Quilt Times

Don't forget ...

2012-03-07T15:08:00.001Z

there's going to be a party on Saturday over at Joanna's place.

Lone Star day - post 5

2012-03-03T21:00:00.000Z

I will soon be at the point where I need to add the background pieces, so, if I go with inset pieces, is there any advice anyone can give me? Please?

By the way, don't forget that all the people who have signed in to the Linky-Thingy, have written previous posts about their Lone Star adventure. You can find them by going to one of the blogs and then doing a search on Lone Star. They have all written some great posts with a lot of helpful hints and tips.

Now I'm going to say goodbye for the night. I'll be back tomorrow though. Thanks to everyone who has joined me today.

Lone Star day - post 4

2012-03-03T20:09:00.001Z

Uh-oh. I think I have a problem.

You know all the background pieces, which may or may not be inset (jury's still out on that one)? Well, I am wondering if that is just too much blank space, and have been thinking that some applique might look good in those areas.

Whaaattttt?

Applique?

Me?

I hate doing applique so where on earth has this idea popped up from?

Don’t forget you can Link with me here.

Lone Star day–post 3

2012-03-03T15:41:00.001Z

Don’t forget you can Link with me here.

I've made another section, hung the washing out, brought the washing in cos it started raining, popped out to buy the mushrooms I forgot this morning, and now, here I am again.
I thought it was a good time for me to write down what I have learnt so far:
Starch, starch, starch. (I've also learnt that I loathe the smell of it!)

Pin, pin, pin. I thought I'd try some of the double pronged pins, which I believed were just meant for this sort of thing, but quite honestly I found they were more trouble than they were worth. I was probably using them incorrectly, but when I put them in, the fabrics seemed to shift a bit, so I was not getting the accuracy.

The book I am sort of using, says to draw seam lines on all my strips to make for accurate matching. It then says to pin, then to machine tack (baste to those of you in the US), check the accuracy, then either start again or machine the pieces. I, in my infinite wisdom, decided that was total overkill, and that I could judge the seam allowance by eye, pin then sew. After several unsatisfactory attempts, I rethought my strategy.

I now draw the seam allowance, pin through where that line crosses my stitching, check that the pin goes through the same cross on the underneath part, and sew, carefully and slowly. Having these intersections marked has made the whole thing very much easier.

Be careful when pressing, and remember I am pressing, not ironing, edges on the bias. At first I pressed my seams to one side, but then I tried pressing them open as an experiment. Although it's a fiddle, and has led to a few burnt fingers, I have found that it helps everything to lie flat and it also makes the points look lovely and pointy! I did try using my little applique mini-iron to open the seams, but decided it was easier with my real iron.

Lone Star day - post 2

2012-03-03T11:53:00.000Z

I have been working on the quilt a bit since the last Lone Star day, as you can see. They're not joined together, but I just wanted to see what they looked like all laid out together. I have done another diamond section since I took the photo, so I just have 3 left to do. Then will come the dreaded Y-seams.

Actually, in an effort to avoid having to do these, I had been thinking that it should be possible to add triangles of the background fabric to the diamond sections, and then all I'd have to sew would be straight seams. I was really pleased with myself, and thought I was so clever, until I told my friend Quilthaze, who then told me that the version she's doing adds the background that way. Oh well, at least that meant that my big head could go back to its normal size!

Don't forget, you can Link up, here.

Lone Star Day - post 1

2012-03-03T11:51:00.000Z

Hurrah, its Lone Star day again today, and the meeting is here. I've got the coffee on and cake out ready for anyone who wants to come and join in.

I've put the usual Linky on this post, so please fill it in if you're making your own Lone Star quilt, then we can all visit each other and offer support, help, etc to each other.

Tomorrow ...

2012-03-02T10:17:00.000Z

... is Lone Star Quiltalong day.

This month the support group will be meeting here, and I hope that you will be able to join me as I attempt to make my Lone Star quilt. I have been making the diamonds this month, and have learnt a few things along the way which I'll try and share with you.

It's bronken ...

2012-02-28T19:35:00.005Z

... as Chatterbox used to say. According to him we also ate chinken. Don't you just love the words that children use? We have quite a few that we still use in our family. Mrs Nomad, for example, used to refer to elbells instead of elbows, and shomin bags rather than shopping bags.

Anyway, I'm digressing. You are all agog to know what is bronken, aren't you?

This is my poor PCQuilter, which no longer works. This is the robot that Big Bertha sits on, and it drives her around my quilt so she can work her magic on it. Anyway, I finished quilting Friendship Chains and then put another quilt on the frame. I told the PCQuilter what to do, and it just refused! I told it again and it refused again. How rude! I tried it goodness knows how often, but it showed not the slightest inclination to do what it was told. So Mr Fixit came to the rescue with technical things like screwdrivers and meters, and, after poking around, he pronounced it bronken. It can't be mended.

Oh no. Disaster. What to do now? Well, luckily there is an alternative, so I have bought that (ouch) and am now eagerly waiting to hear from the company that my new toy has been shipped.

Then I can get back to quilting that pile of unquilted tops that I have amassed.

Remember this quilt ...

2012-02-21T20:28:00.004Z

... which I made for the blog hop for Kim's book, Scrap Basket Sensations, last year? The quilt in the book is called Island Chains, but I named mine Friendship Chains.

I have now, finally, finished it. So here it is, in all its glory.

Here is a close-up, so you can see the quilting too. I chose to do an edge-to-edge pattern, since I felt that the pattern was so intriguing that I did not want to distract from it by doing quilting that was too intricate.

This one shows the back and the quilting. I really love the backing fabric too.

A Festive Mystery ...

2012-02-17T20:37:00.002Z

... I promised you a progress report on my Festive Mystery quilt, so here it is

Thank you and thank you ...

2012-02-16T19:59:00.001Z

... I want to say thank you to two people today.

The first thanks go to Ann, from enbellefrance. A few weeks ago she celebrated her first blogiversary, and to celebrate sent gifts to 3 of her bloggy friends. I was one of the three, and this is what I received. The picture is not brilliant, but she sent a flower-maker, some fabrics and some chocolate. I haven't played with the flower-maker yet, but I will soon as I have plans for the flowers. I can't show you the chocolate, cos I've eaten it! Everything was wrapped beautifully in tissue paper and tied with ribbon, but I was too impatient to take a photo before I opened it. Thanks so much Ann, I loved my present.

The other person I want to thank is Mrs Pickles, from Mrs.Pickles Garden. The other day she very kindly awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award. According to the rules, I have to tell you seven random things about myself, so here goes:

I have a warped sense of humour. I know you'd never have guessed that, would you?
I am a control freak, which is why I can't do scrappy quilts.
I am not good at art. In fact, according to Mr Fixit, I can't draw a straight line even with a ruler!
I am tall - about 5'10".
I love computers and spend far too much time on mine.
As a kid I lived in Australia for a while.
I love chocolate and hate housework.

Now, according to the rules of this award, I am supposed to pass this on to other bloggers, but I am sorry, I am not going to be doing this. How can I chose just 15 and give them the award? I want to give one to everyone who visits me regularly, so please all consider yourself awarded. Thank you so much though Mrs Pickles for including me in your award nominations.

Come back tomorrow if you would like an update on the Festive Mystery quilt that we are making during the Christmas Quiltalong.

45 years ago today ...

2012-02-14T11:44:00.004Z

at 2pm, Mr Fixit and I had a very important date with a registrar.

Here we are with our parents after the wedding ceremony.

Happy Anniversary to Us

(but how on earth are we old enough to have been married for 45 years?)

Christmas QAL - post 5

2012-02-11T21:35:00.001Z

It's 9.30 in the evening here now, so I'm signing off for today. Before I go though, I would like to thank Hazel for being a brilliant hostess, and thanks to everyone else for being such fun party-people.

Christmas QAL - post 4

2012-02-11T19:59:00.004Z

I just absolutely DO NOT BELIEVE how stupid I can be at times.

This afternoon, I decided to get ahead of the game by carrying on and actually starting to piece the Festive Mystery quilt. After all, it was a long time ago that I wrote the instructions (like about 8 years ago) and I have tweaked them a bit this time, so I thought I ought to try them, just to check they were OK.

So, why, oh why, did I carry on and not follow my own instructions? I wasted a couple of hours and loads of fabric before I realised.

Oh, and no, I am not showing you a picture. This is meant to be a mystery, remember.

Christmas QAL - post 3

2012-02-11T17:08:00.001Z

Want to hear a funny story?

A couple of days ago, my friend QuiltHaze and I went fabric shopping. We were more than happy to find that the shop we went to had some fabrics at £5/metre (in the UK we are now paying £10-12/metre usually, which is about $15-19). As you can imagine, we fell on them. I had found the fabrics I wanted, and then I saw this emerald green that I'm using, and just fell in love with it, so I had to buy that too. It was only that evening when I was putting them away that I realised that it exactly matched the sweater I had been wearing all day. I think I must really like the colour don't you?

Christmas QAL - post 2

2012-02-11T12:33:00.002Z

Cutting all done!

Christmas QAL - post 1

2012-02-11T11:14:00.000Z

OK, it's finally here. The first Christmas QAL of 2012, and Hazel is our hostess for today.

Hazel said that she thought we should start our day with some suitably festive food, drink, decorations, etc. I chose a mug of hot chocolate with cream on, which I drank whilst looking out at a white, snowy world with the sun shining. I didn't think of taking a picture of it and now I've drunk it, so here is a pic of the empty mug instead!

This is a picture of the fabrics I am using for the Festive Mystery quilt.
From the top they are
background: white tone-on-tone,
dark: dark turquoise
medium: peach
light: a sort of bluey-greeny-turquoisey

Now I'm off to start cutting, as soon as I've taken the washing out of the machine. See you all later.

Woohoo ....

2012-02-08T20:13:00.000Z

.... it's time to get your party frock out and get ready for Saturday.

The party is at Hazel's place, here.

The Christmas Quiltalong this year is slightly different. Each month we will have a different hostess, and I know they will all make us very welcome.

We are also offering a free mystery quilt pattern this year, which can be made over 6 months. Hazel has the first installment, (the fabric requirements and cutting instructions) ready for you when you call in to see her on Saturday. I've heard that she also has mince pies. See you there.

Here it is ...

2012-02-05T18:23:00.001Z

Well, come on, be honest now, you knew I wouldn't be able to resist it didn't you?

I've been busy and cut half of my strip sets today, and then I couldn't help myself. Here is my first diamond.

Lone Star Day - post 2

2012-02-04T19:53:00.003Z

OK, it's the end of the day for me, and here's what I've done.

Five strip sets made, one to go, once the postie brings me my extra fabric. These sets are starched and they are so stiff they could probably stand up on their own! After seeing my previous post, Bilbo did helpfully tell me that I should have covered the ironing board with an old towel to prevent starch going everywhere. Too late!

I have done enough to start cutting and making diamonds, but I chickened out. Actually, that's not true. To do all this cutting, where accuracy is going to be very important, I am going to ask Mr Fixit to set up my "cutting table" for me. It sounds grand, but all it is really is a piece of board which slots into some trestles. It is a perfect height for me to cut without getting backache, so I decided to be patient until tomorrow.

So that's the end of my Lone Star day, but I will be doing some more tomorrow.

While you're here, let me just remind you that next Saturday is the first of this year's Christmas Quiltalong, and Hazel is our hostess for the day, so do come along and join us, I think it's going to be fun.

Lone Star QAL day - post 1

2012-02-04T13:23:00.003Z

I couldn't wait for you lot in the USA to wake up, so I started without you. When you sleepyheads are ready, pop in to our hostess Jayne, here, to sign up with Mr Linky and then we'll look forward to hearing how you're getting on too.

I've just finished making my first strip-set, look. All pressed, and this photo is just for Bilbo, aka Queen of the Spray-Starch Can.

Lone Star Quiltalong day ...

2012-02-03T16:19:00.005Z

... is tomorrow and Jayne will be our hostess this month, over here.

I couldn't wait, so I thought I'd show you what I've done so far. Yesterday I finally decided on the fabrics and their placement, and actually made a mock-up of one diamond, and here it is.

The next thing I had to work out was how many strips of which colour to cut. Being difficult you see, I was using a pattern for a six colour quilt, with four fabrics. I got that worked out this morning, put a lovely new blade in my cutter, and set to. I cut all the black, then the red, then came to the brown. Oh-oh, bit of a problem here! I've cut four strips out of six. I don't think I'll get two more out of this, do you? Quick trip to the computer and found that my favourite UK shop still had some in stock. I placed the order, and they were so quick that within 30 mins I had an email to say my order had been despatched. Pheww.

So I carried on cutting, and this is where I have got to. Tomorrow I will start sewing. Yippee.

Here they are ...

2012-01-30T17:35:00.000Z

... at last, my fabrics for the Lone Star quilt have arrived. There were 2 packages, both coming from the same shop, both shipped on the same day. 11 days later, one of the packages arrived safely, but the other one seemed to have disappeared into thin air. After waiting another week, I contacted the shop to ask them if they could investigate this disappearance. You can guess what happened next, can't you? Yep, the following day the missing package turned up. Well, strictly speaking, it didn't turn up, but Royal Mail left me a note while I was out to say that they were holding the poor thing hostage until I paid a large ransom. So what could I do? I paid up, and now have all these fabrics ready for me to start my quilt at last.

BUT - I have a dilemma. I seem to have accidentally ordered the black and the beige in the same pattern, so, should I change it for the black in this photo?

Any thoughts anyone?

By the way, this Saturday is the Lone Star Support Group meeting, with Jayne as our hostess over at Jayne's Quilting Room.

I'm back ...

2012-01-29T03:20:00.000Z

... from wherever I've been!

Actually I haven't been anywhere, and I just don't know where last week went. I think I did a Sleeping Beauty, (or is it Rip van Winkle?) for a week and have just woken up again. The only thing of note really is that I have done my tax return for this year, so now I know how much I owe the tax man - ugh.

I have also realised what a very bad blogger I have been. In December I was lucky enough to win two giveaways, and I have only just got round to showing you the great things I won.

Firstly, I won a selection of handmade cards from Rhonda at Quiltnut Creations. I had seen some of Rhonda's cards before on her blog, but when they arrived I almost couldn't bring myself to use them, they were so lovely. I have though, and several of the people I sent them to have commented on how lovely they are. Thanks so much Rhonda.

Then Linda from Living the Dream celebrated her first blogiversary by giving away a voucher to a great online shop called Intrepid Thread, and I was the lucky winner. It took me ages to decide what to buy, but I did eventually manage to make a decision. These are the fabrics I chose. They are so different to my usual style and colours, and I love them. When I ordered them, I knew just what I was going to do with them. Unfortunately, I have now managed to forget! Still, it doesn't matter really, cos they're so lovely I am happy just getting them out of the cupboard and stroking them. Thanks Linda for picking my name out.

The winner ...

2012-01-21T18:59:00.003Z

.... just before I tell you who won, I thought I'd show you a couple of pictures.

I took this picture this morning in my garden. Roses, blooming in January? In the UK? What's going on? Last January, we had this:

Now, the winner. By the time I had given followers their extra entry, and deleted a couple who said they did not want to be included in the actual draw as they already had the book, there were 82 entries. Then I paid Mr Random.Org a visit and asked him to chose the lucky number. This is the number chose:

and number 16 was the additional "follower entry" from Jayne of Jayne's Quilting Room.

Aarghhhhhh ...

2012-01-19T20:13:00.002Z

I never learn. Big Bertha does NOT like dark green batik fabric. I knew it from past experience, so why did I think anything would be different this time?

This is what happens every time she had to sew backwards on the green fabric. Can you see that very long skipped stitch?

Just to prove that it's only with the batik, this is a picture of the same part of the pattern but on ordinary fabric. Spot the difference?

By the way, there's still time to enter my giveaway, here.

Giveaway update ...

2012-01-17T18:47:00.002Z

Several people have contacted me to say they can't leave comments (again) on my blog. Blogger have been told, but who knows if they will be able to help, but meanwhile, if you would like to enter the giveaway, but can't do so through the comments, just send me an email and I will post your comment for you. Also, please do tell me if you are a follower, as that gives you an extra chance to win.

You have until Friday to enter, and I will announce the winner on Saturday.

Giveaway ...

2012-01-14T12:49:00.002Z

Oops. Edited to add that I also wanted to say that there is no Christmas Quiltalong day in January. The first one for 2012 will be on 11February, and our hostess will be Hazel from Hazel's Quilts, so don't forget to pay her a visit on that day.
... cos it's my birthday (well, it was yesterday) I decided last night that I should have a giveaway. I bet you can't guess what you could win? Yes, an autographed copy of my book is the prize.

All my life I have disliked having a birthday close to Christmas, and envied my sister, who has hers in June. I've often thought I should be like the Queen, and have 2 birthdays. She has a real one, and an official one. Her official one is when all the ceremonial parades etc are held- and I guess that's when she has her ceremonial party, presents and cake too. So, all you have to do is tell me when you think I should have my Official birthday.

Here's the small print. The giveaway will close on Friday 20 January and I will ask Mr Random Generator to pick the winner on Saturday 21 January. The giveaway is open to anyone, but followers will have an additional entry, as long as you tell me you are one. Finally, if you are a no-reply blogger, you will have to leave me an email address, so that I can contact you if you win.

Happy birthday ...

2012-01-13T19:19:00.004Z

... to us:

Chatterbox and I share a birthday. One of us is 10 years old today. The other one is older!

Lone Star day - Post 5

2012-01-08T12:31:00.000Z

I want to thank everyone who took part in yesterday's Lone Star day. It was an interesting day and it's going to be great to have a group we can call on when we (i.e. "I") run into trouble.

Lynn is going to be using the Eleanor Burns book that I am also working from. She was lucky enough to be given a Go! cutter for Christmas and will be using that to cut the strips. She went fabric shopping yesterday (what wouldn't I give to have a shop near enough to do that) and I love the fabrics she's chosen.

Elizabeth actually started her quilt before Jane and I officially announced this group. She is using a free pattern she found online and some gorgeous blue and green fabrics. It could be very useful having Elizabeth further on than the rest of us, as she can test this pattern for us, and has already found one error in it.

Hazel has drawn up a gorgeous design, in exactly her colours. She also asked for advice on books, and has received some useful feedback already.

Teresa has told us about nine books on the subject, and they all look great. She is not new to Lone Star quilts, having made four, yes that's right, four of them in the past.

Last, but by no means least, my co-host Jayne, was delighted to find that she was much further on than she remembered on the quilt that she started nearly 20 years ago and that she intends to finish with the help of this "quiltalong".

I also want to thank everyone else who helped by making suggestions about my quilt centre, and the tips we were given about starching everything. (I'm still not sure if we have to starch ourselves though before we start cutting!)

The next Lone Star day will be on the first Saturday of February (which I think is 4 February), when Jayne will be the hostess.

Lone Star Day - post 4

2012-01-07T19:01:00.003Z

I did say I'd talk about the books I have that are all about Lone Star quilts.

The first one I bought was Radiant Star Quilts by Eleanor Burns. I bought this last September (I've been planning this for some time, as you will gather). I wasn't over-inspired by the quilts, but the instructions seem quite good, although I did find the layout a bit confusing and I had to read through the whole book a couple of times before I "got" it.

Then a friend, Tessie's Mum, showed me All-Star Quilts by Helen Frost and Blanche Young. The quilts in this book are just wonderful and the instructions were far easier to understand straight away. I fell in love with one of the quilts in there, but I thought I'd better remember the old saying about not running before I can walk, so I'm not doing that one just yet.

Bilbo Waggins highly recommends Jan Krentz' book called Lone Star Quilts and Beyond. I haven't seen this book myself, but I have seen pictures of some of the quilts in it and they look fabulous.

Don't forget, if you are posting anything about your own Lone Star quilt plans, please do sign in on the Linky, here, so we can all visit and see what you're up to.

Lone Star day - post 3

2012-01-07T16:53:00.001Z

I guess I should have said that I have not tested the instructions in the links I gave in the previous post, and therefore can give no guarantee as to their correctness. They do look OK though on a quick glance!

This gorgeous quilt has been made by my friend BilboWaggins (aka Queen of the Spray Starch Can). This is the only Lone Star quilt she has made so far, but she has b i i i g plans for another one. Don't go rushing over to her blog though to look for quilt inspirations, fabrics, or even the tiniest little piece of thread showing. She moved into a new house a couple of years ago, with a huge garden that needed totally revamping. She reckons that's her excuse for not having done any quilting lately. Personally, I think she's just being lazy!

I know the one tip she would want to share with us though is to starch everything! I wonder if we have to spray ourselves and our cutters too?

Don't forget to Link here, if you're writing about your Lone Star adventures. Dinner needs more attention, so I'll be back in a while to talk about books.

Lone Star day, post 2

2012-01-07T15:08:00.000Z

Hello again.

Sorry to be late back from lunch. You can blame my daughter, Mrs Nomad, who called in for a coffee and gossip! Anyway, as I promised, here are some links to free patterns for this quilt.

The first one, here, was supplied by Elizabeth from Sand and Sunshine. She has already started her quilt, and has discovered an error in the pattern, which she writes about on her blog. Thanks for the input Elizabeth, that's just the sort of information I was hoping we'd be able to share on these days.

I found all the following by just googling something like "free Lone Star patterns"

Kaye Wood's Shimmering Star . This one does make sense, but you need to read it carefully to see what she means in one or two places.
All People Quilt have a pattern for a quilt, here with a Lone Star in the centre, surrounded by LeMoyne Stars, but the Lone star is strip pieced.
Free Patterns.com have a section where someone asks for an easy strip pieced Lone Star pattern, and if you click on this link, you can scroll down until you get to the question and the answer.

They are all for strip pieced versions. I am sure there are also free patterns for anyone who really wants to cut out individual diamonds and sew them together, but for myself I would prefer to do it this way.

I must go and get the dinner on, then I'll be back and will tell you about a couple of books with great patterns in.

Don't forget, you can link your posts here, and feel free to take the button from my sidebar too, if you would like to help spread the word.

Welcome to …

2012-01-07T12:45:00.001Z

... the first Lone Star Quiltalong Day. As I said in my previous post, here, this is not a conventional quiltalong, more of a mutual support group. So, no instructions, no deadlines, no anything else really. I hope people will join us, sign up to the Linky below, and write about their experience with this pattern.

Today I am not sewing, because I only ordered the fabrics yesterday - yes, OK, stop muttering about the lack of planning. It's ordered now OK? I couldn't do it before, cos I only finalised the design I plan to work on yesterday.

Here is the design I've come up with. Actually, to be precise, here are the designs I've come up with. They are both the same, but I can't decide whether to have a dark centre star or a light one. One book I've read says you should always have a light one, so the light seems to radiate out from it and that you should never have a dark one cos it looks like a black hole, and the other book says exactly the opposite. I like them both, so I thought I'd ask you for some help. Which of the two looks better?

Later on (after I've had lunch) I'll come back and tell you about some pattern sources I've found, and I hope you'll all chip in there too.

Remember this ...

2012-01-02T15:43:00.000Z

The quilt I asked you all to help me overcome the urge to make?

Yes, well, you were no help at all! In fact, you were quite the opposite.

Quite a few of you even said that you would make one too, if I would run a quiltalong for it.

Well, thanks. I thought you were meant to be my friends.

Then Jayne, from Jayne's Quilting Room encouraged me even more by saying that she would like to help host this mad project, sooo, here's what we are proposing:

We will not be providing patterns or instructions, but we will try to suggest places where patterns are available;
You can write posts about your progress on your blog, and then sign in to a Linky on one of our blogs on the first Saturday of the month, so we can see each other's progress (or not);
There are no other rules/timescales/competitions/etc. except Rule 4 below;
You have to encourage me cos I think I might struggle with this quilt.

I have put a button on my sidebar, with the code underneath for anyone who wants to help spread the word.

Now, I'm off to try and choose and order some fabrics, decide on the final design, etc. I will have the linky here on Saturday, when I will also do a post showing what I've decided.

So, who's going to join us I wonder? Or have you all thought better of it now?

Happy New Year ...

2012-01-01T19:11:00.001Z

... to everybody. I hope 2012 is good to you all.

We had a great Christmas, with lots of family time, food, laughter, etc. I think we're getting old though, cos last night we could barely keep our eyes open long enough to see in the new year! We did manage to stay awake long enough to watch the firework display from London on the TV and it was fantastic.

Oh noooo ...

2011-12-23T21:18:00.001Z

....

There I was the other night, Mr Fixit was out, there was nothing on TV, just the perfect evening to wrap Christmas presents I thought. So I put some suitable music on, got things organised, wrapped the first couple of things, and then realised something. I had forgotten to buy any gift labels. Without them I could still wrap everything, but I wouldn't have a clue later which package was for whom. That could have made for an interesting Christmas Day couldn't it?

Last night ...

2011-12-16T15:40:00.002Z

... I went late night shopping with Mrs Nomad.

We try to have this girly-Christmassy expedition to a fairly big shopping mall near us every year. We always start with a visit to the chocolate fountain, where we have strawberries dipped in the warm chocolate. We get very messy and sticky at this point. Then we do our shopping. We make sure that we only need one or two things, so it becomes more about the social side, then we finish off with some sort of coffee or hot chocolate drink with loads of cream. Yummy. This year - disaster. The chocolate fountain wasn't there!

Oh well, we'll just have to do the shopping then. I didn't need very much, just one or two stocking-filler types of presents. I'm not sure if I had a successful outing or not, cos the only thing(s) I bought were these. Happy Christmas to Me!

On another topic, I have just seen that my bloggy pal Lynn has entered a quilt, called "Untitled" into the Quilting Gallery's contest this week. It is a beautiful quilt, and you can see more about it if you go here and scroll down the post a little. I know she'd be thrilled if you went and voted for her, here.

So how does this work then ...

2011-12-14T17:59:00.001Z

... this weekend I decided it was time to write the Christmas cards.

I got the cards out, I printed off all the addresses, I put them all on the table and went off to make coffee. Along comes Mr Fixit, who sees the cards and says "Oh great. I'll just write mine first, then you can do yours."

Mr Fixit writes cards to 3 particular friends of his. So can you explain to me how come the ones I write to everyone else, friends or family, are "mine"?

Bilbo told me today that I have to put a photo of my Christmas tree on my blog, so here it is. It actually looks far better in real life. The lights are all small, so they are not showing up properly in the picture.

Here is a picture of my new "Christmas tree" too. I went out to buy a small tree to put in the bay window in the lounge. This is what I came home with!

Christmas QAL Party - Post 4

2011-12-10T20:26:00.001Z

OK It's now 8.30 here, so I'm about to settle in front of the TV with my stitching, but before I go, I would like to do two things.

First I want to thank Cathi for volunteering to co-host the QALs this year. When she did this, she did not realise just how successful her business was going to be. Despite being so busy, she did a great job as a host. Thanks Cathi.

Secondly, I must thank everyone who joined us this year. It has been great fun and I have met some lovely new people who I now call friends.

Thirdly (OK, I can't count, can I?) I want to tell you about the Christmas QAL plans for 2012. As you know, we asked for people to act as guest hosts, and have been delighted with the responses. We will have a different host each month, which will be great fun I think. The QAL's will still be held on the 2nd Saturday of each month, and will run from February to December. Here is the list of our hosts:

February: Hazel at Hazel's Quilts
March: Joanna at Needle, Thread, Happiness
April: Lesley at The Cuddle Quilter
May: Lynn at Sew'n Wild Oaks
June: Paulette at Sweet P Quilting & Creations
July: Sharon at Vroomans Quilts
August: Cathi at Shakerwood Quilts
September: Maureen at A Quilt Complex
October: Elizabeth at Sand and Sunshine
November: Janet at Caribou Crossing Chronicles
December: Me, here

I'm sure our new hosts will have lots of fun planned for us, and I'm looking forward to travelling to different places for our QALs.

So, I'll see you in February if not before.

Don't forget to sign up for the party here by the way.

Christmas QAL Party - Post 3

2011-12-10T13:08:00.001Z

It's time I showed you all what I achieved during the Christmas QAL days. This will be a photo-heavy post I think.

This flimsy is a Christmas present for myself. I have always wanted to make a Drunkards Path quilt, but was put off by the cutting of all those curves. Then I got my Go! cutter and borrowed the DP die from my friend QuiltHaze and the cutting was done so quickly it was great. This is still a flimsy, but I have made the backing and the binding, so it's all ready for quilting now..

This is my version of Scatty Christmas stars, which I know quite a few of you have been making. I'm ashamed to say that mine is still unquilted, although the backing and binding are ready and I've even cut the wadding for it!

This is my Christmas Wreaths quilt. I saw the pattern Over and Under in Kim's book (Scrap Basket Sensations) and knew I had just the right fabrics for it. Guess what though? It's not yet quilted, even though the backing, wadding and binding are ready.

All of my snowmen have been put together in a quilt top,

which I'm ashamed to say is still not finished.

This little quilt has been finished and sent off to a friend. I hope she likes it.

Another one finished and on its way.

This is also a present which is in the post.

I decided to treat myself to a wreath topper too. I will hopefully finish this one today.

These cute little stitcheries are probably going to become a couple of wall hangings. The patterns were from Lesley Boost She issued a pattern each week as a sewalong. Thanks so much Lessley.

Finally, this is what I intend to work on this evening. This is a pattern from Michelle and the rabbits.

Crikey, just writing this, I am exhausted! I must confess, I am seeing a bit of a pattern here though. Perhaps I should make next year the Year of the Finishes?

Don't forget to join the party by signing up here.

Christmas QAL Party - post 2

2011-12-10T12:34:00.001Z

I saw this and thought you might all enjoy it too.

Don't forget to sign up for the Christmas party here.

Christmas Quiltalong party

2011-12-10T09:18:00.001Z

Just write your post showing all the wonderful things you've been creating during the 2011 Christmas Quiltalong days, sign in with your blog address on the Linky-thingy here, get your party frock on, and follow me as we dance along to visit everyone else who's signed up. La, la, la, la, la, la, LA ....

Tomorrow ...

2011-12-09T16:20:00.001Z

... is party day.

Just write a post with photos of what you've been working on during the Christmas Quiltalong days this year, and sign into the Linky which I will put on my blog tomorrow.

Then off we go in our best party frocks, to have fun....

Where have I been ...

2011-12-08T17:53:00.001Z

... and what was I doing while I was there? I have been so quiet that I just know you're all wondering. I've even had a couple of emails from people and a phone call from my friend Bilbo, to check that I was OK. Thanks for caring enough to be worried.

Well, to be honest, I've been around, but very busy. Every day almost for the past 3 weeks, I've had appointments ranging from hairdresser to Financial Advisors, shopping (food, not Christmas) to waiting for various repairmen to turn up and do their thing. I've also had a few days down south to go to Little Person's school Christmas concert.

Speaking of the repairmen reminds me, we had to pay a call out charge of £91 for someone to come and fix a broken burner on my cooker. When he turned up, he was not in the house for more than 5 minutes - that works out at £1092 per hour! I think I was in the wrong business when I worked, I could have earned a fortune as a cooker fixer-upper!

Now I'm back, and hopefully, normal service will be resumed.

Christmas Quilts.

2011-11-28T11:30:00.000Z

Woohoo, SewCalGal's Christmas Quilt Show is open, so here are my entries.

This first quilt could be considered a shameless plug for my book, Pick Four!

It is one I designed for the book and was made and quilted by my friends Lis and Drew. Almost every woman would love to be given diamonds as a present, but I also had a wish for a red and gold Christmas quilt, so I called this design Diamonds for Christmas.

This close up shows the gorgeous quilting that Lis did, using a gold thread.

The other quilt I want to show is this one, called Christmas Wreaths, which I made during our 2011 Christmas Quiltalong days. As soon as I saw this design (called Over and Under) in Scrap Basket Sensations, by Kim Bracket I imagined it done in red. I had hoped to have it quilted before the show, but that has not happened, so I'll show it as a flimsy. Hopefully if you come back in a couple of weeks I'll have it quilted, bound and displayed on a chair.

I hope you are enjoying all the wonderful quilts that will be on show, thank you for visiting, and thanks too to SewCalGal for organising the show and to the generous sponsors who have donated some great prizes. Don't forget to visit SewCalGal here to see the details of how you could win a prize just by looking at quilts, voting for your favourite, etc.

Christmas Quilt Show

2011-11-27T11:18:00.001Z

... yes, it's that time again. Tomorrow sees the start of SewCalGal's annual Christmas Quilt Show. The show is not a competition, and any one can enter quilts of any size (even those you haven't had time to make yet but have designed in EQ6 or EQ7).

Be warned though, there will be loads of great quilts to look at, and you will not get much else done while the show's on. (Hmm, wonder how I know that?) Although the show is a competition, there are prizes to be won.

So, I hope to see you at the show some time next week. To get there, click on the button on my sidebar.

Happy ...

2011-11-24T11:30:00.001Z

... Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

One day last week ...

2011-11-22T16:49:00.001Z

... J and F came over for a playday, and just look at what they did:

F set to work making coasters, and I love the fabrics she chose.

J started this table topper, which she finished off at home.

She must have enjoyed making it, cos she's started another one.

As well as becoming a brilliant quiltmaker my the way, J also bakes fantastic cakes, and we enjoyed a wonderful coffee cake this time, sorry, it's all gone so no photos of that!

They both also wanted to say thanks so much to the people who generously sent some markers for them to try. They will be playing with those and have promised to report back through my blog soon.

I may have been quiet ....

2011-11-19T18:52:00.001Z

... but I've certainly been busy.

Look what I've done to my snowmen.

Then I made a Christmas wreath.

And as if that wasn't enough, I did this too.

Oops, you're not ...

2011-11-18T16:38:00.001Z

... mind readers, are you? Your crystal ball may be a bit cloudy.

Do you remember that at the end of last Saturday's Christmas QAL I suggested that I could set up a Flickr thing or we could all post on our own blogs showing everything we've done, finished or not (mainly "not" for me), and I'll just set up another Linky in my blog so we can all sign up and go visiting.

Well, as Hazel pointed out, not everyone has a Flickr account, and also someone suggested it might be good to hold this Parade on the 2nd Saturday in December, (when we would have had a QAL if we were having one in December). So, it seems that a Linky Party on Saturday 10 December would be good. See you all there, or rather, see you all here on your way to the party.

Puzzle solution and winner ...

2011-11-16T14:22:00.001Z

... I did say that the puzzle I set for Saturday's QAL might be slightly more difficult than others, and it seems I was right. There were only 5 correct entries who worked out that the coded message was

See You All in 2012 I hope.

The blocks (all from EQ7), were
Spinning Star, Economy block, Economy block = See
Yankee Puzzle, "O", Uneven Nine patch = You
Art Square, Lady of the Lake, Lady of the Lake = All
Irish Chain, Nine Patch = In
2012, Irish Chain = 2012 I
Hovering Hawks, "O", Pinwheel, Economy Square = Hope

and no 4 is Hazel,

who will be receiving a small gift from me for being such a clever-clogs.

Her Majesty ...

2011-11-14T19:06:00.001Z

... Princess Dot, packed her spotted handkerchief and left yesterday.

Mr Fixit & I are going to miss her, but the Nomads are very happy to have her in their new home with them.

Christmas QAL - Post 8

2011-11-12T22:30:00.000Z

Now, just for fun, here's a message for you.

(I did warn you last month that I had had a ~~fiendishly difficult~~ clever idea for a competition.) All you have to do is take the initial letter of the name of each block, and that will spell out my message. Once you've solved it, just email the message to me and I will draw a winner on Tuesday, who will receive a small prize.

Christmas QAL - Post 7

2011-11-12T21:53:00.001Z

I've been thinking! Shall I set up a Flickr thing so that we can all post pictures of our Scatty Christmas Stars quilts (doesn't matter if they're not finished yet) and all the other things we've all made during this year's QAL days?

The other idea would be for us all to do one post where we show everything we've done, finished or not (and it'll be mostly "not" in my case), and I'll just set another Linky in my blog so we can all sign up and go visiting.

I thought it might be fun to try and do this, say next week, before everyone really gets too busy. What do you all think? Good idea? Bad idea? Prefer one option over the other? Please let me know.

Christmas QAL - Post 6

2011-11-12T20:29:00.001Z

Did I ever tell you one of my best memories of Christmas?

One year, when the kids were about 5 and 3, we had gone visiting on Christmas Eve. It was quite late (about 8pm) and dark when we headed home in the car. We got to a pedestrian crossing about a mile from home, and we had to stop to let someone cross the road. Who was that someone?

It was Father Christmas, all dressed up in his red suit and boots, carrying his sack of toys! The kids could not believe their eyes. I wish I'd had a camera with me.

Then they panicked and wanted Daddy to drive home really fast so they could get into bed before he came, otherwise, they knew he wouldn't leave them any presents!

I am sure that never before have two children gone to bed so willingly on Christmas Eve.

Christmas QAL - Post 5

2011-11-12T19:00:00.000Z

I think this is just fantastic. I hope you enjoy it too.

Christmas QAL - Post 4

2011-11-12T18:07:00.001Z

I finally made a decision, I am going to turn my snowmen into a quilt.

I don't seem to have got very far today do I?

I won't be doing any more to it today as it's now evening here in the UK, and it's almost time for Strictly Come Dancing, so I am going to do some handwork in front of the TV this evening.

Oh, and here is the Lancashire Hotpot. Several people have asked what it it. It's lamb, carrotts, onions, mushrooms and potatoes in a rosemary gravy, cooked for a looooong time on a low heat.

It's yummy.

Christmas QAL - Post 3

2011-11-12T16:08:00.000Z

OK, once I'd sorted out all the domestic stuff (including 2 loads of washing for the Nomads, who may have moved into their new home, but they haven't got their washing machine plumbed in yet), I was ready. All I had to do was decide which of these 5 projects to work on first.

Or maybe I should finish this?

Of course, I had wanted to set Big Bertha up to quilt this, but since Princess Dot is still in residence, I can't do that.

I also wanted to finish this, but the same comment applies

Nor could I quilt any of these. So I wonder what found myself doing?

Don't forget to sign up on Linky on the Christmas QAL page, so we all know who's at the party and we can go visiting each other.

Christmas QAL - Post 2

2011-11-12T14:03:00.001Z

Before I draw up the final timetable, is there any one else out there who would like to host the Christmas Quiltalong for one day during 2012? I still have a couple of months free, so if you would like to be our hostess-with-the-mostest for a day, please would you email me at sue.abrey@gmail.com ? The format of the day will be entirely up to you and it's not at all hard work (believe that if you will!) but it is a lot of fun.

Christmas QAL - Post 1

2011-11-12T09:39:00.001Z

Yes, it's party time. The last QAL of 2011. Keep coming back for lots of fun, and don't forget to sign in to Mr Linky, which is on the Christmas QAL tab at the top of the blog.

I'm off to put a Lancashire Hotpot in the oven for the day, then I'll be back.

It's nearly Saturday ...

2011-11-10T19:20:00.001Z

... and what does that mean ?

Well, here's a clue.

Got it?

No?

OK, here's another clue:

Got it yet?
Yep, it's the last Christmas Quiltalong of 2011.
See you here on Saturday.

Haven't I been quiet?

2011-11-04T19:57:00.000Z

This time last week my 3 friends and I were all together, chatting, eating, laughing, but the one thing we weren't doing was taking photos. Not one of us thought to take any cos we were too busy chatting, eating and laughing. The weekend went much too fast, and it seemed very, very quiet when they all went home. I spent a lazy couple of days doing a lot of nothing after they left.

Then, it was time for Mr & Mrs Nomad to move into their new house. The problem was, Mr Nomad was working away this week, and won't be back until tomorrow. Luckily, they have some very good (and very strong) friends on hand to move all the furniture in. I supervised! I can tell you, I now know for sure that I am old. All that supervising (OK I did drive a car which they kept loading up with "stuff", from here to there more than a few times) over a few days, is tiring. I hope I don't have to see another packing box, ever!

So that's why I've been quiet, but don't worry, normal service will be resumed soon.

Boo ...

2011-10-31T08:13:00.001Z

My stupidest ever question ...

2011-10-27T15:07:00.000+01:00

... so there we were, Bilbo and I, chatting on the telephone after she rang me. Remember that, it's important.

Bilbo: I'm just emailing you my new mobile number as we speak.
Me: OK, got that. Have you got my number?

There was then a deafening silence from Bilbo, followed by a question of her own:

Bilbo: What are you holding up to your ear right now?
Me: Oh yeah .......

See what I mean? Probably the most stupid question I ever asked.

Only 3 more sleeps ...

2011-10-25T17:26:00.000+01:00

... until my friends Bilbo, Sewali and Mrs Flummery arrive. We haven't all got together for just over a year, and I am so excited about it. None of us are really ones for planning what we're going to do, but we do seem to have a plan this time. The plan is in several parts: we've planned what we're going to eat for dinner on Friday, we've planned what we're doing for breakfast and we've even planned what we might have with our tea and coffee. You're probably all amazed to read that a plan from me includes food!

And the moral of the story is ....

2011-10-23T20:29:00.002+01:00

.... a couple of days ago Mrs Nomad gave me some cooking apples from one of the trees in her new garden. So I've been pretending that I'm a domestic goddess, and baking. I've made about 2 dozen apple and cinnamon muffins, 2 apple pies and a big apple cake.

So just what is the moral of the story?

Well, if you are baking, always make sure you wear your glasses, otherwise you could do what I did with the apple cake. I put a tablespoon of what I thought was vanilla essence in the mixture, only to realise as I was pouring the essence into the cake mix, that I had picked up the almond essence instead. My excuse is that the bottles are just the same, it's only the labels that are different.

Thank you ...

2011-10-15T07:59:00.002+01:00

... to everyone who responded to my SOS in the previous post. There were some very useful suggestions which I think we will be trying out now.

SOS

2011-10-12T12:09:00.000+01:00

... I need help. Yes, I know, I can just hear what some of you are saying...

Anyway, look at this great quilt. This is J's first quilt, and I think she's done a great job with it. If you remember, I've been helping her and F to learn to quilt. Yesterday we had another playday, but unfortunately F couldn't be there cos she's visiting her parents at the moment. F, if you're reading this, we missed you. Anyway, I'm digressing. This quilt top became a sandwich yesterday, and quilting decisions had to be made. After trying several things, J went back to her original idea of quilting an allover Baptist Fan pattern on it, which is going to look fabulous, BUT ... the problem is, how does she mark it? We tried wash out pens, chalk markers, pounce, almost everything that has ever been invented for marking and none of them showed up on such a variety of fabrics. Cos I'm not a scrappy quilter, I am at a loss, so I said I'd appeal for help here. Any ideas anyone? Please?

Another busy day …

2011-10-09T17:25:00.000+01:00

Today I have made the remaining 2 quilt backings and their bindings.
I know I said yesterday that I had 6 tops waiting, but I can't count. I had five. Anyway, they're all ready now for when Big Bertha comes out to play.

Do you remember this picture? It was taken as we were having our back garden remodelled in December 2009.

Now compare it to this one. Looks very similar doesn't it? Yep, this weekend, while I was having fun at the Christmas QAL and Mr Fixit was in his workshop, poor Ken, the gardener, started on remodelling our front garden. Oh dear, what can I say? Sorry Ken, is probably the only thing.

Christmas QAL Post 5

2011-10-08T19:26:00.000+01:00

It's about 7.30 pm here now. I've had dinner and am going to settle down now for the rest of the evening with my stitchery.

I've just finished block 2 of the SAL. (Please excuse the marks that I haven't removed yet.)

Next up I shall go back to my snowmen, This is the 7th block so I'm going to have to start thinking soon about how I'm going to put them into a quilt.

Christmas QAL Post 4

2011-10-08T18:29:00.000+01:00

Three down ....

So, I take a piece of fabric that's say 40" wide by 200" long. I want a piece which is 80" x 100", so I cut the length in half and sew the two pieces together. Brilliant. Then I measure it, and guess what I've got? A piece measuring 40" x almost 200". Whaaaaattt???? Yep, I sewed the wrong edges together. Am I the only one who is capapble of being so stupid?

Christmas QAL Post 3

2011-10-08T15:13:00.004+01:00

A picture paints a thousand words, they say

so guess what I'm doing now?

Christmas QAL Post 2

2011-10-08T12:33:00.000+01:00

You remember how I hate adding borders? If not, go here to read all about it. Well, the next worst thing is making the backings. I now have about 6 quilts that need them so I can get Big Bertha out to play, so I'm off to do that now. Well, some of them anyway.

I have done some baking this morning, and it smells gorgeous and I'm having trouble leaving it alone till it's all cooled down!

Christmas QAL Post 1

2011-10-08T10:36:00.000+01:00

Just hear those sleigh bells ringing

and ting ting tingaling too.

Come on its lovely weather

for a sleigh ride together

with you.

Yes, it's that time again. The last but one Christmas Quiltalong day for 2011. Cos I'm in the UK I don't think our hostess, Cathi is up yet, and it would be very rude to turn up on her doorstep when she's still in her pj's, so I'm off to do some baking while I wait. See you all soon.

I couldn't help myself ...

2011-10-07T08:20:00.005+01:00

When I saw that the Quilting Gallery's theme for this week was "Fall Splendour", I just couldn't resist entering this quilt, called Autumn Sunshine. You can go here to see all the quilts, and then vote for your four favourites, and hopefully one of your votes will be for me.

Even if you don't want to vote for me, there are some lovely quilts there to look at, which will help you to pass the time until the Christmas Quiltalong tomorrow. Oh, and that reminds me, several people have emailed me about the word penultimate in my last post. It just means "the one before last".

How many???

2011-10-06T11:32:00.000+01:00

79 that's how many (or how few, depending on how you look at it).

Are you ready? Got all your presents made and wrapped? Nope, me neither.

Don't forget to join us on Saturday for the penultimate Christmas Quiltalong. Cathi is our host this month, and don't tell her I've told you, but I think there's going to be some exciting news! Sshh, it's a secret until then.

You know what?

2011-10-02T17:39:00.000+01:00

I think I've been robbed.

Someone has stolen two or three months from 2011. If the guilty person is reading this, please can I have them back 'cos I'm not ready for it to be October yet!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2011-09-26T16:52:00.000+01:00

Here is the first block from the Sew Happy Sewalong that I joined last week.

Isn't he great? I love him and am looking forward to next Friday's pattern now.

Like I really, really need ...

2011-09-23T15:40:00.000+01:00

... another project.

I've just joined this stitchalong, that I first found out about from Janet. There will be a new pattern every Friday for 8 weeks, and they are just so gorgeous that I had to join in. I've downloaded the first one and plan to get stitching this evening. To get there, just click on the button on my sidebar.

The winner ...

2011-09-15T10:31:00.001+01:00

... of the Quilt Block Scramble from Saturday's QAL is

I apologise for not posting this on Tuesday, like I said, but this week has just run away with me somehow. Does this happen to anyone else, or is it just me?

Because I asked you to email me with the answers, each entry was numbered as it came in, and number 8 is Lynda.

Thanks everyone who entered, I know one or two of the answers were tricky, and I did deliberately mislead you with my scrambled version of Anvil but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Just wait till it's my turn to host again, I've just thought of a really ~~fiendish~~ ~~difficult~~ ~~tricky~~ fun contest.

Now I'm off to lie down cos my back's gone again. Ouch.

For Sale ...

2011-09-12T10:38:00.002+01:00

... I have a few copies of my book available for sale.

If you would like a copy and can't find one locally, just email me with your name and address and I will let you know the cost, including postage. To make it easy, I have a PayPal account, so can be paid in £s, $s, Lunars (that's the currency they use on the moon you know) or almost any other currency you can name.

Here it is ...

2011-09-11T12:27:00.002+01:00

... my version of Scatty Christmas Stars

Christmas QAL Post 6

2011-09-10T21:12:00.003+01:00

Can you unscramble these 20 block names?

Just email your answers to me before Monday night, and I will use Mr Random-Generator to draw the winner of a small prize on Tuesday.

FPuoacrth
LgoaiCbn
LmoSenreyta
J'Lsodecbadar
Navli
FsnaehiirtpSdr
FlysigeneGe
IaisrChhin
BwoiTe
DldiedRguonWbeing
hoOSaitr
ActtnidiWow
oeWMnykhrenc
CurhDsnah
DedsePrlnate
MiaanmCsr'orpess
DdnaParrut'ksh
FeahttderSear
StoeAmtSra
CridarTck

Christmas QAL Post 6

2011-09-10T20:12:00.001+01:00

Did you know

The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the Royal Family of Victoria, Albert and their children gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle, popularized the tree throughout Victorian England and the USA..
According to legend, a kindly nobleman grew despondent over the death of his beloved wife and foolishly squandered his fortune. This left his three young daughters without dowries and thus facing a life of spinsterhood. The generous St. Nicholas, hearing of the girls' plight, set forth to help. Wishing to remain anonymous, he rode his white horse by the nobleman's house and threw three small pouches of gold coins down the chimney where they were fortuitously captured by the stockings the young women had hung by the fireplace to dry.
The ancient Celtics believed mistletoe to have magical healing powers and used it as an antidote for poison, infertility, and to ward of evil spirits.

Christmas QAL Post 5

2011-09-10T19:49:00.001+01:00

Here I am again. My day has been somewhat derailed because we have DGS1 and 2, (the Professor and Chatterbox), here for a sleepover tonight and Chatterbox keeps wanting my computer! We've now had dinner and I've got my stars sorted out and 3 of the outer borders now on. I will add the 4th in a minute, but there won't be any pics until I press it tomorrow. I'm going back to stitching snowmen for the rest of the evening.

I'll be back in about an hour with a quiz for you.

Christmas QAL Post 4

2011-09-10T17:07:00.000+01:00

Let's play a game shall we?

It's called "spot the odd one out"

I told you brain wasn't working today.

Christmas QAL Post 3

2011-09-10T16:10:00.002+01:00

It's time for one of these ...

and some of this ...

Christmas QAL Post 2

2011-09-10T14:41:00.001+01:00

So, I decide to be clever.

I decide I want to put little star blocks in the corners of my Scatty Christmas Stars border. What a good idea. Well, it would be, if only I could get my brain in gear and cut the pieces the right size. I'm off now to see if it's 3rd time lucky. Wish me luck.

Christmas QAL Post 1

2011-09-10T08:58:00.001+01:00

Oops, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date, as the White Rabbit said.

It's 9am here in the UK and I'm only just posting the Linky thing which you will find by going to the top of the blog and clicking on the 2011 Christmas QAL tab.

I have to decide what I am going to work on today, but I'll do that while I'm showering, flicking a duster around, putting washing in the machine and deciding on what to have for for dinner tonight.

See you later everyone.

Christmas Quiltalong ...

2011-09-09T14:27:00.003+01:00

... tomorrow. I am the host. I hope you'll be joining me?

Help me if you ca-a-an ...

2011-09-06T17:50:00.001+01:00

.... In the words of the Beatles song (thanks Lynn) "Won't you please, please help me"? Why do I need help? Simple. I am feeling this overwhelming urge to make one of these

(in four colours only, of course), but deep in my heart I know I'm mad. So, can anyone please talk me out of this?

By the way, who's remembered what's happening on Saturday? Yes, it's Christmas Quiltalong day. Is it me, or are they coming round more often than once a month?

What an idiot ...

2011-09-04T17:52:00.001+01:00

... I am. Fancy going to a quilt show without a camera. So this is a picture-less post, sorry.

OK, so I couldn't make myself do a post without at least one picture!
I set off this morning to the Great Northern Quilt Show. Last year I missed this show as I was away on a steam train, so I had been really looking forward to this. It opened at 10 am, but I deliberately planned to be there for about 11, so the queues for the car park, ticket office, etc, had all died down. I was home again by 1.30 - and it's a 45 minute journey.

This show has been going downhill each year, and in my opinion this year was smaller than ever! I walked round the quilts twice and didn't see anything that stopped me in my tracks. I walked round the traders twice and struggled to spend any money. I met some friends and we had a drink and a gossip, then I met them again at lunch time so we went for another drink. Then I met some more and we sat and had a chat. So it was a good time but so disappointing. Talking to my friends, I wasn't the only one who felt like this.

There were some quilts there that were technically very clever, but just not to my taste. I did eventually manage to spend some money. I bought 5 metres each of a white and a cream tone-on-tone cos they're always useful for backgrounds, and I bought a new rotating cutting mat since I left mine in the sun one day last year, and it re-shaped itself (ever tried cutting accurately on a wavey cutting mat?) but there was nothing else that insisted on following me home. I think when I got home so early and without hundred's of bags weighing me down, that Mr Fixit was worried that I was ill!

It's over ...

2011-09-03T12:31:00.000+01:00

... the blog hop is finished.

I hope you've enjoyed the trip as much as I have. I must thank all the hostesses on our tour, they are the people who really worked hard to make this trip such fun, thank you. Thank you to everyone for coming along with us too.Without all of you, this would have been rather a pointless journey.

You still have time to enter some of the giveaways, but you'd better hurry as a couple of them close today, so if you would like to win an autographed copy of Pick Four, here are the places to go:

Insights from SewCalGal (giveaway open until Sun 4 Sep)

Sew'n Wild Oaks (giveaway open until Sat 3 Sep)

Sweet P Quilting (giveaway open until Sat 3 Sep)

Quilting Prolifically (giveaway open until Sun 4 Sep)

Cotton Cocktails (giveaway open until Sun 4 Sep)

Now I'm going to take off my tour guide's uniform and put my feet up!

Day 10 of Pick Four blog hop

2011-09-01T21:29:00.001+01:00

There's something wrong with the dates on my blog. So today really is Friday 2 September, not Thursday. Maybe Blogger was enjoying our tour so much he didn't want it to end?

Sadly it is the last day of our tour today. We are off to Yorkshire to visit QuiltHaze, and she has the last copy of Pick Four to give away.

QuiltHaze is a very talented quilt artist, and I'm sure you will enjoy meeting her and seeing some of her work. She is also about to embark on a new venture as a quilt teacher, and I would like to wish her luck in that - I know she'll be fabulous.

Now, while we take the last journey of our trip, I'd like to tell you something about Yorkshire.

Famous novelistssuch as J B Priestley, Alan Bennett and Barbara Taylor Bradford all come fromYorkshire.
James Herriotwrote about his experiences as a Yorkshire vet, in All Creatures Great and Small, which later became a very popular TV series. In the books, he was based in Darrowby, whichis actually the town of Thirsk.
Two well knownsculptors, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth and the painter David Hockney allcame from this area.
Yorkshire isfamed as the home of the brass band, one of the most noteable being the BlackDyke Brass Band.
Yorkshirepudding is probably the best known Yorkshire food. It is usually eaten with roast beef andvegetables as part of the traditional Sunday roast dinner.

I'd just like to finish by showing our tour itinerary again, so that you can revisit any of our previous hosts and don't forget that some of them still have the giveaway open.

Wed 24 Aug - Hazel's Quilts (giveaway won by Janet)

Thurs 25 Aug - Quilt Hollow (giveaway won by Kristen)

Fri 26 Aug - Silver Thimble (giveaway won by Grendelskin)

Saturday - Magnolia Bay Quilts (giveaway won by Happy Cottage Quilter)

Sun 28 Aug - Bejewelled Quilts by Barb (giveaway won by Linda TN)

Mon 29 Aug - Insights from SewCalGal (giveaway open until Sun 4 Sep)

Tues 30 Aug - Sew'n Wild Oaks (giveaway open until Sat 3 Sep)

Wed 31 Aug - Sweet P Quilting (giveaway open until Sat 3 Sep)

Today - Quilting Prolifically (giveaway open until Sun 4 Sep)

Today - Cotton Cocktails

I'm sure you'd like to join me in thanking Little Person for being such a great driver on this last leg of our journey. Thank you so much for choosing to travel with me, I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did.

Day 9 of Pick Four blog tour

2011-08-31T23:00:00.000+01:00

Well that was a long overnight flight from Canada to the UK wasn't it? Still it's over now and we're on our way to visit Trudi from Quilting Prolifically in Lincolnshire, where you have another chance to win an autographed copy of the book

Before I tell you anything more about the area we're visiting today, I'd just like to introduce you all to our driver for the rest of the tour.

When I was planning this trip, I asked Trudi about the city where she lives, and this is what she told me:

"It's a 14^th Century cathedral city on a bloomin greathill! Old world cobbled charm, killer on the heels!"

So that gives us an idea of the area, and here's a few other things about it:

John Hurtwent to school there, Alfred LordTennyson born nearby and Margaret Thatcher was born and raised above a grocer’s shop in Grantham.
Those born inLincolnshire are sometimes called Yellowbellies, which is often spelt "Yeller Bellies", to reflect thepronunciation of the phrase by the typical Lincolnshire farm. The origin ofthis term is debated, but is most commonly believed to derive from the uniformsof the LincolnshireRegiment who wore a verybright yellow waistcoat for identification on the battle field.
The famous Lincolnshire sausage comes from this area. Most butchers have their own secretrecipe for these and a competition is held each year to judge the best sausagesin the county.

Now, the tour is almost over, but here is the itinerary again, and some of the stops are still giving away copies of the book, so don't forget to visit them all.

Wed 24 Aug - Hazel's Quilts (giveaway won by Janet)

Thurs 25 Aug - Quilt Hollow (giveaway won by Kristen)

Fri 26 Aug - Silver Thimble (giveaway won by Grendelskin)

Saturday - Magnolia Bay Quilts (giveaway won by Happy Cottage Quilter)

Sun 28 Aug - Bejewelled Quilts by Barb (giveaway open until Fri 3 Sep)

Mon 29 Aug - Insights from SewCalGal (giveaway open until Sun 4 Sep)

Tues 30 Aug - Sew'n Wild Oaks (giveaway open until Sat 3 Sep)

Wed 31 Aug - Sweet P Quilting (giveaway open until Sat Sep 3)

Today - Quilting Prolifically

Fri 2 Sep - Cotton Cocktails

Day 8 of Pick Four blog hop

2011-08-31T08:56:00.000+01:00

Today we're off to Canada. Vancouver Island, to be exact, where our host will be Paulette of Sweet P Quilting and Creations.

We're almost there now, but I'm going to give her a few minutes to just finish baking those wonderful almond biscuits (recipe on her blog here) before we arrive, so I'll tell you a few interesting facts about her home area.

The X Files (starring Gillian Anderson and DavidDuchovny) and Intersection (with the gorgeous Richard Gere,) were filmed here.
Kim Cattrall and Pamela Anderson were both born on Vancouver Island.
There is a very strong British tradition, to the food of the area. If you have time while we're here you could enjoy a beer,lager or stout in one of the many breweries and pubs or, for somethingmore elegant,why not go for afternoon tea which includes freshly baked scones, andunique tea blends.
At this time of year, many restaurants organise mushroom hunts for their customers, and then create wonderful dishes using the treasures found during the hunts. Seaweed tours are also popular.

The temperature this afternoon is expected to go up to 20C, which is just perfect in my opinion.

Now, I think the biscuits are ready now, so let's hurry over to Paulette's, where she will give you another chance to win a copy of the book, but just before you go, here is the tour itinerary again:

Wed 24 Aug - Hazel's Quilts (the giveaway was won by Janet)

Thurs 25 Aug - Quilt Hollow (the giveaway was won by Kristen)

Fri 26 Aug - Silver Thimble (giveaway open until Wed 31 August)

Saturday - Magnolia Bay Quilts (giveaway open until 5pm Central Time on Tuesday 30 August)

Sun 28 Aug - Bejewelled Quilts by Barb (giveaway open until Fri 3 Sep)

Mon 29 Aug - Insights from SewCalGal (giveaway open until Sun 4 Sep)

Tues 30 Aug - Sew'n Wild Oaks (giveaway open until Sat 3 Sep)

Today - Sweet P Quilting

Thurs 1 Sep - Quilting Prolifically

Fri 2 Sep - Cotton Cocktails

Day 7 of Pick Four blog hop

2011-08-30T00:00:00.000+01:00

Hello and welcome to day 7 of our tour. Wasn't it lovely to have a bit of a lie-in this morning? The last 2 mornings we have had to get up sooo early.

Today we're off to visit Lynn from Sew'n Wild Oaks. Lynn is not at home this week, so we're off to visit her in her holiday location of Calaveras County, where she is enjoying some time with her family. Lynn is also a very talented quilter and designer but for today she has a copy of my book to give away to one of you. Since I don't know this area, here is what Lynn has told me about the area:

Arnold is located in Calaveras County. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County made famous by Mark Twain. (By the way, Calaveras means skulls in Spanish!)

We are located in the spectacular Sierra Nevada mountain range, between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite.

Bears and mountain lions wander through our property.....we are too old, and too tough to eat! But I'm afraid we are also slow.

You will need a sweater as the evenings and early mornings are getting a bit brisk giving the leaves a bit of Fall color.

Oh yes, and she did also mention that they really had a mountain lion wandering through their property last week - twice! OK, we've arrived now, so just let me remind you about the tour itinerary before you rush off to enjoy yourself with Lynn.

Wed 24 Aug - Hazel's Quilts (the giveaway was won by Janet)

Thurs 25 Aug - Quilt Hollow (the giveaway was won by Kristen)

Fri 26 Aug - Silver Thimble (giveaway open until Wed 31 August)

Saturday - Magnolia Bay Quilts (giveaway open until 5pm Central Time on Tuesday 30 August)

Sun 28 Aug - Bejewelled Quilts by Barb (giveaway open until Fri 3 Sep)
Mon 29 Aug - Insights from SewCalGal (giveaway open until Sun 4 Sep)
Today - Sew'n Wild Oaks
Wed 31 Aug - Sweet P Quilting
Thurs 1 Sep - Quilting Prolifically
Fri 2 Sep - Cotton Cocktails

Day 6 of Pick Four blog hop

2011-08-29T09:56:00.000+01:00

Hello everybody. I'm sorry we had to get up so early again this but we have a long journey again to get from Barb on the moon to SewCalGal, who lives in Southern California. At least it should be a bit warmer there than it was on the moon.

I have managed to find out a few things about the area we are visiting today, apart from the fact that it is the home of movies and Disneyland.

Southern California is also important to the world of yachting and the San Diego Yacht Club held the America's Cup from 1988 - 1995, during which time it also hosted the America's Cup races three times.
The area with the highest population is Orange County which has approximately 1500 people per km² and the lowest populated is Imperial County with just 15 people per km².
Death Valley features the lowest, the hottest and the driest locations in N America.
If California was a country, it would be the 8^th largest economy in the world.

Don't forget, there is also a copy of my book to be won while we are visiting SewCalGal, but before we arrive at SewCalGal's, we're stopping for a meal at a restaurant called the Stinking Rose, where they boast that we "season our garlic with food".

Just before we all get off the tour bus can I just remind you of our trip itinerary,

Wed 24 Aug - Hazel's Quilts (the giveaway was won by Janet)

Thurs 25 Aug - Quilt Hollow (the giveaway was won by Kristen)

Fri 26 Aug - Silver Thimble (giveaway open until Wed 31 August)

Saturday - Magnolia Bay Quilts (giveaway open until 5pm Central Time on Tuesday 30 August)

Sun 28 Aug - Bejewelled Quilts by Barb (giveaway open until Fri 3 Sep)

Today - Insights from SewCalGal

Tues 30 Aug - Sew'n Wild Oaks

Wed 31 Aug - Sweet P Quilting

Thurs 1 Sep - Quilting Prolifically

Fri 3 Sep - Cotton Cocktails

Day 5 of Pick Four blog hop

2011-08-28T08:32:00.001+01:00

Good morning everyone. I hope everyone who is in the path of Irene stays safe and there is not too much damage.

I'm sorry we have had such an early start today, but we have a long journey ahead of us. Today's host is Bejewelled Barb, and she has given me permission to tell you that she lives on the moon. I thought this might be an area that many of us have heard of, but none have visited, so here are a few facts I have gathered.

It is widely believed to be made of cheese.
Only 12 humans are known to have walked there.
We will definitely need our pj.s tonight, as the average night time temperature is -153C. I wonder how many quilts Barb has for us to use?
Have you all remembered to bring your bottles of water cos we're going to need them? Although there are lots of "seas" on the moon, none of them are made of water.

Now let's go and meet Barb, and see what she has to say about the book. Don't forget that she is also going to give one of you the chance to win an autographed copy.

OK, we're almost there, but there's just time for me to remind you of the itinerary for the tour.

Wed 24 Aug - Hazel's Quilts (the giveaway was won by Janet)

Thurs 25 Aug - Quilt Hollow (the giveaway was won by Kristen)

Fri 26 Aug - Silver Thimble (giveaway open until Wed 31 August)

Saturday - Magnolia Bay Quilts (giveaway open until 5pm Central Time on Tuesday 30 August)

Today - Bejewelled Quilts by Barb

Mon 29 Aug - Insights from SewCalGal

Tues 30 Aug - Sew'n Wild Oaks

Wed 31 Aug - Sweet P Quilting

Thurs 1 Sep - Quilting Prolifically

Fri 3 Sep - Cotton Cocktails