2021 Week 4

 No end in sight to Lockdown 3, no travel plans, no day trips, no meeting family - all a bit dull!

So I might have bought myself some wool!!!!

But no chance to start it yet - a local charity have ordered a gazillion of these... ideally by Thursday so Lizzie and I are going to be BUSY!!!

I managed to get this quilt embroidered and then delivered while I was out walking  a few days ago

And I made these cheerleaders for the Keep Moving campaign

We had snow!  Most people headed for the shed to get wellies and sledges . . .  me?  I headed for Lizzie LOL

One of my lovely warm Norwegian jumpers had a hole in it so I did a bit of darning, visible from the inside

but not from the outside!

Lizzie has finished quilting this for me.  We installed her FMQ table and it worked really well supporting the weight of the quilt.

Back to Lizzie and the gingers (they are finger puppets - a cute idea) and I'll see you on the other side!

2018 Wk 11 - Almost Snowing Again

It isn't really snowing again - it's just that I am working on a very old Christmas snowy quilt!  Plum reminded me of it earlier this month - We met through being members of then Yahoo BQL (British Quilt Lovers) group, and back in 2011 I offered to embroider BQL badges for the ladies who were going to Festival of Quilts.  They offered to pay but I asked for green scraps for a scrappy quilt I wanted to make.

I got the scraps and started the quilt but it then stalled.  It was last blogged about in 2014 when the tree was shown plonked on the sky fabric

At some stage since then the tree and the sky were joined but nothing further.

Today it has moved forward to this


The details don't photograph too well, but the star above the tree and the candle flames have been embroidered with a glow . . . in glow in the dark thread!


The top of the snow glistens with a glitter fabric attached on a gentle curve

and snow drifts have been topped with more sparkle

It's still a bit tall and thin but it's doing much better than it has for the last 4 years!

2018 Wk 10 - two quilts!

Quilt 1
After the previous disaster with June's quilt I have now made a replacement. Amo suggested a way to salvage the original which I will do, but for now June's replacement is ready to go to Texas, and with the right name!

Quilt 2
I was inspired, many months ago, by a quilt I saw in a fabric shop in quaint village called Grayshott.

My version was planned last August

but never got stitched until this weekend.  I considered the lines of quilting in the white sections, to make it look as if they were pieced, but didn't feel the love.  I rummaged in the quilting threads box and found threads that were close to the colours in the fabrics

and I quilted and quilted and quilted - something like 130 yards of quilting, all triple / bean stitch, and I'm really pleased with the result

I just need to find suitable fabric for the binding

We've had  few days of the country going into panic mode - Brits can go through a World War or two with nothing defeating their spirit, and have shown terrorists that our best comes out in times of disaster - but a few inches of snow has achieved the results that the terrorists planned and hoped for! The country shut down!  Schools were closed, flights were cancelled, people panic bought at the shops that were open.  Niki was flying back from Budapest: the flight was delayed not due to the two foot of snow there, but the two inches of snow here!

Another casualty of the weather was Niki and Lisa's front door.  They could not get it open!  Their home insurance comes with an emergency call out service - but the operators couldn't get to the call centre so they were no help at all.  so . . . Daddy to the rescue

It was the only way in!  He did manage to remove the lock and fix it so at least he could leave by the front door rather than the kitchen window!

And finally, Janet from Crafty Church has created another "Horton Hug".  Completed blankets are appearing in church and then being taken to a good home - to someone who needs a hug!  I love the colours on this one

The snow has now gone, the weekend has nearly gone, and this blog post is done!  Hope you had  good weekend

2017 Wk 49 - Christmas making

I've been busy using up the black and white scraps from the Black and White and bits of Bright quilt , and have make zippy pouches for colleagues

 Then I pieced the rest to make a bit enough block that I could make a few Pythagoras pouches 

So finally I've got my Christmassy packages ready to post - although maybe they will be New Year packages!!

I've finished a few customer orders (although there are plenty left to do)

And I've actually done something for me!  As we are getting to the season of Christmas jumpers I decided to go with a nativity rather than Rudolph or Santa

And in final random news . . .  its snowing

And the kitties are happy with their quilts

2010 December

One Down ...

...one to go

The first of Uncle Trygve's table runners has been
(drum roll please)
finished!

Phew! I'm really pleased with it, and although the colours are not ones I would have chosen, I have fallen in love with them (so if he doesn't like it, no problem, I'll have it back!!!)













I haven't progressed far enough out of my comfort zone to have actually quilted it (other than my version of In The Ditch As You Go) but I followed Sandie's Binding lesson on Stash Manicure and L O V E it - the binding is darn close to perfect, and I even managed mitered corners!













3 meters of hand sewing is a bit boring, but I actually watched some TV today while I did the binding, and it does give a much nicer finish than machining.

Now off to finish the Stack and Slash in the same fabrics (or is it a Stack and Whack?) If you know, feel free to remind me of the differences! 

catching up - and bother from my Brother

The list of stuff to be ready for Christmas (for other people) has grown rather than shrunk!

The I Spy Quilt commissioned for baby Charlie has been finished and will be delivered tomorrow,














Two Christmas sacks have been delivered, still leaving 6 to do ... when Big Brother embroidery machine seized up - totally!!!!

I've managed to get each sack 75% made which saves time after embroidery, but is a pain if it goes wrong as it's then wasted work and fabric













I tried using Lizzy's machine today, and that didn't seem to like something I was doing to it either, so I'm back home and I'll have to reduce the designs and stitch them 4x4 on the baby brother instead of 5x7 on the big brother.

First New Year's resolution - look to at least service if not part exchange big brother!

Anyway, happier news - the third Ornament Swap arrived last week and is now on the tree, thank you very much Nelly