Life just got a bit busy!!

There is so much going on around here at the moment that I am finding it really difficult to keep  up and keep you informed!!

So I thought I would write a 'trailer'!

"Coming Soon to a Blog near You".....

• 'It's Lambing Time in the Scottish Borders'
• 'Waiting for the Farrier'
• 'Wholecloth Design and Execution'
• 'Look what's on the frame'
• 'Work in progress'

In the meanwhile......

My Grandchildren are just so much fun, they love to do puzzles and are really good at those Chinese metal puzzles that are always around at Christmas time....

My friend sent over this metal puzzle, he calls it a 'Gypsy Puzzle', it's big and looks to be made by a Farrier, apparently the Gypsy's take bets on wether or not you can solve it, my friend said it took him 3 hours to solve!

My Grandchildren did it in 3 minutes and 2  minutes repectively.......
First Kyle.....

Then Fieron....

Kyle is pretty good at the wooden puzzles too.....

but unfortunately this one got the better of Fieron.....

Oh well..... not today....lol....!!!

Home is where the 'Heart' is!

So what is the heart of your home?




This is mine!

It's an AGA and I love it!

This stove just sits there pumping out heat 24 hours a day.... unlike my previous stove, you don't have to stoke it, clean out the flues or chimney, or take out the ashes (which always used to scatter and fall leaving a trail of dust everywhere). It doesn't belch out smoke, soot or fumes and we don't have to carry in endless supplies of wood and stove nuts! I used to paint my kitchen every year, but with this stove every 2 or 3 years is fine!

This stove is oil fed, now I know maybe it is not so environmentally friendly but after 25 years of carrying fuel and ashes I love that it is oil fed!

Agas were designed in 1922, originally made in Sweden out of cast iron and are still made today the only thing that has changed about them is the ability to burn fuel more economically and there is now a more varied range of colours, ours is a dark royal blue.  We've had this stove for three years now, it only needs to be serviced every 12 - 18 months.  It's actually a refurbished stove and has been totally re-enamelled, so I have done something to save the planet!

You can cook on the top, the Aga’s ovens really look after your food, you can put a casserole in the bottom oven and leave it all day and it will be perfect when you return home cold, wet and tired.You can cook your Christmas turkey over night and it's always lovely and juicy!

I even made quilted hob covers to stop the stainless steel tops from being scratched, my husband calls them hand warmers.

The Aga makes a farmhouse kitchen into what it should be, the heart of your home, always warm and inviting, and over lambing time its also a great place to warm up those cold and weary lambs that just need a little help in front of the Aga to get going!

No affiliation to the company.... On days like today, I just love my Aga!!!

British Summer Time????

What's all that about? 
The clocks changed on Saturday it's official, it should be spring a least!
Look what we woke up to this morning!

I managed to get to work, only just!  I thought about pulling in to let a 4 wheel drive truck pass but then thought that it was safer to let him follow me....maybe he would stop and help if I went of the road???  It's only 6 miles, but mostly on a single track road, I should have stayed home or waited until the road was more used by early morning traffic!

But this is my last work day, I'm off for 2 weeks....'Hooray' what fun, lambing time, tax returns, IACS forms and general farm accounts 'arrhhh....I can't wait'!!

Hope to fit in some quilting time (I have a Yurt panel to quilt, more on that later) and to get a wholecloth designed at least (if not quilted).

This was yesterday...the river is level with the fields!

Quilt Backing!

Don't you just love those charity shops?

I'm always on the look out for fabrics to use for backs of wall hangings and smaller quilts, I don't mind buying a fabric for a bed quilt, I like my bed quilts to be double sided so don't mind spending a bit extra!!!

It's great to find some fabric that is 100% cotton, even better when it's white and can be dyed to a colour of your choice. This one's tone on tone too!  It's a single bed sized duvet cover with matching pillow cases.

I left the pillow cases white for now, trimmed off the seam allowance all around the cover to give two big pieces of fabric....I dyed one solid to match my current project...

The second piece I tray dyed  with two tones of the same colour and got this effect....

I also over dyed  a couple of small pieces from a previous session that were a bit wishy washy and got these, I really the love the multi coloured piece....

There are some really nice pieces of fabric there for £6.00 and they have all been through the washing machine twice already so that's fine!!

It's been a while since I had a dying session but I am already planning another!!!

Judy at "Green Fairy quilts" is having a giveaway!

http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/

Give Judi a visit to have a chance at winning this Happy Camper Jelly Roll

from Moda

Isn't it funny how someone you don't know can influence you!

Well, the first time the question was asked it wasn't directed souly at me, it was easy to say no, "Sorry no, I'm too busy".  I was too busy, I still am too busy!!!
"Anyone interested in quilting a Yurt panel"
I wasn't confused, I knew what a YURT was!
We had a wedding in one of our fields a couple of summers ago, a yurt was put up for the kid's to play in, (I think some guests may have even slept in it) so I knew what a yurt was!
Linzi is the APQS Rep here in the UK, she started a project, a big project to make quilted panels to cover a yurt....the finished project will be shown at the Loch Lomond Quilt Show!!
It's is a BIG project!
Needs lots of time and dedication.... Linzi asked for helpers on the APQS forum.....I am only a newbie to machine quilting with just a humble machine......actually Linzi's old machine....third hand bought off Ebay unseen.....I can't compete with all these wonderful quilters on the APQS forum.....
I've never even met Linzi....don't really even know what she looks like....I am sure that not many people actually look like those avatar photos, no one will recognise me if I am not riding that black horse....lol....
Because I had enquired about an APQS longarm,  Linzi had my address, the panel arrived in the post the next morning....
Did I say Yes?????
Heck, I'm going to be a "Stunt Quilter"!
I'd better practice, quilting practice... designs....oh my!!!
First to get my humble machine to make a good stitch, last time I used it, it drove me crazy, what in the past had been a good thread combination????  This machine is a little temperamental, snaggs on the back, birds nests etc. etc.
I gave it a good clean around the bobbin case, took off the needle plate, blew everything out, got rid of all those dust bunnies, gave her a little oil and a new needle, (she's always oiled regularly anyway)!!!
I put on my best combination of thread, I knew King Tut with any poly blend in the bobbin should work well and did a test run, that was OK no snags or shredding (as long I don't do too much right to left or south to north, how does that work, I know, I know,  feathers go in all directions, but try to go just right to left...arrrhhh???
I thought I'd try some of that Metro thread that Linzi sent, I didn't think it would work, last time I used poly on top it was a headache.....got a bit carried away.....

What do you know, it has a perfect stitch, it's a long time since my machine stitched so well....that thread is so cheap, I  know we have to pay imort duty and vat but it's still cheap.... 'How many boxes will I order?....lol....

You can buy it here Metro Thread 

So I digress, " Isn't it funny how someone you don't know can influence you"???
"Hell... the name Linzi even made my machine stand to attention!!!!

I love this shop window?

I just love this shop window.... what is it I love about it?

It's simple in design!

Is it the fabrics?

Is it the oufits?

   Is it the colours?  

Yes, I think it's the colours, they are everywhere!!!! Look!!!!

And here, beautiful dresses (not the best photo), but look at that stonework!!!

And in Nature!

It's not my most favourite colour but it's pretty close.....

It's Calving time!!!

There is always something going on around here, at the moment it's calving time!

The cows have to be checked regularly throughout the day to make sure there are no complications....

If a cow calves on her own that's just great but often there has to be human intervention, maybe the calf has a leg back or is coming totally backwards, (that's a dangerous situation and has to be dealt with quickly or the calf will die).

Most times everything goes along fine and everyone is happy!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope all you mothers out there have had a wonderful Mother's Day....

It was great to have my Sons home for the day......

"Happy Mothers Day Mum.... Can you fix these chainsaw pants"?.....

"Does he not realise, I am an Artiste"...


That's like asking Picaso to paint the garage!!!!!!

Going Public!

So, I think it's time to spread the word and put myself out there.....

So this is me.........right now.......Sunday morning in casual mode, heck I'm always in casual mode!!!

I've had a few thoughts on this and realise that now I am in the public domain so to speak, I'll have to be more careful what I do...... when you are in the public eye, things get blown up out of all proportion and are not easily forgotton!!!!






So....

• No more late night parties rolling about drunk and coming home with the milk man, (is that a British thing, the milk man)??
• No more talking on the phone while driving???(never do that anyway)....
• No more swanning around on the beach on holiday when I know I could loose 10lbs.....
• No more taking out the trash before I have brushed my hair and put on my mascara.....( you never know when the paparazzi will pop up from behind a bale of hay)....

Hmmm....What things would you change if you were in the public eye?????