Before I went on holiday I did a little more work on the tuffet. There are 8 sections to the top and I had completed 4 and started work on two more This is how far I'd got on sections 5 and 6.
As today was a day off I'd decided to get my machine out and finish these pieces off. I also hoped to complete the final two sections. Well that was not to be. I added the next strip to one of the pieces with no problem but when I added the red piece to the second section I hit a problem with the trimming. In order to trim the added piece so it has a quarter of an inch seam allowance you fold it back over the foundation fabric along the marked seam line and then use the add a quarter ruler to trim in the right place. Oops I forgot the ruler and so trimmed in the wrong place. You can see the cut.
I've use a Kaffe Fassett jelly roll for the top and there wasn't another piece like this so I had to rejig my colour strips. It also meant quite a bit of unpicking. Yuk! This slowed the whole process and from here on, I was triple checking what I was doing so as not to make any more errors. As a result I finished these two sections so I now have 6 complete.
I was able to exchange the brighter red fabric for the one with the deeper red circles. I'm happy with the overall effect of these sections. I decided to stop at this point and work the last two sections on Saturday. Once I've finished all 8 sections the tuffet should go together quite quickly. I need some fabric to cover the large button that covers the centre join. I was going to use some Kaffe Fassett fabric but I think I might go for a solid to give some contrast. I'll make the final decision when all the sections are sewn together.
On the first day of our trip to India we went on a neighbourhood walk. This was to ensure everyone felt comfortable to go out around the local area, particularly the Rangers. Sangam stands in it's own compound and has a security guard on the gate. So they knew who was in the property at any time, in case of fire, we had to sign in and out. Not far from the gate was a bridge across the road which was very helpful as the road was normally very busy. That first day it was very quiet.
As we went to climb the steps of the bridge these cows were happily settling themselves underneath the steps. They'd been given some food and we saw them there for a couple of days. The girls were very confused and they wondered who owned them. Our guide explained that cows are sacred and should they wander into the road the traffic will stop for them. She also told the girls that where a restaurant menu said the meat was beef it was actually buffalo. Over the holiday we came across a lot of cows, goats, pigs and dogs wandering the streets. The traffic only stopped for the cows.
We went passed several small shops which seemed to be the front room of the houses. There were also churches and temples of all creeds.
The Catholic church stood on one side of the Mosque with an Hindu temple on the other and the Anglican church was across the road.
We visited an elderly lady who used to work at Sangam and she told us of her time working there. She liked the groups to visit her as it kept her in touch with young people and with Guides. It was her birthday so we all sang happy birthday. I think she was in her late 80's.
The girls were surprised by her modern kitchen as the house looked quite old from the outside. She showed us her spice tin and explained the spices she used when cooking curry. Lucy and I bought two spice tins back from our trip, one for John and one for Katy.
The girls were also surprised that 3 generations of the family lived in the house, in all 7 people.
Tomorrow I'll tell you about my new project. I really don't need any more projects but I do like starting something new. I'll also tell you about our trip to the market and sari shopping. The sari shopping was great fun and so many beautiful fabrics.
Tomorrow I have to go to work but I'm hoping to finish early so I can fit in some stitching. The temperature today was cooler and more manageable and so I want to do some hand stitching. It's a good job I don't live somewhere that has high temperatures all the time as I'd get nothing done.The heat makes me quite dizzy. As the temperature is lower I'm hoping to get a really good nights sleep and I'm also looking forward to reading a chapter of my book before I settle to sleep. This year I've really got back into reading again.
Lyndsey
The fabrics for your tuffet are gorgeous. Wonderful pictures from your trip. Looks like you had a good time.
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