The best laid plans and all that... A Furtle Through May.

Happy First of June and thank you for stopping by to catch up with Boo and me as we furtle our way back through May. It was a bit of a mixed month for us but thankfully with more highlights than low points, and I've actually been more productive than I usually am at this time of year...

My main focus has been to plough on with the fpp Highland Cow for my island-dwelling friend and I have to say that the quilting part has actually gone quite smoothly. If I want anything to look at all reasonable, it has to be walking foot for me but that's ok. For the cow, I decided to pick out the detail on the head by quilting alternative sections (I think this gives it a little extra texture) and then tackle the background with sweeping trails of leaves.

Quilting to pick out the forelock

Leaves leaves and more leaves

Basic leaf shapes are simple and confidence-giving, and I think the cow looks like she's peering through a hedge! And for the first time ever, I have no ruckles on the back!!! Binding starts today with a mustardly solid (Kona Solid Grellow) as requested - apparently the new home has an accent colour of mustard. An accent colour!

I'm in awe of someone I know  having an accent colour!

My friend must feel that our home is very 'thrown together', rustic, accidental, a guddle even! 🤣🤣🤣 Anyway , the coo has to be finished by the end of this coming week and I'll be pleased to see it done now.

With all the Coo Procrastination my Trinket SAL quilt has fallen further behind but that's fine too  It's funny how, anticipating my slow progress, I began it weeks ahead of the offical start but will probably finish it months after the official close, but finish it I will as I love it. It's getting there piece by piece and, after drooling over some amazing layouts I've seen on IG, I decided to go with the original chequer board design after all. Each trinket tells its own tiny story so I felt that was the best way to showcase it. For me anyway.

Oh, matching those hundreds of corners....

 I'm pondering over how to extend it a little as I'm not too keen on its given dimension but hopefully inspiration will strike before too long. Probably when I'm tramping over a squelchy hillside with Boo.

Recently I've been very taken with images of Shirt No 1 by 100 Acts of Sewing that have appeared on IG and in a mad moment I decided to give one a go myself. I have made wearable garments in the past but I lack the real patience for dressmaking and never feel the finished item is up to scratch (my grandmother was a professional seamstress and my mum was pretty good too but it was all about perfectionism, not much fun for an outdoor child at all, so I grew up hating anything that involved threading a needle!) but a Shirt No 1 seemed to tick all the boxes.

It certainly is a simple top and the pattern does what it says on the tin so I'm rather pleased with it. I'm still unsure about the colour but the fabric, a lovely to handle cotton lawn, was inexpensive and I didn't want to waste money until a) I proved I could actually finish the thing and b) I knew I would enjoy the process. And I accomplished both! I even learnt how to sew French seams and make bias binding - bonus!! My one tiny criticism is that the top is VERY roomy (I made a Small) but I now have a lovely, wafty, cool shirt ..... Just as the weather has turned wet, windy and baltic again! I'll certainly make another but will probably wait until I can buy the fabric in the flesh, as it were. The internet is great but I wasn't really sure what I was looking for.

One thing I forgot to mention last month was a fabulous beginners' basketry weekend that I'd attended under the expert tuition of a lovely lady called Jane Wilkinson of Special Branch Baskets in Perthshire. We could make a shopping basket or a kindling basket and whilst it wasn't an easy weekend, all 8 students went away with a very satisfying, useful and sturdy creation.

A lengthy process , a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at times

So bloomin' chuffed though! 

This month I attended a day class with Jane, this time to learn how to make a willow plant support and that was a lovely  day. We worked outside in beautiful surroundings and the whole experience felt very earthy and organic. The only problem was squeezing the two obelisks I'd made into my little car to get them home - an uncomfortable journey! - but now they're giving succour to some sweet peas and are standing up to the South Lanarkshire winds remarkably well.

Obelisks galore

And that's it creativity-wise. The Great Outdoors has exerted its usual addictive pull and Boo and I have had some amazing days on the hill this month, the highlight being our regular  trip to the Cumbrian Lakes to yomp over a number of incredibly beautiful peaks. Coincidentally, I discovered the evening before we went that our walk began virtually at the farm where Murph the Smurf was foaled 12 years ago!!! Back when he was a sweet pony rather than the grumpy, quirky dude he is now!

Murph's old stomping ground - his birth home was at a farm in the trees on the far right. And he tells me he doesn't do hills!!!!

One bit of frippary that has kept me amused has been taking part in the Everest Anywhere Challenge run by Trail magazine. The idea is that you keep a tally of your cumulative ascents over the year and aim to climb the 8848m of Everest,  anywhere you choose. Well, we topped out on our first Everest in April and are now well on the  way to our second, AND we even got a badge! Goal driven, us?! 🤣🤣🤣

Our real disappointment, overshadowed with worry, during April was when my beloved old cantankerous Boss Horse, 30 year old Tara, became unwell a couple of days before we were due to go on holiday. Thankfully,  all will be fine but it seems she may have started to develop a very nasty condition called Laminitis,  which causes great pain and can be catastrophic. I picked it up in time and and although the vet said it would probably be ok to leave her (Oh, yeah, right!) we felt we had no choice but to cancel our holiday and nurse her ourselves. I say 'nurse' but within a couple of days she was being a difficult patient, which was when I knew all would be well! Not for the first time, courtesy of Tara, have we had to cancel a holiday!!!! Or the second..... However, my big feisty girl is ok, my husband has managed to get away for a few days cycling and the mountains of South Uist will still be there to be bagged another time so all is good......

The Boss and Murph having a cuddle. 

I hope June is a great month for us all and thank you for reading my wee furtling blog.
Sue
@sue_and_boo