The last day of summer ....

31st August.  Bank Holiday here in the UK.  And torrential rain nearly all day.  And it was cold - not above 14 degrees.  It certainly feels like the end of summer, although I am hoping for an Indian summer somewhere along the line!

It got me thinking about the summer we have just had and how easy it is to forget the things you have done by doing more things quickly after!  So our summer in some pictures:

The weather in early and late spring was lovely so we made elderflower cordial very early on in June

Home Ed kayaking group met for their second course of the year - the weather was somewhat cold!

Impromptu visit to the National Trust's Hidcote Gardens - truly beautiful and inspiring gardens - well worth a visit

A break on our journey to Bude saw us stop at another National Trust property - this time it was Tyntesfield.  It was the first time we had visited and there was sooo much to see.  Another visit is definitely in order, probably without the children!

We went to Bude for a week and were greatly surprised by its beauty and warm welcome. We quickly fell in love with it and we were already talking about a return visit before we had even left the town environs on our departure!

The lobster pots at the end of the sea canal - that just happened to become my blog header ...

One very happy surf mad daughter - it was hard for her to leave the coast of New Zealand and live in the middle of England

July saw the arrival of my Handi Quilter Avante longarm quilting machine and a glut or Project Linus quilts to practice on, here, here and here.

I attended an indigo dying workshop with Edwina Mackinnon and loved the results

On the Home Ed front things wound up for the summer but there was our monthly group meet up in Snitterfield, a production of Tom Sawyer, sports sessions at the playing fields, a trip to Sulgrave Manor to attend an Explorers in the 16th Century day, a day of presentations on European countries, a visit to the Lunt Roman Fort near Coventry and a lovely day spent at a local farm helping them with hedgerow planting.

August started with a very full to-do list

The Webb Ellis cup, the trophy awarded at the end of the Rugby World Cup, came to Stratford which was cause for great excitement in our household - although we have a divide in our loyalties when it comes to rugby!

August also contained:

- a Flower Show, more to come on that

- lots of sewing on my Straight Line Bow quilt, progress can be seen here, here, here and here

- time spent with family, birthdays, barbecues and sleepovers

- time spent with friends, on the water and in the woods mostly

- lots of reading, magazines and books

All in all a great summer, despite the weather.  I won't be sad for autumn to start I think it's my favourite time of year, but then again I like spring too and I guess winter and summer.  I think what I like is the change of seasons.  When I lived in Tauranga in New Zealand I missed the four distinct seasons we have here in the UK so now I truly relish all that comes with each season and the natural cycle that we move in through the year.  Goodbye Summer - until next year! x

This was my guest blogger post over at Very Berry Handamde:

This was the image that got me started on Very Berry’s ATCswaps.  I saw it over on Knotted Cotton.  I had been aware of ATCs before when I helped organised a Quilt Exhibition for my local club in New Zealand.  There was an ATC category and I saw some beautiful pieces of art. 

 

They sounded fun and I wanted to join in.  I kept an eye out and then saw Ali launch the Winter Sparkle ATC swap.  I signed up immediately.  The premise for an Artist Trading Card is simple – produce a piece of fabric art which is the same size as a business card, 3.5” x 2.5”.  The majority of it must be fabric but how you make it and what stitching you do is up to you – patchwork, applique, beading, stitching, crochet, printing – anything goes!  However, the working in miniature was something I found quite challenging.

The card I received in the first swap was this one:

 And the card I made was …. Whoops I was running somewhat late for this one and did not take any photos, either in progress or as a final piece.  I was crocheting a lot at the time so I got some very fine white cotton and a very small crochet hook and crocheted a star.  I placed this on some deep blue fabric and stitched out designs in white and silver with some bead embellishment.  It was supposed to represent the night sky full of stars and frost.  I made it oversized and then trimmed.  I put it together with backing and a thin piece of wadding.  I decided I would sew it bag style and then turn out to neatly top stitch around the edge.  I’m kind of good with things like that and I thought I would get a lovely finish – that’s one of the drawbacks about working in miniature.  I ended up with quite a fat little thing that was rather bulky at the edges!

 

Onwards and upwards to my second swap - Home Sweet Home.  This was the card I received:

 

And this was the card I made (I made sure to take a fair few photos this time!):

The finishing on this one was the more common finish I had seen around and I realise why.  The backing was placed right side down, then a piece of curtain lining with the finish top piece facing up.  I then oversewed the edges with a satin stich.  Or that’s what it would have been if I had been able to do it neatly.  It turned out to be an uneven zig zag/satin stich kind of finish.

 

So for my third attempt – how will I finish it?  I am not quite sure yet.  I think I had better come up with a design and produce a finished top before I worry about the finishing.  Design may sound like I know what I am doing.  When Ali was looking for some people to write about the process she stated:

…….. contribute a blog post on their ATC progress - with maybe sketch plans, work in progress, ideas behind the planned ATC ………

and that made me laugh.  I would describe my process as organic, flexible, on a whim, totally made up …… It takes all sorts doesn’t it?  At least this time I had an idea.  I knew that I was going on an indigo dyeing workshop before the ATC needed to be sent out and blue really is my favourite colour – so I thought that could easily fit into the My Perfect theme.  Because I offered to write this post I have been thinking about it a bit more than previous swaps.  Blue to me is wonderful. Cerulean, azure, turquoise, lapis lazuli, midnight sky, sky blue, aquamarine, cornflower, forget me not, the words are so descriptive and so many shades including the innumerable colours of the sea ……

So I have the starting blocks which are the fabric bits I dyed on the day.  A variety of cotton, linen, vintage, new and yarn all dyed in the same dye bath but all resulting in different shades of indigo.

 

 

 

  

 
I have some ideas in my head but I guess once again it will evolve and grow (but not too big I hope) as I actually make it.