Bountiful gifts and a new convert

I spent the weekend with my parents and Mummy is starting to have a bit of a sort out...I am the delighted recipient of these jars of buttons, aren't they gorgeous? At the moment I'm just admiring them, all colour-sorted in their containers but I do think I might have a go at making some jewellery with some and will definitely use some in a future quilt project or two.

The next goody bag was from my sister who has just holidayed in Florida. She brought me home this wonderful selection of fabrics and I have a plan for a rainbow quilt in square within a square blocks. I started talking about quilting with her and it turns out that she has ALL of Jennifer Chiaverini's books (which she buys in America) and was willing to lend them to me. Here they are in my sewing room, I started the Quilter's Apprentice last night and am on chapter 9! Jane had bought herself some fabric and wanted to know where to start with an English pieced-patchwork project so she has begun working on Grandmother's Flower Garden with hexagons and promised to start her own quilting blog. She found lots of helpful information on the internet including Wendy Harbaugh's very helpful tutorial at http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/2007/03/tutorial-on-english-paper-piecing.html all in all, a very successful weekend, plus, hopefully Jane and Mummy are going to the Quilt Show at Hever Castle this weekend while I'll be at the Harrogate show and we're intending to go to the forthcoming V&A exhibition together if we can find something to amuse the menfolk!!