Manifesting Paddling Pools

 

I was regretting not bringing Nessie’s paddling pool to Devon since we have been melting in another heatwave. I thought about ordering a new one which was upwards of £20.00 but then I spotted one outside a house near to where I park my car. It appeared to be amongst the rubbish and I wanted to pluck up the courage to knock on the door to ask if I could have it. The house looked dodgy so I left it for a couple of days until a sign went up declaring that it was a building site. I seized my chance, nabbed the pink apple-shaped pool and had to walk home with it, as well as four fruit trees and some plant pots that a friend had given me. 

A work colleague said that her wee dog would probably also like a paddling pool in the hot weather. Weirdly, the very next day and 2 doors down from where I claimed Nessie’s pool, a pink shell-shaped pool had been put out with the rubbish so I though I might as well save that one from landfill too!

I used the last of my bagged compost potting up 3 of the bare rooted bargain trees and sowed herb seeds into some old tins. It is probably too late and too hot for them to grow but you never know. Keeping my plants watered has been quite a big job this week!

Nessie went for a posh hairdo on Friday and came back 3 hours later looking like a different dog. The new groomer told me I should look after her better as her hair was a bit tangled. Sigh - she hates having her hair brushed and if I could keep her tidy I would do it myself. I ignored the telling off and booked another appointment for October.

I tried to make a purple velvet cake for one of my work friend’s birthdays. The mixture looked the right colour and the cake turned out perfectly except that it was dark green. I tried icing it with lilac coloured, lemon flavoured icing but in 30 degree heat it just kept sliding off. I felt as despondent as a Bakeoff contestant in the competition tent as the reality did not match my vision. At least it tasted great - we will see if the folk at work appreciate the leftovers or if they will refuse to eat a green cake;)

I Can Cut Straight

 

I had a handyman here for a couple of days to fix my leaky roof. He also took it upon himself to fix the gate, mend the door on the outside gas meter and install a water butt, all fixings cobbled together from bits that came off the extinct satellite dish! 

I thought I had better do some jobs while he was here on my day off so I cut up some OSB board scraps to make soffits for the shed using my very basic hand saw. I told Freya about my DIY plans when she phoned and she told me I was not allowed to balance the lengths of wood on a plastic box whilst wearing Crocs (just because I once cut up some branches for a bonfire like that). My electric screwdriver was too pathetic to attach the strips of board so I had to go and buy nails instead. Now that I have painted over my handiwork with black paint it looks good and should be fairly water and ivy proof. 

The handyman was most complimentary about my cutting skills considering I only had a kitchen stool, pencil and basic saw. In fact - he said that he had come across real tradesmen who could not cut as well - maybe I should go back to college and retrain as a chippie.

It was a busy week at work as a retreat for the super-sized Bernina 990s was in full swing. There was a lot of background prep for that, making sure that everyone had the right kit. I had two customer quilts on the go - one was simple grid basting and the other was to do light custom on a wool appliqué wall hanging that took the maker 3 years to complete. 

Saturday was wettish all day so I actually did some sewing on the patchwork coat. I wish I knew what I have done with the lining that I bought for it. It does not seem to be here in Devon. I am not in any danger of finishing it soon so either it will turn up or I will have to buy something else at FoQ.

Becoming a Gardener

“Gardening” seems to be taking up quite a lot of my free time these days! I started off just doing a little tidying then I got some pots. I could have just weeded the bit of ground where there should be a shed but instead I seem to be creating a patio area. It could be a nice little spot for a bistro table but the view is of my neighbour’s rubbish and I have seen a rat out there so I will not be eating alfresco in that area!

I managed to remove most of the rogue sycamores and elder with a trowel, a DIY saw and my bare hands. Hopefully a layer of cardboard and bark will keep the weeds under control so the old pig shed can be used to store my garden chairs in winter. 

Meanwhile, in the actual garden I used sticky pads and glue to attach some mirror tiles to my ugly shed doors. They were lined up by eye so are a little wonky but the idea is that they look a bit like window panes. 

Only one quilt got done at work this week as everyone has been busy preparing for an intensive Bernina 990 retreat. Hopefully once that gets underway I will work on one that requires quite intense background stippling. IF that one gets finished I could even work on one that I have made…

Torpor in Tavi

 

Whew - it has been hot this week in Devon although not as hot as London which reached 33 degrees! My first task at work each morning was to fling all of the windows open. I had a varied week, demonstrating the Q24, teaching an overlocker class, working on a customer quilt, reorganising the walk-in cupboard, and sorting out bolts of Grunge fabric. 

I did not venture far over the weekend, either staying in the shade or inside, just wilting. I tidied the shed and put together a shockingly flimsy shelving unit. When it cooled down I cleared the rubble out of the old pig shed, thinking it will be a handy place to storage my garden furniture over winter. Part of my brain thought that I should be sewing something outside in the garden but the other part said it was OK to just sit and read a book and check on my plants;)

On Hols with 3 Fs:)

 

I had a super week with all three of my children. They get along amazingly well with each other as young adults. We had outings to Hound Tor, Welcombe Beach, Polzeath, Looe and Exeter! The weather was mixed, the house fitted everyone in and we had a bonfire. I planted up some wee plants and herbs and put busy lizzies into my favourite green (15 year old) Docs which now have smooth soles and great big holes! It is very quiet here now that everyone has gone back to Glasgow and Norwich but they have promised to visit again soon:)

Some Visitors

Nella arrived on Monday evening and my other two children will arrive on Sunday so we will all be on holiday this coming week! I am hoping that it will be dry after an absolute deluge on Saturday where Nella and I binge-watched the latest series of “Outlander”.

Nessie had a cat visitor who won a staring contest before sauntering off on its way. 

On Friday we ventured to a Cornish village called Minions then walked up to see the weird geological rock formation, The Cheeswring. It was quite a calm day but it was blowing a hoodie at the top. 

At work I tested out the Bernina hoop frame with and without BSR. Personally I favour using it without. It was easy enough to set up but I do think people would get frustrated with the limited quilting space offered by a domestic machine and would prefer to mount a Q16 which has a more generous throat space and can accommodate ruler work. I have only set up a practice piece so far so it will be interesting to see if it is easy to deal with a much larger quilt, which would be a game changer for quilters short of space who wish to get into longarm quilting. 

Getting Stuck In

I really got stuck into things this week, maybe because I have visitors coming soon? I continued working on the strippy quilt top and got it finished so I could move the sewing machine out of the back bedroom. It is a bit galling that I will actually have to buy batting and backing for this project as I have 2 or 3 rolls in Scotland. I often dyed a sheet for the back of my quilts but I don’t have any dye or dare to use the washing machine here;) 

At work the new Bernina Hoop Frame arrived and was quickly assembled. I will need to get a quilt on it next week and put it through its paces. I think it will be great for people with limited space but I am not sure that I will be a big fan, having had the luxury of the Q24. We have set it up with a large domestic machine for now but that has a limited throat space and cannot do ruler work. It reminds me of how I got started with long-arming back when I got a Megaquilter. It would inevitably be a better option to put a Q16 on the frame. These are all things I intend to investigate. 

I had a quilt to do for a member of staff which needed to be finished in time for an Accuquilt retreat. The blocks and setting triangles were done using Qmatic but the speediest way of doing circles in the sashing was to use a circle ruler. I quilted like a maniac to finish on time. It is not perfect but it is DONE and Karen is very pleased with it;)

I was going to have a leisurely potter on my day off, working out how to gentrify my shed. Karen sent her husband round to help get the rest of the random boards off the inside walls and cut them up to fill gaps near the ceiling. He said I should try to get the ivy off the back and side to prevent damp and to stop it trying to get in. To get to the back I had to clear a pile of branches and brambles at the side. Once I did that I discovered that the damp was being caused by a whole old fence and shed leaning against the back of the shed. Three whole hours passed with me hacking undergrowth and shifting debris. 

I spent the rest of the weekend tidying, doing laundry, potting up some mini plug plants in a piece of guttering that I found, not going to a car boot sale because it was not where I thought it was and not going to a dog show for the same reason! And I made a very successful Choconana loaf without kitchen scales which I hope to replicate in a vegan version when my children visit:)

Sewing Actually!

 

Don’t be too shocked - I have done some actual sewing at last! At work I did a very nice Liberty star quilt for a customer and finally got to grips with the L890 project, “Bloom & Grow”. There were parts that I really liked on the project but others that I would probably change if I do it again or teach it as a Quilt-Along. Mainly, it is not super accurate but it is fast. The point of the project is to experience lots of techniques that the L890 excels at but sometimes I felt that it would have been better to simply use a sewing machine. I am not a fan of piecing with a chain stitch. The quilt finished at 48” x 78” which I consider weirdly skinny so I added a border using leftovers. I daresay I might add some overlocker piping and overstitched prairie points when I bind it. First it will have to be quilted…

After some prevarication, I ordered a Sewezi table for my wee cottage. I am so pleased with it as it means I can sew completely flat. For the first time in ages I wanted to sit down and sew together the strippy quilt that has been waiting for months. 

I had a spiky visitor in my garden which is good news as hedgehogs eat slugs. Also in the garden, I have decided to give the shed some TLC. It is just a basic shed but it has lots of gaps where ivy is poking in. My plan is to try and remove more ivy and fill the gaps so it is less “creepy” and spider free. Essentially, it is a storage shed but it could do with some proper shelving and who knows, maybe even a second hand sofa bed?!

Wall to Wall Sunshine

I am blogging in my garden! While farmers are no doubt worrying about potential drought conditions, I am basking in sunshine. I got my plant troughs filled which has created another chore for me keeping them watered. I had to take down one of my window boxes because it was dribbling mud all down the wall. Having been warned that removing the dangling wires would cause certain death by electrocution, I decided to disguise them with fake wisteria. It does need more strands to bulk it out but I think it looks jolly. 

At work I have cracked on with a project done on the L890 overlocker machine. It is designed to show off the capabilities and functions of the machine but I am not sure I love the look of the exposed seams so far. I want to carry on with the quilt I started at home last week but that means working indoors so I might get out the long unfinished quilted jacket to stitch in the garden and see if I can finish it this year. 

I had a lovely trip to Looe and caught up with old friends from Aberdeenshire. Mel donated a picture for my Victorian “gallery”. The wall where I wanted to hang it was made of solid concrete so I improvised by drilling as far as I could, cut a rawl plug short, stuffed the hole with no-nails glue and hung it on that. It has not fallen down yet. 

I did a talk for Exeter Quilters which was great fun. They were very complimentary about my work and one told me that I must be “as mad a a box of frogs”. It gave me a much needed confidence boost and reminded me that I am actually a quilter with creative potential;)