Hard work but worth it..

Well I won't go into the saga of how my new sanding mouse blew up within 25 minutes of using it and what happened next, but it was quite a week and now I can stand back and admire. Well not quite because there are still things to finish off, but I have even started to imagine a Christmas Tree in the corner....

Yes the floor you see has now been sanded and sealed with 3 coats of special floor silk finish varnish. It looks lovely to me and was worth it. I especially want to thank the wonderful, friendly staff here for letting me take home 3 oriental rugs to try before deciding which one to purchase. If you want really good service go and see them, they are a local well known Keswick firm and I always know I will find something I love there. For those of you who are interested, it is an Afghanistan rug; hand made and is a Kazak. I will cherish it! The colours sing. The man in the shop told me to write the date on the label when I bought it as it will still be unworn in 20 years time.

I did make something else this week but it was posted off to Palm Springs to my DD so I must not show a photo as she follows this blog. (Hello sausage! :-) 

Anyway, I am now going to settle down and think about some Christmas shopping and even go and look for a fir tree. I usually buy a Douglas Fir from Whinlatter.  It became a tradition with my last two terriers to go there and take a shortish walk up onto Whinlatter Summit and then go back and pop them into the car whilst we chose a suitable tree. Sadly Jock and Bramble are no longer with us but I continue the tradition with my dear Border Terrier Bella. She loves sniffing around trees and especially Christmas ones! It will make such a change from the last few days on my hands and knees.

Feast for the eyes

I have been so busy with the decorating of the lounge that I have not had much free time. Nor does it look like it is likely in the next few days as we are nearing ordering the floor sander..... So I thought you might like to feast your eyes on some more Kebaya which I mentioned in my blog on 22nd October.

First up we have a lovely blue number. This features oversize rose blooms with leaves and primroses, the embroidery being in raised satin stitch for the roses and normal satin stitch for the primroses with simple running stitch leaves. I think this effect is stunning.

So number two is a pretty pink one.

The motifs are Japanese inspired scenes.The fabric is fine voile and the embroidery is raised non satin stitch (main motifs) and normal satin stitch for the border leaf motifs. A very pretty effect I think.

The last one features daisies with tulip borders and white daisy buds. It is again worked in normal satin stitch and satin stitch is used for the edging of the cutwork. This is described in the book as minimally stunning, and I think it is all the better for its simplicity. I adore the way the daisies have been worked and may have a go at something like this myself when I have more time.

So there you have a snippet from the book on 'the nyonya kebaya' by Datin Seri Endon Mahmood.  There are many more beautiful kebaya inside it and I will post some now and then for those of you who visit this blog from Malaysia and those of you who are just interested like me.

This next photo is just an update on the lounge so that you can see it is progressing slowly. Don't worry about the dark line you see in the corner, it was just me cutting the wallpaper back where it had dried a little way away from the wall. I have filled the hole with decorators caulking and will paint over it so that you would never know it was there. On the whole the wallpapering went like a dream considering it must be about four years since I did any, I can't think why I don't do more as I enjoyed myself immensely.

Anyway, I have also been working on some of the sewing projects which I have stacked up and this photo is supposed to show you some piping I made ready for my new upholstery project, (not a Chesterfield sofa which I did once taking me a week) but a simpler Ercol chair. I wanted some piping to go with the material I have chosen and I found some silk taffeta I had left over from a replica of a dress of 1827 I made for a student assessment when I was at Teacher's Training College doing my post grad course.  One day I may show you the dress too, if I can find the photos to scan in, I still have the original dress mind.

So this taffeta is a wonderful combination of pale pink and grey and it shines in the light. I hope to be working on the cushion pad tonight if Bella will stay quiet. She was disturbed this morning at 4.30am......Yapped and went mad at the back door to the garden so that eventually both of us were out of  bed. I won't bore you with more, but I will need my sleep tonight.

Lounge yesterday

Bella is inconsolable, her favourite has just wizzed off down into Keswick to 'Lakeland Decor' once again on a mission of great importance which does not involve terriers! She has decided to keep watch and will not turn round for the camera despite all my entreaties... You can see the state of play, I spent the rest of the day wallpapering with grade 1200 lining paper from the left of the window, (yes I found an old book which told me the order of wallpapering to avoid seeing the seams). You start at the window and work round to the largest wall then stop: restart from the window going the other way and join up again, simple.

I did the first half to the longest wall yesterday and stopped myself about 5 pm tired but winning. The mission he was on turned out ok as he was buying a 'test' sample of emulsion for the walls and when I applied it to a piece of A4 paper and went round the room checking it in various places we both decided it was an ok colour; phew that was a relief, no disagreements there then. So I must now do the other two walls, no time to waste for blogging.

Steady progress

But not on the log cabin quilt; no it's the lounge decorating frenzy this week. I must finish it. I undercoated all day yesterday and today I am papering, I know the purists amongst you will probably say I am doing this the wrong way round, but I have gone beyond the point of caring, done is better than perfect. It is plain paper so I can paint it with emulsion so it should not matter if the gloss painting is not done first I think. What I can't remember is where you are supposed to start decorating from so the light does not show up the seams. I had a book here on this a couple of weeks ago that I negotiated as part of a job lot to start a new library for Keswick Embroiderers' Guild, but of course when I wanted to look this up the book had gone. Luckily it is on the top floor of the Friends Meeting House or it would have been ruined in the floods and all my efforts to secure these special books from Dulcie Beasley's daughter in law would have been wasted. I would like us to call it the Beasley Library but I am no longer Chairman so I don't have much clout anymore. Just as well though as I am enjoying my freedom.