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Good Day at Malvern

2012-05-18T09:24:00.009-07:00

Cottonreel and I went to Malvern Quilt Show Yesterday, we had a really good day it was a lovely show with lots to look at and drool over. the first photo of fabric is not from Malvern but from the Fabric Guild, we went there today I got a lovely 3yard piece of floral fabric for £9 and the 6 fat quarters were free, they do a voucher scheme and this pack was on offer for 10 vouchers.

I bought a height chart at Malvern to make for my grandson Jude it's a Nancy Halvorsen one.
I got some lovely silk ribbons and a pack of silk fabric and some really pretty bits of ribbon, ricrac, and other nice bits for crazy quilting. the beads were a real bargain at 80pence a bag or three for £2.00 they are really pretty, the spot fabric was £5 for 5 fat quarters and I love spots. Worcestershire is such a lovely county and it was a nice sunny day, the hills were very clear, there were lots of people there, it is not far from the welsh borders so lots of welsh people, I love to hear all the different dialects, we had good journeys there and home again it's about 150 mile round trip when Kathleen (cottonreel) phoned this morning she said she would love to be doing it all again today. well... now I have all this stuff I had better do some sewing.

Bra's !!!!!!!!

2012-05-15T02:15:00.003-07:00

Cottonreel and I went shopping yesterday this is usually a good experience but, Kathleen (cottonreel) was looking for Bra's, have you ever shopped for Bra's with a friend? well it is a unique experience. Kathleen did not want to be measured she was not in the mood for stripping off so we found some pretty Bra's which she thought were the right size, when we went to pay the assistant suggested she be measured, she gave in and disappeared into the changing room for what seemed like a long time but came out with a smile on her face wearing her new bra her old one in the box she had decided it was too comfortable to remove. We were very pleased but Kathleen was shocked that she needed such a large cup and we giggled a lot about this. Kathleen then decided that she would look in M&S for at some more bra's with a bit of oomph! you know more lace, pretty colours, she loves pretty underwear, we must have spent over an hour looking for her new size , I was on my hands and knees looking on the bottom rails for her size she found a few but was cross that the pretty one's did'nt seem to go up to her size, whats the matter with Bra manufacturers? do they think once you reach a certain age you don't need to feel pretty in your underwear, well Kathleen is 78 years old and still likes a sexy bra.
Last night the phone rang it was Kathleen she was giggling a little bit, all the bra's she had bought did not fit although she had chosen the size she had been measured for , we spent about 10 minutes laughing a lot because we have to go through all this again and we see the funny side of most things, soooo! within the next few days we are again going Bra shopping I hope there will be lots of coffee involved or I won't be able to cope but we can't drink too much coffee because then we have to visit lots of loo's and that can be a problem because they are not always where you need them to be, oh well, Happy Days.

Mothers Day

2012-05-13T02:03:00.001-07:00

A very Happy Mothers Day to all of you celebrating, we have our day in March in England, Hope you all get spoilt.

What A Cutie

2012-05-02T08:20:00.003-07:00

This is Jude my one an only grandchild, I could'nt resist this photo in his bear suit.

What a week it has been rain, rain, and yet more rain it has been very depressing, everything in my garden is very green and the weeds love the rain I have just been out to do some weeding and boy do they love the rain.
I cannot believe that I was ordering tickets for the Malvern Quilt Show yesterday it will soon be here, Kathleen and I love this show it's not too big and it is situated in such a beautiful spot, well thats something to look forward to.

We had some lovely news over the weekend my son Andrew asked his girlfriend Becky if she would marry him and she said YES! so I suppose we will be thinking about weddings soon, we are very happy for them they are lovely and well suited.

My husband Tony retires soon and I am looking forward to spending more time with him, we hope to do a bit of travelling.

Antique Pin Cushions

2012-04-26T02:14:00.003-07:00

I love pincushions, I especially love looking for antique ones, I love to think of the people who have used them over the years. Whenever we go to an Antiques Markewt of Flea Market I look for them. My husband tries to find them for me for birthdays and christmas, I have told him not to pay too much as some of them are very expensive and thats not why I collect them I collect them because I like them.

CQJP For April

2012-04-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

This is my CP square for April, I quite like this one, I love the Bee heading for the flowers.
Are you all having the same problems with blogger with this new set up, it's a real pain.
I have had a lazy weekend, the weather has been a bit indifferent but I think the people who wanted rain should be happy.
Do you remember the summers when you were young? I do and I know they were very warm and sunny and we played out in the sun for hours, we skipped and did handstands and played Hopscotch and when it was time to come in for a meal we really did,nt want to be bothered but, the weather now seems very strange.
My husband finishes work at the end of May and I am looking forward to being able to just take off and stay away as long as we want to, I love having Tony at home.

Primroses and Pansies

2012-04-15T08:40:00.003-07:00

You will have to crick your neck to look at my photo's because blogger will no let me turn them.
It has been a beautiful but very cold day today, my garden has been taken over by wild primroses, they are so pretty, the big pot with the pansies looks lovely, is there anything more beautiful than flowers especially spring one's.

Still Going Crazy

2012-04-12T02:10:00.004-07:00

I am still embellishing my crazy quilt it is taking quite a long time, I did'nt realise how many seams there were, it looks very pretty in a lot of places and very bare in other places but I do enjoy prettyfying and I learn new things all the time, I have become a Lace and bead fiend, I love to search for old lace when we go to any antiques fairs so if you see a bottom sticking out from one of the sales tables it is probably mine I always search the boxes on the floor.
The garden is quite an inspiration at the moment I have lots of primroses,violets, tulips and pansies out and the tree blossoms are very pretty I think this time of year is one of the nicest.

Crochet Finish

2012-04-09T03:03:00.004-07:00

I have just finished this crochet bedpread, I have loved doing it. I got the pattern from attic 24 blog she posted a very simple to follow pattern I have never done a crochet pattern before so I am quite proud of this and it is lovely and warm. We are having a nice Easter Weekend having lunch with our lovely kids and baby Jude, hope you are all enjoying

your holiday weekend.

Finished Block

2012-04-04T11:34:00.005-07:00

This is the block I have been working on in my online class, it has been a lovely experience and one i will definitely do again. I have been learning about silk ribbon embroidery, embroidery stitches and beading and I have learn't such a lot. The little needle case was made the first time I tried ribbon embroidery and I loved doing french knots. I still have a great deal to learn but I am enjoying the journey.

A Lovely View

2012-04-02T10:46:00.003-07:00

Kathleen and I visited Breedon on the Hill, this is a pretty little village in Leics.every week they have an Antiques Fair and we love to browse, the best stall has the most beautiful vintage linen including bedlinen, we spend quite a lot of time at this stall. This time we climbed the hill to the lovely church it was a beautiful day and the views from the top were breathtaking, on the way up, there were pretty little cottages with roses and honeysuckle around the doors we did a lot of oohing and aahing
as we went past choosing the one's we would like to live in, it's lovely to dream.

Quilt Finished

2012-03-28T07:54:00.003-07:00

Hello people, having this new laptop is a bit of a pain at the moment but, I have managed to add Picasa now so I can put photo's on Yipee!!

The quilt you can see has just been finished I have made it for a friend, I backed it with a nice stripe fabric so I suppose it could be used as a wholecloth when turned over, I hope she likes it.

Kathleen and I went out this morning, it has been the most glorious weather for the last two weeks and everyone's garden is starting to sparkle with all the flowers and shrubs starting to bloom, what a lovely time of year this is we love it.

New Computer

2012-03-23T11:46:00.004-07:00

Hi, sorry I have'nt posted for a few days, it was my birthday on Tues. 20th and I was a lucky girl and received a Laptop and ever since I have been learning how to use it, it had to be set up and I still have to transfer my photo,s but I am slowly getting used to it.Had a great day, spent it with my daughter and lovely grandson. I will post again soon.

Spring and Mothering Snday

2012-03-15T03:46:00.006-07:00

It's definitely on the way, can you feel it? the daffodils are blooming the primroses are everywhere and it just smells of spring.

I love spring more than any other season because it means everything starts afresh. When we were little my Mom always made sure we had new clothes for Easter, new dress new sandals and new white socks and a little straw bonnet to wear to church on Easter Sunday it always made it so special, we were always given a bunch of Primroses to take home to Mum. Now Kate my daughter is a Mum to Jude and she went to a little club called Nappychino where the lovely ladies of the Baptist church serve coffee and home made cakes to the new mums and the mums get to know each other and have a good chat, when Kate went on Tuesday all the Mums were given a bunch of Daffodils to celebrate Mothers Day which is this Sunday 18th it is so nice to know that some of the traditions carry on.

This afternoon is going to be sunny and warm so I am going to the Garden Centre to buy my Mum-in-Law a garden pot full of spring flowers to celebrate Mothers Day, Unfortunately I lost my Mum a few years ago but I will think of her on that day and remember the smiles as she received her small bouquets from her children. Happy Mothering Sunday to all you Moms.

Flowers

2012-03-14T02:43:00.003-07:00

Hello everybody, I have started my second class of my online class this is making ribbon flowers. I have struggled a bit with this and I did'nt think I would be able to do them but, my husband said "Are you reading the instructions properly"? well I am a bit of a noodle when it comes to reading instructions and usually skim over them quickly and think "I can do that" but I could'nt so I sat yesterday with the instructions and took it step by step, now they are not perfect but they at least look like flowers, I have only tried a couple of the shapes but will try more. I have started to fill the basket, I think we get to do the centre's in another lesson. Christen Brown who takes the class is so patient, I would recommend doing one of these classes to anyone, there is a lovely one which invoilves all white crazy patchwork and pearls, pretty! If you look on Maureens Vintage Aquisitions blog you will find all the lovely classes. I am off now to practice some more flowers.
Have a great day.

Beautiful Day

2012-03-11T09:28:00.005-07:00

It has been a truly beautiful day today, warm and sunny, Tony went fishing early this morning and I had a day all to myself. I covered old buttons that I new I would never use and now they look pretty and I also made yo-yo's and decorated them, now I have some more things to add to my crazy patchwork, I enjoyed doing these and they are very effective for crazy patchwork.

This morning I went for a walk and called in on Kathleen( Cottonreel) who was busy quilting a quilt on her longarm, she is getting quite professional, she did stop to give me coffee and have a chat.
I get my second lesson tomorrow from Christen Brown, I have thoroughly enjoyed the first one and I have learn't quite a lot, I am hoping that one day I will be able to produce wonderful crazy patchwork with fantastic embellishments, Oh well I can dream.

Online Class

2012-03-07T05:39:00.003-08:00

Hello, I have been a busy girl practising my stitches, I have joined an online class for crazy quilt embellishment and it is really good. I have never seen some of the stitches and I especially like one called wheatear, which is exactly what it looks like when stitched. Christen Brown who is taking the class explains everything very clearly and it is lovely to see the questions other people need to ask because this answers some of your query's too.

Yesterday, was a really beautiful day, Kathleen (cottonreel) and I went to IKEA for a browse, Kathleen ended up buying some new garden furniture and a pretty little pale green metal table for the conservatory. I bought some bits a pieces, I bought fabric, they have some very chintzy one's at the moment, very Kath Kidston and a pretty chintzy duvet cover and pillowcases as you can tell I love florals. We had a nice lunch and managed to get everything in the back of my little Pugeot 205, today I have been round to attach the legs to the tables, they look very nice, we sat at the green one and had tea and cheese scones, Lovely!

March CQJP

2012-02-29T09:27:00.003-08:00

This is my March block for CQJP, the J is for Jill (Me) as it is my birthday in March anf the little soap label is for Violet Soap my favourite. I am loving doing these little blocks.

On monday 5th March I am doing an on line class for the embellishing of crazy quilts it's called A Crazy Lady's Guide to Embellishing by Christen Brown. I have never done an on line class so this will be a new experience for me I am really looking forward to it. Off to cook dinner now!

Jude Meets Great Grandad

2012-02-28T01:07:00.003-08:00

Kate and I took Jude to meet his Great Grandad yesterday and they had a great time. Great Grandad has some dementia and is sometimes confused as to who you are but he took to Jude straight away and they were happy to chat to each other. It was very moving to watch them together, it is a long time since I have seen Tony's Dad so animated. A lovely day was had by all!

Bird Embroidery Finished

2012-02-25T02:56:00.003-08:00

Here he is in all his glory, I was really pleased with the way this little embroidery turned out, the birds body is all chain stitch and it was very effective, there is still a lot of work to do on my crazy quilt but it is starting to look good. Kathleen and I (cottonreel) went to a place called Nova Trimmings which is a large warehouse full of all sorts of goodies for crazy patchwork, we found pretty buttons and bridal bits and pieces, beads and lots of other stuff, you could spend a whole day in this place and still not see everything. I received my Spring magazine from Pat Winter and there are some truly beautiful things to look at and some nice things to make. Anyway as the sun is shining I am off to do some garden tidying.

Our Gorgeous Boy

2012-02-19T03:47:00.003-08:00

Here are a couple of photo's of Jude these are some his first smiles, could'nt you just hug him.
We are so proud of this little boy he makes our hearts happy every day. His Mummy and Daddy are such lovely parents and live for their baby and each other, can you see some Red Roses in the background, a Valentines posy I think I think Kate received a card from the little boy in this picture, these are just mements to treasure.

A Clutch Bag

2012-02-18T11:39:00.003-08:00

I made this little clutch bag today, I have had a really nice day just sat stitching and this is what I made. The pattern for this bag with all the instructions are in Pat Winters magazine, she has really hooked me into crazy quilting, her magazines are so full of beautiful things and talented people who share their talents with you. There are so many things I want to do, this little clutch is the first thing I have made but, Pat and her magazine have given me so many ideas for my crazy patchwork quilt. You must just go to her blog Pat Winter Gatherings and look at all the beautiful things.

HELP!!!!

2012-02-17T05:09:00.002-08:00

Can anyone tell me why my Followers are not showing up, and also when I go onto other peoples blogs their Followers don't show up either, have I done something wrong and if so what do I do to put it right. Please Help!!!

experimenting

2012-02-13T02:24:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, I found this lovely embroidery on The House on The Side of The Hill Blog she has some lovely free stuff on there, I am experimenting with beads amongst embroidery, I have'nt done much beading but I like it, I have'nt finished the tail yet and I have a lot of the bird body to do but, I am liking how it is coming along. There is so much to see and do when you blog, I love seeing all the lovely ideas that people have, the only trouble is I spend so much time looking at the blogs when there is washing, ironing and dusting to be done.

If you are a Crazy Quilter you must go to Pat Winters Blog, you will see the most beautiful things and also Shawkl blog, these two ladies really inspire me.

Embroidery and Stamps

2012-02-09T05:44:00.000-08:00

Hello, I did another bit of my crazy quilt last night, I did a blanket stitch with long and then a shorter stitch and then I did Lazy Daisy stitch at the top of each stitch with a Knot in the centre of each pair od lazy daisy stitches, I was really proud of the blanket stitch because it is getting more and more even this must be because I get loads more practice now.
I went to Hobbycraft yesterday just to have a look and I found these very sweet stamps, now can I ask a question can I use these to stamp fabric and if I can what ink do I use and does it have to be heat sealed with the iron?. I hope someone can help.