions and tomatoes. 

This morning I threw together a tomato soup for lunch to use some up.

I sautéed finely chopped onion, carrot, celery and red pepper in olive oil until just soft.  I then added a quick squirt of tomato puree, a couple of poundish of quartered tomatoes, a sprinkle of sugar and lots of ground black pepper.  I tore up the last of the basil from the garden into it and after a stir I then added about three pints of good vegetable stock (I like Marigold bouillon) and let simmer for about ten minutes.

Let it cool slightly an zzuzz with a blender and adjust the seasoning if it needs it. 

Yumm!

I am trying to sort out a few finishes for this afternoon.  I have yet to do the Stay at Home Robin this month or last weeks Mystery Mondays.  The Magical Minis envelope keeps glaring at me too.  Once these are out of the way I can carry on with other projects with a clearer view of my work table.  The few bits for Christmas are under way too.

Have a nice Sunday.

Beppy Berlin Workshop

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments about my Hever win.  I really am glad I followed my gut instincts.  I did have a lot of encouragement from John though, he loves the fish but that's a fisherman for you!

I've had a lovely day today at Hanson's, Sturminster Newton, on the Beppy Berlin Guardian Angel workshop.  This is mine...

She is blonde as is my real life angel (22 on Monday!! where does the time go?) and will be my little guardian for her.

Also this months Friday Night Sew In is on 17th, a week tomorrow, click the thingy on the right if you would like to join in.  It really is quite nice to set yourself a date with a needle!!!

Can anyone confirm if I read the Sky magazine correctly and that there will be a new series of Kirstie's Homemade Home in October?  The mag has gone and I missed a lot of the last series.  Anything crafty on our TV stations should be supported!!!  Fed up with revamped houses and cookery here!!

Hever and the Phone Call

I only went and won the Hever Challenge.  First proper quilt contest and all.

Johnny Zeppelin and me.

I couldn't believe it, 1st place!!!  Still struggling with reality actually.  There were some fantastic quilts there and of a great standard. 

WOW!

(Oh,  quick PS.  The challenge theme was, 'My Favourite Artist' and my quit is called, 'After Daniel Merriam'.   Who else of course! lol)

Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

We have been visited by this little fellow over the past week or so clearing up the fallen bird seed.

I thought I would have a quick tour around the garden to see what else is out there. Everything seems to be fruiting prolifically. Are we in for another harsh winter?

Sloes on the Blackthorn, the first to flower and very nice in gin, Hawthorn and heavily weighted Elder.

Some keys. Ash, Sycamore and the Tree of Heaven.

A couple of slightly tamer shrubs, Cotoneaster and Pyracantha. The Blackbirds devour the Pyracantha so fast!

And a few for us. Hazel nuts, apples and pears.

These three were wedding presents three years ago. Brown Turkey fig, what we thought was grape Aglianico but they are supposed to be black and these seem to be staying white. It’s the first year we have let them fruit so we shall see. At the bottom is black grape Brant.

And on my return I found this outside the study door. Well he is rather plump!

The Great Dorset Steam Fair

It is a vast site on dusty field and it was 29 degs C. There was a nice breeze that helped and plenty of stalls with cold drinks and ice cream but some rather well used portaloo's, we chose to watch our intake instead!

In a field in the next valley from us they have harvested the crop the old fashioned way and every time we saw them in the field with the very old tractor and equipment, I didn't have the camera with me of course!  They made proper sheaves of corn and stood them in groups and it looked fantastic but it took days to cut the whole field.  We did wonder why they were doing it and now we know.

They then went through this...

To make this.

And you could buy the cracked wheat or flour.

Of course the really old way of working was being done buy these wonderful beasts.

This fellow was rather naughty in that he kept putting his head over his companions neck and flattening the braids.

There were some absolutely huge, and I mean 19 hands of horse, Belgians there but they were in the stables being kept cool.  Beautiful things.

This show was a man from New Zealand and the sheep were all so well behaved.

In one tent I found this collection of sewing machines.

No John, we don't need a Porsche and especially this type!

We then made it across to the heavy haulage field where they were showing what they could do.  Some were surprisingly fast and could make it up and down this large arena in no time.

All were in pristine condition and very well loved.

And if you are gong to haul something to a show, you may as well haul something strange too!

Though there was a very large, modern fairground there, these showman's engines were lined up as far as the eye could see...

Right beside this rather more traditional fair.

Many displays were all around and the arena's had shows, here of some military.

It was a good afternoon and would really take a few days to see properly. We were certainly glad to sit down in the car at the end of it.

Oh, and last night I had a rather interesting phone call!!!!!!!!!!!!!  More of that later.

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...

Together Again

Well Chris wasn't due to fly in until Thursday evening, but best laid plans of mice and men and all that.  We had a call a 22.40 Wednesday night that sort of went, 'Hi Mum, I'm at Victoria now and the bus leaves in a bit.  I'll be down in Ringwood at 01.25am, can you pick me up?'  So we set the alarm as we were already in sleep mode and went a picked him up later, a whole day early! 

So here are my kids, Chris and Elsa together for the first time in 18 months.  That is a long time when you're young and even longer when he only left for 6 months to start with.  The dogs are over the moon, so much excitement at once!

Everything is all washing and cooking and downloading and upgrading and chatting and busy, busy, busy!!  Very precious brief moments of madness for our very small family.

A Study in Concentration

First time free motion quilting!

Elsa brought down her quilt top she has made, it was a kit given to her a few weeks ago. I must just tell you that all the points are perfect! (Proud Mum moment there). We bought some backing and border fabric and last night she worked out what kind of quilting she would like. The colours are bright and zingy and should cheer up any winter’s day it’s snuggled under! (bad photo but it's pinned over several other projects!)

In one of the bottom squares she has embroidered our visit to Ireland and the date as a reminder of a lovely holiday, it is Irish Chain after all.  This morning she has been practising the FMQ on a quilt sandwich and is starting to find a feel for it. I think she could be on the top by this afternoon!

After the Weekend

The weather is still not too great here so neither is the light. Results of my FNSI.


This is the Jenny BOM on our bed with the sashing done.

And these are the borders. The bottom row shows that I have started the roll back of the edges. They will be added with the corner stones.

Yesterday we had a club gathering at Beaulieu, the National Motor Museum, and a rare shot of our three girls together.

Mike spent ages Saturday cleaning them all up and it was mostly drizzle all day, they still looked rather nice, thanks Mike. But it’s a fabulous hour long drive down the length of the New Forest so that bit was fun too. Elsa even managed to sit in the car and do some sewing.

And this morning whilst doing the Monday morning chores we also managed the pick and blanch another batch of beans for the freezer.

I also refilled the seed feeders for the birds. We are now doing this about every 5 days, there are so many babies about. It takes a full 3 gallon bucket of seed, 2 gallons of nuts (but they only need filling every alternate time), 6 fat balls and 2 fat blocks and a 2 litre jug of niger seed.

Plenty of family time this week and Chris flies in sometime late Thursday too. Can’t wait to see him.

Have a good week all.

Friday Night Sew In

Well the Friday Night Sew In was more of an afternoon of Whilst I Was Waiting. John was out fishing and Elsa and Mike were due down early evening so I thought I would sew the corner blocks and sashing to the Jenny BOM, the top is now a completed square and I also sewed the blocks and four strips for each side borders. I guess I feel a little bit of a cheat this month as it was the afternoon and I haven’t had time to take photos with visitors. Also the light is appalling here with all this rain.


Tomorrow we have a club car show so will be busy then too. Monday for photos hopefully!!!

Have a good weekend.

Happy Birthday John

 On his birthday he found this!

He’d bought a new Watchman probe thing for the oil tank (amazing what some people find exciting for their birthdays!) and was fitting it. He then noticed a few wasps. And then a few more. This nest is about 10 inches long and very lovely to look at but we’ve called in the exterminator. Wasps are unpredictable at the best of times and this is quite near a door into the house.

I’ve been busy putting the Jenny BOM together. Just the borders to do now so pictures then.

Maggie: scrim. It was another one of those really cheap throw away items. It’s a very loose, open weave cotton fabric that used to be used to clean cars and windows, usually on the shelf alongside stockingette. You could buy it in rolls about 3 meters long for very few pounds. Then someone thought to try dying it. Now it’s hard to find and very expensive for what it is! Another fabric art victim!!

John has cooked a roast tonight. It’s what he wanted to do because he loves doing it so, on his birthday I’ll sit back and relax! Lol

Happy **nd birthday John! xxxxx

Busy Day

I managed to do a fair bit today. As well as tidying the ever growing pile of quilt/stitch/ fabric books on top of the book shelf I made...
16 of the corner squares to the sashing on the Jenny BOM.

8 more of the 4 inch Minis.

The first cut on the Mystical Mondays.

And I started this.

We went to Salisbury yesterday and on the way in there are fields that have just had their crop taken off and they left lovely quiltable lines. I’ve had the hand dyed scrim for a while and they seemed to want to be a part of this little quilt.

Also Oscar, who has always thought he was a dog, finally decided to step up the ante and try and be the dog’s dinner instead.