Snow Upon Snow Upon Snow!! (Photo Heavy!!)

My new granddaughter, Annabelle, was having her dedication service last Sunday, so we left the island on Thursday amidst weather warnings for the whole of the north of Scotland, going right down the east coast to Edinburgh. This was slap bang in the route we would be taking, but we wanted to be at the service and see the little one and the rest of the family, as we had not seen them in person, apart from Skype, since the summer. There was lots of snow at the side of the road, but the roads were black all the way down, thank goodness. 

We went to Glasgow first, to see my father-in-law, who has Alzheimer's. He remembered my name eventually, but could not remember his son at all. It was so sad, as they were really close. We went back over to Penicuik, and despite a bit more snow, we were able to go shopping for party shoes for the girls. The shops were not busy at all, and a lot of them had sales on already. The recession seems to be biting. 

Overnight, there was a huge change. When we looked out the hotel window there was at least ten inches of snow, and we did not know if we could get out of the car park! We were supposed to give a lift to my daughter's friends, but we could not get to my daughter's house, so they had to walk down to us. The main roads were not bad, but the side roads were terrible. Seventy people were supposed to attend the dedication, but only fifteen arrived. We had a lovely service and a nice bowl of hot soup and homemade treats afterwards. You can see Annabelle in our heirloom christening gown with the rest of the family. The gown was handsewn by nuns in Madeira and was bought by my grandmother's first husband, who also bought her another gown and her wedding dress there too (I have the skirt of this). Unfortunately he was lost at sea, before they had any children. I am guessing the gowns are about 100 years old.

 I went in my jeans and wellies (new ones from my daughter), but I changed into a nice outfit for the ceremony. As usual, I forgot to get a picture, so here you see me below, with the rest of the family, all dressed up to face the elements, with boots, layer upon layer of clothes, body warmer and scarf.

We were warned by the congregation not to go north, but it was just as well be did, because a lot of the roads closed after we left, and Edinburgh had a dump of snow, thereafter!

The next part of the journey was HORRENDOUS!!!! We were trying to reach Inverness, which usually takes about 3-3.5 hours. We finally made it eight hours later, but how we did, I'll never know! Some of the photos are taken just holding the camera out of the window, but for the most part I was too scared to do anything but look at the snow, driving at the windscreen. The first two photos below show the M9 motorway, heading towards Perth. On our side, there was only one lane open, and it had a two inch crust of solid ice on it. When you stopped, which was every two minutes, the car just slid sideways. If you look carefully at the other side, you will see the cars are completely stopped. There was a fourteen mile tailback (including the snow plough!) and people had been in the queue for so long that they had built five feet high snowmen at the side of the carriageway and walking their dogs - on the motorway!! 

 

We waited in the queue for over thirty minutes and decided to take a diversion to Perth. We just got on that road when some cars got stuck. Fortunately, a snow plough came up and we managed to bypass the worst of the traffic.

 The rest of the journey was pretty bad, but Inverness was getting closer. Just as we got to Kingussie, we saw loads of flashing lights, and a fire engine blocking the whole of the fly over we were supposed to take. The police were flashing their torches over the fly over, so we wondered if somebody had skidded. We were told to take another diversion, and actually went past this, on the road below. A lorry had skidded off the fly over and rolled down the embankment to the road below. I copied the picture from the BBC website, but as you are allowed to use it on Twitter, Facebook and email, I think it is alll right to use it here -

We had a hairy drive on the diversion through Aviemore. This road closed soon after. When we got to the hotel in Inverness, we both had a strong drink and collapsed into bed.

I will tell you about us getting home safe and sound tomorrow!

Till then.

tich

Oh My!!!

I can't quite believe this. A HUGE parcel was delivered to my house, all the way from Victoria, Australia. Jenni sent me a parcel of material, and what a parcel!! There are chunkettes and long quarters, chunks and fat quarters, half yards and yards!! I cannot believe my eyes. Jenni must have emptied her stash into the padded envelope. The colours are wonderful. I keep on thinking what I am going to make!! I have been patting the materail and 'oohing and aahing' ever since it arrived. I can hardly write this, as I am so excited!! What it is to have such wonderfully kind, thoughtful people in the world. I know my sister would be tickled pink, to know this is happening, and I am just overwhelmed with such goodness. I can't say this often enough - 'THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!'
Till next time.
tich

We Remember.

More Gales and DJ

Well the weather forecasters were correct. The gales and the torrential rain arrived during the night, and it is a grey, dreich day. My husband went out first thing to feed the animals. I have been helping him the last few days, as he tripped over a box on Sunday and has possibly broken his toe. He has managed to hobble about, but yesterday was feeling a lot better, so he told me to stay warm and dry today. I think it is just as well I did. He said he was nearly bowled over with the wind at one point. He is a BIG man, so I probably would have been taking flying lessons!!

Above is A7 - Dad's Plaids. I notice in the DJ book that Jane made the wedge shapes a lot smaller. I do not like them hitting the seam line, as in the pattern and as above, so I think I will redo this one later. By the time I have finished this quilt I am going to have so many reject blocks, I will be able to supply the island with pot holders for the rest of my life!

Thankful Thoughts

Just look what Rosa sent me! Aren't those laces fantastic? I love colourful (!!!!) socks, so the laces colour co-ordinate beautifully! Thanks Rosa!
Till next time.
tich

Thunder and Lightning, Dyeing and DJ!

Here's me saying I am going to blog regularly, and we had the mother of all storms last week. The lightning was spectacular, with big balls of light hanging in the sky, and the thunder was tremendous. You can tell I like these kind of storms!! I ran in and switched off the computers and watched from the window. Unfortunately some people on the island were not so speedy, and their computers were fried. The broadband was not affected, but a lot of the phones went dead, including the ones at the Post Office and the surgery. The storm affected everybody differently. I could not get into my emails. The broadband speed seemed to be all right, but downloading anything took all night. It gradually restored itself over a number of days, and now seems back to normal, but it was sooo frustrating not being able to read my emails, and I had so many to read, when it was restored. I have just about caught up.

We have had really bad gales and torrential rain on and off since then. Sunday was particularly bad, with the waves being lashed over the road and into the fields. Orkney weather can be really amazing, with every type of weather in the one day!! I managed to get this picture of a seal swimming near our pole one morning last week.

I did some more KoolAid dyeing and sent some to Rosa for fun.

I also have been sewing some DJ blocks, so I will show them over the next few days - This is M12 -Hopscotch.

This is not a very good picture, a bit out of focus and the lighting is off - will try better next time!

Thankful Thoughts
We are going to have gales again tomorrow. The isobars are so close together, it is going to be wild. Today, on the other hand, was calm, with only a couple of showers. I took this picture this morning. No wonder I love living here!

Till next time.
tich

I'm Back Again!!

Sorry I have not been posting lately. Raymond and I got the mother of all colds, three weeks ago, and we have been coughing and spluttering ever since. It does not want to go away, but I am fedup feeling miserable, so today is the day for 'getting going'!

My creative obsession seems to go to sleep, when I am out of tune, but I have managed a few DJ blocks and a few other things, so I will show you them over the next few days.

I got a lovely surprise the other day from one of my Bloggie friends. Mama Pea, sent me a Sunshine Award. You can read all about it here

It was such a lovely surprise and really gave me a boost! Mama Pea is such a nice person, and so talented! She seems to whizz through projects and is a great inspiration to me. Thank you so much for all the kind words. I really appreciate the sentiment. I am going to take my time to think of the people I want to send this onto. I know some people, who could not possibly be missed out, but there are so many blogs I dip in and out of, my list would be endless!! And think of all the people who sent me goodies!

Talking of nice people, Jenni is going through a hard patch in her life just now. Go over to her blog and say 'Hi'. It is nice to feel there are other people out there thinking of you, and often a 'Hi' is enough to give a bit of comfort.

Thankful Thoughts
The weather has cooled down a lot, and we have had high winds and rain, but today is bright and calm, so far. The fire is laid in the wood burner, all ready for lighting tonight when we settle down, the kettle is filled for a cup of tea and a good book awaits. What more could you ask for?
Till next time.
tich

Organising Work for On The Go.

I have had a really nice friend for a long time. Pam and I may not write or email each other every week, but I always know she is there for me. She is the type of person of whom you would say, "She has a lovely soul." Pam has just retired, and I am so tickled for her. Her work is a meticulous, no matter what kind of craft she does, and at long last she will have time to settle and do what she wants, without the constraints of work getting in the way. Her husband and his friend have booked up a Caribbean cruise for the two wives, and Pam and her friend are going to have fun relaxing in the sun, whilst knitting, sewing and doing Dear Jane. Yes. Pam has dug out her DJ book, after reading about my exploits, and is going to get going again. I promised I would show her how I organised my blocks for taking on holiday so here goes.

This is the most important thing. A cd case from the cheap shop costing £1.00

 The next most important things are my sewing supplies, which I keep in this beautiful huswif, which I told you about, from Petra.

 I have very roughly planned out my DJ colours, using the materials I have been given, and I reduced the plan, so that it was easier to fold into the first page. You will notice i have crossed some blocks off. I have now finished nineteen blocks.

I then select the blocks I want to take on holiday. For this, I choose blocks which will be hand pieced and not too difficult. Who wants to be wrestling with a difficult block, when you are supposed to be enjoying yourself in the sun? I scan the block picture from the DJ book, so that I know the placement of colour, and copy the pattern pieces. I pick my material, using the master plan at the beginning of the case. As you can see from the picture below, I have used freezer paper to iron on shapes onto the back of the material, so that I can then applique these pieces into position.

All the material, patterns and pictures are put into the separate sections in the cd case. This is popped with my huswif into my handbag or case, and I am organised.

Hope this helps.

Till next time.

tich

Dyeing (Part 2)

After dyeing part of the fleece with Kool-Aid (see yesterday), I left it to cool down in the crock overnight and then rinsed it very gently in cold water a few times. I rolled it in a towel to get the excess water out, then left it to air dry.

The fleece was darker coloured in some places, but I rather liked the effect. 

 I carded the wool on the drum carder, when it was dry. It is gorgeous. It is fluffy and light, with no felting.

I have not made up my mind whether I will spin the wool, or use it for felting. It is so nice, I think I will just pat it for a little while. It is, after all, my first experiment with Kool-Aid.
I did not get any sewing done today, as I was unpacking boxes, which have been stored in a shed, since we came here. Lots of lovely 'finds', but oh how I hate unpacking!!
Till next time.
tich

Dyeing (Part 1), Goodies and DJ Block

I have been thinking of dyeing some of my fleece with Kool-Aid,for some time. I went online to get instructions, and found some really good ones at this site. I have been unable to contact the owner of the site, to tell her I have linked to her, as there is no email address. I do like to let people know in advance I am talking about, or linking to their site, as it is considerate (netiquette) to do so, but in this case I hope Carol does not mind.

I used Berry Blue Kool-Aid , three packets for just over three ounces of fleece. I mixed up the Kool-Aid(KA) with the vinegar and water (1 cup vinegar to two cups water) and poured it into the crock pot (£5 out of the charity shop!)

 Now Carol said to put on rubber gloves,  as you might end up with blue nails! I did not do that, as I was not going to handle the dyed wool. I got one tiny drip on the counter, and I wiped it up without thinking! Guess who got a blue thumb and finger and a blue nail, all from one drip. The rubber gloves went on there-after!

Before I mixed up the KA, I soaked my fleece in cold water. I had previously soaked it in detergent, to get rid of some of the muck on it. You can see that there is a slight blue tinge, at the bottom of the picture. That is where I tried to clean my blue fingers!!

When I put the fleece in the crockpot, there was not enough liquid to cover the fleece. I mixed up more vinegar and water in the same ratio(1:2) and poured it gently in. I could not mix it really well, as the fleece is not supposed to be agitated, or it will become felted. I thought that this might give me an interesting result ... you will see tomorrow. The picture below shows the fleece in the Kool-Aid. I do not think I could drink this, but it is a lovely colour!

 I cooked the fleece on low in the crockpot until the water was clear and then let it cool overnight. I will show you the results tomorrow. I also started a dyers recipe book, so that I can replicate anything I produce. I used KA at the moment, as I am not sure if commercial dyes will affect my septic tank. Anybody got any info on this? I would like to do some natural dyeing,  but I know the chemicals used for mordents can be hard on the enzymes in the tank.

Thankful Thoughts
We were out last night with friends. We were talking about how the actions of one person can not only affect their lives, but the lives of everybody about them. I thought about this when I went home and realised how much Rosa had affected my life. If she had not offered chunks or chunkettes of Civil War fabric as a giveaway, I would not have commented on her blog. She would not have posted about my sister dying on various newsgroups, and I would not have received such a wonderful amount of material, goodies and well wishes from people all over the world. I would not have started a Dear Jane quilt, and my patchwork skill would not be improving so much. I have been in contact with such wonderful people. My sister would have been tickled pink that this has happened. It is just wonderful. I received a lovely, surprise packet from Rosa again, and today she was emailing me, as I had been quiet for a little while. What a wonderful friend!!

Below is the latest DJ block - J4 - Adelaine's Apron Strings - a very easy one, because I am struggling with two others, which refuse to piece together properly. If they think they are going to win, they will have to think again!

Till tomorrow!!

tich

Salt Dough

I forgot to post about the salt dough ornament I had to make for the WI monthly competition, last month. I went online for the recipe, as I had not used salt dough for a while. I meant to bookmark the recipe I used, but I can't find it. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, drew a rough sketch out on silicone paper(baking parchment) to get a rough size and started off by weaving the basket. I then laid a trellis of fine, overlapping stems on the background, to stabilise the work, and made the flowers and the leaves on top. I let it dry and then painted it using my granddaughter's paint box. After drying it again, I gave it two layers of varnish, to try to preserve it. I know it will not last long here in the damp, salty air, but I thought I would at least make the effort! I had great fun making this, and it is so easy to do. I got first prize.

I have not touched a needle this week. We have had loads of people dropping in, we have been busy getting the place ready for the winter (we have already had a few days of very high winds/gales) and we have been here there and everywhere! Not very productive on the sewing front, but good otherwise.

I am getting my head down this week. Promise!
Till next time.
tich

Afghan and Surprise Parcel

I have been blog hopping a lot recently, as I am still being careful with my back. I saw a lot of crochet and Granny squares being made, so I thought I would share my afghan with you. I have not completed it, as you can see, as I have run out of the black for the last few rows, but this will be a nice, cosy project to do on a cold, winter night. Here is a close up -

I got a nice surprise packet in the post today. A nice Civil War fat quarter from Susie. I do not have your email, so thank you so much.

I think I have thanked everybody now, but if I haven't - THANK YOU, THANK YOU,THANK YOU! I am slowly getting on with Dear Jane. I am now over ten blocks and attempting L10 - Nan's Naiad. It is a stinker!! I am really enjoying the challenge, and I LOVE the materials. I squirrel each tiny little scrap, so that nothing will be wasted and have plans for these little beauties.

The weather here is changing slowly, but I am not worrying about the shorter days. I will be warm and cosy and have loads of things to do.
Till next time.
tich

Bonnie Leman Tribute

Bonnie Leman 1991, courtesy LCPQ #74

It is with great sadness I heard of the death of Bonnie Leman. Although she did not know of me, I thought of Bonnie as a close patchwork friend, a friend who was much more talented than I could ever be, but who, unstintingly, passed on her knowledge and gave me great encouragement, via her magazines. 

Way back in the early seventies, when I started to do patchwork, there was very little information about it in Scotland. I had taught myself how to do hexagons, using the paper method, but when my sister sent me over a copy of Quilters' Newsletter, I was off. I loved the American way of sewing seam to seam, without having to tack in papers, and I immediately sent off for a subscription, so that I could learn all the techniques. The magazine was wonderful. It told me of all the beautiful materials which were available, notions I had never heard of and gave me wonderful ideas for quilts and projects. I was in seventh heaven.

Because of Mrs Leman, I went on to take the City & Guilds exams in Advanced Embroidery (at that time there was no C & G Patchwork!), started the first patchwork group in Scotland (the Sew and Sews in Glasgow), was a founder member of the Quilters' Guild and went out to California and sat the NQA Teacher Certification exams - all because of Bonnie Leman. The two most wonderful things to result from all this  - I got a mini quilt published in the magazine, and I participated in a block competition, also in the magazine, and won! I cannot tell you how I felt, when these events occurred!

Patchwork and Quilting would not be what it is today, without Bonnie. We all owe her a HUGE debt of gratitude. May she rest in peace. Thank you.

With sincere condolences,

Rosemary Dempster

DJ Blocks + Noah's Ark

G13

H4

G3

These are the latest Dear Jane blocks to be completed. I am having trouble with the disc in my back again, so I have been laid up for a few days. I have been doing a lot of blog hopping, listening to audio books and embroidering.

I had this BOM by Lynnette Anderson Designs. It is a really old BOM, which I had downloaded, and it lay about, waiting to be done for a long time. I started it in  December, just before my sister got ill. I put it aside, when things got bad, but I really wanted to complete it, so I got it out again, when I had to sit in the chair. I cannot leave designs in their original state. I have got to add something in, or take something out. I have always been like this!! The original Noah's Ark design is beautiful, but I wanted to make this a welcome wallhanging, when you come to visit, so I added a few words, making the letters random, and made one of the blocks say 'Welcome'. I also added a few fancy stitches and changed some of the colours. I hope Lynette does not mind!! I have checked on her site, but this BOM no longer seems to be there. Please excuse the pictures. I can't get the ironing board out (can't lift anything yet), so you can see the marks where the hoop was, on the block I am finishing. Noah's bald head needs to be redone in a darker colour, as it is receding (no pun intended!) I have another five or six blocks to go. There is a block with birds eating fish. I am going to change the birds to puffins, to make it relate to Orkney. When the blocks are finished, I have then to cut them out and put a thin border round each, in different colours of cotton, and these are then sewn together, to make the wallhanging. These are my favourite blocks so far -

Edit
The Noah's Ark BOM is being offered again for $5Aus, on Lynette's site above.


Thankful Thoughts

Jeni has come through her operation and is feeling very positive. Thank You.
Till next time.
tich

Look at This!!

I found this video on YouTube and then saw it on a blog, whilst I was surfing. It seems such an easy technique to make Pineapple blocks. 
Enjoy!
tich

Hello!

I don't know why, but it takes me a wee while before I get back into my routine, once the girls are back home. I dither about, and do not seem to be very productive. I am getting back to Dear jane. I think she thought I was abandoning her, but I actually have produced some blocks (will post pictures later) and I am enjoying the challenge yet again.

Before I went off island to see the family, I received some parcels, about which I omitted to blog. I just ran out of time. The above photos show the wonderful items and the beautiful cards I received, - from embroidery threads, beautiful Civil War and Australian fabrics, a batik, quilt labels and siggie blocks. Thank you Beverly and Katie, Gwen, Julie, Linden, the wonderful Rosa (yet again!!), Carol, Donna, Barbara and especially my mini quilt swap partner Doreen. I am speechless at your generosity! I am sorry I took so long to get back to you all.

A little sad news. Jenni, who wrote about me on the Austalian Yahoo group is not well and is going into hospital on the 31st of August. Please keep her in your prayers.

Thankful Thoughts

I have such a lot to thank Rosa and Jenni for. I received such a wonderful lot of goodies, but more than that, people, whom I did not know, reached out to me in my time of sadness. I have such a wonderful collection of cards and notes, wishing me well, and I don't think I will ever forget how wonderful everybody has been. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!!

tich