Making another Roman blind

Dear Rev. Jane,

Thank you so much for inviting us all to spend the weekend with you in your new manse. It is unfortunate that Prince Charming has had to stay home tonight with the strawberries so that they can get to rugby in the morning and then a birthday party too. Sure, they will be down later tomorrow.

I hope you'll not be too disappointed that it's just the two of us until then. That was certainly a very lovely meal in that very lovely restaurant with a pleasingly French name. Very relaxed and unhurried indeed...

I think we're making good progress on your Roman blind. At least we're on to the cutting of the lining now. Lots of time for sewing and cording before PC arrives with the saw and the drill. I must remember to text him about bringing his saw and his drill.

I can't believe I'm visiting you in your first full charge. It seems so little time ago that we met for coffee and you told me about your call and we both despaired. "What will you do?" I asked. "I don't know," you said. But here you are, a woman in what is still a man's world.  Here you are, wise and gentle and full of Him.

Now, maybe it's time for a wee cup of tea before the lining...

Weekend Experiments

 

I spent most of yesterday at a course on making Romans blind; sorry, Roman Blinds. Contrary to Bob Almond's belief, I did not stick men from antiquity in the eye with sewing machine needles for six hours. Though my back might not have been quite so sore if I had.



Four of us were expertly sequenced through the measuring, ironing, folding, ironing, pinning. ironing, pleating, ironing and even sewing stages of getting the lining onto the fabric.  It's Mise's fabric, by the way, finally in use!  And gorgeous stuff it is to work with too.  I have some slip-stitching to finish at home, and then I shall go back to learn how my wood and metal work should advance.  Thankfully I'll not have to carry my sewing machine up four flights of stairs that night!

Today I realised that making crumble alongside a now very able eight year old is not the same thing at all as standing in merry control beside his younger self.  Here are the bits I was allowed to do- fruit preparation!  The three unpeeled apples are this year's sum harvest from our little tree. The peeled one is more exciting. It was foraged from a secret house that we found down a secret lane just round the corner from us. We did have permission to be there!  Jo's Secret Crumble is very good!



Bunting is next to....

I have been working on a project this week. It's for PC's birthday which happens to fall on Easter Sunday this year. It's actually for the fence out back, but there was a family lunch in mind!

It was good to have a project on the go. When Queen Niqi came round to Strawberry Land not once but twice in search of crochet advice, it meant that I could potter with more degree of credibility than she might normally hope to find!
She did single-handedly interpret her way round (no pun intended) this month's Mollie Makes' spiral flower. No strawberries were in any way involved in the making thereof! Though Hookery in the Bookery did spend all Wednesday night pondering thereon, and the Mighty Patricia has now her own illustrated pattern and prototype. Well, actually I have the prototype, because she's that sort of generous!

I went on doing things with triangles. And on and on! And with egg cups which was mildly satisfying!


Ten centimetre gaps worked best. I had to be very focussed because there was an awful lot of hoovering, dusting, shopping and strawberry entertaining that could possibly have got in the way.

So I didn't let much come between me and the goal. I do somewhere in my mother's genes believe that cleanliness is next to Godliness.

But I have decided that bunting can obviously be next to cleanliness on the list of things to do. So, could we not also have it as next to Godliness? A post-post-modern twist?

Measure twice?

It might be that an impending departure on holiday was the impetus, or that I have had absolutely no ideas whatsoever for a blog post, so mundane have been the holidays so far. I have however finally made a start on the five curtains for Poppy's playhouse.

She will be eight while we are away. Last year we went to the Disney Store and bought a High School Musical outfit that they wrapped up with magic pixie dust. This year will not compare!

I did measure more than twice, and have so far cut once. The material I love; it's Ikea's Vitaminer Hjarta and the background is actually white. The light in here is just mellow and quiet. Just like the house with sleeping strawberries- hope yours is too!