In the Jardin des Plantes d'Angers

Angers is known as the green city and I was keen to explore some of the city’s green spaces on our visit, and our plan for our first day there was to explore the botanical gardens right in the heart of the city.

It’s website promised ‘a true oasis of greenery’ and it didn’t disappoint. Though when we entered we were quite bemused with how the tree had been secured, though it seemed to be doing the job - as that’s not a tree that you want to come down is it?

The garden dates back to 1905 and there was more to it than first met our eyes.

We meandered around the paths admiring the trees, and the planting and found ourselves crisscrossing the paths around the lake.

Each of them brought different vistas, that were the same but yet different. Moving away from the lake we stumbled across this arch to seemingly nowhere.

Soon after we found ourselves in a part of the garden which felt less like the English garden that we’d left, with its grasses, rock stacks and more tropical planting.

We welcomed the coolness of the shade, and admired the textures of the varied leaves.

Continuing to let our feet lead us amongst the paths until we were at another arch, this time of a jasmine in full flower - and full scent.

Before finding ourselves back amongst the cool shaded section again - we might have purposefully lingered here for a while.

Deciding to find a place for refreshments, a coffee at least, we ambled back along the pathways to where we’d come in.

But not without stopping to admire the acanthus - and adding it to my plant wish list.

And before long we had the grandiose gates in sight, where once again we paused before heading back into the city’s hubbub.

New to my craft room in August

This month’s additions can be summarised as ‘too good to pass on’ and remarkably the majority of new things this month have either been free, a gift or very good value, though my final purchase of the month blew what would have been a frugal month - but it was definitely worth it!

Both the lace above and the ‘Fat Cat’ ruler below came via my patchwork group, some from the same stash sale as last month. The lace - something I’ve not sewn with yet - was £1 per card, and the ruler just a fiver. It’s designed for making patchwork cats, and the triangular shape is the cat’s body. While I’m a cat fan, cat quilts aren’t on my radar - but I did like the shape and have a project in mind. It’s one that’s not on this year’s list but maybe it may just sneak in.

The vegetable nets are from onions - red and the more usual sort. Usually I pick up bags of onions but this month MOH picked up these in the nets and I was like ‘oh why not’ I may be able to weave with those, and I think I can. They’re not as soft as the fruit nets, but for what I have in mind I don’t think it’ll matter.

Which is handy really as I’ve managed to snag a small weaving set, along with some other goodies from Hobbycraft. I was gifted a voucher as thanks for looking after our neighbour’s cats, which was totally unnecessary as I was happy with the cat chats and tickles, but very much appreciated. Though I went to my local Hobbycraft to suss out some of the items, especially the shears as I wanted to feel the weight of them, something you can’t do online. That I was able to do but many of the items weren’t available at the store so I ended up shopping for some in person and for some online.

The small embroidery stork scissors were part of the online shop, which meant our local DPD needed to ID me for the delivery - when I told him what was in there, and specifically the size of the scissors, we did have a chuckle. Rules are rules and safeguards are safeguards and all that, but it did make us smile.

I also learnt of a huge stash sale via my patchwork group which takes place in Chesterfield market place once a year, and this year it was in August. I was umming and ahhing about whether to go along or not, but with sixty market stalls full of very good value craft stuff I decided that I’d go along and see what it was like. Chesterfield is about an hour from us, and seems proper up North, but it was worth going and I’d look out for it again next year.

It was particularly good for large pieces of material which I plan to use as backings for my charity quilts. The white/pink flowered fabric is an Ikea print from 2005 and everytime I see an old Ikea fabric I’m reminded of how good their fabric was, I don’t know if it’s still the same though?

The green and lilac raindrop material is actually a single duvet cover, and the colours were just my thing. Since I’ve been home I’ve realised these colours are a really good match for my Mystery Block of the Month quilt which remains stalled. I wondered now if that’s because I’m not really onboard with the backing fabric I have, and maybe it’s that. I looked to see if this single duvet cover would work size-wise but it doesn’t - it’s wide enough, but not long enough and I don’t want to piece it with another fabric to make it fit, so I think I’m resigned to my original plan (which btw is absolutely fine, it’s just this one was better - well if it fitted anyway!)

The other two pieces will definitely be for those charity quilts, and it’s likely that some of the material will also make it onto the tops too. When I say these were good value, in total these four pieces of large fabric cost £7 and will do many more than seven quilts I’m sure.

Also good value were these balls of wool at 50p each - I’m almost knee deep in crocheted decorations for our tree dressing later in the year, and these will also be used for that along with more scraps of wool I’ve found that I didn’t have plans for. Our tree will meet its brief to be colourful, that’s for sure.

The final items that I picked up in Chesterfield were these two dies for £2 and the blue and white linen remnant for £1 - meaning in total I spent just £12 at the biggest stash sale I’ve ever been to - see what I mean when I said things were too good to pass on?

I’m not sure what I’ll use the blue and white linen remnant for, but it reminded me of the willow pattern and a jumper I knitted myself a long while back. I think it’s the memories of that jumper that meant this one was always coming home with me.

So that just leaves my final purchase of the month, and it’s another that I couldn’t leave behind. My long-time fabric store nemesis had a stall on Newark market last weekend, and so I thought I should show willing and support this, as having a fabric stall on the market is to be encouraged.

Sadly though I approached from the non-remnants side, after our visit up the church tower, and fell in love with this Indian block printed cotton.

Isn’t it beautiful? And very much ‘my colours’ - but at £12 per metre it wasn’t cheap. The big question was how much would I need, in the end I decided not to scrimp, as not having enough would be worse - and despite a conversation with some other ladies also perusing the stall who suggested making a skirt, decided to stick with my original thoughts for a dress. I like skirts, but when the fabric is so bold I struggle to pair items with them, and like to have versatile clothes rather than set outfit choices.

But anyway, it came home with me - and when I got home I looked out the pattern I had in mind, and then decided that that wasn’t right at all. But luckily - or at least fortuitously - a pattern sale dropped into my email box the next morning, and so I’m almost set. I’ll share the pattern next month as it’s not arrived yet.

So I really do need more time at my sewing machine next month, I’ve plans and projects that just won’t stop forming!

Thank you for joining me for another month in my craft room, please check out my previous updates for earlier additions, and remember to let me know below what you’ve added to your craft supplies this month.

This August...

This August has been great, one where the weather has been good enough to not need to worry about if you need a jacket, coat, umbrella etc - well mostly anyway. The end of the month saw a couple of yellow thunderstorm warnings, and boy did they arrive in style, and they brought plenty of rain with them too, which of course we needed.

The thunderstorms were pretty close by, or it sounded like that at the time - we later discovered that we weren’t wrong and were hit by two supercells joining together. I’m not really sure what that means, but I know it was bright as the lightening struck, and it’s the first storm I remember thinking was quite scary. The next morning we discovered that the accompanying rains had brought mud off the fields and one of the roads leading to the main crossroads in the village was a bit muddy!

Earlier in the month when the number of heatwaves were racking up we also had our first experience of sheep escapees, aiding the village cattle (not sheep) farmer to get them out of our neighbour’s garden and back into a field. Not the field they escaped from, but much safer than them patrolling the village and much preferable to the gardens in the village. They are peculiar creatures, and fast when they want to be as we saw first hand!

We’ve been out and about a fair bit too with a lovely afternoon in one of my patchwork group’s garden, with partners and no actual sewing in sight though of course the conversation did include a stitch or two.

We had a tasty meal on the rather elegant Bluebell Railway in Sussex, and I decided to make myself a dress to wear - giving myself a week to do it. I made it, and I wore it but I think giving myself more time would be preferable!

There was also the annual ‘home air show’ towards the end of the month, and the weather had turned so while the Red Arrows were able to give a fantastic display, more of the ‘noisier’ aircrafts were unable to fly, which is a shame - but there’s always next year.

We finally made it back to one of our favourite farm pop-ups at Gelston buying some of their tasty lamb to support our commitment to healthier eating. Though on the way home we stopped off at a relatively nearby cafe to see the Alpacas, and share a scone - so the healthier eating is still a work in progress, though we did share a scone rather than have one each so that’s something.

I was just as much taken by the pompoms strung across the cafe’s outside container seating area, as I was with the perfect view of the ‘mums and babies’ alpaca paddock and it’s residents. I could have spent so much more time watching them, so I’m sure we’ll be back - and the scone was good too!

Our gallivanting hasn’t stopped there though, after sharing my thoughts on the first Rutland Flower Show we were back there in the middle of the month, but it was so hot we didn’t last perhaps as long as we would normally. We’d already decided that we wouldn’t be buying any plants as keeping them alive would be tricky, and I’d lost one of the plants we’d bought earlier in the summer - though I’m hopeful that there’s a small chance it may come back.

I felt for the traders too as they had a job to keep their displays and produce looking fresh - they were all in good spirits though, and the weather did cool a little for the subsequent days of the show. We didn’t leave empty handed though and left with the sensible options of some bulbs to plant in the autumn, so more on those another time.

We finally got along to visit Doddington Hall, which is just outside Lincoln, while their sculpture trail was still on - it finishes this weekend. Again it was a warm day, but one that threatened rain so armed with our waterproofs we saw many, many sculptures, walked around the parched gardens and looked inside the house before having lunch in the courtyard. The volunteers there told us that the house is also good to visit when it’s decorated for Christmas, and from the photos we saw they’re right so I think we’ll be back here later in the year all being well.

Our timing was impeccable with the rain arriving on the short drive home, we arrived back with a very wet car to find that it hadn’t rained at home at all. Most peculiar!

And still we weren’t done. The last weekend of August saw us climb the 198 steps in the church tower in Newark, as part of their Newark Festival offerings, to get some great views over the market place and surrounding areas, learning about the history as we did. It was a great thing to do, and even though I’m not great with heights, I’m glad I did it.

And then on the Sunday we headed back to the tropical garden in nearby Bottesford - I’ve not had a chance to even look at my photos from there yet, but it will be interesting to compare and contrast them to our visit there last year when I get some time.

There hasn’t been a lot of time left for making this month, and apart from the dress in a week project mentioned above my main outputs have been though ‘playing with patchwork and scraps’ which has been the perfect mindful activity required.

I still did find time for some craft related shopping though - you knew I would - but I’ll share more on those tomorrow - let’s hope September is just as much fun, perhaps a little drier and so bring some more time with my sewing machine!