ANOTHER QUILT, TINY TEDS AND MORE CAT BLANKETS

Well, another quilt finished at last. I began it about this time last year but I don't machine or quilt during the dark months, my eyesight just isn't good enough to see accurately. I began it again perhaps six or seven weeks ago. I quilted it diagonally on the premise that by starting across the centre and working down to the corner I would feel that it was moving on quite quickly. Each pale green square (would you believe) in the centres has either a heart, star or flower quilted in each of them.

These are some of the patches which show the details of the material I used - these dandelions were brought back from the US y-e-a-r-s ago by a friend.

 Dragonflies came in a set of fat quarters given to me by Sarah when she was at Uni.

 More material given by a friend but this was a dress length. I shouldn't have used it, really, as it's too pale but seen at close quarters it looked OK. Never mind.

I can't remember whether I bought this at a tabletop sale or whether the seller brought it in a dustbin liner some days later with other pieces and yardages. It goes on and on but I expect to finish it one of these days. Weird and wonderful creatures...

 The only bit of cat related material and that's a scrap I saved...

 Another piece given to me which seems to go on for ever...

 This is the back of the quilt. The backing material came from the same shop - Fabric Land - where the dragonflies originated. I do like a black background with bright colours for backings or borders. I can't be subtle! The binding is made from a piece of purple/mauve material bought - New!! - from a website; the text on the selvedge indicates that it's copyright to the V & A, Sold for Noncommercial Home Use Only and not to be used for children's sleepwear.

These two views are closeups of the backing and you can just see the quilting symbols, too.

It's so important that whatever you make is named and dated and possibly a title, too. I took this photo as the quilt flapped to and fro on the line. Since I've looked at so many Records of Baps, Marriages and Burials plus Census records I find the different styles of handwriting are interesting. Victorian writing isn't all Copperplate by any means. That's the reason why I handwrite my name though I must admit it's rather stylised, It's not usually that legible.

   

 Can you guess what this is? Kath got it in one!
It's my Granny's lump of beeswax discoloured by smoky coal fires and since she used candles for light that must have contributed. I don't use it but don't want to throw it away. That's for someone else to decide on in due course when they don't recognise it!

This is something else I'm doing in my 'spare time'... In October there will be another craft fair in Haddenham and since every time I take Tiny Teds out to sell they all go, though this is putting the mockers on it, saying that. The teddy 'skin' takes about 1hr 50 mins to make (I'm getting quicker) and because I know the pattern by heart I can make them at the new Knit and Natter group which has started recently in Haddenham library, which is now run by volunteers. I try to keep up a production line for the various stages then I don't get tired of doing just one operation. This is the first batch of finished Teds.

I haven't managed so many cat blankets recently, just these three on the line on a dull day. I bought a book a year ago of 'Ripple' patterns and these zigzag patterns are one way of trying something new but not t-o-o huge! I forget that these patterns tend to pull in the work so that it's not as wide as you think it will be; I added pink garter stitch borders to the one on the left, not totally successful but I don't expect a cat will bother too much that it's now a bowed shape!

Talking of cats, Stuart's stable cat, Tigs, had to be put to sleep a week or so ago. She had recently- diagnosed diabetes and was not happy. The photo was of her two years ago when she was well, looking just like the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. She's on top of the hay bales, out of the way of everyone. Now she's buried in the field beside the dog, Keira, who died a couple of years ago.

More mundane matters - I've been let off paying my parking fine by a letter which told me the fine has been waived - on this occasion. Hmmm.

Do you think our weather will ever settle down this summer???

WINDOW DISPLAY WITH A DIFFERENCE

I was in Thame this afternoon and, because I can now park 'anywhere' with my Blue Badge, I stopped in front of this shop.

I had to go and look at this display in the window to see if his tum was gently moving and it was - so a real, alive and very happy moggy taking advantage of the sunshine.
I asked the young man in the cycle-type shop what the cat's name was - it's Frank.

It just tickled me that he's underneath an item for sale with THE BOSS on it and the orange sunburst notice says 'Limited Stock £29.99'.
He's not for Sale, I was told!!!

THE GARDEN IN MARCH

The garden is beginning to look bright and colourful though after the Lord Mayor's coach comes the dustcart - that is, once the flowers have died there are weeks of straggly leaves to contend with. Never mind, enjoy them while they're here!

Although it doesn't show too well, there are daffs all the way down to the shed which you can just see part of through the trellis - and here's the Bottom Garden.

I was surprised at how many hyacinths I have dotted around - just one blue one surviving under the decorative vinenear the house.

I try to buy a few good bulbs every year from a grower but lapsed last year. These are a strong beetroot colour named Woodstock, which are now about 3 years old and getting tired. They'll have to go into the garden when they've finished flowering. There are white narcissus with them but they look very weary - and dry.

Next door has an almost 6 month old Bengal cat. The children have named it Kisses because they have a friend whose cat is Cuddles... It doesn't have fur as such, it's a very soft, short pelt because someone in the household is allergic to cat fur. It's just discovered the badger's pop-hole under the fence so suddenly appears to investigate in my garden. He's very interested in the goldfish so, although there's only one space to get through the netting, he's already found it.

He's balanced on a pot of houseleeks beside the pond...

Plenty of pulmonaria are out now, pretty blue and pink flowers on the same plant, which has spotted leaves. These are supposed to look like lungs, hence the common name of lungwort. The flower pot is covering the emergence point of a clematis climbing through the beech hedge just out of shot. On the right is a fuchsia magellanica (Lady's eardrops) given to me many years ago by a now-deceased friend. It has dainty tubular flowers late in the summer but all that's visible at the moment is a collection of dead stems. But - all the leaves in the photo are unwanted but un-get-at-able bluebells! The hole under the fence is the second pophole allowing badgers and cats to track across my garden from those on either side. Ah, well, they were here first...the badgers, that is.
These are pulmonaria flowers


and these are white ones on the other side of the garden... I keep pots which have cracked in the frost and use them to protect clematis stems, as above, but this plant has died.

My Art Group friend's daughter is moving house and doesn't need this cat kennel any longer - would I like it? I don't know who or what will use it but I've put a piece of white card inside to show mucky footprints...It's against the fence and so out of the prevailing wind direction.

While I was scraping dead oak leaves from this Middle Garden section somehow I got tangled in the leaf rake and subsided gently on to the pile of leaves - unfortunately I have trouble getting up! Gillian was there, luckily for me, but I can't get up from a sitting position; turned on to my knees but even so I was afraid I'd pull Gillian over. She fetched the fork from the 'other' shed, rammed it into the garden so, using that as a prop on one side and a helping hand/arm on the other I managed to climb to my feet, eventually. No damage done - don't get old!!!

The End Garden again with more hyacinths, just pale pink ones this time, 'going over' hellebores, daffs and forget-me-nots, which should be the next to flower. The blue pot has tulips in it.

Just a few primroses to end on.

HOW DAFT CAN YOU GET???

You don't have to answer that!

I don't use emoticons or other 'thingys' made up of ) : or ; etc but I thought this cat was a giggle. He miaous if you put the cursor on his forehead, on his tummy makes him purr. He'll also try to catch it as it passes in front of him and his tail'll twitch, too. And he follows where you're sending the cursor, of course. I just have to remember to turn on the sound - and then off again.

Good old Sarah, since I couldn't place it where I wanted it...

CHILLY WINTER WALK

As it was a sunny afternoon, though a very cold wind, I went for a walk to see what I could find to photograph.

There were some snowdrops in the stables hedgerow but they're not fully out yet so difficult to see among the dead leaves and twigs. Walking back up the slope Helen arrived so I went in with her.

The horses were all at the top of the field which was lucky - I didn't have to walk down to them.

The grey (above) is Corinne and belongs to Helen's friend; the other is Jiggy, Helen's horse, and the photo below is Jiggy with Indy, her daughter. They are black, brown and white - just like the cat!

Indy will be three in June this year and she's already larger than her mum. She was smaller once - when she was about 4 or 5 hours old... Helen let the puppy, Bella, free to run about the yard and as Tiggy, aka Tigs, came to say Hallo, Bella rushed up to her with an excess of enthusiasm. The black blob is the puppy just arriving!
She took refuge on top of the hay bales. She's been part of the family for some years and hated it when the family lived in a rented house on an estate but when she was brought to the stables she took to it immediately. Fat and happy describes her now. Plenty of 'food on the hoof'.

A few of the chickens were picking over the ground and this is the best shot today. The hens are laying enough eggs for them to be put outside for sale and trusting to the honesty of passersby to put the payment in the letter box. Helen knows that eggs were stolen by people who were sledging during the snow and recently by some youths walking by.
On the way home I saw these hazel catkins which look OK against the dark background.
That all folks!! My 101st Post since August last year...