My Wool-Eater Blanket Completed!

So I've finally completed my Wool-eater Blanket and I am soooo pleased with it :)

I love all the colours....

 

....the way they graduate into each other....

I love the textures of the pattern......

More defined on the front....

......and soft and cuddly on the back......

My only dilemna now is where do I put it?!

Shall I lay it on the back of the sofa?

Or roll it neatly?

or leave it draped on the corner?.....ready to be wrapped around anyone who's feeling a bit chilly...

Maybe as a pretty topper on the bed? ......to give an extra layer when it turns cold again....

Mmm.......somebody in the family has had their eye on my blanket for quite a while now....

NO Spencer!!....it's not your new blanket!!

I haven't definitely made up my mind yet but I think my favourite place for the Wool-eater blanket is Harvey J....

It somehow adds something to those peachy pink seat covers ;) ....and nice and cosy for chilly evenings....

I've left it in there for the moment and I'm going back later to see if I still think it fits the bill :)

I hope you like my Wool-eater as much I do!

Thanks again to Sarah London for sharing this fabulous pattern :)

Maggie xx

C'mon England! (Spencer's Sunday Hat)

Euro 2012.....

England v Italy.....

So we're nearly 30 minutes into the match!

No score as yet!

Spencer is watching the game intently.....

 Sporting his England hat!

Spencer is Six Months Old Today!

I can't believe our gorgeous pupster is six months old today!

He had a bit of a lie in this morning :)........

And here's one especially for Alfie, a handsome Golden Retriever belonging to Lynette of Sweet Posy Dreams.

Spot the rat, Alfie!!

If you haven't already, please check out Lynette's fabulous blog and post about Alfie and his Rat!! -- It came as a rat but left as a rag.

Have a great day!

Maggie xx

Spencer's Sunday Hat - the Vintage Railwayman's Hat

So amongst his vintage collections, Chris found this wonderful 1960s railwayman's hat.........

Just to fill you in, Chris has a small collection of railway items. His Grandpa worked for the Great Western Railway/British Rail for 50 years through both the First and Second World Wars.

Spencer was gazing at the hat longingly....I knew he wanted to wear it to show you :)

......or it could have been that it looked like something good to chew!

So here he is.....handsome as ever......

'Tickets please'.

'Next train due on Platform 2 at 4pm....'

It really suits him don't you think?

'First Class carriage at the front of the train'.

'May I help you with your bags, Miss?'

I'm sure travelling by British Rail would have been so much more enjoyable if Spencer had been an employee :)

'Change at Swindon for London Paddington, Madam'.

'Phew, time for my tea break now'.

Cuteness personified, eh?

'All aboard'.

'Mind the gap, Sir'.

Have a wonderful Sunday :)

Maggie xx

Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway

Every month or so, my sister Clare and I take an evening out for a spot of retail therapy followed by a trip to the cinema.

A couple of weeks ago, we made our usual trip and, amongst other things, I picked up a pack of tea towels that had old vintage posters printed on them. I thought they looked interesting and bought them but because of the way they were pinned together I couldn't really see the pictures in full until I got home and unpacked them.

One tea towel was printed with a 1930s advertising poster for Blackpool and the other - the one I found most interesting - was printed with an advertisement inviting you to take.......

'A Sea Voyage on Wheels at Brighton'.

I decided the tea towels were far too nice for drying dishes and would look good hanging on the wall. I tried various places around the house and came to the conclusion that they looked just right in our little laundry room (which also doubles as a downstairs cloakroom and the posters would be interesting for guests to look at whilst visiting if you know what I mean).

Our laundry room has a rather out of place interior window which looks into our hallway so to make it more private, I had previously covered the glass with some pretty wallpaper. I discovered the tea towels fitted perfectly in the frame and would be an ideal alternative to the wallpaper. 

Here they are:

So this Brighton 'Sea Voyage on Wheels' really intrigued me. It seemed such a Victorian seaside type of thing. I was fascinated by the picture of all the holiday makers crammed onto this pier-like structure with life buoys. And the electric cable that just spelled danger with all that water!

I showed the tea towels to Chris and we chatted about whether this seaside attraction at Brighton had really existed.

Chris seemed doubtful but I wanted to believe that it was real...

Good old Wikipedia.

We looked it up and found that it most definitely had existed in Brighton in Victorian times.

Here's a old photo just to prove it:

You can see why the car had the nickname 'Daddy Long-Legs'!

The railway was invented by Magnus Volk who designed it to compliment and extend the route of his existing more conventional seafront railway (which is still running to this day).

 

The railway opened in 1896 and ran from Brighton through the shallow coastal waters to the nearby village of Rottingdean......

What an incredible sight it must have been...

 

And even though it looks so precarious, how exciting it must have been to take a trip aboard the Daddy Long-Legs....

Apparently due to regulations, a qualified sea captain had to be on board at all times......

There was a promenade deck and a central ornate saloon.....

Sadly but not surprisingly the railway was fraught with problems and closed in 1901. Volk failed to raise finance to re-build it and Daddy Long-Legs, the track and other structures were eventually sold for scrap.

At low tide however, some of the concrete sleepers may still be seen.

Fascinating isn't it?

Just a quick word about Spencer's Sunday Hat. I had a hat all ready for him to wear but technical difficulties meant that this Sunday's photos had to be abandoned...

(technical difficulties = the hat wouldn't stay on his head)

......so I've done a compilation of all the hats so far instead which you can see
here.

Let's hope for a nice bit of sunny weather this week - not too hot - just lovely and warm with a gentle breeze.....

See you soon,

Maggie xx

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia and volkselectricrailway.co.uk

For more information, please visit:
Wikipedia
and
volkselectricrailway.co.uk

Circus Patchwork Baby Quilt

Happy Jubilee Monday!

Today I want to share with you a patchwork baby quilt that I completed this week.

It was the same pattern as the nautical patchwork baby quilt that I made earlier this year...

It was a special order from a lovely customer who had chosen her own fabrics to co-ordinate with her baby's nursery.

And what a lovely choice!

Here are the gorgeous fabrics for the patchwork top including a Cath Kidston Circus fabric....

I fussy cut the circus fabric to make the most of the pattern..

I think Mum, Dad and Baby will have such fun spotting the different animals....

As well as keeping baby snuggly and warm....

I packed it up and posted it to my customer. I was so glad to receive an email from her saying she thought it was lovely too.....and a perfect fit for her baby's cot....she very kindly sent me a photo.....

Doesn't it just look gorgeous with those pretty cushions and sweet little softies?

Yesterday whilst it was raining, I worked a bit more on my Fractured Pinwheels Quilt - the one with the pretty Lakehouse strawberry and rosebud fabrics? I'm hoping to have some photos to share with you next time...

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the Jubilee celebrations :) Go away rain!!

See you soon,

Maggie xx