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???

CATCHING UP

There are all kinds of things I need to catch up - but will I?

Yesterday I went with a friend, Brenda, to a Homemade in Haddenham craft fair where we had two stalls; I had my blankets, quilts and Tiny Teds for sale and Brenda was selling for Art Group Members and for Age Concern, too. You can just see the legs of her table on the right hand side.
The hall has horrid bright yellow walls, ugh! But Brenda had asked for us to be against a wall so that we could use the little tacks in the rail running across this end of the hall to hang pictures from - or from which to hang pictures...I hadn't remembered that the sheet to cover the plastic table didn't reach the floor - just look at all the tat! And my coat hanging on the back of the chair. Dear me! However, I wore my coat all day after this first rush to get everything ready because the Exit door was open and it was quite chilly despite the numbers of people who came through during the day. Brenda sold very well - her items are always competitively priced - and

I sold all my knitted 6" Tiny Teds, a couple of Mug Mats and the Long-Hexie quilt hanging on a dowel against the wall. These Teds are some I made in 2010 so not ones which I took for sale yesterday.  It's very tiring! Still, we both had a successful day.

Here's one satisfied customer- his Dad gave permission for me to take this photo.

My angiogram went OK, though I do need another stent at some time but at present I'm on yet more medication. I'll be rattling soon with all the bits and pieces I take! Parking isn't so bad now I have my Blue Badge except that non blue Badge people do park in the spaces, too, I've discovered.

An early morning visitor on a misty, moisty morning last week. A couple of jays have been coming to take nuts from the peanut feeder about breakfast time. The bird will swallow 8 or more nuts then fly away. I don't know if it's regurgitating them somewhere. I wonder of anyone knows? It always flies in the same direction, for what that's worth.

I met this young man at an Exhibition which the Local History Group put on in the Village Hall last Saturday. I first met Eddie some months ago after he'd put a letter in the local paper grumbling about various aspects of Stone's Past Life which he felt were lacking mention so I got in touch with him through the Editor. Since then we've been swapping photos and memories though mine don't go as far back as Eddie's since he's Stone born and bred. His Dad looked after the sandpits which were once at the bottom of the gardens in my lane, now filled in, naturally. The frst time I met him he said he hadn't got anything to talk about regarding his childhood during the war then a few weeks later emailed 14 pages of just that. I think he's begun Part 2 after coming for a cuppa last week. He's not able to drive at the moment so his 'chauffeur' - his son - brought him along.

I've begun to get rid of the pond. Stuart came last week after work when the light was beginning to go to catch the goldfish, decant them into fish removal bags and take them to his pond at the stables where I HOPE they'll be safe, though once things are out of your control - that's it! After a couple of tries there's one left... I can't catch it, it's too canny to be caught by me.

The pond has about 1 1/2" of water in it and goodness knows how many inches of silt...the plants have all gone so I hope the heron doesn't get him as all the fencing has gone as well.

This is all that remains of the pond. It has about 1' or more less water in it,(below) the 'shallow end' where the blackbirds used to bathe is empty except for a puddle of water and an upturned water plant basket.

The tangle of roots belongs to a lump of yellow pond irises pulled out in one go - now to shift them off the grass. Gillian won't be coming for many more weeks now the weather is changing... I'll probably have to use my little axe to chop it into pieces. Just waiting for Harry, my 'heavy-duty gardener' to pop in so that I can ask his advice on what to do about the pond - as in where do I get soil to fill it in with, what to do about a piece of garden where plants aren't too happy (grass it? If so, when, seed or turves and what about the badger scratching it to pieces and making a piece of path wider for safety when I'm walking down it...not a lot then!