Goodbye 2013

As I am about to go out and ring in the New Year, I thought I'd indulge myself and put up some pictures of the friends we've lost over the last few months.
First, falcon running wild with Snowy one day - someone left the gate open!!

 

 

And here coming back from a ride, with George petting Jake, and Mattie and Bo looking on

Then here's Mattie doing what she did best:

And finally Mattie and Jake together

A Christmas Story

Well, the presents are all wrapped and under the tree, the stockings are hanging by the fireplace, the turkey is ready to spend a night in the oven, and my purse is staying closed for the next few days at least!  We have just spent the evening being entertained by the East Garston String Ensemble in the Best room - carols and Christmas songs with Chilli and drinks in between - enchanting!
Anyway, here's a bittersweet Christmas story.......

Last Wednesday, poor old Mr Bojangles who has already lost his sight and hearing, finally lost the use of his back legs.  I know it's cruel to keep a dog with you when he can no longer get around, and knew it was time to make an appointment with the vet.  I wanted to make the appointment for Friday, but Falcon, our lovely pony who has been so good to Victoria and George, was going on that day, and it was too much to lose two of our pets the same day.  The only thing was to put it off until Monday, so I made the appointment for 11.30 yesterday.

We were all very sad about it, and George in particular said it was really horrible.

Bo continued to drag himself around by his front legs, and although he was eating enthusiastically, we had to carry him outside all the time.

Sunday evening we were in the kitchen, and heard the padding of feet behind us.  We looked around and there was Bo, on all fours, looking for his supper!

We know it's only a reprieve, but you can imagine how happy we are to have him for another Christmas - our little Christmas miracle!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Had a very busy wreath-making Saturday with Linda - who helps everyone make really beautiful wreaths!  By the end of the day 14 wreaths had been made - seven in the morning and another seven in the afternoon, and the workers were fuelled by hot chocolate and mince pies.  One of the reasons I love the wreath day is the lovely smell of evergreens that fills the workshop:

There were lots of mince pies in with those oranges - so where did they go?

When the morning group had finished, I said I'd take a picture and turned to get my camera - when I turned back, I couldn't believe how they'd all lined up to have their picture!

 

I have some pictures of the afternoon group too - but have to wait till George comes home to post them because he's got them on his phone.

Any excuse

Back in the Spring we ran our first weekend-long workshop and Helene showed us how to make a very pretty wall-hanging or table centre.  In the months since I have shown a few pictures of the completed block, some of which were made into lovely garden cushions.
Well, Maureen went one (or four) better, and made four more blocks to make a quilt. It's going to Italy where I am sure it will be very much loved.

 

This was before it was quilted but we can still see how beautiful it is.

And I'm sure everyone is desperate for some puppy pictures so heeeeere's Reuben:

With Foxy - his very favourite toy

 

And playing Frisbee with George

Reuben's come to Lorne Hill Farm

Last night we went to Radley farm and came home with Reuben.  Mattie and Bo have been very good so, hopefully, all will be fine!

George was thrilled to come home and find Reuben waiting for him:

Oh - and, by the way - a couple more elves have been completed - you can see them on the previous post!

Advent Calendars

Today was Advent Calendar Day - no elves, but calendars made from panels.  I had a feeling this might be a workshop with a difference when the general response from the requirements list was "I don't have a sewing machine" - but then three of the four ladies decided they did have machines.  The fourth borrowed my Toyota.

When they arrived, Micki had an antique hand machine, and Sophie had (with all due respect) what was really a toy machine.  Fine, Jacqui T and I will never forget turning up for our first workshop all those years ago.  I lugged in my ancient Singer and Jacqui her hand machine, only for us to look around and see all the ladies with state of the art computerised machines we didn't even know existed!  Anyway, the real surprise for me was when Sophie and Linda said they'd NEVER used sewing machines before!!  Still, one quick, mini-tutorial later, and they were off:

See the tiny machine at the back?

They worked and worked - and were thrilled with the results:

Just goes to show - where there's a will, there's a way!!

Fairy Stories

We had a very busy workshop today - heads down, machines clattering (well, one was - Helen's sounded like someone was shaking a jar of safety pins but it did as it was told), scissors flying through fabric, and only half an hour for lunch because everyone wanted to get on, because......today was Elf Day!

When I was little one of my favourite fairy stories was The Elves and the Shoemaker.  Over the years, whenever homework, housework or tricky UFOs (unfinished objects) were praying on my mind,  a part of me would yearn for those elves to get to work while I had a snooze.  It's never happened, but today I got closer than I ever have - there were elves popping up all over the workshop!

 

And here is Elfspeth - all finished!

 

and another!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sewing and Puppies

Had a really good day yesterday in the workshop.  We did quilt as you go double-sided quilts and although it was a bit tricky at first, by the end of the day everyone had completed four blocks and sashed one to another:

I think they're brilliant - and they all look so different.

And then there was Jo, who naturally is working on a completely different quilt so wanted to know the quilt as you go method but wasn't interested in the double-sided bit:

She used the Janet Bolton pictures but, as usual, personalised them.  Can't wait to see the whole quilt!

Then today George and I went to see our 6 week old puppy - we can have him at 8 weeks so we have time to prepare.  The puppies have been moved out into the barn now (8 puppies running around a kitchen floor is as bad as 8 lambs!) and were all snug in the straw.  Mum has been really great but has lost interest a bit now.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera so the pictures aren't that great:

This is Mum and Dad:

And that cute little thing between them is Pop, or Ned, or Alan, or whatever we finally decide to call him!

Can't wait!!

Quilters Gallery

I have joined the Quilters Gallery, and am supposed to upload the logo - well, I tried, and now if you look at 'Blogs I follow' you'll find about a million links to it!  Oh well.

Whilst everyone I know seems to be travelling the globe at the moment, eg, Sandra in Iceland, Jackie in New Zealand to mention two, I have been busy sewing and have finally got my Beginner's Sampler Quilt top together (we have just finished the third of these courses, so I am waaaay behind:

Not a very good picture......anyone who has been to the workshop will be able to see that mine has been put together differently to Sandra's.  Not me being clever (quite the opposite actually, as Sandra and Sally know, I spent the whole morning counting squares and doing maths) - it just turned out that way.

Also Maureen sent me a photo of her quilt which she started at our weekend workshop with Helene and which I'd love to put up here but can't open it, so, instead, I'll show you what I'm doing with mine:

I bought some mini hexagon templates from Foltvilag at the NEC (www.foltvilag.hu) and am making a hexagon border all round.  Haven't got very far.  Lynne managed to sew about 20 in an hour last week - I max out at about 4 a night!

We took some straw round to Upper Denford this afternoon and on the way home called in at friends at a farm round there.  Their collie Mog has had 8 pups - so sweet.  There was a lovely one I'm calling Pop Pop in my head............watch this space.

Loom Knitting

Just a couple of pictures, as requested, of the loom knitting.  First Sandra, who is knitting a hat: 

For a hat you would continue knitting in the round, but Linda made a scarf by going back and forth.

This is the hat I made, being modelled by Freya, who joined us at Pitch and Stitch today:

She knitted the little boy she is holding herself.  She's so good at knitting!

And, after all the moans and groans about when I am turning to the winter menu for lunch (ie, soup),  I'm finally giving in.  Tomorrow we are having tomato soup, from practically the last tomatoes in the greenhouse!

 

That's poor old Bo (Mr Bojangles) in the background.  He can't see anymore (he's nearly 15) but when I took Mattie out for a walk yesterday, he insisted on coming with me...slowest walk I've ever had,  and I had to talk constantly so he'd know where to go!

Season of mists...

Beautiful morning!  Looked out and saw a whispy mist hanging over the valley:

Had the loom knitting workshop yesterday, with Amanda Bond teaching.  What a morning!  Two ladies signed up just the day before, so although I had bought enough sets for those I was expecting, I was two short.  That'll be fine, I thought, they can share.  Well, of course they couldn't - they all wanted to work on the same size looms.  So, over to Hungerford I dashed, and managed to fine one kit in Crown Needlework, but although I checked in the Hungerford Haberdashery I couldn't get another.  Brought the kit back, so that was one sorted, and then remembered that Sandra in the village is crazy about loom knitting so dashed into East Garston and she very kindly lent us a hook and hoop!

It was a good day though - and I think loom knitting is great for people who can't get on with needles, but less inspiring for people who have knitted for years and are used to needles.

Bags

Had a brilliant workshop on Wednesday with Clare Kingslake - making lovely satchels.  Last time we ran it there wasn't space for me, but this time I was determined to take part.
It's Victoria's birthday today and I wanted to make it for her.
So.......all you doubting Thomas's at the workshop...............here it is!

Not perfect - but not bad either,  And she likes it so that's okay.

Open Day on the Allotments

Had a lovely afternoon on the Marsh Lane Allotments on Sunday.  Following her kidney transplant, my sister and her partner found a love of gardening and took on an allotment at Marsh Lane in Hungerford.  They were there from the start, when it was just an overgrown, stubbly field.  Now it's all beautiful gardens with grassed pathways and flowers and vegetables everywhere.  Belinda and her friend had put up signs with carrots on them all around Hungerford, and you followed them to get to the allotments.  They had a barbecue, veg stand (I had already got some pork from the Farmers market in the High Street, and bought potatoes and a cabbage to go with them for our Sunday supper.  It turned out the cabbage had come from Belinda, so I needn't have bought it, but it went to a good cause!  With my beans and courgettes too, we had a delicious supper.) and Belinda had organised the tombola:

The sun shone and I chillaxed for the afternoon.

Lovely.

Sadly.......I didn't get to Newbury Show for breakfast, but you can't do everything!

Afternoon on the allotment

My sister, Belinda, is having an open afternoon on her allotment tomorrow and I plan to go along - which means I'll go to Newbury Show for breakfast!!

 

Her allotment is fantastic but whenever I come home I do feel like tarmacking our garden!  Like quilt shows: equally inspiring and demotivating!

Full Moon and Quackers

Just went out to shut up the animals and couldn't get over the amazing harvest moon:

These pictures really don't do it justice - it's HUGE!

 

Also, here is the fantastic quilt Jackie has made for her soon-to-be-here grand-daughter

 

Enough to drive anyone quackers!

 

Bags and Cosmos

Anthea came to Pitch and Stitch and brought along the bag she made at the Clare Kingslake workshop:

 

And Jo sent me a photo of the bag she made out of strips of fabric:

She hadn't added the straps yet.

Really beautifully made.
We are running this workshop again in the Autumn Schedule - and places are going fast!

Also, couldn't resist taking some photos of my Cosmos yesterday evening.  I only started growing it a few years ago - the name put me off.  With the bad weather this year I planted the seeds very late, and planted them out much later, so we won't have so much time to enjoy them before the first frost.