Monday, May 21, 2007

And finally....

With various kids sporting fixtures and Sarah working on Saturday afternoons the opportunities for all five of us to have a day out together are becoming less and less feasible.
However we decided that, as the sun was shining and we were all free, yesterday would be one of those opportunities
Nigel knew that a local preserved railway society were having an open day so we headed off to Yeovil junction about 35 minutes from home.
Here he is standing by a little engine that used to regularly travel past his office when he worked in Hereford around 15 years ago. That was his fix for a while
Then as a token gesture to me we stopped off at a craft place on the way to the coast - sadly the quilt shop there doesn't open Sundays - but the thought was there :o)
And finally heading for the beach... West Bay near Bridport in Dorset. Even after living in Taunton for almost two years I still can't get over the novelty of being able to get to several lovely beaches within an hour. I've never before lived this close to the coast and it was always a major day out taking military precision planning when I was a child living in the Yorkshire Dales. We played cricket on the beach and hunted for interesting stones.
Here are the three monkeys just after an ice cream.
However as is often the case with kids they had to go and spoil it by squabbling in the back of the car on the way home.
So it was straight to bed when we got in with no tea. I made an evening meal for Nigel and I which we sat and enjoyed in blissful quarrel-free peace and quiet.
Then I relented and allowed them down for breakfast cereals and toast before shooing them back upstairs to bed. Little horrors!!!
The rest of the evening Nigel and I spent in kid-free peaceful companionship on the sofa in the lounge in front of the tv while I hand stitched the border down on my log cabin piece.
My only disappointment with it is the border quilting has crept under the binding in places - mental note to allow for the outer seam allowance in future but I am pleased with it. I reckon the only thing nicer that wonky homespun fabrics is bias homespun binding giving this criss-cross effect.
Now what next? ..................

13 comments:

YankeeQuilter said...

that sounds like a wonderful day. It reminds me of my parents taking all of my brothers and sisters to Cape Cod - can you believe 9 kids in a station wagon! I don't think it would even be legal in the states now! I had to sit either in between my parents in front or in this little bucket space!

Love the binding!

Sew Create It - Jane said...

Strangely, glad to hear that you family day out ends much like ours do..makes me think my kids are normal :o) The quilt looks great!

Melanie said...

The plaid binding is my favorite... it just sets it off.

Ali Honey said...

I love your little log cabin pieceand the quilting on it.

I even managed to find Bridport and Westbay on my map! ( AA Road Atlas of GB and Ireland. )

Libby said...

Sounds like a perfect family outing - oh I know there was squabbling, but that's part of it, too *s*

Ruth's Place said...

Love the log cabin piece! Sounds like a lovely day out, I enjoyed the picture of the train.

Fiona said...

The binding looks great - and I would never have noticed the 'cut-off' quilting if you hadn't pointed it out. I'm intrigued by the name of the train,'Pectin'- isn't that something you need in fruit to be able to make jam?

KC Quilter said...

Brought back memories of days when my sons were young and we tried to have one of those TV-family kind of outings--never happened!!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on a finished project and such a lovely one at that! About your children: the phrase my parents always used after a day at the sea and we were being horrible at the back of the car was: the sea-air is responsible,it makes children go beserk and a pain in the neck! Take care.

McIrish Annie said...

Anne, love your little quilt! btw, received the "confetti" pattern in the mail on Saturday!! thanks so much for that and the little pincushion! you are the best. I saw your comment on my blog about the postcards so I will be sending one to you in the very near future!! keep an eye out for it! and thanks again for the pattern.

Doodlebug Gail said...

Love your wallhanging. Glad you had a nice family day together ... I can certainly relate to the ending though.

atet said...

What a wonderful day -- even with the children being "little horrors" on the way home.

Love the border on your log cabin -- it really is a lovely piece.

Patti said...

Beautiful! Remember, it's folk art and doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. I often lose part of my quilting beneath the binding no matter how careful I am.