Man multi-tasking in the kitchen

Yesterday was spent going through more contents of the loft. We loaded the car with a Christmas tree, 3 boxes of baubles, a nativity set, door decorations, large gold fairy and assorted candle holders etc, for the charity shop. They seemed pleased, apparently this time of year, that sort of stuff is snapped up as soon as they put it on the shelves!

So, a very productive day, with all the caravan stuff washed and dried, wormery put in the shed for the winter. We sorted 2 big boxes of old photos, discarding all the doubles and the blurry ones and Husband found a massive crate of videos, films and documentaries he had taped from the TV, with the intention of watching later. The stuff is up to 7 years old, so that shows how little free time he has.

Today, I kept a low profile in the workshop, working on my spiders-webs, while He had a day in the kitchen. Despite it being a large room, I always seem to get under his feet, so it suits us both if I stay out of the way!

I paid a brief visit at lunchtime to taste some of my lentil soup, which I'd left him making earlier.
If you like a hearty soup, it couldn't be easier- slice a medium onion, one carrot, a medium potato and some celery and garlic.

Gently fry in a little olive oil to soften, add to the slo-cooker with 9ozs red lentils and 750 ml chicken stock (you can use chicken Bovril). Throw in a pinch of cayenne, couple of bay leaves and half a teaspoon cumin. Cook on High for an hour, reduce to medium for 2 hours and blend. Season and slurp!

About 4pm I emerged again, to find not only had he made the soup, he'd also conjured up a shepherds pie, apple crumble, toad in the hole and an almond sponge! Who says men can't multi-task!

The power of nature- flooding in Cumbria

"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day", so we sang when we were small.
I have been watching with growing alarm, the flooding in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, on the edge of the lake district. My heart really goes out to those folks whose precious homes and belongings have been destroyed by flood water and who are sheltering in temporary accommodation, waiting to get back and see the damage for themselves. I just hope no-one has lost any pet animals in the rising water.
I was so terribly sad to hear about the police officer, Bill Barker, who was swept to his death when a bridge collapsed. He was due to celebrate his 45th birthday this weekend, with his wife and 4 children.
I understand there are still people missing and searches are going on.

We have been lucky so far in this part of the country, but as I sit snug and safe in my cottage this weekend, I shall be thinking of all those people and their families whose homes are under water.

Glastonbury fix for Sue

Get your Gastonbury fix here, with the new Tor cam.

And if you see a lady of a "certain age" dressed in something purple, toiling up the slope, all hot and bothered, that'll be me!

Busy with my course and a good clear out

Have you ever felt like a hamster running on one of those plastic wheels, no matter how fast you go, or for how long, you never seem to get anywhere?

That's how I've been feeling over the last few weeks, so when I got 2 days off this week, I decided to use one of them to "catch up". First, a good sort out of the Christmas decorations. I have to say, Himself and I are not great fans of Christmas, although when Lewis was younger, we always put on a bit of a show for him, with tree, presents, tinsel and turkey.

I decided to be ruthless with my sorting, bearing in mind we will be moving in the next few years and took the opportunity to donate a huge box of sparkly bits, an artificial tree, golden fairy, numerous baubles and garlands to the charity shop.

What a lovely feeling, I do love a good clear out!

Next, I wanted to catch up on the written work that the tutor set me, as part of my NVQ course, which is Health and Social care level 2. As well as reflective accounts, written questions and "professional discussion", most of the marking criteria are met by workplace assessments and observations of working practice.

Modules include communication, record keeping, health and safety, protection of vulnerable adults, personal care and mobility. You also have to choose 2 additional modules, which I have selected supporting service users in a daycare setting and also supporting individuals to access and participate in recreational activities.

So next week, the assessor will be coming to watch me conduct a cookery class with my friends at the day centre. She is very nice,but it will be a bit nerve racking to have someone watching everything you do and listening to everything you say!

Before I started the course, I had to complete basic literacy and numeracy tests, including spelling, grammar and long division and multiplication with out a calculator. That strained the old brain cells I can tell you!

Apparently, the NVQ 2, will soon be the minimum qualification for care workers. The training costs around £800, but I was lucky that the local college had secure funding from an EU training grant. It certainly seems a very thorough training and if it raises the standard of care for vulnerable folks, it has to be a very good thing.

Experiments with spiders webs

So, back from Glastonbury and back down to earth. But, it's sure to be a busy winter, with a new kitchen being installed here at the cottage, my NVQ to finish and lots of sewing to do.

I've been thinking about the spiders web blocks. The tutorial I followed in "Sew Hip" magazine, advised strips be sewn onto a white fabric foundation, which remains in place when you join them together...

...So far, so good. But I found when I came to join the triangle sections, there was a lot of bulk with all the seams.

Another tutorial said "trim the excess foundation fabric away"...which works better when you come to join the sections, but wastes a lot of fabric (unless you have a project crying out for 140 white triangles).

I have seen log cabin blocks made up, using paper (instead of fabric)as a foundation.
So I decided, as an experiment, I would try thin paper, for my foundation.
I'm pleased to say it works perfectly and saves on expensive fabric.

This is not meant to be a tutorial, there are plenty of those on the 'net, but it will give you an idea of how to go about things and you can decide if you want a go yourself. If you want to try it, cut some thin paper into a square, computer listing paper is nice and thin and you can often get it for nothing. Telephone directories are ideal!

Fold your square to give you 2 triangles). Take your white fabric and cut out your "kite" shape for the centre.

Don't forget to adjust your machine for a shorter stitch length, you want the paper become perforated by the needle, which makes the paper easier to tear away at the end.

Tack or pin your kite shape to the paper . I saw a tutorial recently, where the kite shape had been secured with a glue stick.

You’ll lay your first strip right side down on top of the kite shape. Line up this first strip with the edges of your kite shape.Sew right through the paper, and press over to the right side.

Sew another strip in the same way, to the other side of the kite shape. It is very important to keep to a 1/4 inch seam on these first 2 strips, after that you can used any width seam.

Press each strip over before sewing the next strip, right through the paper, until your paper is covered. Next, flip the whole thing over, right side down, on your cutting board.

Using a cutting wheel, trim the excess fabric to fit paper. Tear paper away. You'll see now, why you shortened your stitch length.

Voila! success and no waste (even the paper was destined for the shredder). Pin the triangles together and see how the cobwebs develop. Sew them together using 1/4inch seams.

You can use various shades of one colour, or mix your leftover fabrics for a glorious scrappy look.

Although you only need small pieces of fabric for the strips, if you intend to make a large throw, say for a bed, you do need a large number of strips. I am rapidly running out of purply shades so next week, I'm planning to raid my friend's scrap baskets!

What a difference a day makes

Well, we're back from Glastonbury, where we watched the fabulous carnival procession through the town. It was started in the 1870s in connection with Guy Fawkes celebrations. Carnivals of this kind are quite unique to Somerset. The floats are built by carnival clubs from Glastonbury, Bridgwater, Wells and other surrounding towns and villages, often on farms and by farmers and village volunteers. The carnival clubs do this voluntarily, raising their own funds locally to build the floats.

Friday night a storm blew around Glastonbury, rain lashed the sides of our little caravan, but we were warm and cosy inside. Unlike the old caravans we stayed in 30 years ago, when a shower of rain was deafening and the condensation ran down the walls! We could hear little bits of twig breaking off and pinging off our roof, while we snuggled further down under our pile of blankets and quilts (no polyester sleeping bags for us!).

We woke to dark skies and heavy bursts of rain, until mid afternoon, when the wind dropped and the rain disappeared, just in time for the crowds to start gathering for the carnival parade.


We decided to have a stroll round the town before the parade started, as all the shops had stayed open late to take advantage of the crowds and there was a display of vintage cars in Magdalene street. There was a great atmosphere as folks took up their positions on camp chairs, ate hot dogs and chips and danced around to keep warm. Did you see us waving on the webcam Sue? :D
We positioned ourselves at a new view point this year, at the top of the High Street, where the floats pause, before turning onto Wells road. Going by past years, I would say the people who ride on the floats make a huge effort, with costumes, wigs and makeup, but the float characters who put the most into their performance are without doubt, the men dressed as ladies! This year was no exception, with my favourite float "Life's a drag" whose "Marylin Munroe" stole the show, with a breeze blowing up his white halter neck frock!

The parade kicked off with a display of motor bikes, some of whose riders dismounted at the top of the High street and performed a lively YMCA dance, dressed as a Red Indian, a Construction worker, NY cop, Cowboy, Soldier and Biker. They were followed by a stunning display of both moving (feature) carts and tableau floats, as well as individual entrants on foot, called Masqueraders.
Collections took place all evening and last year a grand total of £12,400 was raised, for local charities.The parade went on for an amazing 3 hours rounded off by a firework display over the Abbey.
By now, we were chilled to the bone and happy to be back in our little caravan, sipping hot soup and boiling the kettle for my hot water bottle!

The next morning we woke to sunshine and blue skies and a man walking past called out "What a difference a day makes!"

One last walk up the Tor and a delicious fried breakfast (my monthly treat) and then the task of putting the caravan to bed until March. We always take home all our bedding and clothes to be washed, but everything else stays over the winter, as the caravan is not at all damp. Then it has it's pyjama cover on and goes into storage at the farm until our first outing of 2010, which will be in March.

Oh what a long wait 3 1/2 months seems, while we grow steadily stir crazy here in Bucks and long for the Somerset levels and lunch at Rainbows End cafe. You won't be surprised to know that we plan to move down to Avalon in the future.

Glastonbury- the Carnival

This weekend we will be in Glastonbury, for this years fantastic carnival procession. In fact due to the Blog's clever posting options, (which allows you to schedule when you want your posts to appear), I shall already be there when you read this!

This is the town centre's largest event of the year with a procession of floats lasting all evening. Last year there was a slight drizzle, but it was not cold and the fabulous atmosphere in the town more than made up for the damp weather! We managed to stand right on the kerbside, for a birds eye view but we weren't prepared for the immense heat coming off the hundreds and hundreds of coloured bulbs on the floats. The variety and imagination of the many floats was amazing and we learned that the carnival committees, spend all year building and preparing their exhibits.

Try this web-cam in the High Street Saturday night, for a view of the stunning floats, as they make their way through the town.


View the carnival tomorrow night starting at about 7.00pm here .

We didn't have much luck with our photos last year, so these are borrowed from the BBC website, their carnival gallery

I'm wearing my poppy with pride

Others have said it better. Others have posted lovely words and poignant poems. All I can say is that I am humbled and grateful when I think of all the lives that were sacrificed. Rememberance Sunday was a day of reflection for me. Today I shall be in the car at 11 am, on the way to meet my wonderful old ladies. I will have the service on the radio and I will pull over to spend a few moments thinking about the husbands they lost as young brides. the brothers and fathers they lost and my own Grandfather. He had been a keen amateur boxer, who won several cups during his army career. During WW2, he was injured in the spine and sent home, where he lay, paralised, in my Nan's front room, for 14 years until his death.

There was no physio for him, no day centres or occupational therapy, no hydro-pool or visits from carers. His family had to take care of him completely unaided, in a tiny terraced cottage, with just an open coal fire for heating the house and water. I'm sure they had it good, compared to some.

For all those servicemen, servicewomen, their families and innocent civilians affected by war, I am proud to wear my poppy.

Courthouse steps- ready for borders!

So, here are the crazy courthouse steps all joined together. All the top stitching is done and I rather like the effect.
So it's a little wonky in places and some of the blocks don't quite line up, but I like it. I just need to add the the border of fabric round the edge. At present I have it hanging in the workshop, with 2 shades of blue pinned round it. Every time I walk in, I change my mind about which blue

suits it best!

Eventually, once the borders are on, I will make up the sandwich, with it's batting filler and fabric backing, ready for quilting.

I plan to machine-quilt the main body of the quilt "in the ditch", (which means in the joins between the squares). When I come to quilt the borders. I will hand quilt in parallel lines. Then it's just the binding to do and it'll be finished.

I discovered one important thing while making this piece- to join all these blocks neatly, it is vital that you cut the strips accurately and sew accurate seam allowances. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to attempt another one!

Ellie has a birthday

Well, we all survived the fireworks and today my old girl is 12 years old. We adopted her from a dogs home 8 years ago, after she was handed over for re-homing aged 3, as a change of circumstances meant her previous owners could no longer keep her. We never knew what forced them to part with such a sweet and loyal companion, it must have been an insurmountable problem, that put them in the terrible position of not being able to keep her any longer. Unlike our other dog, Roobarb, she wasn't in bad condition when she was handed in. She had obviously been well cared for up until that point and just in need of a warm bath and a good dinner.

Ellie is a real character and much cleverer than Roobarb. Not only does she have to endure the constant quips of "Is that one called Custard?", but she is too polite and dignified to jostle and shove like her friend and would miss out if she weren't so wily.
If the other dog has something she wants, Ellie will create a "distraction" that causes Roobarb to go and see what the fuss is about, enabling Ellie to steal her chew, or her beanbag.
Only this morning when Hazel and Kim came round, Hazel offered them both their usual treat of a hide chew each. Ellie accepted hers and dashed off to hide it in her bed, knowing that Roobarb would still be making a fuss of the visitors. Being partially sighted, Hazel wasn't sure which one had already had their chew and when Ellie came back, presented her with a second one by mistake. The old dog dashed back to her bed, leaving Roobarb chewless and confused.

Ellie likes her comfort, she doesn't care for rain very much and will pick her way delicately round muddy puddles. She will only permit us to wash her in warm water and likes to lay where it suits her to lay, however awkward, making us step over and round her. I'm sure she was a cat in a previous life, as she will find little pools of sunshine on the carpets and curl up in them, or if we spread anything out of the floor, like a blanket, a coat or even a newspaper, she has to come and lay on it.

Lurchers are bony dogs and therefore need a soft place to lay down, so our 2 have matching bean bags in every room. If she can persuade you with her big Malteser eyes, a lap is even better more comfortable for her, if not for you (imagine a sack full of scaffold poles).
The photo above was taken about 8 years ago, in our old house. I don't think we'd had her long (notice how grey her face is now, compared with then) and she liked to get up on Husbands lap while he was using the computer.

This photo always makes me smile, I imagine she is saying "Right Dad, click on BONES, then Add to Basket".

Despite her age, Ellie is in extremely good health and was complimented by the vet at her recent annual health check, for having the cleanest teeth he had ever seen on a Lurcher! She is a thief without a conscience and will steal from right under your nose. Non-doggy friends have to be quickly stopped from placing their cuppa on the floor beside their chair and woe betide a dinner guest who leaves their After Eights unattended.

The old girl still enjoys chasing squirrels and rabbits, but her ultimate treat is a chocolate biscuits and a saucer of tea, which she has once a year, on her special day.

Gunpowder, Treason and Parkin

Tomorrow (5th) is Guy Fawkes day (or Bonfire night), here in England. It is not a popular date in our house. Only because our 2 dogs no not like fireworks at all. We have to take them upstairs and close all the curtains, turn the TV on loud and sit on the bed with them beside us on the floor. This seems to be the place they feel most safe and as long as we stay with them, they will endure the Bangs! Pops! and Wees! the go on, seemingly, for hours.
Unfortunately, the cause of their anxiety isn't limited to just this one night, as in our area, the fireworks seem to start around the 3rd week in October and go on for 3 or 4 weeks, well past the "official" night.

So, to celebrate Bonfire night we do something much more relaxing, I make soup and Himself makes cakes! Several years ago, I was introduced to "Parkin" by a fellow student on my course, who, being from "up North" cooked this traditional regional dish when we all brought food in, for an end of term lunch.

Parkin was often traditionally eaten on Bonfire night, the 5th November, when we remember the attempt by Guy Fawkes to blow up Parliament. In parts of West Yorkshire the 5th November is known as Parkin Day. One place where Parkin is reputedly not eaten on Bonfire Night is St Peter's School in York, where a certain Guy Fawkes was educated.

There are many recipes available on the internet, like this one. It just leaves me to say, if you like, sticky, ginger, sweet, "fill yer boots" kind of cake, this is a recipe to try.

Red for danger, passion and postcards

Red is one of my absolute favourite colours and one that talks to me of drama and passion.
These are just a few of the Reds that I have around me today and while I was thinking about red, I realised I have a large pile of red fabric in all shades and patterns.

What I need, is a quilt design idea that will combine all those shades in a rich, glowing, tapestry.

In the meantime, here is the Fabric Postcard that got me hooked on making and exchanging. Apart from the antique lace and embroidered postcards of yesteryear, I had never seen a fabric postcard before. About 5 years ago, I visited the home of a very creative quilter, called Anne Wigfull, who regularly exhibited in the Chiltern area. While I was admiring her quilts and bags, Anne pulled out a box and showed me some fabric postcards that she had made for an exchange. I was instantly drawn the the red one, with it's layers of texture. This was also my introduction to "trapping". Anne explained how fabrics, and pieces of ribbon were "trapped" under fine netting and embellished with embroidery. It has become one of my favourite techniques.

Soon afterwards, I sent Anne some silver fabric and ribbons to use on an upcoming project. Imagine my surprise and delight, when this little beauty popped through the door, a few days later, with a hand written message on the back thanking me for what I had sent.
I was amazed that this little artwork had travelled unscathed, with no envelope, through the postal system, to arrive in my mailbox.

From then on, I was hooked on creating these little fabric postcards and have collected a large number of them from all over the world.

To see some of Annes work, visit HERE

Halloween, or Samhain

Halloween, or Samhain ( pronounced Sam’hane) is my favourite seasonal celebration, the cobwebs,bonfires, pumpkins, bats and spiders, I love it all. I especially enjoy making and exchanging fabric postcards at this time of year. This one is for my friend Carole Marie, in America, who sent me all those fab Halloween fabrics earlier this year.

Halloween, celebrated on 31 October, is widely assumed to be an American festival but it's actually an ancient Celtic pagan celebration. The term Halloween comes from All-hallow-even the evening before All Hallows' Day, or All Saints' Day. The festival originated as a pagan ritual among the Celts in Ireland and Britain, who regarded 31 October as the last day of summer.

In the old Norse religion, sacrifices were made to the elves, and food was blessed and stored for winter. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried Halloween festivities to America in the 19th century.
The Druids however celebrated differently. Behind the fun and games, lay a deeper meaning. They believed that Halloween was the time when "the veil between this world and the World of the Ancestors was drawn aside ... and journeys could be made to the ‘other side’ and the world of magic and supernatural touches the mortal world.

As part of the tradition, bonfires and fireworks were lit to ward off evil spirits.

Today Pagans see Samhain as a time to honor the dead, not as the dead, but as the living spirits of loved ones and as guardians who hold the wisdom of mankind.

In Ireland, Halloween was once a day of abstinence when no meat was eaten. Dishes based on potatoes were eaten, such as colcannon (mash with milk or cream, kale, and leeks or spring onions), champ (mash with milk and onions or chives) and boxty pancakes - fried potato cakes that are sometimes served savoury, sometimes sprinkled with sugar.

In England there was a tradition of eating 'soul cakes' - flat round or oval cakes flavoured with saffron, mixed spices, and currants - as well as apple tarts. Many of these Irish and English dishes contained coins, rings and other items with symbolic meanings. They were left out for wandering spirits and fairies overnight.


Information gathered from here, and here. The fabulous Samhain image was from here

Glastonbury- a hidden cafe

Away from the busy High street, Glastonbury has many little walkways and alleys, which are home to fascinating and unique little cafes and shops.

As you know, we spend a few days in Glastonbury every month and this time I want to show you a little hidden gem, that we often visit.

We have eaten in many of the cafes and pubs in the town, but my favourite lunch venue is "Rainbows End" cafe. It would be easy to walk straight past the entrance to the cafe, which is situated at the end of a dark little alley.

The entrance passes a little shop and then opens into the cafe, with it's cosy seating area, with further tables in the sun room and a pretty courtyard at the rear. It serves vegetarian and vegan food, with delicious fresh salads. Not your tomato, lettuce and cucumber, but a wide selection of beetroot, carrot, bulgar, rice and cous-cous dishes, all with fresh herbs.

When we ate there on my birthday, Himself ordered mushroom and cashew nut quiche, with new potatoes and chickpea and bean salad, while I enjoyed aubergine tagine with spicy cous-cous, chilli olives and pitta bread.

We are not vegetarians, but the food at Rainbows End is so fresh and flavoursome. We love the little walled courtyard with it's fountain and plants, it is a real oasis from the busy high street.

Progress with the crazy courthouse steps

A few posts ago, I showed you my friend Silve's UFO, which has now become my latest project. She had been inspired by a quilt she saw at an exhibition and intended to make one herself. As we all have done at some time, she made a great start, making a large number of blocks, before being distracted by another project and that pile of blocks became her UFO. Not being able to resist a challenge, I took them home and set about designing a lay out for the blocks.

I needed 26 extra 3" and 24 extra 2" blocks and although I have been busy with my new college course and homework (at my age?), I managed to steal a day in the workshop, listening to an audio-book, Catherine Cookson's "The Tinkers girl" while I sew.

I've made pretty good progress and as you can see, I've made quite a few already. I decided from the start that I wanted to hand quilt the finished piece, but when I came across a different technique, called "double stitch" on Kelli's Blog here, I thought this was an ideal project to try out this way of working.

I have made a start and "hand stitched" a number of the blocks Silve made and once all the blocks are pieced and quilted, I shall assemble them to make the quilt top. Once the quilt top is complete and the sandwich made up with backing and filling, I will quilt in-the-ditch around all the blocks, sewing right through the quilt sandwich.

I am trying a variegated thread for the double-stitching, as there are so many shades of blue in the blocks. Just sewing 3 or 4 blocks every evening, I will soon have it done, then I shall assemble all the blocks according to my sketch. Like a lot of my projects, the "double stitch" is an experiment, so I shall reserve judgement until I see it all assembled.

Meanwhile Naughty Silve has given me a bag of plaids, so I'm now off on a new flight of fancy, planning something for my Brother....
In the last few days, poor Silve has broken her shoulder, I'm sure you will join me in wishing her a speedy recovery!

Glorious Autumn

Autumn... I just love the cooler days, the glorious colours and the harvest festival displays in the church.Walking through the woods, gathering sloes, and kicking through the fallen leaves. I was born in October, which is maybe why I love the slight hint of frost in the morning, or the haze over the fields which gradually burns off as the sun rises higher. I have always liked Halloween and Bonfire night, hot chocolate and the hearty soups that come with the shorter days and above all, an opportunity to snuggle under patchwork quilts and enjoy the open fire in the sitting room. Autumn in Buckinghamshire is a blaze of gold, red and bronze.

These photos were taken on my walk along the bridleway with the dogs, as well as in our garden. There is a crab apple tree right next to the gate and as walkers have passed through, they have crushed the fallen apples, giving off an almost intoxicating smell!

No wonder this is my favourite time of year.

The Chocolate fairy

Look what the chocolate fairy sent me? Well, actually it was my lovely friend Dzintra, all the way from "Down Under". She mentioned on her Blog, that she had enjoyed "Cadbury's Rocky Road" chocolate..."Milk chocolate with marshmallows, cherry flavoured jellies, peanuts and coconut".

Being a lover and connoisseur of all things cocoa-bean, I started looking for it, here in England, but without success, apparently, it is only sold in Australia and New Zealand.

So, imagine my delight, when Dzintra sent me a bar, along with a Quilting Granny broach, who I have named Tilly. What a lovely surprise in the post, especially at a time when delivery workers are striking and we have an empty mailbox here most days. It made a delicious change from the usual utility bills and circulars!

You will have to excuse me now, while I put the kettle on and settle down with a good book and a few squares of Antipodean delight!

Autumnal ATC and greetings card exchange

My friend Sue and I regularly swap ATC's and using Autumn as our theme, Sue and I exchanged these in our recent swap.

They are little Artists Trading Cards, mixed media artworks measuring just 2.5 by 3.5 inches. Sue has used a fine metal gauze for her leaves and the bark is tissue. My leaves were cut and distressed by the burning tool, which is similar to a fine soldering iron.

Working on such a small scale can be a bit of a challenge, but there's no excuse for UFO's!

Recently, I took part in an exchange, to make greetings cards with an "Autumn" theme. These are the cards I made to swap. I have made fabric postcards and ATC's before, but not a greetings card, so these were a bit of an experiment. The leaves are made from voile and silk, by cutting the shapes and fusing them to the background fabric with a the burning tool, same as the ATC. I attached them to the card blank with fusible hemming tape, ironed to adhere.
We each made 4 cards and sent them to the Swap Hostess Denise at Mrs Nesbitt, who then forwarded the group members 3 cards each, one from each participant.

Here are the cards I received in my swap, aren't they gorgeous?

A messy bench and an old Singer sewing machine

OK, so this is the mess I am working in just now.

It's not usually as bad as this (promise) but since I've been playing with strips, I've got a bit snowed under!

The machine I am using for the piecing, is one of 2 that live in the workshop. It is an old Singer, from the 1930's. It is quite heavy, but beautifully made and runs very smoothly. I rescued it on it's way to the tip and it was very neglected when I got it. Unlike a lot of plastic machines, it's possible to dismantle it and give it a good clean and oil. With the addition of a new needle, it's been a good little workhorse. It is an electric machine, with a funny pedal, which has a little square "knob" which you press with your foot, unlike modern machines where your foot powers the machine from any position on the pedal. It has an extra panel which clips on at the front, making the sewing bed several inches longer. It runs very quietly and when you turn the wheel manually, you can hear the bearings running over one another.

I have an even older Singer, a black one, with gold decoration, which is hand powered and was given to me second-hand about 30 years ago. My Brother adopted it when I got my first "zig-zag" machine and used it to make the curtains and blinds in every house he has lived in.

These 2 machines were made when Singers were still manufactured in England. A latter day Singer, given to me new, in the 80's has long since bitten the dust.

Beady gifts and a workshop in need of tidying

These fabulous gifts arrived for me, all the way from America, courtesy of my Bloggy friend Ellen, who is a talented bead artist.

I recently admired a green "tigers eye" she had used in her work and she generously sent me one, along with some fabrics and beautiful shells. She explained that it was actually acrylic/fiber optic and not glass, but it has amazing shades within, just like a real tigers eye.

Her intricate and sensitive designs are a real inspiration and the beautiful bracelet she created with the green "tigers eye" is no exception. I haven't really decided yet, how I will use it, but, like Ellen, I adore green. I like chokers very much, so I'm thinking maybe a wide beaded choker with the tigers eye in the centre. Luckily, it has small holes in it, so I can secure it to a suitable backing and bead around it.

Time to get out the bead books! I am immediately drawn to the lavishly beaded pendants, but knowing me, I should get it caught on a door handle and end up in an explosion of beads! Of course, I wouldn't dream of starting any new projects when I have so many others on the go (tongue firmly in cheek),

I can't start anything new if I wanted to- the workshop is a disgrace just now, with bags of fabric everywhere and piles of courthouse and spidersweb strips littered all over the bench. I was going to have a good tidy up yesterday evening, but Diwali fireworks celebrations in our area, meant 2 shaking, scared dogs, so I had to sit with them instead of going "down the garden".

So, until I make progress, both with tidying up and finishing some of my WIP's, this tempting beady project will have to stay on the design wall for now!

Some scrappy inspiration

Great excitement with the arrival of the postman, bearing a package containing the book I had been waiting for.

Silve will be pleased to know, I was so disciplined, I carried on with my NVQ coursework and didn't even take a peak until it was finished!

I was instantly drawn to this very rich looking log cabin quilt, with a lot of red, gold and black, but I am determined not to get distracted until the courthouse steps are assembled...famous last words...

Fancy a cake? ask my Husband

I used to love that TV series, "Can't cook, won't cook". It was reassuring to know that I wasn't the only culinary duffer.

As you can guess from this fridge magnet, given to me by one of my friends, I am well known for being a disaster in the kitchen...I love good, home cooked food, but I am rubbish at cooking. I hated home economics at school and would rather do any other household job, including ironing, rather than cook.

My cakes turn out like frisbees and I am forever leaving casseroles to burn dry, when I wander off and get engrossed in something beady or fabriccy, only to return to find something black and smouldering on the stove. I feel guilty when I read about all the delicious cakes and preserves whipped up by my friends, but all that chopping and stirring, just feels like such a chore, whereas my lovely Husband finds it relaxing. He even bought himself a new mixer and conjours up luscious treats, while I hide in the workshop.

We love to have friends over for supper, but I confess, it's Himself who has to do the catering.
...Have you heard the saying "I only have a kitchen, cos it came with the house". Well, I only have a kitchen to sew in while I watch Himself cook....

The above masterpiece is what He made for Mum and my joint birthdays last week.

I got to wondering when it became tradition to eat cake on one's birthday.

According to this source-
"There are quite a few possible explanations as to why we have birthday cakes, nobody is completely sure how the tradition started.

One possible reason is because the ancient Greeks used to take cakes (round to represent the full moon) to the temple of their goddess of the moon, Artemis. The Greeks are said to have placed candles on the cake to make it look as if it was glowing like the moon."

Mum shares her birthday with Chubby Checker (singer, born 1941)and Gore Vidal (author, born 1925)while on this day in 1990, East and West Germany were reunited.
While 5th of October sees Sir Bob Geldof (born 1954 singer - Boomtown Rats, actor, TV presenter, humanitarian), Kate Winslet (actress born 1975) amd myself all blowing out our candles. But my claim to fame is that on 5th October 1962, The Beatles release their first single, "Love Me Do".