May round up.

Looking back over the month I feel that May has been busy, not just at work but at home as well. I don't feel like I had as much time as usual to work on my various projects but I may be wrong. As I've got older I have found that I want to do a lot of things but I don't have as much energy as I used to have. A busy week means I don't have the energy to enjoy the weekend activities and a busy weekend has the same knock on effect on the working week. The easy answer is to retire but I really enjoy my job and a lot of evidence suggests that carrying on working after retirement age keeps you healthier. Of course it could also be the effect of the wet weather earlier in May, as it definitely effects my mood.The hot weather this week has been delightful but also tiring.

So May was a good month. John and I started the month with a visit to the William Morris Gallery for the Women in Print exhibition. Having said the weather in early May was wet, the day we visited the gallery was very hot. My favourite exhibit was the peacock dress.

My online calendar is showing that I joined a zoom meeting with Chooky from Australia and several other ladies. It was fun to hear what they were working on and what they were doing. I had an invitation to join a zoom meeting  this weekend to celebrate the Chookshed turning 14. Unfortunately I wasn't able to join as we had family committments. Ladies if you are reading this I hope you had a fun time meeting up.

On the weekend of 15th, 16th and 17th we were away in Chester. We had a full and enjoyable weekend and I still haven't shared the photos of Little Moreton Hall that we visited on the Sunday before driving back to London. Here's a photo of the outside. It was fun to visit but it really was very wonky. I'll share the full photos I took in another post.

Last weekend we went to the Buckinghamshire Railway open day, we visited Osterly House and Kew Gardens on Wednesday and today we had a family day at Kempton Waterwork Railway open day. 

Over the month I've been working on my embroidered tablecloth as my Chookshed challenge. I'm happy with the progress I've made and more to the point Ive really enjoyed working on it. My embroidery is definitely improving although there is still a lot of scope for further improvement. I think not stitching on it when I'm feeling very tired would also be helpful.

I would have liked to complete the whole side but that really was unrealistic. Having completed to the half way point of the side I'm very happy. 

I also picked up this cross stitch book mark and added quite a number of stiches to it. It's in my work bag for working on during my lunch break. 

Over the month I made some blocks for the frog quilt. There are 6 different designs and there are two sizes of each design. This month I made 6 blocks, which leaves me 6 more blocks to make in June so I can sew this quilt together.

The small block on the left hadn't been pressed so looks at an odd angle as the sides are sticking up.

Finally I wanted to make some window boxes for the dolls house. My grandson told me the house needed flowers! They're not brilliant but they do the job for now and with practice I'll make them better.

I now need to put the steps together properly. Currently the steps are just leaning against the wall and aren't even at the right angle.

Tomorrow is June 1st. This year seems to be steaming along. I now want to know what the chookshed challenge number is for June. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

It's nearly time to rest but first I need to make sure I have everything ready for tomorrow. I especially need to check I have my swipe card with me so I can get into the building and my diary as I need to book several appointments.

Take care

Lyndsey

Making fabric and a visit.

Yesterday I was determined to finish the waterwheel  blocks for the frogs quilt. I wasn't happy with some of the seams so I unpicked most of them and resewed them  I finally got them finished and looking almost presentable. Sometimes making a block is so easy and at other times nothing seems to go right. 

I was going to make the next two blocks but there were so many pieces needed that I put the pattern away and pulled out some of my scraps. I wanted to make some fabric from the scraps. To be precise to make some 9 inch  blocks to use up the scraps and then to add sashing around each block before sewing them together into a  quilt top.

It was fun to start making these blocks but it's trickier than I thought. I'll hopefully have time to work on this tomorrow.

I had been checking through my fabric stash and found some red corduroy. I bought this some time ago with the intension of making a skirt. I found my favourite skirt pattern and got it cut out. I may even have time tomorrow to get it sewn together. The pattern requires a zip to be inserted but other than that it's just straight seams.

On Wednesday John and I visited Osterley House, a National Trust property.  The view of the front as we walked from the car park alongside the lake.

We arrived a little before the house opened but that was no problem as we both wanted a coffee and a pastry . We sat in the sun to enjoy our coffee and then we did a walk around the formal garden. This is the view of the back of the house from the meadow.

The formal gardens are off to the left of the house.  At the left corner of the house there was a fabulous area full of daisies. It bought back memories of making daisy chains as a child and also teaching my children how to make them

Before we entered the formal garden area we passed this huge oriental plane tree.

The gardeners were in the process of moving these lemon trees out of the building behind.

                     

I'm not sure what this plant is but it is  beautiful.

This giant milk thistle was fun. The area was in the process of being redesigned. These were bught into the UK as ornamental plants.

There were a lot of poppies around the area.

The main flower garden is being turned into an orchard. They no longer use the cut flowers in the house.

The house currently has an exhibition running until November 1st.  The main exhibition is 'Journeys - Global Textiles from the Karun Thakar Collection.This exhibition showcases over 70 intricately embroidered wedding shawls, baghs, and phulkaris from undivided Punjab. He has been an avid collector since childhood. His collection is internationally recognised for focussing on antique textiles and dress. It has examples from India, Japanese folk textiles, Afghanistan costume, West and North African textiles and weaving.

There were shawls in most of the open rooms. Some of the statues on display served as mannikins.  I've just picked my favourites to show you but I've also included a few things from the house. Most of the shawls will have been embroidered by women and young girls. 

I liked this mosaic table top . The pieces are so small

Some of the shawls had more embroidery than others. It's a good job I wasn't doing the embroidery as it would still be waiting to be finished.

Here's a closer look at the stitching.

I liked the animals and birds on this one.

This beautifully embroidered sofa or settee was at one end of the long gallery with a second facing it from the other end.

Here is a close up. The family who built and owned the house were said to be the third richest in the country. 

I liked the simplicity of the pattern on this shawl.

The stitching was impressive and so even.

This shawl was fun.

There were several  items in glass cases in the long gallery including this delicate ivory boat. Trying to get photos was difficult because of the lighting.

An embroidered cushion on the settee at the other end of the long gallery. The snail is fun.

I'm not sure if this is a bird or a mythical beast. Whatever it is the stitching was really good.

A tapestry chair covering.

This room was very dark to preserve the tapestry. They were made in  Paris and the tapestries covered all the walls.

I was told that this is one very expensive bed. It certainly looks impressive. There was a lot of stitched items in the room including the bed coverings 

and the drapes.

With all the intricate stitching I was vey interested to hear that the owner insisted that his daughters first embroidery had to be in the room. Unfortunately I can't remember how old she was when she made it. I love it when parents insist on having their children's work on display. It's also about family. We have art done by my father and brother and embroidery / cross stitch completed by my mother and me on the walls in our house. Here is the daughter's embroidery.

As you can see some of the fabric is not in the best shape. This is from the top part of the bed.

I liked this shawl but it would have taken a lot of time to make.

I meant to take a photo of the wrong side of the fabric to show you that it looked as beautiful as the right side.

We enjoyed the exhibition and the walk round th house and garden.  When we left Osterly we headed for Kew Garden as we wanted to see the Henry Moore sculptures that are currently on display there, but more of that another day.

This morning I did a little work on my dolls house, no photos at the moment but it's slowly all coming together. I'm about to make a late lunch and then do some more sewing. I hope you day is going well.

Take care

Lyndsey

A little stitching

This week has been a busy but restful time. I had great sewing plans but very little has come to fruitition however we have been on some visits. We had time to work in the garden and enjoy the hot weather.I've got up early every day as if I'm going to work not because I love early mornings but I need to be able to walk the dogs in the cooler air. It has been so hot that there is a high possibility of burnt paws from the hot pavements later in the day. 

Last Sunday, 24 May, we went to an open day at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. We were meeting up with older daughter and family for the Thomas event day. Older grandson was 4 on the 25th and is obsessed with trains so this was his birthday treat. I spent a lot of time keeping older daughter and younger grandson company in the shade whilst the rest of the family visited the trains and other attractions but I did enjoy a walk round with older grandson so he could show me the sights. Diesel or one of several diesels in the little engine stories.

Grandson liked watching the model trains running round the track. I think he suggested a track like this in the garden at home would be amazing.

He spent some time pressing the buttons to make the cable cars work. He explained that the button switched on the electric and they moved.  

He also enjoyed the miniature funicular railway 

People were enjoying a ride behind a traction engine

I enjoyed seeing it later as we were leaving.

Older daughter and family were driving to Cornwall for a holiday and so left about 2:30. We stayed and visited the book shop and the museum. I didn't take photos in the main museum but I was impressed by the crane outside in the shed.

Before we left I was determined to have a ride behind a steam train. Thomas and Percy had been racing each other which had been fun to watch. Percy had an open truck with seats and we decided it would be cooler than in the carriages. Our run was the last one of the day and the two trains raced side by side but Percy won the races. The children in the truck with us were so excited. We did get a little covered in smoke dust but it was fun.

We got some coffee for the journey and headed to the car. It was so hot inside but the aircon soon cooled it down. We took the motorway as the quickest route home, after a tiring but enjoyable day you don't want to navigate too many small country lanes.

I mentioned a little stitching. I had hoped to get more done this week but you can't go out and visit places and also get on with sewing projects. I love visits when I'm on holiday so sewing missed out. I hadn't started this side until the start of May.This was my progress on Monday.

Yesterday I took this photo and I'm pleased with the additional bits I've managed.

On Wednesday I pulled out the frog quilt and cut and started sewing togeter the next block in both sizes. I need to get them finished so this is a job for today.

Before I finish and get on with Friday plans I want to add a couple of photos from Chester. After we had seen all the panels in the cathedral we decided to walk all round the town walls. By this time it had started to drizzel a little but we both wanted to stretch our legs.

On the right we had the Shropshire Union Canel far below us and to our left these house. The canal skirts Chester’s ancient city walls, passing through deep sandstone cuttings. The towpath leads directly north towards the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere.

The problem with Chester is that some of the half timber houses are real i.e. from the historic period and some are newer but made to look old. Either way they are pretty.

I always like some historic facts on my walks.

Walking further around the walls we came to Chester castle.

Whilst the city side of the wall was busy with many buildings, to our left beyond the car park, it was heavily wooded.

We reached the River Dee. The river flows right through the heart of the city. The river is popular for river cruises, rowing, and paddleboarding. The 70-mile river rises in Snowdonia and flows out into a beautiful estuary. There were a lot of birds in this area. We could see three herons, two cormorants and a lot of black headed gulls. 

The river is wide and peaceful at this point.

It was interesting watching one of the tourist boats turn to return to their base.

More pretty half timbered houses 

Eastgate is a permanently open gate through the Chester city walls. It is on the site of the original entrance to the Roman fortress of Deva Victrix. It is a prominent landmark in the city and the Eastgate clock on top of it is said to be the most photographed clock in England after Big Ben.

Looking from Eastgate along a main street.

By the time we had finished our walk and it was starting to rain again so we headed to the bus station and returned to our hotel after a good day out.

Take care 

Lyndsey