Dove-tailing Episode No 2.......

I recently came across the Facebook page of a local Craft Centre (The Court Cupboard).  I was interested to see their programme of workshops after attending one a couple of years ago.  It was a day course where I made this folded-fabric covered box. 

The Court Cupboard were having a drive to get 100 ‘likers’ for their Facebook page and, what do you know, they were at 99!!  I couldn’t resist and immediately clicked, leaving a little message too! They came back with a message of congratulations and said to pop in for a complimentary coffee and cake (not knowing whether I lived down the road or the other side of the world!). They would leave a note behind the counter for whoever was on duty.

HST quilt slow progress (borders added)

I didn’t need asking twice and called in a couple of weeks later for a browse of the lovely crafts.  The crafter manning the counter (they take it in turns) welcomed me and I started to explain who I was, expecting him to rummage behind the counter for a note about me.  Before I’d finished my sentence his face lit up with understanding and he was welcoming me like a celebrity, offering me refreshment and explaining to the other visitors who I was. It was quite a welcome, I can tell you!  

June block for Tag Square Bee (subsequently found out recipient is no longer part of the Bee)

On a similar subject, I’ve booked a weekend course in November with Jennie Rayment at Farncombe Estate called Texture into Sudoku.  I took the list of materials required for the course to my quilting club last month and they happened to have a few books by Jennie that I was able to look through to get more information.  While doing this, I noticed one of the designs looked familiar.  It was the method I’d used to cover the box (above) at The Court Cupboard!  Well, at least I have an idea of what’s in store for me in November now!!

Bees of a different kind!

I found this lying on the settee when I got home from work the other day.  Apparently DS bought it.  I wonder if he got the idea from the bees trying to take up residence in my shed.  Whatever the reason, I haven't asked what his plans are!!

Bye for now

Teresa x

"It All Dovetails......" (As Mrs Jerebohm said in The Darling Buds of May)

Buying magazines is one of my little luxuries but being aware of adding to the general junk on the planet, I normally try to stick to 2 copies a month. This month, however, I've been naughty and the lure of all the new magazines catering to the handmade market has been too great.   

 I recently cancelled my subscription to Zest (because I wasn't interested enough to read the last issue before the next one arrived!) to replace it with Popular Patchwork and I ususally buy Country Living because I love looking at the beautiful pictures of country homes and reading about the lifestyles. But I also succumbed to the temptation of Craft Seller and Handmade Living. 

 I was most looking forward to reading Craft Seller, thinking it would give me a lot of advise, help and 'oomph' to get going with selling my own work, but it didn't tell me much that I didn't know already. I much prefered Handmade Living with it's 'makeable' projects and blogger profiles.

 The 'dovetailing' involves the pile of CL and Zest magazines I recently offered on Freecycle. There were 3 interested parties and, unbelievably, 2 of them were also called Teresa!! OH randomly picked one and it turned out to be a Teresa, who lived at the end of our road and I didn't know!! Well she called to pick up the mags and promised to Freecycle them on while I promised to pass on my magazines to her in the future. A satisfying deal all round!!

Watering cans hanging from the garden room ceiling

The photos are from the garden at the back of my hairdresser's salon that is going to be part of an Open Gardens weekend next week.  Can you tell the theme is Yellow?

Another 'dovetailing' story coming soon concerning a local craft centre, a handmade box and my quilting group.

Bye for now
Teresa x

Dreadlock Holiday!

The local annual Music Festival is all over again for another year.  We came to take for granted the beautiful hot, sunny weather we had over the last 6 years and it was a bit of a shock that it wasn't a permanent feature!!  Despite the rain, the weekend was a great success with more events than ever.

Despite the drizzly Friday evening, when we sat under umberellas in the pub garden listening to a lively cover band, Saturday dawned bright and sunny.


OH and my friends at the Castle waiting for 10cc

It soon became cold and cloudy, though, as we headed up to the Castle car park to see 10cc, wrapped up to keep warm.  In typical British-weather-style, the sun came out and blazed during the first supporting act until we were all down to T-shirts. 

You didn't expect it to last did you?  We hoped it would, but were prepared for the worst because we actually believed the forecast (which proved correct)!!  The temperature must have dropped about 15 degrees but within an hour was back to its sunny brightness :-)  

Owen Money at the golf club on Saturday evening.

I'm glad we went to see Owen Money (even though it meant missing a lot of 10cc when they over-ran) because he was hilarious and we had a good laugh.  We were glued to our seats for another reason too - if anyone got up for anything, they were picked on like a shot.  DD's boyfriend went to get drinks and although he waited until Owen was halfway through a joke before coming back in, thinking he was safe, the joke was abandoned and Owen and his band sang a little ditty about him 'wearing a checked shirt' and 'looking like a prat'!!  It might sound rude, but actually it was very funny!

Due to the all-day rain on Sunday the usual Male Voice Choir concert was held in the church so we decided to do something different and went to see a young reggae band at The Beaufort. It was a shame there weren't more people to see them because they were great fun.  If it'd been sunny they would have been performing outside on the terrace and people would have been drawn in as they passed.  I can't tell you who they were because they were an amalgamation of bands that got together just for the festival and not as listed in the programme.

The last 2 years our group of friends has worn fancy dress on the Sunday evening, so all weekend people were asking us what we were dressing up as and wouldn't believe us when we said we weren't.  We did try to thing of something but as the concert was a Take That tribute band we couldn't think of anything suitable.  Maybe next year!!!


We took Monday off work to recover - toasted tea-cakes in the sun!!

Well that was supposed to be a post about the Music Festival and ended up being more about the weather.  That's the British for you!!!! But we have an excuse in that we have an awful lot of weather to talk about.

On a different note - As I haven't heard from the winner of my second brooch in the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway I drew it again using a random number generator.  It chose 32 which is That Girl, who I will contact shortly.  

Bye for now
Teresa x

On the Road Again!

I know I've been a bit quiet recently but there has been a reason. Do you remember in this post where I mentioned that after our last office move we would either be finishing after a few months or moving again.  Well...........we moved again!!!!!



Packed and ready to go.

Last time I packed 35 crates but this time I didn't have quite so much stuff and only had 25.


At the other end after movers had left!!

The crates above are mine but the rest of the junk is not.  I don't know where it came from but had to get it all moved before I could get to the cupboards to unload my crates (which were piled in 3 different rooms). 

All unpacked and ready for action.

The rooms in these new portacabins are wider than the last ones so I don't expect to bruise my legs on the corners of the desks quite so much!  And whereas we (females) had one toilet between us before, we now have more than one each!?


This is one half of the corridor and has the air of a submarine about it.

 If you stand in the position above, you can't recognise anyone standing at the far end of the corridor.  I know because someone waved to me yesterday and I have no idea who it was.

This view is a big improvement on the last one.  I don't feel so enclosed and shut off  from the world here.  It's changed a bit since I took this because they've finished laying the tarmac carpark. Now we can park almost outside the door and don't have to get a minibus from the temporary carpark, approx 1 minute walk away!! As it's an active construction site, it was either that or don full PPE every morning and afternoon.

It's a bit longer commute for me (about 50 mins each way), so after one week I'm feeling a bit tired as I'm not used to getting up at 6.30 every day.  I'm sure I'll get used to it and it's an advantage that we moved in the spring because hopefully I'll be well into a routine by the darker winter mornings/evenings.  I've heard rumours we may be here until the end of 2012 but nothing is definite in this business!

As a little extra, and a divertion from boring work business, I thought you might like to see who's trying to set up home in my shed!  This hive is (was) about 5" across and well on it's way when OH discovered it on the underside of the front overhang of the shed.  A lone bee made a feeble solitary attempt to rebuild after OH knocked it off but his attempts, too, were thwarted.   Hopefully, they've now given up because I'm not sharing my shed with anyone - IT'S MINE!!!

This weekend is Music Festival weekend so lots of fun to be had by all.  Unfortunately, it looks as though this is going to be the first time we haven't had lovely sunny weather for it.  I have, however, learnt from previous years and have taken Monday off work to recover!!

Bye for now

Teresa x

What an Idiot!

Not you, no!! I'm the idiot - I'll tell you why later.

First of all, I had a splendid Bank Holiday weekend and I'd like to share a few of the highlights.  They're nothing too out-of-the-ordinary but I made the most of the time, was far more relaxed than usual and rather than worrying about what I should be doing in the house enjoyed the 'moment'.

I finished putting together this little experimental project while watching Batteries Not Included on TV (love that film - so sweet!).  It could have done with being a bit smaller because, although the felt was quite stiff, it wasn't stiff enough to hold the shape as I wanted. I'm sure I'll find a use for it.  I'll try a smaller one next.

When I craft in front of the TV, I generally have my equipment scattered on the sofa next to me but this project involved a lot more bits and pieces, so I copied Bugs and Fishes and put it all onto a tray and it worked out well - No scissors lost down the side of the cushions or reels of thread rolling away.

On Sunday OH and I went to the local garden centre to pick up some plants to fill our borders.  We also ended up having lunch in their cafe and I bought a new pair of sandals, none of which was planned :-)

From there we went on to a local craft centre where I bought a bag before Christmas.  This time the lady who makes the bags in a studio on site was there and I had a lovely chat with her.  She and I are similar in that we both use recycled materials and our favourite colour is orange.  Where we differ is that she has just given up a part-time job to work 2 days in the craft shop in exchange for free use of the studio.  Waaaaaah.................I am so jealous.  But I was so pleased, I got excited FOR her and congratulated her on taking the plunge.

The weekend also involved some baking, some exercising and meeting with friends listening to a singer performing in the lounge at the local hotel.

Now for the idiotic bit!  Remember last time I said I was waiting for a Walking Foot for my sewing machine so I could quilt my next project properly?  Well, it turns out I had one all the time!  As soon as I opened the package I recognised the box.

It came with the machine when I bought it, but I didn't know then what it was for and assumed it was for some fancy procedure that I would never need.  I'd then put it back in the pocket and didn't think to look at it again. I contacted the shop and luckily they agreed to refund my money if I sent it back - otherwise I was considering ebay which would have been a bit risky.  No excuses now, not to get on with the quilting!!

Bye for now

Teresa x

P.S.  I've sent off the first brooch to Helena, but I'm afraid I haven't been able to contact Sharon who won the other brooch.  If you read this, Sharon, please email me with your address (or if you leave it in a comment I won't publish it). I'll draw it again if I don't hear in a week or so.