Alice and the Herring Queen

The weekend started in an industrious mood on Friday with the start of The fat Quarters Club. We got the first of our 6 exclusive patterns from Melly and me and Rosalie Quinlan. Meet the lovely Alice. Work started straight away on making up Alice from the gingham, calico and wool felt, all provided in the kit with the pattern. Margaret has also been industrious with another Rosalie Quinlan design for a block of the month Baltimore type quilt pattern. Here is the quilt top finished. This has been quite a challenge for Margaret but it has turned out well. I am looking forward to seeing it finished.

Saturday saw us back up in the borders to celebrate my Dad's birthday

which coincided with the Eyemouth Herring Queen festival.

The Eyemouth Herring Queen Festival was started to celebrate the end of the First World War and aims to symbolise the ideals as well as the everyday things associated with the life of a fishing community. For a long period up to 2001, the Herring Queen was selected by popular vote in the local High School but this year marked the change to a process whereby a panel of local Townspeople make the selection after nominees were interviewed.

The sunshine poked out between the clouds just in time for the Queen to make her entrance at St Abbsbefore climbing aboard the Eyemouth lifeboat to be escorted by some of the local fishing fleet back to Eyemouth for the start of a week of festivities. The festival has obviously moved with the times and Health and safety were very much at the fore front as the Queen and her maids were piped out of the harbour on the boat all wearing life jackets.

They soon arrived in Eyemouth where the parade began. Here in Scotland even Superman wears a kilt!!

And as I do love bunting I couldn't resist a picture of this fishing boat decked up for the occasion.