The sewing is going well, still have not tried the new Janome but I did layer a quilt on the frame and get it pin basted. The frame has just about earned its keep with that one act, no backache, stiff joints or pain.
The quilt was this one,
This was made, quilted and bound by The Muscle for his daughter next Christmas.
The strips are from some very cheap Jelly Rolls that I bought 3 years ago but the border was from Dawn a few days ago.
He wanted to try some smaller projects before starting the second quilt and made these, they are now layered, pin basted and ready for him to quilt. The envelope backs are ready for him to add, and a set of cushion covers will become another gift.
My visitor cat has been back every day, yesterday she cleared 3 plates of food, she is a skinny Minnie so I feed her on demand.
This was after her first visit, I now know that she was telling me that she would be back later for lunch.
This is the cushion cover that morphed into a wall hanging, the hanging loops are in place, it just needs a piece of doweling slotted in.
My potato buckets all have their drainage holes drilled out and the seed potatoes are chitted up, I managed to get some Rocket and found some Arran Pilot as well. Pilot were my Dad's favourite early potato, they are a heavy cropper so will go into the ground. I think that I may well be feeding most of my neighbours for a few weeks.
I need to empty my seed tin out and get the contents into sowing order, I want to draw up a plan as well otherwise I will end up putting things anywhere with no regard as to how long they will be in the ground.
Dinner tonight is fish, chips and mushy peas, fish and peas from Lidl and potatoes from the fruit and veg outlet that Dawn told us about. Lots of bargains to be had, I stocked up on grapes and grapefruit. I also found a bag of Cinder Toffee, without chocolate. Yum.
I am off to the kitchen now, I need to make some bread and get some chips cut, I like to soak them in cold water for a few hours before cooking them. They will be oven cooked as will the fish and the bread will go in the hot oven to cook while I eat.
TTFN Pam
I am glad you found the fruit and veg place, forgot to mention the bags of sweets they sell, I was thinking f you today as we drove through Ammanford, it has been a lovely sunny day here to :-)
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed and will be going back, the Cinder Toffee did not last long but was a lovely treat. I bought a big bag of huge potatoes for £3, they will last me for ages for jackets and chips, I might have to share them out.
DeleteAh, I see you're an Abergwili convert now too! They have saved us SUCH a lot of money down the years. They used to have a market stall in the old Carmarthen market, but when that was knocked down and rebuilt a few yards away, Chris Thomas decided he would trade from home instead. We were in there yesterday for apples - 20 lovely big Russets (my favourites) and 10 Gala for OH - 30 apples for just £3!
ReplyDeleteThe quilting is coming on apace in your house, especially now theree are two of you fighting over the sewing machine!(s) Lovely quilt - say well done from me.
The Muscle has his own machine now, I will pass the message on. He really has caught the quilting bug.
DeleteDo you salt the water you soak the potatoes in before baking? Do you use and oil on the baking sheet to crisp them up? We get potato's so cheap here, but I've never used them make chips, or steak fries as we would probably call the thick wedges here in the US. Looking for a the ideas I can get to turn simple food into take out like meals on the quick.
ReplyDeleteNo salt, I drain the chips and pat dry then toss in a tablespoon of oil and a sprinkle of salt then cook on a tray for around 25 minutes. I sometimes stir them around 5 minutes before the end to help them brown evenly. I do make wedges as well and add paprika or a spice mix and cook for a bit longer.
DeleteOh goodie, more veg talk. It is all very new to me so I'm picking up tips from everyones blogs. I haven't seen Arran Pilot anywhere, I suppose I'm too late now.
ReplyDeleteYou should be able to get them in most garden centres or anywhere that sells seeds. Mine came from Charlies but I used to get them from a hard ware shop in Lincolnshire.
DeleteSo glad to see a post Pam , I missed you this week . The muscle is doing well with his quilting .
ReplyDeleteI seem to have been running hard to stay in one place this week, but it is fun.
DeleteI'm glad Little Grace is earning her keep and playing nicely. The jelly roll quilt is lovely. You sound like you have everything under control. Enjoy your lengthening days.
ReplyDeleteI do my best to enjoy every day, sewing is a pleasure and I knit or crochet in the evenings. Sometimes I would like an extra day in the week to fit it all in.
DeleteHi Pam
ReplyDeleteYou are in and out like a whirlwind. Seems as though "The Muscle" has hidden talents. Some beautiful work there. You are obviously teaching him well. The Muscle" obviously wants his family all wrapped up with love in lovely quilts. What a find. Have you ever thought about running little courses up in Wales on the patchwork your eye for colour and your beautiful quilts and other craft items speak volumes. If Ben and Skinny Minnie are not tolerant of each other try squirting some baby powder on their rear ends it makes the both smell the same. You will still have skirmishes but we found that it works and we always used to supervise when they were together in any event so that we could clamp down on any bad behaviour. I have a Jack Rusell called Missy and six cats, Squeak, Demetri, Molly, Tinky 2, Bumble and Mischief. After a while you can drop the talc off once they start to behave in each other's company. Ours behave pretty well these days.
Take care
Pattypan
x
I have never given a thought to teaching, I am self taught and probably cut corners, I like "easy". It is something to consider though. Ben will chase anything that runs, he tries to go straight up trees after squirrels and has been known to try to launch himself into the air after birds. I worry more that he will hurt himself than the cat, she is young and very fast. She does come into the kitchen now but hates the door closed, she paces and looks for a way out. Ben knows that she is around and reacts less each day, maybe the novelty will wear off over the coming summer and they will exist in tolerance if not harmony.
DeleteI think you could have the cat in your home and Ben would be ok. You have to let him know the cost is a friend and NOT to be chased...one of my friends had a dog who she said hated cats..until she had one adopt her....the dog and cat were best friends until the dog died of old age....and the cost is now friends with her new dog...best of luck!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see how you do with the quilting frame!
I have not given up hope on the cat front. She will be fed as and when she asks, she jumps onto the windowsill and looks at me, if I do not respond she pats the window with her claws out so I can hear her.
DeleteHi Pam, lovely to catch up with you and I see you found your lovely new home in Wales, you may not be too far from me now as I live on the Welsh Border.
ReplyDeleteI love Mr Muscle's sewing, he certainly picked up quilt making really well, must be due to his brilliant teacher.
I'm going to make a pot of tea and have a lovely long read through all the posts I've missed.
Welcome back Kim, lovely to hear from you, I am near Swansea and Carmarthen now and loving every minute of it.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you finally made it to Wales, I'm about an hour and thirty minutes from you in Hereford, so a bit closer than before I think. And I have to say how much I'm loving all your scrappy sewing quilts.
DeleteYou are much closer than before, I was over 4 hours away in Tydd. I was at boarding school with a girl from Hereford, never made it to her home, another girl lived in London so we went there for visits, much more exciting.
DeleteGood Morning Pam . . . well it is morning where I live :) I am delighted to have found your blog. A sister bloggger who enjoys quilting, sewing, gardening and dogs . . . we have a lot in common:) Last spring by husband and I purchased a small property (just over an acre) in the country. We are new to gardening and last summer I had my first garden. It was wonderful! Instead of running to the market I just went outside. I even had extra and put boxes out by the road with FREE Vegetable signs on them. It was great fun to see passers stop and fill up a bag to carry home with them. I'm happy that you mentioned seed potatoes, we want to try growing potatoes this year, so I better start looking for them.
ReplyDeleteI am your newest follower. Please come visit my blog, I hope that you will follow me back. Have a lovely day and again "happy to meet you",
Connie :)
Good morning to you Connie, I have popped over for a quick visit and will be back for more later. I used to have a very big garden but decided to down size when I moved. I now have just enough and more time to craft, win win. See you later.
DeleteBy the way I am following you but I can't get google friend connect to let me add a profile pic for some reason, must have been out of the loop for too long, but I'm in your followers list somewhere with all the other poor pictureless folk.
ReplyDeleteYour quilted pieces are beautiful! I chuckled at the morphed one, that happens to me sometimes too. It's all good when you can find somewhere else to use it. :)
ReplyDeleteI have several bags that started life as quilt blocks, I either fell out of love with the fabric or decided that I did not like the block.
DeletePam, I'm getting to know how to do things on BlogSpot. Today I figured out how to put blogs I follow on my blog. I wanted to put yours there for quite awhile, but just figured it out with the help of my daughter. I also put one of our favorites on there, Rhonda's. Since my daughter is not only a forensics teacher, she is also an author, hers is the only other one I put up. I can be selective in what I take into my spirit, so there won't be too many others on my list. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteThat is something that I need to learn, I will have to knuckle down and try.
DeleteVery busy - but lovely! - times at your house! xx
ReplyDeleteI am at my happiest when busy, that way when I sit and knit or crochet in front of the TV I feel that I have earned my leisure.
DeleteI love the way a Cat chooses who to have as thier servants ;) that's why I love them sooooo much and Dogs to of course x
ReplyDeleteLuckily I am happy to feed my Skinny Minnie, she has tried it on at a few other houses, I do not think she is a stray because she is clean and her coat is silky smooth.
Delete