Living in Edinburgh

As quite a few Bloggy persons have been in Edinburgh over the last few weeks for the Edinburgh Festival, I thought I would show you some photos of a typical Scottish tenement flat, although this one was a tip as it is student accomadation and my son was moving out at the end of last term, also it hasn't been particularly looked after and updated.

Old tenement blocks in a lot of the Scottish cities are build in this mellow stone. They tend to have high ceilings and large windows which makes them cold in winter (Scottish winters are the coldest in the UK)

The internal hallway

A bedroom

Part of the internal hall

The kitchen/diner

The high ceiling in would would have been the sitting room.

What would have been the sitting room but now a bedroom, look at that large bedroom.

The landing and staircase leading to the flat.

This is the second old tenement flat SofM has lived in whilst living in Edinburgh. This coming year he is going to be living in a brand new flat with all mod cons which will lovely for him but the disadvantage is that he will have to keep it much cleaner - lol. A lot of student accomadation with private landlords is grotty - to say the least!

What I've been up to!

Over the weekend I've been on nights and it has been quiet so I've been knitting hats to sell on a craft stall at work just before Christmas. My head is buzzing with ideas to make or knit to sell. The only trouble is I'm going to have to work so much over the next month I'm not going to have time to sew anything - Boo hoo!!

I've been getting to know my new machine.......................

........................and I've made a few more blocks for this quilt. I want to finish one of the 2 quilts I'm making for our bed before the winter, it doesn't matter which one but I do need to get on with them. It is August bank holiday Monday and it has rained and is quite cold. I've been tempted to turn the heating on but I'm under the duvet at present.

I missed entering either of my animals for 'Pets on Quilts' but here's is a couple of photos I've taken recently.

This tinker has been laid on my Christmas quilt today, which is over the back of the conservatory sofa.

I've been on holiday from work this week and DD has been on nights so I've had a good excuse to sew. Also I've received my 50th birthday present to myself - a new sewing machine!!

I wanted a computerised machine but I knew I wouldn't use anything really fancy. I've been wanting a new sewing machine for about a year now. My first machine was a Bernina 900 that my Mum bought me for my 18th birthday. I sewed on this machine for nearly 30 years. In 2008 I bought a Janome 7025 which is a fairly basic machanical machine, it is also a bit lighter than the Bernina which is useful if I take it out of the house for any reason. I have been really happy with this machine but I wanted a few more decorative stitches and an alphabet. I had already decided that I wanted another Janome (I feel Berninas are now overpriced). Over the last year I have been debating which model to buy, the choice was between a MC5200, a MC4900QC  or a DC4100. I was also aware that Janome had brought out the TXL607 which is replacing the DC4100. During August, on certain web sites there has been £100 off the DC4100 so I relooked at all the machines. I love the look of MC5200 and the MC4900QC but I know I won't use all the features on them and the 4900QC weighs 11kgs which I would find too heavy to lug about due to the athritis thing I've got going on. I thought the DC4100 would fit the bill (not too fancy but with what I wanted), especially with money off so I ordered one. There was a bit of a mix up between the shop I'd ordered from and Janome so the delivery of it was delayed by over a week. It came on Thursday. I opened the box and realised it wasn't a DC4100 but the newer machine, the TXL607. When I checked the web site the DC4100 is no longer available so I've got the newer machine at the same price as the DC4100, I'm well chuffed (very happy).

Sooooooo.........I've been sewing. Now I should have been working on my Santa Sack Swap (sorry, Lisa, you will get your swap) but I was very easily distracted by my wish to make a halloween quilt.

This quilt is a bit of a variation on a theme - surrounding a square within a square except I made 9 patches (one of my favorite blocks) for the centres of the squares. I used Marcus Brothers Wickedly Wonderful. I bought a 12 FQ pack in a Fat Quarter Shop sale 18 months ago or so. The top is now made up, the backing is ready so I've just got to quilt it. I can't decide whether to stipple it or to use the walking foot and a decorative stitch. I'll think about it.

The binding is now attached to Christmas squares, it just needs hand stitching down. I've also attached the binding to another little quilt that will be for wheelchair users at work in due course.

Also just to show I can finish knitted items, here is a beanie that is for Hats for Heros. These hats are for UK troops serving in places like Iraq where it can get very cold. Our LYS is co-ordinating the local effort.

Erddig!

Yesterday we had a day out at Erddig which is a National Trust house in Wales, near Wrexham. The day out was in celebration of my Mum & Dad's birthdays.

Mum & Dad!



The garden.

The still room

The large square box is an ice cream maker!

 



The laundry!

A rather large mangle

A clothes airer, unfortuately the photo is on it's side.

A bed sheet press.

A few more photos to follow tomorrow.

A quilt!

I've got my Christmas quilt back from my quilter, Jude. I am so pleased with it, it is everything I hoped it would be. Jude has used a holly leaf & berry pattern on it.



............................and just look at what she did for the backing. I didn't quite have enough of the big print to back it completely so she used what I did have. I think she has gone the extra 'mile' for me and I really am pleased with it. I just need to bind it now, which I will try to do this week as I am on holiday from work this week. 

A close up of the quilting.

Another close up of the quilting...........

......................and the star on the back!

Tomorrow I'll tell you about our day out.

Birthdays & shopping!

I am not feeling half as depressed as I was, despite living in a country that is going to the dogs (I am referring to the serious rioting that has been going on in some of our cities, it is appalling behaviour and totally unacceptable) and hearing the news that Gormit (son-in-law) is going to be medically discharged from the Army due to a shoulder injury that has left him with Arthritis.



Yesterday was my Mum's birthday and in 2 weeks time it's Dad's birthday so last night we went out for a meal and next week we are going on a day out to Errdig, a National Trust house in Wales. We don't live that far from the Welsh border. We usually have a day around this time of year in celebration of Mum & Dad's birthday.

Also, last night I got round to taking a photo of Mum & Dad with the quilt I made for them for Christmas.

Nancy Halvorsen FQs from Quilter's Trading Post

My friend, Jan (Gromit's Mum) and I went on our quilt shop hop today. We were very lucky with the weather as it rained and was very windy but it only rained when we were in the car. We went to The Quilter's Trading Post in Whitchurch and Castle Court Quilter in Whittington near Oswestry on the Welsh/English border.

2 Advent calender panels to make up for a craft table at work in December from a wool/habadashery shop in Whitchurch.

This photo shows my haul from Castle Court Quilter - a metre & a half of sale fabric for the advent calenders, some Civil War FQs and 6 FQs of Benartex Montana Modern.

We had a late lunch in Oswestry and we had a potter around the town centre. We came across a yarn shop and of course, as knitters, we couldn't walk past. I've bought this pattern book and a ball of yarn to knit the hat shown for when I go walking, as my last walking hat accidently got felted by DD.

So, all in all, a good day! 

Depression has set in.

No quilting over the last week but I have been knitting but I'm not showing you yet as I never finish anything so I am determined to finish this. Even my Mum knows I never finish anything and has something to say about it - lol!!

What's with the depression - well! I have had £1500-£2000 pounds worth of jewellery taken from my jewellery box in my bedroom. Some of the jewellery is not replaceable because it was my Gran's. We think it has been taken by someone visiting our house on a regular basis over the last 10 years and have had no reason not to trust. It has been reported to the police but they are not pursuing it as they feel there isn't enough evidence and when I reported it to my insurance company. they said I couldn't claim because the person had been invited into the house! I was very upset and cross when I found this out.

You might think I was silly for leaving the box visable and with hindsight I was but I thought the person could be trusted but then a person's life situation changes and it makes people do things that they may not normally do. Learn from me, do not leave temptation in people's way.

Now I'm depressed - I'm sleeping too much and have no motivation. This coming on top of the issues with work is just too much.

I need to pull myself together as I've loads of things I want to do, especially quilty things. I have a day out with Jan to look forward to on Wednesday. We are going on a quilt shop hop. Also it is Mum's birthday tomorrow and we are going out for tea.