The Week Of Thoughts

I always like this week of the year. All the frenzy of the Christmas period has just left and there's the excitement of the New year just waiting around the corner. I like the fresh page feeling.

I've never been one for resolutions, I don't like the thought of always setting goals too high and failing. I have been considering the year ahead quite a bit over the past few days though.

I have very naughtily put on nearly two stone this past year and I really have to do something about it. I know my knee has stopped me being too active and, as a last straw, my back went on Sunday as I was making the bed. I am not going to say I am going to go on a mad fitness regime and loose the two stone, I AM going to do my best to be more active and be more moderate and considerate in what I eat.

The other area I would really like to change is my fabulous ability for procrastination! I can sit for hours looking at other peoples lovely work and think 'I wish I could do that' and know I have the time, so why don't I just start?

Well on the last matter I did decide to make a start. White Nights has been hanging over the banister for months and I do have the machine to quilt it I just kept putting it of. I asked Mike to help me put the extra length on the studio frame on Monday and I loaded it with the top etc. Yesterday afternoon I had some time to start so off I went. AND IT FEELS GOOD!!!

Here's Ari in her 12+ foot mode with just over half the quilting done.




Now no more delay, I'm going to finish the top and sort the binding before John comes back from fishing. Maybe I will have it on the bed before New Year!


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Seasonal Greetings

I managed to bind and finish the MM3 table runner.  None of the photos show how sparkly the white fabric is so you will just have to imagine.

I have been playing with Ari (Ariadne is the name of the Avante 18.  Don't ask why, it just happened to be and the name of the mistress of the labyrinth is quite appropriate because of the maze like patterns we tend to quilt with).  I am becoming more confident but still a long way from wanting to tackle the big White Nights quilt for our bed.  I knew it wouldn't see this Christmas!  The JB Baby Blocks quilt is on it at the moment and I'm doing a Suzanne Early technique which has worked out quite well.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday break and plenty of crafting.  Thank you for spending some of your time this past year reading this blog, I've enjoyed reading yours too.

I have just watched the fabulous In Action by Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn (Lovely ladies but the really bad manicure was a ! moment to me!) and I had Judy Coates Perez on screen last night so quite inspired.  I'm off to actually play with my sketchbooks!!


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Can You See Clearly?

We can't here and it's such a shame.  The Lunar Eclipse was this morning between 07.00 and 08.50 and the cloud is so thick.  It's nice to know Mother Nature can do such spectacular things and then throw a spanner in the works like cloud!

I have finished wrapping and dressing and cooking and Christmas can't happen soon enough now.  Even the Sky Box is set to record all the things we will gradually watch through the year rather than all at once.

Why is it we have all these wonderful ideas of what we can make for Christmas about now when time is running out.  I've started to gather a pile of ideas, patterns, sketches and downloads of things I would like to do and I will put it somewhere where I can dip into it later next year.  One of my main projects will be a tree skirt for us!  I did one for Elsa last year but ours is still an old bought one as you can see.  When the new workroom (I can't bring myself to call it a studio!) is built it will be one of the first things to tackle.

Have a wonderful Shortest Day and may your planetary New Year begin tomorrow with a few extra moments of daytime creating!!


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One Minute Thirty

Yes it snowed, where hasn't it!  I just thought I would show you this short clip of two of the bird feeding stations in the front garden.  It's not great but they do show up better against the snow.  The garden is like this nearly all the time most days!

Just in this are Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Robin, Dunnock, Bramling, Sparrow, Blackbird, Starling and Blue, Coal and Great Tit.

Those missing are Pigeon and Dove, Pheasant, Song Thrush, Woodpecker and the Longtail Tits.  Already been and gone for the moment but they will be back. 

MM3 Almost There

The MM3 has come to an end.  I decided to do the 'with ends' option.  It seems to fit the table better and will certainly be more filling on it if we have the flaps out and in 10 seater mode!

All there is left to do now is layer and quilt which I'm am quite looking forward to doing and yes, for this Christmas!  I have some lovely metallic threads that will suit the white just right.

The show went well with the robins disappearing very fast.  I think we can quite happily say we added a little to the charity funds and had a good day too.

We are just off out to find some last minute bits for the house.  Then I'm going to have to force the issue and find the tree. My knee is playing up superbly and I'm not looking forward to crawling around up in a squished attic looking for the right boxes and my best Santa's Little Helper is thousands of miles away.  I miss her all the time but some days are harder than others.

I did send her the Christmas hanging I made below. (Please excuse the state of my DW! I will pick the threads off it soon.)  She received it yesterday and has been showing everyone she can.  Bless.  It's from the book Quilt Yourself Gorgeous by Mandy Shaw.

Now to don the armour and face the crowds!!

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MM3 and Robins

We have made a leap forward in this weeks MM3 and the end is in sight, I think, unless Chris and Barbara are going to throw in a curve ball!  I do love these fabrics and will definitely have to make something more with them.

On Monday I went and helped hang the paintings for the exhibition.  43 great pieces of art plus my 6 that aren't actually for sale!  I think they were pleased with the bits I made to help with funds though.  Nina would like the aquarium cards framed and set up as pictures instead and I also made these robins from a pattern of Helen's from Bustle and Sew.  As they are her pattern I don't want to sell them but will ask for a charitable donation instead.  That is if there are any left, Nina keeps pinching them.

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A Finish, a Start and a Date, or Two.

Yesterday I finished this little table centre.  All the fabrics were hand dyed by Maggi at To Dream To Stitch.  I hand pieced and quilted it and it is from a pattern called Solar Eclipse that one of my ladies had done at sewing group and I admired very much.  Piecing bias curves is not as hard as it seems when it's done over paper. 16.5 inches.  It goes fab with the bowl Maggi.

I signed up to Lisa Walton's new beading class that starts in the new year at Dyed and Gone to Heaven.  I'm just OK with beading but I'm also always willing to gather new information and expand ideas!

Also the Friday Night Sew In this month has two dates.  This Friday the 10th and also the 17th of December.  I'm almost done with Christmassy things so I will hopefully be using the time to catch up on other things that have been put aside.


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It's Snow Joke

Well I guess you all have your own snow stories.  We've only just had ours arrive.  I really do believe that this part of Dorset is quite often in a slightly different time line to the rest of the planet.  I won't inundate you with photos.  It's white everywhere and quite often very beautiful.  I have the Hellebores out and was going to take photos of them but they are now under  blanket of the white stuff and I'm not going to disturb them.

There is a possibility that my friend Gilly will be holding an exhibition and sale of work next week, this is weather permitting I'm sure, and she has asked if I could put in some of my quilts and bits.  Trouble is I don't sell my stuff so I have been making things that could be sold just to raise a little cash for the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund at the local camp, every penny counts. So far I have made the following.

Aquarium cards A5 size.  I took the photos after I put them in the cellophane wrappers so they are a bit shiny.

 Some quick baubles from panel fabric.  They remind me of ravioli!

And some Teabag Wallets.

I have other bits on order to make more things but whether they arrive in time is another thing. 

I did have these DVD's arrive in the post so a great time reading through them will be next on the list! 

I hope you are all staying safe and warm.


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Oh My, Not What I Expected At All!

The lovely Benta at SLIK Stitches was kind enough to give me an award this week.

There is the catch that I am suppose to tell you ten things about myself. I have really struggled to think of ten things! Well here goes anyway. lol

1) The Obstetrician who looked after my mum and delivered me also looked after me and oversaw the delivery of my daughter. (He had enormous hands!).

2) When I was five I applied to be a presenter on Blue Peter. I had a personal reply from Biddy Baxter herself, something which I believe she was well known for.

3) I had one of my paintings shown on Vision On and two on Take Hart. I adored Tony Hart!

4) I was always convinced I could make something from all the bits in the big box that my mum kept in the bottom of the cupboard.  It was mostly unusable old plugs, wire, fuses, screws etc but if I added the contents of the button box something miraculous would be made! Or so I thought.  I still look at most things with an eye to what else I can use it for. 

5) I joined the Girls Nautical Training Corps at 13.  Later I did go through the process of all the aptitude tests etc for the Navy too, which I passed with flying colours, I just failed the medical through bad spinal discs. I was gutted.

6) One of the courses we could do in the GNTC was ropework, handy when dealing with boats and, because I was already quite crafty, I soon qualified to teach Ropecraft.  It is so cool when you are that age to teach 'grown ups' how to tie proper knots and make rope fenders and I was allowed to wear a very fancy lanyard on my uniform.

7) I did a lot of training with the RNLI and was one of the first females allowed to do some of this.  I was only 14/15 though so it was never recognised except in my Duke of Edinburgh's Award book.  But I have been thrown out of life boats and winched up to helicopters and set off flares and made lots of hot soup and cups of tea!  All wonderful experiences.

8) I did my school Trident experience in a motorcycle shop learning to put bikes through their MOT's. (Again quite a few cups of tea had to be made!  I am now terrible at making tea.)

9) I used to do fencing.  No the type involving creosote but the swords type.  Loved it, great exercise and fabulous for airing frustrations.  

10) Better late than never, despite always having been invloved with motorcycles, I actually passed my full motorcycle licence when I was 36.  I much prefer cars now though! 

I hope that didn't bore you.  Thank you again Benta and sorry it took so long, it was hard work! 

I hope you all have a great Sunday.

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Testing, testing

Just seeing if the BlogPress does what it says it will and let me post photos to the blog from iPad.




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At Last a Little Action

It seems to have taken ages to find the enthusiasm to create again.  I often think that being ill could be a nice excuse to hide away from boring day to day things and sneak in some extra stitching.  But no.  I think some of the things we take for coughs and colds include a lethargy inducer.  It’s all behind me now though and Chirstmas has been calling.

John took me down to Highcliffe Castle to see the Stitch and Turn exhibition of Heather Lipscombe and Ken Briffett.  Heather is an outstanding needlewoman and her pieces are wonderful.  The detail and techniques really something to aspire to, I just wish I could be one of her students! 

After the exhibition we took the dogs down onto Highcliffe beach for a charge around and saw this flock of oystercatchers flying along the breaker line.  The whole flock undulated as the waves rose beneath them, it was quite a site.

I have been making a few more bits for Chrismas, most of which I can’t show, yet anyway.  I have kept up with the Mystery Monday and the Magical Minis but I have also had a little play.  

The last Jinny Beyer newsletter included a pattern to make this unusual pincusion.  John thinks it's supposed to be a starfish and I think I agree with him!  Different! 

We also had a wonderful treat of visiting the studio of Marie Roper in the DMTV last week where she gave us a demo of how she made her dolls.  I don't like dolls usually, I never have done, I think it's the humanising but I was surprised at how I liked Marie's.  Perhaps it's because they are more of a characteur than trying to be too real.  Anyway, I couldn't resist a go at her technique and this is my madam.

If you are not a member of the website, I can not recommend it enough.

Off to watch Iron Man 2 now. 

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Not Lax, Just Icky

Such a long time since the last post.  I have had a quick play on the Avante and I have done some bits for Christmas but the past few days I have had a whopping cold and bad throat.  Not too much fun but I appreciate the comfort of a home made quilt and log fire.

I was supposed to be meeting up with some friends this evening but I will call that off, I hate catching these things let alone passing them around, and I won't go to sewing group tomorrow as Heather has just come out of her last Chemo and I'm am certainly not risking her catching it either.  It looks like the highlight of my week will be John having a check up with a doctor called Mr Pain.  How hilarious! I shouldn't laugh, it starts me coughing again.

Anyway, hope you all have a good week and no you can't catch the lurgy through a computer screen!


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SAHR 5

I previously mentioned that I did take the side strip off and turn it around.  You can see it matches the chequers which is quite strange because I certainly didn't consciously do it that way!  Must have been the little fellas at it again, and the nap of the velvet is the same now.

Month 5 was to add two pieces to the top (or bottom), one 4 x 6 inches and one 4 x 7 inches.  my 6" piece is the three strips of silk to the left and the 7" piece is the silk with the mottling and small piece of velvet to the right.

I must admit to struggling a little with this.  I do work quite a lot intuitively, seeing where the work takes me with a vague idea but I think the stumbling block is that someone else (Kate) has the master plan and I haven't had a peek.  I feel this way when I have a workshop and there are very vague instructions or I haven't seen tutor 'samples' of what we should be doing.  Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the challenge and Kate is doing a fab job being hostess but I am pushing myself through a wall each month.  Perhaps I need to do this more often!! 

It Was Worth It!

In the major turn around that we have been doing here I've found all sorts of things.  But I've also gone into memory brain overload and can't remember where I've put anything!  I have labelled boxes but it's not the same as knowing where something is because it's the thing you use a lot and put it down in the same place all the time.  My work space may look like chaos to the untrained eye but it is an actually logical space to work.  I am working on it though!

I found a bag of cut diamonds from Jinny Beyer border prints, yes another one of her patterns, and Monday and Tuesday I put them together and I now have this lap top to quilt.

I have also chosen my fabrics for the quick Christmas Mystery Mondays 3.  You can't see in the photo but the white has really sparkly gold all over it and is lovely and I just couldn't resist the red stars! 

I also had my first skein of wool from Debbie.  Quite an exciting colour and very subtle changes and oh so beautifully soft.  I will hunt out the swift later and wind it up.

And the reason why we needed the room and the change around arrived on Wednesday.  It was like waiting for a baby to arrive!  I've spent quite a bit of time practising, it feels very different from the Nolting, much heavier for a start, and now I've jumped in.  Here it is loaded with MM 2 as my first piece.  Well I have to start somewhere!  Just waiting for it to tell me it's name.

I have all this going on and we have Chris and Mike are here over the weekend, fishing tomorrow weather permitting, and a whopping urge to have a scribble in my C&G sketchbook.  Anyone any idea where I put that????

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Now November

I'm not a fan of Halloween.  It may be a traditional Celtic celebration to celebrate the end of the summer half of the year and the start of the winter half, which I don't mind, it's just been so hugely lost in commercialism and silliness (don't mention the Hollywood factor) that I don't find it enjoyable.  But it does mean that there are 54 days from All Saints Day until Christmas.  Don't panic!

We also have Guy Fawkes night on the 5th.  Now this one I have always enjoyed.  It is my sons birthday on 2nd and his dads on 5th so we always had a huge party and bonfire to celebrate.  Very panicky to organise but after you've done it a few times, it becomes easier.  And this date to me means all the rest is done and I can stop grumbling about the Christmas adverts on the telly (since September) and begin the run up proper.  They have my permission. lol

I managed a little sewing last night.  I put just the one border on the Mystery Monday quilt in the mid patterned green as I had a lot of that left over and I will do the binding in the dark background when it is quilted. I did think of doing a crumb catcher insert but it cut off the points I had spent a lot of time making sharp, so that went out of the window.  Sorry no picture, it's put away safe from the chaos upstairs.  Just remind me where I put it when I can't find it will you?  New MM quilt starts soon.  *EDIT*  Chris has just posted MM3, a quickie for Christmas.

I also took the side strip off the Stay at Home Robin and simply turned it upside down.  Part of the problem was the nap in the velvet being in the opposite direction.  Sort of rubbed me the wrong way.  It turns out that not only did it look better but the chequer squares matched up!  Pleased with that.  I will put up a picture once Kate has told us what we are doing this month and I have done it.

I also arranged and started sewing some blocks of another quilt I had cut.  Quite pleasing to do in baby blocks.  If anything it is also making me use the room where all my things are at the moment.  I would go nuts if I didn't have the sewing to do and I have to clear my head of the 'I can wait until the new room is built' thing as that could be another 4 months away.  It's just keeping track of where things are as I move them!

As these posts always look a little lost without a picture I thought I'd just throw this one from last November when Ruger thought he preferred Tully's bed.  She didn't agree.  They both have an enormous wicker bed to share now and are much happier.

Have a good week.