Wednesday 13 September 2017

Autumn rhythms


I managed a short walk yesterday - the first proper walk for ages.  The hand of autumn is being dragged across the land, and as colours fade and bracken yellows, the seeds of Umbellifers have set.


After the turning point in my walk - I had been delayed chatting to a neighbour, and as the skies were looking a bit threatening, I turned around early and began to head back towards home.  This still all looks very green and verdant.


A slightly out-of-focus photo of Scabious.  It gets its name from the fact it was used to treat Scabies in the past. 


More shades of autumn down along the river.


Three white flowers - an Umbellifer (my botany books are downstairs!), a white Himayalan Balsam to the right, and above the bracken you can just make out the white Bindweed flower.


Back at home, with strong gales forecast, I decided to take the plastic greenhouse  down and put it away for the winter.


Today the postman brought me this book, which I had ordered via Amazon.  It has all the patterns and advice I will need to get a little further with my lace-making, although I can already see where I have gone wrong on the bookmark (Lesson no. 1) which Dawn started me off with.


Finally, Wednesday is the day I go to my patchwork class, and I have started a Pineapple Log Cabin design for my lap quilt, using the beautiful machine-embroidered ladies wot sew which Dawn made for my birthday last year.  I can see I have cut off a corner on the bottom one but this is just for me, so I won't complain.

I have also been working on my patchwork (hexi) shopping bag and got the hexis on both sides now, and also put bias binding on the fray-edge of the linen to stop it fraying back to the zigzag stitch I machined either side.  Photos to follow.

12 comments:

  1. your countryside actually looks very much like ours. I am only now beginning to see some subtle changes as we head into fall. Almost everything I know about sewing, I learned from my mother. Now, thankfully there's the internet. The ladies in our small community do get together once a week for quilting. I love the Pineapple Log Cabin design. Your quilt will be a beauty!

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    1. Hi Chip, sounds like you would feel at home here. The Ash trees being bare of leaves are the first real sign of autumn. The Chestnut trees up the valley will soon be bare too. I am glad for the internet when I am stuck on something but I have to say the patchwork group (just 4 of us plus our teacher) is a little oasis in the week where I can purely concentrate on my sewing, and have a little natter too!

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  2. I'm looking forward to picking up several stitchery projects that have languished over the summer. It has rained here yesterday and today--I dash out between showers to accomplish small outside tasks. I wish there were not two very unpleasant dogs along the way I would like to walk!

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    1. I have to say this group is doing wonders for my sewing confidence and I'm glad I joined. The teacher doesn't believe in easing us in gently. We did a Pinwheel last week - all those points! - and one lady said she made her first quilt last year with this group, and it was a Dresden Plate! Quite an ask. I am now blowing the dust off old quilting magazines and books . . .

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  3. Beautiful photos. Glad you're able to get out and walk again. Love all the craft projects too. I once watched lace being made- so intricate.

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    1. It wasn't much of a walk and since the Chiro I have suffered at night as bits of me are aching from being re-aligned. My knees were so sore last night and I was still awake at 2 a.m. : ( I shall ease it all up walking around town today.

      I have seen lace being made and it looked so daunting that I never thought I could do it!

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  4. Replies
    1. This morning was even busier. I was the designated "gopher" as the Plumber was due first thing.

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  5. Looks a wonderful walk and super photos. Lovely to read of your crafting activities and see the pictures :)

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    1. Just a short local one. I yearn to explore new tracks and footpaths, but need to go a bit further afield for those. Enjoying my crafting.

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  6. So industrious Jennie, I envy your lace-making but it must take a time to learn. The quilt will be so pretty when finished. Following in your footsteps sent off for some blackwork, but it looks very complicated!

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    1. Thelma - enjoy the blackwork project - it's just one stitch at a time after all. And unpickable! That's the joy of lace, easy to go back a couple of moves if you have gone wrong.

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