Where's a machete when you need one?

Some of the public footpaths round here are getting a bit overgrown and I could have done with a machete when I was confronted with this one

This is across a field of oil seed rape and it's higher than my shoulders.  I was past the point of no return when I reached this so had to go through, but remembering the advice I got about making noise to scare away snakes, I sang at the top of my voice (I normally do sing but a bit quieter)

My song of choice when walking through crops is 'Fox on the run' by Manfred Mann. - although I only know the first few lines so these get repeated over and over 
At one time I reserved it for wheat fields like this (you can just see the footpath through the middle here) but now I include anything that's quite high and if the sun's shining

This path is nice and open at the side of a maize field

and this one's just been mown.  The local council sometimes cut them down in summer 

Here's a bee and butterfly sharing thistle flowers.  Did you know that thistles have a very nice perfume?  I didn't, until a few years ago when I kept getting a waft of perfume in our garden and couldn't think where it was coming from.  I eventually tracked it down to a big patch of thistles in the field next door

These wild flowers were along a path

When you enlarge this seed head the unfluffy bits look metallic.

and a couple of nice skies

Bandana, bandana, bandana

Sadly a friend's mother died earlier this year and he's been sorting through her belongings.  His mother enjoyed sewing and all kinds of different crafts, and he kindly gave me lots of fabric.
In amongst it were these three unused bandanas

aren't the colours gorgeous?

After much pondering as to what I could do with them, I cut them into strips and made some patchwork.  This is one piece

Then using the free Colette Sorbetto pattern which I've used before here, I used the patchwork for the front.  I omitted the pleat down the middle because I didn't think I would have enough fabric.  I made another piece of patchwork for the back using the remaining strips and the offcuts from the front.  Unfortunately I was one piece short, but not to worry...
I'd already decided to use a turquoise sash belt from a skirt, for the binding, and once I'd unpicked it, there was quite a bit a fabric.

So I used that for the final patch.  I thought it might stand out too much because it was plain, so I got my black fabric paint out to add some pattern. I hadn't used the paint for years and when I opened it, it had dried up.  

So onto plan B....  I used a permanent marker pen.   It'll probably wash off as permanent things often do when you don't want them to (do it by accident and you'll never get it out!).  If it does I'll get some fabric paint and do it properly.

I made bias binding out of the sash for the neck and armholes.  It isn't required on the pattern, but I also bound the bottom.  As it was on the straight I didn't cut the binding for that on the bias.

In the photo below you can see the plain fabric that I drew on, to the far left

and Spaghetti sneaking into the picture on the right!


Bias binding round neck and armhole

A couple of refashions

I was looking through the bags of shirts and t-shirts that my friend gave me, to see what I could add to my wardrobe.  This t-shirt caught my eye because I love this shade of blue

It was miles too big so I cut the neck away to make it lower, removed the sleeves, shortened it and cut the sides down to fit, and then hemmed all the edges.
I had some brown and blue flowered fabric which was a sample piece I got from the charity shop one time, which I thought looked good with the blue.
I cut a couple of sections out and sewed them on with a straight stitch then frayed the edges for a worn look.

This other one is from a while ago but I forgot to post about it.  It started out the same as this one, (except it's pink) which I altered here

I took it in as before and shortened the sleeves and hem.
I didn't want to have the neck too close to my face because quite frankly my face can be pink enough on it's own without having the colour of my clothes reflecting up onto it, so I cut a piece away like so

made some bias binding from one of the cut off sleeves and used it to bind the neck and now it looks like this

Toad you so

It's haymaking time again, and anyone who's been reading my blog for a while will know how much I hate it.  You can read about other years here and here. 

Of course it had to be 27 degrees when the hay was baled on Tuesday, and we didn't have as much help as other years, so I had more work to do and my face was a very bright red!

This toad was uncovered in the field

Here's me not letting my husband take a photo of my red face

Meanwhile in the garden we've got a gorgeous smelling rose out 

These campanulas are on the other side of the rose

and some flowers down the drive

June 2013 Photo Scavenger Hunt

Here are my entries for this month's scavenger hunt

Purple

60
a birthday card for my brother

Eyes
A neighbour's llama

Animal
same neighbour's alpaca (look at that smile)

Little
same neighbour's turkey and little one.   Forgive me for saying but that face looks like it belongs on Dr Who..

here's a close up

Architectural detail
I had so many for this, so I had to put on more than one 

Ring

Light
as a feather

Rooftops

Ice cream

A tombstone

Art
The 20-21 art gallery in Scunthorpe which is in an old church

You can see other entries for the scavenger hunt on Made with love