Picking Up the Threads

There's no denying that the last couple of months have been a difficult time but thankfully we are now starting to see our way out of gloom and into some sunlight in many ways.

DH has been getting better bit by bit over the last 2-3 weeks and seems to have stablised and is almost back to his usual self, thanks to lots & lots of rest and his new  medication.

The very scary days seem to be ages away now, but I still have bad dreams about being in the Emergency Dept when DH stopped breathing and had no pulse for a few very, very long minutes - not an experience I want to repeat!

But enough of that - Spring has arrived, the daffodils have bloomed at last and the banks are starting to come alive with cushions of primroses - today I even spotted some violets and a couple of  forget-me-knots peeping out from under a bush.

 I only wish our weather was as cheerful as these little flowers as the year so far  has been nothing but days on end of  extreme weather conditions.  We started with the snow falls and then sub zero temperatures albeit that it was actually dry.  Then the rain arrived and stayed and stayed bringing flooding to many areas and not content with that, we were then hit by by high winds registering over 120 miles an hour in some parts of France.  Brittany only caught the edge of the storm this time and that was bad enough but further south more than 50  lives were lost and the devastation to property runs into millions. At the moment it is fairly calm, wind speeds are only 30-40 mph this week, but it is dry again!!

Got some quiltie bits to talk about that I'll keep for another post as I don't want to bore you too much,and so's not to have a photo-less post,  I'll leave you with a couple taken when we visited Monet's garden at Giverney a while ago. Springtime indeed !

Just one more thing and that's to say 'Thank You' once again to everyone for the continued messages of
concern and support throughout these weeks and I can't tell you how good it feels to be back again!!!

'Inter'National Quilt Day

This*  is  is how I spent my afternoon

What did you do ?

* Moda Bake Shop Recipe

Dydd Gwyl Dewi

 

St David's Day


A quick message to say 'Thank You' for all the messages of support after my last post, each and every one of them was a great comfort to me.  DH is thankfully on the mend but we still have a way to go before he is over it all.

Time Out

Taking some indefinite time off ..  DH suffered a heart attack 10 days ago, and whilst he is now out of intensive care and hopefully on the road to recovery, I don't know when I'll feeling like blogging again.

Stripping!

No -  not quite what is sounds like,  and if it was it would certainly be something you wouldn't want to look  at unless you'd like a good
laugh !!


What I have done is joined  Stephanie's  No Strings Attached challenge

 

....... and have been busy stripping these 1930s fabrics, which have been lurking in the stash for ages...

...... and turning them into strings of these....

......which hopefully will eventually become something like this !    Well, that's the theory, so watch this space!!

Last I heard there are over 150 'strippers' loose in Blogland  at the moment thanks to Stephanie, so check out the link in the side bar and have a look at some of the creations already on show.

What A Difference .....

... a few days make !  From sub-zero temperatures to 13 degrees C in 4 days - confirmation indeed that the weather is getting more and more erratic!  No complaints here though as we've not only managed to get some food in house at last, but also a  good walk along the canal today in glorious sunshine

 

Don't things seem so much better when the sun shines ??

Global Warming - Part 2

Our snow is still with us, and is really wearing out its welcome now.  All the Ooohs! & Aaahs! are giving way to the inconveniences like running out of bread,potatoes and other little 'luxuries' necessary to everyday life.

One of the downsides of living in the country is that, whilst all major roads are clear for traffic, our little country lanes remain blocked, so there was great excitement this morning when it started raining!

I never, ever  thought that I would be glad to see rain after the deluge we suffered in November and early December, but at least I thought it would clear our lane and we could escape for a couple of hours- no chance.  As well as the rain we have bitingly cold east winds and instead of thawing the snow, the rain is freezing on top of it and the whole surface is now like a big ice rink.

 This is the glass on the porch door, and you can see where the rain has frozen before it's had a chance to run down.

Ah Well -at least we've still got some rice left , and I guess I'll just have to keep busy with some more sewing :-)

Global Warming ??

Yes, the white stuff is back again!!  Not that much in comparison with a lot of places, but for an area that sees snow  every 10 years or so, twice in a month is a big event!!                                                                        

                                                                

Not A Good Start!

Well, the old year ended miserably and the New Year arrived in the same way, as,  like many in Blogland ,  Boxing Day saw me coming down with the dreaded 'flu !  Don't really know what kind of bug I managed to pick up but I can tell you I certainly do not want it again!!  Today is the first time that I have managed to stay upright for any length of time, and to be honest I still feel very wobbly, but maybe that's because I've not be able to eat anything for days.


DH has been taking really good care of me, sometimes too good as often all you want to do is  curl up in a corner and be left alone! However - I am feeling a lot better so I guess it's time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get 2010 started, and what better way to start the year than with a finished quilt!

I've long been a fan of Mary Johnson 's scrappy quilts, so  thought it was time to try one of her patterns and decided on this one.

Maybe not the prettiest of quilts, but so easy & quick to make and it certainly got rid of a lot more of those 'why did I buy that!' fabrics. 

The quilt finished at 4 ' 6" x 6' O", not a bad size for a soon to be teenage granddaughter who tells me her toes stick out of the last one I made her!!!  Thank you Mary for a great tutorial!!

I even went mad and tried the  'Loop de Loop' quilting as a change from stippling.  I'm no sure if that was the right thing to do as I ended up quilting on the diagonals to keep the threads 'colour controlled' which wasn't too easy !  I also think I need a lot more practice with this designs :-)

Happy New Year !

WISHING YOU  A HAPPY, HEALTHY & PEACEFUL NEW YEAR !!

Final Countdown!!

Well, here we are!  The final few days before the Big One!! Like probably every household on the planet we are running around trying to get everything finished and sometimes it feels as though we're not achieving anything at all :-)

Last jobs are going to cut some holly and mistletoe and getting the outside tree decorated now the snow has gone !  Yes, it rained during the night and the Winter Wonderland has left us and though it makes things a lot easier getting out and about - it ain't nearly so pretty!!!!

So before things get any more hectic............

                                         
A little something from me to you     http://tinyurl.com/yaj8pul

 

              

              Merry Christmas ! 

Nadolig Llawen   Nedeleg Laounen
Happy Holiday     Joyeux Noel
                                                                    

White Christmas ?

 It all started yesterday like this

 Then came this....
 

 ...and this

 ...and this!

 
 This morning's view from the bedroom window......

  ...not a sparrow in sight !!
 

Don't think it's going to last until Christmas Day, but it certainly is a Winter Wonderland at the moment !!

A Little Sewing

 I've actually managed to find some time to hide away and get some sewing done and at last I've got a finish to show !

My Vintage New York Beauties from the book 'Radiant New York Beauties' by Valori Wells.  A fan of paper piecing I am not (!), but I'm glad I kept at it as the end result is worth all the frustration!

Like lots of quilters I've been collecting selvages, don't know why or what I thought I would do with them, but at least now I have something to collect them in (VBG!) A fun bag to make and too pretty to keep hidden away I think !

Fall Quilt Swap

With everything that's been happening in the last few weeks,  I haven't mentioned the Quilting Bloggers   Fall Inspired mini quilt swap

Luckily this is one thing  I managed to get  finished and off to my partner Lynne  in the UK whilst it was still officially Autumn - but only just !  Unluckily  I forgot to take photos, so 'borrowed ' these from Lynne's blog

It's always difficult making for someone else, particularly when there are no guidelines as to preferences, but I think that Lynne is pleased with the little quilt !!  As I still had some of the lovely Cider Mill Road fabric, I though a basket of apples would be appropriate - the colours haven't come out as good as in really life unfortunately, but all in all it made a nice little quilt and one I found difficult to part with !

Thanks once again to Michele of Quilting Bloggers for organising the swap!

Picking Up The Pieces

Well, I can't believe that almost a whole month has gone since I blogged -and a very strange , unsettling month it's been too, but hopefully now all is behind me and I can settle down into a more normal life - or at least what passes for normal this time of the year!! Less than 3 weeks to Christmas - can you believe it ????

First up, thank you to everyone who sent messages after my last posting, they were very much appreciated and its always good to know that you are out there!

Secondly, a very belated 'Thank You' to Nannette , my partner in the recent Friendship Bag Swap, for the wonderful parcel that I eventually received!

Now, that comment is in no way a reflection on Nannette, but  would you believe that , courtesy of La Poste , the package crossed the Pond twice!!  I was just starting to wonder why I'd not received anything in this swap when Nannette contacted me to say that she had indeed posted it back in early October only to have it returned to her a month later !  Why this happened remains a mystery - it certainly reached France and was correctly addressed complete with post code.The local PO are adamant that it never reached them so how the word 'inconu' came to be written on it is very strange, but luckily the second word 'retour' at least got it back safely  to the US!!  I guess we'll never know what happened, but I am so glad that Nannette not only got in touch, but resent it and that it finally arrived safely -  I am sure you'll agree it was worth waiting for!!

Stuffed to the brim !!

 Looks good from the back doesn't it , but look at the front!

 Cute or what?

Lots & lots of goodies, how lucky am I ?????  Thank You once again Nannette for being more than generous!!

Taking a Break

I'll be taking a some weeks off from blogging as I have a bereavement and related family issues to deal with, but I will be back !

At last - a 'quiltie' post!!  My Blog seems to have changed from being sewing related  to a travelogue lately, but although I am sure you'd rather be looking at scenes from Brittany (!!) today you have to suffer my latest (finished!) quilting project :-)

I actually got a quilt finished for October, but it hasn't stopped raining over the last few days,  so the photo had to wait for the next 'dry' day - today!!

The Nine Patch Sampler is from the book 'Strip Delight' by Suzanne McNeill,  and the fabric collection is Moda's 'Wild Rose'.  I've changed the pattern slightly to accommodate my fabric ,and  though I was a bit doubtful about it all whilst making the blocks, it' s turned out OK and  the lovely rich colours , which are much better in real life, have made it the kind of quilt you want to curl up under!  It's certainly a quick quilt to piece if you want something in a hurry.

I have to own up to having some help in backing it though !!

Two more 'small' finishes for October, both of which are going to the Cat Rescue fund raising Christmas Fayre

 

Original pattern for this tote is on the  Moda Bakeshop site, and the Black & White mini tote is a Penny Sturgess design

Now all I have to do is decide on a finish for November !!

Little Gems !

I am continually amazed at the 'treasures' we keeping finding on our wanders around the countryside and our latest discovery is certainly another little beauty -  let me introduce you to La Chapelle Sainte- Brigitte!

We found the chapel in a field on the edge of a farmyard when walking on part of a Green Way  which runs through the centre of Brittany (scroll down for info) and with nothing else in sight but a couple of houses !

Whilst there are many of these little chapels dotted around the countryside, this one has rather an unusual steeple...

It was disappointing to find the door locked, but then I spotted ' Monsieur' cutting back his hedges and trotted over to pass the time of day and ask if the chapel was open at any time - would you believe he was the key holder!!!  This very obliging man not only shot off  to get the key but  handed it over for our own private visit, and I can tell you the inside didn't disappoint!

It was so tiny inside that once you allowed for the altar ( marble and covered in a snow white altar cloth edged with hand made Breton lace and a silver crucifix & and candlesticks)   I doubt  you would  get 20 people in there, but it was absolutely perfect!!!  Walls of the palest blue and the neatest pews you have ever seen!!  I would guess they would seat  3/4 persons a piece, made of oak with lovely fretwork backs and sides, so different from normal church pews!

Monsieur also told me that the upkeep of the chapel is totally down to volunteers and that ever year on the first Sunday in July they hold a Fete Day to raise funds - it's already noted in next year's diary !!!!

The (Very) Early Bird!

On days that we don't have any exploring planned,  I like to walk first thing before the world wakes up and enjoy the peace of the countryside .  This morning however I discovered that I wasn't the only early bird around as when I opened the curtains this is what greeted me!!

The start of another beautiful day perhaps.....

......or something more sinister - maybe an alien craft?????  Best wait for a little more light!

No!  Not Martians this time, just our (insomniac?) neighbour starting his day very early and ploughing 
away at the crack of dawn !!

Not such a quiet start to my day after all!!

Images of Autumn ...contd!

Patience has never been one of my strengths (!!)and I am sure I'm getting worse as I get older, thus disproving the theory that we mellow with age :-)

I was so annoyed and impatient with Blogger's  nonsense on my last post that I just signed off and left it as it was.  However, just to show that there is more to Autumn in Brittany than a few dead leaves lying around, here are the photos that didn't make it!

Enjoy !!