After our lovely break in Cornwall, we returned to find that the couple who had viewed while we were away, wanted to come and see the house again. They duly came, with builder in tow, and after a bit of toing and froing they made an offer we could accept. So the sold sign is up again and we are off!
Sadly, the property we had set our hearts on is no longer for sale, but we have seen a couple of alternatives to go and see while we are down over Easter.
I have been trying to get on with things and not sit dreaming and it's been hard. On Friday I spent a very long day at the NEC at the Fashion Embroidery and Stitch show and did a stint on the QGBI Contemporary Quilt Group stand. I really enjoyed meeting the people who stopped by the stand and there was a lot of interest.
Then on Saturday I spent the day in Boston Spa with Hazel Williams dyeing fabric and yarn with procion dyes.
Unfortunately I have no photos and must now make a start on decluttering so it's all going to get put away for a while while we pack. So off to find some boxes big enough for my stash, but not too big to lift once thery're full!
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Friday, 16 March 2012
A short interlude
As we have had a lot of interest in the house, but no actual offers we decided to take a trip to Cornwall just to make sure it was still there! It was, although for a lot of the time it was shrouded in fog!
Having done the shopping for the AR, taken her out to lunch and settled her in her armchair for a nap, we spent our first afternoon wandering on the beach here
This beach is one of our favourites not because it is especially beautiful, but just because it is only used by local people and passing birds. We saw too many Oyster Catchers to count and four Little Egrets having a rest on the harbour wall. There were also Stonechats, Linnets and Gold Finches, plus the usual gulls. What you can't see in this photo, is the industrial scene behind the beach which, now that the industry has gone, is beginning to revert to nature. The clay drys, once busy and bustling with trucks and machinery are silent, apart from the herring gulls calling from the roof. The harbour, once one of the busiest in the world is deserted apart from the odd security guard making sure that trespassers are kept out and the Black Backed Gulls wheeling and screeching.
It is very sad to think that Cornwall, never a rich place, has now become one of the poorest counties with unemployment running very high and no real hope of employment for anyone, especially for youngsters. So, many young people are having to do what we did all those years ago and move away.
Now we want to move back and DV, if someone comes along and buys our house, that's what we'll do! The house we had hoped to buy has been taken off the market, but perhaps only temporarily, but nevertheless, we thought that we needed a plan B so we took a look at some others to see if they would suit. Sadly they didn't, but we did get to several more of our favourite places.
First to the market town of Helston and lunch at the Halzephron Inn at Gunwalloe. Then onto the Lizard and the most southerly point where we saw choughs!
On a brighter day, we went to St Ives, partly because we love it there, but also to see and exhibition called Inspired To Stitch put on by fellow blogger Carolyn Saxby. The pieces on show were a mixture of mixed media textiles and photography and some of them were very interesting. No photos I'm afraid because I really don't think it's appropriate to take them when an artist is trying to sell the works, but there links on Carolyn's blog so you can see how wonderful her work is.
As my DH has led a blameless life, of course there was a parking space in the Island Car Park so we saved on the cost of the park and ride which has got ridiculously expensive. After our crab sandwich in the Sloop, we had a stroll around the Island before setting of down the coast road to St Just and Cape Cornwall.
Bathed in sunshine and with just a light breeze and just perfect!
So a clamber up to the top of the hill and a long sit on the seat watching the gannets diving before calling into the golf club for a cup of tea.
Now we are back at home and apparently there is someone seriously interested in buying our house. Fingers crossed!
For now, I'm off to my free motion quilting class and over the weekend I'll be working on my CQ at 10 challenge.
Having done the shopping for the AR, taken her out to lunch and settled her in her armchair for a nap, we spent our first afternoon wandering on the beach here
This beach is one of our favourites not because it is especially beautiful, but just because it is only used by local people and passing birds. We saw too many Oyster Catchers to count and four Little Egrets having a rest on the harbour wall. There were also Stonechats, Linnets and Gold Finches, plus the usual gulls. What you can't see in this photo, is the industrial scene behind the beach which, now that the industry has gone, is beginning to revert to nature. The clay drys, once busy and bustling with trucks and machinery are silent, apart from the herring gulls calling from the roof. The harbour, once one of the busiest in the world is deserted apart from the odd security guard making sure that trespassers are kept out and the Black Backed Gulls wheeling and screeching.
It is very sad to think that Cornwall, never a rich place, has now become one of the poorest counties with unemployment running very high and no real hope of employment for anyone, especially for youngsters. So, many young people are having to do what we did all those years ago and move away.
Now we want to move back and DV, if someone comes along and buys our house, that's what we'll do! The house we had hoped to buy has been taken off the market, but perhaps only temporarily, but nevertheless, we thought that we needed a plan B so we took a look at some others to see if they would suit. Sadly they didn't, but we did get to several more of our favourite places.
First to the market town of Helston and lunch at the Halzephron Inn at Gunwalloe. Then onto the Lizard and the most southerly point where we saw choughs!
On a brighter day, we went to St Ives, partly because we love it there, but also to see and exhibition called Inspired To Stitch put on by fellow blogger Carolyn Saxby. The pieces on show were a mixture of mixed media textiles and photography and some of them were very interesting. No photos I'm afraid because I really don't think it's appropriate to take them when an artist is trying to sell the works, but there links on Carolyn's blog so you can see how wonderful her work is.
As my DH has led a blameless life, of course there was a parking space in the Island Car Park so we saved on the cost of the park and ride which has got ridiculously expensive. After our crab sandwich in the Sloop, we had a stroll around the Island before setting of down the coast road to St Just and Cape Cornwall.
Bathed in sunshine and with just a light breeze and just perfect!
So a clamber up to the top of the hill and a long sit on the seat watching the gannets diving before calling into the golf club for a cup of tea.
Now we are back at home and apparently there is someone seriously interested in buying our house. Fingers crossed!
For now, I'm off to my free motion quilting class and over the weekend I'll be working on my CQ at 10 challenge.
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Waiting for the phone to ring is so hard so the DH and I had a day out. I had read an article in my quilting magazine about an exhibition of work by Sabi Westoby which was in the Old Court House Gallery in Thirsk. The exhibition space was a little cramped as it is just part of the shop with many other artists work on display, but as most of the works were two dimensional, they were ideally suited to being hung around the walls. Although Sabi has made quilts in the past, some of which are quite traditional, she is a member of the Contemporary Quilt Group and describes herself as a mixed media artist. The works on display were mostly collages using paper, fabric and stitch and were very interesting. As I was not able to afford to buy my favourite piece, I had to be content with a set of postcards, but these will make an excellent source of inspiration. Sabi had also made some machine embroidered bowls using soluble fabric and I liked these very much. They were light and airy, but also colourful.
The exhibition continues until the 24th March and is well worth a visit. I can also recommend the carrot cake!
So back home for the afternoon to carry on with the Goodbye to the Grid quilt. I am making progress, but it is taking a while to get the pieces sewn together. Some of the pieces are such odd shapes that it is hard to decide whether to try to piece them or just bite the bullet and applique them. I think they look better if they are pieced so the seam ripper came in quite useful. Here is a photo to show how far I've got!
Unfortunately, the purple has come out on the blue side, but it does at least give a flavour. At the moment it is pinned to the original background sketch which is held on the wall by bluetack. It caused quite a stir when it fell off the wall in the middle of the night, but no harm was done and we survived.
The hard bit for me is to choose which fabric goes where and then stick to the choice. I wait a while before sewing them down, but at some point a decision has to be made and even if I think that a different fabric would have been better I'm learning to get it done rather than keep changing it around.
One thing I have learned is that I don't have enough hand dyed fabric to make a full sized piece, and the dyeing I've done to date has been fun, but hasn't produced a range of tints, tones and values that will allow me to make a coordinated piece. So I have booked a three day workshop at the Festival of Quilts with Jo Lovelock Entitled Colour, Texture and Value, Creating Unique Cloth for Quiltmaking. I hadn't intended to book this course, but I realised that in order to make the sort of quilt I have in mind, I need to plan in advance so that I have the fabric ready to hand before I start.
As we aren't planning a holiday this year, and don't know where we'll be living, I decided to go for it rather than put things on hold while we wait for a buyer to come along and buy our house!
All this thought and planning ahead, sketching, designing etc, not really me at all. Am I possibly turning into a textile artist? No, just playing with my toys!
The exhibition continues until the 24th March and is well worth a visit. I can also recommend the carrot cake!
So back home for the afternoon to carry on with the Goodbye to the Grid quilt. I am making progress, but it is taking a while to get the pieces sewn together. Some of the pieces are such odd shapes that it is hard to decide whether to try to piece them or just bite the bullet and applique them. I think they look better if they are pieced so the seam ripper came in quite useful. Here is a photo to show how far I've got!
The hard bit for me is to choose which fabric goes where and then stick to the choice. I wait a while before sewing them down, but at some point a decision has to be made and even if I think that a different fabric would have been better I'm learning to get it done rather than keep changing it around.
One thing I have learned is that I don't have enough hand dyed fabric to make a full sized piece, and the dyeing I've done to date has been fun, but hasn't produced a range of tints, tones and values that will allow me to make a coordinated piece. So I have booked a three day workshop at the Festival of Quilts with Jo Lovelock Entitled Colour, Texture and Value, Creating Unique Cloth for Quiltmaking. I hadn't intended to book this course, but I realised that in order to make the sort of quilt I have in mind, I need to plan in advance so that I have the fabric ready to hand before I start.
As we aren't planning a holiday this year, and don't know where we'll be living, I decided to go for it rather than put things on hold while we wait for a buyer to come along and buy our house!
All this thought and planning ahead, sketching, designing etc, not really me at all. Am I possibly turning into a textile artist? No, just playing with my toys!
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