Help in the garden

Clare and Pauline joined us at Pitch and Stitch this morning - they came up from the caravan site.  Clare was escaping her husband and children for a couple of hours (not really, I'm sure) and brought up some cross stitch and Pauline started on a the little heart kit we have.  It's always so interesting to meet people from other parts of the country.  Obviously, one of the main topics of conversation was how well we are doing in the Olympics and both Sandra and Jackie are lucky enough to have actually  gone up there - Jackie on super saturday so she was still wallowing in the excitement and I was quietly very envious!
This afternoon I was sitting staring out the window, doing nothing and thinking about everything I should be doing, when I saw I was getting a little help in the garden:

This young hare was munching at the water thistles in the rose bed!!! - very helpful!

Summer Break

Wow!  Olympic Fever has hit Lorne Hill Farm!  I'm glued to the TV and loving it all!  I'm keeping everyone informed as to where we are on the medal table and I watched the gymnastics so avidly whilst doing Japanese folded patches that reality has become a little blurred and I'm not sure which I'm best at, the Japanese folded patches or the Japanese handstand.  I've been so inspired by it all that I'm determined to master touching my toes with legs straight by the end of it all.
Now August is here it's time for our summer break.  Although Tuesday morning Pitch and Stitch continues as always, we don't run any workshops in August, although Sandra and I are putting our heads together to work out the Autumn schedule which will recommence in September.

We had the last of the Medallion Quilt Days from the Spring schedule on what was one of the hottest days of the year - the workshop was more like a sweatshop!  A few of the ladies have finished their quilts now - and they look tremendous!

Some are coming along nicely

and some are forging ahead on their second Medallion!

So - there will be spaces on the Medallion Quilt course in September so new people can join. Thanks to the brilliant Lyn Johnson, our teacher, we also have a fantastic new method for basting the quilts - no more crawling around on the floor or taping to tables, using two 4x2s we can baste a whole quilt, in comfort, in a morning:

Pure genius!













We also had a Mariner's Compass workshop recently with Anne Jervey.  It was hand stitched and I used Pauline's fabric and am making it the centre of a quilt for her granddaughter.  I am surrounding it with Japanes patches so the whole quilt will be hand-stitched.  Very girly but quite pretty, I think.

Right, got to go now - I think I'm playing handball next.

And...

Finally got the kneeler finished!

Summertime

It's been quite a busy few weeks round here - and very wet!
Here are some of the things we've been up to:
Christine Brewster came and gave a workshop on willow weaving.  In the morning we made a trivet and basket, and then in the afternoon we moved on to more challenging things and using a sort of 'freestyle' weaving made sculptures.

It was a very productive day and we were all pleased with our efforts.

The day before was Medallion Quilt day - and another of these beautiful quilts was completed:

Well done Jackie.
The day before that was Pitch and Stitch - and Dawn brought along the lovely picture she has needle-felted:

It is of their little dog and Dawn had saved some of his fur from when she used to groom him, and incorporated it into the picture.

Then we went on our lovely holiday in France.  We stayed at Les Jincheres in the Deux Sevres and had a wonderful time.  As you can see from the weather house

The weather was quite changeable, but when it was hot it was very hot, and when it was cloudy it was still warm and we had very little rain which was a welcome change from home!  The gite was lovely and in the middle of nowhere so, as George said, the bad things about it was that it was quiet and there weren't loads of people about and the good thing about it was it was quiet and there weren't loads of people about!



On our return we discovered some new inhabitants at Lorne Hill Farm:

They've moved on now that we're back and banging in and out!
Last Wednesday we had the last day of the Beginner's Sampler course.  Everyone had done so well and Carole had actually finished!  Although not a complete beginner, Carole wanted to do the course to try out stitchery and applique.  She chose to make her quilt to celebrate her daughter's trip over to the other side of the world and so all the pictures were relevant to her travels.  It was so funny one day when we were all sorting out our blocks and talking about hearts and flowers when Carole said "Has anyone seen my Sidney Opera House?"

And this is the whole quilt:

Really stunning!
Finally, we went into Newbury to see the Olympic Torch.  It was far more exciting than I expected and I don't think I've ever seen so many people in town - all happy and cheering

Took some great pictures of the actual torch but it was a pity that the camera wasn't switched on at that point.....

Glow worm time

Should have some good photos on the next post of the Medallion Quilt day on wednesday and the willow weaving day on Thursday.
I don't have much to show for the last month - I have finished sewing my kneeler but I haven't finished stretching it into shape to fit over the block.  In fact, everyone was quite amused last week when they asked what I was doing - I had a damp tea towel and was pushing  it down onto the tapestry and explained that that was what the instructions said.  They looked at me so I quoted the instructions "press into shape with a damp cloth".  Well - I didn't think it was that funny, it should have said "press into shape with an iron over a damp cloth" if that was what was expected.
Anyway, I'm still pressing.
In the meantime it's glow worm season so I've been out trying to photograph them - and not very successfully.  If I use a flash I get this:

No - I can't see it either.

And without a flash I get this:

or this:

Neither of which are very effective.  If you want to know what they look like, this is one we brought in (and obviously put out again afterwards).

It's the females who shine their lights to attract the males who are flying around.  They are very bright - the first time I saw one I was driving home and as I turned into the drive thought the bright green light was a piece of glass reflecting my headlights, but as I drove past it continued to shine so I stopped and went to investigate.  I was very excited and look out for them every year now.  Very pleased to see them on our front lawn this year.

Unexpected Distinguished visitor

Medallion Quilt Day today and some of the quilts are looking so beautiful.  Here is June's, made almost entirely of recycled fabrics:

June will be celebrating her 85th birthday tomorrow and describes herself as a dressmaker rather than a quilter (I believe this is her first quilt), but I think this makes her officially a quilter.
Then here is Sheila's which we layered ready for quilting at Pitch and Stitch yesterday:

Sheila was pleased to catch the Caravan Club Inspector doing his annual visit today - she told him exactly what she thought of our CL and hopefully it was all positive!  Sheila's quilt is completely handsewn.
Finally Cath's:

Really beautiful.
Meanwhile, on the farm, we have been getting out the flags and bunting for the Jubilee weekend!  East Garston has risen to the occasion and everywhere you look bunting is blowing in the breeze.

We went to quite a lot of trouble, so imagine how surprised and pleased we were to receive a rather distinguished guest in the workshop:

Marvellous!

Quilting and sweet things!

Well, the Jubilee is fast approaching and I'm getting very excited.  As well as the children being home, we'll also have some French guests from the Hungerford Twinning Association, so the house will be very crowded.  I have great plans which involve a lot of bunting.  Unfortunately the bunting isn't getting made because I am working on the celebratory kneeler Dawn passed on for me to do.  Dawn has finished hers,

- I can hardly believe that this is the same lady who told me she can't do crafts - anyway, mine isn't quite ready to be photographed yet.

Pam, who came on the Log Cabin Cabin workshop in early spring and is currently on the Beginner's Sampler course, brought along her completed quilt for us to see:

Very, very beautiful!












Then, last saturday, Helene came and taught foundation piecing.  We had, to quote Mina in her note to me 'a fab day' and everyone (including Sue and Joan from Devon and Helene from Wales) was really pleased with the blocks they made.  They were all so keen that they had set up and started by 9.50 - now that doesn't happen very often!  Here are the blocks they made at the workshop, though Sue and Joan came to pitch and stitch the following Tuesday and made even more:

They really were brilliant!












Oh - and here's something sweet that Mina brought along:
...even less left by the end of the day!

And here's something sweet that is down our garden (and I don't mean Jonathan) - she was premature and is so tiny, Jonathan has been bottle feeding her three times a day:

Isn't it amazing that I've had to come in now because it's too hot to stay in the garden (I'm getting all my annuals out of the greenhouse) and yet just a week ago we were out in hats and coats!

And here are some sweet little things that hatched

this morning.  Mum and 5 chicks doing very well!