Where there's water, there's life

* I was invited to this year’s Gardeners’ World Live and provided with a pair of tickets to the show, therefore all my posts will be marked as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.

This garden, designed by Rachel Bailey, celebrates 30 years of the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) which pretty much does what it says on the tin, and also sponsors the APL Avenue at the Gardeners’ World Shows. The garden highlights the vital connection between water, plants, people and nature and includes innovative design techniques that slow down the water’s flow ensuring it is conserved and used effectively in garden landscapes.

The blue gazebo structure is clearly one of the most eye catching elements of the design, and I guess the blue reflects the garden’s water theme. Then there’s the boardwalk, also used near water and/or in damp areas which again reinforces that water connection.

I’m a big fan of the planting, both close up and from a distance it’s really effective - and when you’re close up you can see the pools of water emerging from the boardwalk and can easily imagine how those gravelled areas could hold more water as and when required.

The other thing I’m a fan of in this garden are the chairs with their striking design, which both stands out and fades into the background. They look pretty comfortable too.

This was a great garden, and while I don’t think it’s something I’d replicate in my own garden it is one that I can admire. I wasn’t the only one to think so as this was awarded a Platinum award and also Best in Show - the photo above proudly shows off their crystal goblets for those awards.

Subtle, understated but quietly proud - I think that sums up the whole garden to be honest.

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was quite a show! I’ll be sharing more from my visit to this year’s show throughout the year - I hope you enjoy them as much as I did the show.

Having a proud sewing moment

After each of our sewing group meetings there’s usually a photo or two shared on our Facebook group to showcase some of the projects undertaken at that meeting. It’s a great way to keep the group visible to all of our members, and to perhaps encourage more people to come along.

After the last meeting I spotted this photo of my table, and then I looked more closely and realised that I’d made pretty much everything that’s on show in this photo. So that’s my proud moment!

It’s a small thing really but it’s actually quite a big thing for me as I never really thought I’d get this ‘into’ sewing. I mean I’d sewn before, and was happy using a machine but it probably wouldn’t have been my ‘go to’ craft but in the two years we’ve been here in Nottinghamshire, that’s changed. Partly I think because the sewing group I first went to was one of the most welcoming craft groups I went to, and so I went back and have kept going back. I’ve also been to knitting groups and a mixed craft group once, and haven’t been back - so that tells you everything you need to know about them, doesn’t it?!

But anyway, back to that photo and my sewing projects:

1. The blue pouch (top left), black patterned pouch (bottom left) and gold pouch (bottom right) are recent makes on my new ‘take to’ machine.

2. The patchwork stars are the centre blocks in my next Quilt of the Month which I’m still working on and will share soon.

3. The dress I made, which I even wear out in public (and it hasn’t fallen to bits at all!)

4. It’s the corner of another pouch which is just showing in the bottom right corner - I’ll be sharing that one here soon(ish) too.

5. I made this bag back in 2016, when I really didn’t sew much at all. It was a collaborative post with the company providing the fabric, and I still use it today - and that hasn’t fallen to bits either, I should have more confidence in myself!

So yes, I’m having a proud sewing moment over here, it’s a good reminder of what I can do. And will hopefully spur me on to complete more of the projects on my “to sew” list!

A new 'take to' sewing machine and more pouches

I mentioned back in July that I’d got myself a new ‘take to’ sewing machine, which may seem strange given that at the start of the year I’d treated myself to a new Bernina. But the Bernina is too heavy to move very often, so that rules it out to ‘take to’ twice monthly sewing group meetings, and any ad hoc workshops.

My plan had been to use my very old Toyota sewing machine for this, but thankfully I tried it before I took it anywhere. I knew its plastic was yellowed, and that it hadn’t been used in a very long while so I thought I’d re-familiarise myself with its controls and so on before taking it out.

Just as well I did, as it wasn’t happy about being neglected for so long.

It worked - and had recently been PAT tested - but it didn’t work at the same time. There was power, I could wind bobbins, but the actual sewing bit - nope. Just up and down, not up and down and along, which is what you need. So that scuppered that plan.

Given that I’m now au-fait with buying sewing machines - in truth I have found a good and trusted dealership - I thought I should invest in a ‘take to’ sewing machine. One that sews properly, doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but does enough and is light enough to ‘take to’ sewing meetings and workshops. So off I went with a budget in mind.

Shock, horror. I was persuaded to spend less than my budget (which I’d already played down) by the dealership. And so I took that advice, and as I knew this one would be out and about I also bought a bag to carry it in while I was there. This new machine has now been to four sewing group meetings, it’s been to the Monday evening sessions and the Saturday morning ones (which I used to skip) and we’ve had a grand old time getting to know each other.

Getting to know my ‘take to’ Singer

I wanted to make some small and already known items to get to know my Singer, and as luck would have it I’d already run out of that stash of pouches I’d made the year before. I don’t know where they go exactly, though some have made it out of my sewing room into travel bags and others have found themselves full of sewing paraphernalia.

So it was time to make some more.

It’s taken about three sewing sessions to make my new pile of pouches, that’s alongside the chat, the tea and biscuits and time spent admiring other people’s projects, but let me show you my latest stack of window fronted pouches.

THIS ONE WAS IMMEDIATELY PUT TO USE TEMPORARILY

AND THIS ONE WAS MADE WITH A SPECIFIC PURPOSE IN MIND

As well as making a new sized pouch for my scissors and rotary cutter, I made a couple to match my sewing machine bag and the velvet box pouch which I made for the foot pedal. With these I’ll look most coordinated when I venture out!

I’ve a couple more projects planned specifically for my ‘take to’ machine’s sewing bag - mainly so I don’t forget the essentials when I go (as I have already!) and I’ll share more of those when I actually make some progress. So far I’ve gathered the materials I need, and even eaten a tube of Pringles in preparation, but I need to find some time to plan it out properly before I start. And then hopefully there’ll be no stopping me!

I also need to look for my next ‘take to’ project, or decide if I have projects just for the ‘take to’ machine or move current projects between the two machines. I guess that will come with time, and may even depend on what I’m sewing and how far I’ve got, but it’s nothing insurmountable is it?