Tuesday 28 June 2016

It started with a cold shower

But first my very slow progress with the applique work. I knew I wouldn't get nearly as much done, but not quite how much a puppy restricts your sewing time. It is flat, but it was too hard to leave Rupert and take a photo on the design wall. There are periods whilst he sleeps but rather like a mother with a new baby, that is the precious time you get things done.

Darling Rupert likes to eat everything, all the time, everything..... and when he isn't trying to eat it, he he trying to make love to it..... sigh. He will grow out of this phase...
And he is too adorable to be angry with him.


 So getting back to the cold shower. On the 20th May whilst I had a lovely day at Malvern, my husbands shower went cold. He called the plumber out but couldn't get the part until the Monday. This part wasn't guaranteed to work but it was worth trying. And it didn't.  Our utility/laundry room is small and it has an American fridge/freezer as well as the boiler, a blocked off door to the side walkway of the house with some kitchen worktop as a cat feeding station, and shelving. Impossible to get a clear shot of it but here is a limited view.
The death of the boiler gave us the opportunity to have an outside one to release a bit more space indoors, so I could have a bigger freezer.
This is what it looked like with the flooring ripped up and a temporary cat feeding table.
My sitting room has an American fridge freezer smack bang in the middle of it.

And then completely empty. It is small....

Meanwhile the dining area looks like a cross between a bomb going off and a yard sale.
The replacement flooring went down today. Tomorrow the new fridge and freezer should arrive. Wednesday with a fair wind the washing machine and dryer will be re plumbed in and if it rains (please pray for rain) the cat feeding station will be adapted and go back into place.
Four and a half weeks of chaos and a new puppy and wet weather...


The above was written yesterday. This morning very early, the new fridge and freezer arrived. The plumber came to plumb in the washing machine and tomorrow Andy will come to refit the cat feeding station. I long for life to get back to normal..... :-)



And that is without my country going into suicide mode with Brexit. It has broken my heart. I feel I never really knew my fellow countrymen. We even looked at living elsewhere but it seems all countries have a major flaw or two so we'll stay put.... Canada seems nice but I have no idea of the criteria of getting in and it is so far away from London and Fliss. Dublin sounded great for a few minutes until you remember their laws on women's issues.... The Mediterranean is too hot... America has its guns.....  I still keep hoping there is some way out of this mess.

Thursday 23 June 2016

More from Malvern and puppy

My happy haul. It is surprisingly difficult to buy reproductions here in the UK but this group has kept me happy. That red will be brilliant for the binding of the Di Ford Mystery quilt.

I always buy John James needles when I see them and they do bulk discount at shows.


Click on this lady's work. Juanita Buchan. Not quilting in my eyes but very fine machine embroidery and it was a joy to see it up close.







And Rupert, how could I not show you a photo of my darling boy. He is starting to fluff up and gets more gorgeous by the day.

And a little video here of him going slightly insane with a rattle. I only let him have it for 5 minutes a day or it drives me insane. Without the volume, he looks quite cute, with it, the yapping can drive you insane.
A video posted by Sally Bramald (@featheronawire) on



Jane found this Velasquez painting of him. You do know he is a time traveller?


Wednesday 1 June 2016

More from Malvern, Quilts UK 2017

I liked this quilt very much. It seems the simple 'cheat' of using quilts from the same manufacturer means the colours blend so well. 'Granny Squares' by Elizabeth Ingram and longarmed by her too. It was in the Charity Fundraising Quilts section. In memory of her father.




Liz Jones' quilt, All Things Bright and Beautiful. Liz is well known for her satin stitch applique and wins regularly on both sides of the Atlantic.


Another satin stitch applique. A Florentine Fantasy by Jeanette Orr based on a Florentine Table in Copenhagen.

 This is a super quilt. It needs help to hang well I think. I would have been tempted to add some tapes for it to hang with. Made by Birgit Schuller and longarm quilted.


Four Seasons in Roman Britain by Helen Burnham. Original design.

Rupert is growing and I am doing things during his sleeps.... he wants and needs to chew everything which makes life a tad difficult.....
When he is not nibbling everything, he is the most delightful creature on the planet.