Feathers, Fiddles and Folk

There's been no sewing of any sort taking place over the past week and it's just about killing me!!

Yes, it's sounds dramatic but for all those creative types out there I am sure you will understand and sympathise with me.

We have had visitors recently and as I sew on the above table I thought perhaps I should have a wee tidy up so said visitors could sit at the table for a meal if the need arose.

I folded and sorted and tried to be methodical and in the end I just shoved things into bags which I then crammed into overcrowded cupboards and hoped that no one would need something out of that cupboard!!

I also needed to clear fabrics and sewing bits and pieces off the spare bed so the visitors could sleep in it.

The spare bedroom looked lovely, with freshly laundered linen, fluffy towels and a vase of zinnias on the bedside table. Hope you have a good imagination as I didn't take a photo.

I love the above table, the colour of the timber and the marks and indentations. If it could tell the stories of family meals had at this table, of conversations it's heard, I am sure it would have some interesting tales to tell. It seats 10, 12 at a pinch. It was found on someone's back verandah with vinyl on top of it and pot plants sitting on it.

"Take a geezer at this 'lil beauty" I spied this on the weekend sitting on a table at a little store in town.

No "umming and aahing" needed, I bought it straight away before anyone else spied it.

After all this is "Sweet Birdy Love" blog and these are certainly sweet birdies.

I have never seen a tea cloth like this, it's in lovely condition. I had heaps of ideas swirling around making my brain hurt, bags, book covers, tea cosies!! BUT that would mean I would have to cut it up," oooooooh" you gasp, "how could you?" and that's where I am at . How can I?

So I will look at it, admire it and see what other ideas form before I reach for the scissors, so it has had a slight reprieve.

If you have any wonderful ideas of what I could do with it, feel free to share them.

Aren't these two cute?

I think the one in the middle must be one of those plastic budgies you buy at the pet shop, to keep your real budgie company!

It looks a little odd, wouldn't you say?

Now we come to the Fiddles and Folk part of the post.

Our visitors were Jackson and Martha from the Whitetop Mountaineers. They played at our annual Folk Festival in town on the weekend. They come from Virginia in the USA and play authentic old time music, sing and Martha does some great Appalachian dancing.

The fiddle is one Jackson made, how clever is that? The timber had a beautiful golden glow to it and on the front it had a shell inlay all the way around it. Certainly takes some skill to do that sort of work. BUT my favourite part of the fiddle was the end of the neck which featured a chicken, which Jackson had carved.

I have never seen anything like that before and I was quite taken with it. Of course you all know how I love my chooks!

Chooks, that was something I had to explain to them as they are called chickens in the States.

We had a lovely weekend of fine weather, fine music and fine company. The festival was a success as usual due to the wonderful talent from home and abroad and the hard work of the committee and all the volunteers

No1 son had his CD launch on the Saturday night, it went off without a hitch and we were all happy that this leg of the journey is complete.

The table remains cleared of sewing 'stuff' although I have set up my sewing machine and intend to do something with a budgie theme.

The Whitetop Mountaineers will be playing at the Apollo Bay Music Festival and the National Folk Festival in Canberra during the next couple of weeks. So if you are attending any of those festivals, be sure to go along and see them.

All's well here at Sweet Birdy Love and I hope it is with you too.

Till next time,

Claire X