If I tell you that the basket is only 10 inches long and that Will is a BIG cat, you'll understand the effort he made to fit in !! Now guess what's underneath him - Yes! You've got it!! The fabric I need to carry on sewing!!!
Anyone care to explain the built-in radar that cats seem to have for finding the most inconvenient bed !!!
One of the best things about the Voie Vert is that you can walk there in any weather and keep out of the mud - the draw back is that you have to walk 'there and back' which can be a bit daunting at times
When it was first opened, it was very stark as the 'lane' was newly metalled, and the verges were inches deep in red gravel, now though nature is taking over and turning it into a real 'Green Way!
Cold it might have been but well worth the effort for views like this !
I have a question for all Log Cabin fans - how do you quilt your tops ? I have one almost ready but can't decide how to machine quilt over all these seams - any advice anyone ???
I shouldn't really mention the Wales v New Zealand rugby match last night (!!) DH is still in a state of shock especially as he thought Wales was on a roll at half time - isn't it sad to see a grown man cry (LOL!!!) Having said that England didn't do any better against South Africa and it was left to Ireland & Scotland to salvage a little British pride in their matches against Argentina & Canada !! France & Italy also lost to Australia and the Pacific Islanders respectively - doesn't say a great deal for the Northern Hemisphere teams does it - perhaps its lots of sunshine that equates to better (!) rugby players !!!!
This will be another first for me as I have never really been a fan of paper piecing, but I would love to try the New York Beauty block and this pattern is certainly in my comfort zone !! Can I do it I ask myself or will this turn into another step too far !!!!
A nice reliable little workhorse that saw me through my first attempts at this craft even allowing for the fact that she must be over 30 years old (if not more!) as I have owned her for 26 years and I am her third owner - still going strong I might add, if a little noisey !!
Together we stitched the necessary sections ready to put together for the finished block - then disaster!! In my ignorance (!!) I had photocopied the template and omitted to verify the size which was smaller than the original, so the overall pattern was lost!! After kicking myself, I then did what I think maybe most would have done - put it in a drawer and forgot about it ! I couldn't let it go though as I had really fallen for the pattern, so some months later I got it out, unpicked (yes!!) every section, redrafted the template correctly and reused where possible the bulk of the fabric and remade the flimsy! This time it worked, but I was faced with a second problem - what to do with all those white areas ? That I can't hand quilt has already been established and until recently haven't had the bottle to try FMQ, so back into the drawer it went!!
This week, I steeled myself to finish the quilt and today put the last stitches into the binding, and now that it is finished at last I am just so glad that I did perservere as it was worth the effort! Voila - my Spider's Web !!
Not perfect by any means, but to me its great !! My oldest UFO finished at last !!
Just before I go, a line about my posting yesterday and the comment left by Touring in Brittany. In case anyone is wondering, I should explain that in Brittany many people still speak the original Gallic language or 'patois'. In our little village alone the language spoken amongst our older neighbours is Breton ,although when they are in 'mixed' company French is the order of the day. During 1914-1918 Breton would have been the language of the men going to war. At this time the Province was still a bit of 'the poor relation' in France , somewhat isolated from the rest of the country , and French had not yet been adopted as the official language .
Brittany is extremely proud of its Gallic roots and this is apparent throughout the Province in many shapes and forms.
Just a single wreath of fresh flowers, but where it is speaks volumes .
Brittany has reason to remember WWII as it suffered greatly not only throughout the occupation, but also through intense bombing by the Allies. St Malo,Rennes, Nantes, Brest, St Nazaire & Lorient were the main targets, the last 3 being occupied ports and/or shipyards which suffered greatly.
Talking to our older neighbours can sometimes be like re-living history . Just last week out on my walk past one of the nearby farms I stopped to talk to Monsieur (82) & Madame (81) and after catching up with the general gossip we got to the subject of the influx of British residents in the area ,always a favourite topic ( incidentally we are known locally as 'OUR English ') - Monsieur told me that the first time he heard spoken English was when he was 18 years old and the American liberation forces drove past the farm just a few feet from where we were standing !
I am too young ( just!!) to remember WWII, but I can remember my Dad , who was in the RAF, sharing his memory of being caught in the London Blitz and being buried in the rubble for 2 days , and I can't help but wonder what kind of memories our elderly neighbours must have of this most terrible time .
Lest We Forget ................
Sweet William - what would I do without your help !!!!
