Keep right on to the end of the road…

Walking is my all absorbing passion these days.  I would say old lady style walking but the 80 year old ladies I have walked with can run rings round me.  Beginner walking perhaps?  Meaning if a slope is any steeper than the disable ramp into the library I will be descending it on my bottom.  (The bottom shuffle was a technique I perfected as a child.)

Like most pastimes it is advisable to dress appropriately.  Definition of appropriate dress depends on with whom you are walking.  To sensible people it means comfortable, wind and weather proof.  to the Jones it means the correct labels.  Fortunately I am never able to keep up with the Jones so they can’t read my labels from a distance.

My good buddy The Limping Cyclist posts a view from her bike on her Twitter feed.  I am a reluctant photographer but I intend to give anyone who is interested a view from my walk……starting soon.  Not soon enough unfortunately because yesterday’s walk took me through magical, dripping green fairy dells on the Island of Bute.  Next time I’ll have my Hasselblad with me.

Ooops, pardon me for label dropping.

Turning my fingers green

I've been Rambling up many a hill since I spoke to you last and even made myself a water bottle holder.  That's been my only sewing project although the workroom had been tidied with a bit of a dress making spree in mind.

What has been taking up most of my time is my new allotment.  All raised beds so no digging.  People plant very picturesquely in anything that will hold some soil.  All manner of bags and totes.  I planted in my knitted plastic bag last night.  Plenty of holes for drainage.

I took over an existing bed of tomatoes, courgettes, beetroot and onion and have added some leeks and lettuce and planted out my tatties (Scottish potatoes) for Christmas in patio bags.  I was bemoaning the fact that wooden fish boxes no longer exist and a kind friend made me one.  I planted some herbs in it although it as very shallow, this being the nature of a fish box.

I am a complete novice to this lark but the joy of allotment gardening is the community and the shared knowledge.  I’m down there every night at the moment, hoovering up as much knowledge as I can.  My dear, sweet partner keeps pointing out to me that it’s not brain surgery, nobody dies if you get it wrong.

Tell that to the courgettes!

You are old, Father William,”

You are old, Father William,” the young man said,
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head –
Do you think, at your age, it is right?”

I’ve been tidying my workroom in preparation for making this jacket. I can almost see my work table now.  It will happen soon.

The design doesn't make you gasp at it's fabulousness but it's the construction I'm interested in.  You can wear it upside down.  I've just made a cardigan like that out my head.  Thought if I had these pattern pieces I could raid my scrap box and maybe combine with knitting and make all manner of weird gear.  Going to make the straightforward version first with some fabric I 'acquired'.  Very lovely light wool.  Must have cost a fortune!  Found it in the scrap box at a quilting group I went to briefly.

It has exposed, bound seams which is something I’ve never attempted before.  Lots of Utube help available of course.  I also have a fabulous old sewing manual, Singer Illustrated Dressmaking Guide.  It has line drawings of elegant ladies in day dresses and says things like ‘….ragged edges are inexcusable.’ 

But mon Dieu!  Today ragged edges are de rigueur!

Not half the woman

I was rummaging about in my collage box and I found these photocopies of the back of a stitched piece I made and sold years ago.  An arrangement where they are not perfectly matched spoke to me about the situation I now find myself in, a member of the chronic pain gang.

Not complaining, just saying is all.

The photocopies are pretty tattered.  I’m going to see if I can re-copy them to clean them up.

Every brick in the walk

My little mono chrome children are sitting high on a brick wall.  Arguably it might have been a smart idea to prepare the background first but don’t you just hate smart ideas?

I tried to Bondaweb everything except their legs.  That didn’t work.  So I Bondawebbed the leg free bit and laid down some ripped fabrics.  Then I Bondawebbed the fabric I was applying rather than the background and am engaged in cutting it free hand a fitting it around the legs.  Seems to be working after a fashion. 

Next step is to place a sheer fabric over the wall, stitch it down and burn it back.  Plenty of scope for disaster yet!

Welcome to my cabin

Been having a patchwork moment as a gift for my sister in law. My good buddy Sandy may recognise some of these fabrics as she generously donated them to my stash.

This little exercise has made me go read some of my quilting books again. My two current favourites are about stitching to dye and painting quilts. This is where I would like to be heading.

Danger Woman at Work

I’ve been stitching this afternoon. (Swoons in amazement!).  I must have started this last year.  You’ll recognise the first two kids from the blog header. There is an exhibition which happens every year.  It’s like Christmas.  You'll find me running about the week before as if the fact it falls on 25th December was news to me.

Same deal with this exhibition .  It falls on the same date every year the precursor to which is my  headless chicken routine.  Perhaps I need to the sound of deadline whooshing by to inspire me?

If, like me, you were a child of the 60’s in the UK, please tell me what was the name of those brown sandals with the thick crepe soles all the children are wearing in the photo I’m working from.  Ah,those were the days, when you had a choice of one shoe (or rather two shoes, one brand).  I think they were Clark’s  Sun-i-pat sandals, or something along these lines.  If anyone can confirm I'd be obliged

Hot Buttered Seaglass

Pancakes loomed large at the recent sea glass workshop.Earrings were the focus of the day. We made necklaces last time and most people were wearing theirs. Nice to complete the set with a pair or earrings.

The pair thing was a bit of a challenge. Every tried to find two bits of identical broken bottle randomly abraded by the sea over many years?

Personally I’ve always been a fan of odd earrings.

My favourite canal

I’ve been having root canal work done on my teeth.  I hate dentists but I love MY dentist.  Hhhhhmmm, Freudian!

Off to teach a seaglass jewellery workshop this morning.  Should be okay.  No chewing involved.  Not unless someone has forgotten their scissors.

Saw a great tip for cutting wire the other day.  Think it was the Crochet  Crowd vidcast  The tip was to cut your wire with your nail clippers.  Saves trashing your scissors.  In fact I believe this could be the self same implement my dentist used on me yesterday.  Maybe he left them in there? 

Open wide.

Beads!

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You don’t need me to tell you times is tough right now.  I’ve taken to making a lot more of my own jewellery for my little shoppee and I do love buying gemstones.  My good buddies took me to the Edinburgh Bead Fair for the first time recently where I spied some irresistible Picasso Jasper.  Large beads as a rule are too heavy to form a necklace in the normal way but one stone on its own can look stunning.  Each one of these looks like a little landscape or seascape………to me, but obviously not to the person who drilled them.  The result is I have quite a few landscapes and seascapes rotated at a 45 degree angle.  Horizon vertical instead of horizontal. Guess that it makes it the verrison?

Was wondering what to do about my gemstone dilemma when this book came to my attention.   I’m teaching myself how to attach a silver bail to the stone,  bringing the horizon back to a less dizzying angle.

I run workshops about how to wrap sea glass with silver wire.  I have one happening this Saturday.  So far I haven’t offered any of my wire wrapped jewellery for sale.  I’ll be interested to see if it takes anyone’s fancy.

I’ve finally managed to get Livewriter to work properly and insert photos for me.  Maybe this will revitalise my blogging life which has faded to a shadow of it’s former self.  Unlike me, I’m pleased to say.  I’m fit as a flea, or at least a flea with a sore bum.  After investigating the world of chronic pain I realise I am extremely fortunate and much blessing counting is called for.   Red or grey?  Whatcha reckon?

Never enough tea

Don’t you find? Never a tea cup big enough for your requirements?  I like one I can bathe in.  Even if it is only  up to my waist.  Cheers!