Last week it was 'Open Studios' in my town.
I had the chance to visit a few and come away with a fabulous ceramic picture (more when it's on the wall!), a lovely jug and the enrolment onto a printing course.
No 2 - my artist in residence - came out all inspired... and, although we need to have a chat about his habit of 'creating' in bed, it's great to see him inspired and ready to let his imagination go.
Good stuff.
I was thinking, half way through one of Mr M's shirts, the perhaps I have a split personality.... ( I do some good thinking when I'm ironing and no I'm not obsessed with it... but do you remember the size of that pile a few days ago???).
Let me explain. This morning I spent a good half an hour sorting out my 'home' board on Pinterest and half way through it something struck me... Do I have a 'style'? I mean... according to that board I would be perfectly happy living in a modernist bungalow, a rickety log cabin on the edge of an alpine lake, a city loft, a clapboard house, a Southern farm... blah blah blah...
Am I incredibly adaptable or do I lack any depths of thought?
Should I worry?
Another example: this is the latest quilt top awaiting quilting (if I'm lucky it'll happen this afternoon, but it's father's day here in England... and I'm not the father... do you get my drift?)...
It's bright, right?
And I love it. I really do.
BUT
But I'm completely in love with this little fat 1/4 stack here too:
What does it mean??
Have I got an eclectic taste or am slightly mad?
Sigh.
I need to get back to Mr M's shirt left half done... for now I'll stick with eclectically adaptable...
After four hours (a lunch with a friend and much much ironing) the dough has doubled its size. Hurray!
I punch it. I rub olive oil in my hands and basically I unstuck it from the sides of the bowl and shape it a bit. No need to knead it.
Doesn't look too pretty... but I have faith. And my fingers are sticky and crossed.
Then it gets covered again loosely with cling film and in the meantime I take my heavy cast iron casserole dish and get it really hot in the oven.
I'd read that sometimes the dough sticks to the dish so I lined the bottom with one of those super hand ready made for lazy people cake tin liners.
In goes the dough. 30 minutes with the lid and 15 without...
and voila'!
The Eagle has landed.
We have bread.
Warm delicious bread.
Which doesn't last long.
It's just too delicious.
"how do you like your eggs in the morning... I like mine with a kiss...".
So Sorry.
Today is the last day of exams for the boys and you have NO IDEA how happy that makes me. No more revision... I can forget the names of Henry VIII's wives... I can forget the difference between plant cells and animals cells... I can store in the dark recess of my mind the story of Gideon and the Reformation and the names of Egyptian gods...
And I'm going to make bread live on this blog.
This will fulfill two things:
1) delay the moment I have to tackle this:
(Just keeping it real, folks.)
2) tick off from my to do list the "NY Times Speedy no-knead bread recipe. (I'll ignore the fact I've been trying NOT to eat bread for the past 6 weeks... what can I say, I'm human and I have the urge of smelling baking bread. No I'm not 'expecting'. Geesh.)
Great. Two birds with one stone, right? Although what will kill me in the end will bel that ironing pile. Not the wheat or the yeast.
Back to Bread. (As opposed to back to bed, which is were I'd like to be.) The recipe is here.
Off we go.
Pretty bowl on tea-towel from Tuscany. Check.
Mix all dry ingredients. Check.
Add water and combine. Check.
Not to self: remove rings before mixing dough next
Obtain 'shaggy' dough... check?
Cover with clingfilm (use your imagination for this one), and put into a warm room for 4 hours. I used the airing cupboard as this stupid British weather has turned June into October.
Now we wait.
Four hours.
I guess I can't delay the ironing any longer.
Sigh.
Off I go.
Incidentally - since we're talking food today - this is what happens if you forget to water your basil:
Doh.
I have a new toy!!
It's big and heavy (I love the fact that it's made out of metal) and solid and quiet and super fast.
I can cut the thread by pushing a button and wind a new bobbin using a separate motor without unthreading everything.
I love it.
The tester project. (Finished 7 minutes before the party... ehm... but that it's a different subject)
I can't wait trying quilting with it!
Soooo... I was all ready to do a birthday post a few days ago and than a curve ball smacked me in the face.
A curve ball I can't talk about because it's not for me to do so but that nevertheless has really upset me and left me helpless and sad and confused and upset and so much more.
2013 has not been the best year so far so please 'up there', if there is anybody listening... ENOUGH ALREADY!
So, let's see what can I talk to you about that's nice..
oh yes, I was contacted by the editor of CRAFTY magazine a few weeks ago, they wanted to include a picture of my crochet headphones in their next issue... and here it is!
It's a tiny photo... but that's me on the page!!
I've been tidying my study. A new shelf (new toy... more of that on another day) and neatly folded fabric that makes me very happy. I also put all my lace in a shoebox which I'd covered with stamps over twenty years ago (back in the days when people still sent letters... the good old days)
I love looking at that box. Stamps from Italy, England, Germany, the US... it's kind of nostalgic.
Ok, what else...
hexes... yes hexes... I've been making quite a few of them... it's a nice calming and grounding, simple thing to do.
And I need calm. And grounding. And simple.
(Normal transmission will resume shortly)
(I thank the heavens for Mr M, he's the best)
We are very lucky that every June a huge Science Festival comes to town. And it's brilliant.
I was telling No 1 the other night on the drive home how if I'd had a half decent science teacher I would have loved science as a child, instead of relegating it onto the 'must-do-as-little-as-possible- shelf.
Teachers like Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnel who gave the most interesting talk about 'pulsars'.
PULSARS??? I hear you ask... exactly.... it was a talk chosed by no 1 who loves that stuff (must have picked a recessive gene in mine or Mr M's dna for that one!) and I only went because a 12 yr old doesn't roam alone at night.
But I loved it. And what's more I understood it. And it left me wanting for more. Isn't that the point of science? to awaken your curiosity and make you search?
(Don't worry, I'm not going to turn this into an astrophysics blog!)
Today I went by myself to this event:
Who? Exactly... I had no idea until then but James Watson was the co-discovered of DNA back in 1953 and Nobel prize winner in 1962
He's 85 he still plays tennis and his mind can put us all to shame.
He has a wicked sense of humour, he's no stranger to controversy, he still works and publishes papers.
And now if you'll excuse me I need to catch up on something...
I understand I'm a bit late in jumping on this bandwagon...
but what a great pattern!!
The pocket design is genius (I'm not... it took me a while to work out how to put it together!) and it's very comfortable to wear.
Of course I've made a mistake somewhere in copying the pattern and messed up the band around the neck (I need a lesson in tracing... ) and had to do without but I've already worn it and it wasn't an issue. I also changed the sleeves; because of the simpler neckline I felt the sleeves needed to be simpler too.
The fabric is a gorgeous shot linen bought very cheaply at the Malvern quilt fair a few weeks back. The problem was... that it was soooooo damn slippery. Is it the nature of shot fabric? of linen? I don't know, what I know is that the thing moved whichever way it fancied it and that cutting a straight line was a nightmare, never mind curves!
A lot of expletive were uttered.
The clouds are moving really fast today and the light keeps changing so the colour of the first image is the most accurate. Isn't it just perfect?
And it fits too!
(ok, I know it's June, but it's not warm out there and I hate cold feet!)
It's getting a bit late and the air is a little too chilly for me but the boys are still outside playing nicely together and I daren't disturb them. They seem to have found a common language in long cricket matches and I love listening to their chatter and laughter without being seen.
Another sunny day.
Yes!
Sport, sport, sport. Pakchoi for lunch and a few stitches stolen here and there.
Chocolate milkshakes and little frogs.
And I made this. Because it was in my head and needed to get out.
(Talking of OUT... how do I get the boys to come IN? Wish me luck).
When the going gets tough and cabin fever sets in... get out.
We grabbed sandwiches and friends and headed across the border to Cardiff bay. The sun came with us too and we had a great time.
We played with science in Techniquest, we had icecream by the water, admired the Millenium Centre, played with fountains...
and did a tinsy winsy spot of shopping...
Mr M is in Hong Kong.
He sends beautiful photos of amazing skylines and dimsum breakfasts. I'm trying really hard not to be jealous.
At the moment I'm failing.
Still raining here. It has done so all week.
Today I revised the world climates, the story of Joseph and all about the Sikh religion.
Sigh.
My nephew popped in and asked to learn to crochet, the boys got their old train set out of the garage and went on a trip down memory lane, No 2 made figures out of wire and I finished my first portfolio tunic.
Oh and doughnuts.
Yes, there were doughnuts too.
Weekend part 2.
It's been raining solidly for two days.
I've been doing revision with two of the children for the past 3 hours. I'm well up to date on median/mode/average etc. And my geography is top notch.
Last night I stayed up till 1.00am waiting for No 1 on his way back from dropping Mr M to the airport with my father in law. There was a crash on the motorway and they didn't get back to his house till 4.30 in the morning!
I had to be up early to look after a friend's son.
I'm a zombie.
Do you catch my drift?
I think denial is the only way forward.
If I move house again I want a garden full of lilac trees so I don't have to borrow the odd branch or two from the neighbours.
Perfection.
It happened almost by chance but I'm glad we went.
There were acrobats and magicians, funny clowns and opera singers, some played instruments, some jumped on ropes, some skipped ropes on the back of a horse, some walked on their hands, some flew on the audience's heads. There was a dancing bear and a white goose. Jugglers and dancers.
It was very funny and a little bit magic.
We walked home in the fading evening light, skipping.
No 2 gets invited to girls' parties a lot. A lot.
On Monday he'll be going to a jungle themed party dressed in a fleece zebra onesie. (Please try to get the image out of your head or your weekend will be ruined. A 12yr old in a babygro looks wrong. So wrong)
Never mind zebras don't live in the jungle. Details schmeetails. He'd declared it the most comfortable piece of clothing he's ever owned.
Sigh.
Anyway, party... present, yes present... all the girls want cushions. I don't know if he sneaks his way to the parties promising handmade items... but I have my suspicions.
When I did this quilt I was left with an extra square or two... and because I never throw away anything a cushion was made in no time at all.
The dresden are all Heather Bailey from a few years back. The background is a solid pale grey which I love and haven't been able to find again.
Voila. The zebra and the cushion shall go to the party.
So.... next week is half-term... the kids will be home, Mr M will be away and the school year is almost over...how did that happen? Didn't I just put away the Christmas decorations? (almost true. There's a roll of wrapping paper behind my door). I still have some Easter chocolate (true) and I'm still wearing woolly jumpers (true!! blasted weather).
And now they're telling me the summer holidays are just around the corner.
No way.
I'm not buying it.
I have so many things to tell you I don't know where to start.
- Let's enjoy these tulips I found in a tucked away corner of the park first.
- I finished two items of clothing, a crochet shawl (awaiting blocking) and a mini quilt. Yes, I know my windows needs cleaning, but my kids are fed and are wearing clean clothes so that's ok, right?
- I read "Il Postino" by Antonio Skarmeta. Really cute story. Can you believe I've never seen the movie?
- No 1 has been abducted by aliens and replaced with another 12yr old who showers everyday without being reminded, does his homework as soon as he comes through the door and has been known to volunteer to clear the table after dinner. It's kind of scary. (And I know it won't last, he'll be returned to me very soon).
- But first things first.
The cap-sleeved top from Simple Modern Sewing.
It promised to be a quick project and buoyed by my success with the Tova pattern I was full of good expectations.... only it turned out to be slightly more work than I thought. Thank you Ali for responding with such patience to my many frantic text messages!
I started off with on wrong foot when I traced the wrong pattern. Doh. Far too long in the body it was. Attempt no 2 was slightly better but still too long in the body:
I felt frumpy in it.
I even tried to disguise the problem with my magic cardigan (it makes everything better, it does!) but still.... meh!
So back I went upstairs and chopped another two inches from the top part and added some Liberty bias binding to the high waist to give it some visual umph.
Of course I didn't have enough of the binding to make the ties as the book suggested so I made a loop on one side instead.
What could have taken a day ... dragged on for dayS instead and I almost binned the whole lot a few times. The book has lovely ideas but it's very economical with directions. "Now make sleeves" is just an example, and if I hadn't 'learnt the ropes' with my Tovas I would have been well and truly up **** creek.
I haven't even been able to wear the thing as the weather here has u-turned to winter mode... so I can't comment on the wearability factor. Stay tuned.
I tried to resist the call of all the wonderful scrap quilts out there... but I knew from the beginning it was a futile effort.
My sister has claimed it for herself.
Sigh.
I guess with all the babysitting she does she's probably earned it.
All the material came from my stash and I wish I can say it made a big dent ... bit it didn't.
60" x 60".
For the boys.
Long overdue project.
The gorgeous Lecien fabric was bought in Tokyo last August.
Ahem ahem.
What are you all doing this weekend? I'm heading to the Malvern Quilt Show tomorrow and then flop with the family on Sunday.
For years I didn't have any green plants in the house.
Flowers, yes. Always.
Plants? None. Now something is changing; maybe it's an age thing, perhaps it's just that it is so cold and grey outside that having green inside feels good.
Who knows.
(Biscuits are nice too)
Thirteen years.
Lucky me!
