Bountiful gifts and a new convert

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

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

Sewing Room and a Parcel!

Just as I was taking photographs for this blog a parcel arrived from ZandS Fabrics so here's a picture of the gorgeous contents. The green is backing for a hanging based on the Norfolk Broads that is waiting to happen, the rest is for Lynne Edwards' first sampler quilt which is going to go on our bed - I was aiming for an Egyptian terracotta and dark blue mix and I think the Tonga Treasures is not quite the right blue - I might have to order something else!

This is fantastic, my sewing room is ready to go (if I ignore the stuff under the sheet on the upper level which is my darling son's and awaiting transfer to his home, eventually). Here's where I will sit and sew, and gaze out of the window too.

In the "under the bed" area are assorted bags of projects to start and those started and awaiting further work!

Music - what do you listen to while you're sewing? I tend to have Radio 2 or Radio 4 and if I'm FMQ I'll go for something suiting the style, classical or pop, it just has to be the right rhythm and speed. The dresser holds books and magazines, fabric, wadding and some finished fabric boxes (and bits and pieces, hopefully out of sight), oh and loads of beads waiting to be sorted out!

It's not a very big room but it's mine, all mine!!

Getting there

Quick post with good news - the carpet is down and the table is in....and so is ALL my sewing stuff, in a big heap waiting to be sorted out! Watch this space for more news of my very own sewing room :)

Lovely parcel

This is what arrived with the postman this morning - not only lovely KonaBay fabrics but beautifully presented and at a good price too! I'm a happy bunny as another parcel is on it's way. I ordered the fabric from ZandS fabrics in Denver and am delighted with the service as well as the fabric. I would always recommend supporting local suppliers and do buy a lot of my fabric and goodies locally but ZandS was recommended to me and I thought I'd give it a go. Even though I had to pay p&p I got a mini cutting mat and 6m of gorgeous fabric for just over £23, not bad eh? My next order is coming with a 15% discount so even better value! Thanks to Trudi http://trudi-quiltingprolifically.blogspot.com/ for recommending ZandS, now all I've got to do is make sure I get to the postman before my beloved!!

Great week

I had a great time away in Norfolk last week and, among other things, managed to get my Lynne Edwards' (book 2) Sampler Quilt top finished. I'm only doing nine blocks as that's the right size to go over the sofa but I think I'll do the other blocks eventually, it's a great way to learn.

While I was away I joined the Dayspringers Quilting group in North Walsham. What a great group of very friendly people. Lots and lots going on, they had a mini workshop making a pin cushion with Brenda, Ros led the block of the month which was Strip Rail (from Lynne Edwards' first Sampler Quilt book), there was a library, fabric sales and a raffle. I came away with French beans in the raffle and borrowed Jennifer Chiaverini's "An Elm Creek Quilts Album". I've never thought about reading novels about quilting before but I finished the first book in the album, "The Runaway Quilt" (about the Underground Railroad) and it was a brilliant read which I would heartily recommend to anyone, quilters and non-quilters alike.

While mooching round North Walsham I found a traditional haberdashery shop - I thought they'd all vanished off the face of the earth. Brilliant. And of course I made a visit to Sew Creative for a few things!!

My birthday today so I think I'll do a little sewing before my daughter and grandson arrive for lunch :)

Moving and still shaking

Phew, I think we have finally got my daughter and grandson moved! Her new house is piled with stuff, our house is piled with her stuff (we're "just looking after it for a while"....again) but at least her old house is empty, clean and the keys have been handed over. What an exhausting few days, especially as she had serious ex-partner trouble in the middle of it. Her new place is great, the house has a very good feeling, so I'm sure they're going to be happy there (once they get everything straight).

Today is a very lazy day (I'm not sure I'm even awake yet) but I have my sewing group tomorrow and then a few days in Norfolk. I'm not taking my machine this time but have my sewing box packed to the top with hand-stitching. I'm making scissor cases for a local sale in September, have to finish off a New York Beauty block and have a Celtic applique block to sew. I think I'll have to visit Sheila at Sew Creative at Wroxham Barns as I need more fabric and one of those block viewer things, and some more needles, and some thread, and ...

Giveaway

Amy is having a great Giveaway this weekend, go to her blog for your chance to enter:

http://parkcitygirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/31-boxy-tote-pattern-giveaway.html

While you're there have a look at her wonderfully creative projects.

Worry or Quilt?

Well I've had a very successful quilting day today, although not for the best of reasons. My daughter and grandson have had a very difficult day and there was nothing I could do to help except wait and pray, and quilt to keep my mind occupied. Finally all turned out well for them.

I started on a quilt I have had in my mind for a long time, based on a trip to Wester Ross in Scotland (where my quilting guru friend lives). I am using Jodi Barrows "Square in a Square" technique for the first time http://www.squareinasquare.com/ It's a good system, producing accurate results but it seems to use a lot more fabric than I would otherwise.

You can see the fabrics I've got for the quilt, they represent the colours of this area of Scotland, the mauve heather, the greys of the birch trees, lichens and rocks, the greens of the leaves and mosses, and I also have a black/green for the deep waters of the lochs. I want to add crystals for drops of water and some beading for wild flowers but I'm still thinking about that, so watch this space as they say! And of course I couldn't resist a little bit of "tartan"!!

Thank you for your prayers today, it was really appreciated and they were answered. God bless you.

The Bargello fest continues

An excellent day's sewing yesterday and, inspired by my recent bargello work, I decided to tackle the bargello block in my Sampler Quilt. A long, on-going project using the great Lynne Edwards' second sampler quilt book, New Sampler Quilt Book, which is great for learning new techniques and trying things I never fancied before - I actually enjoyed the Celtic Knot, to my surprise (although I did cheat and buy the bias tape ready made, and iron-on!!) and will do some more of this style of work soon. No sewing today, except for salad seeds, I really must get out into the garden...weeding, beans and courgettes to pick, potatoes to dig up for this evening, it's a lovely life, we are so blessed.

Bargello selection

I've just had a lovely few days in Norfolk and, because of the poor weather, I had more time for sewing than usual. I finished the BQL July challenge which was a bargello project. This was really fun to do and the method was much more straightforward than the last time I attempted bargello. Then it was only the second quilt I had made, and for my parents' Golden Wedding Anniversary so maybe it was all rather ambitious. I was pleased with the results (and they were thrilled) but, as ever, there are lots of things that could have been better....I wonder if any quilter is actually totally satisfied with a piece of work?

I've also used the technique to create a journal quilt for my 50th birthday project (two pieces done so far, ten more to go!) While I was in New Zealand last year I went on a hot air balloon flight over the Canterbury Plains, this little quilt commemorates that lovely day. The other one I've finished is to commemorate a really important series of events during my 50 years - the space race and the Apollo moon missions. This is that photo - Earthrise - taken by astronaut William Anders on the Apollo 8 mission on 24 December 1968.