Wet for Roberton

It had to be the wettest 'ride out' possible.....just as the horses came out of the trailer the heavens opened and didn't stop....lots of soggy photos today.....

It rained that much that the river was impassable....so the horse had to detour passed my house.....in the 20 or so years we've lived here it's only the second time the ride has come this way......

No amount of rain can wash the smile from Kyle's face on a 'ride out' day.....

Bonchester 2013

Saturday saw the start of the 'ride outs' for the Hawick Common Riding season. The weather this year so far has been very cold and lambing difficult so the horses had a late start at being handled and exercised....they aren't as fit as they should have been for the rides so Graham and Kyle joined in for the return ride making it about seven miles.....enough for the first time out. We wanted Kyle to have an easier ride as he was taking Bess his Grandads horse for the first time and Graham needed an shorter ride for Dibbley as she had been lame for a while after last years rides.

It was a cold windy day, 217 horses rode out to Bonchester, some horses then went home and others joined in....here they are starting the return journey.

The Cornet Chris Ritson up front with his Right and Left Hand Men and Acting Father

Off they go....

Kyle with Bess and Graham with Dibbley.......

We were all pleased to get our 'fish suppers' once the horses were fed, rugged and turned out into the field again that night.

Wednesday Update

Fieron's first ride on Layla....big smiles all round!!!!!

Oxnam Quilt Show 2013

Over the May Day Holiday weekend the Ladies of the Oxnam Quilt Group held there quilt show in Oxnam Village Hall, it's a lovely little hall out in the country on the edge of the Cheviot Hills.....

The Oxnam quilt group consists of around 20 ladies led by the group leader Kathy. What a wealth of talent in quilting (and baking in the little tea room), a very interesting show.

The centre of the hall was set up with a frame that made little rooms, it was enchanting, take a look....

Lovely Cushion Display

This was a fabulous vintage display of old quilts, boxes and bloomers and a Singer 28 from the early 1900's, from the position of the bobbin winder I'd say between 1900-1910....(should have looked at the serial number but didn't).  Right there at the front is a wonderful toy sewing machine in perfect condition......

The cards says C1920, isn't it great?

This was the sign above one of the 'rooms'.....

The Red Hat Society display

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick flowers in other people's gardens

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple. 

by Jenny Joseph

Kathy set the Group a fabric challenge using a fabric with a tape measure print.....great ideas here 

The walls were adorned with quilts large and small.....some of which I recognized....

Some lucky winner will win the quilt on the right made by Kathy and the group as a raffle prize.

It was a lovely afternoon. Well Done Ladies!


Recent Finishes

Before disappearing to Uttoxeter I finished quilting my deadline customer quilts.....a couple of which were for the above show at Oxnam.....I didn't want to hogg the above post, so here they are...

Annette personalized this lovely quilt from the book 'Quilting Cats and Dogs' by Lynette Anderson. Annette's Daughter keeps Great Danes so the blocks were redrafted to suit, isn't it fabulous.  It's lightly custom quilted....I outline quilted all of the blocks and applique with invisible thread, then did continuous curves with swirls in the stars and an iron fence treatment behind the dogs in Metro thread....

Isn't it fabulous, those Great Danes look so proud!


Sandra made a wonderful quilt for her Daughter......what perfect points, so precise.....

Sandra chose 'Happy Times' panto which looks great on this quilt...we chose a light silver grey Metro thread top and bobbin.....

The fabrics are mostly William Morris by Moda.....this is a substantial quilt....quality fabrics!

Uttoxeter and more.....

It's been a busy few weeks culminating in a trip to 'The British Quilt and Stitch Village' at Uttoxeter.
The APQS UK demo team spent a great weekend at the show, we had a wonderful time speaking with visitors and fellow stall holders. The racecourse is a great venue for a quilt show, the Camping and Caravan Club have a member site right there in the middle of the course, there was a cricket match on Sunday afternoon and of course the quilt and embroidery show.

Linzi, Ani and I rented a holiday cottage on a lovely farm overlooking Alton Towers, Janette braved the traffic jams making her journey 6 hours instead of what should have been 3 1/2 hours.  We ate too far too much, laughed till we ached and demonstrated machines till we couldn't stitch another pebble.

Our stand before the show looked great decked in the company colours of blue and white.... 

Northern Spring by Rosalind Pollock

The winner of the Special Theme Quilt category was Rosalind Pollock from the Lake District, a follower here on my blog.  I loved this quilt straight away as it is probably a view from my very own window.....not really but I appreciate it all the same.  Just look at all of the detail in that dry stone wall and those beautiful wild flowers, this is a painted wholecloth quilt, it's fabulous. Rosalinds blogpost... Congratulations Rosalind.....Unfortunately Rosalind was not attending the show.
This category was Sponsored by APQS, that's American Professional Quilting Systems, Linzi, Ani and I put together hampers for 'The New Beginnings Quilts and Embroidery' Categories...

Linzi with the winner of the embroidery section sponsored by APQS

Overall winner Hillary Beattie in the winners enclosure and her quilt below....

And of course there was a little shopping.....

Fabulous quilts from 'The Tentmakers of Cairo', I didn't spring for this one but did treat myself. This monochrome quilt in black and cream took my fancy and I couldn't resist it.....

I bought some Bernatex batiks and some wonderful hand dyes by Vicky Lovelace which shimmer beautifully.
I couldn't resist buying a couple of CDs to quilt to by David Jaggs who played fabulous guitar music quietly behind our stand for the whole three days.

If you would like to get a taste of the British Quilt and Stitch Village show for real here is a YouTube video complete with background guitar music....fabulous....

I've snatched this photo from  Linzi's blog, simply because it reminded me of the poem.  The photo is the 'hill road to Roberton' only Linzi was travelling in the opposite direction

THE hill road to Roberton's a steep road to climb,

But where your foot has crushed it you can smell the scented thyme,

And if your heart’s a Border heart, look down to Harden Glen,

And hear the blue hills ringing with the restless hoofs again.