our glorious summer

still continues, it seems well settled in; at least for now. And we are making most of it, DH and I have taken to living outside, as much as we can. The housework is suffering, while we are making the most of our new seating area.

The 2 garden mirrors are a new addition to our cosy corner, showing us a different view of our small garden.

We celebrated Midsummer here, late into the evening, in Scandinavian way - with  new potatoes with dill, sill (pickled herring to you and me), snaps... and strawberries of course.

A short visit to Vintage Textile Fair in Frome on Saturday morning,

yielded just some very small purchases

and a couple of nice Indian Kantha embroideries on sari silk.

Not much stitching going here, hot hands....., but I will show you the parts of my indigo quilt already stitched.

Oh yes, I did make my Summer jam, using a mixture of summer fruits currently in the shops.

Thank you for stopping by, have a good week!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2014

just little stitching

Our summer arrived fully last week, with some hot days, but still not warm enough nights. We still don't seem to have those warm evenings, when we can just linger in the garden late into the night, with a glass of wine. But who is complaining? Lets be grateful for this, and it is said to last for at least another few days yet.

But it is definitively "stitching in the garden" weather, only nothing too heavy, as hands get hot.

Time to get out my "play cloth", it is the first time it has seen the light of day since our move last year.

I started this quilt after seeing Tiggy's indigo quilt at her workshop, some 3 years ago (3 years? is it possible?) The fabrics also came from Tiggy, as have the threads I am using today.

This is ideal hot weather stitching, simple, with no rules. Just playing.

Some machine sewing inside in the evening. I have finished all 4 Season Chicken blocks, so it is time to work on the borders. I like flying geese, I think there is always something cheerful about them.

Lazy days in the garden also call for a good book. This is the one I have just finished, "The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul", by Deborah Rodriguez - story of five women, from very different backgrounds, brought together by a fate in a small cafe. Very good book, DH who got to the book before me, agrees.

When I read a book like this, I realise how lucky I was to be brought up to be independent and equal, to be educated, not having to fight for my education, in fact something I always very much took for granted; it was my right.

I am now tempted to get her first book.

Slowly the plants in our new garden start to bloom, and the rose bed in the front, planted during the worst winter wet, is doing fine.

Thank you for your company; I hope you will have a good week!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2014

computer "fun", little bit of fame and some pictures

What a week!

But first, I am sorry I haven't replied to those who commented on my last post, as I normally do. I am sure you will understand why, when you read today's post.

It was going to be so simple, just an upgrade on my virus software. The new version deletes the old one, before installing an upgrade. All well and good so far. Only, the new version could not be installed on my computer, but by now, the old one was deleted, which left my computer without a protection. On-line support tried to help, but I just could not get to the bottom of it. I spent days trying to figure out what went wrong, finally realizing, that in the process I deleted something I shouldn't had  (how is still a mystery). As anyone using computers knows, trying to work out things for yourself is very, very time consuming.

I made countless system restore ( very much trial and error here), determined to fix it this myself. 

Lets just make clear here that I am very good at pressing buttons, 

but with little technical know-how why I am doing it!

I got there in the end, my upgrade was installed and doing its job (I hope), hurrah! Only to find out that I could not log on to Google or my blog, which means not being to able to look up their Help page either.

I will not bore you any more, it is fixed now and I can chat with you again, 

but I feel I have lost a week of my life!

Little bit of fame?

Here I have to say "thank you" to Catherine from Knotted Cotton for letting me know, that my blog is listed in the latest issue of the British Patchwork and Quilting magazine, in their "wandering the web" page.

This is the second time of fleeting magazine fame, some three years ago my letter with the picture of my embroidered cushion was published in the Australian "Inspirations" magazine.

 The latest issue of "Quilting for You" magazine arrived this weekend, and whose picture do I see in there?

No, not mine (that would be pushing my luck, LOL), but one of "our" Sue. Actually, it is quite a long article about Shipton Quilters. And I have enjoyed seeing some of the quilts from your own collection, Sue.

Needless to say that the whole week left me quite exhausted and a visit to Stourhead was so welcome!

This is a wonderful time of year to visit, probably the best for colour (although the autumn colour is not to be missed either).

After a week of rain, the garden was fresh and green... well just see the pictures.

I can share the pictures, but I can't share the mixed scent of demp woods, rhododendrons and azalea blossom.

I will pop in soon!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2014