bluebell

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.

My Lovely Daughter and Grandson.

2012-02-02T02:25:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of Kate and Jude, I went to visit them yesterday and they both look wonderful, Kate is beginning to get her va va voom back and Jude is just adorable, I cannot believe he is a month old already what a little beauty.

We had a lovely lunch at 'Jamie's' restaurant in Nottingham and then we did a little shopping, of course I could'nt resist a few things for Jude, so a good day was had by all.

A little More Crazy Embroidery

2012-01-31T07:08:00.000-08:00

I have done a little more embroidery on my crazy quilt, I am enjoying learning all these new stitches. I also added some buttons and lace the three lace flowers were cut from an old piece of vintage lace which I found when we visited one of the antique fairs. I am learning a little more about Silk ribbon embroidery, I love it but I am not terribly confident with it yet.
The square with the J is my March block for the CQJP project I have lots more to do to it.
It is a freezing cold day today so I have contented myself with sewing in the warm, I have also made a lovely warming dinner for my husband Tony of Lamb Shanks with seasonal veg. it is cooking right now and will stay in the oven until the meat falls off the bone, I have also made Bread and Butter pudding, real comfort food. I am off now to read my crazy patchwork mags. from Pat Winter I can't wait for the next one.

Wallhanging

2012-01-30T01:14:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to get on with this Christmas walhanging this weekend. I bought this pattern about 2 years ago and was always daunted by the amount of work in it but, I spoke to cottonreel and she said "Thats not a problem" and proceeded to show me how to tackle it. We are both doing it so it will be interesting to see how different they are. I still have a lot of work, there is a Santa in his sleigh with reindeers pulling him along the night sky, as you can see I have'nt done that yet but, I have cut out the border squares and I will tackle Santa next. I have also been doing some embellishment on my crazy quilt that really is a labour of love.
Its shopping day today so I am off to pick up Kathleen (cottonreel) and then we will hit the shops.

Crazy Patchwork Quilt

2012-01-26T00:49:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, this is a quilt I put together from my scrap box, I finished it in the summer 2011 and I am now trying to embellish it, it is a long job because there are so many seams to embroider but, I am loving doing it, I get as much pleasure from going through my boxes and baskets of embellishments trying to decide which to use as I do actually creating it. I love beads and lace so there will be lots of that and I want to use ribbon as well I have done a little bit of silk ribbon embroidery but I am not the best at it but I want to learn as it always looks so wonderful on crazy patchwork, buttons will feature a lot too but I am quite happy sat amongst the chaos of my sewing room creating something of beauty.

Finished my February Block

2012-01-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

I have now finished my February block, all I did was add some silk ribbon flowers on the green bit, I was quite pleased with the result, I am now looking forward to starting my March block.
Kathleen and I have had a good week it was Kathleens birthday on Monday and after she opened her parcels I took her to Bramble Patch in Weedon, Northampton, we had a lovely browse through the fabrics, patterns, books and lots of other things we were there ages, you can go upstairs onto a mezzanine floor which overlooks the classes that are taking place, there is lovely coffee and biscuits too, After leaving here we went and had lunch and then it was time to drive home. I think Kathleen has found an excuse for a birthday treat every day this week our last one was today we went to the Fabric Guild who had lots of lovely new fabrics and then to the garden centre for a Cheese scone and coffee, Lovely!
My beautiful grandson Jude is growing and looks more gorgeous every day and I am glad to say his Mum Kate is starting to get some colour back in her cheeks, she is coping very well.

A New Book for Me.

2012-01-12T02:46:00.000-08:00

Hello, here I am again, I have been busy going up and down the motorway to see my lovely grandson Jude but, I have still found time to do a little crazy patchwork, this is my February block, it is not finished yet I have to think a bit more about it but I am pleased with it so far. I bought myself a new book by Marsha Michler, it is a brilliant book and if you are a beginner like me at crazy patchwork then this is the book for you, she explains everything so beautifully I had a lovely afternoon reading it from cover to cover, I think I am hooked on this crazy patchwork lark I love collecting all the bits and pieces that go to make up the embroideries, I can spend an afternoon just going through all my boxes of treasures. The weather here is just awful so today I will sit in my sewing room and play.

I wont get boring I promise

2012-01-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

Just a quick photo of Jude William Boothroyd, thats a mouthful for such a little chap, I have been to see him today and I was so proud to see him wrapped in the blanket I knitted for him. Kate was a bit tearful today but that is normal, I did all the ironing and changed the bed so that they have a nice clean bed to get into tonight, they were all a lot calmer when I left, it's a bit scary bring a baby home but, they are doing well.

He's Arrived

2012-01-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

Look who arrived today! Our first grandchild arrived this morning at 5.15 he weighed in 7lbs 12ozs and we think he is absolutely beautiful, I cannot give you his name yet as my daughter and her husband cannot decide on one, so he is just our boy.
I have been up nearly 24 hours waiting for this little fellow, Kate's waters broke last night around 8.30pm she went into hospital at 12.30am and he was delivered in a birthing pool at 5.15, his Daddy Steve phoned to let us know and he came out of hospital at 1.30pm and we got to see him at around 2.30pm, it was love at first sight for him and his grandad who is holding him in this photo, I got to hold him too he is beautiful. I was desperate to see my daughter and bless her although she looks very tired she is relaxed and happy.

CQJP January Block

2012-01-02T07:05:00.000-08:00

This is my first Crazy Quilt block for the CQJP project, I am really nervous about showing this as the people who have entered are very very good their work is exquisite, what I am hoping is that I will improve through the months as this is a year long project. I love doing crazy patchwork but have no idea about theme's so I am just winging this. I love collecting the lovely silks and beads and lace for crazy patchwork and can spend a whole evening just looking and stroking.

Wishing you all

2011-12-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

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

Quilts and Lace

2011-12-13T01:12:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-11T03:05:00.000-08:00

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

2011-10-29T02:13:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-10-25T23:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-10-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-10-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-02T03:40:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-09-28T01:56:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-25T23:57:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-25T04:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-08-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-21T02:53:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-08-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-12T00:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-06T04:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-04T00:51:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-04T00:24:00.000-07:00

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

Another One Finished

2011-07-01T01:12:00.000-07:00

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.

Jenny's Cakes

2011-06-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, I received my first copy of Jenny's www.elefantz.com magazine it is called Elfantz Home and is brilliant, the cakes you see I made yesterday after reading the mag. they are called Little Honey Cakes and are delicious Jenny's recipe's are always good. There were 3 patterns to make one of them is a BOM called Circles of Life, I know I will use these blocks a lot in all sorts of ways.

Thank you for all your kind comments on my Grandma post yesterday it was lovely to share this news with you all, Oh! and the cakes have all gone.

Such Wonderful News

2011-06-28T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, I am so excited I have some lovely news I am going to be a GRANDMA! it has been such a struggle to keep this news to myself but my daughter Kate made me promise to wait until after she had had her 12week scan, well, she had that scan today and just phoned me with the news that everything is o.k. this is our first grandchild and I cannot tell you how happy this makes us. Tony and I are a little tearful but so happy. I asked my daughter When we could go shopping and she said "what for" and i replied "anything" I cannot wait to buy something for this precious baby.
I am going to have a cup of coffee now to celebrate.

Quilt Finished

2011-06-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, this is a quilt made from my Brother-in-Laws shirts, Peter gave me a bagful of shirts to use in my quilts so I decided to make him and his wife Hilary a quilt for a surprise, to add interest I have added some floral scraps which helps to break up the blue stripes. Kathleen asked me to have a go at freestyle quilting on my ordinary sewing machine, I have already done some freestyle quilting on a quilt as you go quilt which means it is done in small pieces but I have never done a completed quilt but Kathleen showed me how to roll up all the material so that it went through the machine and when I got half way to turn the quilt around and quilt the other way, I must admit I was a bit worried I would not be able to control all that fabric but I managed, I have just made up flowers which again Kathleen made me practice on some fabric first, I must say I am really pleased with the finished quilt and I hope Peter and Hilary are pleased to see his shirts again.

What has Happened to our Summers

2011-06-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else remember summers the same as I do, when I was a child I know I spent every day outside during the summer and it was always HOT! my Mum used to pack us sandwiches and a bottle of water and we would go miles and picnic in a field and pick wild flowers and scrump apples and come home hours later dirty, tired and happy after having had a good day and this seemed to be every day. Where I lived in Worcestershire we had a Lido and park and my Mum scrimped and saved to buy us season tickets so that we could swim in the Lido pool every day, we were as brown as berries and totally happy. I can remember the evenings when it was so warm my Mum and Dad would sit outside chatting with the neighbours because it was too hot to go to bed and I can remember dangling my legs out of the covers because it was so hot. What happened to that lovely weather? here we are in the middle of June and its cold and wet and miserable I cannot remember the last time we had a good summer we seem to have an odd day here and there and then it gets cold again I would really love a long hot summer, does anyone else have these memories?

2011-06-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, I have just been readinghttp://www.elefantz.com/ Jenny's blog she has some exciting things happening she is producing a monthly magazine which will have three patterns and lovely recipe's Jenny's patterns are always worth having she designs some lovely stuff, she is also producing a free newsletter, all you have to do is sign up and you will receive her very informative newsletter. I have been a fan of Jenny's for a while she is a lovely lady whose life revolves around her familyshe is also a giver and loves to share with people. Pop along and check out the lovely things she does, there is a scrumptious recipe for Blackberry Swirls that I am sure you would all love.

I have my computer back.

2011-06-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

What a few days I have had with this computer, it was getting slower and slower and all sorts of funny messages were flashing on screen and eventually all I could get was a black screen and something flashing saying 'Hard Drive Fail' which sounds terminal. My lovely Tony took it to work and the brilliant Declan sorted me out and so my computer is now better.. I have been to Kathleens today and we have been tidying her Garage which is where she has all her fabrics and sewing table and lots of other things that she has gathered over the years so we cleared a lot of the stuff we had a pile for the Tip and another for the charity shop. I took a load to the Tip and my car is now full ready for our next visit to the charity shop. Kathleen made fresh cheese scones which we sampled with our morning coffee they were delicious so a lot was achieved today and there is now room to move around the garage. Our house is not moving yet I think it is going to be a long job.

I think I know what I'm doing

2011-06-10T12:24:00.001-07:00

Thank you to all of you who tried to help me with my blogger problem, I did as Mildred said and unchecked the stay signed in box and then it allowed me to leave a comment but, I still don't understand why these profile things have suddenly started appearing, am I being thick?

Problems

2011-06-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Can anyone tell me why I cannot leave comments on some of the blogs? I write out my comment and then when I try to leave the comment I am asked for a profile and then when I sign in nothing happens. Can anyone help?

Kate Moves House.

2011-06-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, we had a very busy day yesterday helping Kate and Steve move into their new house, it was a very hot day and we drank lots of water. Their new house is lovey it;s Gorgian and is three stories high The front room has the original cast iron fireplace with beautiful green tiles at the sides. there is also a small cast iron fireplace in each of the bedrooms on the second floor which are lovely, the top floor is one big bedroom and it is very pretty, their are lots of quirky little storage cupboards all over the house, we left the at about 7pm we were very tired by then it nearly killed me going up two flights of very steep stairs every few minutes. The garden is small and will be very pretty when they have time to get to it, there are boxes all over the place but the bed is up they have a settee to sit on and the tele works, the kitchen has most of it's goods unpacked and put into the cupboards so now they can unpack slowly as they need things. I have put on some photo's of my roses the top one is Albertine I only planted it last year and it has grown a lot and has lots of buds but this is the first full flower, the next one down is a pink rose we have had for years but I dont's know what its called, the little orange one smells like peaches and the yellow one is a lovely climber which gives you loads of flowers after the yellow one and before the red one is Silver wedding which was bought for us on that occasion and is another one that blooms and blooms, the red one is Ena Harkness she smells beautiful the very last one is called Penny Lane and grows over and arch with yellow Honeysuckle. so we have an abundance of lovely roses this year and I love them all.

Our House is Up For Sale

2011-05-29T03:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have'nt posted for a while but this time of year is quite busy for me and has been made busier because of getting the house ready for sale and keeping it that way in case someone wants to look around. We have'nt found anywhere that we want to move to yet as things seem very quiet over here in the housing market but we are not in a desperate hurry.

Kate and Steve came for dinner yesterday, they are looking well and happy and it is always lovely to catch up with all their news and I love to cuddle my girl too.

The weather here has turned quite cold and very windy, not pleasant!Kathleen and I have been busy cutting up shirts for some quilts we have quite a lot they are all 100% cotton and we bought them from charity shops there are some lovely colours and we will mix in some floral fabrics to give them a zing, we spend many happy hours in Kathleens garage cutting, ironing (Kathleens ironing board in the garage has a wonky leg which kept attacking me) we went to buy a new board and things are easier now, we have a line strung across the garage with loads of these strips in all colours we will show you the quilts when they are done.

I am going to do some sewing now I have lots to do, speak to you soon.

2011-05-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

A few photo's of my gaden it is looking so pretty at the moment, this maybe our last summer here as our house goes up for sale shortly we are downsizing, we have had 15 special years here but life moves on and I am excited about my next house which I have'nt found yet.

We had a really great day at the Quilt Show, a good journey to Malvern through lots of beautiful countryside. Our first visit was to the Ladies bathroom which always has a queue so you have to stand with legs crossed, then a large coffee whilst sat in the lovely sunshine watching all these chattering ladies walking by it's great to see the happiness on their faces as they aticipate what is to come when they get through those doors. There was a lovely array of quilts which we spent much time gazing at, I loved the miniature quilts they told such stories and all of them were so accomplished. We then hit the stalls, oh my goodness! all that fabric it is just brilliant, there is a stall called "Worn and Washed" where the fabrics are all old clothing and sheets which have been washed and and cut and made into jelly rolls and packs that make a complete quilt we love this store and spent lots of time sighing and buying, it was very busy and lots of these sweet older ladies know how to use their elbows but all in all we had a wonderful day finishing up with an ice cream cone with a chocolate flake 'Yummy!'

Quilt Show

2011-05-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends, tomorrow Kathleen and I are off to Malvern Quilt Show, we are excited and looking forward to a good day out, it's always a lovely show and is in such a lovely setting, we can't wait for our first cup of coffee sat surrounded by beautiful views of the hills and we love to watch all the ladies parading by chattering like magpie's because they are so excited and we always look out for the lovely bags people have made there are some beauties. I will post some pictures when we get back.

Busy Busy

2011-05-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is a picture of my Mum when she was about 80, she was a very brave lady who suffered with a lot of painful joints but she kept on her feet until the last week of her life, she died when she was 93 yrs old the last words she said to me were "Think of me sometimes" well I do think of her often and I still miss being able to tell her things that are happening in my life, as you can see she loved flowers and always had baskets hanging outside her door, this was a flat on the ground floor of a small block and I can remember standing in her lounge and looking out at a family of ducks, she had started to feed them and every day the mother duck would come along with her babies following in a line and she would tap on the window to tell my Mum "Hey we are here and we would like something to eat" it was comical to watch.
Kathleen and I have been for our weekly big shop, we had a good day, I then came home and proceeded to plant lots of plants and I still have'nt finished, I hope to finish them tomorrow weather permitting, I am now going to put my feet up.

What a Day

2011-05-11T01:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody, we had yet another day at the garden centre the second time this week, as you can see from the photo Kathleen spent all her money, it was a lovely day and after we had loaded up the car we went for lunch at a carvery it was delicious!
In the afternoon we unloaded the car and took everything into Kathleens garden, there was a spot sh wanted planting up so I set to and dug it over with Kathleen doing the labouring we then emptied 3 bags of manure onto the freshly dug patch and then planted all the plants she had bought, it all looked very nice when we had finished, I then went home for a lie down in a darkened room to recover.
My own garden is beginning to look lovely, the Lupins are out and the foxgloves won't be long it is a lovely time of year. We are probably going to put our house up for sale in the next week or two as we want to downsize this house is definitely too big for just the two of us, we are not in any hurry so we will look around for something we really want, my daughter and her husband are about to move, I spoke to her and she says the house is in uproar with boxes everywhere, they will be glad to get a date for moving, at the moment they think 28th May but you never know with these things.
Today we are going to the hairdressers for a trim Kathleen also has her eyebrows waxed, we usually end up looking in the shops in Market Bosworth they have some nice gift type places and it is nice to mooch around these. I have a shelf to finish painting so I had better go and do that!

Lots to Do

2011-05-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is a picture of an old dresser top I bought at the Shepton Mallet Antiques fair, I loved it when I saw it, it has two glass doors as well, I have now started to sand the old paint off and then I will paint, I have taken the doors off to do seperately, I will show you the finished product, I love doing these things it is so rewarding when you finish them and you bring them back to life with pretty china.
I went to Kathleens for a quiet cup of tea, she was having a major change around in her computer room, Where does that woman get her energy?

Beautiful

2011-05-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, today was my first day out and about, I went shopping with Kathleen to get some food for my very depleted cupboards, we also went to the garden centre and got lots of lovely plants I then collapsed onto the sofa in my summerhouse with a cup of tea, I kept hearing this funny squawking noise and all of a sudden there was a parrot in my garden he had lots of red on him, gosh ! he was noisy but very colourful he must have escaped from somewhere.

The two pictures are of a Bluebell wood in a village next to our village of Desford they are simply breathtaking, I took Kathleen to see them ans she moaned all the way around because there was'nt a coffee shop but she took lots of photo's too.

Sorry it's Been so Long!

2011-05-02T04:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I am so sorry it's been so long since I posted anything but I have been a bit poorly, all over Easter and I am only just getting better, it was one of these awful virus's and it knocked me for six, never mind I am on the mend. The picture you see is of a quilt I have just finished, I took it around to Kathleens and we photographed it on her bed, I love hexagons this whole quilt was hand pieced and hand quilted the only bit of machining was to attach the binding, it's always a lovely feeling when you finish a quilt.
Well, did you all watch that beautiful Royal Wedding what a lovely day! lets hope they will be happy, I am sure they will be, he is much more of a man than his father will ever be, enough said.

Finished!

2011-04-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hello! I have finished my cushion, do you remember Kathleen and I went to a workshop in March to do this cushion and I have finished it today. I am really pleased with it especially the cat, it was a lot of work there are so many little bits to cut and sew on but I think the finished product is worth it, there is a night time one which I would like to do and I suppose you could do an Autumn and Winter one too, it would look good with snow on the windowsills and the tree.

Lovely Weekend

2011-04-10T23:02:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, what a beautiful weekend we have had in Leicestershire, Tony and I have spent it all in the garden weeding and seeding mowing and tidying and having a thoroughly wonderful time, with copious cups of tea and lots of chatting. The Tulips are looking good and can you see how the Primroses are starting to seed everywhere they are very pretty. When my shoulders, back and practically everywhere else started to ache I would get my sewing and sit quilting and watch Tony do the hard work it was a lovely time spent with my man and one of those times when you feel glad to be alive and healthy, such simple pleasures!

I am Having a Great Time

2011-04-07T02:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted that I was getting frustrated because Idid'nt know how to add and move things around on my blog, well I am getting better and I have managed to add some buttons and I have moved some stuff around, now I want to find out how you add a button with a link to the blog, I can add the button but the link does not work so that is my next thing. I do love blogging but I see all your wonderful blogs and think "How Do They Do That" so now I am 65 yrs I had better find out. Hope you are all having a great day!

I am confused

2011-04-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone out there who can help me. I want to have pictures and buttons down the sides of my blog but I don't know how to achieve this. I have fiddled about and put on a header and background that has taken me two days! Now when I look at all you ladies post pages you have buttons and pictures down the sides of your posts but if I try to put them on they either appear at the bottom or don't appear at all. Is it me, am I being thick? Please Help.

A Lovely Day

2011-04-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hello all you Mums out there I hope you all had a great day!

My family came to visit and bring me presents and cards and we had a lovely day. I always think of my own Mum on Motherimg Sunday and how much I miss her, we always made a fuss of her on Mums special day and she loved it, as there were ten of us she always had a houseful and everybody wanted to talk at the same time so it was a noisy happy day. When I was a small child I can remember going to church and being given a bunch of primroses to bring home for my Mum it was lovely.

Making a Start

2011-03-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

I have started to embellish my crazy patchwork quilt, it's quite time consuming but I love the results. I am really quite proud of the butterfly which I embroidered, I got the tip from Shawkl blog, you have to trace the butterfly or whatever onto greaseproof paper and then cut out leaving enough paper so that you can baste it to your work and then embroider through the paper when you have finished the paper tears off quite easily, such a good idea, the lovely piece of lace was also from shawkl blog it is hand dyed, I have lots of beads and it's great fun sorting through them deciding which one's to use but I usually end up with quite a few down between the settee cushions.

Nice Places

2011-03-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

We visited Wells Cathedral, Wells is a pretty little town with a huge cathedral which is simply breathtaking, theoutside was impressive and the inside even more so, there were lots of embroideries which were exquisite and we sat and waited for the 13th century clock to chime, just above the clock face are jousters on horses and they gallop around as the clock chimes and there is the most beautiful statue of christ made from a piece of Yew wood underneath the clock it just glowed with warmth.

Whilst we were on holiday we nipped over the border into Devon to Honiton I had always wanted to go there as this was a lace making town, they don't make lace anymore but I saw some lovely pieces, it was a bit pricey but beautiful. The main street has quite a few antique shops the best one I found was called Fountain Antiques and had some great stuff I bought some lovely glass buttons and beads and there was a lot of vintage material which I loved and if you do crazy patchwork it has lots of stuff for embellishing. I love having our caravan it takes us to such brilliant places, I have seen so muchof my country since we started to use the caravan and everytime we go somewhere I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

A lovely Holiday.

2011-03-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hello People, we had a lovely holiday in Somerset and we were very lucky with weather, it was sunny and dry and got warmer as the week went on. The Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair was great with lots of vintage stuff the pictures you see are of Lizzie of The Washerwoman blog it was lovely to meet her and she had some special vintage items on her stall, Lizzie also very kindly sent complimentary tickets for Tony and I for the fair. I bought a lovely french dresser top which I am going to resore a bit, I will show you a before and after photo, I also got some pretty vintage fabric and a little silver bird pincushion, Tony bought me a Shelley Trio of cup saucer and plate called summer glory it's a chintzy one, I had lots of birthday pressy's and enjoyed my day, I am a very lucky lady I have the best husband and Kids and I feel very loved. I will post more photo's tomorrow, I am now going to try and catch up on all the blog news.

A Good Time was had by All

2011-03-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

Kathleen and I went to a workshop at Bramble Patch last Saturday and we had a smashing day. We were making a cushion with lots of raw edge applique and it was a lot of fun to do. The cushion with the dark sky is a winter version of Summer Street and I would like to do one of these too. It took ages to get all the bits on and we only managed to get to the first house and start putting on the windows,curtains and doors, I loved doing the tree. My cushion is the one with the green door and Kathleens is the other so now we have to get on and finish the it. We had a beautiful day yesterday the sun shone all day and it was quite warm but today it is back to normal and it is a bit grey. Tony and I are off to the Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair this coming weekend and as it's my birthday on Sunday (65years) we are taking the caravan and having a few days break. I am looking forward to mooching through all the antiques, I can't think of a better way to spend the day. I hope you are all o.k and I will post about the antique fair when we get back.

Added Scalloped Edge

2011-03-09T02:45:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, Here is my crazy Patchwork Quilt so far I have now added a scalloped border and I am quite pleased with it. I now have no excuse I have to start to embellish, there is quite a lot to do but I will show you as I go along, I have been collecting all sorts of bits and pieces to attach to this quilt and I love looking through them. Kathleen is having a bit more done to her kitchen today, her son has come up from Bristol and is doing a grand job, I am going to be cutting out stuff as we are going to a workshop on Saturday and I need to get the pieces cut, we are both looking forward to this.

Little Dresses for Africa

2011-03-03T03:03:00.000-08:00

Hello, do you remember a few months back Kathleen and I were making Dresses for children in Africa, well here they are we managed to make 5 each and they look really pretty. We used pillowcases and bits of lace to make them look pretty. This is a really worthwhile cause so have a look on Little Dresses for Africa website and have a go, these one's are now going off to Michigan and willl then be distributed, We hope the little girls love their dresses.

A Very Useful Bag

2011-03-02T04:39:00.000-08:00

Hello, I have just finished making this bag and I am really pleased with it, When we go to The Fabric Guild I often buy these squares of fabric, some are large and some are smaller but they all have delightful pictures on them this one is all about Teatime, I have others with beach scenes and gardens, cats, floral and I buy them and never know what to do with them but they are so pretty and usually cost about 25pence each maybe a little more sometimes but not much. My good friend Kathleen (cottonreel) showed me how to make bags with them and it's a brilliant idea because no matter what the size the square you can make this bag, and it is so useful with 4 big pockets. We are going to Cosby quilters tonight it's a once a month meeting, there is a guest speaker who we have'nt seen before lets hope she is interesting it has'nt been unknown for Kathleen to fall asleep if she gets bored and she usually starts gasping for a cup of tea half way through, Oh well here's hoping.

Getting There

2011-02-28T23:44:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, it's a very grey and dismal day here in Leicestershire so I am going to stay at home and sew. I have finished the 30 crazy patchwork squares they measure 10" ea, I am now going to stitch them all together and then the real fun starts I can start to embellish them. Just recently I have got really interested in crazy patchwork and I bought Kathy's book from Shawkl Blog and it is so helpful I have also purchased some lovely lace motifs from her too, I am looking forward to this part. I will show you when I have put all the squares together so that you have an idea of what it will look like. I am not seeing Kathleen today, we went shopping yesterday and it was absolutely freezing, what is it about supermarket carparks? the wind seems to cut you in half, I suppose it is because they are so open, so today we are staying in the warm and sewing.

A Little Bit of This and That.

2011-02-27T02:13:00.000-08:00

Hello People, I have been very remiss in not posting for a little while, I have been busy shopping for birthdays I seem to have a lot of birthdays that fall at this time of year. I am also trying to catch up on my sewing I seem to have several things on the go at the moment and I am trying to get some finished.
Do you remember Kate (my daughter) who got married in August, well she and her husband Steve have just sold their house and found a lovely three storey Edwardian house to buy, there is much excitement and they are keeping their fingers crossed that everything goes through smoothly.
Yesterday Tony and I travelled to Birmingham to see his Mom and Dad, it is Dad's birthday on Tuesday he is in his late 80's and has some dementia but is still able to have a conversation about 'The Old Days' we took his presents and sat with them for a while it was a nice time. On the way home Tony took me to and antiques place he had found out in the country I would never have found it, it was a craft centre too and had lots of little shops. The antiques barn was two storeys high and had lots of rooms, I loved the Tapestry chair that you can see in the above picture it was just £37 and very pretty but I restrained myself. This is a new place for me to takeKathleen she will like it because there is a Tearooms as well . I received my Magazine from Pat Winter Gatherings it is called Crazy Quilt Gatherings and it is the first magazine she has produced it is lovely and has some good tips and patterns . I am going to sew now as it is quiet and no one seems to need me at the moment, have a good Sunday.

Lovely Fabrics

2011-02-20T04:33:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone I hope you are all having a good Sunday, I have been working in the garden, there is so much to do and the weather is not cooperating so I just went for it today, Tony had to replace a fence post after the high winds so he has been doing that and is now tidying up I removed lots of weeds and I have been cutting back things like phlox and penstemon which are starting to sprout, my back is now complaining a bit but I have cleared a nice patch so I feel good.
These are the fabrics I bought from Bramble Patch, the fat quarters were just a £1 each, I chose a random selection, the Blue with roses on was also in the sale I just love it.
My favourire is the floral by In the Beginning I love their fabric but can never afford it but this had been reduced to £6 a metre so grabbed some quick I will make a quilt and use the lovely border around it. The last item was a kit which was not in the sale but I fell in love with the fabrics, it will make a beautiful quilt. I am now spent out and have to start saving for the next trip to the Malvern Quilt show in May but I will enjoy using all my fabrics after I have looked at them and stroked them for a while, I am sure you all know what I mean.

Bliss

2011-02-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

Here they are, hordes of rampaging females on the scent for fabric, these lovely tables were piled high with glorious fabrics, there was a bit of pushing and shoving but no fighting. I took this photograph whilst sitting on the balcony drinking coffee and eating chocolate cake with Kathleen, we had already braved the crowd and got what we wanted but there was still the shop to get around which was also very full of ladies who wanted fabric. It was a fun day and we did get some lovely stuff I will photograph mine and post it next time.

Bramble Patch SALE

2011-02-14T08:28:00.001-08:00

Kathleen and I are off to the Bramble Patch Sale tomorrow, this sale only happens once a year so it is a good one. There will be all these mad women heading up and down the motorway to grab a bargain it's good fun. I hope everyone had a good weekend, it was a bit mixed weatherwise here but it was lovely because I saw my family and thts always special. Spring seems to be dragging it's feet, this lovely picture of a Bluebell wood was taken a couple of years ago it was quite breathtaking to see them all and thats when I chose my name for my blog.

A Big Tree

2011-02-10T00:15:00.000-08:00

This is a photo I took last year when we went for a walk in Bradgate Park, the trees are very old, the lady sitting on the bench is Kathleen. We went back to this village yesterday, we had lunch and then went walking through the village, the sun had come out and everything looked ready to burst, buds were beginning to pop everywhere and the catkins are really long and luxurious this year. It is a very typical english country village with lots of thatched cottages a tiny country school, a cricket pitch and a few shops. There was a little shop which had just opened it was tiny but full of lovely bits and pieces, as we strolled back through the village we talked about how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area, there is so much to be thankful for and liking where you live is one of them.

Miniature Embroidery

2011-02-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody, this is a picture of a miniature embroidery I have just finished, I am going to use it on some crazy patchwork, it was lovely to do, I enjoyed it so much I have sent for two more, I think the Hollyhocks are my favourite.

Well what a week it has been, there is so much awful news, the weather still seems to be crazy, I feel so sorry for all the people in Queensland it must have been so frightening when the cyclone hit, they are really having a bad time. Then there is the snow in America that looks pretty awful too, we have gales at the moment here in England, I think Scotland have had the worst of them but it is still very very windy here. I am glad we have got into February, there are some small signs of spring breaking through, there are catkins in the hedgerows and snowdrops appearing everywhere and I noticed that the spring bulbs are beginning to sprout in my garden.

It is my son Andrews birthday next week so I have been busy birthday shopping, Kathleen and I went out to lunch yesterday, it was a lovely sunny day. Lets hope that the weather will take a turn for the better now, enough is enough.

A bit of this and that.

2011-01-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

Have you all been following the auctions for the Brisbane Flood appeal? they have raised a very large amount to help those poor people who have lost everything, A very big Well Done! to all those blogs that took part it's a wonderful thing you have done.
Another busy week this week and HHHHHooray!! I have finished my white wholecloth quilt I just have to put the binding on now. I have become very interested in crazy patchwork and that is my next project, it involves quite a lot of embroidery as well and if you are interested in embroidery there is a lovely 25page booklet telling you how to do lots of stitches, type in Jan Kerton embroidery and go into Windflower embroidery stitch guide, it is very good.Tomorrow we are going to Birmingham for lunch this is a lunch we were supposed to have before Christmas but the snow put paid to that. I am looking forward to seeing all the family and chatting over good food. Hope you all have a good weekend. Oh, and Well Done Andy Murray! lets hope he can finish the job.

Jewellery Roll

2011-01-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

As you can see I have had a busy day sewing today, it has been a really grey dismal day so I decided early on that I would sew. I got the kit for this jewellery roll when Kathleen and I went to Northampton last week, I loved the bright fabrics and thought I would like to have a go. It was'nt difficult to do but quite time consuming but I love the finished article and will make more. I am going to do some quilting on my wholecloth quilt now I am quite excited because I am about to join up and meet the quilting I started with, always a good moment. I hope you are all having a good Sunday.

Ruffler Foot

2011-01-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

I have had an afternoon using my ruffler foot for the first time, I made this cushion, the picture is of an old gardening leaflet for Scotts Seeds I printed it onto white cotton and used it for a centre panel I am really pleased with the result.
Kathleen and I had a good day yesterday we went to Weedon in Northampton to one of the most popular quilters shops, we had a good look around and bought some fabrics, there were some really lovely Tilda fabrics and Kathleen has a yen to do some prim work and so bought the appropriate fabric. We decided to go a different way home and found a lovely craft centre wih lots of different shops and a nice restaurant so we had lunch there, the sun shone all day and we had a good journey home. I forgot to say we booked a class to make a lovely cushion called Summer Street, the class is in March but we are going back before then to the SALE.

A Lovely Day

2011-01-18T03:53:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, What a lovely day it is here in Leicestershire England the sun is shining and everything looks much better. It was Cottonreels birthday last Sunday I popped round to see her and she opened her parcels, she heard from all of her family and had a nice day. I am hoping to take her to Bramble Patch (Quilting Mecca) tomorrow and we will probably have lunch somewhere nice. I am going to try some crazy

patchwork, I love it, I would like to learn a lot more of the embroidery stitches some of them are quite beautiful I have bought a book and it is very good and explains things very clearly, it's nice to try a new craft. It is a quiet time of year and not one I particulary enjoy, I always think January and February are quite hard to get through I love it when March arrives and we start to see the spring flowers. I am not moaning though, when you see what is happening in other parts of the world we are very lucky to live in a country which does not have extreme weather, uprisings, wars or dictatorships for which I am very thankful. Happy Day.

The Floods and some lovely blogs.

2011-01-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, sorry I have been a bit bad this week and not posted but I have been very busy. On Monday it was shopping day and we had to take Kathleens sewing machine to be repaired, on Tuesday I went to an auction whilst Kathleen waited in for a delivery man, Wednesday was a washing sewing day, Thursday was a day in town with Kathleen shopping for necessities and today we have picked up the mended sewing machine, dropped off some stuff at the charity shop and then popped into the fabric guild for stuff.

I have been so concerned this week about the floods in Australia and if you read Jenny of Elefantz blog you will find out how you can help, now we have the floods in Brazil has the world gone mad? we seem to be getting such extreme's of weather at the moment. The lovely seed catalogue cover you see is courtesy of Miss Rhea blogspot she has some lovely stuff on her blog. I hope you all have a good weekend.

More Chintz

2011-01-08T04:45:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, here are my two new pieces of chintz, they were presents for christmas and now sit beautifully on my shelves with the other pieces, this stuff is so pretty I love it.

We actually have a little sunshine today and it is making everything look so much better, the birds are out in force enjoying the little bit of warmth. Tony and I have been along to a general auction viewing today and they had some nice stuff, I will take Cottonreel on Monday to have a look, she has never been to an auction. Are you all getting over Christmas now? I think I am it always takes me a while to sort myself out but I have put it all back in the boxes until next December. I have also had a change round and moved the christmas stuff upstairs into a cupboard and moved my wadding downstairs much more convenient. I am still hand quilting a white wholecloth quilt it is starting to look lovely and I have an itch to do a Hexagon quilt I was cutting out papers all last night. I have so many scrap pieces of fabric I want to go through it all cutting out squares and Hexagons so that they are ready to use when the fancy takes me. I had a Ruffler foot for my sewing machine for christmas and I keep looking at it, it looks a little complicated and I am scared to actually attach it to my machine and have a go but I will have to try soon. I hope you are all having a happy day.

Losing Weight

2011-01-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hello, I don't know if you are feeling like me but I feel really unhealthy at the moment and I would like to lose weight. I know that diets do not work I have tried plenty, I know that I need to eat healthily and exercise, well, I love to eat but I am not too good at exercising but I think I want to give it a go I have been over to Jenny at Elefantz and she is starting a new blog with her friend Fee it is called 'Never Trust a Skinny Cook' and on this blog there will be recipe's and things to help you get healthy and lose some weight, if like me you want to get fitter and slimmer join this blog and give it a go.

Happy New Year.

2010-12-31T01:46:00.000-08:00

Hello just a quick post to wish you all a very Happy new year, as you can see I am already looking forward to spring and flowers, the seed catalogue's are starting to arrive and I can't wait to see some colour in my garden. Kathleen has a nasty cold so I am going round today to see how she is she sounded a bit husky yesterday. I had a good day with Kate yesterday we were shopping for Steve's 30th birthday ( Steve is Kate's husband) we had lunch a a good old chat a real Mom and Daughter day.
God Bless you all and thankyou for your friendship.

Beloved Rose.

2010-12-28T04:11:00.000-08:00

Hello people, I hope you all had a lovely christmas, our little family had a lovely time all together, we did'nt do anything special we were just together, we ate and talked and talked and played silly games and just enjoyed each others company it was good. I thought especially of my eldest brother George this christmas, he lost his beloved Rose in august, Rose had a brain tumour and died the week before my Kate got married they had been married for over 60 years and it was one of those Real love matches, this was his first christmas without her and I know it would have been hard, we spoke to each other on christmas eve which was lovely and his son was picking him up on christmas day but he wanted to come home to sleep because he says that he feels closest to Rose when he is in their home, the lovely thing is he loves to talk about her so we have some nice chats and it feels as though she is still joining in. I wish you all a happy new year .

A Very Merry Christmas to All

2010-12-21T00:36:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, just a quick message to wish everyone a wonderful holiday, I am taking a break now until after christmas because there is so much to do. This beautiful image was from http://my vintage studio .

My Lovely Friend

2010-12-16T00:14:00.000-08:00

I am the luckiest girl who has the BEST FRIEND, just look at these silk flowers they are absolutely beautiful. Kathleen andI went shopping and she bought me this gorgeous arrangement for christmas Wow! she not only bought it for me she arranged it too, she has such a talent for flower arrangements and she magically brought these to life. When Tony came home he actually thought these were real they look so good. The weather here is about to turn very cold again and they are predicting a white christmas which will look very pretty but!!! it will make it difficult for families to get around and visit each other, we are not very good at snow. This morning on the news they showed a picture of an Ice Sculpture it turned out to be a lighthouse that is covered in ice somewhere in America, now thats cold.

The Tree

2010-12-15T01:40:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we went and chose our tree from the farm, it's a lovely place to be, there are children running about high on happiness because of all things christmassy and trying to choose their own tree there are carols playing in the yard and a chalet that has all things christmas for sale. To walk across the fields is wonderful and it sure heals the heart, what a wonderful world we live in. When we got home and got out all the decorations we had a lovely time because most of our decorations have a lovely memory attached it takes us ages with stops for cups of tea, when it was finished we turned on the lights it was getting dark outside so the room was lit very softly, we sat there and enjoyed the peace and wonder of it all.

Feeling Sad aand Cross with God

2010-12-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

I am feeling sad because a good man died. My brother-in-Laws brother died on Friday he was just 59 years old, a happy family man who loved his wife, children and grandchildren, a man who was a hard worker who put his family first not a drinker or a gambler just a genuine nice bloke. Two years ago he started to feel a little ill and it took the Dr's months to find out what was wrong with him, in the end he was diagnosed with Liver disease and since then has been waiting for a transplant, they also discovered he had a small hole in his heart which had always been there. He has been on and off the list for a transplant one set of Dr's saying he had to have his heart op before they would give him a liver the 2nd lot saying he could'nt have the heart op until his liver was transplanted and so it went on until on Thursday night he suffered a mild heart attack, he was taken to hospital and his family were told to pray, they sat with him and chatted and joked and spoke of happier times to come but sadly Ian died and his family are heartbroken, shocked, angry and confused. They now have to learn to live without him and this makes them terribly sad and it makes me very cross with God for taking this good good man .

Made at Last

2010-12-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, gosh it's cold here in England today, I have just peeped out of the curtain and it is completely white with frost, it is going to look very pretty when it gets light but I have to go shopping today and I do not look forward to scraping the frost off my windscreen.
This cushion is one that cottonreel bought me as a kit, I have had it for a while but finally managed to find time to make it up and I love it the colours are so delicate. I am going to marzipan my cakes today and I am hoping there will be some marzipan left for me to eat, I love it. When the kids were at home they used to stand in line waiting to see if there would be any left over, of course there always was. Have you all finished your shopping yet? I still have a few things to get but I am hoping to finish it all today. On sunday we will be going to the farm to get our christmas tree, Tony usually trawls me around three fields before he is happy with the height and shape so I am hoping it will be a bit warmer than this. Enjoy your day!!

Voices Like Angels

2010-12-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

Good Morning everyone. I went shopping on Saturday and as I parked my car and got out the most wonderful sound greeted me, this wonderful group of people were singing carols, I have never heard anything like it they were beautiful. It was freezing cold and these lovely people dressed in their warm coats, scarves, hats, gloves and boots belted out carols in their wonderful gospel way. Everywhere you looked people were smiling because it was such a joyous sound, they were collecting for a charity and I hope they did very well they certainly deserved to, everytime I came out of a shop this glorious sound hit me, Magic!

Snow Snow and More Snow

2010-12-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is still snowing here in England and as always it is causing chaos, we really do not deal with snow very well. Everything looks very pretty dressed in it's white finery and there are some wierd and wonderful shapes where the snow has landed on things still out in the garden. We are putting out lots of bird food and the bird table is very busy, it is funny to watch we have very bossy blackbirds. Yesterday I walked to the post office to post my Australia parcels then called into the shop for Pecan and Apple pastries then carried onto Kathleens for a cup of tea, we sat and had a good natter(chat) and ate our pastries Kathleen using her finger to get every bit off the plate. I found something really beautiful on one of the blogs called How Sweet the Sound, I was visiting aA Gathering of Thoughts and she suggested that I go to How Sweet the sound and look at the dvd clip about the shopping mall, this I did and what a wonderful surprise I got, I suggest that if you want to be uplifted go and check it out.

How Young They Look

2010-12-01T03:49:00.000-08:00

These are photo's of my Lovely Dad and My Beautiful Mom. I never saw them when they were young as my Mom had 10 children and I was the youngest consquently I can only remember them in their fifties. They were such hardworking people and we always had clean clothes and enough to eat. I remember my Dad being good fun but a bit strict and my Mom not quite so strict but if you disobeyed her she soon let you know, it's hard to umagine them being this young. I remember christmas's well and there was always a stocking at the end of the bed with and Orange and some nuts, a few

big old pennies to save or spend, a sugar mouse nothing like todays kids get but we loved it, and then downstairs Santa always left us a pillowcase full of goodies like books and puzzles, paints, games and usually a torch. We always had something new to wear on christmas day and my older brothers and sisters who were then married always came to christmas tea, what a noisy lot we were, we were always ready for bed when the time came. These are precious memories and when our kids were growing up we always tried to make christmas a magic time starting with the carol service at the local church which was always a favourite of mine there is nothing like a good rousing carol to make you feel christmassy and thankful. Have you all got good memories of christmas?

I Forgot this bit

2010-11-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

re. the previous post, once you have printed on the fabric take some parchment paper place it over the printing and iron, this sets the ink. I use cooking parchment paper.

How I Printed on Fabric

2010-11-28T23:14:00.000-08:00

Some of you lovely people wanted to know how I printed on fabric, well I can only tell you the way I was told, so here goes.

First you need some plain cotton fabric, I used White dying cotton which was about £2 a mtr.

Some Freezer Paper.

I then cut out an A4 size piece of freezer paper and ironed it to the fabric so that it stuck firmly.
Then cut out exactly to the A4 size.

Place this in your printer so that it prints on the fabric side.

Find something that you want to print and do exactly as you would if you were printing on paper.

Be a bit careful here if it starts to go a bit wobbly take it out quickly.

My printer seems to do it ok. and it is and Epsom DX7450 just an ordinary printer. Good Luck!!

Printing On Fabric

2010-11-28T07:07:00.000-08:00

I have just learnt how to print on fabric and it is lovely. I have made these two cushion covers as presents and I am really pleased with them, mind you I have cursed a little when things have gone wrong and I thought I was going to block my printer but in the end it was quite simple.It opens up a whole new world these two pictures were printed off the Graphics Fairy and Miss Rhea they are both very generous with their artwork, I am looking forward to trying some more.

2010-11-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

Hello, I bought these shelves at an auction in Cockermouth they cost me £14, what a bargain, they have taken me a while to rub down and then paint, I have used some of this new Heritage paint and it is lovely. The knobs I bought when we were on holiday in Cape Cod and I love them they cost just $1 each. We have finished decorating now and we are pleased with everything it all looks clean and fresh. I am busy making new cushions and trying to tidy my sewing room in between christmas shopping and cake making. The weather here in England is really cold, lovely sunny days and very hard frosts at night, some of the country has got snow. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Busy Times and Sad News

2010-11-24T00:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, gosh this time if year is so busy with decorating, sewing, shopping, making cakes and Puddings plus all the other daily jobs too. The weather here is very cold at the moment but, the sun is out and everything looks clean and sparkly. I am getting on quite well with my Christmas shopping and sewing but still have some to do. The sad news is Cottonreel lost her Mom last Friday, she was a bright and lively 97 year old with a zest for life but she fianally started to fail and died peacefully in her sleep last Friday morning. Kathleen is sad but realises that her mom had to leave her sometime soon, so lots of hugs for Kathleen (cottonreel)

A Labour of Love

2010-11-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

This has been a real labour of love, I think it's lovely now it's finished but it has been one of the most fiddly things I have ever done. The window and the door took for ages, all the cakes had to be done and then embroidered and there were lots of pieces, then the door which also had quite a bit of work. The next time I make it I will have a better idea of how to do all this work so that will make it easier. It is a pattern by Gail Penberthy which I bought at Malvern quilt show, you can call it The Tea Room or you can personalise it and as you can see this one is Kate's. I have finished the fireplace and Tony has fitted the fire, I am now going to make some new cushions and then we will be ready to start looking forward to Christmas.

Refurbishing a Fire Surround

2010-11-16T01:01:00.000-08:00

I bought an old fire surround for not much money from an antique market, it has pretty tiles and I liked it a lot, I have never had a fireplace in this house just a brick central pillar with a fire attached to the wall which I always disiked. I bought some of this new fangled old style paint in a lovely antique cream and started to paint it I used 5 coats of primer undercoat and then started with the antique cream I have done 2 coats so far and I think one more will do. I can't wait to remove the masking tape and get it fixed to the wall so that I can dress it in pretty things, I have a lovely old oval mirror that I bought from a charity shop and I think that will look lovely above the fireplace. This has been a real labour of love, and whilst I have been doing the fire surround we have also put a few coats of paint on the walls to freshen things up, so my house is a real mess at the moment with dust sheets and covers all over the place but we are nearly at the end. I am now going to hang out my winter sofa covers in the lovely autumn sunshine to dry and then when everything is finished with the paint I will put them on. I am so easily pleased.

Remembrance Sunday

2010-11-14T03:30:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up and looked out of my study window and was faced with this beautiful view of the sun coming through and a mist over the trees, there was frost on the roof of the caravan which made beautiful patterns and I thought of all those young men who would not be seeing this beautiful world today and felt very priveledged. These young men keep our countries safe and sacrifice so much, God bless them and keep them safe.

All in a Row

2010-11-10T01:19:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I saw these angels when we went to the quilt show at Malvern they are very sweet, I love the little shoes and the facial expressions. I am quite busy at the moment because I am decorating the lounge and dining room and because our house is open plan it means we have to do the stairs and landing at the same time so it really is a big job. I also bought an old fire surround at a local antiques market which I also want to paint before it gets installed, I am looking forward to seeing how it looks when finished. The weather here has been awful really wet and cold but today it is a little better, frosty and bright. Christmas seems to be galloping towards us so I have started to make lists, I am a list girl I cannot exist without a list I have lists for things I have bought, lists for things I still have to get, lists for meals lists for everything, is anyone else the same?