A Little Trip out

First trip out for more than four weeks

We went to the Wyevale Garden Centre in Hereford. Yes, I know that's a long way from home but that was the way we were kind of heading. We bought a new tap adaptor for the outside tap because I forgot to remove the one that was on there AND I forgot to turn off the tap so when it froze and split I had home made icicles all over the garden from the resulting spray of water. We also bought a trough thingy that holds a grow bag for my tomatoes - one last go at growing them before I totally give up and pave the whole bl**dy garden.

The we moved on the Oakchurch Farm Shop. I might have mentioned this place before as they always have stuff I desperately need.

Chocolate Torte and a large latte for me. Mr M had a pot of tea and a can of sprite zero

LOOK! LOOK! a special mug for Mr M. We didn't buy it.

I am waiting while he goes to the Loo.............. waiting is boring

There he is! I miss him so much when he is not right by me

See this? This is snow left over from last week

When it hangs around like this we always say it is waiting for more. We hope to be proved wrong

And so it begins

SO, you think you have an idea but it is vague and shrouded in swirls of mist. 

You continue with the work in hand and try to allow the vague idea to assume more substantial form.

You finish the work in hand and pay more attention to what your grand children are doing and saying and one of them posts a picture that you INSTANTLY see as a quilt.

And so it begins

Tentative placement of the first parts of the unicorn

The working drawing, based on the picture that Hanna put on her FB wall. (I am told this is "The Last Unicorn"

The beading has begun - Emerald eyes for a unicorn that might just be a bit "Goth"

Ears, "Always you pull my ears"

The crown with sapphires - just found them in the forgotten bead box.

I am now at the point where I must start securing the pieces to the quilt and I am always reluctant to start because of all the preliminary stuff - basting and pinning and throwing away the stuff that refuses to work. I dislike working with voile but I have some fabulous maroon and purple and black voile that is just screaming for me to use it and bead it. I will allow the ideas to fester mature over the weekend and come to the table fresh on Monday.

Have a good weekend and I'll see you on the flip side

This is for remembrance

For World Poetry Day...  a sad sonnet by Edna St Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950).

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied 

Who told me time would ease me of my pain! 

I miss him in the weeping of the rain; 

I want him at the shrinking of the tide;

The old snows melt from every mountain-side, 

And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane; 

But last year's bitter loving must remain

Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide. 

There are a hundred places where I fear 

To go,—so with his memory they brim. 

And entering with relief some quiet place 

Where never fell his foot or shone his face 

I say, "There is no memory of him here!" 

And so stand stricken, so remembering him.

For some reason this has really struck a chord with me.

Let me introduce Cedric

Because it takes a while to complete a quilt I tend to let my mind drift a little while I am stitching and sometimes I create a back-story for the picture.

 You already know that I like to hang the work in progress so that I can look at it and decide how to work the next bit. So it will come as no surprise to you that this water dragon is called Cedric. I didn't write the story when I thought it - too busy beading his tongue - so I can't tell you. I do remember that his name is something to do with Kelp, but I have been asleep since then.

 I invested in new beading needles and now every project I think of seems to have a way of incorporating beads - I can sit in my chair with legs elevated and bead away to my hearts content. I do need to order some more needle threaders though. Otherwise I spent at least five minutes threading the needle and I have to use a magnifying glass to do it! I have broken all my needle threaders and the complicated plastic one with the push button is just too thick to go into the fine beading needles so it has to be those funny little metal discs with the fine wire sticking out.

 Now all I have to do is wait for the piping cord to arrive so that I can finish the cushions to go with this quilt and the necktie one.

Yes the carrier bags in the picture do have the fabrics for the next project in them. I have ideas for a goth unicorn - thank you Darling Daughter for making that birthday cake and inspiring me - and a stained glass window butterfly................ I also want to make some bags for the charity shop.

Oh did I tell you that my friend who has a curtain shop has had a "bit of a clear out in the workroom" Mr M gave a sigh and bought a large plastic box bigger than a cabin trunk for me to store the fabric. I have promised to share the bounty and I have already given three bags (black bags, large) of fabric to someone who teaches parents of one parent families to sew their own soft furnishings. As I live in the area with the highest national incidence of unmarried parents I am glad to give stuff so that they are learning a skill and gaining a little pride

Now I simply have to go and cut the strips ready to pipe those cushions - oh and order some new needle threaders. ................ Now, where did I put that black tape?

sneezing and coughing and quilting

 It snowed! You noticed didn't you? Youngest son was sent home from work with another chest infection and then it snowed. I intended to do so much but I could feel the sniffles creeping up on me so I spent the whole weekend sitting in my chair by the fire quilting the background of the necktie quilt. On Monday I put the border on it - I used what was left of the ties and now I have it hanging on the dresser so that I can look at it. When I have done that it will go onto the bed in the little bedroom because that's where Wicked Uncle Cliff slept last time he visited and he says that the bed in there is "full of sleep".

I have now finished attaching the water dragon to his background and I am really pleased with the way his legs and claws look now they are stuffed properly. I put big flat blue beads for his eyes and I have done more beading on his face. The beading on his scales will take some tim so no pictures until that is completed. I am thinking that bubbles will look better than seaweed although I am still undecided. I will search the ribbon box for shades of green but I don't think I have much. All donations gratefully accepted

horns legs and wings firmly satin stitched in place. Let the beading begin

You can just see the beads on his eyes