St David's Day
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Monday, 23 February 2015
February FMQ Challenge
This month's challenge over on Quilt Shop Gal was a choice from a number of options set by the month's expert, Leah Day.
Unfortunately, since the EU introduced new taxation laws at the beginning of the year governing digital downloads from outside the Union, it has become nearly impossible to purchase these items so my choices were a little limited.
Luckily I did buy one of Leah's Craftsy classes last year so decided to go with option 3.
My version of feathered fans, pebbles and a couple of swirls thrown in along the way !
I wanted to try and keep as close as possible to last month's theme to have two 'almost matching' cushions.
I used an idea from Cindy Needham's Ultimate Stencil to mark out the feathered fans
I used an idea from Cindy Needham's Ultimate Stencil to mark out the feathered fans.
Now we just have to wait until the end of the month to see what Patsy Thompson throws at us :-)
Unfortunately, since the EU introduced new taxation laws at the beginning of the year governing digital downloads from outside the Union, it has become nearly impossible to purchase these items so my choices were a little limited.
Luckily I did buy one of Leah's Craftsy classes last year so decided to go with option 3.
My version of feathered fans, pebbles and a couple of swirls thrown in along the way !
I wanted to try and keep as close as possible to last month's theme to have two 'almost matching' cushions.
I used an idea from Cindy Needham's Ultimate Stencil to mark out the feathered fans
I used an idea from Cindy Needham's Ultimate Stencil to mark out the feathered fans.
Now we just have to wait until the end of the month to see what Patsy Thompson throws at us :-)
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Belated Kickstart
Rather late I know, but at last I've managed to get my head into sewing mode again after the usual disruptions of the Christmas and New Year , which this year seemed to be longer than usual - or was it me ??
A very last minute decision is to join in the 2015 FMQ Challenge over at Quilt Shop Gal , and this is what I came up with for option 3 for the January challenge.
Not perfect by any means, but if you ask am I pleased with it, then the answer is YES!
Sorry about the quality of the photos, but its is so dark, wet and cold here in Brittany at the moment, but at least its not snow - yet :-)
A very last minute decision is to join in the 2015 FMQ Challenge over at Quilt Shop Gal , and this is what I came up with for option 3 for the January challenge.
Not perfect by any means, but if you ask am I pleased with it, then the answer is YES!
Sorry about the quality of the photos, but its is so dark, wet and cold here in Brittany at the moment, but at least its not snow - yet :-)
Sunday, 16 November 2014
Remember Me ?
It wouldn't surprise me if the answer was a big 'NO' as it is several months since my last post.
Some of you might recall that I had a knee replacement op back in September 2013, and suffice to say that it has not been an easy year since , and I swear that I've had so may x-rays and scans during this time that I am convinced that I now glow in the dark :-) Good news is that I've been given a clean(ish) bill of health and am ready to start normal life again !
Even better news is that I am back at my machine and sewing up a storm - you can't imagine how hard its been going cold turkey for all these months - so watch this space for some photos very soon, well, as soon as the rain stops anyhow !
Some of you might recall that I had a knee replacement op back in September 2013, and suffice to say that it has not been an easy year since , and I swear that I've had so may x-rays and scans during this time that I am convinced that I now glow in the dark :-) Good news is that I've been given a clean(ish) bill of health and am ready to start normal life again !
Even better news is that I am back at my machine and sewing up a storm - you can't imagine how hard its been going cold turkey for all these months - so watch this space for some photos very soon, well, as soon as the rain stops anyhow !
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
A Little Sewing
At last I've actually managed a little easy sewing !
The blocks have been languishing for months, but at least now I've added the borders , so maybe sometime soon it'll get quilted :-)
A little donation quilt, made from a bundle of FQs I was given some time ago. The colours were a little dark, so I thought to brighten it up with white and then found the dots fabric. Looks quite good in real life, all I need to do now is find a home for it once its finished.
The blocks have been languishing for months, but at least now I've added the borders , so maybe sometime soon it'll get quilted :-)
A little donation quilt, made from a bundle of FQs I was given some time ago. The colours were a little dark, so I thought to brighten it up with white and then found the dots fabric. Looks quite good in real life, all I need to do now is find a home for it once its finished.
Saturday, 15 March 2014
Worldwide Quilting Day
Its been a long six months since I managed any serious sewing, and as there's nothing new to share today, I thought I'd show you one of my all time favourite quilts instead.
I first wrote about it here, and what's more, it's still in my possession as so far I have managed to resist all pleas from DD to take it home with her. I will give in one day, but at the moment I just want to enjoy it for a little longer as it was a number of 'firsts' for me and marked a turning point in my quilting.
I hope you all manage to get some sewing done today, and hopefully I'll be joining you at least for a short time :-)
I first wrote about it here, and what's more, it's still in my possession as so far I have managed to resist all pleas from DD to take it home with her. I will give in one day, but at the moment I just want to enjoy it for a little longer as it was a number of 'firsts' for me and marked a turning point in my quilting.
I hope you all manage to get some sewing done today, and hopefully I'll be joining you at least for a short time :-)
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Monday, 24 February 2014
How Long ??
I cannot believe how it is since I last blogged, but here I am back again !
Unfortunately, the last 6 months have not been too kind to me as I've had a whole lot of problems following my replacement knee procedure - to quote my GP , I have not been lucky. The most annoying part has been that the replacement joint appears to be a success, but I have been plagued by one problem after another determined to keep me off my feet and feeling totally miserable.
Of course, our winter hasn't helped, as along with many parts of Europe, we have had the wettest, windiest winter on record and there is water everywhere!
Many of the pretty tourist villages have been flooded by overflowing rivers and the Nantes-Brest canal. The coastal areas being hit by huge seas leaving so much damage in such a lovely area that its heart-breaking to see it all. The local caravan park just 8kms away from us not longer has a swimming pool or tennis court as both are now part of the nearby river, so all in all not a good start to 2014. We've been lucky as all we've had to deal with is preventing our front porch from flooding, not worth writing about really when you look at the photos above.
Nothing to report on the sewing front I'm afraid as its my pedal foot that's been the problem, but - we've actually had 3 whole days without rain and Spring is on its way as the daffodils are peeping out in the garden, so there is hope at the end of it all :-)
Unfortunately, the last 6 months have not been too kind to me as I've had a whole lot of problems following my replacement knee procedure - to quote my GP , I have not been lucky. The most annoying part has been that the replacement joint appears to be a success, but I have been plagued by one problem after another determined to keep me off my feet and feeling totally miserable.
Of course, our winter hasn't helped, as along with many parts of Europe, we have had the wettest, windiest winter on record and there is water everywhere!
Many of the pretty tourist villages have been flooded by overflowing rivers and the Nantes-Brest canal. The coastal areas being hit by huge seas leaving so much damage in such a lovely area that its heart-breaking to see it all. The local caravan park just 8kms away from us not longer has a swimming pool or tennis court as both are now part of the nearby river, so all in all not a good start to 2014. We've been lucky as all we've had to deal with is preventing our front porch from flooding, not worth writing about really when you look at the photos above.
Nothing to report on the sewing front I'm afraid as its my pedal foot that's been the problem, but - we've actually had 3 whole days without rain and Spring is on its way as the daffodils are peeping out in the garden, so there is hope at the end of it all :-)
Monday, 9 September 2013
Final Fling
Well, at least for a few weeks as it's just a few days now before I disappear off to hospital in search of a new knee , but before I go I've a couple of things to share with you !
Firstly, a new member for the UFO club :-)
From a pattern in APQ April 2011, another scrappy quilt, but rather a pretty one I think. A couple of first for me as I've not made an on point setting quilt before and I certainly have never sewn so many Flying Geese !! I have a feeling that this might just jump to the top of the 'to quilt' list.
We all know that there are lots of new things to be learnt from wandering around Blog land, and this little quilt is certainly something different, and I love it !
Just 16 1/2 inches square, it's from Vicki's tutorial for her Whirly Twirly Dresden block . I went with the black background , but go and have a look at the different colour variations.
Lastly, I saw this very simple, very quick but very useful pouch on Connie's blog, and followed the link to this blog for the tutorial. Don't you just love following links and finding lots of treasures ?
I had a practice piece of FMQ lying around, which was only enough for one , but I am sure it won't be the only one to be made.
So - that's me for a little while, time to cover up the machines, switch everything off and go pack my bag! See you soon!!
Firstly, a new member for the UFO club :-)
From a pattern in APQ April 2011, another scrappy quilt, but rather a pretty one I think. A couple of first for me as I've not made an on point setting quilt before and I certainly have never sewn so many Flying Geese !! I have a feeling that this might just jump to the top of the 'to quilt' list.
We all know that there are lots of new things to be learnt from wandering around Blog land, and this little quilt is certainly something different, and I love it !
Just 16 1/2 inches square, it's from Vicki's tutorial for her Whirly Twirly Dresden block . I went with the black background , but go and have a look at the different colour variations.
Lastly, I saw this very simple, very quick but very useful pouch on Connie's blog, and followed the link to this blog for the tutorial. Don't you just love following links and finding lots of treasures ?
I had a practice piece of FMQ lying around, which was only enough for one , but I am sure it won't be the only one to be made.
So - that's me for a little while, time to cover up the machines, switch everything off and go pack my bag! See you soon!!
Thursday, 29 August 2013
Last One
Well, at least for the time being :-)
A little playtime with feathers a la Diane Gaudynski and a little smattering of Wandering Feathers from Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project. Not sure why the second photos is so dark, but you'll get the idea.
Time to switch off from FMQ for a little while, and get down to some piecing I think before it totally takes over my life :-)
Ooops! Forgot to mention the size - 12 1/2" x 16 1/2" approx.
A little playtime with feathers a la Diane Gaudynski and a little smattering of Wandering Feathers from Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project. Not sure why the second photos is so dark, but you'll get the idea.
Time to switch off from FMQ for a little while, and get down to some piecing I think before it totally takes over my life :-)
Ooops! Forgot to mention the size - 12 1/2" x 16 1/2" approx.
Saturday, 24 August 2013
The Big Reveal
My little Doll Quilt has made it safely across land & sea to Utah and thankfully has met with approval from my swap partner :-)
This month's theme was based on the ever popular 9 Patch, and my partner's tastes are 'country' which I wasn't quite sure of .
Whilst I did start off with 3 x 1 1/2" strips , this is what I ended up with which is a kind of " 9 Patch-gone Seminole-gone Shabby Chic " which finished at approx. 16" x 21" . Think maybe I failed on both counts, which is why I am so relieve she likes it :-)
This month's theme was based on the ever popular 9 Patch, and my partner's tastes are 'country' which I wasn't quite sure of .
Whilst I did start off with 3 x 1 1/2" strips , this is what I ended up with which is a kind of " 9 Patch-gone Seminole-gone Shabby Chic " which finished at approx. 16" x 21" . Think maybe I failed on both counts, which is why I am so relieve she likes it :-)
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Minis Month
August is quickly turning into a month of mini quilts, first there was this one that I so enjoyed making I just had to try again
My attempt at a Celtic Knot, and the back is almost as good !
Finishing at 15 inches square, it was another fun personal challenge.
Just a little larger at 29 inches square, another red & white mini
Both are waiting for binding, and there is a reason for this - I'm scheduled to go into hospital mid September for a knee replacement, so I'm trying to organise some sewing whilst my new knee settles down. Now we all know about my aversion to hand sewing, so I thought stacking up some binding might be one way to keep occupied.
There is actually a third finished mini, but I can only show you a sneak peek of it at the moment as it is on the way to my swap partner in the Doll Quilters Monthly Group, and I know she follows my Blog :-)
As the weather continues to be in the 30s most days, it's been great working on these smaller quilts rather than wrestling under a full size project - and my display wall is filling up nicely !
My attempt at a Celtic Knot, and the back is almost as good !
Finishing at 15 inches square, it was another fun personal challenge.
Just a little larger at 29 inches square, another red & white mini
Both are waiting for binding, and there is a reason for this - I'm scheduled to go into hospital mid September for a knee replacement, so I'm trying to organise some sewing whilst my new knee settles down. Now we all know about my aversion to hand sewing, so I thought stacking up some binding might be one way to keep occupied.
There is actually a third finished mini, but I can only show you a sneak peek of it at the moment as it is on the way to my swap partner in the Doll Quilters Monthly Group, and I know she follows my Blog :-)
As the weather continues to be in the 30s most days, it's been great working on these smaller quilts rather than wrestling under a full size project - and my display wall is filling up nicely !
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Pets on Quilts
Seen this link on a number of Blogs over the last few days and thought I'd enter my old man - no, not DH but William my 13 year old 'kitten' !
Will has been seen on my blog from the very beginning, and has always been very helpful, as you can see here and here.
He also likes to help in the garden , but most of all he loves having his chin tickled !
Here I come....
No! Not yet .....
Nearly there.....
Will somebody PLEASE tickle my chin ???
That's my boy !!!
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Learning Curve
Some months ago I decided that I really would like to be able to improve my free motion quilting, so I joined Cindy Needham's 'Design It, Quilt It' course at Craftsy.
If you're a fan of Cindy's then you know that she does some seriously gorgeous work and to be able to quilt anywhere near to her standard is just a pipe dream, but - we all have to start somewhere don't we ?
After hours of drooling over the instruction videos, then drawing on any scraps of paper lying around and followed by many more machining hours spent producing samples like these
I finally took the plunge and tried my hand at my first whole cloth quilt
Just 14 inches square, and not perfect by any means - I don't think Cindy has to worry too much about the competition (!) - but not too bad for a first attempt.
If you're a fan of Cindy's then you know that she does some seriously gorgeous work and to be able to quilt anywhere near to her standard is just a pipe dream, but - we all have to start somewhere don't we ?
After hours of drooling over the instruction videos, then drawing on any scraps of paper lying around and followed by many more machining hours spent producing samples like these
I finally took the plunge and tried my hand at my first whole cloth quilt
Just 14 inches square, and not perfect by any means - I don't think Cindy has to worry too much about the competition (!) - but not too bad for a first attempt.
Monday, 22 July 2013
Car Boot Sale.....
......Breton style !
.....glad I didn't have to clean all this
....hard to resist, but do I really need more than 4 sewing machines ?
Vide Greniers are good fun and there is always a bargain to be found ! I had to fight hard against buying the little electric Singer, from the mid 1950s and complete with the original instruction book, spare bobbins & feet, at 20 euros it was certainly a bargain - I just hope it found a good home .
Have I mentioned we're in the middle of a heat wave ?
Average temperatures over the last 2-3 weeks have been 34C with highs of 39C! Not that I am really complaining , but I can't help but wonder what happened to Spring this year as we seem to have missed it somewhere along the line .
.......... saucisse frites anyone ?
........one man's junk is another's treasure
.....glad I didn't have to clean all this
....hard to resist, but do I really need more than 4 sewing machines ?
Vide Greniers are good fun and there is always a bargain to be found ! I had to fight hard against buying the little electric Singer, from the mid 1950s and complete with the original instruction book, spare bobbins & feet, at 20 euros it was certainly a bargain - I just hope it found a good home .
Have I mentioned we're in the middle of a heat wave ?
Average temperatures over the last 2-3 weeks have been 34C with highs of 39C! Not that I am really complaining , but I can't help but wonder what happened to Spring this year as we seem to have missed it somewhere along the line .
Saturday, 20 July 2013
It's been a While ...
......but a finished quilt at last :-)
My floral half hexies done !
Think the feathers are improving too :-)
Talking about feathers - have you seen the videos on this Blog - amazing !!
My floral half hexies done !
Think the feathers are improving too :-)
Talking about feathers - have you seen the videos on this Blog - amazing !!
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Italian Interlude - Part 1
Its been a while since I first posted about my cruise and as time seems to be flying by as usual, here we go with Part 2.
We arrived at Sardinia early morning and anchored about a mile off Alghero, a lovely town surround by beautiful beaches. A nice sunny day but still the darn wind blew. Not very good, this being one of the ports on the itinerary that called for transfer ashore by tender - not for the faint hearted or anyone prone to 'mal de mer'. Wheeee!! Here we go!
The idea was that we would spend some time looking around and then chill out on the beach and maybe a swim. No chance with conditions like this !
Enough swell to tilt a 77,000 tonnes plus ship, and this wasn't our worst sea !
The choice was between being sandblasted on the beach and pulled off your feet by the surf , or ducking into the town and taking a tour on one of these
Before all the horse lovers shout 'shame!', the horse wasn't actually doing anything other than having a little exercise as the cart was fitted with an electric motor to do the work - got to be a unique definition on the term 'horse power' :-)
A stroll down main street
Something that caught my eye was this church dome
Now where have I seen this before - maybe here ??
After spending the morning wandering through the town having our heads blown off, we decided enough was enough, so grabbed some lunch then headed back to our ship to watch the tenders scuttling to & fro
All of them eventually getting back safe & sound and stowed back on board.Looks a lot calmer here in the lee of the ship doesn't it ? Watching all this going on reminded me of ducklings chasing after Mother Duck to tuck safely under her wings :-)
Hope you enjoyed Alghero - next stop Pisa & Florence.
We arrived at Sardinia early morning and anchored about a mile off Alghero, a lovely town surround by beautiful beaches. A nice sunny day but still the darn wind blew. Not very good, this being one of the ports on the itinerary that called for transfer ashore by tender - not for the faint hearted or anyone prone to 'mal de mer'. Wheeee!! Here we go!
The idea was that we would spend some time looking around and then chill out on the beach and maybe a swim. No chance with conditions like this !
The choice was between being sandblasted on the beach and pulled off your feet by the surf , or ducking into the town and taking a tour on one of these
Before all the horse lovers shout 'shame!', the horse wasn't actually doing anything other than having a little exercise as the cart was fitted with an electric motor to do the work - got to be a unique definition on the term 'horse power' :-)
A stroll down main street
Now where have I seen this before - maybe here ??
After spending the morning wandering through the town having our heads blown off, we decided enough was enough, so grabbed some lunch then headed back to our ship to watch the tenders scuttling to & fro
All of them eventually getting back safe & sound and stowed back on board.Looks a lot calmer here in the lee of the ship doesn't it ? Watching all this going on reminded me of ducklings chasing after Mother Duck to tuck safely under her wings :-)
Hope you enjoyed Alghero - next stop Pisa & Florence.
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