This n That!

 Well the big excitement around here is that we finally have a nice, shiny new kitchen! What started out like this

now looks like this!

No wasted space and the ugly boiler all boxed in - I am very happy.

We took a day out last week to visit Montacute House. When I first moved to Somerset many years ago I lived nearby and visited regularly but had not visited for nearly 30 years, so it was a real pleasure to spend some time wandering round again.

There is a very impressive drive approaching the house from the main road - visitors arrive now via the village! The house is built from Ham stone from a local quarry at Stoke sub Hamdon. It is a lovely warm yellow.

There is a lot of topiary in the garden and I especially love the wibbly wobbly hedges

This side of the house had the sun on it so you can see it's lovely colour.

Two sides of the same wall

Inside the house is furnished and there is plenty for the embroidery enthusiast. A couple of the beds have bedspreads covered in embroidered slips. There is a beautiful stumpwork box. Not easy to see because it is inside a box in a darkened room! But you can see enough to appreciate all the beautiful stitchery.

Another bedroom is given over to a splendid exhibition of samplers from the Goodhart Collection. Click on the link for photographs if you love samplers. I could have spent all day in there!

Then up to the top floor for the piece de resistance - The Long Gallery.

The gallery is the longest in England. Some of the rooms leading off of the gallery contain a selection of Tudor and Jacobean portraits from the National Portrait Gallery which are fascinating for their attention to detail on the costumes.

Two final views - thank you for making it this far!

Now for some sewing. I have been wanting to do some clamshell patchwork for a while and having decided to make another Sew Together Bag to hold my EPP templates and papers I thought it would be nice to make the outside of the bag from clamshells.

It is many a year since I did any - these examples are from my Super Scrappy Quilt and were probably done for City and Guilds but whether that was embroidery or patchwork I have no recollection!

Those fabrics are certainly from 'a long time ago'

Anyway, having checked my Avril Colby and dismissed her method of making the patches instantly, I turned to Google for help and also received some very helpful advice from Michelle . Working with some of the offcuts from my lovely Tilda stash, this is as far as I have got.

I am loving them and am a little bit obsessed so have nothing else to show although I have done a few more inches of knitting.

I think that is enough from me for now, thank you for staying with me.

Saturday catch up

 A lot of my sewing time this week has been spent on my new project. Some years ago now I purchased a copy of this pattern

I have always fancied making it up but have never done so because I had no idea what I would use it for - the sewing bag I have I love and am not about to change.

Anyway recently I saw several of the lovely bags shown on posts from Scrub Stitching which reminded me of the pattern and also at the same time, I realised I needed a new bag to hold all my knitting needles and knitting bits and bobs. Bingo. And then of course I had all those lovely Tilda fabrics that I won from FNSI

I was off! I spent an afternoon carefully cutting and fusing all ready for another afternoon at the sewing machine. Here are my linings with zips inserted

After I had corrected this little wobble! Whoops.

And this photo I love - everything was looking so perfect!

Another afternoon at the machine got the outer quilted and attached, and the bindings and final zip added. An evening stitching got the bindings sewn down - I am not a fan of machine stitching the bindings. Et voila!

I do love those peacocks! And inside, loads of room for everything.

I was very pleased with the pattern instructions - clear and easy to follow - everything went together perfectly.

However, I am not ecstatic about those 'ear handles' on the ends and if/when I make another I would do things differently.

Well, nice to have that one ticked off my list!

I have two more FJ embroideries completed - sorry, not pressed!

And my knitting is progressing.

We had a day out on Exmoor yesterday. After visiting friends for coffee we found a quiet spot to sit with our picnic. Lovely view across the valley

Look closely and you can see red deer

We drove on to visit the church at Stoke Pero. 

No sooner were we in the gate than the guardians raced up to check invaders!

Having passed muster we were allowed through the stable door and into the church.

No electricity in the church so lots of candles. There were two gas cylinders outside for the basic heating. The organ, on the left of the picture below, was powered by a foot pump.

Beautiful roof beams and carved bosses.

We have had another warm dry week here although it has just started to rain - fine drizzle which really wont help all that much. We have a busy week ahead - will update you next week with exciting (for me) news. Have a great week.

FNSI April

 And yes, you guessed it, more quilting on my Red Manor House. However, happy to say that I am now on the final narrow border so am hoping that next month I shall be able to report a finish!

Many thanks to Wendy for organising our Friday evening again - you can visit Wendy here to see who else took part.

Many thanks also to Dawn at Kitty Rose Cottage for her generous sponsorship of our Friday nights together. I was February's lucky winner and put my voucher towards this gorgeous selection of Tilda Chic Escape fabrics.

Fortunately for me, my niece from Melbourne had a visit to UK planned for just after Easter and so I was able to save myself a bit on postage too. We met up in the Forest of Dean for the day and she handed over my delicious package! Here we are with her two boys sitting in a badger on the Sculpture Trail.

Now, I wonder how I can use all those lovely fabrics...........