An April Furtle.

 April is nearly at and end and it’s a round up time of what I’ve managed to get done this month. 

I’ve not managed to sew much this month, but I did finish my stitch book and wrote a post about it here . I’m pleased that I’ve finished that and have an idea to start a third but with different format and I’ll see how that goes.

And I also finished off a part finished quilt (though there is yet to a home for this). The front 

And the back

I finished the knitted Christmas stocking, which I’m really pleased with 

Below is a close up of the colourwork and slip stitches.  This has turned out to be a really enjoyable knit and there may be another. This is a Patron pattern by the Bakery Bears, so it’s not for sale, unfortunately.

I’ve got a couple of things on the needles.  One is a cardigan for David  and he chose this King Cole pattern with a cable pattern, no. 4273 in grey, knitted in Hayfield Soft Twist. I bought pattern, yarn and buttons all from Wool Warehouse. 

I’ve so far knitted left front, part of the right front and the back.  To keep track of the cable twists I’m using a row counter together with a piece of paper to remind me which rows to cable!  There is cable patterning on the back but (fortunately) he wanted that plain.

I’ve also got a pair of socks on the go too, which came in useful for car knitting on our weekend away last weekend.  This yarn is Funny Feetz by James C Brett, bought at the wool shop in Wimborne.  I’ve used a Patron pattern from the Bakery Bears in their magazine, called the Hobbity socks, so there’s a bit of texture. 

As part of the Year of Dishcloths by the Kitchen Sink Shop, this was the April cloth. Knitted in Drops Paris, far too pretty to be a dishcloth it may be a washcloth, which will be a gift. I quite like these small knitted items. This dishcloth is based on Mini Eggs, although I’ve not chosen a Mini Egg type colour.  There is also a recipe for cookies with crushed Mini Eggs too.

And I made an ATC for the TG zoom group and the theme was Yellow. I painted yellow and added blue to one end red to the other, so those colours ran into the yellow. I then die cut the star and the circle. I had a scrap of Kaffe Fassett fabric under the cut outs. I finished off with yellow glittler

Lastly something new to me is Lego. Having visited the Lego shop In Southampton I bought a daffodil kit.

And a heart shaped wreath

There are some pieces left to change the decoration of this, but I finished the basic instructions. This was the first time I’ve bought Lego for me as it’s always been for the children and grandchildren.  I think there may be more kits in my future.

What’s in store for May? Well I’m continuing with my current knitting projects and the socks will definitely be finished then. The cardigan fronts and back will be done and getting on with the sleeves.  I have a long standing UFO to finish off, which is a calendar quilt which was started for a significant celebration years back, that I can’t think what it was! Time to get out of hibernation and below is one of the blocks.  This was a pattern by Mandy Shaw.

The only block not made was November’s as it is birthday month and I’ll have to think about what design to do for that.  The original have Guy Fawkes on it, which I wasn’t keen on.

So that’s my round up for April and I’m connecting to Mini Archie’s April Furtle Around the Blogosphere.

Last Weekend in Aylesbury

 David and I went away for an overnight stay in Aylesbury on Saturday as it was just a little to far to go there and back in a day and it was our first stay away this year.  We visited the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre in Quainton, which was once the end of the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground. Last weekend was their steam weekend with not only steam engines running but also traction engines, static steam pumps and old vehicles on display.  There was also two Royal Mail rail carriages, with history of the travelling post office. 

One of the engines doing rides along the line.

Section of one of the Undeground cars

A half size traction engine

A former coal board engine, doing rides along the railway

A Royal Mail van with the travelling post office (TPO) behind it.

As well as full size locos there was also a miniature railway and we had to have a ride.

A little signal box

The little diesel engine.

There was a notice about train services for the Coronation, but not Charles III’s ! It was 17 June 1902, so that was King Edward VII’s.

On Sunday we went to a couple of National Trust sites near the railway centre, Claydon House, which was surrounded by little villages with the Claydon name.  A house that should have been larger had the occupant at the time became bankrupt, but still amazed at the height of the ceilings - I didn’t take photos though.  Out in the garden, part of which was private there were spring blossom and one of the trees was just humming with buzz of bees.

A glimpse into another garden

This was the ‘buzzing’ tree.

We moved on from there to Waddesdon and the Manor. This was a house built to impress, owned by he Rothschild family

It was getting on for lunchtime and after that we explored the grounds and visited the parterre at the back of the house. We didn’t expect to see hundreds and thousands of tulips, it just took our breath away.

After viewing the aviary, which had this grotto in the middle, we looked in the house.  

I didn’t take photos in the house, but it was opulent and lots of Sevres pottery, some of which was very rare. 

Alice, sister of Ferdinand Rothschild, was a collector herself and a lot of her china and glass was on display too.  I’m not sure if this is her collection of buttons but there were a couple of frames with button displays. 

This button collage of the Queen was in the restaurant and there were reflections of the lights 

We took a selfie just as proof we’ve been here!

After this we travelled back home and while of the A34 came across the tender for steam locomotive Eddystone, which was heading back to Swanage Railway.  The engine itself arrived on the Monday morning.

It was good to get away and we are planning our holiday trip in June to Scotland.

End of an Era

 My membership with the Quilters’ Guild has not been renewed this year.  I’ve been a member for well over 20 years and it has been a hard decision to make, but since the pandemic I’ve not used the Guild as much and I don’t feel as involved as I’ve done before. So it was time to leave.

The Guild has done much in the past to bring involve people in quilting and I have enjoyed going to a few of the AGM’s in Torquay, Portsmouth and the last one I went to in Nottingham.  I‘ve been to regional events in Region 4 in Devon and Dorset and Region 14 when I lived in Yorkshire.  I was able to visit the Quilt Museum in York a few times when I lived in Yorkshire. I also served as regional treasurer for 4 years, so I did my bit on the committee too, so I got a lot out of my membership.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed a lot of things and they just aren’t the same any more and  people change too.  I feel less engaged in quilting now as other crafts have come into my retirement life. A few years back I would have enjoyed my trips to Birmingham to the Festival of Quilts, but last year’s visit fell a bit flat for me and it didn’t appear to have the same atmosphere as before. 

Here are a few pics of mini quilts for challenges I’ve done over the years (it wasn’t that many)

Beside the Seaside in 2013 for the Coast challenge in 2013

This Bargello quilt was part of a display of mini quilts at the Torquay AGM in 2003 (gosh, 20 years ago!)

Green Chinese coins quilt for the regional challenge in 2014

A Quilter’s Library was the theme for the AGM challenge in 2003 in Torquay. I think that should have been a quilter’s dilemma looking at it now.  I’m still pleased with the tiny quilts in the thought bubble here, so many thoughts whirling round in her head.

I am hoping that this won’t be the last time I am involved with the Guild, but after much thinking it is the right thing to do for me.

A Second Stitch Book

Last summer through to spring this year I made a second stitch book, based on the Sew 4 the Soul book I made in 2020/21, which I posted here.  I’d really enjoyed the process of making the first book and found the need to make another.  This project was to have colour pages.  So this is the first - pink and red.

When I started this book a You Tube video at the time from Roxy Creations, to embroider some book pages based on rabbits, so I found a couple of rabbit buttons and my friend gave me the wood cake decoration (the rabbit on the left).  One of my favourite fabrics is this kaleidoscope patterned one at the bottom of the page. It’s decorated with some pink lace, red lace (with beads) red/orange sari ribbon and cream lace. I soon went off the path that Roxy Creations started, as the themes changed too quick for me. It then enabled me to go at my own pace rather than keeping up with challenges.

The second page is cream/ivory with a selvedge piece of natural linen. There is some silk, calico and white on white fabrics. There’s a bit of white with black peri red hexagons, some pearl buttons.  It was a gentle, floral page with the lace, small silk flower, Japanese fabrics with flowers, poppy seed heads printed fabric.

The third page was green and this time I made the page using the sew and flip method and using selvedges (I love a fancy selvedge) to edge the sides of these pages. These are from Lewis and Irene Cocktail Party, which I bought a collection of several years ago. I did some fancy stitching to join buttons, green sequin leaves and stitched a couple of picot leaves too.

The fourth page’s theme is blue and hexagons.  Some of the hexagons are from the 100 day of hexagons project from 4 years ago.  Central to this is the rainbow band of hexagons which were made from an ombré fabric in my stash.  This has been decorated with smaller hexies.

The fifth page was yellow, finding yellow fabrics in the scrap box, using a couple more hexies from my 100 day collection, some Suffolk puffs and a couple of covered brass rings (I didn’t get round to doing a Dorset Button. The basis for this page was log cabin piecing.

The sixth page is orange and I used fabric weaving for this page.  I gathered some organza ribbon, some more of the sequin leaves, another puff. 

The seventh page is purple and I featured some triangles. I added a piece of scrap purple fabric with some stitching that I tried out on my machine.  Rather than throwing the sample away it was added to this page. At this point I added a bookmark by plaiting some purple crewel yarn

The eighth and last page is black/grey and was constructed in Kawandi quilting, hand piecing from the outside in going rotating around the page. Again I used some sample machine stitching in this piece.  I added some buttons which includes some sea creature buttons.

Back cover is a continuation of the sari silk strip piecing.  I had trimmed a couple of pieces off, which may come in useful for another piece of stitching.

I’ve now started on a new stitch book, but a different construction this time.  I found, through Instagram Ann Wood Handmade, who is doing 100 days of stitching (way back during February, so the 100 days conclude on 1 May) and has sewn pages together and there are instructions here. I’ve cut the pages to size and made a couple of signature pages.  I have left the rest of the pages loose to sew o but will have to be aware of leaving at least a half inch margin all round.  I’ve used some of the unusual fabrics in my stash the one below was a printed one by Alison Hulme.  This is accompanied by a Suffolk Puff (which was cut from the top which decorated the lid of a home made chutney jar) and a little piece of lace flower.  Again I will do this at my own pace, but hope to finish before the end of this year.

I enjoy making books and there will soon be a new mini book in paper.

That Was Easter

 It came and went, though bank holidays are not as special as they once were, when I used to work and looking forward to the long weekend.  David and I had a quiet weekend though we did have a trip to Southampton, where we’ve not been since before the start of Covid lockdown. It was good to the the buzz of a lively city centre, though the noise in West Quay shopping mall was terrifyingly loud it was good to have a mooch around the shops and even IKEA (no, didn’t spend anything there but did come away with a few ideas).

One of the shops we visited was the Lego shop.  I never had Lego as a child, but bought much for the children and grandchildren and was very tempted by a couple of small kits, so at the age of 67 I bought my first Lego! 

 

There’s a set of 4 daffodils, so now I can see daffodils all year round. Another was a heart shaped flower wreath.  I’m taking it slowly in making up both kits as I’ve made 3 of the 4 daffodils so far and working my way through decorating the wreath, but enjoying dipping in and adding more pieces.  It’s surprising how many kits are aimed at adults now.  Although there are expensive ones like models of iconic cars, there are more reasonably priced ones too. 

We’ve mainly been working on our own crafts David on the model railway in what was our garage and in my room finishing off some projects. One has been the quilt as you go quilt, which I finished on Friday.

Here it is, all finished and on the line, and I’m pleased how it’s turned out.  It took a while to get the design right and then re-arranging the blocks so to get the back looking ok and it’s not looking too bad.

The challenge though is getting the back strips caught down while sewing the front, that was frustrating and in the end I tack stitched by hand before machining, which worked ok,

A second quilt I’m working on is the ‘$tack and whack’ which has been in hibernation again, but I managed to get the binding on, slip-stitched down and taken the tacking out.  There are some threads to be tidied and trimmed but that’s nearly done, so I’m pleased about that.

My Christmas stocking is done and that’s worked out well. Not sure where that’s going to be stored until this Christmas. I’ve used Stylecraft DK leftovers from previous projects in Dandelion and Spruce, with cream colour being a different yarn (not sure what make).  Using some lace knitting, slip stitches, fair isle, twisted stitches along with braids at the top and before the toe it’s quite a good sampler of techniques. I did veer off the pattern a bit (see photo below), where I have the ‘brick’ pattern above and below the fair isle because I was at the wrong point in the pattern,  but rather than take that out I made that brick section shorter then added another short section underneath and it doesn’t look too bad.  As someone once said ‘it’s not a mistake, it’s a design opportunity’ .  The pattern is not for general sale as it was a Patron only pattern as a patron (subscriber) of the Bakery Bears video show. 

 My next knitting project now will be a cardigan for David, which I stated on last week.it’s in double knit so it will take a while,  but I aim to get this done in a couple of months (so takes me to beginning of June, hopefully in time for holiday).