Rivers and reminiscing

I was talking to my friend Sew Happy about future projects and this got me thinking about past projects and how long I have been doing patchwork!!  I first got started some 25+ years ago when I lived in Chepstow, in South Wales and in those days I went to evening classes to learn.  We learnt right from basics making blocks from templates that we had drawn on graph paper and then pasted onto card and every week we did a different block.  I now realise I had absolutely no colour co-ordination and when I went to sew the blocks together nothing matched at all!!  Simply appalling waste of fabric

However I did buy a panel that reminded me of water at the bottom and a stormy sky at the top; but what to make with it.   Then one day looking out of my bedroom window I had an inspiration.  After taking a photo, I then drew the design up and this was the result.

A wallhanging of the Severn Bridge

This bridge and the river played a very important part in my life as I crossed it every day to get to work, as did my husband.  Many times I was on the cliffs on the other side unable to cross, with my house a mile away, but the weather was so appalling that the bridge was closed.  A 1.5 hour detour round by Gloucester.  I have cycled and walked over this bridge and walked under it many times, but in its time it was the latest piece of engineering and in 2016 celebrated 50 years since it was opened.   I cannot remember how I made the wallhanging or what the technique was but have always thought it gave the effect of looking out of a window.

Tuesday being my 'Bedford' day we went for walk along by the river, which was running very high after all the rain we have had.  Bedford School boys were out on the river rowing.  Little Will was very keen to see the weir where the water was gushing and very noisy and makes me feel a little dizzy.  Is it all the water and the fear of he bridge collapsing and falling in that makes me like that?  Anyway both of the Archimedes Screws were going full blast and putting electricity into the National Grid.

I also noticed that a number of swans had converged on a quieter part of the river

Boats being rowed in the background

and there was a massive clean-up going on

That's better, all finished and very clean!!

I can now reveal my latest smocking project started early last summer.  I made it for my youngest granddaughter who was 6 last week and she loves it!!

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that I made a similar one for her cousin and I was asked to make exactly the same one for L.  Well I couldn't do that so this one has fabric a shade lighter and I made up my own smocking pattern.  The little girls love them because when they twirl the skirt comes out like a bell!

Two happy little girls, but I plan to make a slightly different one for the eldest.