Disaster!!!

My trusty, workhorse sewing machine broke as I was finishing Grace's quilt. Off to the repairers and fixed - hurray!  But then it happened all over again. Oh dear, looks like Grace is destined never to receive this quilt. However, I haven't lived with an engineer for 40 years for nothing-so I got busy on the mechanism, patiently watching how things move, when and why and  guess what? It's working again but I'm going to have it serviced while I'm away-did I mention that I'm going to the Festival of Quilts?

Getting Ready!

Time to start making my shopping list for the Festival of Quilts at Birmingham.
Now let me see....do I need anything? Yes. Do I want anything? Yes. Will I be tempted by things not on the list ? Absolutely! So...

1. A few rotary cutters for the '3rd Ager Group' satring in September.
2. A couple of cutting mats for the same.
3. A lot of wadding.
4. Threads for Emma and Jennifer's quilts(still in the planning stage, i.e. my head,but fabric brought home from US).
5. Some 'Pink Pig' books for making journals, if I can find them.
6. All the other things I can (a) carry
                                                 (b) afford
http://www.twistedthread.com/

So excited...the tickets arrived today for the Festival of Quilts at Birmingham. This has become an annual event for Judith and I, staying in a very nice hotel so we can have two full days of indulgence.

Miniature Patchwork

Miniature hand-stitched, paper pieced yacht.

Flower Basket and Suffolk Puffs

I loved doing this. Wax drawing covered with ink and then the surface scratched to reaveal the colours underneath-very therapeutic! 

Representational Patchwork

Using  Clarice Cliffe pottery as a source, various techniques were used such as rubbings and graffito - wax crayons rubbed over string blocks and then scraping away the surface.

This was my first attempt at paper piecing which I did not enjoy. However, I am now a convert!

Blogging!

Wish I knew how to make my blog more interesting with links and a personalised pictures and things. I look at other blogs and the layout on many are SO MUCH prettier than mine! I'll get back to some free motion quilting - that'll cheer me up!

Grace's Quilt

So onwards and upwards with this quilt/playmat which I'm making for a friend's granddaughter. I have a finish date for this so really HAVE TO knuckle down with no side-tracking to other projects. I'm at the quilting stage so hopefully I'll finish it in time...I've got 12 days! Wish me luck.

A Great Day Out

 What better to do on lovely sunny day than visit York, one of my favourite cities and home to the National Quilt Museum? A two hour train journey brought us to York, a city bursting with history, vibrancy, interest, beauty and splendour.
I've visited the Museum before and looked forward to seeing the present exhibition on ' Celebrations'. As always, I come away inspired and hopeful that one of my quilts might one day be classed as a family heirloom! I felt a bit special on this visit because it's the first time I've been there as a member of the Quilters' Guild and as such could use the members' room. Lucky Keith was allowed to come in with me for a cup of tea- and a sneaky forty winks!!!

Then out for a walk on the dity walls, lunch and a stroll down the Shambles, voted Britain's most picturesque Street in 2010. http://www.york-united-kingdom.co.uk/shambles/

This is on the 'definite' list for my American friends and family when they visit the UK. A nice late lunch, further strolling in the street market and then it was time for the train journey home.

.

Across Borders

Across Borders we are because we are a group of people from Yorkshire and Lancashire and we are also a group with members from England and Scotland. Everyone's happy!
We are now in the business of making our blocks into quilts-some will be ready for the Harrogate Show this year and some will need to wait until next year. So the seagulls are coming home to roost - until another one takes off!

...ACROSS BORDERS!

...first, we'd need to think of a name for our group. We'd been together as a group since starting our City and Guilds course in September 2008, had become really good friends and loved getting together. Davina led us into the extremely arduous business of finding a name-much harder than you'd think! We ended up with a huge list of suggestions then carried out a straw poll, checked on Google for anyone else with that name(as far as we could) and came up with...

 

Helen couldn't make it in Reveal Day and so we were a parcel short. We spent the day making the last block because and talking about the possibility of entering the finished quilts in the North of England Quilt Show, however...

It was so exciting opening these packets when they dropped through the letterbox! Seeing all the different approaches and techniques used was great-it never fails to amaze me just how creative people are.
Taxed with the same instuctions, there is never the same outcome by two people-wonderful!

And so, month by month,  the postmen were busy helping our seagulls on their way to the next destination.

 

The block finished, it was then posted to the next person in the circle who bought another fat quarter and made the next block.

...who bought a further co-ordinating fat quarter and made a block according to specific instructions - Month 1 - include squares, Month 2 -half square triangles, Month 3 - applique. Month 4 - curves, Month 5 - stripes, Month 6 - points, Month 7 - crazy patchwork, Month 8 - star(s) Month 9 - square within a square.

The Circular Seagull Reveal Day

...and so the Circular Seagull Reveal Day arrived. The blocks designed and worked by all the members our City and Guilds group had been completed and it was time to see them all. We met up for a day and with great excitement opened our parcels. Remember, we'd started off 8 months previously, by sending 3 fat quarters to the next person in the circle...

 Thought I'd post a selection of

photos of Kalymnos and some of the

places round about.


Very good friends enjoying

one of many meals together.

               A quick burst of 'Dancing Queen' was needed

         from time to time.
 

 

Looking across to Telendos at dusk.

Kalymnos-

Just home from a wonderful week's holiday on the Greek Island of Kalymnos. This is a very rugged island with spectacular mountains and fabulous deserted bays and coves. Hopefully get some photos onto the blog in the next couple of days.But for now, it's bedtime after a super time with good friends.