Post Comment Love 7 - 9 November

Hello there, and welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a relaxed, friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any blog post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked, comment and share some of that love.

Please don’t link up posts which are older as they will be removed, and if you see older posts are linked then please don’t feel that it’s necessary to comment on those. If you were here last week it was great to have you along, if you’re new here we’re pleased you’ve joined us.

I’m sharing another photo from our recent trip away for this week’s post. This one was taken in the barn at Great Dixter where it was a joy to see so many seed heads drying. In fact the whole garden was fantastic, as was the house, but it was the garden that really shone for me. Maybe that was because it was always going to, or because it was the day after the rain and winds and nature was doing its best to put on a brave face, who knows. But the garden, for me, was magnificent because it wasn’t too manicured, and had more of a ‘lived in’ and 'used’ feel to it if you know what I mean.

Have a great week.

My garden in October

Last month I teased you and said we had plenty of crab apples but didn’t have a photo to share - this month then, let’s start with them. It’s only a small tree, but it has definitely been fully laden this year - unbelievably I took this photo after I’d picked two kilograms of fruit (and in case you’re wondering that’s a large washing up bowl full).

Those first apples have been made into the most gorgeous coloured chilli jelly, and I’m still hoping to get another picking in to make some plum, apple and chilli jelly before it’s too late to harvest the fruit. I’ve still to share more on that jelly making episode, but look out for that soon.

I’m surprised that our pepper plant still has peppers, there’s at least another ten on there though some are very tiny. They’re not ripening however much I hope they will, so I might have to bite the bullet and bring them in to see if that helps to sweeten them any. If not, we’ll be trying them green even though green peppers are my least favourite pepper.

We didn’t have any peaches on the small potted tree this year, there were a couple of fruits early on but they didn’t make it. It’s continued to earn its spot in our garden though with the colour changing leaves as the year’s gone on. Such gorgeous colours.

This month we had some more unusual looking mushrooms appear in the grass overnight. First there was one, which was joined by a couple of others - then a few days later, they were all looking decidedly less attractive. We’ve had smaller, flatter mushrooms appear in the grass before, but nothing quite like these - and none of which I’m even tempted to try to eat!

We’ve also had some fog this month, though thankfully that didn’t hang around for too long either.

The few olives we have on the potted olive tree have started to turn from green to an almost berry red, I assume this is normal as despite having another olive tree for many years I don’t think I’ve ever seen fruit as large on this on that, but then again it could be a completely different type and variety. Either way, I don’t think we’ll be going into Olive Oil production anytime soon.

It’s a year or so since I shared my herbs by the back door, and they’ve really established themselves - both the plants, and the practice of having herbs growing close to the kitchen. Since it was first planted up I’ve added two varieties of thyme, and some chives as well as refreshing the flat leaf parsley plant. The mint, is of course taking over, but that’s what it does - and it means we use a lot more mint than we ever have before - it’s been a great addition, and it looks great too.

We’ve a small flowered rose bush further down the garden and it’s been flowering prolifically this year and it’s still going strong - I think October has been its strongest month. It’s growing into a fairly substantial bush and I’m not unhappy about that.

The mahonias are getting ready to put on their show too - we have three in the garden - the photo above is early in October, and below is later in the month, and while this one is near our wheelie bins it really does brighten up emptying the bins!

The fuchsia bushes which I was so worried about earlier in the year (when I decided to cut them almost back to the ground) are thriving - and it’s hard to believe that they were giving me so much garden grief. They are definitely a case of ‘isn’t nature wonderful’!?

The rowan tree is also putting on a show and it’s been great to watch through the window - though the weather has hardly been cold here. There was a threat of a cold snap, but that was only brief - we do have our heating on downstairs, and it takes the chill off, but so far we don’t have the upstairs radiators on (and it’s early November!)

I said last month that the succulents had been the stars and real discovery in the garden this year, so I could hardly do a monthly update without them could I? These two plants which overwintered in the garage last year in individual pots, have really thrived and I’m sure doubled in size now they’re in a bigger shared pot and have enjoyed the summer outside. They’re still outside, though I have plans to put them and all the other succulents (I think it’s six larger pots this year - last year it was only two and these two in their small pots) away for the winter, but I’m leaving it as long as I can…

The wallflowers look as if they’ve really established themselves this year, and with many more stems than last year I’m hoping for even more of the pastel ‘Chelsea Jackets’ flowers when they’re ready, which I think will be a while yet. That’s ok though, as I can wait as there’s still plenty else to see (and do) around the garden - and I really should add sorting out my bulbs to that mental list, especially while the weather is mild.

Additions and acquisitions to my craft room this October

With crafting now seemingly part of my everyday life I think it’s true that buying, or acquiring, new supplies is a separate hobby to actually using them. And while I have plans to start using much of my stash it’s likely that there will always be new things entering the room.

My crafting outputs have definitely increased - you’ll have seen posts on my newly put into practice skills proclaiming my pouch love, and the updates to my quilty plans, and the accountability these posts bring is good, and that’s where this series of posts comes in. I’ll share the new things that have crossed the craft room threshold in the last month. Some months will be leaner than others, and some of the things I'll share I may have already been included in other posts on my blog.

Last month I said I wanted to make more clothes, and planned to start making some culottes. After a conversation at my Monday night sewing group where one lady asked if I had an invisible zipper foot - I don’t! - I set about ordering myself one. After a bit of a delay, it was due by the end of October but still hasn’t arrived yet - and is now due hopefully by the middle of December, so it looks like the culottes will either be a just-before-Christmas thing, or a next-year-thing.

While I’m on last month, I’ve already repurposed my old and much loved Joules t-shirt has into a new project bag, which is already in use. I used material from another top I loved as the lining, and it’s currently holding material for another project I haven’t told you about yet (but all in good time!).

Knowledge and truth

Probably the most valuable addition this month is my increased knowledge and confidence following my Bernina training day in London. It really was worth the time, and I’ve made a few changes to my set-up since then which have really helped me. So if you get a new machine and are offered training on it definitely take it up, and if it’s offered when you collect your machine and you think that might be too soon for you, then ask if it can be deferred.

And the truth? Well, I think I’m a Fabricologist.

But I think I love that - and I definitely love this greeting card which I picked up at the Festival of Quilts back in the summer, and have now framed. I can’t decide exactly where to hang this, so instead I have it propped up against a jar of ribbons where I can see it, and it makes me smile every time I do.

Learning from a fail

Despite my newfound knowledge I still had a spectacular fail when switching between my Bernina and my ‘take to’ machine, and worse is I knew it could happen and yet it still did! The smaller subsets of this block were sewn on my Bernina with a patchwork foot, when I assembled the complete block I used my ‘take to’ machine which didn’t.

Which as you can see meant my seams were out - by quite a lot! I even reminded myself mentally before I started of this potential issue, but carried on regardless happily sewing a very mismatched block. It’s the first time that I’ve decided to completely abandon a block, but it was probably easiest - thankfully as you’ll have seen the replacement block turned out ok.

To avoid restarting blocks becoming a regular occurrence I decided to get myself a 1/4” foot for my ‘take to’ machine - and it seems my timing was ok after all, as this was in the sale and cost me less than a tenner. I think it will be money well spent!

Fuelling my Fabricologist

I do like a stash sale, and follow a few people on Instagram who do this occasionally. I was pleased to spot a ‘low volume’ stash sale taking place, as buying low volume fabrics isn’t my forte. I’m drawn to the bright and bold colours more naturally, but I know that not everything can be bright and bold…

These are gorgeous though aren’t they? I’m hoping that the two silver/grey and white fat quarters on the right will work well with the various grey fabrics I’ve been collecting for my extended Floral Fancy panels, when I get to them. I have no immediate plans for the other fat quarters but at around twenty pounds I was pleased to get these, and I’ll have them for when the perfect project turns up, which I’m sure it will.

I also had a bit of a splurge on these Spread the Word fat quarters which I spotted in one of the Sew Hot newsletters, I was even more pleased to spot in a subsequent newsletter that these were included in the 20% off sale. When I saw them initially I was struggling to choose between them and with the reduced price I decided to have the full bundle, which with postage was around £35. I’m fascinated by words, and so words on material is a no brainer for me - these are likely to be admired for a little time before they actually get used, but we’ll see.

It’s on the wall!

Huge progress - the Vogue pattern pages picture is now on the wall, and looking fab. I’m really happy with how they were framed, and even happier to get them on the wall where they can be admired every day.

So that’s a wander through the new things in my craft room this past month - I’m off to the Knit and Stitch Show in Harrogate later in November and I’m looking forward to seeing the quilts there, and checking out what the suppliers have that I can’t live without.

Check out my previous updates for other additions and acquisitions, and let me know below what you’ve added to your craft supplies this month.