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All the photographs have been taken by myself including those of holiday.

Monday 31 August 2015

CD Sunday Challenge - Bear with me



Hi,
What a busy week I had, well not really we had the painter in painting the lounge/dinning room so not a lot I could do,  it was wet so gardening was out of the question,  I had several jobs to do, did I get them done,  not really but I did manage to make a couple of cards.   Only when I looked at this card I had made for this challenge the invisible glue dot was visible under the vellum.  After a few choice words not in the English dictionary.  I tried to get the vellum off and try again,  well this is my second card so I hope this is OK.
I used Joanna Sheens CD The Pamela West Collection disc two,   I really do love this image and for this challenge I thought it would be nice to start making a few christmas cards.   The Santa sleigh is a die  cut sent to me from a friend (she knows who she is and thank you) it fitted this card perfectly.  The backing paper and the vellum Merry christmas are from stock and I punched out the silver snowflakes and finished off the card with silver peel off corners and a blue bow.
When I was making this card,  an image which I love, I imaged the Polar Bear sleeping with her club under the snow with Santa flying high above.  Well that's my in take and I'm sticking to it.
Hope you are keeping well until we meet again
Take care
                            Hugs
                        Margaret



Friday 28 August 2015

August Pinterest Challenge updated 25 motif challenge


Hi,

As you know Suzanne and I have been doing a challenge,  if we see something on Pinterest we would like to try,  then we try and make it.    Well August proved to be a challenge,  I fell in love with these tatted dresses,   Its from Tiny Flowers, there was no pattern that I could find,  so I worked this dress out from the picture.  I had a couple of trials No 20 thread was too fine and it worked out so small so I tried a thicker thread and here is it.
 I made the coat hanger for the dress,  not the best coat hanger in the world but its OK.   I used size no 10 thread in white.  I must say it felt like tatting with string,  No 10 is thick thread and by the picture she had used a thicker thread,  the bodice is block tatting and then the skirt is rings and chains.  I then sewed a piece of netting under the skirt which helped bring the skirt out.  I made a tiny bow and sewed it on the dress.
 If anyone would like my version of the dress I have now put it on my pattern blog Link   It may not be exactly as Tiny Flowers pattern,  but I think its  near enough.
It proved a challenge so I hope you like it,   now I feel like making a few more, so watch this space.
If you would like to pop over to Suzanne's blog and see what she has done link to her blog
                                      Hugs
                                  Margaret
Ps  the size from the top to the bottom of the skirt is 2 inches, sorry I forgot to add it in the post
Pss Carollyn has joined us on the Pinterest challenge,  do pop over and see her wonderful creation link to her blog 

Monday 24 August 2015

Trowbridge Museum


Hi,
We took our grand daughter out for the day,   the weather being as it has been we decided or at least she did to visit Trowbridge Museum,   Trowbridge is a town in Wiltshire I never realised it was so old and the visit proved to be a very interesting day out.
The picture above is Vernon and Bethany behind a screen wearing some Ye olde world clothing.
The Museum is housed in one of the last working textile mills in Trowbridge and was called Home Mill, owned by the Salter family which closed in 1982
Archaeological evidence shows people have lived in this area since the Bronze Age (2000 BC - 500 BC)  The name Trowbridge is said to originate from the Saxon word "Treobrycg"  meaning tree bridge.  the river Biss attached settlers to this town and it is referred to in the Domesday Book saying the town as "Straburg"  which is thought to be a corruption of the original name.
The tour starts with plan of the castle and how it might have looked.  King Stephen laid siege in 1139 and it is thought that the original was a Motte and Bailey castle replaced by a stone one.  This would have been the hub of activity then but nothing reminds of it now,  and the only indication of the location is a street name "Castle Street".
Hattersley Loom


In its hayday Trowbridge was best known for its Textile industry between 1850-1875,  it was known as the Manchester of the west.  It was renowned for the production of fine quality woollen cloth called broadcloth.  In the museum there are some fine examples of the different machinery,  The Spinning Jenny which replaced the spinning wheel.  For hundreds of years the production of cloth was on a small scale, domestic industry.  The introduction of industrial textile machines in the late 1700's led to widespread unemployment and hardship for many spinners and weavers.  In 1802 further riots with the introduction of the shearing frames which threaten the livelihoods of shearmen who had been protected by the statue since Tudor times.

Spinning Jenny


Teasel Gig

Whilst many people found work in the new factories others were forced into the workhouse,  which in contrast many of the clothiers became very wealthy and built some fine houses.         The museum houses the Hattersley Loom,  The spinning Jenny and Teasel Gig
With the demise of the textile firms but in recent years Trowbridge has also lost Ushers the brewing company and Bowyers who make sausages and sausage products.
Two famous people are associated with Trowbridge George Crabbe Jane Austin's favourite poet,  and Sir Isaac Pitman the inventor of Shorthand who was born in the town in 1813


He invented Shorthand,   its many years ago since I did shorthand and I sent my books to a charity shop a few years ago thinking I would never need them,  but I did find these two pieces on the internet so I hope you find them interesting.                                                                                 Every dot and dash either above or on the line  and with or without a symbols meant a word,   it was once leant a fast way of writing,  which back in the 1950 and 1960 was taught to everyone wanting to learn,  Dictaphone's then took the place in most offices,  with bosses able to just speak into a tape machine what they wanted to say and pass the tapes to theirs secretary's for typing up.  Although they are still used and with the coming of the age of computers,  the use of shorthand is disappearing. 

And for those who are not old enough to remember typewriters I found this image on the internet.
What I wonderful thing the internet is I was able to find these images even though Shorthand is not used as much.
I remember learning to type on a machine similar to this and typing things for my father on his old machine,  Certainly made your fingers stronger pressing on the keys.


During the war Spitfires aeroplanes were manufactured in Trowbridge.   The worst of the bombing was over Bristol and Bath but Trowbridge did suffer some casualties.  Many children were evacuated to this area from the larger cities and there are some displays of photographs from this time.
There was a reconstruction of an old shop display with an old till,  some old school desks and some old money before decimalization which happen on the 14th February 1971.  ( I wont forget that date I worked in a bank then).  Of course Bethany has never seen the old money and in the shop display they had the display of goods in the old money,   we stood ages working the prices into today's money.
They do have a weaving exhibition going on at the moment I am hoping to go back and see it as we miss the start of this by a couple of days.
This was our day out with lunch and look around the shops,  it was an interesting day.
                               Hugs
                            Margaret

Sunday 23 August 2015

Orchids

Hi,

On this very wet day, as you can see by the picture,  its been raining all night,  and all morning.  I thought I would show you my Orchids,  they are coming back in flower again.
I am striping out the lounge and dinning room for the painter to come in tomorrow and decorate it.
I am also doing a long post which is taking longer than I thought,  hopefully you will enjoy reading it when I finish it.  In the meantime please enjoy my Orchids.
Hope you are having a lovely weekend.
                               Hugs
                           Margaret

Friday 21 August 2015

My International Post

Hi,

I won off Wendy's blog a tatted coaster,   which arrived and I forgot to post last week,   It is beautiful and the tatting is perfect.  Its sitting on my bed side table and will be admired by me for a long time,
I have already said thank you to Wendy,  I thought you might like to see what I won.
Have a nice day.
                        Hugs
                    Margaret

Wednesday 19 August 2015

CD Sunday Challenge - Photo Inspiration


Hi,
What a terrible day here,  the sun was shining when I woke up then it went in about 8 am, it started to rain about 10 am,  and its not stopped yet.  Its windy and  feels more like a winters day than summer.   I know it might be good for the garden but not when you have to go out in it.  Perhaps we will get summer in the winter,  who knows?
Anyway back to the challenge which I feel I have failed at challenge.  I made a different shape this week a gate fold.  Using the colours from the picture,   I spent a long time looking for an image, this is the nearest I got to the colours and even then it has little pink in it,  its from Joanna Sheens CD Enchanted Dreams,  The backing paper is from stock and is a green damask paper,  well at least that was the right green,  I matted the image on dark blue card,  the ribbon is a green with blue sheen on it. I did glitter her wings dress and green sea weed at the bottom of the image. The die cuts I had looked too white on the card, so I took my pro markers and coloured them,  only the blue now looks wrong,  Sorry the photo may not be brilliant but its quite dark here and that one is the best the camera will do. So this is my effort with the challenge and its a failure,  its better to try than not try at all.
Hope the sun is shining where ever you are in the world,
Until we meet again take care
                                     Hugs
                                  Margaret

Sunday 16 August 2015

Today is our Wedding Anniversary


Hi,
Today is our Wedding Anniversary,  Vernon and I have been married 13 years,  gosh how time has flown, it does not feel 13 years.
This is the card I made him I used Joanna Sheens Enchanted Dreams CD,   for the image and backing paper,  I added a blue butterfly in the top corner,  the roses I brought off a market stall in Worksop when we went up for a hospital appointment in Sheffield,   Worksop has a brilliant market and there is a lovely stall full of lace, ribbons etc,  I could spend a fortune as things are cheaper up there.  The die cut was sent from a friend (thank you) which I coloured blue with pro-marker pen,  The ribbon and bow was actually a piece of ribbon I kept from our wedding cake, I knew it would come  and I added blue heart gems in the corner,  and the Ivy leaves are from stock.
We went out for a lovely meal last night with friends,  today we are just having a lazy day.
Hope you are having a lovely weekend.
                               Hugs
                           Margaret

Sunday 9 August 2015

Earrings 21/25 Motif Challenge


 Hi,
So far this morning its a lovely morning,  we were supposed to be cloudy and then rain,  well its a blue sky and a bit of high cloud,  I think they got that a bit wrong.
These are some earrings I made the other day,  new patterns which I found,  the top picture shows a free pattern from Free tatting patterns site called Riddle  link to the site.   The top two in the picture are without beads, in Springtime and black and white.
This picture shows a close up of the pattern and is in purple and white with purple and white beads. There is a pattern for a necklace which I will try.

These earrings are called Rainbow, from Frivolite a la Navette link to the site.   On this site you find a tutorial on how to make these earrings it really is a great tutorial.  I did not have the purple beads that match the other beads so I added white beads,
I am really pleased with these and plan to make more.
All these earrings were made with Lizbeth thread no 20.

Do you remember on my post about Madeira I told you about the Agapantbus which they considered weeds on Madeira and I said mine were in a pot and should flower in August well here they are flowering.  The blue is a bit darker than in the photo but they are making a great show,  You may see some what looks like dead bits,  they are not dead it was my Foxglove flowers and I left them on for the seeds to dry.
Hope you are having a lovely weekend,  until we meet again take care
                                  Hugs
                               Margaret

Thursday 6 August 2015

CD Sunday Challenge - Rock Star


 Hi,
The weather today is a little warmer hoping the summer will come back,   its been fairly cold for the end of July beginning of August.   Its a year today that I buried my Mother,  time has flown its only seems like yesterday.
Today this is my card for the CD Sunday Challenge,  this fortnight its Rock Star,  after looking at my CD's I came up with this image from the Something for Everyone La Pashe CD.  The backing paper is from the image as well,   I cut the front in half so the image sits in the middle of the front side,   the music die cut I brought at the parchment show in Bristol this year.  I finished off the card with my own computer generated birthday words and gold peel off's in the corners.  I hope you like my card.

Hugs
Margaret

Sunday 2 August 2015

Springtime Thread 20/25 Motif Challenge

 Hi,

This looks a lot of tatting,  in some ways it is but in others not,  its a lot of small items,    I tried out the Springtime thread, by Lizbeth threads in no 20,  its a new thread to me,   I think this was one Rachel from Intatters now Craftree sent me.   The picture above has the Small Cross by Mary Konior from her Pattern Collection book, I edged this cross with white which brought out the colours.    A cross bookmark called Cross of Sevens by Robin Perfetti Tatting by the Bay blog,   and Marjorie's Angel by Martha Ess.


Here is Nellie,  I am calling her Nellie its from the book called Tatted Animals  by  Inga Madsen Page 17 Elephant. I rather like Nellie I made her eye in white with a black bead,  I plan to frame her at a later date.
This is my own pattern,  a Dream catcher and you will find the pattern on my pattern blog link in the side bar.

As you can see I made quite a few items,  the thread is colourful,  I was not sure in the beginning but now yes I do like it.  There will be more made with this thread.

Below is two cross bookmarks,   named Cross of Severn's by Robin Pertetti again the same cross in Springtime,  and Royal wave  no 20 Lizbeth thread,  I did make a white one but he's gone before I had time to photo him.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend,  the weather today is lovely with sunshine but its another week of unsettle weather to come.   I wish the summer would come back for a while.
                                    Hugs
                                Margaret