Saturday, October 23, 2010

If I was a pioneer, I'd have starved by now...

 My potato harvest was, once again, truly pathetic!
This is the haul from eight plants.
I went to the potato fair in February and bought fancy, pretty seed potatoes in vibrant pinks, blues and mauves. Heirloom varieties that almost went extinct.
What they don't tell you is that there's a reason for that.
They're primadonna types, high maintenance and low yielding....suitable for those old geezers that fuss and nurture, not 'bung it in and hope' merchants like me!
Please someone remind me of this next February? Urge me towards the boring, bombproof varieties so that I don't find myself gracing the aisles of Tescos next November.







I have spent far too much time lately in waiting rooms.
This is, I suppose, an inescapable part of motherhood when your child has Down's syndrome (well, I say 'child'....Willow is actually 22).
But still, the enforced inactivity of endless waiting in hospital corridors irritates me at this time of year when there is so much to be done at the plot.
So I have embarked on a new project, one that is portable and convenient. 
I'm making a quilt!
I started by cutting out lots of two inch high triangles from scrap paper and junk mail.
This is the only measuring involved because I'm rubbish at it!




Then I take some triangles and some scraps of fabric, a needle and thread with me to the hospital.






While I wait I roughly tack the material to the triangle.


It's really easy, no concentration or  measuring required!










Over the last couple of weeks I've amassed quite a collection.


I especially love the 'cow' fabric and the apples. 
The red gingham is left over from little flower's school summer dresses, the flowery from the wendy house curtains and the stripes from where I took up the legs of Willow's pyjamas!




When I get home I sew the triangles together in random order before pulling out the tacking and removing the paper to use again.


I really like the way it's turning out.



1 comment:

Pattypan said...

Hi Tara

Love your blog. Who's a clever girl then I thoroughly love your quilt and you obviously have a good eye for colour. Its nice to make things yourself. I have a very long UFO list to complete sometime this year consisting of one purple crotchet blanket; one superking pink white and green bedspread; one sage green and cream lap throw; one yellow and green single crotchet bed throw; one white and lilac cotton bedspread; one pink white and green superking bedspread and finally but not least the rainbow superking blanket made out of odd scraps of double knitting wool worked in strips about one third completed another two to go. Me thinks am going to be busy busy busy. That's without anything else. Creeps away to a corner to try and play catch up.

Take care nice to be in touch again Pattypan (aka Tricia)