Wishing you all

Hello everyone I hope you all had a very Happy Christmas and may I take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Happy New Year.
We had a lovely family christmas with all our kids at home for some part of the holiday, My daughter Kate is huge with baby, her due date is 3rd January 2012 and we are all waiting for that wonderful telephone call.
I have been sewing today, that is the first time since before christmas, I have entered a monthly block thingy, it is for crazy patchwork I have nearly finished my first one for January although I am a little scared because there will be lots of gorgeous one's and I am quite a newby but, I am enjoying doing the block and I love collecting all the beautiful bits and pieces that are used in crazy patchwork. The lovely crab apple tree you see above is outside my kitchen door, it has been well frosted now so I am waiting for the birds to strip it.

Happy Christmas

I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year.

Quilts and Lace

Hello Everyone, sorry it has been such a long time since I posted anything but I have been busy trying to finish off these two quilts as they are christmas pressy's. I have also been shopping quite a lot but I have now more or less finished Christmas shopping. I have also been busy making things for my daughter whose baby is due on 3rd January, I have made bunting for the nursery and lovely cushions and other things too. We are all looking forward to this precious baby and I will be glad when it is all over and I can stop worrying about everything, I am sure you Mums out there know what I am talking about.

This is my first effort at colouring Lace, I used very watered down acrylic paints and then sealed the colour with a hot iron, it was fun to do and I enjoyed it I will have another go at this..

Kathleen and I have been shopping quite a lot, she is off on another cruise with her son and daughter-in-law and grandaughter they are off around the canary islands this time, she is looking forward to the dressing up part and she has bought some new things to wear.

I have my family coming for Christmas so I am busy planning everything for their stay, it is such a lovely time.

I am off now to wash all my china and then return it to the shelves so that it is shiny for christmas I also have mince pies to make for my mother and father in law, I expect you are all busy too.

Crazy Quilt Journal

Check my sidebar, you will see a new button, Crazy Quilt Journal 2012 go to the websight and read about this project, it's all about producing a block a month for 12 months no smaller than 6"x6", if you have never tried crazy quilting you should have a go it is really beautiful to look at and once you start you will not want to stop, I love all the embellishments, there are some lovely things do decorate your crazy quilt blocks I love bits of old lace,buttons, beads, embroidery,old jewellery and lovely images like the one you see here it is a real artform. Go on have a go.

Poppy Day

This is a picture of my dad, he did'nt die in the war but my Uncle Harry did (my dads brother) so to day I remember my uncle Harry who died in the first world war, and I have huge respect for my Dad and my brothers who were involved in the 2nd world war.

Whilst living in Cosham, Portsmouth, my Mom and my older brothers and sisters lived through horrific bombing which affected them all all of their lives. God Bless all the service men and women who fight and die to give us all a safer future.

Malvern Quilt Show

These are just a few pictures of quilts that Kathleen and I saw at Malvern yesterday, they are by a lady called Dilys Fronks and I think they are beautiful, the work that goes into producing these wonderful images is mind boggling, a very clever lady.

This lovely tree was the first thing we saw when we parked up at the foot of the Malvern Hills what a glorious site and as you can see from the sky we had a beautiful day. On the journey down we drove through countryside that simply took your breath away, there was a low lying mist when we first started out and it made everything look magical. As usual we bought nice things, but we did notice that the price of everything is a lot more than it was at the beginning of the year.

We were able to sit outside to eat our lunch, lots of people were picnicking, a day to treasure through the long winter months.

Hello everyone, I have been busy sewing and I have enjoyed making some notebook covers, these are two of them, the lace one is'nt quite finished yet I want to embellish a little more but I love it so far, I followed a tutorial for the lace one on a blog called Just Lilla she has lots of tutorials, she makes beautiful things. The other photo is of my sewing room, it is very typical of a sewing room I would think, lots of fabric all over the place, I do tidy it now and again but it does'nt take long to get into disarray, Tony my husbad is about to put up some shelves for books and magazines so that will help, are you all starting to think about christmas?

A Lovely surprise

This heart was sent to me from Elizabeth D at French Village life, I helped her with something she could'nt find in France and to say thank you she sent me this lovely Lavender heart filled with lavender from her garden it smells delicious and I have hung it near my bed because I know Lavender helps you sleep, thank you Elizabeth!
Kathleen and I went shopping yesterday Kathleen managed to get a couple of christmas presents, the shops are already full of christmas goodies and we found some lovely things to give us inspiration. We had two coffees and lots of chat.
I am going to try to make a cq bag with a kiss clasp, I have never done this and I have read from Pat Winters magazine over and over again and feel I should give it a go, I will show you the results good or bad soon.

Moan, Moan,Moan!

This is my dear friend Kathleen (cottonreel), yesterday I offered to help her set up her quilting machine so that she could practice on one of her quilts. We got home from the Fabric Guild, had a ham sandwich and a cup of coffee and then out to the garage we went. We started and then we stopped because we could'nt remember how to start pinning to the rollers, there is a back, middle and front, we trooped back to the lounge and put the instruction DVD in the machine but because Kathleens machine does not have a fast forward button we have to sit and wait and wait for our bit to come up. We watched and went back to the garage ready to start which we did, we got so far and then promptly forgot what to do so.... back to the DVD which was still running on a loop so we had to wait again for our bit, all the time Kathleen is moaning about ever buying the machine, it's too complicated to set up, she could do it twice as fast on her ordinary machine, we watched our bit again and this time wrote it all down step by step, back to the garage, we started fine and then we got a bit muddled but finally everything was ready except the sewing machine, we did seven bobbins to start us off and then attached the machine, we still hav'nt worked out how to use the automatic threader but by luck I managed to do it, then another friend turned up and Kathleen is still moaning, "have I done the right thing, it takes too long and so on and so on.

Then she started to quilt on this amazing machine and produced lovely quilting, the smiles came back and she loves it. it's the best machine in the world, by this time I am shattered and I leave her to it, Bum stuck out, tongue hanging out and doing a grand job. I phoned her an hour after and she was bright and happy and raring to go, she asked me if she had given me a stressful afternoon but, I will refrain from repeating my answer.It's a good thing we are very close friends.

Finished another quilt

Here is another finished quilt, I used lots of my scraps, I love scrap quilts. The quilt is for a friend. I machine quilted it on my ordinary machine. I have another quilt pieced and ready to quilt, this one is for my niece for christmas, once that one is done I want to make a quilt for Kate's baby boy who is due January 3rd, that will be a real pleasure, our first grandchild.

Kathleen and I have been out all day, Kathleen had a hospital appointment first, she was discharged as fit so that made her happy. We then needed coffee and a good dose of shopping which we did, Kathleen spent more than she thought she would but enjoyed every minute. Hope you are all well and happy.

Received my Swap Puzzle Piece.

This is the swap I received from Stephanie, it is so lovely, my puzzle was crazy quilting and this one is felted wool I love the flowers in the field. I am reall enjoying this swap, I have made another piece to swap it is again crazy patchwork, it is fun messing about with all the little bits, I always seem to tip my beads up and they end up going down the sofa cushion and all over the carpet I think my hoover keeps finding the one's I miss.

The crazy patchwork puzzle piece is my next swap piece.

Wedding Anniversary

What a beautiful week it has been here in England so warm with lovely sunshine everyone seems to have a smile on their face.

Yesterday we went to my Mom and Dad-in-laws to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary, what an achievement! they are so proud of their three children and their four grandchildren and looking forward to their first great grandchild when Kate my daughter has her baby in January.

We had a lovely day with lots of lovely food,conversation and laughter, we toasted the bride and groom with champagne and there was a very special moment when Dad who is 89 and sadly suffers with dementia sang his favourite song "I Left my Heart in San Francisco" there were a few quiet tears as this once vibrant man looking so frail sang so sweetly, he got lots of applause which he loved. So a special day indeed.

Another Puzzle Piece Made.

This is my second puzzle piece, I have entered a swap and I am looking forward to receiving a piece from Stephanie, she works in felted wool and she does some beautiful work, I am really looking forward to putting my different pieces together. I love crazy quilting and these small pieces are lovely to fiddle about with after struggling with a huge quilt, I am excited to make more.

Thank You

Just a qhick post to say thank you to the ladies who solved my problem, it worked and I was able to leave comments.

Can anybody help

I hope someone can help me, I seem to be having trouble with blogger, when I try to leave a message and I am asked for a profile I choose google, then when I sign in it tells me I am not able to leave a message with the account I enter, I have always done it before this way can anybody help.

Joined a Swap

I joined a swap called Pieces of Friendship, the idea is to all do a puzzle piece in whatever way you wish I did crazy patchwork, then you put your puzzle piece into an album that you create and someone can look and ask if you would swap with them, I have seen some lovely examples, and some people when they receive them put them together to make a lovely picture. What a lovely way to make friends around the world.

Jam and Stuff

Hello People, it seems like ages since I last posted, I have been busy making jam and stuff, I have made Damson Jam and Damson Vodka, Strawberry Jam, Apricot Brandy and Sloe Gin, we have also been busy in the garden trying to get it ready for winter.

Kathleen will be home on Sunday I am hoping she has had a wonderful time on her cruise and has worn all the lovely clothes she bought, I have been around to her house several times to check the fish.

I have finished a quilt for a widow who wanted one made from her husbands shirts, I managed to make her two quilts a full bed size and a Lap size, she was so tearful when she saw them but happy too. Kate has asked me to make some bunting for her babies bedroom, he is not due until January 3rd so I have time I also want to make him a quilt and I saw a lovely quilted sleeping bag in Mama's and Papa's today which looks so easy to make but was £50 so I am going to have a go at making one in my own choice of fabrics.

Tony and I went to Birmingham today, they had an antiques market in the streets around the Bull Ring shopping centre there were some lovely things. I am now going to make dinner we bought some lovely Hake in the fish market in Birmingham.

Newark Antiques Fair.

Last Friday Tony and I went to Newark, Nottingham to the antiques fair it is billed as the largest and my feet would say 'Yes it is' it was a lovely sunny day and we walked miles around the showground, there was so much to see some really beautiful stuff, we just love to browse, I did buy a precious pin cushion it was Victorian, pressed glass with a silver band around and a velvet cushion for the pins the cushion is very worn, I love that it means it was used and loved, I also bought a lovely brooch(Pin) it is pewter a long stalk and leaf with a pink Tulip head made from glass I love it. I found some nice vintage plain white cotton pillowcases they are lovely quality I will embroider these for presents, all in all we had a good day.

Dinner with Kate and Steve

Hello, what a busy week lots going on, lots of sewing and shopping and the garden needs attention but, yesterday we went to my daughter Kate's for dinner, we had a lovely night with lots of baby talk, they now know they are having a boy so we can start to think blue, Kate looks beautiful with her bump and Steve looks so proud, we talked and talked and we saw the 20 week scan, they are really amazing so clear, Kate was relieved to have this scan she now knows that things are normal and she and the baby are progressing well. As you can see I have completed a crochet blanket and have added a frill it is very pretty and it's the first one I have ever done I am very pleased with it. Kate and I are going shopping soon to Mama's and Papa's I can't wait.

I Don't Believe It.

I know this looks like a picture of a tree but, if you look closely you can see two birds in the centre and they are not just birds they are Parrots!! red and black Parrots!!! if you click on the picture you might get a little closer. This might not seem like much to some of you out there but we just don't have Parrots!!! flying around in Desford they are usually in cages at the Zoo or bird centres. We do have a bird centre in Desford so I thing these two are escapees, this tree is at the bottom of my garden.

Festival of Quilts - Birmingham

Cottonreel and I had a brilliant day yesterday at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, we started out really early

and managed to get there with time to spare, we had coffee and visited the bathroom and then joined the queue which was very long,we had to walk quite a long way to find the end, Cottonreel moaned all the way to the end but we had lots of fun, once the doors were opened it was like a stampede with all these ladies of a certain age rushing to get to the fabric. We looked at the quilts first and some of them were breathtaking, I think my favourite was the little church with the blossom tree in full bloom, each blossom has three tiny beads sewn in the middle it was exquisite! The Meerkats was a popular one and very funny, I loved the art deco hanging and the quilt with all the squares has a little window in each square and it reminded me of the Hitchcock film Rear Window.

We bought lots of stuff, we were'nt going to buy fabric or patterns, of course we bought both, it got very crowded and by 3pm we had had enough, we caught the shuttle bus back to the car giggling a little because everyone had sore feet and we were all walking a bit funny. I love quiltmaking and when I see some of the work that goes into the making of these art quilts I am truly amazed.

Buttons and Bows Swap

I received a lovely parcel from Elaine who was my swap parter in the Buttons and Bows swap arranged by Elizabeth athttp://afrenchcountrylife there were lots of ribbons and buttons and pretty bits which I can use in my Crazy Patchwork, so Thank you Elaine and thank you Elizabeth for arranging the swap, this was my first swap and I enjoyed it very much!

Clothes Shopping

Oh Boy!! did I tell you that Cottonreel is going on a cruise with her son well she is and we have been shopping for clothes, we have been in and out of so many changing rooms (all smelling of sweaty feet and other sweaty things) even the high end one's and looked in those mirrors'yes' those mirrors which you are convinced make you look twice your size and show every lump and bump, we have been at it for two days so far, and it has been very warm, we get home and collapse in a very un-dainty heap. Cottonreel has bought some nice new outfits and will do her son proud but, she has a habit of wanting to come home after a couple of days so her son has promised to throw her overboard if she even mentions coming home. We have a few weeks yet to get everything she needs and by the time she goes I will need to lie down in a darkened room for a few hours. I love her really!

A Basket for Kate

I have been lining a basket for Kate with lovely baby fabric, I have put pockets all around so that she can put all sorts of bits and pieces in them, I am going to fill the basket with lots of necessities for the baby, I hope she likes it. What a busy time of year this is, always something to do in the garden and I seem to have three quilts on the go at the moment, my sewing machine has decided to play up and keeps breaking the top thread, I am taking it to the sewing machine Dr. tomorrow. It has been really hot and heavy today it still is I am going to have a nice cool shower in a moment because otherwise I will not sleep. My son Andrew and his girlfriend Beccy are coming home tomorrow they have been on hiliday in Kefelonia, Greece I am looking forward to seeing them. I Hope you are all having a great summer.

Back from Devon

Hello, we arrived back from our stay in South Devon as the rain started in our second week. We had a great first week, the beautiful sunset is over Dartmoor we were staying on the edge of Dartmoor and it was so gorgeous. I stood in front of this tree because it had a very wide trunk and made me feel slim. The lovely seaside picture is taken at Dartmouth we sat and watched the boats and ate ice cream.

The steps are the Mayflower steps in Plymouth where the people boarded the famous ship. The memorial is just above and there were lots of plaques along the wall telling different things.

We had a really nice time visiting lots of lovely places and having a good rest, South Devon is so pretty, we drove through villages that did not seem real they were so quaint. We had a lovely day on the beach at Bigbury and we even paddled a bit but it was very cold.

I have done 5 loads of washing today so thats coming back to earth with a bump, now all I have to do is iron it all.

4th July

Happy 4th July to all you American bloggers, enjoy your day.

Another One Finished

I'm on a roll I finished another quilt, this one was hand quilted and is in pale yellow and white it will add a touch of sunshine to the bedroom.

We are going to see Kate and Steve tomorrow, we are taking Tony's Mom who thinks she is just going to see their new house but in fact she is going to find out she is going to be a Great Grandma, I can see the knitting needles flying already.

It is a lovely day here in Leicestershire and I am taking Kathleen to buy shoes, it could be a long job.