I love a small cross stitch project. Here’s my puffin, started whilst I was doing 30 days wild, when it rained.
and finished at the weekend.
Chart from a magazine dated 1993! Do you think I might just have some hoarding tendencies?
Or Not! First the authors, I have had so many recommendations from various sources that I have a list of 93 authors on my keep a look out for list in the library. I would love to make it up to a nice round 100. Please look at the page called 100 Authors , and let me know if there is someone who should really be there.
Don’t you just love a list of 100 books to see how many you may have read. Way back in 2004 I set about creating my own list of a 100 books I really rated. Talk about a work in progress, I am only on 43. If you would like to see how I am doing, then I have created another page called 100 books. Love to know what you think.
Hopng for some cracking good reads coming my way and yours.
Thanks, and happy reading!
I volunteer at the local library one morning a week. It means I get to see books that are available by all my favourite authors whilst I do the shelving. This month in one morning I found five books. I borrowed the lot! Here’s what I have been reading in August, in the order I read them.
Susan Hill- The Pure in Heart- After a bit of a wobbly first chapter this turned into a jolly good detective story featuring DCI Simon Serrailler. The familiar themes from Susan Hill came through even in a different genre, love, life grief, relationships. An entertaining read.
Winifred Holtby- The Crowded Street- an interesting read which I think would be a good choice for a book club to read. Life for middle class women before, during and after the First World War, the birth of feminism. If the author sounds familiar she wrote South Riding and was friends with Vera Brittain ( who is the inspiration for one of the characters). Vera Brittain is Shirley Williams mother and wrote Testament of Youth. One of my favourite books this year.
Joanne Harris- Gentlemen & Players- the middle book of a trilogy, but the third one I read. Fortunately the books work well as stand alone novels. The plots are all revealed in a similar way and in this third book I saw the big twist by page 96 of 507 pages. To begin with I thought this would spoil my enjoyment. However there was a different enjoyment to be had, first was I right and secondly and more interesting to see how the characters were being duped, and hence how the readers were being sent off in the wrong discription.The story is set in St Oswald’s School for boys and has two narrators, one who focuses on events of 15 years ago and one on the here and now. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Ann Cleeves- The Glass Room-another Vera book. The setting is an authors retreat. I was well and truly hoodwinked till the final scenes! Good detective story.
Marina Lewycka- The Lubetkin Legacy. There is love and government corruption in this tale of an iconic social housing flat designed by Berthold Lubetkin. The tenant dies and her son fears losing the right to succeed in the tenancy and smuggles in an old lady to act as his mother, for the housing officers investigations. A good read. I spent a happy evening afterwards researching the real life architect Lubetkin, surely a mark of a good book. Can’t say I liked the buildings I saw, but then I don’t like concrete much!
Have you read any good books lately?
Change is in the air, have you noticed it? There is a little nip in the air in the mornings, its late Summer now for sure. Never mind, more time inside for sewing, knitting and nattering.
I have filled my little sewing caddy now with all the items you suggested. Actually that is a fib, I have still to find some fabric suitable for patching. The Snail mentioned something called Boro mending. I am so hoping someone comes to the repair cafe so I can do some. Is ripping a hole in something wrong in order to try it. I spent ages last weekend reading up on the technique. I just did plain boring patching before. I was wondering about threads to use? I have lots of cotton perle thread.
In the end I hand stitched the piping cord on my UFO, the zipper foot I have, would not have got close enough for my liking. After that it was just a question of turning it right side out, joining the gap and adding tassels.
One Christmas mantlepiece cover completed. For nearly 16 years it lurked in the sewing box. Sadly we moved house (which is why I never finished it) and the wood burning stove we have in our current home makes the mantle cover unsuitable for this cover. But it looks ok as a sofa back, well it will after a good press.
I borrowed a book from the library.
It’s a jolly good book. I have plans for at least two projects, here’s the first one just getting under way. The other involves the lovely cowboy fabric from Cath Kidston.
Master T’s jumper complete. I love the buttons. Hope this one meets his brief of another jumper in bright colours.
So now onto a little something for a baby.
It’s a very pale blue 4 ply Sirdar Snuggly yarn. Half the back done.
So many plans for projects, so many waiting to be started, so many UFOs and WIPs, maybe a good thing that Autumn is coming.
Meantime does anyone know if Cath Kidston is stopping doing fabric completely. There is virtually nothing on their web page. I was wondering would the prudent craftist snap it up while she could/
What do you think? Do I need more fabric?
Fold- enclosure for sheep.
And beacuse I can’t resist sheep photgraphs here’s how to get sheep from Fold to Van
Thornton Dale Show- August 2017
Please leave a link to your Fold pictures in the comments below.
Next weeks prompt is SHARP.
Happy Snapping!
I love an agricultural show and not just for the craft competitions. Here’s what caught my eye.
Entertainment in the arena from the jousting Knights of Nottingham
Of course the ” Duke of York ” was the champion!
Vintage tractors, takes us back to childhood.
Birds of prey, love the car number plate.
My favourite, all are bred in captivity, but I didn’t see a flying display.
The weird and wonderful things for sale on the trade stands, love the flamingo, resisted buying a flamingo.
Mr E in his natural element
This picture is for Mr Hicks and Gibbs.
The lovely prize farm animals who look so clean for the day.
But why oh why do I always forget that there will be
MUD!
Is it just me , or are weeks getting shorter? Here we are again and it’s Friday and time for a good old natter. I am going to be busy today, well busy for a retired person anyway. I have to collect my new glasses this morning, and sadly this afternoon I am attending a funeral. Is it a sign of getting older that you start to attend more funerals than weddings? This is for the father of my best friend Ms J who I have occasionally mentioned in these posts. He was known to my brother and I as Uncle John. He was a school teacher and I think there will be a “good turn out” for him. Sad days as the older generation passes. Soon I will be the older generation, but at the moment am just reaching middle age!!!!
Enough, happier topics. Last week we managed to visit a local agricultural show, this one in the village of Thornton le Dale, which we have visited many times in my blog. Today being S,K and N day we will visit my favourite tent, the craft tent. Remember the days when the WI had a tent of their own, now they have a few tables in the main tent. Here’s what caught my eye.
Look at the big crochet basket , and the lovely mandala.
I love this bag, a deserved winner for whatever class it was. There were just numbers shown, and no written name. Also I was disappointed that the judges had left no comments. Back in the day they did..
And this lovely embroidery which gained a second placement. I love it.
Outside
These old bodgers at work! If you enjoyed this part of the post I have more pictures from the show, so the old tour bus will be heading there on Sunday, if you fancy a trip. Mr Hicks and Gibbs there is a picture just for you two.
We had a meeting to get the Repair Cafe up and running and we have a scheduled date for late September, if we get the insurance sorted. Growl, why do good plans always come up with H&S and “what if someone sues us”. I don’t know.
Anyway I thought I better start to think what to take with me and how to get it there. Now I have a sewing box/caddy which I used to use when we lived in Oxfordshire and I went to dress making classes. It was full of a project that I had half done before we moved and has languished there ever since. That would be 15 1/2 years! I have taken it out, and the question is apart from buttons and threads, what do you think I should take along with me to aid repair volunteering?
Meantime I had a look at the UFO and decided the best thing to do was finish it off.
Quite impressed with the fleur de lys. Anyway you can just about see the piping cord in the picture. I have now sewn it to the front on the fabric with I must say a huge amount of difficulty on the sewing machine. Seems I should be using something called a piping foot? I haven’t got one. Reluctantly I am concluding the only way to enclose it in the back is hand stitching. What do you reckon?
I am going to finish this!
Meet Bertram Elephant! I love him. I do like making elephants. The fabric has been sitting on the guest bed for weeks whilst I did that skirt. Give me a piece of scrap fabric and I am as happy as Larry, give me a piece of fabric I love and paid good money for, like the mountains fabric which should have been used on the skirt and I have months of terror before I pluck up courage to use it. A lesson there somewhere.
The other thing I have found is that rather than spend hours tormenting myself with luscious pictures and fighting the urge to buy stuff I am far more content and yes excited to fish out a project I have planned and to do it. Another lesson learned, maybe..
Master T’s jumper, we have a back, a front and 1 1/2 sleeves. Maybe next week a complete jumper?
And a little bit of cross stitch too
Any guesses what it is?
So that’s me, over to you now. How are you all? Do you like an agricultural show? Any ideas on what I need to put in my repairing caddy, chances are I have everything? And what about the piping cord, hand sewing do you reckon?
I hope you have a fabulous weekend full of yarn and fabric. Tell me all about it please.
Be Happy!
C x
Welcome to the cathedral city of Chichester
Let’s go inside the cathedral
This is the Arundel Tomb immortalised by Philip Larkin in his poem An Arundel Tomb. Notice that the knight is in full regalia and holding his wife’s hand, a first apparently to depict a knight in full armour thus posed.
This is a display of the work of Frieda Hughes who painted one picture every day for 400 days, according to her mood, more information here.
Frieda is the daughter of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and her paintings are accompanied by her own poetry. It was a fascinating exhibition.
Now this is part of the St Richard of Chichester Embroideries
This is called the Piper Tapestry, most dramatic don’t you think.
Fabulous stained glass windows too. But what gave me the greatest surprise was this
Roman mosaic. Now there is no information about this in the cathedral, it is just there beneath a glass panel on the floor. I asked an attendant about it. She seemed surprised I wanted to know or had even look at it.” Oh “,she said breezily, “there are lots of Roman remains all over Chichester, this is nothing special!” Well I thought it was.
I do so hope you enjoyed my visit to Chichester Cathedral. After this we wandered into town for refreshments and then back to the cottage for a rest. Frankly after a wedding and all our sight-seeing we were a tad tired. It took about three days back home to regain our normal energy levels, which are pretty sloth like at the best of times.
Upcycling, the perfect example of Thrift
Re- purposed Sewing Table spotted on a balcony in Carcassonne, France February 2017
Please feel free to leave a link to your thrifty picture in the comments.
Next week’s prompt is FOLD.
Happy Snapping!
Ali Pasha’s Mosque, Greece, 2017
Please leave a link to your pointy picture in the comments below.
Prompt for next week- THRIFT
Happy Snapping!
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