The Middle of Autumn

Oh my word - the time is just flying by!

The rams are out with the sheep, the cattle are all back in the barns - seems like yesterday that we were letting them out in the Spring.

Hallowe'en has come and gone

Bonfire Night came and went in much the same way - although the Village bonfire and fireworks were spectacular, with a guy which looked just a little bit too real.  (I hope Alan doesn't mind me using his photo - it's much better than any I ever take)

We are as busy as ever in the workshop - we all found Ros's knitted shawl quite challenging, but when I am able to get everyone out of the kitchen, and really concentrate, I am able to get on with it fairly well - although it's not as neat as I'd like.  Still, to (roughly) quote Ros, "nothing a blind man on a galloping horse would worry about".

I am also working a lovely Christmas tapestry, which I'm really enjoying, but it pales into insignificance when compared with the beautiful cross stitch Victoria has just finished.

It is just so amazing - it's her first commission and I think it's absolutely stunning.  I really hope she gets it framed properly.

The Yoko Saito workshop on Wednesday brought us two surprises - one quilt top finished and ready to quilt by Pauline, and Betty's practically finished.

Both very lovely and the more you look, the more you see.

I would like to make one of these, and particularly when I get back home from walking the dogs and see our little village in the valley, with the lights just starting to come on

and I wonder about all the different lives being lived......

April Showers...and snow, and wind, and frost, and a Bit of Sunshine!

Well, April is really acting up this year.  We've had glowering skies

and snow

 

and cold wind and rain but luckily, in between, bits of lovely sunshine to walk out in.  Most days Millie and I get to walk alongside the paddocks and enjoy the sight of the lambs playing in the late afternoon sun

 

 

But a lot of us are feeling very tired, so it was nice to get some inspiration in the workshop today.  We welcomed Sheila back and hope she and Ron manage to come down to the caravan site a few more times this year!

Victoria and Ben are over from Jersey and it was lovely to see what Victoria has been working on.  She has used some software she has to make a cross stitch pattern for a picture of Maidencourt, and we were all astounded at her exceedingly intricate work which looked more like a photograph than stitching:

It's going to be stunning when she's finished but such tiny, tiny stitches!

Elsewhere in the workshop there was knitting, Anthea was working on her bag and showed me her carousel piecing,  Louise and Sally were quilting

Janet was working on her English Paper-pieced Hexagon quilt

 

Mikky's mum was admiring Louise's stitchery and listening to the chat (but mainly waiting till she could go and see the lambs)

 

and Jackie was working on her beautiful little smocked dress

Some really great work rewarded by a cake made by Micky of Simply Delish!