Tomorrow we are having cavity wall and loft insulation done, so we have had to clear the loft out. It's taken us all weekend and now there will several trips to the tip. Why do we save so much junk?
Anyway apart from some old photos we did find a lot of interesting stuff (and stuff that was here before we moved in). Amongst it all was my old school reports, my domestic science and needlework exercise books (covered in the obligatory wallpaper), loads of unfinished knitting (shame on me), my old knitting machine and two black sacks of machine knitting wool (on cones). We took the machine and wools to the Dog's Trust charity shop. But I found a future heirloom which I must now finish. I started this when the boys were little and each piece of fabric tells a story. Pieces from Dave's favourite shirts, my maternity dresses (made by me), other dresses I've made, some were sent to me from Italy by a friend and some were swapped with an old friend. Anyway here it is, having pushed the dogs off as they thought it was a clean blanket for them!

Oh Daisy, you have to finish it, it's your history, your life! I always wished I had made something like that, I did have the patience as like you I made my own clothes - and the kids.

As for the tip? Nah! Get yourslef off to a car booty, my sister cleaned out a pile of junk and tat, sat in a field for 4 hours, and came home with £80 profit. It's astounding what some people buy, and sell come to that!

I know that Orchidea - I'm one of those who buys the tat!! Immediately after getting rid of my own tat of course!!

Daisy, that looks a fantastic piece of work. I have one that my grandmother made and I have been using it - shame on me - for over twenty years now. Its getting a bit threadbare in places but I love it.

That's lovely Daisy

Its beautiful Daisy, but I don't think I would have the patience!

I have a problem now. I have lost one of my templates and the modern templates are in metric sizes which don't match up.

That is brilliant DaisyB

Thanks Dita. I'd love to be able to finish it.

What about making your own templates June ?

Are there not any places on the net that you can download from? Perhaps needlework clubs and places like that will have members who still have the old ones to lend.

Someone at my hairdressers reckoned she might be able to find some for me, but our appointments haven't coincided for a couple of months. Dave did reckon he might be able to cut some from a piece of aluminium, the larger one is made of perspex (so that you can see to centralise any designs the fabric might have). Thanks for your suggestions. The search continues.