Hello Everyone

It has been a little warm for concentrating, but I have managed to finish the Pirate Quilt top which I am quite chuffed about as I kept forgetting about various seam allowances with the various shapes involved in this quilt.  It is not perfect but I am happy with it in general.  Now all I have to do is sandwich it all together and quilt it.  I will be quilting it through ditching as I am new to this and that seemed easiest.

Here are some closer images

the centre piece

top corner.

It needs an iron.  What do you think? and any tips on pinning or laying out?

Daisy

Hi Everyone

I do not whether you remember, but I stated that my mother had given me an aubergine plant to keep and look after.  It got off to a really bad start due to snails eating the leaves and it being the most cold and windy week.  Against all odds that plant has survived and now has it’s first flower.  Because of the above – mum gave me a second plant and that has faired much better – it has had three flowers that dropped off but it has now produced the first aubergine ……..

I’m really pleased it has produced because I thought it maybe wasn’t warm enough for them to grow outside of a cloche or greenhouse.

That’s all on the garden front.

Daisy

 

Hi

Hope everyone in the UK is enjoying this sunny bank holiday and that everyone else is happy sewing whatever the weather.

Well it is too hot to sit and sew a quilt but I managed during the preceding week to complete a border for the Autumn Section and attach it, and also prepared the Winter Section ready for a border.  When they are attached it will be sewing the black hexagons for the final border and then the delicate art of piecing the backing, the middle and top layers all together – another new for me.

I have also been sewing Audrey at evening time and this is the progress I have made to date …….

This is where I had got to on 18th August …..

This is where I am now.

I also have to confess that I relented and purchased some more goodies which I have had to wait for as they were not in stock at the time but worth the wait.  The first is another cross stitch of a fawn …. bambi!

Is it not cute!!!!

Secondly, I purchased some long stitch kits which will become part of a quilt which I have been slowly building in my mind.

I am going to have a busy winter when it arrives – but not just yet.

Fair thy well for now

Daisy

Hi my friendly bloggers

Just some sunny flower pictures …….. couldn’t resist these in the supermarket, so cheering in the morning when you come down

Bye

Hi Everyone

This is quite a picture heavy post but none the less interesting with several subjects.

The doves have made a nest in the cherry tree …. Juliet on her nest.

and whilst I was in her area and not wanting to scare her off I quickly took a photo of the gorgeous yellow begonias and managed to capture a sunbeam

me thinks the only gold is the colour of the flower.

Next I took pictures of the maple tree and pieris which keep on producing flowers and more leaves in a beautiful burnished orange/burgundy colour (Maple tree) and loads of flowers ready  for over wintering on the Pieris Forest flame.

Finally I took some pictures of the oak tree in its new pot.  Cutting its roots off when we replanted doesn’t seem to have harmed the tree and it has acorns in abundance.

then I took some pictures of flowers mingled in with the fern fronds – it almost looks like a jungle in miniature …….

lobelia, rhododendron, and fern fronds

white fuchsia and ferns.

Last but not least more fuchsia, pink and purple variety.  Is it me! or does this not remind anyone else of the Little Swans dance in Swan Lake. (I know there are normally four dancers but just use your imagination as they dance delicately across the stage.)

Final picture for this post

Gorgeous!!!!

Bye for now

Daisy

 

Hi Everyone

This is just for fun – does anyone remember Johnny Morris- who used to do a talk over with animals.  Well this is my version

We have two ring necked doves who frequent our garden and have laid eggs these past two years successfully raising one chick and unfortunately losing their baby earlier this year.  I have named these birds Romeo and Juliet as they continually coo to each other.

Today, Romeo was very brave and came quite close – within a metre of us to feed from the little bowl we put out

His mate Juliet is not so brave so we moved the bowl further away

but she quickly changed her mind and went to the water  in the little pond and to our surprise jumped in getting her tail and bum feathers wet.  Her mate went wandering over to see what she was about (didn’t notice the blackbird come scurrying down the garden for the food) ……….

“What are you doing, Juliet” “Bathing” she replied dunking her head and giving it a shake.  “Do you mind if I drink your bath water darling?”, he quizzed.  “No feel free, my love”, she responded dunking her head and splashing about then she quickly jumped out, and leaving footprints all over the patio went back to the food tray and then up the garden squatted down to sunbathe. ………what a life!

The End.

Daisy

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone

In England it is our August Bank Holiday, so 4 days off work.  For the school children it signifies the holidays’ are about to end and school will start.

On to other things, the garden is looking good, but the Bank holiday weather is looking to be a scorcher. (29 – 31 degrees C) – so I have taken some pictures of different flowers before they wilt in the heat.

Firstly the little Patio Dahlia that my husband bought at a local supermarket.  All of a sudden it developed a ring of flowers and just by chance it is the same colour as the one in the chimney pot at our back door.

There are geraniums planted around the bottom of the pot on our little front garden

My husband loves his lawns.

Next I photographed the beautiful hibiscus flowers that look so delicate but such a beautiful shade of pink.  Shocking I think.

Sitting down with a cup of tea after doing the weekly grocery shop, a friendly bee kept visiting the fuschia plant so I tried to capture it collecting the nectar.  They have all been white bummed bees – no yellow bums which is a little worrying.  I love how on one plant you get so many different shades of flower as they open out and then go through the process of dying changing colours deeper and deeper.

Well that’s all folks for now on the garden.

Thanks for reading.

Daisy

 

 

I’m not sure whether I mentioned this before, but I had to wait some time before I received my order of Stonehenge quilting material, and up until now, I have forgotten that I haven’t revealed it to you all.  I can’t wait to start it – but – I must finish some other projects first.  Below is a selection of the material that I will use.  I haven’t totally sorted out how or in what style I will produce this quilt.

This is the centrepiece – it’s quite large and the following are the other materials I chose to make a patchwork pattern with.

The colours are quite vibrant and yet mystical.  My intention is that the green stripe material will be the border, but that is all I have planned for this – more thought required.

I like archaeology – in fact when I was younger I was studying at college after work and we went to a local site and helped unearth and collate some pottery.  It was fascinating and the dig helped towards getting points towards a certificate from Cambridge University.  The college course was one where you earned credits towards the certificate.  Unfortunately, life got in the way and the purchase of my first house meant some studying had to go.  I have never returned to college to complete the course but hey ho! I met my husband and my new life.  You can’t have it all!

Bye for now.

Daisy

 

 

Good Morning

Another wet Sunday – what is one to do if not sewing?  Read books, plan next project but  I have a few already on the go – WIP’s.

I have made small progress this week on all projects.  Firstly whilst I was sewing Audrey I suddenly realised that her beauty actually shone through to the reverse – what do you think?

 Front

Reverse

On the patchwork front I have been creating the white hexagons and have attached some to the autumn section – small progress but still one stitch at a time.  I’m still not sure whether to stitch one white hexagon at a time to the autumn section or whether to create a whole column of them and then attach it.  What would anyone else do?

 

On the book front I have completed reading Cecelia Ahern’s “One Hundred Names” – it was an interesting read and a beautiful ending.

Secondly I also finished reading the Kate Humble walking book.  I thought it was well written and didn’t dwell on her career too much, but more on what one can achieve if you put your mind to it.  The book clearly makes a point on the therapeutic act of walking.

Thirdly, I found a half finished book in my bottom draw at work so have added that to my reading list.  It is Nancy Mitford – a biography by her good friend Harold Acton.  She is very witty and I like her sense of humour.

Well until next Sunday, when hopefully I will have achieved more work,

Thank you for reading .

Daisy

Slightly different post – non sewing based.

I just received this package and my Husband agreed to buy them for my Birthday.  Yippee!!! an early present but it is raining so cannot wear them today.  Described best as a posh suede Hiking Boot.

Well that’s all for this post.

Bye