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 I have the perfect outdated furniture that would suit a splash of chalk paint and glasses handles …..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 »

PEOPLE WATCHING ON A PERFECT SUNNY DAY

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’re all enjoying some gorgeous summer weather. It’s been lovely in my little corner of the northeast of England. It’s a super time to get things done in and outdoors.

I have been progressing on different projects as well as trying to keep up with chores and other important issues. Everyday life throws up challenges which need to be dealt with.

First, I would like to reply to a comment from Bryan regarding my Quilts on the Grow which up until just this morning, was in my UFO pile. The main progress for the moment, is that I was actually able to find it quickly!!! Hooray 😊 I have quite a lot of these quilt as you go quilt blocks done right up to the hand quilting part.

I’m tempted to switch from my Patchwork of the Crosses project to my Quilts on the Grow project for a few weeks in order to make a little head way on it. All of my hand sewing projects make great evening armchair projects, especially once the prep work is done. So, watch this space Bryan, hopefully you will see my Quilts on the Grow grow and grow.

I have a little longarm quilting progress to show you today. My Burnopfield Belles colleague Lynn was struggling to quilt this quilt using her domestic sewing machine. So I took the quilt top, wadding and backing fabric away and loaded it into my longarm and did this to it …..

This is an example of what working together produces. Lynn pieced the quilt beautifully, I took it away and machine quilted and I will be returning the quilt to Lynn for binding. We both come away from this collaboration feeling like we’ve done something worthwhile. This quilt, once it’s finished, will be handed over to Quilts for Comfort. Being part of the Quilts for Comfort crew that works on these quilts gives me a sense of accomplishment. I know that every single stitch will produce something good. Belonging to the Burnopfield Belles is brilliant as well. We meet once a month to learn something. Everyone has something to offer. We have several ladies who lead sessions in teaching us new techniques and revisiting old ones. Not only do we learn from each other but we support each other as well. It’s amazing how a bunch of ladies with life experience can put the world to rights. I’m thankful for being part of something that brings comfort.

My Sarah and I stepped out today. I rarely go into Newcastle but today I had some specific business that needed taking care of. Once my appointment was over, we headed off to have a sandwich before heading home. We sat quietly people watching while eating. Lunchtime on Northumberland Street is rather busy so there were quite a lot of interesting people to look at. One thing that I looked for is men wearing nice shoes. As I understand it, you can tell quite a lot about a man by the shoes he wears. To my surprise there are a lot less men who wear socks and sandals these days; I’m not a fashion expert but I think socks and sandals do not look good at all. It was the perfect day weather wise for people watching. I’ll be heading back to Newcastle again soon to finish today’s business, and I’m going to make a point of taking the time to do some people watching again.

All in all, it’s been quite an enjoyable day in what is usually my quiet little world. I’m always up for an adventure. My next trip out to Newcastle will be nearer my birthday so perhaps we can have a better lunch than a quick sandwich but I hope to do some more people watching.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be choosing between the Patchwork of the Crosses and a Quilts on the Grow project. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing something you truly enjoy. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

LONG OVERDUE CATCH UP

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’re all enjoying the arrival of spring. My little corner of the northeast of England received a generous dollop of sunshine recently. The sunshine has brought the Daffodils and Crocuses. The grass is finally growing and everyone seems to be in a relaxed state of mind. Spring really is here.

I have been busy working on UFOs and Quilts for Comfort projects. I’ve spent time making a plan to simplify life and slowly but surely implementing the changes. There are lots of ongoing lists. One of my lists is planning our summer holiday. I can see our brand new shiny life peeking out a little bit and starting to take shape.

I machine quilted a few quilt tops for Quilts for Comfort. These tops are donated by wonderful volunteers. And as I have the equipment I volunteer to finish them off by quilting and binding them. So far, I have finished five quilts which is exactly what I was hoping for.

I did a little more work on my Patchwork of the Crosses as well …..

It’s a project that I don’t work on too often but it’s the one I turn to when I can’t decide what else to work on. English Paper Piecing is the perfect armchair project. I do the prep cutting during the day and sit quietly in the evening wrapping the fabric patches around the card templates. The repetitive process is very soothing. And accompanied by a good old English murder mystery on TV, I can’t think of anything I would rather do of an evening.

I have spent some more time sorting and tidying and came across this little collection of felt. I have been thinking about what I can do with this little pile of felt which I have collected over the last few years. Every time I went to a craft show, I bought a little bundle of something soft and inviting. Now I am on track to make something different using a little of this collection. This is my chance to have a little play with a different medium. I have been wanting to learn a few new techniques. So, watch this space.

I have received a few messages of concern recently because I haven’t posted in a while. Rest assured that Sarah and I are perfectly fine. Life’s little challenges have sort of taken over life. We have been busy quietly coping with the challenges presented as they come along. The garden needs a little attention and I have been planning the work to be done inside my home as well. There’s a collection of paint charts and different colour paint has been applied to small patches of wall just to audition different colours. It’s definitely time for a change as we move on from our old life. If I’m honest, it’s quite an exciting time.

Now that spring is here, I’m finding inspiration everywhere. The fresh spring greens are luscious and the deep yellow of the daffodils are so appealing. We’ll soon see the Bluebells blooming. I think I should head over to the beach for a relaxing walk on the sand while the waves roll in. Spring is a brilliant time of year. It’s been another challenging but interesting winter but we seem to have survived once again. I received this little gift last week …..

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be work on my Patchwork of the Crosses project. I hope you all have super cosy evening doing something you truly enjoy doing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

HOMEWORK DONE

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all had an enjoyable weekend. I’ve had a glorious day flitting around doing this and that. My Sarah was out hunting and gathering art supplies for her final assignments. The best part of my day was finishing the homework I got from my latest Quilts for Comfort volunteer day with the Burnopfield Belles.

In between tidying, put on loads of washing and picking up litter from my front garden I stepped into my sewing room and started the homework. The Belles have decided to piece a quilt using the Foundation Paper Piecing technique as a group. FPP is a brilliant way to piece a quilt as a group because it’s so accurate. The Anne wrote instructions and demonstrated how it works. I’ve done FPP but it was really good to have a refresher course.

I’m so pleased to have been able to help. I love joining in and working on something as a group. I have no doubt this quilt will be gorgeous when it’s done. And I have come away with a real sense of accomplishment having pieced 27 blocks all in one sitting!!!

In my last report, I posted about working on some spool blocks …..

Well last evening I finished piecing the last block making a total of 4 spool blocks. I pieced the blocks by hand and thoroughly enjoyed the process. In fact, I enjoyed the hand sewing so much that I decided that I will hand piece 4 Churn Dash blocks. The project for which these latest blocks are being pieced is a work in progress but also on my UFO list because I started drawing it last year. So, watch this space on further progress reports about this project.

It’s been a great day in my little corner of the northeast of England. We had some sunshine and some blustery wind but all in all it’s been a nice day. I’m pleased with my accomplishments for today and seeing my Sarah progress nicely with her work is always rewarding.

I came across a good quote recently on Pinterest ….. A mistake repeated more than once is a decision ~ Paulo Coelho. This quote is definitely food for thought.

So, for this evening, this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be doing some prep work in order to produce 4 Churn Dash Blocks. I hope you have a super cosy evening doing something you truly enjoy doing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

ONLY 15 SLEEPS TO GO

Hello my lovelies. After my recent post, I realised that I miss posting but I don’t have a great deal to report on the sewing front. However, a couple of days ago, I received a message from someone asking for suggestions regarding what to buy his quilt maker wife for Christmas because she has everything! Apparently, the lucky wife has a great number of sewing machines that do various tasks and a very large stash of fabric. I thought this dilemma would might make a good topic of conversation. So, I will start with my thoughts and then I hope that some of you will comment with suggestions.

As a seasoned quilt maker, I have accumulated lots of tools, equipment and my stash is plentiful. We all say you can never have too much fabric but surely that’s not true. I’ve hardly purchased any fabric this year because I’m trying to use up what I’ve got first. That isn’t to say that I haven’t been tempted though! There isn’t any new tool or gadget on the market that I can honestly say I can’t live without at this point. So, I dare say that if I had a partner I wouldn’t be able to help with his dilemma regarding what to get me for Christmas either. If I had a generous benefactor what I would really appreciate as a gift is a booking for a long weekend quilt retreat. The type of retreat where you bring your chosen project(s) and work on them without interruptions such as meal making, tidying up after the family, walking dogs and generally being able to forget about all the mundane day-to-day chores that wives and mothers look after. As I understand it, these retreats are very relaxing and your meals are supplied. That would be the best treat ever and it’s something that I have never experienced.

Now if you’re on a strict budget and couldn’t afford such a generous gift as a long weekend quilt retreat and she has everything a quilt maker needs and more, well this is where I will throw the discussion open and ask my readers to make suggestions please.

I think that Mr. X was quite brave to message me looking for suggestions. I call him Mr. X because I don’t want to spoil the surprise if we come up with a worthy suggestion and perhaps Mrs. X reads my simple ramblings. So, come ladies help me along with some suggestions for a lovely Christmas gift for Mrs. X.

This is the best time of year. I can feel the excitement in the air. The roads are all jammed up with traffic. And shoppers are freaking out because they can’t find the lesser spotted Hatchimals toy anywhere!!! The courier companies are stretched to the limit. We put so much pressure on ourselves to make everything perfect for everyone else. Day-to-day life is already so stressful. I think the best part of Christmas is winding down on Christmas Eve and spending time with our loved ones. It seems that the holiday period is the best time to get together with the important people in our lives. I feel for those who get no company at Christmas.

I have a little bit of sewing news of sorts today. I went to the final Burnopfield Belles meeting for 2016. And we worked on a Christmas Surprise project. I love attending Belles meetings. They are all so enthusiastic and love learning new techniques. Have a little look at the ladies working on their projects …..

The ladies worked on a hexagon shaped log cabin candle mat. Once the first row was in place they were off. There will be some interesting candle mats adorning our Christmas tables this year. It was a super fun meeting and I for one look forward to resuming our meetings in the new year.

I recently came across an interesting quote that made me think …  Don’t Count the days, make the days count ~ Muhammad Ali.

Well there’s no snow here in my little corner of the northeast of England. It’s far too warm. The temperatures are in the teens!!! That’s far too warm. We definitely need a couple of good frosts to kill off all the nasty germs that give us the seasonal colds and winter sickness bugs. As much as I don’t enjoy freezing temperatures I think we need it now. I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.

It’s finally Friday. I look forward to Friday because it’s the last day of the workweek. Everything seems to slow down on the weekend. It gives us a chance to catch our breath and catch up on what we missed thru the week.

Please don’t forget to comment with any suggestions you might have regarding for Mr. X should buy Mrs. X for Christmas.

So, for this evening this very happy and super ambitious quilt maker will be working on the second sock of a pair. I hope you all have a super cosy evening doing something you truly enjoy doing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

THE BELLES DO IT AGAIN

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all had a super fine day. My day has been full of surprises making it a very pleasant day indeed.

I think I’ll start by posting a few photos from yesterday’s Burnopfield Belles group meeting. We all came together to learn how the Foundation Paper Piecing techniques works. Everyone was successful and just to prove it here are a few photos of the blocks produced. Please note that I did not get a photo of everyone’s blocks …..

It was a really good meeting. We had fun while learning something new and useful. I love it when a plan comes together. Here’s a shot of most of the ladies concentrating on prepping fabric …..

I was working on some secret projects today. You will have to wait a while before I can post about said project but I can show you what I did at the end of the day when I had a little bit of time left before having to disappear into the kitchen to make an evening meal …..

I felt I needed a little fix of using my sewing machine. So I sewed a few leftover strips from my apple core quilt. I think I will probably be turning this into a notebook cover. I will layer this little quilt top and add some top stitching. And before I know it, I will have another notebook cover. I would like to add a pocket for my pen on the front of the cover. I hope to bring you the finished project soon.

So it’s been a pretty good day in my little world. I got plenty of everything done at my favourite slow and measured pace. I’ve had an interesting time playing with scraps. And I received two bouquets of flowers today! I’m a very lucky happy quilter girl.

So for this evening, this very happy and ambitious longarm quilter will be doing some EPP work on my Quilts on the Grow project. I hope you have a super cosy evening doing something you truly love. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

MY THANKFUL TUESDAY

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all had a fab day. As usual have I have kept but I didn’t do anything of any great consequence. I spent the day tying up loose ends. I caught up on some chores from my To-Do List. Now I can have a good play.

So let’s get caught up on what I have been working on. First I can show you four more Quilts on the Grow block which I pieced over the last couple of days …..

These blocks need to be secured onto the background and then quilted lightly. I’m a little over halfway to making the 52 blocks needed to complete this project. I’m tickled pink that I managed to carry on working on this project. And I’m pretty much on track time scale wise. I should be making four blocks a month, so as it’s June now I should have 24 blocks done but I have 29 blocks done which means I’m one month ahead!!! This Quilt as You Go method is a great way of working because once all the blocks are done the quilt is done too.

Something that was on my To-Do List for today was to prepare for my Burnopfield Belles sewing meeting tomorrow. I’ll be guiding the Belles thru the daunting technique of Foundation Paper Piecing. This is a technique which I learned many years. And to me it’s a breeze but for some it’s a difficult technique to learn. So I made copies of the foundation papers and prepped some fabric in readiness to show them how it all works. Seeing is believing. I am a visual person and I feel that there’s nothing like a good demo as well as a written description to which you can refer to just to remind you how it works. I’m looking forward to catching up with the Belles tomorrow. Just in case you didn’t know the Burnopfield Belles are a group of ladies who come together monthly who are interested in helping Quilts for Comfort.

Today is Tuesday, the second day of the work week. I’m caught up on everything on my To-Do List for the moment. I’m grateful to have had a chance to spend some time in my sewing room preparing for tomorrow’s meeting with the Burnopfield Belles. I’m grateful for the sun that graced us this morning. I’m grateful for the fact that I’m in reasonably good health at the moment. Most of all I’m grateful for my loving family and friends. Without their encouragement I wouldn’t be the person I am today. What are you grateful for today?

It’s been a really good day in my little world. I have accomplished more than I expected to accomplish in one day. Some days things just run smoothly when other days nothing works as you would like it to. It would be nice if every day was like that.

So for this evening, this very happy and ambitious longarm quilter will be working on prepping a few more blocks for my Quilts on the Grow project. I hope you have a super cosy evening doing something you truly enjoy doing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

I LOVE HEARTS

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all had a super productive day. I’m still riding in the slow lane enjoying the scenery. And although I’ve been riding in the slow lane I have been quietly working on different projects. I have really been enjoying this quiet time. For some time now my life has been full of stress, so these quiet moments have been very welcome.

Patchwork and quilting is soooo good for the soul. My Sarah has spent the last few days working on charity quilts. She has longarm quilted two quilts, one of which she pieced herself and she spent today finishing off a partly pieced UFO destined for Quilts for Comfort. In between rotary cutting and pressing Sarah sat at the sewing machine adding borders to her latest masterpiece and while she sat I could hear the sewing whirring away but also I could hear her singing. Not only has she been doing something useful but she was actually enjoying the process! Once she finishes piecing this quilt she will longarm quilt it. I’m not sure how long the enthusiasm will last but for the moment I’m pleased that my Sarah is showing an interest in patchwork and quilting. I think it will help with her university work and give her more confidence.

Yesterday, I decided it was time to work on a different UFO. So I searched amongst all my different project boxes and I found exactly what I wanted. I pulled out all my drawings for my Sweet Hearts Dozen Appliqué quilt project. This is one I started some time ago but set aside in favour of getting all my day to day stuff done. All those months ago, I got quite a lot of the prep work done so it was a pleasure to jump back in to do some fine hand appliqué work. My favourite method of appliqué is the freezer paper method. Once the daytime prep work is done this method is the perfect evening armchair project. So I’m going to enjoy every minute of my Sweet Hearts Dozen project. I look forward to showing you my progress as time goes by.

The last couple of days have been pretty interesting. There have been some ups and downs but isn’t that what makes life more interesting??? I’ve had some long girly chats with my Sarah about the future. Every new day brings brand new thoughts and ideas about what life will be like in the years to come. The world is our oyster.

So for this evening, this very happy and ambitious longarm quilter will be doing some fine hand appliqué work. I hope you have a super cosy evening doing something you truly enjoy doing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

MORE CHARITY QUILT NEWS

Hello my lovelies. It’s been a super day in my little world. I spent the day doing this and that. I managed to tick everything off my To-Do List and a few other bits and pieces as well. Today I’m not going to report about any of my sewing progress but I will show you a quilt that my Sarah longarm quilted to be handed over to Quilts for Comfort.

Sarah has spent many months focusing on university work. So I think it’s quite a treat for her to be able to work on something she chooses to work on rather than university work. Today she chose to work on a charity quilt. The quilt she longarm quilted was pieced and donated by Christine. It’s a lovely scrappy quilt. I know that a young person will take great comfort from this quilt. Feast your peepers on this …..

We chose some fabric from my stash for the binding. And Sarah will be machining the binding on this evening. And because I believe in giving credit to those who have made a contribution to any given quilt, I have made a label naming the contributors, to add to the back of the quilt once the binding has been finished.

All in all, it’s been a great day in my little world. The sun was shining and everything is well with the world at the moment. I plan on spending tomorrow longarm quilting. I’m hoping the sun will be cheering me on.

So for this evening, this very happy and ambitious longarm quilter will be doing some EPP in order to progress on my Quilts on the Grow project. I hope you have a super cosy evening doing something you truly love doing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »

PLAYING IN THE GARDEN AGAIN

Hello my lovelies. I hope you’ve all had a super sunny day. This week is a pretty busy one for me. So it’s going to be a quick post.

After a really productive weekend I can boast that all three of the charity quilts have been longarm quilted and bound and labelled in readiness to hand over in a couple of days. Originally the deadline was for next week but the date was brought forward so I was in a bit of a panic on Saturday when I learned that I had less than a week to get it all sorted. Well I met the challenge with time left over! Sometimes it pays to sit down and plan what needs doing. I realise that even when you plan things it’s not possible to stick to a schedule.

After stepping out first thing this morning to purchase a couple of new garden tools, I went out to the garden and got started on sorting a few unruly trees that were in the wrong place. Well in the end I simply pruned the canopy of one tree down to half its size which made it look less out of place. Now that the tree has been halved it’s letting in much more light for the ground cover plants under it to thrive. There are two other wee trees which I studied and started making a plan of action in order to remove. I won’t be sure how big of a job it will be until I start. I’m not a gardener by any means but it’s up to me to sort it out so I’m going to learn the hard way. I do know one thing, getting rid of the clippings is always the worst part of the job!!! Today I was lucky because tomorrow is bin day. So getting rid of the clippings was easy.

Before I found out about the new deadline for the charity quilts, I was sitting prepping more blocks for my Quilts on the Grow project. I managed to prep three more blocks which I hope to work on in the evenings this week. I’m using the English Paper Piecing method which I find very relaxing. I can work on these blocks while I watch mindless TV. This lot will bring me up to block #21. Yahoo!

It’s been another sunny day in my little world. I hope this weather hangs around for a good while longer. It makes getting up in the morning worthwhile. I’m actually looking forward to what tomorrow will bring even though I have a good full day of busyness planned. The busier I am the happier I feel.

So for this evening, this very happy and ambitious longarm quilter will be working on another Quilts on the Grow block. I hope you have a super cosy evening doing something you enjoy doing. Until you read me again,

Happy stitching ♥ ♥

Read Full Post »