Good News on a Rainy Day

So, that heifer we've been watching and waiting on for the last two and a half weeks (although I was unconvinced; she looked too skinny to me) has finally had her calf

and when I walked over to have a look at it there was a surprise in store - a twin!

Mum has rather shocking eyes.... perhaps a side effect of calving.

Anyway - some rather exciting news on what was otherwise a very wet, dreary, grey day.  Just the sort of day, in fact, when I would prefer to hunker down under a beautiful quilt like the one Frankie was making in the workshop the other day

only I can't - because it's tiny....

I love hexagons, the smaller the better, and love the ones' Barbara is putting together for a seat cover

I'd love to start working with them again but I MUST NOT - not until I've finished these blooming Magic Lanterns:

and just to make me feel even less productive than I am, Ros showed us what she's working on at the moment - the Attic 24 Dahlia blanket which has moved into shades that are a bit on the bright side for us but which we will think will be less startling as the stripes turn darker

and then she produced this masterpiece in the making

Frankly, all we could do was gasp.........

Rainy Days....

Well, when you look outside and all you can see is this

most crafty people seem to light a fire, make a cup of coffee and sit luxuriating in the cosiness of everything, crocheting a blanket or something. 

I don't.

I tend to go from window to window, moaning about how vile it is, try and take the dogs out and come back in soaked to the skin, sit staring at the computer for a bit to see what other people are doing - and they are all doing so much! -  drink another cup of tea, moan a bit more, and generally accomplish absolutely nothing.  I know it's really dire when I look at the TV pages in the paper and decide what to watch that evening.

Anyway, at about 3 o'clock this afternoon it did finally stop raining so I went for a long walk and felt a bit more at one with the world.

I have managed to finish a couple of things..... a knitted hat for my Mum because she liked the one I made Isaac so much, (never admire anything I make unless you truly want one for yourself)

 and I've finally finished the needlepoint I've been doing for an awfully long time

Just got to make it into a cushion now.

Other people have been busy - Sue completed her beautiful bed runner

and Carole and Toni came over last Thursday to baste the stunning quilt Carole has been making for her granddaughter. (I just sat chatting all morning.....I even forgot to make them a cup of coffee).

So much easier to do it sitting up at a table rather than crawling all over the floor and the quilt is really lovely

Jackie has made the Luna Lupin Fawn - she bought the kit as a Christmas present to herself - it was a promotion they did and you didn't know what it was until you opened the parcel.  She saved it to last on Christmas Day - but she isn't obsessed or anything.

 

So, a few things accomplished - I'd better get back to my Janie Crowe Magic Lantern blanket........

Spring Schedule

So, finally I have sent out the Spring Schedule - it would have been out sooner but we've had a lovely family week so my life has been on hold.  Luckily my daughter loved the little teddy bear beanie I knitted for my grandson so I was pleased to see him wearing it

Anyway, back to the schedule: the Lynne Johnson days will continue on every second and last day of the month, and there are some new quilts to tempt you.  I have a feeling this will be my next project:

although I have a whole pile of fat quarters so should really do the scrappy quilt

I think that was Barbara's and it is really lovely.

We have a couple of knitting days - little mug cosies on the 19th February

which are a nice way of using up bits of left over yarn and then on the 1st of April a lovely Icelandic cushion - it's made up of six inch squares so they are easy little pieces to work on and will result in a good sized cushion.

Then on the 4th of March something a little bit different for us: Indian Block printing

We'll be making simple bags and aprons and then printing on them using equipment we'll be renting from The Arty Crafty Place - a good way to see if you like it before investing in everything you need yourself.

And then lastly on the 18th of March a small Easter Bucket bag - this was one Sandra made for Christmas and filled it with chocolates but with Easter or Spring fabric I think it will make a lovely gift.  Doesn't have to be for chocolates though - Sandra stores the spare loo roll in hers!!

So that's it.....only up until Easter because although we have some good workshops in mind, I need a bit more time for preparation.

New Year - New Decade.....

and a big new start.

Well, maybe not so big, but a new start anyway.

The family business which should have been sorted by Christmas has only finally finished this week, so I need to stop being distracted and get back to being a chilled, productive and enthusiastic crafter.  Although some people may dispute that I was ever particularly chilled or productive, but I think I'm fairly enthusiastic.

Even though the blog went on the back burner the last few months, the workshops didn't and there were some amazing creations.

Both Ros and I were able to finish our Axminster wool mats in time for Christmas - and for mine to get posted off to a certain little boy's room in Jersey

We both really enjoyed crocheting these, and with a bit of footfall they should flatten out nicely....

Janet finished her lovely hexagon quilt top

Something particularly special about this quilt is that a few years ago a very good friend of ours, who came to a lot of workshops, died and her husband offered all of her sewing bits and pieces to us.  In the bundle were lots of old Laura Ashley hexagons - most cut out and basted onto papers, some pieced but all discarded a long time ago.  They have sat in the workshop for a long time but as I was watching Janet work I remembered them and wondered if they were the same size.  They were and we are so pleased that Janet was able to use them in her quilt!

Jackie managed to complete two more of her Luna Lupin friends

Denise managed to finish her lovely Christmas quilt - I really love the dark background

There were lots of great reindeer - this is Lynn's which I loved seeing in her window as I drove past over Christmas

and about 30 wreaths in all.

And, finally, our little group of sewing friends exchanged home-made Christmas gifts again:

Excellent gifts - a Christmas cushion, a book cover, a personalised pincushion, a printed shopper and a gift bag.  (I'm afraid my offerings were a bit more low key: felt tree ornaments -  but I was stressed so that's my excuse.)

Which leads me nicely to our Spring workshops here at Lorne Hill Farm.  I am working on the schedule now and we have some exciting plans - as well as quilt-making, knitting, perhaps a bit of macramé, at least 3 of the workshops are inspired by the gifts above: a book cover, an Easter Egg bag and a day printing bags.  I will publish the schedule as soon as it's done and hopefully you'll find something which suits you.

Autumn

Well, it seems Autumn has arrived.  Last Monday morning I was cleaning out the chickens in shorts and a tee shirt, and then in the afternoon the skies darkened and the rain came. And it hasn't really stopped since.  It was a long summer, with family worries constantly in the background, so I haven't been as busy as I could have been.

At least the rain meant the return of interesting fungi - although I am getting a bit tired of my friends sending me photos of amazing fungi that they've just stumbled upon, whereas I take an awful lot of effort and am rewarded with quite mundane finds.  For example,

I found this on an old stump, and had to get onto my hands and knees to photograph it, and all the while Millie was going absolutely bonkers and tying me in knots with her lead.  I thought maybe there was something bad about it that was freaking her out.  I just kept holding her down until I felt a sharp pain in my leg.  Suddenly I was aware that there were hundreds of wasps flying around us because I was kneeling on their nest, and poor Millie was getting stung.  Our getaway was made all the more difficult because the lead was wrapped around my legs, but we did get away, with me smacking away wasps from both Millie and me, and yanking at my hair because they were caught in that.  We both suffered, and had to take anti-histamine to help us recover from our ordeal.

Anyway, other than fungi hunting, I have drawn up the new schedule, and we have some good workshops coming up.  There's a couple of absolute beginner quilting workshops; hand- piecing this Wednesday and hexagons on Wednesday 6th November, some Christmas decorations to sew on Wednesday 20th November, knitting socks with Ros on Wednesday 16th October, and of course wreath making with Linda on Wednesday 11th and Saturday 14th  December - either the morning or afternoons.

And there's been plenty going on in the workshop.  Glenys is forging ahead with her seat covers

Ros knitted a beautiful shawl

and finished her stunning Janie Crowe Blanket

Louise finished her Attic 24 blanket

and last week was working on her bee skep

Barbara finished her scrappy quilt top

and Lynne produced another work of art to inspire her Medallion class members

So perfect.

And me?  I've been working on my crocheted Whirlpool Mandala Rug - an Airdale Yarns pattern which is made up with Axminster Rug Wool which is 80% wool and 20% nylon.  I bought it when I went to the wool show in Newbury and am afraid to say it was on only the second stand I went to - no self control!

Still, it brightens up these grey days!

At Long Last.....

I can declare my Medallion Quilt well and truly finished....

Don't look too long - just scan over it.

How many mistakes?  Oh Lord, I can hardly bare to look at it but in the end it was just a matter of getting the thing done - and apologies to Lynne Johnson: this is what a quilt looks like when you don't listen to the teacher and carry on regardless of whether things are working out or not.

Mo very kindly said it must have taken me hours - clearly she doesn't know the half of it.

I think I started it in 2011.  At the time I was very aware of how much quilters spent on fabric and wanted to show that it could be done using fabric you already have.  I selected four dresses I really liked, but which were at least 20 years old.  One was a Miss Selfridge, two were Laura Ashleys and the third was one I'd bought when I'd gone for an interview in London when I was 23!!  I was also given some Liberty fabric and the rest would be white cotton.

To begin with the central Medallion was unpicked at least 5 times before it went right. 

Back in 2012 I had got this far:

And then unpicked and unpicked.....

and so it went on, until finally in 2017

I started quilting it!

And now it's finished, and I can move on........

Horror in The Workshop

We had a great day making lovely coin purses in the workshop yesterday

all different fabrics and designs and very pretty indeed.

However, a very bad thing happened in the morning.  I pulled out a drawer to select a fabric and sitting there, looking up at me,  was the biggest spider I've ever seen in my life.  I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it was the size of a dinner plate. I ran from the room in horror,  gibbering incoherently.  The five ladies at the workshop rushed into the room to see what was the matter.  Three of them slunk back without saying a word (they know who they are) but Sheila gamely (proving what a game old bird she is) approached the drawer and grabbed the spider.

As we all looked on with awe and respect she walked to the door with the trespasser and then flicked it out the door - but she missed! - and he went scurrying towards the back of the room.  Then Sandra came forward with a large glass jar, Sheila slipped a piece of card under it and the creature was despatched.

I need to spring clean.

Anyway, at last week's workshop Fay showed us how busy she's been and stunned us with another beautiful quilt.

Such a bright and sunny summer quilt.

Meanwhile, on the farm, the combine has been dusted down and harvest has started - and I went harvesting myself this afternoon at Q Gardens Pick Your Own in Milton; there was so much fruit, it was fantastic.  The Cherry Trees were so heavy with fruit you didn't need to use the ladders - just reach out and the cherries fell into your hand (some accidently fell into my mouth).