SUMMER LINE UP

Is anyone going to The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham in August? The organisers invited me to the show last year but I had to turn the invitation down due to family issues. So when they contacted me again a few weeks ago to invite me to this year’s show, I accepted the invitation without hesitation. It’s a no brainer. My Sarah and I attended three years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the girlie road trip. This will be the highlight of my summer for sure.

Happy stitching y’all.

Lucie the Happy Quilter x

Read Full Post »

ON A SUPER SUNNY JANUARY MONDAY

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all enjoyed the first week of 2018. So far, this year has been pretty good for me. I wonder what the rest of the year has in store for me and mine.

I was watching a wee robin searching for food this morning. The sun has been shining brightly but the wind is pegging the temperature rather low today. That wee robin won’t give up until he finds enough food to give him strength to carry on. I would like to be like that wee robin, never giving up on his goals and dreams.

I spent most of the day doing five-minute jobs. Who am I kidding; there’s no such thing as a five-minute job! The job itself might take five minutes but the prep work and clean up after always equates to more than five minutes. I stuck to my guns and accomplished loads of bits and pieces. My kitchen is almost back to normal now. The holidays seem to turn my little kitchen into something resembling a food warehouse somehow. How does that happen???? Having said that, I found one true five-minute job this morning. Although I have plenty of UFOs I should be working on, I decided to pull a bit of fabric to work on a simple quilt I designed last year. Here’s a sneaky peek at the fabrics I chose …..

I hope to start cutting the fabrics and doing some actual sewing next week. I’m very close to finishing my Patchwork of the Crosses, only seven more blocks to piece and a plain border to add. Then comes the fun of quilting it.

I felt I needed a change from sewing this past weekend. So, I decided to finish knitting a pair of socks that I started a couple of months ago. That went so well that I decided to knit a pair of slob around socks …..

Does anyone else have slob around socks? I forgot how much I enjoy knitting up simple pieces. Simple pleasures make my heart happy.

Last week I cleaned my sewing machine and threaded it with the appropriate colour thread and set off making little pelmet curtains for my sewing room window …..

 

I bought the fabric in a sale a couple of months ago. I really like the fabric, so it was a pleasure working with it. Here’s a little peek at the pelmet curtains hanging but before I got a chance to spread them out evenly. The fabric tones in well with the new mint green paint on the walls and also absorbs some of the noise. I’m really pleased with the finished results.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping to make a list of goals for the coming year. I’m not sure why but I can’t seem to make up my mind what my goals are this year. So many things need to be sorted out and I can’t decide where to start. Well I guess I should pick one thing, just one thing, and hopefully things will grow from there.

I wanted to show you one of my Christmas presents. I received this lovely book, A Glorious Freedom by Lisa Congdon. It’s quite an inspiring book that shows how older women, like me, go on to live good creative and productive lives; extraordinary lives even. Anything is possible if you work hard and stay true to yourself.

Well, it’s been a pretty good day in my little world. I got a whole lot of little jobs done making the house look and feel better. I’m already dreaming of starting a new project next week. I may even get started sooner than next week. I have a meal simmering in my slow cooker. And the sun is shining. What more can one already happy quilt maker ask for.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be doing some EPP work in order to push forward on the Patchwork of the Crosses quilt project. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing something that brings you joy. I’ll always choose joy over anything else. Until you read me again,

Happy joyful stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

FINALLY 2018 HAS ARRIVED

Hello my lovelies. First, I would like to start by wishing you all very happy new year. I’m sure 2018 will be full of great things for each and every one of us.

The first thing I did this morning when I opened my eyes was be thankful that 2017 was over and done with. I must admit that I was really pleased to be bright eyed and bushy tailed after a very good nights sleep. I had a very quiet New Years eve in the comfort of my own home. I watched some mindless television and had a glass of wine. So, there was no hangover for me this morning; the best way to start a new year.

Today I decided to be kind to myself. I did a few simple jobs, a bit of tidying up, some stitchery work and some easy peasy cooking. Here’s a little peek at the stitchery work …..

As in previous years, I plan on carrying on my volunteer work for Quilts for Comfort. I have a few quilt tops I plan on turning into proper quilts over the next few weeks. I’ve recently been working on another little challenge which consists of bonding squares for St. Thomas Hospital in London. I’ve knitted my simple 5” squares using DK yarn ….

This is something I can do in the evening while watching mindless TV shows. I’m sure I’m not the only person who needs to do something while watching TV.

My few Christmas decorations have been taken down and stored away for another year. My house is looking a little lacklustre now that all the twinkle has been removed. I’ll have to swap my quilts around to brighten the place up.

I haven’t written my To-Do List for the year yet. I do have a few goals and plenty of dreams. I guess I’ll start with finishing a few UFOs and we’ll see what comes next.

I finally finished painting my sewing room yesterday. This week I’m going to put the room back together in a different order. I need to purchase some new and different storage units in order to make everything a little more user friendly. The room looks fresh and bright. I purchased some fabric in a sale recently for curtains. Perhaps that will be tomorrows job.

Today has been a great start to the new year. I did a few easy jobs. It was a pleasure to sit quietly doing some stitchery work while binge watching the box set of Big Little Lies. If you haven’t watched it yet and it’s available to you, do watch it. It’s got a bit of everything in it. I won’t spoil it for you by telling you what it’s about. I found it very satisfying to watch.

On this first day of the new year, I’ll leave you with a quote I came across recently ….. There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind ~ CS Lewis. I quite like this quote ♥

So, for this evening this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be doing some English Paper Piecing. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing something relaxing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

HOLIDAY REFLECTIONS

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve been enjoying the run up to Christmas. I’ve been busy with this that and the other. I seem to be running in circles up to last weekend. The best part of Christmas is that we can go off the clock for a couple of weeks and breathe. We can eat and sleep and be merry as much or as little as we like. I’ll be doing some simple baking, some traditional cooking and generally mooching about.

It’s at this time of year that I look back on the year gone by. I must admit that there have been some trying times, some days that I thought would never end. Well October was the best month of 2017. I have put the past in the past and started looking forward to 2018. I have a lot of work to do to put myself on the right path to a good fulfilling future. Slowly but surely Sarah and I are working our way to the path of a good life.

As I look back over the past year I realise that I have learned to dance in the cold rain. I’ve learned to sing like nobody’s listening. I’ve learned to make delicious lemonade when all life handed me was sour lemons. And best of all, I learned to piece the most beautiful quilts with leftover scraps after the storm of discard. Today I’m smiling because thru the difficult times I found out who really loves me. I found out who my true friends are … they’re the ones who waited for me when I crossed the finish line I thought I’d never reach.

My favourite finish of the year is my Sweet Dresden Lollipop quilt …

This has been a very satisfying project to work on. Seeing something you’ve designed come to fruition is fabulous.

I have another project I started designing about a year ago for which I still have plenty of drawings to complete before it starts coming together. I did make a start on appliqueing some of the blocks …..

I’m still working on my Patchwork of the Crosses but the end is in sight now. I started working on this quilt a little over a year ago. It’s been my go to project, my solace when I needed comfort. I will soon have to find another go to project when this one is finished.

I’ve repurposed furniture, something I would like to do more of. I have the perfect outdated furniture that would suit a splash of chalk paint and glasses handles …..

I’ve spent time with like-minded ladies learning and working on quilts for Quilts for Comfort. It’s quite fulfilling knowing that every stitch you make will go toward bringing a young person comfort at possibly the very worst time of their life.

I found it difficult to find motivation to put up a few Christmas decorations this year. Well I finally did it a few days ago. Here’s a little peek at a few festive things in my living room. And since I put my few decks out the Christmas spirit is filling my soul. The children in my area broke up from school today. I have no doubt they’re overflowing with Christmas spirit.

So now that the children have broken up from school and Christmas is only a couple of days away, it’s time for me to roll up the draw bridge and quietly celebrate. The new year is just around the corner and all my better tomorrows are unfolding one by one.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be working on the Patchwork of the Crosses quilt some more. My Sarah and I will enjoy the quiet moments and appreciate life as it comes. I hope you all have a super cosy festive evening. Until you read me again,

I wish you all a super holiday.

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

 

 

Read Full Post »

UPDATE FROM A WINTRY CORNER OF MY WORLD

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’re all enjoying the run up to the new year. There’s only twenty days left in 2017. Before we hit the new year, I will be celebrating Christmas. I haven’t put any Christmas decks up yet but I have been thinking about it though. I just can’t seem to muster up the energy yet. I am looking forward to the quiet break.

Winter has hit my little corner of the northeast of England. We don’t usually get much snow where I live. And in the twenty-four years I have lived here I can only remember having a white Christmas three times at most. Yesterday, we got a nice dusting of snow. My Sarah and I stood in the front window watching big fluffy flakes falling gently on the ground. It was cold enough that it didn’t melt immediately. We woke to enough snow on the ground which meant that the roads could be treacherous in places, not to mention the black ice in strategic places such as intersections. I stayed home today but Sarah had to make her way to university forty miles away.

Now that winter is finally here I plan on spending more time in my sewing room. So, today I decided to have a little play. I should really have been tidying up but I really wanted to flash up my sewing machine to make something. So, I pressed some fat quarters, layered them up and did some simple quilting …..

I cut the little quilt up and sewed it back together in a different order …..

And turned said quilt into bucket bags …..

It was a pleasure using up some of the fat quarters I purchased a couple of years ago. These prototypes turned out pretty good. Now that I have a better idea of what I’m doing I can make a few more in different sizes. And using up some of my stash is brilliant.

I have been quietly working on my Patchwork of the Crosses. I was hoping to have it all finished by the end of the year but that’s not going to happen. I have joined 36 blocks together so far. This equates to 6 across by 6 down, the blocks measure 11-1/2”, that makes my quilt 69” square at the moment. I plan on adding another 13 blocks making it 7 across by 7 down and should measure 80-1/2” square. And I will finish off with a plain fabric border (not EPP) but keeping the integrity of the EPP shapes. I haven’t decided how I’m going to quilt it yet. One thing I do know is that it will be machine quilted because it will be too big to hand quilt.

I’ve made great progress on my Sweet Dresden Lollipop quilt. All it needs is a bit of embellishment. I plan on adding a few beads, buttons and yo-yos, just enough to give it some texture. I thoroughly enjoyed designing and piecing this latest quilt. I have no idea where I found the inspiration for this one but I think the brighter fabrics on a white background is lovely and fresh. A cheerful finished project to enjoy in the new year.

So, you can see that I’m not just lounging around watching television every day all day. I am always working on something in the background. I realised recently that quite often over the last couple of years I have said things like someday when all this is finished, I’m going to start doing this or that. So, with 2018 just around the corner, I’m going to try to make all those things that I promised myself happen. My promises may have to be altered a little but they should come to fruition in some form or other that suits my way current way of life. All too often life chips away at us and we stop believing in ourselves. It’s important to get up every day and try again and again to make things happen. I have new ideas for projects for the new year. And I certainly will carry on stamping my personality to my home. I think I need to be surrounded by a few more girly things. I can start making that happen by decorating for Christmas.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be working on piecing more blocks for the excellent Patchwork of the Crosses project. I’m finally getting somewhere. I hope you all have a super cosy evening working on something that makes you happy. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥♥ 

Read Full Post »

29 SLEEPS TO GO

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all been enjoying the lead up to Christmas. I’ve done a little Christmas shopping. I made myself a promise a while back, that I was going to start my Christmas shopping early and get as much stuff sorted before the mad rush next month and I must admit that so far, it’s working. It isn’t easy being organised but somehow, I’ve got most of my shopping done. Even some of the food has been purchased!!!

Speaking of food, now that the cold weather has set in I am cooking  a lot more simple meals from scratch. My slow cooker comes out every week. I mainly do pot roasts and such. The leftovers go into soups and casseroles. Don’t ask me for recipes because I seem to just wing it and somehow it always turns out good and tasty. If anyone has any recipes for the slow cooker they wish to share please feel free to contact me. Sunday mornings are pancakes with loads of maple syrup breakfast mornings …..

I’ve been keeping busy working my EPP project. I enjoy the prep work as much as the sewing …..

I’ve spent many hours painting the sewing room. I seem to have spent more hours sorting thru sewing supplies and reorganising storage than the actual painting …..

And whatever I do, I have a supervisor who keeps me right …..

With Christmas looming, I have completed a wall hanging which I plan on using as a door banner …..

We recently had a rather impressive full moon. I stepped out in the morning to get this photo. I’m not a great photographer and my camera isn’t very fancy, so I was tickled pink when I snapped this shot of this impressive full moon …..

Life is finally settle down at happy quilter manor. The cold weather has brought out every winter woolly I own. My Maisie enjoys the fresh mornings and she runs circles around me during our walks. We had several hard frosts this past week. De-icing the car first thing isn’t my favourite pastime but it needs to be done if we’re heading off early. There’s only a few more weeks before the Christmas holidays start. I look forward to a more relaxed schedule. I must admit that to everyone’s dismay, I am hoping for a wee bit of snow for Christmas.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be either knitting socks or doing some EPP. I hope you all have a super cosy evening working on something seasonal. Until your read me again,

Happy stitching  ♥♥ 

Read Full Post »

THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all had an enjoyable week. It’s been a busy one for me doing this and that and not getting very far in any of it. I spent most of the week preparing for winter. However, we seem to be experiencing an Indian Summer at the moment because the temperature reached 20C today!!!!

My outdoor planters have been planted up and have already started to grow and fill in. I didn’t plant anything exotic, just the normal pansies/violas, ivy, and conifer type plants. And of course, I have added some spring flowering bulbs to the mix.

I made a label and hanging pocket for my latest longarm effort.

And I hope to hand sew them onto the back of my quilt this evening.

Now that the days are growing shorter and cool autumn temperatures are about to arrive, I have started using my slow cooker again. I have had several successful meals using said appliance. I tried cooking my ham in it. And it’s ooooh so good and easy. The ham comes out moist and succulent. I’ve made pot roast a couple of times and once again the beef was tender and delicious. This coming week I’m going to try making soup. There’s nothing more comforting than a hearty bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day.

As well as preparing for winter, I am also preparing for the future. I’m on the very important journey of rebuilding my life. So to keep me on the correct road facing forward rather than looking back, I bought these …..

I think these sturdy red boots will see me thru the time it takes to reach the end of my journey to my sweet comfy place. Those of you who know me personally know that I love red. So, I chose sturdy red boots to see me thru my journey. I feel the need to knit some cosy socks to wear with my sturdy red boots. My boots arrived this morning and I wore them all day around the house and already they are pretty comfortable. It usually takes me ages to break shoes in. I guess these boots really were made for walking.

I’m looking forward to the weekend. I will be spending tomorrow with some like-minded people. I have no doubt the day will whizz by in a flash.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be securing a label and pockets to the back of my Sweet Dresden Lollipop quilt. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing something you thoroughly enjoy. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

CATCHING UP ON THIS AUTUMNAL SUNDAY

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’re all enjoying the beginning of autumn. We’ve had some dull and blustery weather lately. I’ve been watching the leaves tumbling to the ground. It’s a bit sad seeing the trees lose their leaves but I must admit that autumn is my favourite time of year. I’m already snuggling under patchwork quilts in the evening and as the days get cooler I’m starting to wear my cosy woollies. In the week or so, I’ll start wearing my boots. And the menu has changed to winter warming soups and stick to your ribs casseroles. Yahoo.

I attended a Burnopfield Belles meeting a couple of weeks ago. We started a new challenge for Quilts for Comfort. We have a small library of traditional block design instructions. We have all chosen a block design and we will all make a block including layering and quilting by the next meeting. You’ve probably already guessed that we’re using the Quilt as You Go method of joining the blocks together. I chose the Churn Dash block which is kind of my go to block when I don’t know what to choose. I scratched around and found some fabric that would be suitable for a boy’s quilt because we have decided that we’re going to make a boy’s quilt.

Once my fabric was chosen I was off. I love sitting quietly of an evening hand sewing. So, I pieced my block by hand.

Now I will layer it up and add some simple hand quilting, enough stitching to hold the block firmly together while going thru the wash. I love a nice simple challenge.

This morning while I was in my sewing room the blackbirds seem to be popping in regularly to use my bath. One after another they landed and had a good old splash around. This photo isn’t very clear as it was taken thru the window which has a film on it to protect against the bright sunshine.

Speaking of birds …..

I added some freemotion quilting to these old specimens. They need a wee bit of embellishing now. I think I’ll add some small beads for eyes.

Autumn is definitely here; the kids have gone back to school and we’re starting to make plans for Christmas. Sarah and I have discussed what we want to do for Christmas this year. Now that I’m a single parent, we can start new traditions. Making new memories is very important when you’re faced with rebuilding your life. Slowly but surely things are falling into place and life is starting to look pretty good again.

I spent some time in garden this afternoon pruning and clipping shrubs. A half hour tidy in the garden makes all the difference. I have purchased some plants for my funky planter that sits beside my front door. A few inexpensive pansies, some ivy plants and some bargain conifers will look splendid. That’s tomorrow’s job.

As we zoom along toward the end of the year, I have this hankering to learn a new technique. I’m not sure what I want to learn but I’m on the lookout for learning another skill. Perhaps I will take up dressmaking. I dabbled in dressmaking many years ago. Perhaps that would satisfy my longing to take up something new.

October got off to good start. The weather has been pretty good. We haven’t experienced any frost yet but there’s always tomorrow. As I understand it, the western provinces of Canada have had snow recently!!! That’s something I really miss living here in the UK. We don’t see much snow in my little corner of the northeast of England.

Speaking of Canada, I would like to wish all my Canadian readers a very very happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all get to share a meal with your loved ones in peace and with joy.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be hand finishing the binding on the Sweet Dresden Lollipop quilt project. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing something you truly love. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

MID-SUMMER CATCH-UP

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all been enjoying a fabulous summer. We, here in my little corner of the northeast of England, have had loads of yuck weather during the month of July. It’s been a soggy dull mess. I’m hoping that things will perk up a bit before the kids go back to school next month. No matter what, I’m going to try to make the most of this holiday season.

I started off the year full of good intentions. I was going to work on UFOs and try my best to make progress on said projects but life has a way of happening and derailing my best efforts. I have not been lazy, I have simply committed to resolving family matters. Yes, if you’re reading between the lines your assumptions are correct. However, we have started moving forward after seventeen months of uphill struggle.

I generally plan my days via a To-Do List. I recently read somewhere that in addition to a To-Do List you can also have a To-Be List. So here is my list which I presume will grow over time …..

 

TO-BE LIST

Happy

Useful

Kind

Healthy

Calm

Organised

Settled

Creative

Authentic

I’ve done quite a lot of sorting in the garden. Here’s a little peek at the planter we planted up a while ago. It’s done very well …..

I recently tried needle felting at my Burnopfield Belles group. Annette lead the session and did an excellent job sorting out kits and guiding us thru the process of making a ladybird (in UK lingo) or ladybug (in North American lingo). The whole process was thoroughly therapeutic. Learning something new as a group is always more fun than on your own. The action of stabbing something with a very sharp needle is the perfect outlet for all those pent-up emotions. Voodoo dolls come to mind. I purchased a few key needle felting supplies a few years ago and only barely touched them. Now I have more confidence and will be sure to have a go in order to incorporate the woolly pieces in my projects.

In between the chores and the mundane everyday stuff I did some sewing …..

Yesterday, I started gathering more ideas to build a vision board  representing my goals, hopes and dreams for the future.

Life has turned into a learning curve for me. The past years have taught me quite a lot. Not least that when your gut speaks listen to it.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious happy quilt maker will be doing some EPP. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing some that makes you super happy. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

PREP WORK ON A SUNNY SUNDAY

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’re all having an enjoyable summer. We’ve been having the best summer ever. The weather has been rather kind to us. We’ve been able to spend some time outside in the garden; mostly sorting the things and making the garden more manageable. Everything takes time but we’re getting there.

I’ve spent quite a lot of time sorting some legal aspects of my family life. I’m juggling three different kinds of lawyers all at once. I can understand why it takes so long and so much effort to qualify as a lawyer. I think I’ll stick to what I do best.

On the creative side of life ….. I have been designing now blocks for a project. At the moment, I’m doing the prep work to bring those blocks to life. The best part of designing is seeing your drawings come to together. The most difficult part is choosing the fabric. Here’s a little sneaky peek at one of my blocks …..

It’s the perfect day for flashing up the Barbeque. We’re going to enjoy a few sausages cooked on the barbie. We’re thoroughly enjoying doing all the things everyday people do. Somehow, I’ve managed to simplify life back to the basics. Simple is really good.

It’s a while since I posted here but only because I’ve had quite a lot on my plate lately but I’m surviving. I make up a To-Do List every week and try to get thru all the tasks on it. Somehow, I get thru each week having completed my tasks but wondering how the heck I did it. I guess I must be a strong determined woman. I hope to bring you more project progress soon.

So, for this evening, this very happy a super ambitious quilt maker will be doing some English Paper Piecing. I hope you all have super cosy evening doing something you truly enjoy doing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching

Read Full Post »