October in and out

 "Sunshine and Showers" blanket - finished!

It is always good to have another warm blanket at this time of year.

I loved making it; 

now I have to find something else to crochet! 😧

Lots of progress in Blooming Springtime - the borders done;

one last press, 

and I am ready to hand quilt!

It is a good time of year to have a quilt on my lap.

I am also pleased with the backing fabric, it picks out lots of shades from the top.

Autumn arrived in the garden.

We like to think of ourselves as experienced gardeners, but this year's summer was a challenge.

Our "English Cottage" style garden wasn't standing up to the hot summer very well. 

We have 4 water butts to store water, but there wasn't any rain to fill them up.

So, some changes are in progress; we are experimenting with "Mediterranean" style planting.

We have started with the smallest flower bed; mixed in lots of grit for better drainage and planted out with plants which don't need too much water, putting our small olive tree in the middle (but still keeping it in a large pot). 

We covered the surface with gravel to keep moisture in.

It all looks very small at the moment, but hopefully will bush out next year.

 The English winter will be a test in itself, and of course there is a possibility that next summer will not be hot, but wet English one 😉 

I plan to create a new herb area in the spring, using the same method.

I like having a new interest in the garden.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2022

and it is September...

..........where has the summer gone? August seemed to have flown by; and last it felt like normal summer month, with just one very brief hot spell in the middle, nothing as bad as July.

I am asking myself - what have I done this summer? Precious little - is the answer. This wasn't the summer of  usual "stitching in the garden" weather, mostly too warm to handle any work.

Ours was a summer of reading - many, many books passed through our house, while trying to find the coolest spot in the house. Some books bought, borrowed or simply from our bookshelves re-read.

Too may to list, but some to be definitively recommended. 

We are having some rain at last, although not nearly enough, 

but enough for the garden recover just a little.

   

The other morning it looked like someone covered the garden in a pearly veil.

Since the weather cooled down, I managed to finish all four parts of 

the Sunshine and Showers blanket, which are now waiting to be joined together.

In one way I am sorry this has come to the end, 

because I have really enjoyed the challenge of various stitches.

Also, a big progress on the Blooming Springtime quilt - 

last night I finished the main part, with all those small applique blocks. 

I am very pleased about that, it was starting to haunt me.

 Now for the border, which will also be time consuming - 58 of these to applique.

You know the feeling when you get to this point - I am starting to see the end of this quilt!

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2022

July round-up

August tomorrow! Where does the time go?

Very quiet month in my world; 

when summer really arrived, my sewing room abandoned as we moved outside; 

There was a short (thankfully!) heat wave in the middle of the month. This was the only place to be, trying to stay cool; early breakfasts outside and a jug of mint tea in the fridge ( I find this so cooling),

 the rest of the days just doing very little, only reading, no energy for anything else. I found myself in the garden at 3 am, the only place to find some respite at that time of night.

That's gone (for now), we are back to what could pass as normal summer over here, including a Sunday drizzle today.

The garden suffered this month, although we tried to keep it alive, using any waste water from the kitchen (and as little tap water as we could), but it is all looking little parched now.

We have four water butts, collecting rain water coming off the roofs, 

but they are just not being replenished at the moment.

It has been a great weather for lavender.

These pictures are from little earlier in the month just before the heat wave.

So, very little sewing, just a very small progress in sewing another Blooming Springtime block.

With evening cooling down, I am now addicted to crochet; Sunshine and Showers blanket progressing very well; this is made in 4 parts, later to be joined together.

I know I have neglected the blog world, it has been too warm to sit in front of a screen, but I will come and see you soon ! 

You just have to forgive me...........

I hope you have a good week!

pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2022

June update

At last we have been having something which could be called summer weather 

and our garden is loving it.

I have been spending lots of time here, so not much time in front of small screens, 

but is is time for a little catch up.

I have ditched sewing for the time being, because I fell in love with

Janie Crow's "Sunshine an Showers" blanket, now CAL, 

which you can see on her Instagram page , 

and her website of course.

There are also monthly YouTube videos, with the introduction one by Jane here .

Jane used Stylecraft Special DK for her design, but I prefer something with wool, so I am using different yarns, either wool or with some wool element, Stylecraft Life DK and Drops yarns, and also some from my stash.

Some days had been too warm for woolly stuff,

but mostly it is OK. 

I am enjoying it so much that I am well ahead of CAL.

It is nice to crochet in rows for a change, instead of squares.

The blanket is made in sections, below are the two end pieces.

The weather here is also mixture of sunshine and light showers at the moment, so that hasn't been too bad for this year's Glastonbury Festival , the first one since 2019, which is just down the road from us,

in fact so close that we can here the music in the evenings,

(not well enough to enjoy it, of course!)

I just leave you with some pictures from our garden.

This is "Gabriel Oak" from Davis Austin, 

named after the character in Thomas Hardy's novel 

"Far from the Madding Crowd".

It is a beautiful one, with very strong old fashion rose scent.

We are growing it in a pot, close to the bench, it seems to be very happy, and we can enjoy it too.

"No room at the inn" - see below, which I am very pleased about; I have been accused recently not caring enough about wildlife. Considering that we planted some eight trees (and put up nesting boxes) in this tiny garden since we moved in and looking around here we are the only ones doing so, for some reason not many people like trees in their gardens here.

 We encouraged a hedgehog to our garden by building him a super home, so that remark was hurtful and did come as a disappointment.

Our little and simple celebration of Midsummer (a habit we picked up from our Scandinavia friends) was also a success, 

because it usually rains, but this time it turned out to be perfect summer evening.

 

Little baking, one of our favourite summer cakes, 

apricot squares.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2010-2022