Lots more snow...

Thought you might like to see a few photos from our morning stroll around the village in the snow this morning. How are things where you are?

More snow...

Well - I can't believe it but we've had more snow. I'm not impressed. Thursday night we had lots and lots and these photos are from Friday morning. This morning there is still all the snow and we've had a really good frost too. I really hoped we'd seen the last of this - but never mind.

Hope you all have a good weekend. I'm hoping to get lots of sewing done - how about you?

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

Snow snow and more snow

Hello again.

I thought you might like to see some views - you may notice a little snow. It just hasn't shifted at all in the last week and it's snowing again.
And here are the poor duck and geese on the frozen lake.

Luckily they seem to have a little bit of water to have a swim in.

And, of course, we had to feed them - here is DH trying to make sure they all had a bit (didn't really work - but we did try).

Hope you're all able to get out and about.

I think I'll curl up now with some hand quilting.

A belated Happy New Year

Hello all.

Hope you're all well and not struggling too much with the snow, cold and ice. It's a great excuse to sit by the fire and hand quilt - not that many of us need an excuse.

Apologies for disappearing - like many of you I was rather busy with the festive season. I must say I had a great Christmas an New Year and booked some extra leave so I only went back to work today. How nice a short week.

Well I've been thinking about what to write - so here we go:

• I must tell you about the forthcoming exhibition at the V & A - Quilts 1700 - 2010 It looks like it's going to be a great exhibition. I've also found the curators blog - well worth a look at.
• Also, as it's new year, I have been thinking about 2009 and how It went and also looking froward to 2010 and what opportunities there are. Alyson B Stanfield makes the great suggestion - 'decide what your year will look like'. Decide that each day will be a good day and that you'll be in a good mood. What a great idea. Life is certainly a lot nicer when you're having a good day. If you haven't listened to Alyson's podcast yet - please do take the time to listen as it's really useful.

And this year I've got a few things to 'assist' with my creativity.

1. I'll be attending the monthly class with Bren Boardman at The Bramble Patch
2. I've also decided to keep a 'Creativity Diary' - this is where I'll note what I do EVERY DAY that's creative - it might be reading a book, investigating submitting to a quilt to an exhibition or actually doing some quilting. LOL.
3. I'm also starting a course with the OU on Digital Photography (paid with Tesco vouchers) as I'd like to improve the skills I have in relation to my digital camera and how to use the software.

So what are you all up to this year? I'd love to hear from you.

A lovely day sewing...

I've had a lovely day today sewing with the Rocheberie Schoolhouse Quilters. It's always nice to catch up with such lovely quilters and bloggers:

Sew create it

The Contented Quilter

Quilting in Chaos

Master of Patience

There was a great speaker as well - Gail Lawther. She described the influence her visits to New Zealand had had on her and also showed us the great work she'd produced. As you can see I just had to buy the book.

We were also very lucky as we got a Christmas pressie too - a charm pack of lovely fabrics. I'm afraid the cake we had didn't last long enough for me to take a photo of - but I can assure you it was very very nice (and a very generous slice it was too).

So all in all a great day. As you can see from the photos below there were lots of us there.

A great book

Thought I'd let you know about a great book that Radio 4 will be having as their book for Bookclub. The programme format is the audience will have the book and the author, John Irving, is there to answer them. I can't begin to tell you what a great book it is. I've always found that John Irving books always make me laugh, when I know I shouldn't and always have surprises in them. This one is so funny in places but so moving in others. If you do get time to read it - please do. I can promise it will stay with you.

I have finally got round to making some things for Christmas - but I'm sure you'll appreciate that I won't be able to share these with you until Christmas.

Luckily I've got a sewing day tomorrow in a neighbouring village hall - so I've got a list of things I want to crack on with.

If you're in the UK take care this weekend as it sounds like we're going to have some rather bad weather.

Take care.

A class and stressed Flo

I had a great day yesterday playing. I had a great class with Mikki - who I originally met at Bren's class at Bramble Patch. It was a really good day and I'll show you in more detail how I'm going to use the techniques I've learnt. I've certainly got a much better idea about how to use some of the stuff I've acquired over the years. Watch this space... And now to Flo - the strangest cat we've ever had in our life - and she's number 6. Well we took her to the vets to make sure there was nothing wrong - but after a very thorough examination she said she was physically fine - but it was more likely to be stress. Yes stress.
So now she's a very spoilt cat who gets her own way all the time and gets to sleep on our bed every night. And she's a delight - enjoys fuss, comes when you call her and she hasn't gone for either of us once. So there you go.
Here she is sitting in the bath waiting for the tap to be run.
Anyway - must go now for the ceremony we have in the village at our war memorial for Remembrance Sunday.