Piece'n'Peace

A Holiday in Stockton on Tees

2012-02-26T16:52:00.000Z

DH and I have just returned home from a jolly to Stockton on Tees in the north east of England. This is quite a strange place for a holiday, positioned in a very industrial area of the country but we found a lot of interesting things to do. I'm just sorting out my photographs but here's a quick taster of what we got up to:

Our first day out was to the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle,
"Purpose built in the 19th century by John and Joséphine Bowes, the Museum has a wonderful story to tell. John Bowes was a successful businessman who travelled to Paris in 1847 to explore his interest in the arts. It was here he bought a theatre and met the Parisian actress Joséphine Coffin-Chevallier whom he married in 1852. Joséphine was a talented amateur painter who was interested in a whole range of art forms including paintings, ceramics, furniture and textiles. Soon the couple began to develop the idea of creating a world-class museum back in John’s ancestral home of Teesdale in order to introduce the wider world of art to the local people".

There is much more information on the website about the collections and I will share some of my favourite things in my next post.
The museum is especially well known for the Silver Swan which was made in the late 1770s and bought by John Bowes in 1872 for £200:

"The American novelist Mark Twain also saw the Silver Swan at the Paris exhibition in 1867 and described it in his book The Innocents Abroad:

‘I watched the Silver Swan, which had a living grace about his movement and a living intelligence in his eyes-watched him swimming about as comfortably and unconcernedly as it he had been born in a morass instead of a jeweller’s shop - watched him seize a silver fish from under the water and hold up his head and go through the customary and elaborate motions of swallowing it...'"

Our second day saw us heading a little further north to visit Beamish. This is an open air museum about the people of North East England through the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods. As it was winter not all of the museum was open but we had plenty to do exploring the town and the pit village.

All museumed-out we decided to head to the coast on our third day but got sidetracked firstly by the Middlesborough Transporter Bridge,

then by the rather more modern Temenos sculpture by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond,

and finally by RSPB Saltholme where we had a nice walk around the lake, watched the birds and had a scrummy lunch.
Our little break at an end, we headed home yesterday, stopping at a site in Boroughbridge to look at the Devil's Arrows:

FNSI February and Blue and White Heaven

2012-02-18T12:47:00.001Z

For a little Saturday eye candy I want to share this blog post that I hopped to from Sri Threads on Facebook yesterday:
http://www.binichic.com/2012/02/weaving-the-waves/
I then happened across an earlier post:
http://www.binichic.com/2010/12/japanese-indigo/
about Sri Threads and again full of beautiful photographs.
Then this morning I was reading Julie Fukuda's great blog and found she has been lauded in the Japan Times. What a star, I do hope I get to meet up with Julie when I'm in Japan (if she can find time).
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120218a1.html
And so a happy time was spent in wonderful cyberspace.
I did finish my Japanese Circles and Squares quilt during FNSI and so here it is:

In Susan Briscoe's workshop she taught us how to add applique circles to the squares pattern. I found that, with the fabrics I'd used, the circles didn't show very well and so decided to sashiko a circles design instead. The pattern of interlocking circles is called Seven Treasures, Shippō 七宝 This was just stitched on the quilt top after I found using the sashiko as a quilting stitch was unsuccessful. I thought I would then machine quilt "in the ditch" but this would have cut through the hand stitching (I should have worked the sashiko and machine quilting in reverse order!) and so I decided to tie the quilt. Anyway, I am happy with the finished quilt and it is a perfect size (I didn't add a border to Susan's original design) to sit over my lap and keep me toasty without swamping me.
I hope you had a good FNSI (chocolate honeycomb flapjack was my treat of choice for the evening).

Almost Finished

2012-02-16T10:05:00.000Z

Tomorrow is Friday Night Sew-In and I'm hoping to finally finish my Japanese Circles and Squares quilt that I did in a workshop with Susan Briscoe. Today I have a little more tying to do, then I'll spend tomorrow evening sewing the binding - which seems to be a classic Friday evening occupation at the moment, suitably relaxing/mindless!! What will you be doing?

Love is...

2012-02-14T10:13:00.000Z

I am truly blessed this Valentine's Day, I have my own wonderful Al.

My darling son, David, is engaged to the wonderful Jessica and is in a very happy place in his life.

My darling daughter, Saz, is in a great relationship with lovely Rick who adores both her and the scrumptious Sam.

Thank you.

Life isn't always this good, and I'm sure it will go off again at some time but at the moment I am loving it.

The Scot who shaped Japan

2012-02-13T15:28:00.000Z

I stumbled upon a fascinating programme on television last night about the life of Thomas Blake Glover, known as the Scottish Samurai. It was presented by Neil Oliver (of "Coast" fame).
I've had a Google today and found these articles:

The Scot who shaped Japan | The Japan Times Online

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blake_Glover

and have ordered Michael Gardiner's "At the Edge of Empire: The Life of Thomas B. Glover from the local library.

The programme is on BBC iplayer here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b018c57k/The_Last_Explorers_Thomas_Blake_Glover/

Snow Dyeing Take Two - the Results Show and Tell

2012-02-13T14:49:00.000Z

Tah dah, the results of my second attempt at snow dyeing:

Today has been much milder. It is school half term so we've been looking after older GS. This morning we made scones and then we took a walk in the village to get rid of some bottles in the recycling bins and order some more coal in case the snow returns. I'm exhausted now!

Frost, Freezing Fog and a Finish

2012-02-11T10:52:00.000Z

I know we English are obsessed with the weather but that's because we have weather (and not climate). Awoke to freezing fog and minus 13 this morning so you're going to be treated to another batch of photos, just to make my friends in the Southern Hemisphere feel glad about their stifling heat and humidity!

As my friend, Sal, pointed out we are very fortunate to still have a doorstep milk delivery here (although it costs us 64p a pint for the privilege) but I don't think this pint will be useable. As well as the milk being frozen the bottle is shattered!
Last night I sat in front of the fire and stitched the binding on this quilt.

It's another version of Fat Quarter Frenzy and was made with the birthday FQs sent to me by my lovely Global Piecers friends last year. I hope you approve ladies. It's called "One of a Brace" in reference to the pheasants on some of the fabrics and yes, there will be a partner to make up the brace, eventually!
Have a great weekend, I'm off to make a mug of hot chocolate and then work on another quilt.

More Snow

2012-02-10T10:19:00.000Z

I woke up to a sunny, snowy morning and rushed out with my camera:

My snow dyeing bundles are frozen solid but most of the dye has passed through the snow so I've brought the fabric into the lean-to to thaw slowly.

DH's toe is a lot better, stitches out on Wednesday. He drove the car yesterday and is no longer taking pain killers, thank you for all your best wishes.
Today my lovely DD and my scrumptious Sam are coming over for lunch. Before that I hope to get a binding on a second Fat Quarter Frenzy quilt I've made and then I can sit down this evening and do the hand stitching of it. Have a lovely day and keep warm and safe.

Festival of Broken Needles

2012-02-08T11:10:00.001Z

How quickly the years go. It doesn't seem very long ago that I was writing a post about the Japanese tradition of hari-kuyo, the Festival of Broken Needles, and here we are on 8th February again. You can read the post here, with all the details and there are some great photos of a ceremony here.

This year I have been putting my bent, blunt and broken needles in a little cylindrical tin and today I've thanked them, wrapped them and settled them down to rest. The little bag is decorated with Cretan Stitch and Herringbone Stitch and is my TAST2012 piece for the past two weeks. I've put a loop on it so that it can hang with my other TAST "baubles" (which are now on various themes, not all Christmas). I loved doing the Herringbone, I could get quite a good rhythm going but the Cretan made me think - thread under the needle, thread over the needle, oops, try again....it needs more practice as I think it's a nice stitch. This week the TAST stitch is......Chevron Stitch.

Australian designer, stitcher and all round textile wonder woman, Lynette Anderson, has posted about her meeting with our sensei, Bryan, take a look here.
Another great report on the Tokyo Quilt Festival is here. Better make yourself a cup of coffee!

7th February 1812 - Charles John Huffman Dickens born

2012-02-07T10:07:00.000Z

Dickens2012

The son of John and Elizabeth Dickens, Charles Dickens was born on 7th February 1812 in Portsmouth, England. His early life was a mix of good and bad with an early spell of education followed by having to work in the dreadful conditions of Warren's blacking (boot polish) factory when his father was sent to prison as a debtor. Charles later returned to school but his experiences inspired his books including "Great Expectations".
Charles' career path began with journalism and following his marriage to Catherine Hogarth in 1836 he published "Pickwick Papers". He wrote novels, plays (and acted), he edited journals and wrote travel books and autobiography. He travelled extensively and campaigned on many issues including against slavery and he fathered ten children before leaving his wife. His mistress was the actress Ellen Ternan. Not surprsingly maybe, in 1870, he died of a stroke and was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in London.
Dickens is much loved the world over and must have been an amazing man, full of enthusiasm for life. I have to confess that I have never read any of his books (waits for thunderbolt...) I've seen films and television dramatisations of many novels but have not read any for myself. So, I'm starting with Great Expectations, today, the bicentenary of the author's birth.

Snow Dyeing Take Two

2012-02-06T10:56:00.000Z

Thank you for all the helpful comments on my last post about snow dyeing and thank you especially to Julie who posted about her own fantastic snow dyeing.
We still have plenty of snow so I thought I'd have another try and take things snowly today. I've set the fabric on the wire rack and I've left it outside. I'm keeping an eye on it in case the birds think I've put out a massive cup cake for them! If a freeze is forecast tonight I think I'll bring it into the lean-to. I've got three pieces of fabric under the snow, all folded/scrunched in different ways.

Let It Snow-Dye

2012-02-05T15:34:00.000Z

Today I awoke to the pile of snow that was forecast, about 6", the poor birds must have chilly tummies from walking through the snow.

I decided to give snow-dyeing a try. I've never done it before but have seen some interesting results. I had a quick Google and found some tutorials, I used this straightforward one from Lucy. I also read this more detailed one from Prochemical & Dye.
My amazing DH found some soda ash in the garage - I think he has everything one could possibly want in the garage, just not always sure where exactly.
The fabric soaked in the soda ash (1/3 cup), salt (1/2 cup) and hot water bath for half an hour. Then I packed it in plastic boxes with snow and the fun part began.
I used Procion dyes, in powder form, and sat the concoctions on the woodburner the let the snow melt and the magic happen.

While I was using the kitchen as a dye-house I unwrapped my steamed poinsettia:

Hmmm, another sludgy brown piece, the red that seemed to be seeping through has vanished. Never mind, onward and upward!
As the snow melted I wondered whether I should start draining the pieces, or they would end up with everything the same colour. I noticed from various blogs that some people dye on a grid or mesh or slope their containers so I imagine this is for that reason.

This piece was not drained and so all the dyes have mixed, quite a nice orange though! The others were similar so I tried dyeing them again, this time on a wire cooling tray.

When the snow had melted I rinsed my pieces of fabric and, tah-dah:

Not bad for a first attempt. I think I should have scrunched or tied the fabric more tightly maybe and definitely the wire grid is the way to go. I also think I could have left it outside to get the fabric and dye really cold rather than rushing the process. More playing another day I think and I can certainly see myself using these pieces for a little project.

Frozen Webs

2012-02-03T10:13:00.000Z

These spiders could do with insulating their homes....

Even though we are very cold today and more snow is forecast there are plenty of signs that Spring is on the way...

Today I'm staying indoors and tending DH and the fire. I've borrowed an idea from Angela and have a bowl of eco-dyeing sitting on top of the woodburner. It's the last of the poinsettia flowers and leaves, a little remnant of Christmas infused into cloth. It currently looks like a large fabric bruise but I'll wait and see.

Keep warm (or cool if you're in the Southern Hemisphere) and have a great weekend.

Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival 2012

2012-01-31T16:50:00.005Z

I have been reading some great blog posts about the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival 2012. Enjoy lots of quilting eye candy and read about the crowds:

I love Bryan's account here:
http://japanesetextileworkshops.blogspot.com/2012/01/tokyo-quilt-festival.html

Julie has shared four posts and lots of pictures here, here, here and here.

Carin has shared some of her photographs, Framed Quilts here and some highlights here and here

Jessica shared her experiences and some great quilts here:
http://www.sewhomegrown.com/2012/01/tokyo-international-quilt-festival-2012.html

I really appreciate bloggers taking the time to post about these international events, it means we can all share them in a little way. Thank you for a little piece of Japan.

Lynette Anderson has been blogging about her visit to Japan and her experience at the Tokyo festival. She also met up with our man in Japan, Bryan. Read about her trip and enjoy lots of photos on her website here: http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/lynette_anderson_designs/
and enjoy Bryan's report on their meeting here. I can just picture the scene!

I have been reading my Tokyo Lonely Planet and surfing the net and making copious lists in preparation for the few days I will have in Tokyo in April before I join the Japanese Textile Study Tour. It's getting very exciting. I am aiming for a mix of textiles, history and culture, gardens, food and shopping and will try to share it via this blog. I think I may need to sleep for the whole month of March in preparation. I have also spent a long time today, while waiting for the snow to start and throwing logs on the fire, reading your wonderful blog posts and I hope I have now caught up with all the lovely comments you leave me, I appreciate them massively. I must now away to rest, Sam's party has left me rather weary - maybe I'm too old for ball pools and padded activity centres! (Just after this photo I crashed to the floor on my derriere by the way!)

Happy Birthday Sam

2012-01-30T19:54:00.000Z

My DGS Sam is four years old today! Al and I went to his party and then back at his house I tried to take a photo of the young family. It was a nightmare to get all four people looking good, especially as they were all so tired but here we have birthday boy, Sam; my DD, Saz; her lovely BF, Rick and his DD, Ezri.
I have failed completely with my TAST2012 stitch for the week. It was Cretan Stitch and as tomorrow there will be a new stitch I think I'll try to combine the two in a little project this week.
Al is having a little op. on Wednesday (on his toe) and we don't know how he'll be afterwards, I might be on nursing duty!! Hopefully I'll still have time and energy to sew.
We've had a little snow today and the forecast for the week is cold, brrrr, winter is back. Tomorrow there is a blank in the diary so my plan is to catch up with blogs and emails, if I've seemed to be ignoring you I hope to be in touch tomorrow, watch this space as they say.
I've been doing a lot of reading and research into places to visit in Tokyo while I'm there in April. Carin sent me this link:http://www.amusemuseum.com/english/index.html It's definitely on my must-do list, enjoy.

Amazing What Spiders Can Do

2012-01-25T11:16:00.000Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2012/jan/23/golden-silk-cape-spiders-in-pictures?intcmp=239

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/jan/24/spider-silk-cape-show?newsfeed=true

The first link is to more pictures, the second link is to an article from the Guardian newspaper about this amazing cape that is on exhibition at the V&A Museum in London. Enjoy.

Still Waters Run Deep and FNSI morning report

2012-01-21T11:54:00.000Z

Quite a productive evening and a very enjoyable one too as DH didn't go out after all and so we both sat by the fire while I stitched and he read, very companionable. This followed a lovely lunch with DD, DGS and DSiL to be!!! It was only my second meeting with DSiL to be but it was apparent that things are going well and moving quickly, good for them I say.
Back to FNSI. I did some Feather Stitch for the TAST2012 project but, rather than a new piece this week I added the stitch to my existing Malta cloth (a piece I started after doing Jude Hill's cloth weaving course several moons ago). I think it works well, evoking the patterns in the stone of Malta's buildings.

I finished my "fat quarter frenzy" quilt which has now been christened "Still Waters Run Deep" and is destined for one of the guest beds at the bach in Norfolk. I'll take it with me when we open up at the beginning of March and hopefully we'll soon have family and friends joining us and sleeping beneath it.

The rest of FNSI was spent knitting and that's what I'm going to do now. DH has just made a pot of coffee, it's raining outside and blowing a hoolie, there's a casserole in the slow cooker and at 1.20 this afternoon they're showing Breakfast at Tiffany's on television so that sounds like a plan to me. Have a good one whatever you are doing.

Wait For Me Please

2012-01-20T10:56:00.000Z

2012 is going too quickly already. I haven't posted for ages, I haven't done my TAST2012 stitch for this week (it's feather stitch and I'm looking forward to doing it, just haven't found time), I haven't done most of the things that were on my list for this week.
What have I achieved? Well I've had two stitchy meetings.
On Tuesday it was the first meeting of the year for Country Roads Quilters and we had a good day. Our theme for the beginning of the year is to be Log Cabin, with some people making quilts, some doing smaller projects and some not doing it at all (nothing is compulsory). We did a lot of chatting, drunk a lot of tea and coffee and one lady brought in a box of chocolates to share - and we didn't get chocolate on our work. I stitched down the binding of my "fat quarter frenzy" quilt and so now that is finished except for the addition of a few paua shell buttons which I shall do this evening during FNSI. I could say that these are to add surface texture and interest but really they're to hide the most wobbly bits of FMQ!! I'll share it tomorrow in my FNSI report.
On Wednesday morning we had the first meeting of Crafty Time Out. More chatting, more chocolate and very little stitching! I did a little knitting (the slippers, still) but we mainly chatted which I really enjoyed.
The rest of the week seems to have been spent at the local hospital, nothing serious, don't panic, but both DH and I have had several routine appointments and they've all taken ages. You need to allow extra time to travel in case the traffic is bad. Then parking is a nightmare. Then you have a several stage check-in. Eventually you reach the waiting area where your doctor is and settle down to wait (the clue's in the name I guess). Lots of hours spent waiting this week. I have started a new book though, Japan through the looking glass by Alan MacFarlane, an interesting read so far.
Good grief, I'm becoming a grumpy old woman.
I'm looking forward to today. We're having lunch with DD Saz, DGS Sam and ..... Saz' boyfriend, Rick. He's been on the scene for a while but now it's serious.....might even be a new hat job!! Aaagh, an another Double Wedding Ring Quilt? He's a nice guy and excellent with Sam and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better. Then this evening is Friday Night Sew In, it'll be those buttons, the quilt label and then feather stitch I think.
Wishing you a great weekend whatever you are doing.

Blue and White: Amy Sylvester Katoh

2012-01-12T15:50:00.000Z

Thanks to Nat and Jean this book arrived from good old Amazon yesterday afternoon. I controlled myself and finished my TAST2012 piece for this week, a buttonhole stitch snowflake, and then settled down in front of the fire with a nice cup of tea to absorb the wonder of Amy Sylvester Katoh's ideas and Yutaka Satoh's beautiful photographs.

I am still in my blue period, in fact I even seem to head for navy, blue and white in clothing as well as fabric and am itching to redecorate our guest room properly in blue and white. Maybe I'll be able to buy one or two things for it when I'm in Japan - I use the term "one or two" quite loosely by the way!

TAST2012 - Buttonhole Stitch

2012-01-12T15:24:00.000Z

After I shared last week's fly stitch project Benta suggested I could hang it on the Christmas tree. This sparked the idea of doing all the TAST2012 projects in festive colours and fabrics and creating a selection of decorations and baubles for Christmas 2012. I may not always stick to this you understand but it is my plan at the moment, so thank you to Benta and also to Carin who endorsed the idea.
So, buttonhole stitch, also know as blanket stitch.....
This is a stitch I have used before, both by hand and on the machine, mainly to edge pieces of applique, so in a very straightforward way. I like Sharon's beaded versions and the way she has built up a textured surface using the stitch and couching other threads.
This is what I've done:

Considering that snowflakes are symmetrical I suppose my stitching should have been more regular but I like this and it's unique, as all snowflakes are.

TAST2012 - No Reply?

2012-01-10T11:46:00.001Z

There have been some wonderful examples of fly stitch posted on blogs since we all began TAST2012 last week and Sharon has celebrated her own blogiversary with an interesting post about how she started Pin Tangle in 2004 and how it has developed. She mentioned the joy of receiving a comment on a post and I would certainly agree with that, it is wonderful to know somebody has not only read what you've written but has taken the time to write a comment. I find it sad therefore when I have no way of contacting the commentor and thanking them, or answering their query. I appreciate some people wish to remain anonymous but I wonder if many others know they are showing as a "noreply-comment@blogger.com", especially people who maybe new to blogging having got started when they signed up for TAST. Jodi at Pleasant Home has written a brilliant guide to finding out, and fixing it. Click on her red button on the right of my blog and next time you are kind enough to comment on my blog I shall be able to thank you properly. In the meantime, thank you for all the lovely comments I received after sharing my fly stitch project and here we go with week two of TAST2012 and it's.....buttonhole stitch.

TAST2012 - Fly Stitch

2012-01-04T19:24:00.000Z

Yesterday Sharon B at Pin Tangle posted the first embroidery stitch in this year's Take A Stitch Tuesday challenge.
It's Fly Stitch.
I started off with a nice piece of Aida, thinking it would enable me to get neat, regular stitches, which it did, but they were pretty boring. So I abandoned the Aida and headed for the scraps basket. I machined some fabric pieces together and then used the Fly Stitch in various ways to create a crazy quilt style heart.

It was good to experiment with using the stitch and vary the size and I'm pleased with the result, for a beginner. So, week one and I'm still on target with TAST, I wonder how long that will last?!

Starting the New Year

2012-01-03T13:57:00.000Z

Wow, what a wild and windy day I woke up to here in Lincolnshire and it seems to be even worse in Scotland and Wales, not a day to leave the house unless it was absolutely necessary. The sky is a sort of grey/green tinge, really weird.
We made a good start to 2012 with a lovely walk at Gibraltar Point, it was windy then too but not cold or threatening. Sam loved having the wind blow through his hair:

I went to visit GS Wills yesterday and he got a corn snake for Christmas. He's called Speedy (I would have got a female and called her Maisie but that's a little corny, ouch). He was quite lively and really beautifully patterned. DH was happy to take a photo from a safe distance!

Today I can share the production line project that I teased you with before Christmas. I must credit two people with the inspiration for this little shopping list holder. Melanie Plummer taught a workshop on beach huts which I really enjoyed - it was when I used Angelina fibres for the first time. Village Fabrics kindly allowed the pattern for an apron shaped list holder to be copied for the Dayspring Quilters' Day for International Quilt Day last year. My little pieces have developed from these starting points.

Today I am looking at two exciting new projects. The QGBI Region 9 BOM designed by Jacquie Harvey started on 1st January with the first block being emailed to members. It's not to late to sign up, look at the QGBI website or Jacquie's own website. I have joined but I'm not going to start this project immediately, I have one or two (ha ha) other things to finish first! Sharon B's TAST2012 project started on PinTangle yesterday, click on the button on the right to see what it's all about. I'm hoping to build up a library of embroidery stitches to use in my quilting projects, this week's stitch is Fly Stitch and Sharon has lots of embroidered eye candy to inspire us.
Of course I also have a pile of works in progress....but let's be positive, I've tidied my sewing room so I can at least see what I'm doing and, drum roll, it's 2012 and this is the year I go to Japan with Nat and Bryan on the inaugural Japanese Textile Study Tour and I'm very excited about it. What are your textile plans for 2012?

Welcome 2012

2011-12-31T14:50:00.000Z

Driving home yesterday I saw this strange cloud and quickly snapped a picture (I was a passenger by the way). It was very wispy and sort of whipped upwards as you can see, quite unusual.
Today it is unseasonally mild, about 12C and I saw a tiny lamb in one of the nearby fields. I also took a little walk in my garden and these pelargoniums are still flowering their heads off although we have had a few frosts.

It is the last day of the year, and some places have already welcomed 2012. We've had a phone call from BiL in New Zealand to tell us what 2012 is like - wet apparently! I heard on the news yesterday that Samoa has changed it's time zone and is now on the same side of the International Dateline as Australia; the Samoans missed out on 30th December completely to make this happen. Samoa calendar change
What are your plans for 2012? I have my wonderful visit to Japan in April and several other things to look forward to plus a long list of quilting projects as ever but mainly I want to spend time with family and friends. I wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful 2012 that doesn't go too quickly and brings you many blessings.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T14:34:00.001Z

A quiet start to Christmas with the Nativity figures candle-lit.
Then the party got started:

DGS Sam provided the music;

we played the "Game of Life", DS, DDiL and DD all concentrating hard here;

and my sister provided a lovely Christmas lunch, assisted by my nieces;

an arty shot of the Christmas pudding and it's time we all went for a Boxing Day walk:

I hope you all enjoyed a lovely Christmas, thank you for all your good wishes.

2011-12-21T12:51:00.004Z

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas

and a healthy and peaceful New Year.

Image from http://www.reusableart.com

Friday Night Sew-In

2011-12-16T19:22:00.000Z

It's December's second Friday Night Sew-In this evening. Sam has gone to bed and we've had a very easy supper and now I shall soon be sitting down and doing a little knitting. I haven't got much with me here at DD's house so I might also do some planning and list making for new year projects. Whatever you do this evening I hope it involves neat stitches and plenty of chocolate plus your favourite jimjams, have fun, see you in the morning.

Having a Great Time

2011-12-14T10:39:00.000Z

I'm having a very special time at the moment, staying at DD's house and looking after the wonderful Sam while his Mummy has a little holiday in Marrakech. We thought it was easier for me to stay with Sam so that he can still go to nursery school each morning and has all his own things around. He is being an absolute star, a super shiny star with extra glittery bits! I am having a great time (but it's shattering!!)
After school we have been going out, into the city or out to the supermarket.

Today we are going to a big garden centre to enjoy the Christmas displays and have some lunch. Sam enjoys being out and about. I have no idea how I managed to cope with my two children on my own, Al and I seem to be short of hands when looking after Sam between us.
We've had a few messages from Saz, she's been swimming and sunbathing. We had to de-ice the car before taking Sam to school, doesn't seem right does it?
Sam is missing his Mummy of course but sums it up as "Gone with Lilly" (Lilly is the friend Saz is on holiday with), I think Lilly is going to get the cold shoulder when they get back! I'm understanding a lot more of what Sam says due to being with him for a long time and I'm also learning from Mr Tumble - who knew children's television could be so interesting? Today I've learned to sign "shopping trolley" and "pineapple".
Sewing? I've done a little knitting and Saz has Sky so I've watched a few crafting programmes but that's about it! It's FNSI again this week so here's hoping!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-05T17:40:00.001Z

This weekend saw the start of decorating the house for Christmas. I put the wreath up on the front door and then this festive runner on the table. This is special to me as the blocks were sent to me from my friends in Global Piecers in Christmas block swaps. I haven't used them all, two have been made into special individual place settings for GS1 and GS2, you'll see those another time. Thank you ladies, I hope you approve of what I've done.
While I was on a festive roll I put the crib up, hung the button wreath that I made last year and then decided to decorate the tree. Oh how I love those twinkling fairy lights. It's always such a delight to get the Christmas tree decorations out, those DS and DD made when they were small, some from when I was young, ones bought on various holidays....all with their differing memories and all special.

With enough done for one weekend I curled up on the sofa under my Christmas quilt while DH decided we should open a box of Christmas chocolate biscuits! Good plan, my man!

Advent

2011-12-01T09:53:00.000Z

Golly, it's December, where has 2011 gone? Today I have hung our new Advent calendar, our countdown to Christmas. Advent Sunday was last week, when churches light the first candle, for Hope, on the Advent crown, but throughout December we mark each day in a small way. As a child I had a traditional paper Advent calendar with a little door to open each day to reveal a small picture, a star, a crib, maybe a donkey or my favourite, an angel. Calendars then started to contain chocolate in each window and a wide variety of fabric calendars, wooden chest of drawers calendars, Advent candles.....appeared. And who could forget the wonderful Blue Peter Advent crown, a wonder of tinsel, wire coat hangers and almost safe candles? This year I made this calendar with a printed panel and we are going to use it to make a charity donation.

Each day we will put money in the appropriate pocket according to how good the day has been (a variation on the "well-fed" jar we have where we add a few coins if we have eaten well that day and the money collected helps those who don't eat well daily). Today, the 1st December, we are going to the historic city of Lincoln, meeting up with DD and my scrumptious Sam, having lunch out and maybe doing a little shopping - that's going to be worth quite a few coins to kickstart our collecting.
At the weekend I will start to decorate the house, before that I have a little production line going:

not seasonal colours and thankfully not needed for Christmas...

Embroidery Challenge for 2012

2011-11-23T19:53:00.000Z

Deanna at Eclectic Meanderings has alerted me to a stitching challenge that starts in January and looks very exciting.
It's called Take a Stitch Tuesday and is being organised by Sharon B at Pintangle and what's more, it's free! I'm going to sign up and try to keep up as I'm getting more interested in embroidery to embellish my work and know there is more to it than cross stitches, French knots and some long straight stitches that gather my work up! I might not be able to manage every challenge but I'm going to give it a go.
Why not pop over and have a look for yourself? All the details are here. See you at TAST 2012?

Stir Up Sunday

2011-11-20T13:00:00.000Z

Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people;
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of goodworks,
may by you be plenteously rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Collect for the Sunday before Advent has given rise to the tradition of ‘Stir up Sunday’ the day on which we make our Christmas pudding. I have adapted it slightly to suit our preferences and it is now the day (or a day very nearby) that I make the Christmas cake and everybody stirs the mixture and makes a wish. Absentee members of the family get a stir done for them and DGS and DD were the first to stir as they were here on Friday - it's lovely the way that we can stretch these Christian traditions to make them our own.

My cake sat in the oven for most of yesterday, sending warm, spicy, Christmassy smells throughout the house. I now have to decide how to decorate it. I usually top it with glossy nuts and dried fruits but think I might go for a traditional snow scene this year. What are your favourite Christmas traditions?

Friday Night Sew-In: Saturday Morning Report, November 2011

2011-11-19T11:41:00.000Z

I did something a little different last night, knitting instead of sewing. I've been working on these little slippers for a week or so. I had to unpick the first one and then sort the pattern out which I wasn't too happy about. I suppose I should have realised sooner that there was a problem but I've never knitted slippers before so I wasn't sure how it was all going to work - answer, it wasn't!!

The pattern was originally for using Bernat Sox wool and you can see it here: http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=3815&cps=21191

Two things. Firstly, it's not a UK pattern and so the shoe sizes are different. I wear a size 5 and knitted a 7/8 which fits well and a 2.5mm needle is a size 12 in old money! Secondly, the pattern should read:

Cast on 5 sts.
Beg at heel, work in garter st (knitevery row), inc 1 st each end ofneedle on 4th and every following6th row 3 times. 13 sts.

Cast on 17 sts beg next 2 rows.47 sts.

Conteven for 2 ins [5 cm] in total, ending with a WS row.

Anyway, I'm pleased with my little slippers now and will be knitting a few more pairs soon.

I then decided to get on with some Christmas projects

but was soon distracted by Children in Need on television, absolutely amazing generosity from the public in these horrid economic times and amazing stories of children and the people who help them.
Thanks to Heidi and Bobbi as ever, I hope you all had a great FNSI, today I am baking my Christmas cake (more about that tomorrow) and working on the Advent calendar shown above, have a good weekend whatever you're doing.

Tasty Fractals or Cauliflower Cheese

2011-11-17T14:12:00.000Z

We've just had a very tasty lunch of cauliflower cheese adapted from the Hairy Bikers' recipe which was on television a couple of evenings ago. I used a trendy Romanesque cauliflower which looks like something from outer space but is grown locally. Here's some information and another recipe for using it.

With the addition of mushrooms and crispy bacon plus a tasty cheese sauce on top it was a very warming lunch which I enjoyed even though I'm not at all keen on cauliflower!

I steamed the cauliflower florets for a few minutes and dry-fried the bacon until crispy and broke it into pieces. I then fried the chestnut mushrooms in the bacon fat and put all three ingredients together in an ovenproof dish.

Next I made a bechamel sauce and added some grated Lincolnshire Poacher cheese (very strongly flavoured) and a little grated nutmeg. This was poured over the cauliflower mix and topped with grated cheese and fresh breadcrumbs. 35 minutes later in the oven (190C) and it was bubbling and crispy.

I've just found some interesting websites discussing the mathematics of Romanesque cauliflowers, Clifford was so blown away with his that he couldn't bring himself to eat it and John's thesis might even lead to a quilting project one day, enjoy!

My 500th Post, Giveaway Winners and a Knitting Bee

2011-11-14T17:59:00.000Z

This is it, my 500th post and here are the winners of my celebratory giveaway, thank you to everyone who entered and for all your lovely comments.

The random number generator did it's thing and the winner of Keira's generous prize isBenta, who said
Hi, wow 500 posts, congrats! I love your first quilt, you are justified in bing proud of it, it's great! Fab colours! I was sent a quilt when Lusa was born 20 years ago, and thought I can do that, then proved I couldn't! 8" (ish) squares (ish) in random cotton and poly cotton and goodness knows what else, all cut by hand. The points are all over the place! I didn't add wadding but backed it first with an old brushed cotton sheet. Years later I added fleece and it became my camp blanket when the girls were brownies and guides (I cut a slit in the middle so I could wear it like a poncho!) I do love it! Thanks for the blast from the past! If I win kind Kiki's contribution, I'd love a charm pack as I've never used one, but hopefully you or Kiki would chose me one!
I'll leave the choice of Charm Pack to Keira if that's okay Benta, congratulations.

The winner of the Inspirational Strippy Quilts magazine from Traplet is
Jenny on the other side of the world in gorgeous New Zealand who said,
Hi again Lis. Your first ever quilt looks pretty good to me, and is just so suitable to be hanging up in your bach with those lovely colours. My first quilt was one I made for the bed in our first caravan. Made in brown, cream and green with the fabrics ever so carefully co-ordinated, it served us well. I went to my first ever class and learned about rotary cutters, mats and rulers but did wonder why the teacher went on and on about the quarter inch seam! It is now retired and does duty in the car. Congratulations again on your 500 milestone.
I hope you'll enjoy reading a UK quilting magazine Jenny.
And finally, the winner of my sashiko tea mat, one of my lovely followers, is Sue who said
Great giveaway, I've updated my blog with the alert and you'll know that I'm a follower too! If I was to win the fabric I would like a blue FQ collection - I seem to be going for blues and reds at the moment.
My first quilt was a sashiko cushion cover, which I still have but it is in store as it is the worse for wear. I made it about 17 years ago when I first went to Bourne Quilters in Poole. I'd never heard of sashiko before then.
Well done Sue, I hope you like my little bit if sashiko.

I'll be emailing you for your snail mail addresses (but if you see this post before that please send me the details in an email) and getting your goodies on their way to you. Thank you again to everyone who entered, I wish you could all be winners.

I had a lovely few days away with my parents, lots of lovely meals, catching up with family and the visit culminated in a knitting bee with Mummy which was great fun. We'd been to John Lewis and she'd seen some wool she liked the look of (Riva by Debbie Bliss, who wouldn't?). She hasn't done any knitting for a while but it's winter, an ideal time and so I was able to persuade her to buy some wool. We sat down on Saturday while the menfolk were otherwise amused with manly stuff and knitted the afternoon away, chatting all the while. I finished one of the mulberry-coloured items I am working on (to be revealed when I have a pair!) and Mummy got a long way up the back of the jacket she decided upon, a good afternoon's work.
Now I'm home again I have a lot of quilting to get on with but I must also do some tidying up in the garden as this Friday's green bin collection is the last one until next Spring!

Giveaway....Giveaway....Giveaway

2011-11-08T10:38:00.000Z

This is my 499th post and so today I'm going to launch my 500th post giveaway and also share my first ever quilt with you. My 500th post will announce the winners of the giveaway goodies.

In 2004 when I decided to make a quilt for the first time I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I did know what I wanted to do, however. I wanted to make a wallhanging to represent the sea and I had been inspired by seeing some examples of stained glass work. One piece was a very modern design hanging in a craft shop in Mousehole, Cornwall, the other was a much older stained glass window in a church in Penzance, also in Cornwall. Without consulting any quilting books I decided how I would make my wallhanging and steamed ahead. Here it is:

My trusty Singer sewing machine expired while I was attempting to stitch together the pieced top, a layer of something springy from the upholstery factory shop and the length of curtain lining that I used as backing. This led to my first visit to the Festival of Quilts where I purchased a new machine and then rushed home to experiment with the array of embroidery stitches it offered.
"Cornish Seas" finished I proudly hung it in the wall of my bach where it remains. For all its faults I'm very proud of it and of all it has led to. One day I might make "Cornish Seas II".

You very politely read through that but here's what you are really after -

my 500th post giveaway!

There are three quilty gifts up for grabs.

1. I am very pleased to tell you that Keira at the lovely Kiki's Craft Corner in bonny Scotland has agreed to sponsor this giveaway. She will send one lucky winner either

a Fat Quarter Bundle,

a Charm Pack

4 x Out of Africa thread sets

and you get to choose.

Head over to her website, have a look at all the gorgeous things Keira has there and leave me a comment saying which you'd like to win. Sounds easy eh? Many thanks to Keira for her generosity.

2. The lovely people at British Patchwork & Quilting Magazine recently sent me a copy of their latest "Inspirational" publication to giveaway to one of you. It's all about strippy quilts.

For a chance to win this great book which has 14 super projects and features in it please leave me a comment about the first quilt you made.

3. Finally, I am going to send one of my lovely followers the tea cup rug I made for the tutorial on quilt as you go (but not the cup and saucer I'm afraid!), you don't need to leave a comment for this one, I'll just choose from my "followers" list using the random number thingy.

So, to make it clear:
You can enter all the giveaways or just one or two.
1. Leave me one comment about your first quilt for one chance to win "Inspirational Strippy Quilts".
2. Leave me one comment giving your choice from the Out of Africa threads (list the four colour sets you'd like)/Charm Pack (e.g. Dogwood Trail) or Fat Quarter Bundle (e.g. Bundle 7 - blues) for one chance to win those goodies from Kiki's Craft Corner.
3. Be a lovely follower.
4. If you'd like to spread the news about my giveaway on your blog or Facebook please leave me a comment with the link to your post and I'll give you an extra chance in the giveaways as a thank you, the more the merrier.

I'm away from my computer for a few days now, visiting my parents and revisiting my inner Essex girl! I'll announce the lucky winners in my next post, my 500th (who would have thought I had that much to say?!!), which will be on 14th November 2011 so entries remain open until then.
Good luck everybody and thank you to you all, those who have been with me since post number one right through to those who have recently joined me, your comments make my day, day after day.

Stitching and Knitting Weekend

2011-11-07T16:17:00.000Z

Another weekend has passed and here's what I achieved. Firstly I have really enjoyed doing the sashiko stitching on the quilt I made with Susan Briscoe a couple of weeks ago. I had thought I might be able to use the sashiko as the quilting stitch but when I made the little mug rug (see the tutorial here) I tried stitching sashiko through two layers of fabric and the wadding and wasn't overly happy with the results, plus it was hard work. I decided to use the sashiko as an embroidery embellishment to the quilt which I will then quilt, probably in the ditch, when it's all done and layered.
I've also had a little deviation from quilting and have got my knitting needles out. The needles I have used to belong to my grandmother and I love knitting with them. This is what I've done so far, too little for you to imagine what it might be! It wasn't the colour I intended to choose but I think I was subconsciously influenced by Nat's post on dyeing with mulberries!

Quilt As You Go Tutorial

2011-11-07T16:04:00.000Z

I promised you a tutorial on the little 'quilt as you go' piece we did at the Region 10 Quilters' Guild Area Day a couple of weeks ago, so here it is:
This is the sample piece I made on the day:

and this is how it was done:

To make one block you need
4 x 6" squares of fabric, two contrasting or complementary fabrics are nice
1 x 7.5" square of wadding
Sewing and quilting threads

1. Join the four squares of fabric to make a 11.5" square

2. Place the wadding on the wrong side, positioning it on the diagonal in the middle of the block. Secure it in place, either with a few stitches at each corner or with a squirt of 505.

3. Fold in half, rightsides together and stitch the short ends.

4. Open out and line the long sides up. Stitch together, leaving a small gap to turn the block out. NB don't leave the gap at one of the ends as it will be more difficult to keep the corners neat.

5. Turn through the block, ensuring the corners are pulled out and then handstitch the gap closed.

6. Press and "quilt as desired".

You can make a quilt with these blocks and it will be all finished, wadding, backing and all as soon as you've joined the blocks. I just made a single block and decorated it with sashiko stitching and tassels to make a pretty little mug rug, although, with the Japanese theme I had to have a pretty tea cup and saucer on mine.

Back to Tokyo 2010

2011-11-05T12:31:00.000Z

I couldn't manage without a Japanese post in my series to celebrate 500 posts and found that I hadn't shared this one from my brief visit to Tokyo in 2010, so, here goes with:

My Visit to Japan - Part 9

When we had a short visit to Tokyo on our way home from New Zealand in May 2010 we decided to explore the area near to our ryokan rather than try to belt about "doing" the whole country. We had very quickly agreed that we would be returning to this marvellous country as soon as funds permitted and so this wasn't a see all and end all visit. This resulted in us visiting small places that we might not have noticed if we'd been trying to "do" all the major attractions. One such place was the Taiko Drum Museum, just a decent length walk from Ryokan Sawanoya at 6-1-15 Asakusa.
There are over 600 drums in the museum's collection with about 200 on display at any one time. The drums are from all over the world and of a wonderful range of ages. There are coloured dots on the drums with a red dot meaning "Don't touch" but most of the drums can be played although of course you need to take particular care with some (blue dot).
Al is more of a musician than I am and enjoyed playing a variety of drums but we were both very interested in the decoration and design of the instruments, making them such beautiful items.

For lots more information can I send you to http://theartofthedrum.blogspot.com/2007/10/drum-museum-tokyo.html ? Jesse has written an amazingly detailed post on his visit to the Drum Museum in 2007.

We had an interesting conversation with a lovely member of the family who own the drum business, Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten and she kindly took photographs of us in the museum and gave us some postcards as souvenirs. I was very impressed at another example of a Japanese person taking time to explain to a non-Japanese speaking English tourist with patience and graciousness.

My First Post - Revisited

2011-11-04T10:07:00.000Z

As part of the celebrations for my 500th blog post I thought I'd have a look at my first post and revisit the people who commented.
It was Amy who got me into this (you have a lot to answer for Amy ha ha) as my first post was to enter her Bloggers' Quilt Festival in Spring 2009. I shared my "Norfolk" quilt:
http://piecenpeace.blogspot.com/2009/04/norfolk-quilt.html
and at that time my blog was called Online Quilting.

(And I've just noticed that I have the quilt upsidedown in the photo - or the boats are sailing on a very choppy North Sea!)
Nine lovely people commented on my first post.
1. Zonnah writes Snip.Sew.Send an online quilting bee and her most recent swap was Wonky Stars which look really great. She also writes at Zonnah's Addictions and is currently showing some great photos from a trip to the beach.
2. Carol from bonny Scotland but currently living in Tennessee, USA, blogs at Stitch Across the Border. She is well up to speed with her Christmas projects (note to self....Advent panel!) and has some wonderfully inspirational posts and photos on her blog - love the peeling bark Carol.
3. Kwiltmakr (Marlene) blogs from mid-west USA at Under the Rose and is currently having a de-clutter! She hasn't posted much recently as she's been renovating her home (not a voluntary makeover, more an urgent rebuild). It looks great now so I hope you have time to sew again soon Marlene.
4. Happy Cottage Quilter will be on many of your blog lists, she has nearly 900 foloowers, posts frequently and also has a wonderful blog that she calls her "thriftin blog", Just a Little Southern Hospitality, which is a wonderful collection of all things antique, recycled and pre-loved, all beautifully arranged and photographed, such an inspiration. I want to have tea at your house soon HCQ.
5. Hetty in Toronto, Canada, has several blogs on the go but if you pop over to Crafts and Stuff you'll see the great hexagons she's currently addicted to. Hetty is a prolific quilter and her blog is a lovely mix of quilting and posts of everyday life in Ontario, cakes, flowers, family, all yummy things.
6. Nicolette blogs from Holland, across the North Sea from me, and has many inspirational projects on her Tangled Textiles blog. She works with a group of cyber stitchers on regular textile challenges. The last one was on the theme of "Tools" and produced a great variety of interpretations, the next, due for completion in January 2012, is called "Look Up". I'm looking forward to seeing what results from that.
7. Jill, also in Canada, blogs at The Quilt Rat and is an artist in many media. She is currently sharing her paper cutting designs, like the snowflakes we used to make as children but much, much more detailed and awesome. I love the insects one, it could lead to a Hawaiian-style quilt with a difference.
8. Amy herself left a comment on my first post. You must all know Amy and her great blog but in case you've been missing out, here's a link: Amy's Creative Side. Amy, living in Utah, USA, lives, sleeps and breathes quilting, blogging and inspiring us. Thanks Amy.
9. The final comment on my first post was from Stitchinpenny, who lives in Florida, USA. Penny makes the most of all her blessings as well as creating some lovely quilts. Health can be an "issue" for her so pop over and give her a hug when you have a moment.
As a thank you to these lovely people who took the time to write me a comment and who encouraged me in my new venture into blogging I'm going to give them a free entry into my 500th post giveaway. Watch this space as they say!
DH is still poorly (he has a nasty cold) so I'm now going to sit with him and continue with sashiko stitching my latest quilt. It's therapeutic for me although I'm not sure it doesn't anything much for Al. Have a great weekend.

Bloggers' Quilt Festival, Autumn 2011

2011-11-03T16:40:00.000Z

I am very late but, finally, here is my contribution to Amy's "Bloggers' Quilt Festival". The festival ends tomorrow but there will still be time to look at all the wonderful quilts. I couldn't consider not taking part, even though I have been delayed by all kinds of things (including DH's germs), as it was Amy's BQF that got me started with this blog and as I am fast approaching my 500th post it seems fitting that this entry should kickstart the celebrations.
So, which quilt to share? Well, I have already posted about this quilt but it is one of my favourites and also one of my most recently completed so here is "Round and Round the Nara Gardens":

I couldn't manage to get a very square photograph of it but these are better than the original one I posted:

As you can see this quilt is made in Japanese-style fabrics (Nara Gardens) and I'm not sure the photos show it but I have tie-quilted it with a lovely green cotton thread. This quilt lives on my guest bed and has been promised to several guests to sleep beneath but it didn't get finished in time. You can't rush a good thing can you and it will be here for their next visits! The design is a simple combination of Snowball and Framed Square blocks which I first made on a workshop with Jane Bottamley and I have used the pattern several times. I wanted to make a Japanese version as soon as I saw the trellis effect that the combination of the blocks creates.
Thank you Amy for organising another great BQF, I'm off to look at more of the wonderful entries.

Happy Hallowe'en

2011-10-31T18:18:00.001Z

Awesome Indigo

2011-10-25T16:31:00.001+01:00

Bryan, our host and tutor in Japan next April, has been to the tsunami-hit region of Japan to give some very creative and practical support in the form of indigo dyeing workshops. Read all about it on the Japanese Textile Study Tour blog.

Susan Briscoe Weekend 2

2011-10-25T15:36:00.001+01:00

On Sunday I joined Susan Briscoe's "Japanese Circles and Squares" workshop at Ludford.

Susan has made several variations of this quilt design and is planning a book which will share them and her wonderful cutting, piecing and block arrangement instructions (which saved us a lot of strain on our grey matter on a Sunday morning).

We all worked very hard, there was a lot of 2 1/2", 3 1/2", 1 1/2" mutterings as we cut and then a lot of 2,4...3,6... as we arranged our blocks.

I used Japanese fabrics for my quilt but not everybody did and it was interesting to see how the quilt came together in the differing fabrics. It seems to be one of those designs that works in almost any fabric. I feel another version coming on! Susan has photographs of everyone's versions on her post about the workshop here.

I made very good progress during the workshop, getting all the blocks made and arranged in order. I was pleased with how accurate my work was on this project with everything coming together neatly. Yesterday I sewed them together and then spent a while playing about with adding the circles before deciding I didn't need circles at all on this version. No, I wasn't swayed in that decision by the thought of needle-turn applique as Susan demonstrated this and I'm sure it's really easy :-)

So now I need to think about borders and then I am going to use sashiko stitching to quilt the piece, using a cream thread. Here is the quilt so far, "Japanese Squares Without Circles":

Thank you for all the comments you made regarding the handles on my Southern Belle bag. I agreed with several of you it would be sensible to machine them as that would give them strength. I did that this morning and am now going to return to hand stitching to quilt the bag flap. I'll share that when it's finished but if you would like some Japanese eye candy please scroll down to my first post of today and see some of the lovely quilts Susan shared with us on Saturday.

Susan Briscoe Weekend 1

2011-10-25T14:56:00.000+01:00

You will remember that I have been rather excited about the QGBI Region 10 area weekend I attended on 22nd and 23rd October as the guest speaker was Susan Briscoe. I wasn't disappointed. On Saturday we had a lovely day with a mini workshop (quilt as you go, I'll share that soon), traders, bring and buy, a yummy faith lunch and lots of chat and then Susan's talk in the afternoon. Called "Japanese Quilt Inspirations" it was right up my street and was a feast for the eyes. My photos are a bit skewed as I didn't choose my seat very well but anyway I would urge you to get your local quilt group to book Susan so you can see them for yourselves. You will also hear all the stories that accompany them and the story of Susan's quilting life and her connections with Japan. I've included a few detail photos too so that you can appreciate the quality of Susan's work.

Friday Night Sew-In: Saturday Morning Report, October 2011

2011-10-21T19:04:00.000+01:00

I'm posting during FNSI itself just before I go for a nice soak in the bath and then an early night. I got back from a trip to Rugby this afternoon (the English town not the World Cup in New Zealand sadly) and have been working on my "Southern Belle" bag since having a lovely fish and chip dinner (thanks DH for fetching it). I'm getting on quite nicely but am now wondering whether I ought to "cheat" and machine the lines of stitching that strengthen the handles. I was intending to do the whole bag by hand but...what would you do?
My early night is in aid of it being QGBI Region 10 Area Day tomorrow. Susan Briscoe is coming to speak about her Japanese Quilt Inspirations and on Sunday I'm doing a workshop with her, Japanese Circles and Squares. I'm very excited and will hopefully have a lot of photographs to share with you next week plus a quilt top. Hoping you're all having a good FNSI and that you have a lovely weekend.

More About Bryan

2011-10-17T11:48:00.000+01:00

This article from 2006 about our tutor and host in Japan next year was published by The Daily Yomiuri Online, here's the link to the original:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/0003/inroads019.htm

Canadian finds his own silk road

Bryan Whitehead

At the entrance of his 150-year-old house in Fujinomachi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Bryan Whitehead fixes the shape of a tool, called mabushi, made of straw and used for spinning cocoons.

Whitehead unwinds cocoons while a machine called zaguri reels the silk.

Obi and drawstring bags made by Whitehead

Degummed silk floss waiting to be hand-spun

Photos by Daily Yomiuri Photographer Makoto Miyazaki

By Ayako Hirayama

Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
FUJINOMACHI, Kanagawa--Bryan Whitehead is a person of many interests--art, history, antique tools, fabrics and gardening. After spending years going off in all directions, he now lives in an old silk-farming house that satisfies all his interests.
In spring, Whitehead takes the eggs of silkworms, laid the previous autumn, out of the refrigerator. After the eggs hatch, he constantly feeds the caterpillars mulberry leaves until they gain enough weight to enter the cocoon stage. A month later, Whitehead starts spinning silk from the cocoons.
During the winter, he uses natural dyes, including indigo that he grows himself, to dye the silk that he produces and weaves. His silk products range from traditional Japanese bags and other small items to larger items, such as kimono.
He also cultivates mulberry trees to feed more than 10,000 silkworms, which eat about 60 kilograms of mulberry leaves a day. After talking to older residents in his neighborhood of Fujinomachi, where sericulture once flourished, he learned how to make tools that are no longer available.
Whitehead also paints on commission--a subject that he studied for many years--while teaching English.
"Everything fits so well together with the old silk farming house I am living in. All my interests since I was a kid seemed to find a place in what I am doing," the 42-year-old Canadian said.
His respect for a simple, but refined life, close to nature has kept him in the mountainous town for nearly two decades.
"I was dissatisfied with a consumer lifestyle and wanted to live my life as something more than simply someone contributing to the world through purchasing things and being someone who would be often defined by what I owned and wore," Whitehead said.
Japan's traditional arts and crafts helped him achieve his ideal lifestyle. The turning point came when he was invited to a friend's home on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture shortly after he first came to Japan in 1989.
"I had no idea what to expect and found myself traveling for hours in a van with no one who spoke English in Golden Week traffic," he recalled. "Eventually we stopped in the middle of nowhere and started hiking up through the mountains. We came to a really poor-looking shack with no electricity. There were about 20 people inside with just some candles and kerosene lights."
However, his worries turned to excitement when he saw that the table--which was just a huge slab of zelkova wood--was covered with many beautiful cups and dishes, and that the food being served, such as wild vegetable tempura, came from the nearby mountain.
"It made a great impression on me and I was determined to learn about pottery and this new aesthetic [called] wabizumai, a kind of refined poverty," he said.
The mingei philosophy of Soetsu Yanagi (1889-1961), who discovered the beauty in everyday objects created by unknown craftsmen, further inspired him to learn about traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
"Some objects made by illiterate potters, weavers and painters are worth millions. Why is this? Why do we never get tired of looking at them?" Whitehead asks.
"I guess it is a kind of Zen lack of ego. My ego functions a bit too well at times, but somehow I figured if I went the whole route of making my own silk fabric...somehow 'I' would disappear and just the work would be left," he said.
Born near Vancouver, Whitehead studied marketing and advertising as well as graphic design at university, but in the end, he became disillusioned with the commercial fields and decided to travel abroad.
"I was being reactionary against store-bought goods after years of studying advertising and marketing. I knew the structure and the games and wanted to avoid that world for a while," he said.
At age 25, Whitehead arrived at Narita Airport with just a backpack, after having traveled in India and Southeast Asia for six months. Initially, he planned to stay in Japan for five years to study sumi-e ink painting.
It was after moving to Fujinomachi that he became interested in raising silkworms, as well as dyeing and weaving textiles. It was a meeting with his neighbor, Minako Kato, that led him into the fields.
When he saw Kato creating textiles from scratch by making raw materials, his desire for producing quality work intensified, and he often visited her to try to acquire the traditional craft techniques, which are often time-consuming and labor-intensive. To weave one kimono, up to 5,000 cocoons are required.
However, Whitehead's enthusiasm overcame the challenges he faced.
"He was really enthusiastic about learning the craft. Also, he was a fast learner and very skillful with his fingers," the 85-year-old Kato said. "Now that he can do anything on his own, I just sit back and enjoy watching his achievements."
Whitehead's current passion is to share the skills he has learned with others. Several times a year, he visits Laos thanks to an Asian Development Bank project aimed at developing the country's silk production and crafts. In Japan, he recently started holding workshops where his students can learn the traditional techniques involved in reeling, plant dyeing and weaving fabrics.
"I am not so proud of being 'hen na gaijin' [strange foreigner] and try to be inconspicuous at times. What I am doing was so common not so long ago, so I don't think it so special," Whitehead said.
But he added, "I love what I am doing and am always enthusiastic about it, so I love to share it."

(August. 13, 2006)

I think there might still be a place available on the Japanese Textile Study Tour (April 2012) but you'll need to be quick, have a look at the tour brochure here.

Productive Weekend

2011-10-16T17:10:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I made a banana loaf in the morning (no picture, it's all gone!), put a casserole in the slow cooker and then went to meet DD in Horncastle when Doughty's were holding a fabric roadshow. Going later in the day was a good plan, it was much calmer than when we arrived at the start of their last sale and we were able to browse easily and get fabric cut without queueing for ages. We also got to buy the remaining cakes, mmm lemon drizzle, to support Breast Cancer. DD bought a great selection of creams and browns to make her first quilt. I bought the fabrics above, the cream and turquoise for the Fat Quarter Frenzy quilt I started at Country Roads Quilters last week and the brown and rust for another quilt I'm planning using the same pattern.
Once home I finished joining the blocks for the FQFQuilt, version one:

This will be going on one of the guest beds at the bach next season.

Today has been a glorious, sunny Autumn day and this morning we took GS2 on a walk in the woods, he had a great time playing in the stream and collecting minibeasts, DH and I collected blackberries and hazelnuts for an afternoon treat. I love foraging.
Back at home DH sat down to play his guitar for the first time in a very long time and I headed to the cutting board. I got all these sets cut to make another version of the FQFQuilt. Most of these fabrics were sent to me for my birthday by my Global Piecers friends in South Dakota and I thought it would be great to use them all together. We have pheasants adorning our dining room so this quilt is destined for that room. Thank you Twila, Carole and Joan.

Before lighting the fire and enjoying the second incarnation of the casserole I washed and ironed all these delicious Japanese fabrics for a workshop I'm taking with Susan Briscoe next weekend.

I hope you've also had a good weekend. Bad luck for Wales but at least New Zealand beat Australia!

Thank You Sam

2011-10-14T18:49:00.000+01:00

Just photos this evening after my adorable grandson, Sam, helped his Grandad move and stack a pile of logs in the autumn sunshine this afternoon. Have a great weekend everyone and good luck to Wales.

Country Roads Quilters and Giveaways for Christmas

2011-10-13T09:29:00.000+01:00

Thank you for all your comments about my small fat quarter (anyone reading this who isn't a quilter and is therefore confused please click here), it is interesting to learn that it is an international problem and not confined to one supplier or two. In future if the dimensions of a FQ are important to a project I shall have no hesitation in asking to measure what I'm thinking of buying. I learned also that even though fabric might be marked as 44" wide this is the "off the loom" width and it might be less than 42" by the time it reaches us. More grrr.
Anyway, in spite of that hassle I had a lovely meeting at Country Roads Quilters on Tuesday when most people started work on their Fat Quarter Frenzy quilt with the aim of it being finished for Christmas (don't say which Christmas!) Quilters are such lovely people aren't they? Our members range from the expert, teaching, exhibiting end to the "what's a rotary cutter?" end of experience. Everybody was willing to help somebody else as required, whether with showing them how to cut their fabric into the required size pieces, giving suggestions about layout or about border fabrics or simply making a supportive cup of tea as required and offering assurance that it gets easier! Thank you ladies, you're the best.
And finally today, also on the subject of lovely quilting ladies, get yourself over to see Lynne, she's organised a fantastic Christmas gifts giveaway here or you can click the button on the right or below. Good luck, have fun and thank you to all the sponsors as well as to Lynne herself.

A Little Moan

2011-10-10T16:21:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post today to have a little moan. I'm starting a Fat Quarter Frenzy quilt with the Country Roads Quilters tomorrow and this afternoon I set about preparing the fabric. It sounds so simple. I need nine different FQs and have to cut pieces 21"x17" from each to start the quilt.
FQs are 22"x18" right? Even allowing for a little wobbly cutting by the suppliers I should still manage to cut the pieces I need quite easily..
NO!!
Even FQs from the same shop varied by up to two inches and as I had fabrics from three different shops the whole process was a nightmare. With one piece I couldn't even get 20" let alone 21" from it and with several others I've had to include some or all of the selvedge and will have to take care to hide it in the seams. I've bought FQs many times in the past but have never used them in this way, where the dimensions are crucial.
In future I will be unable to assume I'm getting 22"x18" and size does matter!

Now That's What I Call Good Service

2011-10-07T19:22:00.000+01:00

I am over the moon. Getting back home from lunch with DH, DD and DGS (who had a little tear duct operation yesterday and is already back to his normal, wonderful self and is such a brave little man) I found a package waiting for me. I couldn't think what it could be and was amazed to find that it was the fabric and threads I ordered from Keira at Kiki's Craft Corner on Wednesday evening. It couldn't have got to me more quickly if Keira had brought it from bonny Scotland herself.
These are the Out of Africa threads I finally decided on:

and these fabrics are for some little projects I am planning to take to Japan with me as gifts. Earlier this evening I cut the templates.....

Have a great weekend everyone, I hope you have time to sew.

A New Online Quilt Shop and Come to Japan with Me

2011-10-05T19:29:00.000+01:00

Well, I have no progress to report after my morning at Crafty Time Out. Several regulars didn't make it today (one is on a Mediterranean cruise celebrating a big anniversary, I hope she's having an amazing time) and the meeting turned into a relaxed coffee and chat session. I didn't even get my sewing out of my bag! I did gain a new recruit for Country Roads Quilters and think we'll get some sewing done when we begin our Fat Quarter Frenzy quilts next week. I do want to give you a couple of links in this post though.

Firstly, I want to alert you to a new online shop, Kiki's Craft Corner run by Keira, a friend of my quilting guru, Teresa. My first rush of delight at looking at Keira's site for the first time was that she sells Aurifil threads, mmmm, and then I clicked through to her "Out of Africa" hand quilting thread sets, be still my beating heart. Apart from wanting them all for myself I also think the sets of three threads, all hand dyed (and colourfast) would make lovely gifts for sewing friends and to add to swaps and Christmas goodybags. There is a lovely range of fabric, including some 3D fabrics which would be great for children's quilts and the website works really smoothly. Click over there and have a look please.

Secondly, I heard today that there are remaining places on the fantastic Japanese Textile Study Tour that I am joining next April. If you think you would like to join Nat, Bryan and a lovely group of people in Japan for dyeing, weaving and almost endless delights please have a look at the tour brochure. Nat is doing a fantastic job of organising the tour and Bryan is going out of his way to make the tour (which is based at his home) a wonderful success. There will be opportunities beyond our wildest textiley dreams and I am already very excited about the tour and planning to travel very, very light in anticipation of the goodies I'll be bringing home.

Sun, Sea and Celebrations

2011-10-04T19:17:00.000+01:00

We're back from our anniversary celebrations in Norfolk and I've put a few photos together. As you can see our special long weekend revolved around eating and making the most of the wonderful sunshine. Thank you to all you lovely people who wrote comments of congratulations, we both appreciated your kind messages.

I have a morning sewing with the ladies of Crafty Time Out tomorrow and then the wonderful Sam and my DD are heading over to see us. Sam has to have an operation of his eye on Thursday so he'll be getting extra cuddles tomorrow. Time now to catch up with blogs and emails.

20 Years....

2011-10-02T10:16:00.000+01:00

DH and I are celebrating 20 years together with what seems to be turning into a fantastic food fest over a long weekend in Norfolk.
We're also enjoying the wonderfully unseasonal weather, nearly 30C yesterday
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8801513/Britons-cool-off-in-October-heat-wave.html
and we had a lovely time at the beach (before a tasty lunch of course). One or two photos to follow, just taking a minute to say hello while Al fetches the newspapers. Hmm, 20 years ago we didn't share all our adventures like this, here I am blogging and I've just seen a poster on Facebook that says "In case of fire....please exit the building before tweeting about it". Just saying :)
Enjoy the sunshine if you've got it (sorry Scotland) and have a lovely Sunday.

Autumn Afternoon

2011-09-26T18:51:00.000+01:00

I just had to share the wonderful afternoon I had with DH, DD and DGS. The photos tell the story, exploring the ruins of the local castle and then gathering conkers, all in the lovely warm, autumn sunshine.

In answer to your question Saz, the castle dates from c.1220, more information here.

A Quilty Day Out

2011-09-24T19:23:00.000+01:00

I have had a lovely day today joining over 60 quilting ladies at a Quilters' Guild Area Day held in Nottinghamshire.
After a good journey in early autumn sunshine we arrived at Epperstone and were greeted with a cup of tea, a name label and an invitation to hand over the quilts we'd brought with us for the show and tell. It had been decided to display the quilts in exhibition-style and to celebrate the creative skills of local quilters. The range of quilts was amazing and I would have happily given any one of them house room. They made the hall look splendid and were a reminder of all the possibilities in this art-form of ours.

There was a lot to keep us occupied once the day got underway. Jenni Dobson gave a demonstration on how to produce a perfect binding, with perfect mitres. There was a table where we could try our hand at mono-printing -

and there was a trader, the Guild stall (with lots of exciting new products available) and a sales tables with secondhand books, magazines and bargain bundles of fabric.
Two speakers had been invited for the meeting. Before a "faith" buffet lunch Greta Fitchett made us very peckish with her talk, "Don't Count the Calories". Firstly she showed us some journal quilts depicting foods of various kinds and then showed how this developed into the creation of a whole series of realistic looking, larger than life, cakes and chocolates.

In a complete contrast to those fabric confections Gillian Clarke was welcomed to speak to us after lunch. She had brought a wonderful collection of her hand pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted wallhangings and quilts based on illustrations in medieval manuscripts including the local Luttrell Psalter. There were quilts representing the months of the year, the story of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage to Compostela de Santiago
and Gillian explained how she created her designs by taking elements from various sources, by adding floral borders and by using the curlicues of the calligraphy as quilting designs.

Gillian also showed us a wholecloth quilt. White with dragons, interwined lovers' knots, flowers, with a binding and backing in a glorious bright red. The quilt looked wonderful from both sides. However, in the top right hand corner of the white side was a red, pink and orange dye bleed. The quilt had been exhibited and suffered from a leak in the ceiling above. Surely someone as experienced as Gillian would have pre-washed her fabrics when combining red and white? Indeed she had. The stain was from the thread she had used for the quilting! I don't think I would have been quite as calm as she was but maybe she's got used to it now and it's a good story - we can't really consider pre-washing our thread, can we?
To top off a well organised and stimulating day I had to quickly silence my mobile during Greta's talk (how shameful but fortunately few people heard it). Checking at lunch time I found it had been my DS phoning and we have now arranged to get together with him and his fiancee for lunch tomorrow, I'm very excited.

Mother: (answering phone), Hello?
Son: Hello Mother dear, how are you?
Mother: Not so well darling, I feel quite weak, I haven't eaten for 38 days.
Son: My goodness Mother, why not, what on earth is wrong?
Mother: Well, I didn't want to risk having my mouth full when you phoned.

Boom boom!!

Finally, here's a couple of photos of one of the most praised quilts on show today, this crazy quilt that was a celebration of love and associated memories:

Japanese Beach Huts?

2011-09-23T09:30:00.000+01:00

Here are my beach huts, all finished and ready to hang on the wall of my bach in Norfolk. Carin - can you spot any of the kimono silk pieces you gave me? Although the workshop was in Norfolk and beach huts are traditional there I couldn't quite get away from my leanings towards all things Japanese and so my beach huts are all made in Japanese fabrics (and there are pieces of kimono in the sea too). If they have beach huts in Japan maybe this is how they'd look!
A quick Google led me to these....
http://www.housingjapan.com/real-estate-tokyo/resort-property/chiba-beach-houses/

Seaweed Dyeing Revealed

2011-09-22T14:12:00.000+01:00

I finally unwrapped my attempt at dyeing cloth with seaweed on Tuesday evening after it had been brewing for a month. The smell was less than aromatic! Here is the result:

Rather erratic dyeing but a good brown in places. No sign of the original pink of the seaweed though (which you can see here).

Country Roads Quilters

2011-09-20T19:13:00.000+01:00

I've had a lovely day today at the first meeting of Country Roads Quilters as we are now called. One day we might make something with the Country Roads block (which you can see on Marcia Hohn's "Quilters' Cache" site here) but today we mainly chatted. We seem to be a lovely mix of experience, style and quilting preferences so I think it's going to be a lively and stimulating group, challenging to old hands and supporting to new quilters.

Today we all stitched by hand but at our next meeting we're going to get the machines going and start on a Fat Quarter Frenzy quilt designed by Sharyn Simpson of Blenheim, New Zealand. Tina, who welcomed us to her lovely home for our meeting, has made this pattern before and is going to lead us. Our visiting trader did good business today with people buying FQs in preparation, and other goodies too.

It was lovely to meet two fellow bloggers, Tina who blogs as Sweetypie50 and Angela who I've been trying to get together with all summer, she blogs at Fenland Textile Studio. Do pop over to their blogs, they both do very exciting things.
It was also lovely that people willingly agreed to do little jobs so that Country Roads Quilters can be a group of friends sewing rather than a top heavy, committee-led group.

We talked about all sorts of possibilities, projects to do together, workshops we'd like to hold, QGBI events including meetings in our area and the 2010 AGM which will take place in Dundee, Scotland, our hopes for the group and a few practicalities like insurance and whether to put the kettle on again! I'm so excited about this new group, it's going to be fun.

Beach Huts Workshop

2011-09-19T18:59:00.000+01:00

Here I am with my friend Ros at the end of a great day at a workshop with Melanie Plummer yesterday. The workshop was a lot of fun, I don't think I've ever heard so much laughter during a quilting day, and we all learned new techniques, produced something we were happy with and nearly finished it too.
Melanie was a relaxed tutor and brought loads of examples of her work with her as well as lots of lovely organza and fabrics that she allowed us to buy from her if we needed them (and didn't charge much either). Here are two of her "beach hut" pieces, I'm going to use her notebook idea to make a visitor book for my bach.

Once we got started with our sky, sand and water fabrics 505ed onto wadding and backing fabric it was time to audition all the organzas, nets and threads that would build up the texture of the piece. This was fun and it was interesting to see that from the same starting point we all created our own designs, just as it should be.

I think the wall hangings have a lovely naivety. This is not a good photograph (I would have needed to hang from the ceiling...) but it reminds me of children's paintings laid out to try at the end of an art lesson, such bold colours and effective designs.

They all became individual. One lady added stilts to her beach huts as that is the design of the ones she is familiar with, a gentleman added deckchairs and seagulls and I made my beach huts from Japanese fabrics, including some wonderful kimono silk pieces that I was given by my friend Cara when she visited UK in August.
It's always good to pick up new skills as well as have fun on a workshop and I was pleased to learn to create marram grass and beach plantlife using FMQ but the greatest combination of fun and learning came with the discovery of angelina. Who knew something that looks like glittery candyfloss could be such a delight? I'll certainly be using it again.
Tomorrow is the first meeting of the new quilting group I'm starting with my friend Tina. We're hoping to have a good turnout and already know of several lovely blogging friends who will be there. I'm taking my beach huts piece to work on - it's time to embellish with relish! We're having a trader, a raffle and show and tell as well as a chat about what people want from the group. I'm very excited about it - please check back here to see how it goes, and what the group is to be called!

FNSI Report

2011-09-17T12:12:00.001+01:00

This is my progress on my bag. The top picture is of the flowers for the front of the bag, I have got to make eight of these and managed two during FNSI, they are very fiddly. The other picture is of what I'd done already, the back of the bag and the flap. It looks a strange shape as I need to avoid the flap gatting caught up when I do the sides of the bag.
I hope you all had a great FNSI and got lots done. I spend a couple of hours in the afternoon with Ros, my sewing friend in Norfolk, and we had great fun going through her stash getting together all the things she wants for the "Beach Huts" wall hanging workshop we're doing together tomorrow at Wroxham Barns. I think we selected enough stuff to make a full size beach hut! Well, you just never know quite what you're going to need for a workshop.
Today is dry and I've done a little tidying up in the small garden here at our bach in Norfolk and then DH and I went and picked blackberries and now have purple-stained fingers. That reminds me, when I get home I'll unwrap my seaweed dyeing and see what (if anything) has happened to the cloth. Have a great weekend, whatever you're doing.

FNSI

2011-09-16T10:26:00.001+01:00

Tonight is Friday Night Sew In and I'm going to be working on my Southern Belle bag again. I'm doing it all by hand which is taking a while but I think that, because the pieces are small and the piecing a bit tricky, I'm probably better off doing it this way than fiddling about in and out of the machine. Also, I want to use this bag when I go to Japan and so wanted to make it in a more traditional way. The Japanese do most of their sewing by hand, from choice and also from space restrictions. Most of us have a sewing area, or even a room or purpose built atelier if we're really fortunate. In Japan homes tend to be smaller and a sewing room is reduced to a specific chair, with a box of fabric and notions along side. Julie, who now lives in Tokyo, posted a great picture of her sewing chair here. Back to the bag. I am now piecing the front of the bag, eight small "flower" blocks. I'll post a photo in the morning, in the meantime, have a great FNSI and thank you Heidi and Bobbi for hosting again.

Fuji San

2011-09-14T11:12:00.000+01:00

I am looking forward to seeing Mount Fuji when I visit Japan next year, in the meantime I'm studying this video :)

Catching Up

2011-09-12T19:31:00.000+01:00

I seem to be forever "catching up" at the moment but I do have the excuse of a Crohn's flare up for my absence from Blogger (and life in general) recently. I'm feeling much better now and am going to have a few days relaxation (and sewing) in Norfolk, I'll be joining Heidi and co in FNSI and ending up with a workshop called "Beach Huts" with Melanie Plummer on Sunday. I've been very frugal and assembled everything for the workshop from my stash - trying to save as much as possible for my trip to Japan next year. On that subject, I've decided to go a few days early and spend some time in Tokyo. I've booked into the ryokan (inn) where we stayed on our first visit to Japan and I'm really looking forward to returning to Ryokan Sawanoya in Yanaka, a lovely old part of the city.
Today I caught up with my DD and DGS. Sam started at a new school (pre-school) today and according to Saz was very brave (she was very brave too, I remember it being heart wrenching). They came over after school for lunch and although he was very tired he was extremely well behaved until he did the unthinkable and was sick....in my mouth. Yuck, yuck, yuck, this never happened to me before and it's lucky it was Sam as he's so gorgeous I've forgiven him. DD said I shouldn't have held him upside down when he was full of jacket potato, chilli beef and ice cream! Yuck though!
I'm very excited to have received the requirements list for a workshop I'm doing with Susan Briscoe next month. It's called Japanese Circles and Squares and I'm looking forward to using some of the wonderful Japanese fabrics I have in my stash. I'm thinking of an indigo/terracotta combination but will have to get my fabrics out for a little stroke and see what most appeals.
Okay, weary now, will sign off and try to catch up with some blog reading.

Sewing All Day

2011-09-07T16:57:00.003+01:00

This morning "Crafty Time Out" met at my house (good excuse for posher biscuits) and although there were only a few of us we had a lovely time, sitting stitching, chatting and having a nice cup of tea (and biscuits).
This afternoon I headed to Sibsey to meet with my friend Tina. We are starting a quilting group in the village and needed to discuss our plans for the day. It's very exciting, I hope lots of people come along and can be involved right from the beginning with the way the group is going to run. The first meeting is on 20th September and we're having a trader (oooh, fabric buying), a raffle and a gentle show and tell. We'll also be chatting, sewing, planning and we'll need to decide on a name for our group. If you're local and want more details, send me an email please.
Tina was telling me about "Wonderfil" thread which is now sold by the Quilters' Guild. It has received some very good reports and favourable comparisons with my beloved Aurifil apparently. I'm going to give some a try and I'll get back to you - mainly as it will be easier to get hold of than Aurifil and buying it will benefit the QGBI. Have any of you lovely people used this thread yet? What do you think?
Apart from all that lovely sewing-related stuff it's been a dull and miserable day, weather-wise, here in Lincolnshire so it's time for winter food. I've got a slow cooker full of savoury mince and I'm making Yorkshire pudding to have with it, plus French beans from the garden which are still going strong. Sounds warming eh? When we've eaten I'll be back with a needle in my hand working on the little blocks for the bag I'm making - Southern Belle from Monkey Buttons. Life's pretty good really and tomorrow I'm having a day with DD :) so that's be a good day too, we're going to have a browse in John Lewis among other things.

Romance in the Autumn Air

2011-09-03T16:55:00.002+01:00

Patchwork and Quilting Magazine giveaway results, drum roll please...

The two comments I chose made me smile, for different reasons, Wendy is kindly leaving some fabric for me to buy when I visit Japan and Judith is thinking of her friend. Ladies, let me have your snail mail addresses and I'll get the magazines off to you while it's still September. Well done and thank you to everyone who entered and thank you to British Patchwork and Quilting.
What have I been up to since my last post? It seems a long time ago.
Well it seems romance is in the air as I had wonderful news from my DS, while he and his GF were on holiday in Florida in August they got engaged to be married. They had a great time wearing their "Just Engaged" badges at Disney's Magic Kingdom. Congratulations you two lovely people, what colours shall I start buying for your Double Wedding Ring quilt?

And more romance, DH and I went to a wedding on Thursday, the first wedding we've been to for years. Our lovely friend Clair married Jon in Norfolk and she looked really beautiful and so happy.
I haven't been doing much sewing but my sister brought me some pretty blue and white fabrics back from her trip to USA and my lovely friend Sal sent me some gorgeous Aboriginal fabrics for my birthday so I have no excuse. It's getting very autumnal here, misty mornings, John Keats' poem, To Autumn, sums it up beautifully:: Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness; Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless; With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;; To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,; And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;; To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells; With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,; And still more, later flowers for the bees,; Until they think warm days will never cease,; For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,

Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cider-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,-

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

and so I should soon have lots of time indoors happily stitching away. I've made a little to do pile, including an Advent wall hanging so I must start soon. What are you working on at the moment? Whatever it is, have a great weekend.

Wendy said...: Oh wow, you're going to Japan! I'm so jealous. I'm going on a business trip to China soon and I was originally going to Japan too, but that got cancelled. I'd love to visit that fascinating country, and buy up all the fabric, so at least with me not going, there'll be some left for you!
Judith said...: Hi Lis, my friend is going into hospital & I'm collecting up some mags for her to take with her. She quilts too so she would love these. Thanks for the giveaway. Jxo

Giveaway and Exciting News

2011-08-25T16:34:00.002+01:00

The lovely people at British Patchwork and Quilting magazine have sent me two copies of the latest issue for me to giveaway to you. They have also sent me a copy of their latest "Inspirational" magazine which is filled with Strippy Quilts and I'll be giving this away, with some other goodies when I reach my 500th blog post, which won't be very long so keep checking back.
The September issue of P&Q magazine has some great articles and projects including lots about the QGBI Unfolding the Quilts project (voting for the finals of the National Lottery Awards begins on 2nd September, I'll add a button soon).
What do you have to do to get your hands on a copy of September's P&Q magazine? No hoops to jump through just leave a comment to make me smile (and if you're a follower leave me a comment saying you are one for an extra entry). That's it, I'll choose the two winners next weekend - 3rd September. Good luck (and make sure I can contact you if you're a winner, no-reply comments will be excluded).

Some exciting news...I've just booked my flights to Japan! I'll be joining Nat and Bryan on their Japanese Textile Study Tour. I think there are some places still available, anyone fancy coming along? By the way, BA have an air ticket sale on, that might tempt you, I saved loads (which I'll be spending on fabric!!)

Friday Night Sew-In: Saturday Report, August 2011

2011-08-20T16:51:00.000+01:00

Last night was Friday Night Sew-In for August and I got rather waylaid by climbing French beans! We've been (ha ha) away for a few days and so DH went to the garden and picked all the beans that had grown while we were away. It was rather too many for dinner last night so before I started sewing I blanched the beans and got them safely into the freezer.
While in the kitchen I thought I'd do a very experimental piece of natural dyeing. When we were in Norfolk earlier this week the beach was covered by the most amazingly pink seaweed.

I gathered some up and tied it into a piece of cotton which I've left to brew. I'll post the results when I unwrap the parcel. I read Fiona's post on dyeing with seaweed which was very helpful.

I then got started on Operation Cardigan. DD and I both bought some cardigans from H&M and decided we would jazz them up and make them look less like £10 cardis and (hopefully) more like designer numbers by adding some goodies from the haberdashery department. This navy one now has pearl buttons and little bows and ribbon on the pockets. What do you think?

Finally last night I made a start on my Southern Belle bag which I bought from Chilford last year. All's going well so far but I got tired and as I know that the later at night I sew the more I have to unpick in the morning I called it a night and finished off the limoncello nougat that I brought back from Italy, mmmm.

Finishes

2011-08-15T16:53:00.000+01:00

My little quilting retreat at the bach is over as DH arrived back after lunch yesterday to surprise me and make the most of the sunshine. I am very pleased with what I achieved and now I have a pile of finishes I can start thinking about new projects!

This is "Picnic in a Meadow", a picnic blanket made with the charm squares sent to me by Susan, thanks Susan.

This is a little lap quilt I made from the Moda scrap bag I bought recently, I've called it "Autumn Breezes" and it's for Al.

This is me wrapped in "Round and Round the Nara Gardens" which is finally finished! So Teresa, Ros and Terry, next time you come to stay you'll actually have this quilt on your bed!

This is the "Essence of Claire" table runner made with fabric I bought in NZ from Claire's lovely shop, Cinnamon Patch. She chose the fabrics for me to represent her and to remind me of my visit there with Michelle.

Finally, I made myself a bag with some remnants of upholstery fabric. It turned out smaller than I planned (hmm, maybe I didn't actually plan that well) but it will hold a portable quilting project so I'm happy with it.

Meeting a Lovely Lady, thanks to blogging!

2011-08-12T19:17:00.000+01:00

What a great day I had yesterday when blogging and quilting came together again and led me to meeting a very lovely lady. The connections were all very convoluted and show how small our world is and I had such a good time meeting Carin who is visiting UK from Japan. We chatted, exchanged quilty gifts, had a drink and, of course, visited the fabric shop. Thank you to Sylvia who made it happen. When I met Carin I didn't know anything about the quilts she makes although we chatted about her love of stumpwork and about quilting in Japan in general. She is one very modest lady. When I got to a computer I checked out her website! I suggest you do the same, she has done some amazing, amazing things. The miniature quilt she has entered in Festival of Quilts this year is tiny and beautiful, like a jewel.
Here we are at Wroxham Barns with all our empty plates!

Sylvia (on the right) used to own Sew Creative but has now retired and I understand might even have time to do some sewing soon! She was very generous having learned that DD is starting to sew and gave her a big bag of gorgeous fabric pieces. Saz couldn't wait until we got back to the bach, she attacked the bag in the car.

After DGS had gone to bed she spread them out all over the floor and starting planning some great little projects!

Oh and Sam and Al didn't miss out, here they are enjoying themselves and avoiding all things fabricy!

I hope everybody who is attending the Festival of Quilts is having a great time, I look forward to seeing all your photos and reports on your blogs. I've had a good sewing afternoon, quite productive. The Moda scrap bag is now a lap quilt top and all ready to quilt and I've tie-quilted the Round and Round the Nara Gardens quilt this afternoon so that just needs binding and a label and it'll be a finish and heading for my guest bed (at long last!) I'm having a few days at the bach on my own now. Al is doing hedge cutting and other manly things at home and Saz and Sam went home after lunch today. The plan for tomorrow is to score a few more finishes and maybe treat myself by starting a new project - a table runner.

Roses from the Heart Update

2011-08-07T18:41:00.001+01:00

I have heard today from Christina Henri about the Roses from the Heart project. As she has her thesis for her PhD to write and is examined in November she will be unable to attend Festival of Quilts this year but is concerned that people may bring bonnets to the event. This is what she's arranged:

"I am sure there will be people expecting that I will be there with Roses from the Heart(R) this year and I hate to think they will be bringing a bonnet/s along only to find I have no Stand, no presence. So this is the plan…..

Andrew Salmon, the Festival of Quilts director, is arranging a collection bin at the show for the bonnets.

It will be at the Registration Point.

When you go in to the Festival of Quilts turn right and it is in the far corner. I still need 5,000 bonnets. I had a wonderful response from the Festival of Quilts last year."

Christina sent me some links about an annual 'Blessing of the Bonnets' event in Cobh, County Cork, Ireland. 101 convict transportation ships left from the port of Cobh in Ireland, shipping the convicts to Australia. So she felt it was very important to have a ceremony from there each year in memory of this exiling of people to far off lands.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0725/1224301314743.html

http://www.photosales.eecho.ie/?Action=VF&id=629050410&pcp=21&ppwd=74373pks

http://s15.zetaboards.com/Irish_Weather_Online/topic/7044626/1/

Temptations

2011-08-06T11:11:00.001+01:00

From grubs to kimono | The Japan Times Online

Here's some temptation for a wet Saturday! Read the article above. Then have a look at Nat and Bryan's blog
I am hoping to join the trip next year...got to save the pennies and the yen but what a fantastic opportunity, priceless really.

Here's another opportunity of a very different kind...

Jacquie Harvey has designed a wonderful BOM which shares her wonderful handstitching techniques. It's open to everybody, worldwide, and starts in January 2012. The best way to join in is to be a Quilters' Guild member and join by email as it will only cost £10, that's in total, for the whole year's patterns and support from Jacquie. Non-members and those without email can also join but it will cost a little more. Application forms and more details are on Jacquie's website, where you can also see more of her stunning work. You can also contact Ros Peedle at QGBI Region 9 ros.peedle@live.co.uk
for more information.
That's enough temptation for one post. My DH is on a jolly with his brother, it's raining and I've had to put the splint back on my knee after seeing the doctor yesterday - torn ligaments! So, all things considered, I think it's a sewing day. Have a great weekend.

Boy Are We In Trouble

2011-08-04T19:57:00.000+01:00

While staying with DD I have been having a great time helping to look after DGS Sam. This afternoon Saz was making cakes and Sam and I were in the garden. I took my eye off the ball for a moment, heard a splash and a giggle and then looked up to see this:

One very soggy but cute looking grandson. Got to love him haven't you?!
Another eye off the ball moment today was suggesting that we got to a local pizza place for lunch. Hmm, bad mistake. It's the school holidays, it was raining and for some unknown reason there were only two members of staff on duty. The bill made me laugh, it stated "Service Not Included", yeah, you can say that again!! We decided to forgo desserts and coffee and have them elsewhere - hence Saz baking cakes this afternoon.

We had a great time at Wisteria Patchwork yesterday. Sam sat outside in the sunshine talking to three lovely black labradors and listening out for cockerels and tractors while Saz and I had a good browse and made some yummy purchases. Saz now has three new projects, boy is she smitten with this sewing lark. My purchases were less exciting in the main - needles, a thimble....but I did buy some spotty fabric to send to a friend (so can't show you it here) and also a Moda scrap bag. I've never been tempted by these before but the colours of this one caught Saz' eye first as being ideal for my sitting room. The fabric pieces are equivalent to jelly roll strips but have a selvedge too and at 1/2lb of fabric I think I've got enough for a lap quilt for the bargain price of £12.

I'm thinking something straightforward like "Rail Fence" to maximise the fabric I've got and make it a quick quilt to complete.

Three for the Price of One

2011-08-02T19:23:00.001+01:00

Three posts in one today as I've been without decent internet access for a while. All we've been able to get is something that seemed even slower than dial-up. DH was on the phone with our provider for hours last night and pushing all sorts of buttons and inputting various codes....still no better so I've left him and come to stay with DD and DGS for a few days (not really because of the internet thing but it is much quicker here!!)
So, firstly I finished my kimono fabric postcards and got them sent off:

Thank you for your suggestions, I went for adding a brooch pin to the back of the little kimono and then just attaching it to the postcard with five small stitches, enough to hold it but easy to remove should the recipients want to wear their kimono.
Secondly, a great haul at an antique/secondhand clothing stall at a local fair on Sunday. These were the treasures I really couldn't resist: two lovely silk scarves,

some gorgeous lace hankerchiefs (think I'm having a blue and white phase),

and finally this gorgeous litte butterfly brooch in purple shiny things (glass I guess!),

Thirdly, I've had a lovely day out at the local farm park with DH, his brother, Terry, who's visiting from NZ, DD and both GSs.

These goats would be in trouble in my house!

Big GS helped Little GS ride on a tractor.

Little GS was very good at pushing my wheelchair - until we got to a downhill slope and I nearly rolled into a pen of lambs!

We discovered that Sam can climb farm gates!

After a lot of patience on DD's part Sam finally overcame his fear of this guinea pig and stroked it. We don't know why he's scared of guinea pigs but not of massive cows, horses and donkeys!

Feeding the ducks with the remains of our picnic.

Tomorrow we're off to Wisteria Patchwork, a quilt shop near Lincoln that I've never visited before...watch this space!

Sewing Day

2011-07-29T19:26:00.000+01:00

I've had a lovely day today at my Norfolk quilt group. I was in my wheelchair and I was so grateful (and I must confess, a little surprised) that so many people made a special effort and came over to speak to me as I wasn't able to get around the room easily, I really, really appreciated it. Quilters are such nice people. We weren't in our usual hall and so it was a handsewing-only meeting. I finished my fabric postcards for the BQLPC swap except for zigzagging the edges and then did lots of EPP clamshells, while chatting and drinking the tea that people kindly made for me.
Do you like the little Aurifil button I've added to the righthand column? I love these threads and highly recommend them. They are especially low lint in machines and beautiful to hand sew with too.

2011-07-25T20:17:00.000+01:00

Gone

the

beach

Friday Night Sew-In: Report, July 2011

2011-07-22T17:40:00.001+01:00

I'm still sitting all day with my knee splinted so I actually had an All Friday Sew-In apart from a couple of hours out to pick up a wheelchair on loan from the Red Cross and to see my GP about the drama queen fainting fits I keep having (the last one leading to a series of obs inside an Italian ambulance).
I did some more EPP clamshells

and then made a start on my fabric postcards for the latest swap I've signed up for at BQLPC. The theme is "oriental" so, of course, I headed to Japan for my inspiration. I've had this lovely pattern for a kimono for a long time, it's by Ursula Riegel at Designs to Share and is called "Monoki". (clever eh?) I had to do all the sewing by hand and the kimono will look better with a bit of a press and with a decorative button on the front but I think they're rather neat.

I'm trying to decide whether to attach them permanently to the fabric postcards, or just add them with stitch or two so that they can be removed and used as hanging decorations. What do you think? Either way they won't be going through the post naked, I'm popping them into transparent envelopes for safety.
I had a good read through the latest issue of British Patchwork and Quilting and entered their giveaways and then decided to add the gorgeous quilt by Lynne Edwards that is featured on the cover to my to do list.

DH brought me my lunch and then it was time for some more stitching. He was dispatched to my "atelier" to find my Storm at Sea miniature quilt (do you remember this one from a million years ago?!) and that's what I worked on during the afternoon. I'm too weary to stitch all evening but I hope you all have a great FNSI, I'll be thinking of you.

Anglo-Japanese Paper Piecing

2011-07-20T09:17:00.002+01:00

Here are some of my EPP clamshells. I use any pieces of Japanese fabrics I have left from other projects to make these little pieces and (eventually) they will become a large quilt. I haven't joined any together so far as my thinking is that they will be stitched to a background of indigo fabric and then outlined with sashiko stitches that will graduate to fade away (if you know what I'm visualising). It's a lovely little project to grab and go and one that will probably run for years. My first ever EPP was a hexie bed quilt that became a cushion when I got bored. Since then I've done EPP blocks for my sampler quilts but nothing big. I now appreciate that there isn't a time limit - which is probably why quilt groups inherit bags and bags of hexagons from members who have gone to the great quilting bee in heaven!
Thank you for all your good wishes, my knee is less painful today and I think it is less swollen too, I'm resisting the temptation to try a step or two.
Finally today, some bad news. This beautiful A4 quilt

was stolen from a quilt show in Lincolnshire recently. If you know anything about it please get in touch and I'll pass the information on. I hope somebody has an attack of guilty conscience and says they've "found" it.

English Paper Piecing Project

2011-07-19T16:07:00.000+01:00

I've been to the hospital today and I'm to have a week without using my knee and then a week trying to walk and seeing how I get on and then I go back to the hospital to have the progress or damage assessed!
Hmm. So I'm sitting on the sofa with my knee splinted and feeling pretty useless. I could do loads of online shopping, or I could join in a Hexalong!

Lynne and Gayle have started a Hexalong for the summer, the post with all the information is here. There are opportunities to share what you do on Lily's Quilts' Flickr group and lots of help, support and tutorials. Today Lynne has posted about the basics of English Paper Piecing here.
This doesn't have to be a new project, I'm sure most of us have some hexagons (or other tessellating shapes) sitting in a bag or drawer somewhere. Pull them out, they're the ideal project for taking out and about this summer, pop a few in your handbag, have some in the car, do a few when you have a few minutes to yourself....
I already have an ongoing EPP project, my Japanese clamshells. I've asked DH to find them and bring them to me, along with a nice cup of tea and a bowl of fresh cherries and my afternoon is sorted! Photo tomorrow (I couldn't push my luck and ask for the camera and computer lead too now could I?)

Arrivederci

2011-07-17T18:26:00.000+01:00

Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments on my posts and photographs from Italy. It was a wonderful holiday and nice to be able to share a little of it with you.
Here's an "arty" shot that I took from my laying on the beach in the sun position on Capri -

I was fairly exhausted when we got back, the heat plus the excursions was rather too much but both were also wonderful! I am now having enforced rest as I managed to fall down the stairs this afternoon and, after three hours in A&E now have a splint on my knee and my very first zimmer frame as I'm not allowed to put any weight on my leg! There's nothing broken according to the x-ray but a lot of swelling and a lot of pain so it's R&R and then back to the hospital on Tuesday for a scan! I sure know how to get out of doing the holiday washing and ironing and I'll be able to catch up with the blog posts I've missed while away. :)
Saz and I did a little evaluation of our holiday on the way back and have decided that we love Italy and were impressed with our tour company but wouldn't return to the hotel we stayed in. We'd love to return to the Campania region and spend more time, maybe at a cooler time of year. I have quite a lot of quilt inspiration and Saz is very keen to get stitiching. She used the lovely bag she made all week while we were out and about, it's covered in the dust of Pompeii and Vesuvius, I wonder whether she'll want to wash it.

Vesuvius has got to feature in a quilt, it dominates the whole place, you can see it from wherever you are and it is both benevolent and malevolent, a sleeping dragon.
A lot of the ceramic plaques that are made in the area would translate well into a stained glass window style quilt panel -

Sadly I didn't find a shop selling Aurifil thread and we didn't buy any fabric but there's always next time. It's time for arrivederci, thank you for joining our trip

OMG my grandson's cute!

La Dolce Vita

2011-07-16T09:54:00.000+01:00

Finding time and energy to blog was quite difficult but we are home now and it is pouring with rain and so it's lovely to sit and look through some of these pictures of lovely Italy. I hope you have been enjoying them too. We were on holiday with the Riviera company and certainly got good value as far as activities, it's been a constant whirl. With the heat reaching 38C it was a bit too much for me at times. On Thursday Saz and Sam went into Naples, I had breakfast and went back to bed! At about 11 a.m. I surfaced and sat on the balcony and sorted out some photos, gosh, it's amazing what we've done and seen!
Today I'm sharing our visit to the island of Capri. This is famous as a very glamorous place but since it has become accessible to the ordinary person it has become rather touristy. We managed to find a lovely quiet cove, however, where we spent the morning swimming and then had a picnic lunch before getting the funicular up to Capri town for the afternoon - very hot and busy! Back down at the harbourside we found a great ice cream shop and enjoyed lemon ice cream, very tasty and refreshing. The whole of this area is big on lemons, it is where limoncello is made and they grow massive fruits, amazing.

Herculaneum

2011-07-15T09:18:00.000+01:00

Herculaneum.....wow, what a wonderful place, far better than the much more famous Pompeii imho. While Pompeii was buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, nearby Herculaneum was sealed in volcanic mud and is much better preserved. It was a settlement of about 5 000 inhabitants and not so big that it was overwhelming. We had a guided tour and were able to see all of the town in half a day, another time it would be lovely to spend even longer. It amazes me that were were able to walk on the mosiac floors and that the site is open to the elements. I wonder how long it will survive in the blistering heat and winter wet and with the many visitors that it gets. Again, I'm just going to post a series of pictures, without any more words, they speak for themselves, enjoy....

Picture Tour of the Amalfi Coast

2011-07-14T12:57:00.000+01:00

No need for many words today, just a lot of photographs that I took as we explored the Amalfi Coast. We stopped in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello, all pretty towns. We were particularly keen on Amalfi and Saz bought some veggie seeds for her garden. So, here we go, enjoy.....

Ciao

2011-07-11T15:03:00.000+01:00

We're having a wonderful time in Italy where we are currently sitting in the shade, sheltering from heat of the day after a great trip to Herculaneum this morning. More on that later, we'll start with a tour of the small town of Sorrento which is where we are based. We had a walk round on Saturday and discovered some lovely places and one particular treasure, the cloister of St Francis. It was cool and tranquil and the plants were wonderful, we sat for quite a while watching the geckos.
It is absolutely amazing to see how Mount Vesuvius dominates the landscape here, it's so close. No worries about eruptions, it is very carefully monitored these days (so they tell us anyway).
Little Sam has been coping very well with early starts, late dinners and everybody speaking Italian. He is bellissimo! He can say "ciao" and amazed DD and me by knowing the word "statue", how? He was delighted to find that there are baked beans here (although the hotel toaster leaves much to be desired, is that a universal hotel failing?) and has had some delicious gelato. I have only had one pizza so far!

Yes, these people are sunbathing! Off to see if it's cool enough to take Sam swimming, more another day.

Another One to the Fold

2011-07-05T17:04:00.002+01:00

Hooray, hooray, my DD has been "bitten", please pop over to her blog, tulipsandcherrytrees and see what she's made. Clever girl.

Mother and Daughter Delights

2011-07-03T11:30:00.000+01:00

I had a lovely day yesterday when DH and I went over to visit DD and do jobs for her. Al put a new electric socket in her bedroom, fixed her lawn mower so that it doesn't electrocute her again and fixed a gate between the garden and the car port to keep DGS Sam in (or out, depending how you look at it).
I had the better part of the deal imho, I helped her make the final drape for her bedroom storage (no photo as I reckon a lady's bedroom is something that shouldn't be shown on the internet) and then we sorted out clothes for our holiday and she gave me two dresses that no longer fit her but do fit me, woo hoo!! A little gentle weeding and then Saz cooked us a delicious lunch including her very FIRST POTATOES. She is over the moon with her veggie garden and is having great success. We sat in her garden and saw the Thunderbirds fly over! (no, not the Tracy brothers, FAB, the US equivalent of our red Arrows display team, the Waddington Air Show is on this weekend)

When I was at the Quilters' Guild day in Norfolk last week Steve from Sewing Machine World just happened to be there and just happened to have a second hand Janome for sale that was very tempting so I sent DD a text, "would you like a sewing machine, yes or no, no conditions?" and the answer came back a very excited "yes please". So, I got the machine from Steve and yesterday I gave my little Janome to Saz. Last night I get a telephone call about the thread breaking....golly, she's already using it. A Skype video call later and I've guided her on threading the machine properly and next thing I know she's making a bag for our forthcoming trip to Italy (burglars need not make notes, DH is house sitting, he's not keen on the heat). Wow, you grow girl and you sew girl!! I can't wait to see what she's made and she wants to go to the LQS asap, look, look, look, see the smiling Mummy doing a happy dance.
Today I'm packing. It seems to be more difficult to pack for a week than when we got to NZ for months and months. We are going to Italy on Friday, staying in Sorrento and doing all the classics things - we've justified it as a study trip for Saz, yeah right! I love this Mummy/Daughter stuff. We're going to Pompeii and are very excited. Sam has been signing and saying "aeroplane" for weeks and putting clothes in his Very Hungry Caterpillar trolley. I hope to be blogging from there so you can share our trip. Right, back to the suitcase, now where did I put that suncream?

BritQuilt Swap Arrived Today

2011-07-01T16:50:00.000+01:00

I had a wonderful parcel in the post today, a quilt from my secret partner in the BritQuilt Swap. Wow, thank you Ethne, I am absolutely over the moon with the gorgeous quilt you made for me and all the lovely goodies you included in the parcel. During the swap we have been posting "work in progress" pictures on Flickr and I have to admit to coveting this quilt but I never dared to expect that it would be for me. When Ethne posted a picture of the quilt all finished I commented,
"This is absolutely gorgeous and I have just the right place for it in my little house, I wish! Beautiful stitching and such a great palette and design, all yummy."

Here is "Tranquillity" already hanging in my house, it's in my guest bedroom which has a Japanese theme so it fits in beautifully.
I've taken some close up pictures so that you can appreciate the wonderful quilting that Ethne has done, in fact DH was with me when I opened the parcel and he immediately exclaimed, "Now that's what you call quilting". Ethne has painted with the thread to create wonderful texture and movement in the picture, clever girl.

Here's the lovely label that Ethne printed for the quilt:

Here are the extras that Ethne so kindly included with the quilt, chocolate, mmmm gorgeous (but DH saw it in the parcel so I will have to share) and these wonderful fabrics that she dyed including the shibori piece. I am planning to do something very special with that.

I am delighted with my side of this swap and I've just read on Judith's blog that she has received the quilt I made for her and is also pleased, phew! Many thanks to all the organisers. If you're a Brit quilter why not join the Flickr group now and be ready for the next swap? Thanks to Teresa for getting me into this. Have a great weekend everybody.

Wisbech Rose Festival

2011-06-30T21:16:00.000+01:00

I have had a lovely day out today and, although I'm feeling a little weary, I want to share it with you. We went to Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, for their annual Rose Festival. This began in 1963 when local rose growers sold rose buds to raise funds for the restoration fund at St Peter's Church. Now all the churches in the town work together with local charities, schools and arts groups to put on a wonderful festival that lasts for four days and which includes flower festivals, craft stalls, music, art exhibitions, church services and a parade of floats. We were blessed with good weather today (although some of the clouds were ominous) and so here is my photographic trip to Wisbech:

Some of the craft and charity stalls in the gardens of the church of St Peter and St Paul

The delightful Georgian Crescent built in 1816 by local builder and speculator, Joseph Medworth

North Brink and the River Nene.

18th century merchants and landowners built their elegant mansions along the north and south banks of the river.

Thomas Clarkson was one of the early leaders of the Abolitionist movement and was born in Wisbech where he was the Headmaster of the Grammar School. This memorial to him and his work in bringing about the end of the African slave trade stands on Bridge Street.

Here are some of the wonderful flower displays and arrangements. The theme was "Milestones" and this first one was about the discovery of gravity by Sir Isaac Newton.

There were arrangements for each of the main wedding anniversary themes. This pink confection is for 20 years, the China anniversary (which we'll reach this October, hint hint DH):

and this lovely blue display celebrates the Sapphire anniversary for 45 years of marriage:

The next two displays that caught my eye (mainly for that lovely Singer sewing machine) were recalling milestones in the home:

We had to eat of course and, as well as wonderful cream teas, strawberries and ice creams on offer in the churches and marquees around the town, the local pubs and cafes were doing a great trade and were all decked out with flowers. We ate lunch in the beer garden of the Hare and Hounds on North Brink:

Finally, can you believe this? I found a quilt exhibition!! Also on North Brink was the Friends Meeting House, the building designed by Algernon Peckover in 1854 which replaced the original Quaker Meeting House which was created from two adjoining thatched cottages on the site in 1711. The Quaker Quilting Exhibition included work from about 1899 to the present and these were the quilts that spoke to me most strongly:

The Peace Demonstrations Banner by Norwich Quaker Quilters

Baskets of Chintz by Chrissie Hawkes, 1996

The Abolition of Slavery Quilt by Freedom Quilters, 2007

Janie's Secret Quilt, owned by Edith Green, c.1899

Finally, more flowers. These beautiful orchids commemorate the people of the Wisbech area who gave their lives in the Far East between 15 February 1942 - 15 August 1945, either in captivity or in action. The tablet was dedicated by members of The Singapore Club, Wisbech.

Thank you for joining me, I hope you enjoyed it.

Out of this World - BritQuilt Swap done!

2011-06-29T18:54:00.000+01:00

My quilt for the first BritQuilt Swap is all parcelled up and ready to go in the post tomorrow. As you know this has been an interesting challenge for me. Lime and purple are not really "my" colours but my partner likes colour and so I was happy to give it a go. I enjoyed foundation piecing the background cloth and then going a bit mad with the embroidery stitches, beads and buttons to decorate the quilt. It grew out of a postcard swap I did to represent the piece of music by Gustav Holst called The Planets Suite and so I've called the quilt, "Out of this World". (It's much more square than it looks by the way) Here are some close-ups of the details:

Today I received this most wonderful quilt, from Plum. She offered it as a giveaway on her blog after making it in a stay at home round robin and I was the lucky person who has it to stay at my home. I've taken a few photos to show some of the lovely detail. Look at that little girl and the hill she has to climb, it speaks to me. Thank you Plum.

I had a very excited phone call from DD this morning to say she's got flowers on her French beans. She is so enthusiastic about her new garden and I'm delighted that she's having success. To be able to go and harvest something you've grown and then eat it is one of life's sweetest pleasures. She's blogged about her gardening here and is doing a happy dance!
I'm doing a happy dance too as I had a meeting with Tina today (I met her at the Quilters' Guild AGM in Exeter in April and discovered we live about six miles from one another) and we are going to start a new quilting group in Sibsey in Lincolnshire. The first meeting is going to be on Tuesday 20th September so please email me if you're local and interested. All the quilt groups nearby are full and have membership waiting lists and so we hope there is room for another group. It's early days of course but we have lots of ideas for workshops and activities. We're hoping to have a trader at our first meeting, and cake!

My Weekend - But No Photos

2011-06-27T15:15:00.000+01:00

I managed to forget my camera so have no photographs to show you but here's a progress report anyway.

On Friday I went to my quilting group, Mustard Seed Quilters, and finished my swap quilt for the BritQuilt Swap. It has to be in the post on 1st July so that was a bit close for comfort but it met with approval at my group so I do hope my partner is going to like it. I'll post about it and the one I receive in the swap all together when I have my camera.

On Saturday I went to a Quilters' Guild fun day in North Walsham. There were lots of people there and the usual attractions - Barbara from Sew Creative was the trader, there was bring and buy, lots of quilting magazines going for 50p each, a good raffle and Steve from The Sewing Machine Centre was there (which was my main downfall!) As well as the opportunity to eat cake and chat with quilting friends there were two lovely workshops. Margaret Currie taught us how to make fabric flowers and brooches and then Heather Hasthorpe taught us how to fold an origami box, first in paper and then in fabric. Photos will follow. I was also very honoured when a fellow quilter asked me to show her how to do sashiko stitching and she made a lovely start to her sample piece. I got the last of the cherry blossoms made and stitched to my Mount Fuji quiltlet so it just needs backing and binding but there's no sewing going on here today. For those of you used to higher temperatures this will sound pathetic but we in the south of England are currently baking with temperatures of 32C and it's getting more and more humid and stormy, not a day for picking up a needle. A little gentle weeding in the shade and a lot of sitting down with a cooling drink is what I'm up to today. What are you doing?

In The Top Three

2011-06-22T21:32:00.000+01:00

Excellent news,go here and read all about the Unfolding the Quilts project, it's through to the top three. More votes will be needed from 2 September, please, and thank you to everyone who voted in this round.

Twin Needle Tutorial and More

2011-06-21T16:42:00.000+01:00

Many of you have asked me to share the twin needle method of attaching bias tape. This was taught to us at the "Vistas of Japan" workshop by Gail Lawther. In her books and pattern packs she shares some ideas for attaching the bias tape with ordinary stitching and also with decorative embroidery stitches.

Twin needles are available in a variety of widths and the important thing is to get the right width for the bias tape you'll be using. With Gail we used quarter inch fusible bias tape (from Clover) and a 4/80 twin needle and stitched with a very small zigzag. This created a pleasing slightly raised faux trapunto effect.

Looking on the internet I've found there are also twin needles available for using with metallic threads - this could be a whole new area of experimentation!

The twin needle goes in your machine just like an ordinary needle and then you need two reels of cotton of the same colour and weight (or of different colours of course, more room for experimentation). Most machines have additional spool pins for this but if your doesn't wind two bobbins with thread and put them on your spool pin with the threads going in opposite directions.

Thread the machine almost as usual, check your manual. With mine I need to omit the last thread guide with one thread. With some machines it is possible to thread either side of the tension discs.

Use a presser foot that allows you to see where you're going! My machine says use the plastic T foot.

Then carefully try the machine out, not by pressing the foot pedal but rather by gently turning the handle. If nothing crunches you're good to go - on a practice piece first.

Gail's method sounds remarkably straightforward but I think we were all terrified of it. However, it turned out to be remarkably straightforward!
Now straight is the keyword here, applying the bias tape in curved lines is what is naturally wants to do, being bias tape.
Applying it straight takes a bit of practice -

press with the tip of the iron at the beginning and then at the end of the line you're following and then press between those points.

Sewing round corners is a whole new skill. Applying the tape with the iron is fun, it turns corners rather neatly, but twin needles don't pivot!

When you reach a fold (and make sure you are sewing so that the folds have their "back" to the needle so that the presser foot doesn't nestle in the fold),

stop and raise the needle. Then turn your work a little, keeping the needle on the inner side of the turn in the same place,

then take another stitch and repeat until you're on the straight again. Gail described it as being like those marching bands at tattoos where the people on the outside end of the line have to run while those at the inside end just march on the spot and the whole line revolves. Does that help?

Practise and have fun, I think this stained glass method could be appearing quite a lot in my work.
Thanks Gail.
Clover fusible bias tape is a horrific price in UK. You can make you own (yeah right) or you can get a friend who's visiting USA to bring some back. I'm trying to find a reasonably priced source....any suggestions?

I also want to show off my lovely cherry blossoms that I've added to my Mount Fuji quiltlet.

The flowers are a development of the Suffolk Puff (or yo-yo as it's now commonly called) with the puff pulled in towards the centre several times and then a scattering of beads added in the middle, cute eh? This quilt is nearly all done now (I hope I'll get it backed and bound at quilting group on Friday) and I'm pleased with it. I'm intending to make another of Gail's patterns in the Japanese series, possibly the Japanese Sand Garden.

British P&Q magazine have recently started a blog and are planning to have some special quilty goodness in cyberspace. There will be blog buttons for all those talented bloggers out there who produce such wonderful material that is featured in the magazine....that's you Lynne and you Trudi....wow I have such star connections, or who blog about articles they have liked or prizes they have won. There'll be some special blog giveaways - please spread the word and watch this space! Look out in the magazine too for hints when you need to check out the FB page!

Finally for today, here's the quilt I'm making for the BritQuilt Swap - I hope this will be finished on Friday too, it's due in the post at the beginning of July. It has been very interesting for me to work with these fabrics which aren't "mine" at all but I have had some praise for the quiltlet and hope my partner in the swap will like it (or at least be kind).

That's all for today, I'm off to watch Wimbledon.

Last Chance to Vote

2011-06-20T11:16:00.000+01:00

You have just under an hour to vote for the "Unfolding the Quilts" project - click on the blue button to the right.

This is what the QGBI say about it:

In a world of smartphones, laptops and e-readers, quilting might seem like an outdated tradition, but the art form is thriving thanks to the efforts The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles and the recently opened Quilt Museum and Gallery in York. Displaying the Guild’s collection of more than 800 historic and contemporary quilts to the public for the first time, the Museum and Gallery opened in 2008 and is supported by a large team of eager and passionate volunteers.
National Lottery funding has enabled the museum to employ a full-time education officer and part-time volunteer organiser and offer an extensive volunteer programme, recruiting and training up to 80 people at a time. The volunteers, who come from a variety of backgrounds, help out through stewarding and assisting with exhibition changeovers, education workshops, conservation, displays and administration. “The volunteers benefit in many ways,” says The Guild’s Chief Executive Liz Whitehouse. “They learn about the collection, can practice their sewing skills and make new friends.”
The quilts on display at the museum are both a work of art and a fascinating slice of domestic history. “We have some on display that have a real story attached,” Liz says, “like the quilts made by the Canadian Red Cross for displaced British people in the Second World War, or the quilt made for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee that the maker had to give to the landlord in lieu of rent.” These sit alongside bold pieces of contemporary quilting.
The dedication of the volunteers has been crucial in helping the museum to set up a successful education programme that has so far reached over 7,000 people, teaching practical sewing skills and the history, art and craft of patchwork and quilting. The museum works with both children and adults including young mothers, people recovering from mental health issues and elderly people in care homes. “Quilting is very therapeutic,” says Liz. “People have always been interested in making things. Now that so many things are done on a computer, quilting gives you an opportunity to use a different mindset and use your hands to make something beautiful.”

Friday Night Sew-In: Late!

2011-06-19T11:39:00.000+01:00

This is a very late post for Friday Night Sew-In as it's now a wet and grey Sunday morning here in the Fens. On Friday I was very weary so I didn't actually do a lot of stitching and have nothing to show you. I did read a quilting magazine and clean my sewing machine ready for a visit to DD on Saturday though.

Yesterday I made a fairly early start for a day with DD working on her bedroom. We made drapes to cover her shelves and hanging spaces and although we didn't get finished she's very happy with the progress we made. We also covered her dressing table stool with a new fabric which looks really good but I was in trouble as I sat on it first!! Saz's aiming for a rich, luxurious atmosphere in her room which is her oasis of calm and a place to escape to and relax (except when DGS gets into the roof space and causes panic).

Today is Fathers' Day here in UK so I'm off to phone my Daddy and see what he's been up to recently.

A New Kid on the Blog

2011-06-15T20:20:00.000+01:00

Sorry about that excruciating post title, I couldn't resist!
My DD, Sara (Saz), has just started a blog and I just want to introduce her to you and I hope you will go over and support her. As you know she has the wonderful Sam for her son and is doing a great job of bringing him up and doing all sorts of other amazing things too, I'm very proud of her. Her blog is called Tulips and Cherry Trees and I can promise you there'll be lots of pictures of my wonderful GS Sam.
In case you just can't wait...Sam stayed with us last night as Saz was doing a Latin exam today, I couldn't resist taking his picture when he'd gone to sleep, bless him.

Quilting Is Good For Us, part 2

2011-06-14T20:12:00.000+01:00

There's more about quilting being good for us here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/8573211/Unravelling-secrets-in-crafty-stitchwork.html

I hope that made you smile. Now back to my workshop with Gail Lawther...

We arrived on Sunday and Gail got us working almost immediately. We chose either the Mount Fuji picture or a lovely Japanese boat on a lily pond for our project and she gave us the other pattern to take home so that we could have a pair of quiltlets eventually. We started by piecing the picture with an easy one step reverse applique method and then applied bias tape to give the stained glass effect to our quilts. This is Gail holding up my quilt before I'd got started with the bias tape and she gave me the ultimate compliment, she said she liked my version better than hers! Wow, wow, wow, I did a happy dance I can tell you.

While we worked Gail constantly moved around the group of 15 ladies, helping and advising where necessary and in the case of this photo below getting a little frustrated with one sewing machine! It happens to us all.

We did stop for lunch but felt as if we worked flat out all day. We worked at our our pace with Gail calling us together for mini teach-ins on various aspects of the project. One of these was how to apply the bias tape and then sew it into place using a twin needle. What a fantastic technique. It works really well and gives a slightly raised effect, like a piece of trapunto work, very nice. In fact I think I learned more techniques in this workshop than in any other single workshop I've attended and I was shattered at the end of the day!

This is my friend Ros with her quilt, as you can see she chose the pattern with the boat and lily pads. Didn't she get a fantastic piece of fabric for her sky?

Finally, here we all are with our almost finished quilts. For most people finishing will require adding folded fabric flowers (we learned four different styles during the day) and some handquilting and then applying the backing fabric and stitching the binding, not many hours work at all. I love it when I'm able to make good progress during a workshop, so much better than ending up with another UFO!
By the way, some of the Kiwi quilters who worked with Gail during her visits to New Zealand and in particular to Symposium in Queenstown earlier this year asked me to pass on their greetings which I did, I have to tell you she was very chuffed!
To finish here is the glorious photo of Mount Fuji that inspired my fabric choices for this quilt.

Quilting Is Good For Us, part 1

2011-06-13T17:34:00.000+01:00

A report was recently published online that makes interesting reading but probably won't surprise us.

Emily L. Burt, Postgraduate Student and Jacqueline Atkinson, Professor of Mental Health Policy, have looked into the connections between health and craft hobbies and report:

"Results: Cognitive, emotional and social processes were uncovered, which participants identified as important for their wellbeing. Participants found quilting to be a productive use of time and an accessible means of engaging in free creativity. Colour was psychologically uplifting. Quilting was challenging, demanded concentration and participants maintained and learned new skills. Participants experienced ‘flow’ while quilting. A strong social network fostered the formation of strong friendships. Affirmation from others boosted self-esteem and increased motivation for skill development. Quilts were often given altruistically and gave quilting added purpose."

I had a weekend supporting all of those results as I attended a Lincolnshire Quilters' Guild Area Day and a workshop with Gail Lawther.

We arrived to find slight panic as the hall was in some state of disarray with no kitchen and a lack of tables but the "keep calm and sew on" spirit kicked in and we were all making new friends as we sat closely together on the tables that were available.

We had a lovely little Cathedral Window workshop, an inspiring "show and tell" and a very generous faith lunch, further confirming my belief that quilting and cake is a great combination - maybe I should do a study on that <VBG>

I got a lovely surprise when somebody said, "Hello Lis"

and it turned out to be the lovely Julie who writes at Mixed Media a blog full of exciting things, do pop over and say "hello" to her.

After lunch it was time for the guest speaker, Gail Lawther, and she delighted us with her Glimpses of New Zealand talk, showing us all of the quilts in her series and telling stories related to them and, of course, to her times in NZ.

This is Gail speaking about the wallhanging that represents Rotorua and all the wonderful colours created in the geothermal pools there. And then, what a delight, we were allowed to touch the quilts and get a really close look at all Gail's wonderful and varied techniques:

There was, of course, plenty of opportunity to open our purses! Gail had brought her books and patterns, there was a wonderful sales table courtesy of the Lincolnshire quilters, and there were two traders with a wonderfully tempting selection of goodies including Fabric Freedom jellyrolls. Do you know that these are made in England, contain 10 more 2.5" strips than other jellyrolls and are considerably less money? What's not to love?

Making our way home after the day we couldn't stop talking and DH did sterling work in not only producing a wonderful meal for Trish, Ros and I but also smiling through a whole evening of quilty talk - I think the wine helped. Thank you Al.

Tomorrow I'll share our workshop with Gail in which she taught us her stained glass window technique.