FNwFriends, November already!

Many thanks Cheryll for getting us all together again - you can see what everyone was working on here

I had about half a dozen pieces to add to my latest 1797 round so I made myself do that first.

This is now going away out of temptation as I need to complete some Christmas projects and a few other bits and pieces.

However, the great excitement of the day, being the 1st of the month, was that the instructions for the first border of the Red Manor House BOM popped into my inbox! And so that is what I spent the rest of my Friday (and Saturday morning while watching the rugby) working on.

First there is a narrow floral border - cut and ready to machine on. Then there is a diamond border. Now the instructions use foundation paper pieceing for the diamonds - I don't care for FPP. So I decided some nice hand pieceing would be great for working on, on the sofa in front of TV So that is what I did.

These are all pressed and ready to have their ears trimmed before I machine them together.


Last Friday Jenny released the last embroidery for 'My Vintage Kitchen' and earlier this week I got all the blocks machined together, quilted and bound.

I kept the quilting simple and decided not to add a border  as I do not have a large enough space to display it! I am very happy with this especially using up some of my stash of vintage Laura Ashley.

I also added the background to my watercolour

which I am pleased to say worked out not too bad! However, I have just noticed that pale 'hole' in the middle of the picture! That leaf is going to need darkening up next time I get my paints out.

Hope everyone has a great weekend - we have a big storm heading towards us for tomorrow morning so a bit of hatch battening is in order this afternoon.

Persian Tiles - a finish!

I have been busily crocheting away every evening this week and finally finished my blanket on Friday. I have to say I am really pleased with it!

And I was happy that yesterday was a nice, dry sunny day and perfect for taking photographs.

The last block of My Vintage Kitchen came from Jenny of Elefantz on Friday so I now have that sewn up.

I need to get the borders machined around my last two blocks then my mini quilt is ready to assemble. Meanwhile I have gone back to basting hexies for 1797 while watching TV.

I have had a little box of water colours for many years now and a selection of 'how to' books picked up from charity shops but which never seem to quite show me how best to use my paints. However, last week a new video from Design Matters TV did exactly what I wanted. I downloaded the design they used and followed along with Linda and hey presto I seem to have a vaguely respectable watercolour of some rudbekia.

Just the scary bit of adding the background now! Next up I plan to have a go at some winter iris that I have a photograph of!

Well, the clocks changed here last night, so for a few weeks I shall be back to getting up in daylight again until winter creeps in.

I'm off to the cinema this afternoon to see Downton Abbey - can't wait!

Catching Up

Earlier this year I started putting together a collection of fabrics that I liked but with no specific purpose in mind. Some of them came from a shop that was closing down, some from my stash and a few just caught my eye elsewhere.

As I say, I had no real plan for these fabrics - I just liked them.

Then the Quilters Guild announced over the summer that they were planning a BOM and when I saw the quilt I knew that this was what my fabrics were for!

The Red Manor House BOM is based on a  quilt in the Guild's collection The Red Manor House Coverlet dated to the mid 1800's. A stunning quilt with so much detail.

To sign up for the BOM this is the link.

The first block was released on October 1st and here is my Red Manor House.

So looking forward to November 1st and the next section.

I have also been working on the Jenny of Elefantz stitchalong 'My Vintage Kitchen'. This is the latest block.

I loved those big chunky creamy beige mixing bowls. Two more blocks to go I think.

There has been some secret stitching with these gorgeous Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

And after dyeing some more fabric I now have all the hexies basted for the next round of my 1797 Revisited quilt.

Stitching has commenced!

Weatherwise we are experiencing a very late 'Indian Summer'. Today it was 30 degrees on our terrasse and we are expecting higher temperatures over the weekend. However, the rain that we have had over the last few weeks does mean that the garden is coming back to life and looking green again. But, as I found yesterday when I started digging over part of our vegetable garden ready for planting broad beans for next spring, the ground is very dry still.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Friday Night with Friends

Has come around quickly again. Many thanks to Cheryll for getting us all together again.

I started the afternoon by adding the eyelets to my new journal cover.

This has taken a while to complete mainly because I used a pink binding on it and then hated it! So it sat around for a while. Anyway, finished now. I used a piece of printed/painted brown wrapping paper, well crumpled and then ironed onto heavyweight pelmet vilene.

The inner corners at the front of the cover hold the journal in place and provide somewhere to tuck notes and stuff for safety.

The back pockets are for my pens and ruler. You can see the offending pink binding - it works well with the inside colours but looked awful outside.

Next up was to machine the borders around my latest Vintage Kitchen block.

Five down, four more to go!

Then it was back outside to continue rubbing down a pair of shutters ready for painting. They are louvered so not the easiest task and one that I have been putting of for at least a couple of years! So of course there is a lot of peeling pain to remove. Not good for hands that sew I can tell you - getting through masses of hand cream.

Anyway I rounded off my FNwF in the evening with some TAST stitching - I had two weeks to catch up on.

The top row is Crossed Feather Stitch and the bottom row Plaited Feather Stitch - they were last weeks stitches. The shape in the middle is filled with Cushion Filling Stitch which was this weeks stitch. Nice to be up to date again.

Since my last post we have had family visiting which was fun. We met up with them on their way down from the coast and went to La Vallee des Singes which we all enjoyed. The smaller monkeys roam free while the larger gorillas and chimps are confined to islands but you still get a good view of them. They all seem happy in their valley!

 

We all loved the ring tailed lemurs - those enormous eyes are so beguiling!

 

These two were not getting friendly - they were making a lot of noise!

 

It was a great day out.

Well this post is already long so I shall pop back again soon with some more catching up.

FNWF - July already!

Many thanks Cheryll for hosting our Friday get together. If you click on the link you will find links to everyone who took part - do go and see what they were working on.

It was 36 degrees here yesterday so needless to say after 11am we were hiding indoors! For the first part of the afternoon I was working on some secret stitching - sorry no pics.
It seemed appropriate to spend the rest of my Friday working on the new Jenny of Elefantz 'stitch-along' - the first stitchery design was released yesterday. You will find the free design and more info here

Here is Jenny's design for the first block

So I drew mine up and then thought about colours. First though I changed cookie to biscuit as this is going to be 'My' Vintage kitchen and we rarely have cookies. More 'British' too. Also I thought that the design of the jar would lend itself beautifully to the blue and white colourway of cornishware - an English classic.

 

You would have thought that at my time of life I would have learnt to spell biscuit correctly! And I went on to make a right hash of the drawing - thank goodness for Frixion pens!

Anyway, this is how far I got with my stitching last night and I should be able to finish it off today.

 

 

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We said goodbye to Dad Last Monday.

The lovely service was taken by my brother, I read a short bio and my nieces and nephew shared some memories of their Grandad - so a nice family affair. It was good to have all the family together - we are spread around the world! - and to meet up with other relations and friends that I have not seen for some time. My brother picked some great photographs for the service sheet.

Their Golden Wedding

 With his great grandchildren last year

It would have been Mum and Dad's 69th wedding anniversary on the day of the funeral.

RIP Dad. xx