A Farmyard quilt and sausages

Here in Lincoln we have just had the delight of the Lincolnshire sausage festival. Really Lincolnshire is becoming a gormet food county. Makers of sausages, cheese, jams, chutneys and other Lincolnshire delicacies came and set out their wares in open air stalls in the castle grounds. We are lucky to have a traditonal shaped castle, just like a child's drawing and it makes a fantastic backdrop to events in the castle square and Exchequer Gate which goes through to the cathedral. There was a great band who got everyone singing, it was a lovely sunny autumn day.

The castle square was filled with people sampling and buying all kinds of sausage and the smell of cooking was wonderful...can you see our medieval tourist board building with the timbered front?

The spires of Lincoln Cathedral

People seemed really happy, full of sausages, with the odd pint of local beer from Bateman's brewery .....

Some of the animals on the Protect Our Wildlife stall seemed very tame, soft and fluffy and very friendly....

Saints and Sinners sold their excellent jams and chutneys all dressed in pretty frilly hats...

Amid the fun, sunshine and good spirits, we remembered the families of all service people who were missed and thought of so very much during November, the gate to the memorial garden is right next to the castle entrance...

Door to the Airborne Memorial Garden

Plaque for the rememberance of RAF staff of the Parachute regiment

Back in the sewing room, this is what I have been making this week. Lots of farmyard animals with a simple border of autumn colours and a name on the bottom. I love the colours of this quilt and am really pleased with the way they all go together...

Farmyard cot quilt by Green Star Quilts

and just so you can see closer....

Scrap fabric binding

I saw Allison's blog at Cluck Cluck Sew about scrap fabric binding and tried it out. I was delighted with the result. It reminded me of my lovely mother-in-law, who had a tin of pieces of string which was labelled 'Pieces of String Too Short to be of Any Use'. It always made me smile and pieces of fabric for this method are just the same until they are turned into scrap binding!

I love the animals shown in the Luttrell Psalter commissioned by Goeffery Luttrell around 1320-1340. There is a depiction in the museum in Lincoln which inspired the design of this quilt.
  

Part of the Luttrell Psalter

Now we are having a wonderful autumn here and the colours of the leaves are amazing. Lovely russets, yellows and dark greens, on the trees still and on the ground too.

Some of you are in the USA and I bet your autumn colours are even better. Do you live in a farming area too? I was raised in a rural village in Hertfordshire with a dairy in the middle of the High Street. Cows were walked along twice a day and you could taste the difference in the milk when the herd was turned out to grass in the spring. Although I have been urban for many years, these days I find living in the countryside so good for my soul. It is great to go to London for exhibitions and grown up sophisticated things, but coming home on the train and seeing the fields stretching out lifts my heart. Our countryside seems so precious and I want my grandchildren to know where their food comes from. Am I being unrealistic and do you feel the same?

Are you inspired by autumn colours too? Hope you have a sunny week,

Kind regards,