More Re Cycling & A Winning Quilt.

SIT HERE AND ENJOY THE PEONIES AND ROSES

WHILST SIPPING A COOL GLASS OF SOMETHING

MY BEST WORK IS NOT A QUILT



Well I have been at it again and re-cycled two garden chairs one from brown and the other one from yellow canvas We bought these chairs at a local supermarket whilst on holiday in the Cognac area of France about 15 years ago, So it is appropriate that I have given them the Toile treatment.

Thought you might just like to see how the summer house is looking .Imagine me sitting here sipping a Pimm's and looking out onto the lily pool area of the garden- Bliss.

Also would like to show you my greatest work and it's not a quilt but my son and heir. I can never quite get over how he towers above me and I am in heel's- Well I am only 5ft 1 in so it doesn't' take a lot for anyone to be taller than me.

The quilt though is a winner and came second at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham in 2005 and 1st at Quilts UK, Malvern in 2006. It won its prizes for its longarm quilting . It was quilted by Custom Quilt in Co Cork Ireland. Beryl Cadman is the agent for Gammill machines , She and her team do fabulous work and she certainly did the business on this for me.

So Cheers I am off to enjoy a Pimm's in the summer house.

Shabby Chic Deckchairs

I TURNED THESE INTO THESE .

Over the weekend I have been busy in the garden and found out that over the winter Roland Ratty had gnawed through the fabric of one of my deck chairs - He must have been desperate to eat fabric don't you think? Well not to be defeated by his hooliganism's I resorted to making my deck chairs a little bit more Shabby Chic.

I know its not quilting but it is craft and I did have to do some sewing. I painted them with Farrow and Balls colour no 4 Old White and would you believe the fabric was a table cloth- Not a very successful table cloth as it was furnishing weight and looked lovely until someone spilt red wine on it . It had to be washed and was never that crisp self again- so in a light bulb moment I thought Table cloth- New deck chair covers.

So here I have my lovely new deck chairs , I just hope the weather continues so I can enjoy sitting in at least one of them . The other one is for my friend - The invisible man LOL.

Goose in the Pond & Klosjes

MERY Obviously feeling its great to be alive.

Well I don't know where this week has gone but only have 2 klosjes to show for my efforts- But it does now bring my total to 50 so theirs a milestone.

I am going through my UFO's and endeavoring to finish things. Our quilt group has an exhibition every 3 years and although April next year sounds a long way off their is plenty to do before then.

I started this goose in the pond after the Festival of Quilts last August. I had bought the fabric from Fiona at the The American Quilt Store. I was so excited with it that I rushed home and got started- all was fine until I thought I had finished the top .It was lacking that little something so it got put away. That little something was a border so this week I set to and made far to much binding and these leaves to go round the edge.
I am a much happier girlie tonight now I can see how its coming along.

The garden is coming along wonderfully , everything is looking so healthy and blooming and it is a joy to walk round the garden early evening - the scent from the Philadelphus just fills the air and as you can see Mery really looks pleased to be alive basking in the sun.

Till next time
Sue

Peonies & Stanton Gardens

 

 

 

 

On Sunday Mery and I went to Stanton to visit the gardens that were open under the National Garden Scheme . It was way to hot for her and at the first opportunity she found this little stream and nearly pulled me in too. She actually just laid down in it for at least 10 mins to cool off and everyone that was passing was having a little chuckle as I was hanging on to her lead down the small bank. Really glad I wore white cotton trousers , Because you guessed it they had brown spotty marks on them when she shook herself.
I found the Mariners Compass design in paving in one garden.Is she a quilter I thought, This is just another idea I have logged for a future quilt or garden project.
Stanton has wonderful old Cotswold houses and in all 20 gardens were open. We finished off with a cream tea I justified the strawberry cream cake with the amount of walking we had done.
The peonies are in my own garden and I don't like the look that Mery is giving me by my lily pond- SHALL I GO IN- It does look tempting.

So today its a flower for you. Enjoy my peonies

Strip Robin

 

 

 

This is my strip robin quilt which I have just finished putting binding on- I seem to have been sewing lots of bindings on over the last few weeks , That's what happens when you get 4 quilts back from the Longarm quilter.

The strip robin was a project which the quilt group I belong to decided to do last year. The brief was up to 42in width of fabric to as small as you like.
First month you did your own row which was stars then you passed your bag on by placing your bag on a table at the meeting. The bags were all brown paper so we just didn't have a clue who's we were taking.
You could also put fabric in your bag and a little book with what sort of look you were after and also asked to complete a small diary of what was happening in the news when you were working on your fellow members blocks.
Second row was log cabin or stripes- 3rd applique- 4th houses and trees 5th was your own choice of blocks.
We then got back the 5 strips and it was up to you how you put them together.

I love doing flying geese so that's the treatment my quilt got. I also chose to back it in flannel and found this lovely flannel backing when I was visiting Vermont last year. It really feels like it is one to cosy up into in the sofa on a cold winters night. OR maybe I should have a log cabin in the woods it would seem appropriate to that too.

Klosjes this week 6 Total 48.
On the subject of Klosjes- Dorothy left a comment asking where and who started this. Can anyone enlighten us. I am just sewing away and enjoying the process.

Till next time Sue

London Olympics 2012

London will host the 2012 Olympic Games and their are a couple of projects for us to get involved in one being A Gift Of A Quilt.

I regularly host a monthly sew day in my old premises where I ran The Pumpkin Patch, my very own candy store( Quilt Shop) When I gave up the business due to DH illness, I just wasn't copping with everything anymore( Why did I think I was super women).
My Pumpkin Patchers monthly ladies thankfully would not let me give up and still come for their monthly morning meeting so we have decided we would like to make a quilt for this project.

This month we set about our task. Everyone makes 2 blocks , Background fabric was supplied by me from THE STASH and they will add one of their own red and blues. Stars are our theme so here are mine to start the quilt off. Next month they should have completed theirs and we will have a total of 12 . These will be 12inch finished blocks and we shall then see how we are going to put them together.

Apparently they are aiming for 500 quilts to be given to each member country. They are to be a sign of friendship and peace. That's about all we know to date, so if any of you are interested in making one you can register at the Quilts for London Site.

P.S. You don't have to live in the UK to register to make one.

Dutch Quilt & Klosjes

Whoops I missed the deadline again- my Saturdays just keep rolling into Sundays all for very good reasons which I am not going into .

I have been feeling so rough this week after a summer cold and cough came along and hit me on Monday, I was coughing so much through the night that I thought I was going to die. Needles to say I have survived with the help of cough medicine and am now on decongestant to sort everything else out.

After all this I have managed 6 Klosjes so my total is now 42 , you will also see I have put the dutch quilt together. Although I like it I am not entirely happy with my workmanship on it- I suppose I should have waited until I was feeling tip- top to carry on but you know how some quilts get you and you just want it DONE.

The English countryside and gardens are looking just great right now and I drive past this field on the way to the nursing home 4 times a week, All of a sudden over the last couple of weeks I saw a few red blotches appearing and on Friday the poppies seemed to be in all their glory. It really is such a wonderful sight to gladden your heart.
Enjoy.
Sue

QUILT GIFT

This Little Monkey

This week has flown by and my Klosjes count for the week is . DRUM ROLL 3- Pathetic.

I have been concentrating on getting the Dutch quilt right. Its going to be OK (I THINK) and am liking how it is coming along.

Well the other thing that has been going on is sewing the binding on this star quilt that I have made for Ken and Sue my dear friends that look after my little monkey ( MERY) when I go off on my holidays.
They don't know they are getting it- but hope what I have chosen is appropriate for them. They love the outdoors and I feel they should live in a cabin in the woods.

Mery has such a good time with them as they are always out and about. I am sure she goes into a deep depression when she gets back home as I can only manage about 45 mins if she is lucky a day. I swear she gives me one of those looks to say IS THAT IT!

We did however manage a few hours on Friday when an old friend came to see us. We walked all around Guiting Woods and this is where Mery dunked herself in the small stream to cool off . She wasn't smelling very pleasant when she came back home I can tell you.

As for the Klosjes, Well Susan must do better. That's just what my school report always said, Funny how those words come back to haunt me.

Sue

When It Dosen't Fit

 

This small quilt was in with the UFO's. You might wonder why it is a UFO when it is such a beautiful thing.

The kit was purchased from Petra Prins some years ago. It only had a diagram of the quilt, template diagram and some written instruction.

I found working with the templates difficult as I kept losing my points and also it said . You will be 1/4 inch short in one area, so use your imagination!

This quilt has been un-picked and borders re-cut several times and came to the point I was running out of fabric so it just got put away. I have now added the outer border which again doesn't fit, but that is how its going to stay as lots of old quilts had odd pieces in them.
I am going to continue with it and just see how things turn out.Fortunately I managed to buy some fabric at Paducah that will mix in nicely.

The kit originally used Mary Kovals- Marys Muslins . I will be adding some tea dyed and Plantation from Nancy Gere range.I hope it will look beautiful when it is finished as I believe the centre piece is a vintage textile.

I do love everything Petra Prins produces , she has fabulous taste, you can never get anywhere near her stand when she comes over for the Festival of Quilts in August each year.We always are wondering what beautiful quilts she is going to bring with her.

Also fancied a change of header and this quilt is made from fabric I purchased at the New England Quilt Museum and Yankee Pride Quilts when I made my trip to the Vermont Quilt Festival 3 years ago. Its Judie Rothermels Regency Collection.I still have lots of it so maybe I will have to start making some small doll quilts :-)

Till Next Time
Sue