Malvern Common

The chestnut trees on Malvern Common are bursting into life. The willows by the stream are green-grey from a distance and fluffy strokeable bunny tails close up. No sign of the bracken fronds uncurling. Lots of dogs taking their families for a Sunday afternoon run. A couple of horses with little girl riders picking their way down the steepest part of the hill. Malvern is coming to life again after the winter. Here it is April and my peach tree has come into flower - two months late! The biggest camellias are still thinking about flowering. I cut some Donation flower buds in the  hope they will come out.

The edge of the Common has been planted up with groups of trees all the way down the road. Each clump has four trees and they are alternately lime and chestnut. Under one clump only are hordes of blue and white scillas like stars. It seems odd. The photo is of one of the many many such clumps under those four trees.

I cut off the enamels weaving last night and dealt with stray ends this morning. I hemmed it differently from the two methods I discussed with the practice piece. I applied one inch bias binding to the front cloth (khaki), having used Fraystop on the edge. I cut the back cloth down to one inch wide and Fraystopped that edge, then folded the bias binding over the back cloth and machined stitched through both cloths close to the junction with the enamels.  This avoids any thick doubling of either cloth. It is now hung in the sitting room. The first Michael has ever suggested a textile be hung there!

The colour of both ends is more like the lower edge in the photo. There are irregularities in the bottom edges of the squares which is due to the weight of the enamel squares. And I can see one enamel trying to escape in the photo. Excuse me while I capture it.