archaeological dig

When hubs was digging the holes (12 of them) which were each 3 feet deep, we felt that we would find some evidence of an old Scottish settlement like they do in  Time Team. A gold ring would have been nice or a nice bit of tile, maybe a brooch to keep the kilt up, but what was found was plenty bits of old iron, metal bits from an oven, broken chards, boulders, stones.
However, there was a bit of treasure....3 old bottles and a glass top.

 They were filled with dirt but they have a residue of it stuck around the side which I can't get off. Will have to google and see what can be done to make them pristine. (would still have liked a gold ring tho!!)

oh deary me.

The camera dried out nicely after being dropped into water and it actually took a picture BUT when I went to take some more it died on me :0(  So no upto date photos for a little while which is a shame.(unless hubs can have a fiddle with it and see if it's repairable)

I have finished the little house bookmark (picture of the start a couple of blogs down) which looks quite nice and have started on a cushion cover for me bed. It has a white background with red hand stitching of hearts. Hope it matches the quilt OK.

I will leave you with this photo

The start of the polytunnel. It has come on somewhat since this picture was taken. Digging the holes for the poles was tough, the ground is filled with large stones and boulders, so they all had to be removed whilst trying to dig......took absolutely ages. Then all the holes had to be measured and re-measured to make sure they wern't squint otherwise the poles would have not squared up properly. I am still optomistic that we will get it finished before the end of the summer!!!! My coldframe is starting to look like a little jungle with all the things growing in there!

Binding on quilt

The final finished pictures of this 'ere quilt. I did want black with small white dots as a binding, but went with what I had already in, which was red and white gingham. Do wish that I had a really good camera so the photos are clearer, but what happened was an accident I swear, it dropped into a bowl of water just after I had downloaded the photos. At the mo it's drying off I do hope it works again, cos a rubbish camera is better than no camera....right?

Nicely folded on the chair.

With a red furry type blanket and white crochet throw.

On the bed.

 Looks better in real life even the wonky bits!! Has the little label sewn into the back.
I have put the red furry blanket as a throw along the bottom of the bed.

Would I do another one......yes....but not just yet! I wish it was a little bit wider so there is more drape down the sides. But I can live with that.

It needs some nice cushions and/or pillows to finish it off. (I have a pair of red pj's already so I already match!!)






 

quilting the quilt. part 2.

Phew and double phew finished the quilt at long last. I first started gathering the bits together in September 2010. If ya want a reminder it's here http://highlandsockies.blogspot.com/2010/09/top-photo-is-my-stash-of-bits-for.html. From these pieces I blundered on, recording the bits that I finished on this blog as I went along. Never having made a proper quilt before I am quite pleased with meself even tho it's wibbly, wobbly in some places!! (to be honest a lot of places :0P )
Beware overload of photos!

 I chose to do a simple triangle pattern. Which I used a vanishing pen to mark the lines out. When I ran out near the end, finished up using a pencil. (gasps of horror from all the lovely proper quilters!)lol Fortunately when I put it in the washing machine on a gentle cycle (whilst holding my breath for a very long time I can tell you!) The colours didn't run and the jam, pencil and browny, yellowy marks of the invisible pen that were left behind after the invisible bit (don't now how that happened) also disappeared .

 This is before the binding was put on. Sorry about the quality of the photos.

My camera is re-charging and can't download the finished piece as yet. Will upload tomorrow.
Hope ya like it!

Finished at last

Just a quick Hooray! Finished hand quilting at long last. Have cut the binding which is red and white gingham so will have to be sewing that on next.....on the machine! I really wanted a black background with small white spot for a good contrast but couldn't justify spending any more money on it.

So hopefully there will be pictures of the hand quilting tomorrow.
Be patient!!!!

Red cross stitch sampler

I found this in my cupboard that was made a couple of years ago. I thought if I put some white cotton behind it and a white backing, it might make a nice cushion to go with the 'quilt' (nearly finished hand quilting...hooray!). Still got to find some binding tho, so will have to have a rummage and see if I've got some that will contrast with the red.

So if it looks OK only three more cushions to go! Could put some red tassels on the corners maybe or beads?
Thank goodness the wind has died down in our corner at the top of Scotland. We had it for 2 days with heavy showers inbetween. We were predicted to have 70mph winds but fortunately we didn't have it that bad. I feel sorry for the those lower down who took the full force.

Been measuring up a window for a roman blind. I didn't know they were so expensive. So back to the drawing board as I'm not able to make one myself.

I've got my knitting mojo back and am waiting for a couple of patterns to arrive, hope they come soon so I can get some wool before I lose the urge to knit again!!!

Don't throw away bits and pieces!

This is something I'm making from a piece of scrap  tea bag tissue. It's only half finished as not been able to do any crafting for a number of days. Can you guess what it's going to be? (Tis long and thin)

 I have put one of my 'Quirky' houses on top and is waiting to be top stitched and then stitch the back and front together, insert the cardboard and put a bit of binding around the edges. Never made one like this before so hope it turns out OK. I can see it in my head anyway!!!

Pressies just for me!

Isn't it nice to get unexpected presents just for yourself. One dd bought me this which I would never buy for myself and has a fab smell (quite strong actually) and hopefully will sort out my dry, wrinkly hands!!

Another dd bought me this teeny piggy bank. As you can see with the 50p next to it how small it is.  It has 'mums night out' on it......that's a laugh as the evening is my 'put your feet up time' and I rarely venture out, so that's why it's so small as she knows me so well. I think 2 50p's would just fit in!!

Next was a present that I bought for one of the blokes of the family. It wasn't very cheap but it made me smirk.

It's got a hinged lid and all around the outside it says 'Man Tin' Could put loads of choccys in it and a screwdriver on top!

Nowt to show!

I have been beavering away at hand quilting so havn't been doing anything else just yet as I really want to get it finished. I think my stitches are getting bigger and bigger haha. Somebody said that it used to be 11 stitches to the inch (if my memory serves me correct) in some squares I managed a 10, but, in reality I think it was mostly in between 6-8.  But I darn't count cos I am not undoing it!!

Things that go wrong!

These are quite trivel really but annoying anyway, especially as they all happened on the one day.
1) Bought another transfer pen and moments after ordering, found the one I thought I'd lost. (because it looks like a felt tip I thought it was one of my g'daughters pens and didn't check)

2) Cut my fingers chopping an onion. Plastered up, carried on doing what I was doing. After a few hours plaster dropped off. It looked OK so was changing bed sheets and yep you guessed ending up dropping blood over it, so had to take it all off again and put back into the wash.

3) Made 5 cards. (or tried too). Only one came out fine. Was aware that glue can get everywhere and even tho I was careful, as I'd got glue drops on my cards before. So yep you guessed it....again......got glue blobs on 4 of them. So after mentally telling meself off I did a bit of damage control. But had to throw away the cards as the glue wouldn't come off.

Here are the culprits. Glue on the outside and the insides. (photo couldnt pick that up)

The one that escaped my sloppiness! It's is going to be an anniversary card for one of the family.

4) DO NOT...DO NOT....do what I just did. Stoking up the wood burner (yes its a bit chilly up here) I put the 'quilt' beside me whilst kneeling down putting wood in and yep.....you are very good guessers!......a number of large cinders dropped out and only missed my quilt by a fraction. Worse senario could have been burnt, or, a very large black mark could have imprinted itself on it and no amount of damage control would have rescued it.

But the good news is that I've got one of my pictures back from the framers and here it is;

Tis brighter in real life.
A programme on tv this week I really enjoyed was 'Show me the Monet'. About people bringing in their works of art and going before a hanging committee to see if it's good enough to go into The Royal College of Art. That must have been nerve wracking. Some pieces I couldn't understand at all but that's art!!

p.s. just to add to the moans (cos I can!)
5) DO NOT eat jam filled cake while said 'quilt' is on lap.  Couldn't understand why the needle and my fingers had gone all sticky. Turned it over and there was a blob of jam underneath hmmm where did that come from. Being an old(ish) person I had dropped jam down me cardi which then had transferred itself to 'quilt'. Methinks I'd better get a bib!!

AND why do they say plasters are waterproof? Yes,  they're made of some plastic material but the stitcky bit that sticks to the skin is not. So when said injured fingers get immersed in water they drop off and as I was washing my hair at the time, yep they ended up down the sinkhole. Then the wounds got caught in hair and caused them to re-open. Twas painful but didn't notice any blood until saw the towel.

Now why can't blood be another colour other than red. I love red but when it's accompanied by blood that's when I could keel over. If it was blue or green I don't think it would have the same effect. :0D
My MIL would say gah....I say bah humbug!

As I was at a bit of a loose end yesterday with running out of bibs and bobs, I made this little label to go on the back of the 'quilt'. Both hubs and daughter said all that work and putting it on the back.....but I said 'I will know it's there' and they said 'put it on the front at the bottom'. Personally I don't think that it will look OK on the front, but will see once finished. The patch measures approx 3"xnearly5". The writing is just backstitch with a french knot on the ends.

 Now the quilting thread has been purchased I will be doing that for now (unless something different catches my eye!!!)
Couldn't get a fabric pen in either craft shop, so will have to get it from Ebay and then I can start marking out the grids for the x stitch.

Little Mickey Monkey

I've had these pair of kiddie socks for a while and thought it was about time he got made into........yes you guessed it......a mini monkey!! Seeing I havn't made one for a while he was made extra welcome :0D
Hope you like him, he's a cute little thing.

 One of the reasons he was made is because I've run out of quilting thread for hand quilting the 'quilt' and still havn't found the embroidery pen for marking the x stitch out. I also made a label to go onto the back of the 'quilt' when it's eventually finished. Going to shops tomorrow so will get necessary supplies (no, not food!)
as I really want to get it finished and on the bed this year!!

Vase of flowers cross stitch picture.

This cross stitch took 3 years in the making and I did say never again.....famous last words! In the back of my expanding drawer is the matching kit that I had to have!

I re-cycled an old frame and mount which fortunately fitted just right. You have to stand back a bit to get the proper effect (a bit like an oil painting)
This is the one that I have just started to get together.

 All the bits. I am going to use a washable marker to mark out the grid lines this time (a good tip from 'Louise' over on mse cross stitch forum) I don't know how I managed without it, but saying that I can't find it after stitching the messy cat it's gone awol and there is only me to blame as hubs wouldn't have touched it.

 This is my working copy and all the threads. I don't buy kits now unless they have pre-sorted threads it's so hard to get the colours in the right order sometimes, and, you can spend as much time sorting as stitching. So along with the quilt, this is a long term project to pick up and put down meanwhile doing other things inbetween.

Having a clear out of some pictures that I'm fed up with and no longer fits in. Really want to re-do the computer/craft/tv/slouch room but havn't got any inspiration yet.

close up of card

Managed to get a close up of the heart card so that you can see the gold a bit better and the stencilling etc. The background is a special fabric which I have forgotten the name of. My daughters and I went to a class that was teaching fabric painting so had to go didn't I!! Used loads of different paints and techniques on this fabric and came home with two very large pieces which have been lying flat under the sofa ever since. (sofas are a handy way to store bits of work that you want to keep flat, out of the way and can store really large pieces so they dont get rumpled.) This is a bit that I cut out of the main fabric to make the card.

It has a nice shimmer to it.

Cards

I've made some more little boat pictures/cards from tissue bag paper. Nice and bright and cheery.

Another one has a background of fabric that I painted last year and I added a stitched heart which also can be used as a card and then hung as a little picture.

And I thought I would put in messy cat in his picture frame (tried to photgraph it so there wasnt too much reflection which didnt work, but it gives a visual as to how he is mounted) the red mount is just card from a kiddies drawing book but as it's quite stiff thought it looked OK.

Messy Cat

Isn't he cute. If I had a cat this is what he would be doing I'm sure! He grew quite quickly for me as I'm not very fast when it comes to cross stitch. He is now hanging in my conservatory (read that as diddy porch!) I found a frame and cut a dark red mount with a circle instead of a square for a change. Couldn't take a good photo of the finished article cos of the reflection on glass.

Need to find another cross stitch to do now.

Finished bunting

Thanks to the girls on other forums I got the umph to finish the bunting which has been stashed away for a looonng time!

It's hung at the moment across my little dresser and the h has been elongated to make it look like an h.

                                         

                                                                     Close up

                                             Back view which is a bit bright

Another one done and dusted.....onwards to the next project which is the little messy cat.....photos later (he's very cute!

A bit of bunting

I had a go at making some bunting ages ago, but I think the edges are cut to close to the houses (and the h looks like r!) so they were stuffed in the back of a drawer. (this back of drawer is getting a bit full...haha)
I have got some red gingham to back it, wonder when they will get finished?!

My original idea was to string them along my little dresser.....maybe one day they still will.