dianehobbit: Scrap Quilt

dianehobbit: Scrap Quilt
http://77belle.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-was-right-it-has-been-busy-week.html

Yipeee!!!! I'm a Winner

A week or so ago I entered a competition to win two tickets to 'Unravel' through the Yarn to Knit blog, it's  a site that I've been following for some time, I'm really pleased I won. Rachel and I are off to spend a day browsing and buying lots of lovely wool. So a big thank you to Yarn to Knit.

http://theyarntoknitblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/win-pair-of-tickets-to-unravel-2011-in.html

Sunshine, Daffodil's and Snowdrops

When I opened the curtains in the dinning room this morning, the sun was shinning and the daffodils looked lovely, it made me feel bright and cheerful. The feeling has carried on all day!

After breakfast it was off to Lady Bugs, Diane had made a couscous and lemon cake delicious, she also made a scan bran cake, that one I'm not 100% sold on, an acquired taste I think, but thanks Diane for the low sin cakes. On the way back from the group I drive past a garden center, I dropped in to see if they had a plant for the window sill where the vase of daffodils are at the moment. As a consequence I now have snowdrops in the front garden, 20 potatoes chitin on the kitchen window sill, two scented candles and a plant for the dinning room! Next time I should drive past, but I wont, I think this will we a regular drop off. I met another of the group inside she was buying potatoes too! In the car park I met Pat from the group she was going in for a coffee, she suggests that we all go for lunch there in a few weeks time after class, it's obviously a regular haunt since we moved the meeting hall.

When I got home I blocked the cardigan/jacket, the colours don't really come out well in the photograph, it needs a kilt pin to fasten it. I'm not sure that it will fit Rachel it looks too big, but she's coming home on Sunday for Vince's birthday lunch, (that's Dave's dad) he'll be 88. So she can try it on then, or maybe Dave can take it to work with him to pass on (they work for the same company). Rachel gave me some brilliant news yesterday, they have moved offices from St. James's Park to the South Bank near to the Tate Modern, on a lunch time walk she discovered I KNIT LONDON, not such great news for Dave, I think I might send him along occasionally to pick up the odd ball of yarn for me!

A few things crossed off the list in the last few days. Two pieces of work were delivered this morning to Material Girls so it can be sent off with the rest to Jersey. Take a look at the Material Girls Blog or Website to see all the work that will be in the 'Primarily Colour' exhibition. 

I have also finished Rachel's cardigan that I mentioned in the previous post, just needs to be blocked or whatever the word is? Before I can take a photo and post here!
My mood is improving I think it's because I have actually managed to spend sometime outside in the garden. It really does need whipping into shape, it was let go last year and needs a lot of attention. We have big plans to make a proper vegetable come flower garden, at this stage they are only plans. But you never know, our garden isn't large by any stretch of the imagination but we are happy with it. At one point I longed for a larger plot, then remembering the garden we had when I was growing up and how much hard work that was, I'm happy with my lot, or should that be plot? It's great to spend a few hours in the garden working then sitting back and enjoying it!

It's on the Bed!

Thank you for the comments on the last post, it's nice to know that there are people out there who actually read this!

I can't believe that this is the last week of Silver Pebbles Splash of Colour take a look there are some lovely cheery photos on here to brighten up these dull days. It would be great if Emma does this again next year, but I can imagine it's been quite a lot of work, it has been appreciated, so thanks Emma. I popped into the garden this morning to find something to put on the Site not a lot there apart from weeds. There is more colour indoors with the house plants.

Hellebore

 Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)

 Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)

 Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)

 Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)

Not a lot of creative work going on here at the moment, I'm trying to get a few things finished before I start on anything else. The quilt I started way back when...... ( I've looked back in the blog, Oh dear, I started this quilt in June 2009, I don't believe in rushing things, hahah!), is at last on our bed, I'm really pleased with it. Now I'm knitting like a thing possessed to get a cardigan finished for Rachel, then the way will be clear to get the other projects underway. I need to prioritise, everything has deadlines at the moment, baby due dates and exhibition deadlines,  I need to plan, plan, plan!!!!

The scrap quilt still needs to be hand quilted, I'll work on that when I go to classes, see the planning has started.

I was right it has been a busy week

Monday I had  lunch with three good friends, Diane, Sheila and Jacqueline who is also my cousin. We met at the Tiptree Jam Factory for a lovely lunch and of course lots of chat and lots of laughter. Of course I had to buy a few treats, lemon curd and gooseberry chutney for me and strawberry jam for Dave. Well you have to don't you? Then it was on to the Cheap Shop, an Aladdin's cave for those of us with a weakness for fabrics  and yarns. Another treat for me some wool to knit myself some fingerless gloves and some baby wool (more on that later). Actually it turned into more than lunch, I went to Jacqueline's for a coffee and didn't get home until just before Dave, so I suppose it was more like a whole day out! Tuesday was a colour and cut for my mop of hair, do I feel like a new woman? No just a woman with very short hair! Wednesday and it was Lady Bugs in the morning. Thursday I delivered a piece of work to Caroline, it's being included in her groups exhibit at Jersey's Textile In Focus. The Material Girls are exhibiting there too, very exciting!

Liberation of the Heart

Today has been a quiet day just the gym and shopping.

I feel a lot better about things this week, maybe my feeling down is due to the weather? It seems to have brightened up and so has my mood! Talking about how I feel with friends has helped and it's amazing how many other people feel the same.......

I've lots of project's to keep me focused and the list is getting longer. There is the ERTF exhibition later this year, The Material Girls exhibition in 2012. And two other projects that have come my way, one of my cousins, my gym partner is going to become a Nan in July, so I'm going to knit a few things, so the baby wool, and I'll make a quilt too. Becky's sister is also having a baby in July so a baby quilt for her too and maybe a knitted something if there is time. I also promised to make Rachel a lap quilt, she snuggled under mine over Christmas. I've got it together and now I'm starting the hand quilting. I'm pleased with this quilt, it is truly a scrap quilt.

I have bought nothing to make it, the batting was the only problem, I  joined three bits together, the top was made from bits and pieces from my stash or leftover blocks from other quilts I've made. When Rachel finally gets it she'll see fabrics from other quilts I've made for her and the rest of the family over the years, there is even fabric in it from the first quilt I made. Who says hoarding doesn't pay? I have lots of bits left to make several more, I just need the time......

January Blues?

I just cant believe it's been so long since my last post, 14 days! What have I been doing?  Nothing very dynamic sadly. Last Sunday I went on a mini bus trip with a patchwork group I belong to, it was a textile sale and exhibition. The place was crowded beyond belief, a health and safety hazard, I'm sure!  I ended up coming home with some fabrics after elbowing my way through the crowds, but didn't get anything that I had really gone for!!!! I wont bother to go again, I'd rather pay full price and shop in comfort. I didn't even like the exhibition, (maybe it's me, I think I'm a bit down at the moment). When I went to the group this week the others were saying how inspired they felt by what they has seen, I got home from the exhibition feeling like I'd wasted a whole Sunday! Are you feeling as though you want to click off this blog now?

Suzanne Jarvis - Lace Maker

Friday evening was the ERTF Owen Jones exhibition private view and I'd been asked by the chairman to go along and do the 'meeting and greeting'. I was worried about it, (see above) I hope I covered how I'm feeling no one seemed to notice, and Beverley the other meet and greeter did a fantastic job.  The visitors and guests really gave the exhibition a great response, the work is so diverse, I loved it. The venue is brilliant, it's the first time I've been to Chelmsford museum, well worth a visit. Speaking to a friend of the museum he said there is a Grayson Perry vase in one of the galleries,  it's definitely a place I'm going to revisit! For more information click on the link in the side bar for the Owen Jones Project blog.

Today after a visit to the father in law, we  went to a quilting shop so I could buy the fabric I didn't get last weekend. When we got home I put some of the fabric in the washing machine to rinse and we settled down with a well deserved cup of coffee and the newspapers, time to relax. Lovely and quiet, then a strange noise started to come from the downstairs cloakroom, water was flooding the floor from the loo. Smelly nasty dirty water, yep! A blocked drain. Dave looked outside and water was leaking out of the drain cover onto the drive. YUK!!! Unfortunately our drain is shared with our next door neighbours and  the insurance we pay doesn't cover the work, it was on their side and they don't have cover. Expensive but at least the plummer came quickly, and now we can flush.

I've a really busy week coming up, so no time to feel sorry for myself next week.