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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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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Time to Play with Mystery Monday

The putting together instruction arrived in the in box this morning.  This is what I have up on the design wall at the moment.

John says it looks like a nuclear explosion.

I like the way that you see things very differently through a lens and on a screen.  I can now see the four circles clearly, on the wall I see the baskets.

I may play with it a little before committing but I do like this way.  I also can't find the fabric key at the moment and wanted to check which was my A colour!  Daft or what.  I also think the borders will really finish it.

I think I have a couple of hours to fiddle but I have lunch with some girlfriends today and don't want to become too engrossed!

Ear, Ear!

You may have noticed I’ve had a little change in the decor.  I thought I’d better move over to the newer model of template, the old one was becoming a little unpredictable.

I’ve just finished catching up on week 5 of the Mystery Mondays hence the post title.  All those ears to snip Maggi!!!  Now just to do week 6 tonight and I’m ready for this Monday.  Phew!

I’ve also done this year’s Christmas ornament.  Silk with gold threads and beads with the date on the back.

The little Harvest Fields scrim piece finally had its binding put on too.

In the post today arrived these cops of King Tutt.  No there’s not a baby imminent, I just have a few tops to quilt that happen to be in those colours!

Also this Madeira Lana threads selection in the variegated.  So touchy feely and soft.  I think they will be more hand work than machine. (Don't ask me why they are sideways, it's taken me 1.5 hours to get this far!! I'm hating Blogger at the moment. (And now they're upright! !))

And last came a Procion MX dye beginner’s kit.  I’ve only ever used Dylon in the microwave up to now but the C&G will be using some proper stuff later.  Should be fun.  They were from D&T Craft and Design.

I’ve made a start in to the course, I think I’m happy with what I’ve done so far.  It’s over 20 years since I did anything properly educational so a new learning experience again (excuse the pun).  I’ve also asked to join in Barbara’s hand quilting day at Jacky’s shop in March, John will be going with me but he’s found a fishing lake or two to keep him busy.  Looking forward to that.

Dinner will be in the oven in a minute and then MM week 6 and maybe the SAHR too with perhaps a little Magical Minis thrown in for evening entertainment.  

Busy Day

I managed to do a fair bit today. As well as tidying the ever growing pile of quilt/stitch/ fabric books on top of the book shelf I made...
16 of the corner squares to the sashing on the Jenny BOM.

8 more of the 4 inch Minis.

The first cut on the Mystical Mondays.

And I started this.

We went to Salisbury yesterday and on the way in there are fields that have just had their crop taken off and they left lovely quiltable lines. I’ve had the hand dyed scrim for a while and they seemed to want to be a part of this little quilt.

Also Oscar, who has always thought he was a dog, finally decided to step up the ante and try and be the dog’s dinner instead.

Photos for Yesterday

The Mystery Monday fabrics.  We really loved the deep purple and blue green batik with trees so I thought, as it's quite dark, B the background.  Then from left to right main fabric A then C. Same colour family but I'm not sure that the value of C is dark enough.  A very hard colour to find! Then D and E same colour family, similar values and also complimentary to the blue green.  Did I understand OK so far Barbara or will I have to change something after all????

And the blocks we put together for Elsa.  Mike loves the Japanese theme and Elsa wanted to do a whole quilt top.  I said she was still very novice to go straight for the deep end, I don't want to put her off stitching altogether by starting her out on a project that would take a long time to do.  It was John who suggested a bed runner. 

We found these lovely gold on black geisha panels that we cut up and re arranged into opposite pairs in blocks of four.  They are now layered and basted and she has started hand quilting them.  The other two panels are kanji, you can just make out the shape in the tacking thread.  Elsa wanted to try appliqué and I thought the easiest way to do the kanji would be using a Hawaiian appliqué method. We did a test panel and she did it like a natural!

Of course the other beauty of these quilt as you go panels is that if she decides she is enjoying making them, we can rearrange them into something else, add others and she could still end up with a full size bed quilt.  One step at a time. 

I'm in For the Mystery Mondays

We drove up to visit Elsa and Mike yesterday. In the car I managed to finish quite a few of the border strips for the Jenny BOM.  I was pleased as I think this bit will seem endless.

I also contemplated whether I should really do the Mystery Monday with Chris and Barbara especially as I've just added a list of projects I have under way to the side bar here!!  Well, seeing as we went the Quilters Haven for an hour or so this morning, I bought a bit a fabric to do it with. I hope the choice is right. I will post a picture of the fabrics tomorrow as I still haven't found the camera adapter thingy for this iPad yet!

We also bought some great fabrics for Elsa to take away with her in little quilt as you go blocks so we have spent the afternoon making them up. Again pictures tomorrow!

The 'boys' have been playing Forza 3 on the x box leaving us in peace but soon we're off out for dinner.  Have a good evening all.