Making

Hello Folks.

This week has wizzed past as they all seem to at the moment.

I have been keeping busy.

I laid my patchwork trees out on the floor and faffed around with them for a long time, took photos and swapped blocks around until I was happy.  The dog was not helpful as he kept walking over them and messing up the pattern.

I numbered the columns and used pointers so I sewed the right side.

Using Minty, my 1967 Singer Featherweight, I sewed the blocks into columns and pressed the seams to one side.  I was surprised how long pressing took.

I then sewed the rows, right to left and the next row left to right so it didn't distort too much.  I pinned the corner seams to get them lined up, I'm pleased with the result.  More seam pressing.  

 Here is the completed quilt top.

 I pronounce myself to be well pleased with it.  I am ready for the next step but........

.........I had completely forgotten about Miss Clicky's kitchen curtains, as I had tidied the fabric away in the craft room (out of sight, out of mind.)  You might remember that I offered to make curtains and blinds for Miss Clicky and her hubby's house (I must think of a name for him), I completed the blinds in February.  I'm back on the curtains and with the lockdown easing hopefully I will be able to deliver them when finished.

Mr Clicky's jumper continues on and is my tv knitting.  

I am absolutely loving this project.  The Jamieson and Smith's yarn real pleasure to use.  The yolk is taking some time with 400 odd stitches and the widest part and some rows have all three colours of yarn.  The plus side?  My continental knitting is having lots of practise.

It's a bank holiday tomorrow and would it normally be half term for schools, but no holidays as lockdown continues.  Strange times.

Hope you're keeping safe and busy.

Bye for now............Clicky Needles.

Another Week Passes

Hello All!

Well I'm pleased everybody else is as confused as me when it comes to the day of the week.  Thankfully I remembered the bins and didn't wake up early which was a bonus.

In the supermarket last week the first peonies of the year.  These ones a delicate single flower, not that I knew that when I bought them, those buds were held tight.

On the wall behind you can see my new tea towel.  I was browsing on-line for orange tea towels to go with my kitchen when I came across this one.  I bought it to use, well, as a tea towel but I decided to use it as art instead.  The line at the bottom says 'Think about that the next time you sling me around like a useless rag.'  Still nothing for wiping up though.

The garden is looking good, as they always do in spring.   I still can't believe that this time last year it looked like this.

Today, this.  There are lots of gaps to fill, the garden centres here opened this week, but I'll leave it for a bit before going.

There are some lovely flowers appearing.  The alliums which I dug up are bursting purple.

These are Allium Sensation.

Allium cristophii, when this comes out fully, it will be the football sized.

And one given to me by my neighbour who has since moved, I think it is called Ivory Queen.

This is in the white border, last year looking like this

Now, after some hard graft.

The hawthorn tree that we planted over our wall as a tiny seedling 20 years ago is also in full flower.  This is excellent at stopping the footballs coming over.  

I got down to cementing in the washing line this week.  Why didn't you do when you laid the turf last year? I hear you ask.  Well, the answer is, I did.  The spike in the ground was only about 20cm, and I questioned at the time whether this would be enough to hold a load of washing and not fall over, but I followed the instructions to the letter.  Guess what?  It fell over.  I finally got round to digging a bigger hole, and put loads and loads of cement in it.  I am pleased to report that it is staying put.   Washing on the line.  This makes me happy.

It was the kids' birthdays this week.  Miss Clicky was 25 and Master Clicky 21.  Master Clicky works in an engineering company and is still at work.   He made Brownies and a Victoria Sponge to take in for his colleagues.  They were a great success.  No family celebrations at the moment but when we get back together again, I'm sure there will be some.

When I started this post I was planning on showing some making too, but the garden has taken over, so that'll be next time.

Stay safe my friends.......Clicky Needles.

Pottering Along

Hello Folks!

I am good at pottering.  This is, of course, good, because that is what life seems to have become in The Lockdown.

Yesterday I ventured to the supermarket.  I even put make-up and earrings on.  The weather was glorious, which was just as well because the queueing was long.

This supermarket has a one way system within the store too, great if you remember everything first time round.  I must admit to reversing up aisles with my trolly just to be facing the right direction on the final sweep.  

On the way home I stopped in a layby to admire the view.  I took in a massive gulp of Gloucestershire air and listened to the birdsong, it felt naughty even though there was no one else around.  Well, mental health and all that.

 I have recovered from the scrubs stress and have been sewing for pleasure.  I came across a tutorial in Pinterest for a book mark here.  These took all of 10 minutes to make and were super, super easy.

No more folded down page corners.

The pleasure from making these was definitely doubled because I used Minty the Featherweight, she's out now and we're making more little Christmas Tree blocks. 

A few days back ~ or it could be weeks, who knows? ~ I had a marathon cutting morning day and went through the last of my fabric.  I'm hoping to start assembling the quilt soon.

I've been pottering in the garden too, I repotted a clematis which got shoved in a nasty plastic pot when the garden was dug up.  It spent the last two summers flopped over and looking, well, rubbish.

I put it in a nicer pot, cut some dogwood for supports and fashioned a wigwam of sorts.   That's a bit better.

This is an early morning post.  I woke at 4.45am this morning so I decided on a cup of tea.  Just as well really because when I looked out, I realised I had forgotten to put the bins out.  I tried to clank the wheelie bins quietly so as not to wake the neighbours up.  The bins got changed from Friday to Thursday about 3 years ago and it still catches me out ~ either that or I have no idea what day it is.  I did think it was Friday on Monday at one point, there's no hope.

Out of my bedroom window the sun is promising to appear and we're in for a few more days good weather.

That's me for now.

Have a good day................Clicky Needles.