Glowing

There are few things better than taking the dogs out just as night falls and seeing a tiny speck of light shining in the grass

look a bit closer and you can see

a glow worm!  And once you've spotted one, you suddenly see them all!  Little glow worms (they are beetles really) with their lights shining brightly in their tails to catch the attention of the males which can be more than 50 yards away.  And I've just discovered that they feed on slugs so that has to be a bonus!

We really should get a night camera.  The other evening I received this email:

"Would you believe I am camping on your site busily sewing in the ends of a wall hanging for my son for his 50th. It is a Barn owl and a real one has just flown by. Magic"

I told her she absolutely had to bring the hanging up to the workshop the next day so we could all see it.

It really is stunning and Sandra told us she got the design from a book called Animal Quilts by Juliet van der heijden.

I hadn't realised that the last time I wrote this blog was when we returned from wonderful Wales.....well, quite a lot has been happening.

First we did the shearing with the help of friends

It only takes a couple of hours but it's very hard work

and they work up an appetite so afterwards they come up to the house for a full English breakfast!

Then Barney and Big Boy went off to have their hair cuts

so all the animals are ready for Summer.

We've been busy in the workshop - last week we did a dressmaking day and were amazed how much we accomplished.  We were all working from Merchant & Mills patterns

and I was very pleased with the Trapeze dress that I managed to make (except for the hem) by the end of the day!

and Ros also managed to practically finish her more complicated pattern

but we both agreed it would have been a far more painful process if Sandra hadn't been there!

Then this week Fay showed us her completed Antique Wedding Sampler

Such a beautiful quilt and I really didn't recognise it as the same quilt others in the group had made - the colours are so vibrant she's completely made it her own.

Sheila came down and showed us the Trip Around the World which she started at our workshop

and the Di Ford she has been working on (all hand-stitched)

 

Such beautiful colours!

Finally Denise had a word of warning for us.  When you have made a beautiful quilt top, celebrating your house in France, and decide to add one final border with perhaps a house on it

......don't ask your partner to draw up a picture of the house so you can sew it - it may present quite a challenge!

Trying to Squeeze it all In

Some people I know go for month-long holidays four times a year, and are completely calm about it.

We go on holiday for one week a year and I'm absolutely frantic.  And it's only to Wales so we can drive home and back in a day if we want to!

I don't think it's just me who is at sixes and sevens though; I see this Barn Owl around our garden every morning and evening - maybe it's doing overtime to feed some chicks!

My main problem is the garden....everything is ready to be planted out and I'm trying to get it done before we go away on Saturday - mainly because I know George won't prioritise watering my flowers!

Today, yesterday, and last Sunday I was able to spend a good few hours at it, but otherwise there have been too many distractions.

last Thursday we had a brilliant day at the Malvern Quilt Show.  We saw lots of inspiring quilts, and here are some of my favourites:

 

Hand-pieced by Francis Meredith and Longarm quilted by her too.  A couple of my friends have sent their quilts to her at Fabadashery (www.fabadashery.co.uk) and I really loved the results - very different from the overall swirls that gets very samey.

 

I quite liked this one - Peony Ring (I think) by Sally Bramald

 

The baskets are so clever:

 

 
 

I thought Abigail Rose by Sue Watters was beautiful

 

 

and then this one: Knot Garden by Claire Scott

 

caught my eye - she used Canadian smocking for the knots and what she called a 'crashing' technique for the topiary.  No idea what that means!

Then Saturday we were dancing in the rain in Winchester.  Whilst sheltering under the trees Louise pointed out a Handkerchief tree (also known as a Ghost tree apparently) - it was really beautiful:

covered in all it's hankies

Tuesday morning Pitch and Stitch was busy and we were all very impressed by Lynn's cot quilt:

and floor mat made with Japanese Patches which she learnt with us:

Front and back below