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).

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!