Well, she was a thorough seamstress, the lady who made this quilt. The sewing machine set on a tiny tight stitch which is a devil to unpick AND then a zigzag stitch outside of that to stop fraying. Sigh. Unpicking the single row of squares is going to take me a while, but will be worth it. As you can see, I had a little helper . . .
I have been sat here this past half an hour, listening to an excellent podcast about St Kilda, from the diaries of a Vicar's wife (though there is another name for them up in Scotland). She was the schoolteacher. Very interesting. I was surprised at the number of tourist visitors they had back in 1906. The women folk seemed to do ALL the heavy work, in fact pretty well ALL the work whilst their menfolk fished, caught birds (esp. Gannets) and would you believe, made pretty dresses for their wives, whilst sat on the doorstep (bet they had Piles!) The women folk didn't sew but spun wool and knitted stockings which they sold to the tourists. It is a place I have always wanted to visit, after learning about it on my degree course. I think the midges are something fearful though!I am babysitting today whilst Tam and Jon have a day out in Hereford (it's his birthday) and so Rosie and I will have fun here. I am making the most of my quiet start by unpicking the row on the quilt.
When she has her nap I will clean up the tea caddy. I'm looking forward to that. I shall enjoy this cooler weather before the next heatwave arrives . . .
