I blardy hope so. Falling out of love with sleeping on the sofa. Was awake 2 hrs in the middle of the night before it was cool enough upstairs to go to bed and then I didn't wait until 8.30 so such a late start to my day (which has been 5.30ish for the past few weeks). There is at least a good breeze today and some clouds. 18 deg at present. I can cope with that. Humidity 83% though. Not so good. We seem to have missed the lively theatre of storms and wowzer lightening which went through Thursday night/early hours Friday morning. No rain either.
I didn't go to the monthly Friday meeting of the Spinners/Weavers/Dyers as I can't drive when it's that hot and so I hid indoors again. Tbh, I don't think it's for me as they are all so passionate about it all and I just wanted to learn a few things. One lady had been going 6 mths and hadn't a clue how to spin, so I assume they aren't terribly helpful. Instead I put some Boiled Linseed oil on one of the little chairs and it is greatly improved already, having been in the dipping tank which does no wood any good whatsoever. Another coat today and tomorrow and then some wax polish to finish it off.
I now have 42 blocks sewn. I intended to do a few more yesterday but got sidetracked by other jobs which needed doing. One thing I couldn't face was potting on tomatoes nor moving cucumbers (I have lots!) or Tam's Cantaloupe melons up to the polytunnel, which I cleared out recently. Perhaps today. Happy to work in RAIN today!!
I finished reading Kate Ellis' book The Funeral Boat. Now I'm on The Mechanical Devil which is set on Dartmoor. Nice light reading. I did a bit of stitching on my Intuitive Stitching panel last night, just making up a design as I went long, as kj Turner does.
I'll show some more from the top row tomorrow.
Now I had better get a return slip for the absolutely crappy "2 oz" batting I bought on Amazon. They show a roll and then it comes as probably pulled out of a pillow. Now, you think I would have learned my lesson before . . . Will HAVE to go to Doughtys for the batting for two quilts.
Spinning. I envied you having the only spinning wheel expert in the country but mended my own one the other day so feel good. Now my sewing machine isn't working and must tackle that. Poor woman still not spinning after 6 months must hopefully learn by herself, maybe she is l/h like me.
ReplyDeleteWell done. If you were to get in touch with your local spinners and weavers guild, I am sure they could recommend someone closer to you!
DeleteI hope it's just a case of cleaning your sewing machine, but if not most towns have a sewing shop where they can put you in touch with someone to fettle it. Here you go: https://www.sewingmachineserv.co.uk/sewing-machine-service-todmorden.html
She was just grabbing chunks about 6" long and "spinning" them to make hugely chunky wool. I tried to show her the trenique of drawing the thread but she didn't try for long. Perhaps it's just not her skill in life. I was put out as one of the top dogs told me my spinning wheel was round the wrong way. Ahem, it was just where I had plonked it after climbing steps with it and needing to put it down. I wasn't using it, I was trying to get going on the spindle. As I said, all SO passionate and yet to me it is more of an interest.
Cooler here as well though it did hit over 37c here yesterday. Poor dog does not know what to do with herself. The work we are having done on the house has been but back three days because of the heat and it's not looking good for when it is being done now. Too dam hot
ReplyDeleteYou can get cool collars for dogs which you put in the freezer and then they wear. My friends' dog has quite a thick coat and these seem to help him.
DeleteI'm nor surprised the job on the house has been put back - hope it doesn't then go on and pour all next week! 37 degrees - I thought it was bad here at 27!!
We had the storm here in mid Pembs - a humdinger! It's supposedly cooler here today with a strong wind, but still uncomfortably hot moving around. I think there's so much residual heat in everything.
ReplyDeleteWe have a refreshing breeze today so I am able to get things done. Think I have lost the best grown of my new raspberry canes, despite watering. Leaves have browned and shrivelled, poor things.
DeleteThanks for identifying the Meadowsweet - I’ve often wondered what that plant is
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon.
It's such a pretty flower. Much used by our ancestors.
DeleteThat chair is looking beautiful, are you tempted to keep it, I know I would be. Somehow the thunder and lightening, and much longed for rain skirted all around us twice yesterday. I was very disappointed. ☹️
ReplyDeleteNo room at the inn. Truly This and the other one currently stacked in corners in the crowded Utility room. Sorry you missed out on rain too.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a Dunelm anywhere near you they do sell cotton/poly wadding. Not 100% natural, but the best of a bad job I suppose. They might sell online, thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteCooler but very windy here today which is bringing the Feels Like temperature down five degrees to15
Yes there's one in Hereford. I have bought from them on line though. May have to make the quilt smaller as it is queen size. Batting cheaper as king size!
DeleteWindy here too, and glad temp was only 23 or so today. I could move around, and the floor tiles aren't wet from humidity . . .
It is a bit cooler here today but not much. Temperature in our bedroom now 28 not 32 degrees! Very humid here too. Roll on tomorrow when hopefully it will be cooler. No thunderstorms or rain here.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a super job on the chair.
I think Meadowsweet is such a lovely flower and interesting to read what you say about its history.
I am hoping I will be able to sleep upstairs all of tonight. I have been on the sofa till 4 ish, when it is cool enough to crawl into bed. Chair looking better today. I am waiting for my carpenter to make a back splat for the other one.
DeleteYour Meadowsweet is beautifully white, I think the dry weather here has made some I saw down the road really dirty coloured - dust I expect.
ReplyDeleteA bit cooler today thankfully, but only a rumble of thunder around 4am and small shower . Suffolk was the hottest place yesterday - probably touched 98F which sounds hotter than 36.9!
Yes, it's on the side of the lane, which is reasonably busy, but tractors tend to be cutting hay/silage, verges, hedges later on. Not so much ploughing round here.
ReplyDelete98 deg is too darn hot.
18C is chilly! But the humidity can make it hard to sleep...the bedding feels wet and clammy. We may get hot here next week, I ll have to get the AC going. Humidity usually around 95% here by the water.
ReplyDeleteThe chair looks lovely!
Maybe you should befriend the lady who has not yet been helped to learn how to spin? I have never found guilds and groups to be welcoming, the quilt guild my friend and I tried to join as young moms was so rude and cold shouldered us. Expensive too.
I didn't see a pic of the new house quilt, must look again to see iif yo have posted it?
lizzy gone to the beach...
14 here at 6.30 a.m. this morning. Bliss after the heat wave! Raining a bit too. The garden will be sucking up that moisture. Needless to say, we don't have A/C here in homes. Shops, yes. Gabby dreaded going back to her baking hot flat after a day of A/C where she works.
DeleteThe chair's coming along nicely.
I was talking to the lady who couldn't spin. THink she may give up on attending and I don't blame her. I may go on day courses run by a lady and her daughter that I follow on Instagram. She does all the things I am interested in, without getting excited about spinning rabbit hair!!
If you're having these quilts machine quilter, you may want to ask your longarmer about batting. Often they buy in bulk and have a preferred brand [but you can specify]. They charge for the batting of course but only what they use. I find it very efficient/ cost effective that way... My quilter also gives me the cutaway bits that I then piece together for little ''doll'' quilts etc. I also specify 100% cotton thread; some machine quilters use clear or colorless nylon or polyester to blend better, but I find that harsh and too plasticky.
ReplyDeleteIt's Alex, at our QUilting group, who does the group's long arm quilting. I know she has 6 private jobs to do at present, so there's a queue. I will try and go on Weds but that is when I am also "elsewhere" so juggling needed!
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