Amanda's Musings

Just in time

2009-12-21T23:10:00.002Z

I started this back in August, at a workshop held at Midsomer Quilting, but then it came to a standstill. I was determined to get it finished for this Christmas, so set to last week and finished the blocks, then quilted it over the weekend. All it needs is a label, but that's going to have to wait until it comes down off the wall.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-21T08:28:00.003Z

Although the Christmas decorations went up last week, and I've been sewing Christmassy do-dads for some time now it hadn't been feeling all that Christmassy yet. But the Christmas spirit is now firmly with us.

On Saturday evening we went to the local amateur Pantomime, Avast Behind. It was great fun, very traditional, with a man playing the Dame, a girl playing Principal Boy, a ballet (children and men in tutus), plenty of songs, topical and local jokes, and lots of bad puns. I know that Pantomime is a very English phenomenon, but do you go to see anything similar?

Yesterday we watched A Christmas Carol, with Alastair Sim as Scrooge, on the television. There hasn't been a single Christmas since I was about six that I haven't read the story (or had it read to me by my father when I was a child), so I'd better get down to it a bit smartly.

Last night, we walked down to the village church for the candle lit Carol Service. We'd had a light sprinkling of snow and we had to cling on to each other because it was rather slippery. The church was freezing - all part of the magic of Christmas - so we all sang our hearts out to try and keep warm. Afterwards we went back to a neighbour's for a drink before returning home for supper.

And this morning I awoke to even more snow. Nothing like they've had in the South East of course, but enough. So I'm now tucked up warmly in bed with a cup of tea, whilst writing this and I'm about to start making lists of the food I'm planning over the Christmas period, and a shopping list of what we still need.

In case I don't get back again in the next day or so I'd like to wish every one of you a very Happy Christmas.

Happy Belated Birthday Number Two

2009-12-20T09:17:00.003Z

I'm feeling rather guilty. I seemed to have lots of time at the beginning of December and was able to wish Number One Son a happy birthday on my blog on the correct day. Things seem to have sped up a bit and I completely forgot to blog a happy birthday to Number Two Son last Thursday. Poor Alexander, it's always been a bit like that for his birthday, though we've always tried our best to keep it a bit special and separate from Christmas. He was actually due on Christmas Day but had the sense to turn up a week early.

He's 26 now, but he still has a wonderfully childlike joy in life. He lives in Brighton with his partner, where he's working incredibly hard to make a living as a DJ, working just two days a week in a local pub to help make ends meet. The photograph was taken at the Movida Corona National DJ Finals, where he was one of the last 5 out of 500 entrants. We're so proud of the way he's grown up. He was pretty hard work in many ways when he was a youngster, as he had ADHD and was pretty frenetic. But he was always loving, happy and wonderful to be with. He still is. Sorry it's late, son, but Many Happy Returns.

That's more like it!

2009-12-15T08:12:00.006Z

We finally got the doors back for our multi-fuel stove. They'd had to be sent back to the manufacturers to be repaired, so we've had no heating in our kitchen this winter. Luckily, it's been fairly mild up until the last few weeks, when it's been perishing in there. But oh, how toasty warm it is now. At last I'll be able to sit out there, listen to the radio and stitch in the afternoons.

The trick now will be to learn how to keep it in overnight. It went out last night, but the kitchen was still warm when I went down this morning, and it only took a few minutes to light it again.

I'm sure I've made lots more little Christmas decorations, but this seems to be the only one I've photographed.

We've managed to find a new home for the Christmas quilt that I made last year, and it still looks wonderful. Well worth all the effort.

We bought our Christmas tree yesterday and put it up in a corner of the lounge; it's a larger tree than we've been able to have before which is great, and, oh, the smell of fresh pine that greeted me when I opened the lounge door this morning. I've discovered that it's impossible to photograph a Christmas tree well. I've taken about twenty shots, but without the lights on it looks dull, using the flash with the lights on it looks equally dull, not using the flash makes it look garish. And you can't seen the ornaments however you do it! Still, it looks lovely, and will look even better once the presents are around it.

Decorating the Christmas tree is a job I've always kept for myself, though I let the boys help when they were younger of course. It's a time for me to remember the past, my parents and grandparents, Christmases when I was young, and more recent Christmases when my sons were young. We've got decorations from my mother's childhood, as well as those we've bought and made each year and each one carries its own memories. Magic.

A visit from Santa

2009-12-11T17:38:00.002Z

Last night we were just settling down to watch some television, when we heard loud, blaring music along the road. We went outside to find that the local Rotary Club were doing their usual charity collection. Santa was in a glass walled trailer being towed along. It's not much of a picture I'm afraid, the car didn't stop and I didn't have enough of a 'window' between the trees to take more than one picture. But the racket! You could hear it for ages, playing loud and tinny versions of Christmas songs and carols.

On Wednesday evening we treated ourselves to a visit to the Theatre Royal in Bath, to see a performance of Pride and Prejudice. Susan Hampshire (English readers will certainly know who she is) was playing Mrs Bennett. It was a highly amusing production, full of little gags and business which really brought out the themes of the book. Great fun.

Today Christopher went off to stay with his sister over night. Tomorrow he has a professional engagement to play Father Christmas for the day at the Burberry's store in Knightsbridge. From 10.00 am to 6.00pm. He's really going to earn his money; can you think of anything worse than being visited by a constant stream of excited children for eight hours! Then he's going to his old running club's Christmas party (if he can still stand by that time) where our elder son is running the disco. Then on Sunday he's going running with the club, then coming home for a well deserved rest. I think he'll be on his knees by then.

I'm having a quiet weekend at home, just me and the cat. I've got a couple of girlie films to watch (Ballet Shoes and Lost in Austen) and plenty of sewing. Bliss.

Our weekend

2009-12-07T07:26:00.004Z

We returned yesterday evening from a lovely weekend away. We set off on Friday in Ronnie (our camper van) arriving in Brighton at about 3.30pm. It was beginning to get dark by then, so we were glad to get settled quickly. We haven't used the van in the winter before, and were delighted to find how well the heater worked and with the blinds down on all the windows we quickly became very cosy. After supper, a one-pot chicken casserole, we spent the evening listening to the radio and I did some sewing. (This photograph is from the internet and shows the camp site in summer)

On Saturday we had a leisurely start and then called a taxi to take us to Number Two Son's house, where we delivered Christmas presents for his partner, and a birthday present for Alexander, whose birthday is on the 17th. Shortly after we got there Number One Son arrived. It's the first time since August that they've seen each other. The four of us then set off for lunch (Alexander's partner is studying for exams next week so didn't join us) - Christopher had ham, egg and chips; Oliver had a very fine home made burger and salad; Alexander had fish and chips; and I had butternut squash and mozarella risotto. Later we tramped around the very crowded Brighton shops looking for a jacket for Oliver, which was to be his Christmas present.

Oliver and I are very similar, we don't like shopping, we don't like crowds and we very quickly lose interest and get grumpy. However, Christopher and Alexander jollied us along and eventually we found something that suited him, which was great. So that was his Christmas present sorted out.

Oliver wasn't able to stay for the evening, but we'd had such a wonderful afternoon. The 'boys' are such a hoot when they get together and it's lovely to see how well they get on now. After Oliver had left, Alexander cooked us some supper (chicken casserole again, but we didn't tell him that we'd had it the night before) and very good it was too. We got a taxi back to the camp site at about 10 o'clock.

On Sunday we got going very early and were away by 8 o'clock, to drive up to Christopher's old running club so that he could join them for their Sunday morning run. It was good to see our old friends again.

We got home at about 4.30pm, driving the last part in the dark. Our days are so short now - only another couple of weeks to the shortest day on the 21st December, then the days will start to get longer again. Rosie had been busy whilst we were away and we were greeted with no less than five dead mice dotted around the house!

Wiggly Woggly cushion

2009-12-03T12:52:00.004Z

I went to another workshop yesterday, at the same place where I made the blackwork flowers a couple of weeks ago. It was another really enjoyable day, just the five of us plus the tutor, so we were able to chat as well as sew. And she served yet another lovely lunch - chicken breasts wrapped in bacon and baked, with potatoes, green beans, peas and mushrooms. For dessert there was mincemeat slice and raspberries, and then there was cheese! Wonderful.

We made these cushions; I'm pleased with the way it looks but not so happy with the way it feels, or the problems I had in sewing it. The whole thing is basically woven strips of fabric, but the problems arose because each strip was backed with bondaweb, so the top has two layers of bondaweb in it, so it feels very stiff. The embroidery thread I was using to top stitch the layers clearly didn't like going through so much glue and kept fraying and breaking, at the rate of about 5 or 6 times in each row. Extremely frustrating, as you can imagine.

And this is Rosie's latest resting place, right in the middle of the hallway, just round the corner from the stairs. I think she likes being close to the radiator. This photograph was taken with flash, but you can imagine how dark the corner is, and I'm having to peer round the corner each time I come in this direction, just to avoid treading on her.

Happy Birthday Number One Son

2009-12-02T20:39:00.002Z

As every year passes I find it difficult to believe that my sons are as old as they are. Number One Son, Oliver, is 28 today. I don't know about you, but on each of their birthdays I offer up a silent prayer of thanks that another year has passed without serious mishap.

Life hasn't always been easy for Oliver, but he's grown up to be a wonderful young man, thoughtful, caring and as quirky as all get out! We only get to see him every five or six weeks these days, but I always look forward to it so much. We're neither of us great telephone chatters, so our calls tend to be brief and to the point, but we have such fun when we get together.

This weekend we're off in our camper van to Brighton, where we will be able to spend Saturday with both of our sons - a rare and wonderful occurrence - celebrating Oliver's birthday from this week and Number Two Son's birthday which will come up on the 17th December.

Happy Birthday Oliver,

Christmas littlies

2009-11-30T12:30:00.005Z

One of the best things about the run up to Christmas is being able to make lots of tiny goodies to decorate the home. I've been on a bit of a roll, and for once the sunshine came out to help my photography. We've had rain every day bar one for the last month I think, and even this morning it was raining first thing. The sun is very low at this time of the year, so the shadows are rather strong but that can't be helped.

I've made some more door hangers, a door stop which took Rosie's fancy and finished off a cute little angel hanger that I started last year.

We've dug all the Christmas boxes out of storage, just to remind ourselves of what we've got, so that we can start thinking about where to put them in our new house. They won't go up for a while yet though, and we won't buy a tree for a few more weeks; we always buy a real tree and don't want it to dry up and drop its needles everywhere too soon.

Next job is to make the waistcoat I promised Number Two Son; it's his birthday on the 17th December so that seems like a good target to aim for.

Midsomer Quilting Exhibition

2009-11-28T21:19:00.002Z

Here are some of the quilts exhibited at this year's Midsomer Quilt Exhibition. It was held in Radstock Museum, which was a lovely setting. I was only able to take a few photographs as I forgot to take my camera when I was a real visitor, so had to grab a few when I was stewarding on Wednesday.

I haven't been able to identify the names and makers of all of the quilts I'm afraid. Visitors were invited to nominate their favourite quilt, and whilst A Future and A Hope - Journeys and Destinations got the most votes, my own vote went to Mojaca Evenings. I loved the bold colours and the simple shapes that were so evocative of a hot Spanish evening.

Christmas market

2009-11-28T11:14:00.005Z

Yesterday evening we went to Bath Christmas market. In spite of the rain it was quite magical, with the wooden booths nestled against the walls of Bath Abbey, their lights twinkling. There were all sorts of locally made items for sale, as well as goods from further afield; there were also sausages, burgers, pancakes, gluhwein, hot chocolate, tea and coffee. And doubtless more that we didn't see.

We bought some hazelnuts covered with orange and cocoa to nibble on whilst we looked. For ourselves for Christmas we bought a bagful of dried oranges and spices which will look lovely piled in a glass jar; we also bought a beautiful string of crystal icicles and snowflakes, each of which has a LED light inside and can be powered by either mains electricity or battery. Christopher found himself a wooden tie!

Afterwards we strolled further into the city to look at the Christmas lights. Then we had dinner at Strada before heading home. Christopher had a fish stew and I had grilled salmon wrapped in Parma ham with Puy lentils and green beens. Yummy.

And yes, that is Christopher you can see sneaking into a couple of the photographs!

Green thinking

2009-11-21T07:40:00.003Z

Michelle of Rambling Woods--Taking the Road Less Traveled has given out Green Thinker Awards. She asks everyone to pass on the message to think green.

There's been a lot in the press about global warming - is it caused by man's activities or is it a natural phenomenon? My view tends to be that it won't hurt to try and be greener, just in case, as seems likely, that it is down to human activity. And if it's not because of us, then being greener now may help prevent problems in the future.

So, we do what we can by recycling as much as possible. The local council collects garden waste for composting, as well as paper, glass, tins and tin foil. We take plastic bottles, drinks cartons, cardboard to the dump, along with other recyclable/reclaimable articles. We donate unwanted items to the charity shops, and buy from them when appropriate. We belong to a book swapping library; use our own bags when shopping; wash and re-use plastic bags; compost food waste; grow some of our own food and get vegetables we can't grow through an organic local food box scheme. We're pretty good at turning off electrical items at the socket, rather than leaving them on standby; we don't leave the tap running when we brush our teeth; we shower rather than bath. We use long-life light bulbs and donate used printer cartridges to charity.

It sounds like a lot when listed like this, and I suppose we could stand back and pat ourselves on the back. But actually, it's not that big a deal, because it's easy. The only thing that takes any real effort is taking stuff to the dump, everything else just slots in to a normal day once you've got the hang of it. And I know that there's always more that we could do. And more and more people are considering this to be normal behaviour, so we're not doing anything out of the ordinary.

My next challenge is to use the tumble drier less. It's easy in the summer, but in the winter it's a different proposition altogether. I ought to make the effort to hang the washing outside on those rare days that it isn't actually raining. It won't matter if it takes several days to dry, or we could always hang it in the garage or the spare room. And it's not that difficult to put on a coat when it's chilly. I'm trying to convince myself that it will work, though it's difficult when we have the amount of rain that we've had recently, and when even the dry days are damp. But I'll give it a go.

So, why not grab the award, and tell us about how green you are - I bet you'll surprise yourself when you start to make a list of the great things you're already doing.

Machine blackwork

2009-11-19T06:40:00.004Z

Yesterday I went to a workshop course run by a lady who owns a local plant nursery. In the winter she runs embroidery and craft workshops. She lives in a lovely little cottage, quite isolated a couple of miles from the village. There were seven of us (the maximum she takes is eight) and she provided a lovely lunch, salmon, salad, rice salad, vegetarian loaf, potatoes, rolls, fruit salad, date slice, meringues and cream. Brilliant. I didn't eat all of that of course, but it was there. So lovely to have a proper lunch provided, instead of having to make up your own and take it.

After exploring the stitches available on our machines and deciding which ones worked best, we set to work on making these flowers. I'm afraid the quality of the photographs is poor, but it's about 6.45 am, and I was too impatient to wait until daylight to take them and write this blog!

The plan is to cut them out and mount them on a background fabric. The smaller flower will be wired as I do the satin stitch and then fixed on top of the larger flower, giving a 3D effect. I'm not too sure what I will do after that. I could make some more to make a larger wall hanging, or I could set just the one in a frame, or I could leave it unmounted and put it in a vase. Any ideas?

I've signed up for some more of her classes as I enjoyed that one so much, and they're terrific value.

A lazy Sunday

2009-11-15T10:24:00.005Z

It's 10.30am on Sunday morning and I'm still in bed! Disgraceful. And it's a sunny morning too, a welcome relief after the rain and winds of the last three days. But my excuse is that we had friends to supper last night, and whilst I kept it all very simple, I'm still rather tired. And apart from all the washing up there's nothing much to do today, so why not take it easy? I'm not really a slut, leaving the washing up am I? We don't have a dish washer, and I've never liked spoiling a pleasant evening by having to do the washing up after everyone's gone, so I always leave it to the morning - there's more hot water then anyway! Now, that's not a bad excuse.

On Thursday I braved the wind and the rain and made a trip to Ikea in Bristol. Thank goodness they had an underground car park with a direct entrance into the store, so I didn't get any wetter. Just getting out to the car had soaked me through up to the knees. Luckily, it wasn't too crowded and I was able to amble around and even spent some money. Apart from some coat hangers and Christmas wrapping and a few decorations I bought these:

Aren't these red gingham boxes cheerful. I've no idea what I want them for, but I just loved them. It's the same for the tins - no idea what I'm going to use them for, but they were too cheerful, and cheap, to leave behind.

This chair is destined for the kitchen, so that I can sit by our warm stove in the winter, listen to the radio, and stitch or knit, so I needed some comfortable cushions for it.

And this fabric was so pretty, and so cheap, that I bought some to make a tablecloth for our kitchen table. That's the problem with Ikea, so many things are such really good value that it seems a shame not to take some of them home!

An at-home weekend after all

2009-11-12T07:24:00.002Z

What is it about cats! They drive you mad with worry making you think they are unwell, so you take them to the vet and they seem miraculously to get better. Rosie hasn't been eating well for the last week or so, has lost weight and seemed very lethargic. As we were planning to go away for the weekend I thought I'd better get her checked out by our vet. After all the usual indignities he confirmed that she has indeed lost weight - about 0.5 kg, which is quite a lot for a cat - and suggested that we should keep her indoors for the next three days to monitor her input and output. She slept on a cushion on the sofa all afternoon, then on my bed all night - until about 5 o'clock when she decided she was hungry. So that was that for my sleep. She hasn't eaten much but she has eaten so we'll have to see what happens over the next few days.

Anyway, I'm quite glad we decided not to go away after all. The weather forecast is dreadful for the weekend, so I think we'll be happy to snuggle indoors in the warm.

2009-11-11T08:12:00.004Z

I spotted this in our local hardware shop yesterday. I've no idea what it was originally intended for, and I'm absolutely certain it wasn't meant for a quilt ladder, but that's exactly what I plan to use it for. I haven't actually got any quilts sitting around in cupboards waiting to be displayed, so now I've got a reason to make some more!

Taking a leaf out of Jenny at Elefantz's book, I decided to make some door hangers to add to our Christmas display. This is filled with lavender so will smell lovely too. It only took about an hour to stitch and an hour to put together, so I should be able to make several more easily enough.

A misty autumn day

2009-11-09T16:51:00.005Z

It's been a truly dreary autumn day, the mist hasn't lifted at all up here on the hill where we live, though it was clearer down in the valley when we went to the dump this morning. So we've had a 'useful' sort of day. This morning we sorted out all of the recycling, together with a couple of chairs that were unreclaimable and took them to the dump. Then we sorted out the garages a bit better so that it's easier to get the car in. I also finished the housework, did some hoovering and a pile of ironing while Christopher sorted out a pile of burberus cuttings. (Woops, spelling mistake, it should actually be berberis!)

We've decided that it's now cold enough to light the stove in the kitchen, as we have no other form of heating there. We've been using the central heating in the rest of the house for a couple of weeks now. I love having the kitchen stove alight, it is so warm and cosy.

And I've just finished another cushion cover for Christmas. I used the tiny stitcheries that Cheryl of Willowberry Designs shared some time back, plus a wonky star in the middle. The pieces for that were so small that I found it quite difficult to be accurate - mind you, I often find it difficult to be accurate!

I know it's only early November, but I'm enjoying getting started on some new Christmas decorations early.

Red sky in the MORNING ...

2009-11-06T07:11:00.006Z

It's 7.15 am here in the UK and I've just taken this photograph of the dawn sky, amazing. The photograph doesn't do the colour justice, it's a really red sky. Mind you, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the day. The old saying "Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning" really does seem to hold true. I forgot to bring the washing in last night, so any drying that might have happened yesterday will have been completely wasted! So I'd better get going and bring it in before it gets even wetter.

I've just finished this little Christmas cushion. I used Lynette Anderson's 'Christmas Morning' pattern that I won in here give-away earlier this year. I didn't have the same buttons that she had used, but found some others that do very nicely.

I hope this makes you smile

2009-11-04T17:58:00.001Z

I don't know where this originated, but I hope it makes you smile.

WHAT PETS WRITE IN THEIR DIARIES.....

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
Excerpts from a Cat 's Daily Diary...

Day 983 of my captivity...

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength..

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet.. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

Cards

2009-11-04T12:33:00.003Z

The weather forecaster told us we were going to have showers and sunshine. Well, we've got the sunshine every now and then, but interspersed with what I'd call downpours rather than showers. And it's turned chilly. Autumn is definitely here now. So it's a good time to get stuck into making cards and sewing. I've just finished making our Christmas cards for this year - these are two of the designs, but the third didn't photograph well, so I'll have another go.

I've also made a birthday card and a new home card. I always enjoy papercrafting when I get down to it, but it entails getting so much stuff out that I don't do it as often as I'd like.

As to sewing, well I've not been doing much machining, but I have been doing lots of hand sewing, catching up on BOMs and starting on making a Christmas cushion using a pattern I won from Lynette Anderson.

This is the fabric I bought the other day, all very bright and modern looking, rather different from my usual purchases, but it all just jumped out at me and said 'buy me', so I'm sure there's a plan for it hidden somewhere in the depths of my brain, I just need to dig deep and find it.

A Christmas witch?

2009-10-31T10:56:00.003Z

Yes, yes, I know it's Hallowe'en, but this really is intended for Christmas. I saw one of these dolls in my local quilt shop and thought it would make a lovely Christmas present for my nine year old niece. It came as a panel and I finished making it up yesterday, just in time for a final October flourish.

And I have to admit that I fell off the wagon yesterday. Do you have the same problem as me? I often go into a quilt shop thinking 'I'll treat myself to some fabric' and then find that I'm overwhelmed by the choice and end up with nothing. Well, yesterday I popped over to Midsomer Quilting with no intention of buying anything, just to check up on things since I'm stewarding at their Quilt Show this afternoon. And there were a load of new £5 a metre rolls in; and I loved the bright, bold colours; and they clicked in my head; and I thought I might have the germ of an idea; and so I bought a whole load! I'll try and show you a picture tomorrow. I'll also try and take some photographs at the Quilt Show this afternoon.

If you're into that sort of thing - happy Hallowe'en. And if you're not, then best wishes for All Saints' Day on Sunday, and for All Souls' Day on Monday.

A popular tree

2009-10-30T16:05:00.002Z

When we first moved here, in the spring, this tree became a magnet for all the little birds in our garden once we had hung some bird feeders on it. During the summer it received few visitors, but this morning I had a real treat. As well as a robin and a dunnock, there were blue tits, great tits, long-tailed tits and coal tits. I only wish my camera was good enough to keep up with their swift movements and take some photographs of them.

I'm looking forward to our winter visitors.

The American Museum In Britain

2009-10-29T07:24:00.004Z

... to give it its full title. We enjoyed our visit to the museum yesterday. There's a very good, well laid out exhibit charting the history of America which both adults and children seem to enjoy. Then there are a series of period rooms, showing what American houses might have looked like at intervals of 50 years. These rooms use original walls, floors, ceilings, panelling etc from houses that have been demolished or updated, together with contemporary furniture and furnishings.

There is also of course an exhibition of American quilts, which I very much enjoyed looking at, and rugs, which were less interesting. What particularly fascinated me about the quilts was both the large size of many of the pieces that were used in, for instance the Baltimore quilts and a spectacular Bethlehem Star quilt, and the uneven-ness of many of the pieces. Quite encouraging. Less encouraging was the minute stitches in much of the quilting, I don't think I could ever make stitches that small and still get through all the layers.

They also have a series of temporary exhibitions, and this time there was a display of American Folk Art.

From October 2009

This tea towel shows part of a wonderful redwork quilt which gives a glimpse into life at the time. I particularly love the block third from the bottom on the right hand side, which shows a man pushing a woman with a parasol in a wheelbarrow!

Next year is going to be wonderful for quilt lovers, as there is to be a special exhibition of classic American quilts in Bath, together with an exhibition of historical British quilts at the Victoria and Albert museum in London.

A busy few days

2009-10-28T07:19:00.002Z

Well, it's been a busy few days. The weekend was most uncomfortable, as I wasn't able to sit down because my back was so painful, so I either had to stand or lay down. By Monday it was improving, and by yesterday, when I went to the chiropractor, it had improved further. It seems that I strained a ligament in my lower back, so the only real cure is time. But the chiropractor did some work on my back which eased things a lot.

So, thank you to everyone who has been so kind as to send me their wishes for a speedy recovery.

Number One Son came to visit on Monday, and to stay for a couple of days. We haven't done a lot, because he was very tired after his first half term's experience of full time teaching. Last night we went to the Theatre Royal in Bath (thank goodness I was able to sit down for long enough by then!) to see Mrs Warren's Profession, by George Bernard Shaw. Felicity Kendal (you may remember her from The Good Life) played Mrs Warren. It was a very good production, and we enjoyed watching a straight play. It was also very thought provoking, and we had plenty to talk about for the half hour it took us to drive home afterwards.

Today we are going to visit The American Museum, again in Bath, before Number One Son drives home. It's a while since we visited and I'm looking forward to seeing it again, particularly the quilts.

I haven't any pertinent photographs today, but here's one of a naughty Rosie sitting on my finished table runner (luckily I'd left it folded with the backing out). She never, ever sits on the stairs so I though it would be safe, but she found it and decided to break the habit of a life time. Doesn't she look guilty?

Laid up

2009-10-24T08:36:00.004+01:00

I'm currently trying to type this while laid out flat on my back, so forgive any typos. I tweaked my back whilst lifting the shopping out of the car yesterday, and it's now really giving me gyp. I know from past experience that the only thing to do is to lay down and let the inflammation go down and then I'll go and visit the chiropractor to get it re-aligned. So frustrating. We had planned to get out and garden today, though we've woken to rain so perhaps I might have had time to sew instead. Hey ho, patience is called for, not something I have in abundance when it comes to myself.

Meanwhile, here are my first finishes for Christmas this year. I turned Gail Pan's Christmas Wishes BOM into a table runner, and it looks stunning. I stuck to very simple, straight line quilting for this one. And I've made some little stitcheries for presents. I realise now, looking at the photographs, that I should have found a lighter background to display them. But it was lighter outdoors than indoors, and everywhere was pretty damp, so there wasn't a lot of choice.

So, think of me as I endure what could be a rather boring day, listening to the radio or trying to find something worth watching on the television. I don't think much sewing's going to get done today.