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.

Welcome!

Thought I'd put up a few pictures of the garden - it was looking quite pretty before the weekend

 

Oh and then there are quite a few pesky little lodgers we could do without

All my lovely orange and yellow stuff(can't remember what they are called) but I think they are Red Admiral caterpillars so I don't like to pick them off.










Oh, and of course we have welcomed two more animals to Lorne Hill Farm

Here they are rolling around:

A big HELLO to Big Boy and Barney!

 

 

Autumn Schedule

For anyone not on our mailing list, here is our new schedule (unfortunately I couldn't upload the photos, but just email me for the full schedule, with pictures, if you are interested):

Autumn 2013 WORKSHOPS AT LORNE HILL FARM

All workshops are £30 for the day including a light lunch unless otherwise stated.

A minimum of two bookings are necessary for us to hold workshops, and in the case of cancellation we will give at least 72 hours’ notice.

For more information or to book, call Joanne on 01488 648736 or Sandra on 01635 522402 or email: lornehillquilts@yahoo.co.uk

        Wednesday 11^th September -  Beginner’s Sampler Course – Part 4

 

          Wednesday 25^th September -   Medallion Quilt Course with Lynne Johnson

 

        Wednesday 2^nd October -       Beginner’s Sampler Course – Finishing Day

 

        Wednesday 9^th October -      Clare Kingslake Satchel workshop. £35

 

  Wednesday 16^th October - Japanese Patch Cot Quilt

 

           Saturday 19^th October - Free Motion Quilting with Anne Ray 

 

  Wednesday 23^rd October - Loom Knitting 

 

           Wednesday 30^th October  - Medallion Quilt Day 

 

          Saturday 2^nd November - Quilt as you go Table Runner with Anne Ray

 

 Saturday 9^th November - Foundation Pieced Sampler with Helene Burgess 

 

           Wednesday 13^th November - Quilt As you Go Bed Quilt  

 

   Wednesday 20^th November - Elf Advent Calendar    

 

            Saturday 23^rd November - Advent Calendar Day 

 

         Wednesday 27^th November - Medallion Quilt  

 

   Wednesday 4^th December - Christmas Banner 

 

            Wednesday 11^th December - Teddy Bear Workshop

            Saturday 14^th December - Christmas wreath making. 10.00am to 1.00pm £20 per wreath.

 

So there you are!

 

 

 

How could I have forgotten?

I had just finished that last blog, when I received this from Shanti, who came to our Charm Pack weekend in the spring:

"Here are some photos of the applique quilt I learnt to make at your workshop.  I only finished the project last week. I quilted the pieced centre by machine, doing three or four concentric squares, and hand-quilted around the applique. I used the old-fashioned method of finishing the quilt by bringing up the excess backing fabric, folding it twice and hand-sewing it in place. It saved me cutting binding strips! I had originally intended making it larger with another pieced border, and perhaps another appliqued border to make a lap quilt. However, the friend for whom this is a thank-you gift (for the loan of her sewing machine, yes, the clunky thing I brought to the workshop) wanted it at this size to hang on her wall. "

 

 

I think it looks lovely.

 

However, it was what she said next that rang a bell:

 

"Speaking of sewing machines, I bought myself a new Janome at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, and this was the first quilting I did on it."

 

How could I have forgotten?  My main purpose for going to the NEC was to finally get what many people would call a 'proper' sewing machine.  My £100 price drop TV machine has done the best it could, but  the Country Compass in thick, Japanese fabrics was just one ask too many.  So, and it wasn't an easy step to take, I have finally bought an up to date, proper sewing machine - and it's changed my life (in a way).  I don't have to force fabric under the foot, and keep holding on to the machine as it tries to walk across the table - I can even walk out of the room and leave it to work on its own if I want - well, almost!

 

I couldn't bring myself to spend a fortune, so it's not all singing and dancing, but, I am absolutely thrilled with it!