building houses in the garden

Firstly I thank you for all your comments on my last two post. I am sorry for not answering them individually as I usually do.
As the summer arrived in England last weekend and the temperatures shot up to just below 30C, I came down with some flu like virus, which seems to be doing rounds in our part of the world.

So while it was hot outside, I was shivering inside and all I wanted to do for the first couple of days is just sleep. By mid week I was able to move myself into a shady part of the garden and stitch a little and I started building first house for block 1 of Yoko Saito's Mystery Quilt.

At last the garden is looking as it should in the summer.

More progress on the houses. I have just noticed the wonky chimney, will have to rebuild it!

There is a very good set of instruction videos on YouTube by Quiltmania magazine for each of the blocks of Yoko Saito's quilt. Although in French, they seem to be easy to follow.

I am on the mend now, although still feeling very tired, and going to DH's aunt's funeral yesterday probably did not help the recovery. I hope for a quiet Sunday, so I am well enough to get back to my routine on Monday.

I wish you all a good week ahead!

 Just something I have seen on May Britt's blog. She usually posts a "Saying for Today" and I really like this one:

 

Have a "Broomstick Free" day!

there are houses, and then there are HOUSES

I have always liked quilts with houses and would like to make one, but I had never seen a pattern I really wanted to make ( and I am not clever enough to design my own, it is easier for someone else to do it). But I have found one now and it is definitively challenging enough.

Quiltmania is a French magazine, also published in English, and it is probably my favourite patchwork magazine. It is published only every other month, there is enough interesting articles, but not too many, and enough projects for anybody's taste. Four issues back they started publishing blocks for a Mystery Quilt, design for Quilmania by Yoko Saito. I liked the first block, but I decided to wait and see how it develops. Now I have seen four blocks and I am hooked.

There is plenty of needleturn and reverse applique, not something I have done a lot of, so there is a challenge straight away. The colours of fabrics Yoko is using are typically hers, but I will prefer brighter colours in my quilt, although I like the idea of checks and stripes. So, to my stash to see how much I can put together. No, this is not enough, I just have to go shopping! So this morning I drove to Hansons in Sturminster Newton to look for more fabrics.

Just a note for anyone in that area of Dorset, or anyone travelling to the West Country, it is worth it to make a small detour, it is not often you will see such a huge selection of fabrics. And they have a sale on at the moment,  20% reduction of everything.

This is what I came back with, to add to the selection from my stash. I hope to find some time this weekend to start.

I also hope to re-discover my garden this weekend, as at last we are having some decent weather.

The Jet Stream has moved north (yes, we are all experts on Jet Stream over here now) where it should be this time of year. It being too far south until now was blamed for all that rain we were having last few weeks.

I managed to salvage some of the lavender at least and it is now drying inside.

I have also finished the stitchery for no3 Fernhill BOM and started no4.

 And I have done little more stitching on the Indigo quilt (middle and right in the picture).

I must also show you a birthday present I got from my children in May, just before our holiday.

KnitPro set of circular knitting needles with interchangeable wooden tips. I prefer to knit on circular needles now, because the weight is not on hands. I really wanted this set and I will put it to a good use over time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

life's a journey

It was probably the wording on the pattern's stitchery which got my attention first of all,

"Life's a journey - take time to smell the flowers along the way!"

I think this so true. May be you need to be of a "certain age" to appreciate the importance and the meaning of those words. Anyway, I thought I would like to make this wall hanging for my DD's 40th birthday, which was yesterday. So this is my "secret project". I got the pattern in May, and with the holiday coming up, I had to get my skates on and get the stitchery ready to take with me to stitch on holiday. I chose brighter colours for my wall hanging.

And here it is, a present finished just in time.

For anyone interested in the pattern, it is by "House On The Hill" design company, for the link click here.

no change in weather

It is official, the hosepipe band has been lifted in all area where it was still in force. You can't help but smile.

And still more rain. More flood warnings. Still no summer.

Our beautiful Dublin Bay rose being hammered by the rain earlier today,

and half an hour later as wonderful as ever. A real survivor.

I finished a stitchery for the second part of Fernhill BOM.

I am behind, part 3 arrived while I was away and part 4 came today. I am enjoying these little stitcheries, but I am also still working on a secret project, which I hope to show you soon.

another wet week

A quick visit to the garden at Barrington Court yesterday. We were lucky enough to do this between showers and enjoy the ever changing picture.

Lucky indeed, as 20 minutes later we were driving away in a heavy rain, with windscreen wipers on the highest speed.

Red flood alert has been issued for our region and mainly to the west of us, Devon and Cornwall.

I feel sorry for all those spending their holidays on the campsites and caravan sites there, or anyone whose home has been flooded.

I ventured into our soggy garden today, where the rain water is standing in the flower borders. The lavender should be harvested, but I need a dry day for that!

Amazingly, the roses keep on flowering and putting on a show, some clematis, but not much else.

 

 

But this beauty is living inside, where it is warm and dry.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Enjoy your weekend!

July Sunday

July, really? Are you sure?
Monday morning and we have more of the same - RAIN, RAIN, RAIN! At the moment they are not promising us anything else, something to with the Jet stream being too far south for this time of year. Whatever.....

So the little break in the cloud yesterday was more then welcome and we could go on our usual Sunday morning walk in the forest.

to watch the bumble bee working ever so hard,

to look for wild orchids and pick tiny wild strawberries.

By the afternoon - more rain. Back inside...

You can't beat the smell of fresh baking on a wet Sunday afternoon,

apricot cake

and enough bread for the week.

 

I wish you all a very good week!