I've been busy - honest.

So - just to prove I do sew, here's the quilt I'm entering at Trentham - that's not at Trentham now. Unfortunately the snow fall earlier in the year resulted in the roof collapsing on the building used - so Margaret has been an absolute star and has managed to find a new location - very near to the original. Please look at her website for full details.

And here is my entry for Malvern - like the previous quilt I've got to sort out a sleeve and a label.

And to prove what a great day I had on Saturday at the Bramble Patch dyeing fabric with Bren - here's whet I ended up with. I'm rather pleased and have a cunning plan to do some more.

And I can't tell you how excited I've been with this edition of The Quilter ( you get this when you're a member of the Quilter Guild). It's got soooo many great artists in it and articles too. So we've got Edwina Mackinnon, Ineke Berlyn, Laura Kemshall and Sheena Norquay.

And I'm hoping this edition of Selvedge will be just as exciting.

Work In Progress

Hello all. How are you? I'm great thanks.

I had a great day at the Bramble Patch yesterday - it was great to just get on and and do something different. You can see where I got to below. The Kingfisher was printed onto Lutrdor and then I free machined the colours in. As we looked at composition and I decided I hadn't made anything that was diagonal - so this is very obviously diagonal.  I also included some texture, with torn edges and lots of different types of material. I also used a mixture of stitches and threads. There is still some way to go - but our homework is to finish this piece before next week. So over the next weeks I'll show you how I get on.

And how funny is this. Both DH and me bought each other exactly the same Valentines cards. Shows what great taste we both have.

'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement: nothing can be done without hope'

Helen Keller

Books and stuff

Hello all. How are you? I'm really good. I'm certainly enjoying the gradually improving weather. 

One of the challenges Bren set us was to stock take our books and magazines. Hmm Can't give you the results (as DH reads this sometimes) but there's alot. And one thing we were also asked was to pick the one book we'd take to a desert island. Well my selection is the one below;  'An illustrated Life' by Danny Gregory. I often pick it up and can always find something interesting to read. 

What book you you take?

One of the many books by my bed at the moment (there's always a pile) is this one 'The 12 secrets of Highly Creative Women' by Gail McKeen. I'm so enjoying this so much. The women interviewed are so generous with their ideas - it's a really encouraging book to read.

When I went to the November Rocheberie Schoolhouse Quilters one lovely lady was demonstrating making Christmas Puddings - they looked so cute I couldn't resist - so here are my two.

And finally here are my completed strawberries. Another bit of fun. I got the kit for these from The Bramble Patch some time ago and have finally stuck on the stalks.

I'm off to spend more time tidying up - have a good weekend.
'The mere sense of living is joy enough' Emily Dickinson

I've been doing stuff - honest

Hello all. Hope you're all well. 

Sorry I haven't posted (again). Here are the excuses: I had a really busy week at work after my last post and then was booked on a 5 day residential course last week. So the weekend (when I should have gone to Rocheberie Schoolhouse Quilters) was spent sorting out lots of 'stuff' rather than having more fun.

But in spite of this I did manage to scan in a picture I'd found in a magazine and then print it onto Lutrador and craft vilene (as you can see below). The printer (HP Photosmart C7280 All-In-One) was an absolute dream and just took the different media and printed. I know this is how it's meant to work - but I'm sure many of you will agree how it often doesn't.

Not too sure what I'm going to do with them - but I'm sure my next class will give me lots of ideas.

Thought you might like to see Flo - in her favourite position - on our bed asleep. Can you see the tail is starting to swish - she really doen't like to have her photo taken. 

And I was so happy to come home to my copy of Selvedge. Oh it's such a delight to read and look at the pictures and the ads. The next issue is about quilts - I'm sure it'll have lots of news about the forthcoming exhibition at the V&A. I know sine the sad demise of Borders it's not as easy for everyone to get a copy of Selvedge off the shelf - I think Waterstones might be tsrting to try to fill this gap - so do try to have a look at a copy and see what you think.

Anyway - I'm off now to do all those jobs I haven't been here to do for a week. Have a great weekend.

Exciting weekend

Hello All,

I'm so glad the snow has at long last gone. We have a really big snowfall on Wednesday and I get sent home form work as they were starting to cancel the trains. Bit annoyed as I'd struggled to get in and really had to drag myself out of bed.

Well, as you can see from the photos I've been cooking again. I'm trying to reduce what we throw away and so I had to find a couple of recipes to use up some left over cranberries and some bananas that were a little over ripe. So the result is a fruity tea bread and a banana and walnut loaf. The fruit looks very moist. I've been very good, cut them in half and put them in the freezer - so at the next quilting meeting I host I can offer some very nice home baked cakes.

And the next exciting thing I've been up to is to re-join one of Bren's classes at the Bramble Patch. It was great to be back there doing this class. She is so good at setting challenges and getting you to use your brain. I hope you like the display below of the small collages we made in the afternoon. The idea was to reflect and represent the photos we'd brought in. So now I've got a nice list of things to do for homework - one of which is stocktaking the books I have related to arts and crafts.... oh that could take some time.

Take care.
'The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity'
Dorothy Parker

Spring has sprung...

I just had to go for a walk this morning to take a photo of these lambs - I just love to see them jumping around on their little fat legs.

As I haven't posted for a couple of weeks (sorry!) I thought I'd post lots of photos and not say too much....

Below is my piece I entered into the exhibition at Bramble Patch called Poetic Licence - it's open until Saturday 18th April. If you do have a chance to go please do as the work there is really good and there is so much variety.

Here's my entry for the Trentham, Quilts in the Garden show. I was really pleased wit the result - but as it was hung next to a really bright quilt it looked rather dull.

I've also posted photos of the quilts entered by other members of our group. Again a really varied group of quilts.

If you don't like huge quilt shows this is a really good one to go to. It's small enough to get around and there are a good number of stalls to buy material, books and art products. Also if you take your partner with you they can have a look at the retail village - or just sit and have a coffee.

And here's what I bought...... I'm sure you'll see them pop up soon.

If you want to learn how to make this scrappy Irish Chain above, Linda is running a class at the Bramble Patch on Thursday 23rd July. The class is called Double Irish Coffee.

And this one really made me smile - I love the Santa cat......
Hope you all had a good Easter.

Busy busy...

Hello, yes I'm still here.

I had a lovely day out yesterday with the Lutterworth Embroiders Guild to London to see the Prism 2009 exhibition at the Pall Mall Gallery. Although not a large exhibition all the pieces were of a very high quality. Hopefully in the next blog I'll be able to provide you with some details of the artists.

Because we were there from 10 - 4 we decided to visit a shop I heard about from one of the quilters in our group - McCulloch & Wallis. What a treasure trove. I was very restrained and only bought 4 meters of ribbon.

We also had lunch at the new National Geographic store on Regent Street. It was rather nice.

Here's another of my blocks for the exhibition at the Bramble Patch. I've got to deliver them in the next few weeks and I've just got to finish off the one block and then decide how to get them hung.
And finally here's Flo - exploring. LOL She really can't wait to stick her little nose anywhere. Luckily she jumped out before we shut the boot.

Well - I'd better crack on with all the stuff that seems to have accumulated over the week.Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine.

December already

Is it just me or has December come around really quickly again? I always know it's on its way - but I'm still suprised when it arrives. At least I think I've got all of my Christmas presents now - I just need to wrap them and write the cards.

And talking of Christmas cards bnelow is a photo of the cards we made for each other in our Bramble Patch with Bren. They're all so different. I was really sorry to say goodbye to all the girls as I won't be joining the class next year - but I think I will be back there in 2010 - boy does that sound a long way off.

And arriving on my doormat in the last few weeks - the new Selvedge magazine - beautiful as always.
And here's a bag a made for a friend's birthday...From this book...

And hot off the press (a late birthday present) is Keri Smith's latest book. It's a good fun book. Have a look if you get the opportunity.

And here's what I have to cope with when I'm trying to bind a quilt. Flo decided, in spite of the pins in it, it would be a good idea to curl up and go to sleep in it.

Take care and I'll be back soon.

What I've been up to...

My aim was to do some art everyday and for the most part I have managed it - it might only have been 10 minutes or a flick through a magazine - but I have done something. And the photo above is what I did for a week in the evenings. It was a very good friend's birthday and i wanted to make her something - so here it is. I'm very pleased with the result - and I'm pleased to say so was she. It's from a book called Kokoro no Te - Handmade presents from the heart and it's the first project I've made from it. I do like having something to hand sew rather than always being at the machine so another aim (yes I have lots of them) is to always have some hand sewing.
Now - although like me you are trying to forget how quickly the year is progressing - it is coming to that time of year again -yep Christmas. And at The Bramble Patch on Saturday Bren bought along some Christmas theme boards she'd made. The idea was to think about different colour ways for this festive season - not just the traditional red, green and gold - but silver and blue. What do you think?

She also had some great ideas for wrapping presents - from making your own paper to using fabric to wrap presents.

Now I'm going to leave you guessing what I'm up to with this....and ideas?

I'm finally getting over my sketchbook phobia - its only taken almost 2 years - but it was well worth the journey.

So here are a few pages.

Lots of dyed calico...

And here is the fruit of the sketchbook - well it's a work in progress.

And finally - Flo asleep on the bed. She won't move for anything LOL

I'm so excited as I've got a 2 day class with Sandra Meech at Bramble Patch on Friday and Saturday.

Have a great week.

Lots of bits and bobs...

Hello all. Hope you're all well and that, like me, you had a lovely sunny weekend. Yes dry and sunny in England and yes it's September.
I had a great day on Saturday at Brenda's class. It was so nice to meet up with everyone again and hear what they'd been up to over the summer.
I had great fun tray dyeing some calico - I do have photos and here they are:

And here are the results from the trays.

Lovely as this fabric is - I was aiming for an olive green LOL. You can tell I was chatting and not concentrating. But hey - I like it.

A mix of chestnut brown and rust orange.
Just royal blue

And my copy of Selvedge arrived. I love the front cover. I drive past these round hay bales every day and they're just asking to be rolled...

And finally - more photos from the NEC. I've still got lots more photos - I think I'll just pop a few on now and again.